My Desired Leadership Style the Transformational Leader

I aspire to be a transformational leader. Transformational leaders possess the unique to inspire their subordinates to be the best they can be. This leadership style can be used for good or bad some Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Adolf Hitler were both transformational leaders. No matter what the circumstances are that motivate a transformational leader, they must possess values that guide them through their leadership. There is no cookie cutter example of a transformational leader each leader has their own way of doing things but an authentic transformational leader must utilize certain skills, competencies, experiences, knowledge, and traits. I personally believe that it is very important for a leader to have a versatile leadership approach. As I have developed my leadership skills over the past few years I have experienced uncomfortable situations and different personalities than my own and I have had to evolve my or change my leadership style based on the circumstances that I was faced with. Although I have had to adopt some characteristics or traits from other leadership styles I believe my core leadership style would be considered transformational leadership. Based on what I know about myself and what I have learned from others is that I am currently a transformational leader, but I desire to be a better transformational leader. What is a Transformational Leader? Transformational leadership is a type of leadership style that leads to changes in those who follow. A leader who is transformational motivates by transforming the identities and goals of individuals to coincide with those of the group (Lovaglia, Lucas, & Baxter, 2012). Transformational leaders have the innate ability to inspire their followers into action to achieve a common goal. For example during the 2008 presidential campaign Barrack Obama used his transformational leadership style by inspiring many, who had never voted before to get out and vote. Through his inspirational speeches, grassroots movement to register voters, and his seemingly American Dream come true life story he was able to, for a short period of time inspire and motivate an otherwise jaded and broken country that had been fractured among racial and economic lines for years to believe in and demand change. Transformational leaders are generally energetic, enthusiastic and passionate, and they invoke a since of ownership and pride in their followers. When faced with a problem or issue within an organization the transformational leader can create relay a message so that it is either accepted with enthusiasm or without contention. Instead of trying to force change on their subordinates the transformational leader creates an atmosphere of even exchanges of thoughts and ideas toward the changes. This type of leader seeks to motivate followers by transforming their conceptions of self and their private goals to coincide with the larger purposes of the group. Rather than working for money, employees work to be part of the success of a larger mission. The concept of transformational leadership was initially introduced by leadership expert and presidential biographer James MacGregor Burns. According to Burns, transformational leadership can be seen when â€Å"leaders and followers make each other to advance to a higher level of moral and motivation. † Through the strength of their vision and personality, transformational leaders are able to inspire followers to change expectations, perceptions and motivations to work towards common goals. Later, researcher Bernard M. Bass expanded upon Burns original ideas to develop what is today referred to as Bass’ Transformational Leadership Theory. According to Bass, transformational leadership can be defined based on the impact that it has on followers. Transformational leaders, Bass suggested, garner trust, respect and admiration from their followers. Bass suggested that there are four components of a transformational leadership which are intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, inspirational motivation and idealized influence. Intellectual stimulation is when the leader encourages their followers to be creativity, the followers is encouraged to explore new ways of doing things. Recognizing that all followers are not the same is an important aspect of a transformational leader’s influence, offering support and encouragement to individual followers, that leads to an increased since of accomplishment and self-esteem is considered individualized consideration. Inspirational motivation is when the leader can invoke the same passion and enthusiasm that they have about a vision and goal, in their followers. On January 20, 1961 President John F. Kennedy inspired and an entire county with one sentence from his inaugural speech â€Å"ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country†. This important quote inspired Americans to take action and make changes during the 1960’s the country changed the way it looked at civil rights, women’s liberation and war. Idealized influence is the same as leading by example, because followers trust and respect the leader they tend to model their behavior and actions after the leader and began to internalize and adopt the leader’s ideas. Modern Day Transformational Leader A good example of a modern day transformational leader is Bill Gates, former chief executive and current chairman of Microsoft, the world’s largest personal-computer software company, which he co-founded with Paul Allen. Bill Gates can be considered a transformational leader because he is regarded by his followers as an expert and visionary in his field, also has gained respect and credibility based on his past management experience. Through his philanthropic work and can do attitude he leads by example. Transformational leaders build trust in their leadership and attainability of their goals through an image of seemingly unshakable self-confidence, strength of moral conviction, personal example and self-sacrifice, and unconventional tactics or behavior. They are perceived to have unusual insight and ability to act in a manner consistent with their vision and values. Gates has managed to display most of the characteristics of a transformational leader. Why I selected this Leadership style? The reason I chose transformational leadership as my desired leadership style because this leadership style is most aligned with my natural personality according to the traits of a transformational leader. I strive to be a transformational leader because transformational leaders in my experience are the most successful and have more respect and loyalty from their followers. Transformational leaders have the ability to make an impact on not only organizational growth but also the personal and professional growth of those that work for and with them. I want to be a transformational leader because I want to be a solution to the problem instead of complaining about or being part of the problem and I want to guide people to do the same. I live by the old adage â€Å"if you’re not part of the solution you are part of the problem†. Transformational leaders are part of the solution. Important Values The values I feel are important for me to model the transformational leadership style are adaptability, openness, enthusiasm, and morality. Adaptability is an important value for a transformational leader to have because they must adapt their leadership style to the different personalities, needs, and skills of their team. Act as a mentor or a coach more so than a boss. Assign and delegate work based on talents and interests, but also challenge their comfort zones. This was the value I struggle with the most because I am stubborn and I am at tine relentless in my beliefs and I sometime refuse to bend. In order for a transformational leaders to transform effectively they need to foster innovation by challenging assumptions about what can and cannot be done. React to mistakes and failures in a way that shows that risk-taking is condoned. Give support, provide resources, and remove barriers to change. Approach problems as learning opportunities. By showing that there is value in independent thinking and reward people who challenge. By allowing an atmosphere that promotes creativity and inspires change a leader has to be open to idea’s that are different. In order to guide a team in the direction the leader needs the group to go is by measuring and monitoring results in order to even began to inspire anytime of inspirational a leader needs to start with setting a vision, strategy, and goals. Then motivate them to bring their best by expressing the leader’s passion, by communicating with confidence and optimism, and connecting tasks to a greater purpose. It is important for a leader to have morals and lead by example, and act with integrity and ethical standards; with both behaviors and words. Just as small children mimic and emulate their parents, subordinates will take note of what their leader does and use it as a template for how they act and behave. It happens automatically and subconsciously, whether the behavior is positive or negative—people will follow a leader’s example. Model of a Transformational Leader In order to model the transformational leadership style there are certain skills competencies, experiences, knowledge and traits that a person needs to possess. According to the Piedmont Resources group a Real Estate consulting group and Small Business Advisor a transformational leader should possess 5 skills. Those skills are communicate vision and goals clearly and without uncertainty, being able to listen, collaborate and empower, build relationships, provide intellectual stimulation, and lead by example. In order for people to follow a leader a leader must be able to set the road map for the trip the group is about to take. A true leader provides a clear direction with confidence and certainty. Hearing a massage and listening to a message are not the same thing, they are not hearing is a biological process that can be scientifically explained, listening is a psychological phenomenon. Listening is the ability to process what you here. When a leader listens to their followers there collaboration becomes effective and then the leader can empower followers to create change. Relationship building is a given part of the leader and subordinate roles. Building Relationships that Work helps you revitalize the relationships that affect the quality and profitability of your business. It goes beyond strategies for influencing the behavior of others to provide a process for creating clear communications, effective collaboration, and relationships that achieve results (http://executiveeducation. wharton. upenn. edu, 2013). Transformational leaders stimulate the efforts of their followers as regards innovativeness and creativity, stimulate permanent reexamination of the existent assumptions, stimulate change in the way of thinking about problems, and plead the use of analogy and metaphor. The last and most important skill needed by a transformational leader is the ability to lead by example a transformational leader needs to show followers the correct behavior by modeling appropriate actions. For me I am fulfilling my dream of being a leader in my company. I feel that I possess most of the qualities of a transformational leader. My only problem is that I have I am fairly new and I do not have an extensive leadership background that is needed to be a strong transformational leader. I think that I possess all of the skills needed to be a transformational leader. In fact I was just evaluated 2 weeks ago by our company’s Vice President and I was complimented on being and effective and enthusiastic leader who turned a struggling team around. Conclusion Transformational leaders are individuals who with their own knowledge, imaginations and ability to influence the behavior of people, make conditions for transforming. The key to being a successful transformational leader is producing real change through people to achieve the company’s ultimate goal through inspiration rather than fear, intrinsic rewards rather than monetary rewards and creating an atmosphere of innovation. References http://executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu. (2013, July 13). Retrieved from The Wharton School :Aresty Institute of Executive Education: http://executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu/for-individuals/all-programs/building-relationships-that-work Lovaglia, M. J., Lucas, J. W., & Baxter, A. (2012). The Transforming Leader: New Approaches To Leadership For The Twenty-First Century. (C. S. Pearson, Ed.) San Francisco, California: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. Shriberg, D., & Shriberg, A. (2010). Practicing Leadership Principles and applications. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

History of Early New York Immigration

Immigration is an event that has been occurring in New York since 1624 when the Dutch West India Company assembled thirty families from Holland to established a settlement that became known as New Netherland. Many immigrants came to our nation looking for opportunities that their country could not provide for them. The prospect of political and religious liberty, as well as opportunities for economic advancements brought millions of immigrants to America. Through the years, immigration has played a key role in the New York†s economic, political and social development in both positive and negative ways. During the colonial era most immigrants came from northern European countries. Their numbers declined with the onset of the Revolutionary War during the 1770†³s, but immigration picked up strongly again during the 1840s and 1850s. Between 1840 and 1860, the New York received its first great wave of immigrants. In Europe as a whole, famine, poor harvests, rising populations and political unrest caused an estimated five million people to leave their homelands each year. In Ireland, blight attacked the potato crop, and upwards of 750,000 people starved to death. Many of the survivors emigrated. The failure of the German Confederation†s Revolution of 1848-49 led many of its people to emigrate. Many settled in New York City, where the population increased from 200,000 residents in 1830 to 515,000 in 1850. By 1860, New York was home to over one million residents. More than half of the city†s population at that time were immigrants and their American-born children. The masses of immigrants were overwhelming. By 1887, it became obvious that Castle Garden (immigrant receiving station) was too small to process the large numbers of immigrants pouring into the New York. The Castle Garden was so small that criminals were simply hanging out at the receiving station to rob the immigrants inside, instead of waiting for them to get on the streets. Thus, the government built Ellis Island in 1892 and immigrants continued pouring in. The number of immigrants was so great that by 1910 immigrants and their families composed over half the total population of New York. During Industrialization many â€Å"new† immigrants on their way out of Southern and Eastern Europe due to over population and religious persecution. Approximately 25 million arrived between 1866 and 1915. While earlier immigrants had come mainly from northern European countries such as England, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries, by the 1880s most â€Å"new† immigrants were arriving from southern and eastern countries such as Italy, Poland, and Russia. More than a million immigrants arrived in each of the years 1905, 1907, and 1910, some fleeing the â€Å"pogroms† (organized massacres) taking place in Eastern Europe, and others seeking a life that they could never have within the borders of their poverty-stricken countries. These later immigrants, arriving from southern and eastern Europe, were Czechs, Poles, Ukrainians, Serbs, Slovaks and Russian, as well as Italians, Greeks, Hungarians, and Rumanians. Approximately ten percent of them were Jews fleeing the repressive policies of Czarist Russia under Alexander III, although Roman and Orthodox Catholics were among the arrivals. The tremendous industrial growth of the late nineteenth century created an unprecedented demand for workers. The construction of canals and railroads required an enormous force of unskilled laborers. Hence, practically all the â€Å"new† immigrants found jobs in transportation, mining, and manufacturing. Without this supply of labor, New York â€Å"s industrial expansion could not have taken place. A few exceptional immigrants rose to positions of wealth and power. But for the great mass of immigrants, success meant something much more limited. It meant better wages, money in the bank, ownership of a home, and a brighter future for their children. Even though immigrants helped to make the Industrial Revolution possible they faced opposition in economics and politics. The response to these newcomers was unfriendly and inhospitable. The Americans who saw their job security challenged by immigrants that were willing to work longer hours for lower wages did not welcome. The new comers did not have the same culture as the first immigrants that had come from Northern and Western Europe. Most lacked skills and very few spoke English, some could not read or write in any language. The Slavic and Polish (excluding Jewish) immigrants groups were viewed as unskilled, illiterate, and transient and were seen as a bigger threat to New York institutions than the other European ethnic groups. They were not ambitious people, tended to keep to themselves, and were opposed to the American idea of materialism. Many of the Slavs and Poles distrusted New York public schools; they withdrew their children from school and encouraged them to seek training in a trade, thus allowing a high rate of dropouts. Likewise, Italians were discriminated against because they also provided cheap labor and, naturally of a clannish nature, tended to move and settle as a group in Italian communities where they only worked with fellow countrymen and did not learn the ways of urban life. Americans thought that Italians did not assimilate into the American culture well since they held on their old-country traditions and cultures so strongly. Assimilation was important to the Americans because they were fearful of the change that came with other cultures, not to mention their resentment towards the new languages already replacing English in several parts of the cities. The Italians also brought the Mafia, which although in Italy enforced justice, came under the control of criminals in New York, and became known for racketeering, blackmail, and extortion. The immigrants were blamed for creating disorder and violence in the cities, and in general, were thought to be â€Å"birds of passage† who would use the American economy to make their fortunes, then return to their native land taking American dollars. The ever-growing influx of immigrants disturbed many native-born Americans who were annoyed by the newcomers† appearance and way of life. They expected these people, no matter what their place of origin, to conform to Anglo-Saxon patterns of behavior and to cherish the institutions of America. These anti-immigrant, natives, sentiments, and the hatred and prejudice toward these immigrants led to the passing of immigration laws that greatly restricted the flow of immigration . The first restrictive law prevented immigration of lunatics, criminals, polygamists, people with diseases, and those likely to be public charges. In August of 1882, the first federal immigration law was adopted. This law put a head tax on all immigrant passengers. Laws from notes. Many American believed that these immigration restrictions were necessary to keep the New York city from deteriorating. The population living in cities of over 30,000 increased from ten percent of the total in 1860 to more than twenty-five percent of the total US population by 1900. The pressure of the tremendous inflow of immigrants quickly outstripped the ability of the New York†s established institutions to cope with them. Already poor in the Old Country, for the most part, they arrived in America penniless and made their homes in the growing tenements of America†s major cities, like New York. The severe strain on the housing situation coupled with discriminatory practices eventually led to the creation of ghettos. Women and children were often sent to work to contribute to the survival of the family, old-world views that eventually led to wholesale exploitation of child labor. Poverty on a never-before-seen scale became the norm in America†s urban centers. Perplexed, poor, and lacking knowledge of the American lifestyle, these immigrants were used as a low-paid labor force for dirty jobs that nobody else wanted and felt the harshness of Industrialism the most. They did not know their bosses, class animosity often divided management and labor, and their interests and wants were of little concern to the corporations. Because these people did not have the proper education, many of them remained unskilled or semi-unskilled throughout their lives. Although many could not attain the work skills they needed, they gained many other things. By the early 1900†³s, ninety percent of those who could not speak English learned to do so in less than ten years after they arrived, and only a third was still illiterate. Despite their many hardships, the new immigrants were determined to make it in the New World. For example, the Slavs† ability to take the worst jobs and stick with them enabled them to become one of the top two ethnic groups representing employees of America†s leading industries . It was the clashing of old-world views with those of new-world ideas that forced compromises that helped to advance social and political thoughts. The cities would not have grown without people to provide cheap labor in the factories, and it was the willingness to provide a cheap source of labor and to work the most difficult and menial jobs that helped enable the United Stated to make the economic gains that she made. The stamina and perseverance of the immigrants made America and industrial giant and the world economic power it is today Even though immigrants helped to make the Industrial Revolution possible they faced opposition in economics and politics. Although New York benefited from immigration they tended to regard the newcomers as competitors for their jobs. This is understandable not only because of fluctuations of the economy, which caused unemployment but because immigrants were often used as strike. The â€Å"new† immigrants that came to America that could read, write, speak, and understand English were lated by many political supports. Those people feared that if an immigrant were gain power in politics that they might try to incorporate their old customs and traditions in politics. Many Americans even opposed the idea of allowing immigrants the right to vote. Even after immigrants were to become Americanized, political supports fought to keep immigrants from participating in politics.

Women in Sport Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Women in Sport - Case Study Example Before 1870, women sports subsisted in â€Å"play activity: forms that were entertaining instead for competition, also, being casual and lacking regulations, highlighted physical exercise (Shangold, Mona & Gabe, 2012). A leading belief in 1800 was that every person had a predetermined energy amount. If such energy gets employed in physical as well as academic duties simultaneously, it may be dangerous (Women's Sports Foundation, 2006). Riding on the back of a horse for recreation, show canoeing as well as swimming became trendy; however women weren’t motivated to dive themselves. This bodily exercise for women was considered to be particularly dangerous since in menstruation they were â€Å"occasionally weakened† (Adrian, 2005). During 1875, while women were starting to get entry to universities, Prof. Edward Clarim released Gender in School; or, A Just Chance for Girls that ignited an insistent and bitter discussion concerning the women’s capability for bodily exercise. He articulated that, â€Å"every muscular as well as mind labor may be decreased at the menstruation onset† (Parkhouse & Lapin, 2015). While extra women pursued to get included in sports, they develop into being further competitive. During the belatedly 1800 as well as early 1900, they started to create unofficial athletic associations. Bowling, archery, croquet and Tennis were trendy in associations from in New Orleans and New York.

Compare the characteristics of an operational database and a Essay

Compare the characteristics of an operational database and a dimensional database - Essay Example The data normalization for the operational database is required at a very high level to avoid the data redundancy. This type of databases is also referred to the â€Å"On-Line Transaction Processing† OLPT. This type of database is updated after every transaction and also represents the snapshot of a very current business situation. In an operation database, records are changed, updated, added and replaced. Relational model is used to compose operational systems with update and insert operations. Current databases are multidimensional, and technology is applied to distributed data. Large, complex, and high performance data is only facilitated by the dimensional database. For example, a sale manager wants to view the sale of a product for the particular region over a period. This is the dimensional view of data as higher dimensionality requires the high volume of data. The â€Å"On-Line analytical processing† known as OLAP enables the managers, analysts and professional to gain insight in view of information. An OLAP server supports the structures of the dimensional database. For dimensional databases, the multidimensional model is used to model the system. A company has multidimensional database of products, sales, finance, and employees. (IBM

Business and Canadian Government Policy - International Trade Policy Term Paper

Business and Canadian Government Policy - International Trade Policy - Term Paper Example Countries that were perceived as being underprivileged or deprived had emerged as potential global powers within a very short span of time. Such a development has been possible only due to complete or partial dissolution of trade barriers binding the movements of goods and services between national boundaries. In addition, the nations no longer need to suffice their fundamental needs all by themselves, post globalisation. In fact, they can specialise in producing goods where they enjoy a comparative advantage over others; such a stance can lead to efficient allocation of resources that facilitates cost efficiency as well. Quite surprisingly South-East Asian nations, which had primarily resorted to agriculture as their forte, emerged as global powers engaging themselves in industrial production as well. Such was their evolution in the area that they soon gained a comparative advantage over many chronically known industrial economies, hence capturing a chunk of the market share. Gradually, their potentials came to the forefront and many developed nations, awed by their reserve stocks, decided to enter into pacts with them. Such a nation is Canada that recently has been considering prospects of entering into coalition with South-East Asian nations like China and India. This coalition will target primarily upon digging up new investment prospects in these developing economies. Given the availability of cheap factors of production (that leads to comparative advantage) possibilities of reaping a fat profit margin is supposed to be an almost obvious phenomenon. However, extensive research is necessary prior to taking a step ahead in the area, especially since it involves the future of a nation. Recent political developments between developing nations like India and China with Canada have reported proceedings about Free Trade Agreements between the economies. The US financial crisis has taught Canada a lesson in a hard way about not to depend much upon its

Ethical Breakdown and Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Breakdown and Leadership - Essay Example Although the vice has changed dramatically in the past decade, consider the past infamous Ford Pinto case which was produced during the 1970s. The car brand became disreputable for its tendency to leak fuel and explode into flames. Many deaths and injuries were recorded due to the manufacturing faults before they were recalled to correct the hitch. Investigations revealed that due to competition from Volkswagen, and other manufacturers the production of the cars was rushed, although the engineers noticed the mishaps during the reproduction crash tests, they went on with the production (Bazerman & Tenbrunsel, 2011). The main reason for the leaders of Ford to go on with the production is mere greed rather than a marketing decision which was highly unethical. US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel recently commented on the unethical behavior of the military, after it emerged that 30 officers of the US navy cheated on an exam for nuclear reactor instructors. The test in question is expected to gauge knack by launch officers in handling â€Å"emergency war orders†. The Pentagon describes the scandal as an ethical issue, although others may view it differently. Others may see the problem as more of a cultural problem (Ortiz, 2014). Personally, the breakdown mainly occurs due to the high standards that have been put by the system for the officers to achieve. The pressure to get good grades and a zero tolerance for wrong answers can be one of the reasons that the officers decided to cheat during exams. The failure by the authorities to notice the breakdown also raises some questions about their leadership abilities (Ortiz, 2014). This is due to the fact that it took one sailor who saw this as unethical to report the matter to the seniors.

SEC 10-K annual report for Nike Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

SEC 10-K annual report for Nike Inc - Essay Example The company adopted its â€Å"Swoosh† logo in 1971. Dramatic growth of the company started with the signing of Michael Jordan and the launch of the Air Jordan brand in 1985. The company revenues have grown at 8.2% CAGR in the last 10 years while the profits have grown at 23.1% CAGR (Gibbs, 2012). Athletic footwear made up 64% of Nike’s products business in 2012 and sports apparel 30%. Branded equipment made up the remaining 6%. The global footwear industry is projected to grow from $ 185 billion in 2011 to $ 211 billion in 2018. Athletic footwear is expected to be about one-third of this market (PR Web, 2012). The sports apparel market is expected to grow in the same period from $ 122 billion to $ 190 billion (TREFIS, 2010). Nike’s market share in both markets is expected to grow over the next five years as shown in the charts below which should make Nike an even stronger market leader in its industry (Guenette, 2013). 2. Analysis of Nike Financial Reports The th ree key financial reports to be examined are the Income Statement, the Balance Sheet and the Cash Flow statement. A summary of these three statements made from the company’s 10-K filing for the fiscal year ended 31 May 2012 has been included in this report. 2.1 Analysis of the Income Statement A summary of the Income Statement is shown below (Nike Annual Report, 2012, p 41). Income Statement ( in $ million)    2012 2011 2010 Revenues 24,128 20,862 19,014 Cost of Sales 13,657 11,354 10,214 Gross Profit 10,471 9,508 8,800 Gross Margin % 43.4% 45.6% 46.3% Marketing Expense 2,711 2,448 2,356 Other overheads 4,720 4,245 3,970 Total SG & A 7,431 6,693 6,326 SGA / Revenue % 30.8% 32.1% 33.3% Interest expense 3 4 6 Other expenses/ (income) 54 (33) (49) Income before Tax 2,983 2,844 2,517 Tax expense 760 711 610 Net Income 2,223 2,133 1,907 Net Income / Revenue % 9.2% 10.2% 10.0% The company revenues have grown 16% in 2012 over 2011 which were 10% higher than the previous year (Nike Annual Report, 2012, pp 18-20). This growth shows that Nike is gaining market share as the total markets are only growing at around 2% a year. Nike’s main competitor Adidas had revenues of â‚ ¬ 11.88 million ($ 15.6 billion) in 2012, a growth of 11.7% over 2011 (Adidas Annual Report, 2012, p 190). The Gross Margin has decreased by about 300 basis points over the two years to 43.4% and this has been attributed by the company management to increases in input costs, higher import taxes in some countries and discounts on close-out sales (Nike Annual Report, 2012, p 21). Adidas has had significantly higher gross margins at 47.7% in 2012 and 47.5% in 2011 (Adidas Annual Report, 2012, p 190). The decline in gross margin for Nike has been offset by reduced SG&A costs and the net income in 2012 has only declined 80 basis points compared to 2010. For Adidas the SG&A costs are much higher than Nike at 41.3% in 2012 and 41.8% in 2011 resulting in a net income of 5.3 % in 2012 9 (excl uding â‚ ¬ 265 million Goodwill write-off) compared to 4.6 % in 2011. 2.2 Analysis of the Balance Sheet The Nike balance sheet as of 31 May is given only for two years 2011 and 2012 in their Annual Report and is summarized below. a) Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) The Capital Employed in Nike’s operations is the total of the non-current assets in the balance sheet and the working capital made up of inventories and accounts receivables less

Politics course work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Politics course work - Essay Example The main principles of the cabinet government are as follows. The monarch (Queen Elizabeth II) has the power to appoint or dismiss any ministers to the government, although this is usually done ‘on the advice of the Prime Minister’ (Heyward, 2008, p20), meaning that the monarch has very little political influence. When these changes are made, this is referred to as a reshuffle, something which generally happens on a yearly basis. The cabinet are generally chosen from the current Prime Minister’s own political party, with the shadow cabinet – those who hold a corresponding role to those in the cabinet – being formed of the official opposition (the largest non-Governmental party, currently the Labour Party) (Heyward, 2008, p17). The various titles and duties held by the members of the cabinet (and the corresponding shadow cabinet) change depending on the demands of the UK population and the views of the currently elected premier. The currently appointe d cabinet government have weekly meetings to discuss potential and actual policy changes. These weekly meetings have ensured that the Institute of Government see the cabinet government as having a reduced capacity as a decision-making body (Blick & Jones, 2010, p97) due to their infrequency and short length. Despite this, however, it is the cabinet that makes policy decisions and thus hold all responsibility for these decisions. The various ministers and secretaries within the cabinet must exhibit public support for the decisions made for the government and all policy choices must be made collectively. In practise, many decisions can be and are delegated to the sub-committees of the cabinet, such as education, who carry out all research, present findings and seriously influence the final choice of the governmental cabinet (Heyward, 2008, p14). As previously mentioned, the cabinet is generally chosen from members of the current Governmental party, such as the Labour Party under Tony Blair (Kavanagh et al., 2006, pp32-34). The current Governmental party is chosen using the first-past-the-post system – the party with the most seats gains power, despite how many votes they may have in total. This system requires that the winning party holds at least 326 seats in Parliament to hold a majority, or else a hung parliament will occur. In the event of a hung parliament, it is necessary to create a coalition government of two or more political parties so that the total number of seats held by these parties totals at least 326. In the case of the 2010 elections, the Conservative Party won 306 seats and formed a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, who won 57 seats, giving a total of 363 seats. The shadow cabinet is thus formed from members of the Labour Party, who hold a total number of 258 seats (BBC News, 2010). The creation of this coalition government means that the current cabinet is formed from members of both the Conservatives and the Lib Dems. There are 18 cabinet ministers or secretaries from the Conservative Party and 5 from the Liberal Democrats (BBC News, 2010). This ratio must be maintained throughout Cameron’s premiership – if a Liberal Democrat leaves cabinet, another must be appointed in their place (Daily Telegraph, 2010). The traditional role of Prime Minister has also been affected – David Cameron currently holds the office, but Nick

Buddhism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Buddhism - Research Paper Example In a culture where the idea of diety is so thoroughly solidified, Buddhism focuses on humanitarian deeds rather than worship of a higher being. Buddhism ultimately chooses to find the good in humanity in society where religious warfare continues to plague society. The foundation of Buddhist tradition and practice focus around ethical perceptions. All Abrahamic religions along with Hinduism such as Christianity and Islam all have a divine God. Moreover, Buddhism tends to focus around life and suffering. This is perfectly displayed through John La Plante as he states, â€Å"Buddhism tends to adhere to the teachings of Buddha which calls for a very peaceful and humble approach† (Plante, 34). Moreover, Buddhism allows individuals to practice other religions along with Buddhism. The whole essence of Buddhism is to preach peacefulness and embrace nature. It was clear that people were attracted to the idea in which humanity is the focal point rather than worship and control that othe r religions enforce. Another key element that proves why Buddhism is embraced by the Asian culture is due to the fact that it promotes peace. Since Buddhism embraces the fact that peace and harmony are vital towards reaching salvation, it completely diminishes the difference of opinion in the religion itself. Buddhism is one of the fewest religions in which sects are not a huge issue. Moreover, Buddhism tends to bridge the differences. Hinduism for instance continues to impose the cast system which clashes against equality. It leads to differences between society and further leads to more division and clashes amongst people. On the other hand, Buddhism does not indulge on submission but suffering through an internal journey. Buddhism is pinnacle of peace here as it is stated in the Bhagavad Gita, â€Å"The Buddha taught one thing alone: that is, how to end suffering in ones life† (Gita, 20).

My holiday - i visited Paris Essay Example for Free

My holiday i visited Paris Essay I visited Paris in France. When I there arrived I was astonished because the city seemed very modern ceque I did not await. She has seems very clean and she had aigalement a lot of different stores. On the way i mon hotel I traveled by the north of the France that seemed very silent. When I arrived to my destination I was very hour. It was very hot. The Trip I travelled by France. I had to go to Douvres. It was a long boring trip we left Douvres at 10 oclock and arrived in France at twelve oclock. Lodging IS remained in a hotel with my family. I have partagiune room with my brother and my parents had a separated room. The hotel was situated close to the local city but it was again silencie ux and calm. The hotel had a swimming pool and the stores was very dear. My room was small it had a television and one bathroom. Activities of the day The day it was very hot thus I tried to do the activities that were interior. I played Badminton then I played au ping-pong that was very good. I also went swimming in the swimming pool in the hotel, after swimming I played mini-golf. Activities in the evening The evenings it did sometimes froid. La most of the time in evenings my family went out for a repas. Quand there was recreations we remained at the hotel because it was comedy and my younger brother really assessed demonstration. They etait drole but certain French i taienten. Equally my sisters participated in the spectacle our last one harms. Before we left went to do ourselves emplettes in the next city to do which quesachats. In order to view this essay, you either need to log in or contribute one your essays or courseworks. Please submit one of your own essays below to be taken the essay that you requested.

The Ethical Decision Making

The Ethical Decision Making Ethics and morality are entwined together, concerning how we ought to act and behave within the boundaries of standards that govern certain actions being right or wrong. Karhausen (1987) simply described ethics being characterised as a philosophical discipline, surrounding the evaluation and justifications of norms of personal and interpersonal behaviour. Within ethics people make rational processes through moral dilemmas by applying a criteria or moral principles in order to obtain an ethically just outcome, this process is known as ethical decision making (Kohlberg 1973). Within the public service reaching ethical decision can form the underpinning factor of life and death situations, therefore it is crucial that there is constructive and ethical framework in order to base and develop theoretical outcomes from. Police officers in the United Kingdom are given the discretion that if the suspect poses a threat to themselves or to the public, the officers can protect or prevent injury to both themselves and others by whatever is deemed necessary. This could include the use of deadly force. Police officers must have a justification for the use of deadly force and this is based upon the regulation of the agency but most importantly their own analytical and ethical decision making. The National Decision making Model is a framework which helps support and encourage police officers to make the morally correct outcome in everyday situations not just those which requires firearms to be implemented. The National Decision Model (NDM) derives from elements of three decision making models that were formerly used; the Conflict Management Model (CMM), the Scanning, Analysing and Responding to and Assessing model (SARA) and the Value Based Decision making model (Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) n. d). These models all have the similar common values, so were brought together to form the National Decision Model, whilst keeping the benefits of simplicity and utilizing the intrinsic aspects from documents such as: The Peelian Principles, Human Rights Act and Force Values etc (ACPO n.d). The most significant difference for the new National Decision making Model is the central core that has been developed and altered into the statement of mission and values. This is to be considered at each stage of the model, because the role and expectation of the police service is required to be both ethically and technically correct (ACPO n.d). Surrounding this central concept is five action points that collaboratively contribute to an effective decision making process. These are; gather available information and intelligence, assess threat and risk level, consider powers and policies, identify options and contingences and take action and review (ACPO n.d). The ethical issue I have chosen to discuss within this essay is whether police should be routinely armed and the ethical example I am going to use to best demonstrate my facts is the case of Jean Charles de Menezes, who was tragically killed in July 2005. This was due to his suspected involvement in the 7/7 bombings in London, and the high level of alert the police were under at that time (Glass 2007). In order to form a balanced argument I am going to research and explain two ethical theories, the utilitarian approach and the justice approach. I will then apply both of these theories towards my ethical issue of arming the police and discuss how each theory stands in relation to this ethical issue. In todays democratic society the police are expected to uphold the Human Rights of every individual and this is achieved by balancing regulations and policies along with ethical and moral dilemmas. Furthermore this emphasis is increased in situations such as arming the police and ensuring that there is evidence of moral justifications for their implementation. Multiple philosophical theorists have argued alternative justifications through the use of philosophical theories towards ethical issues such as arming the police; however this essay will focus on primarily examining the utilitarian approach and the justice approach. I have chosen these two differing theories as their opinions towards arming the police are very different and almost contradict one another, so therefore will form the basis of this essay. On the 22nd July 2005, at approximately 9.20am a gentleman left his flat and walked down Tulse hill in London as he commuted to work (Telegraph 2008). At 9.39am, Officer James drove past this gentleman and said that he is possibly identical to the suspect Hussain Osman the suicide bomber they were after who was on the run (Telegraph 2008). At 9.46am the control room of Scotland Yard recorded that the subject had been discounted and informed all units to return to their original positions. Minutes later there was confusion within the command room generated by uncertainty to whether he had been identified or not and commander Cressida Dicks loggist recorded. It is him, the man is off the bus, they think it is him and he is very, very jumpy (Telegraph 2008). The commander remained deeply concerned and stated that the suspect should be prevented from entering the underground system. Despite this the suspect walked into the underground, went down the escalator and apparently heard his tub e leaving so jogged down the stairs and into the carriage where he sat down and started to read his newspaper (BBC News 2005). It was then that the officers were told over the radio that the situation was a code red, thus being shot to stop. At 10.06am officer Ivor, after following the alleged suspect onto the Tube at Stockwell station, signalled to the firearms officers hes here (Telegraph 2008). The suspect stood up as the firearms officers entered the carriage shouting the word police and apparently walked towards them (BBC News 2005). Ivor reported that the suspect appeared very agitated and therefore pinned him back into his seat as he proceeded forward. Seeing this, the firearm officers named Charlie 12 and Charlie 2 for identifiable reasons shot the suspect believed to be Mr Osman seven times in the head, to ensure what they believed as the threat was over (Telegraph 2008) However, it turned out the man they believed to be Hussain Osman, was in fact Jean Charles de Menezes, a normal family man, who was an electrician by trade on the way to a job in North West London that day, who had no connection to terrorism. I will now discuss the utilitarian approach which evolved in Great Britain over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries by Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill and Henry Sidgwick, who together succeeded in developing this into a practical and rational theory, which we can find today within our modern society (Genniet 2010). There are four theses combined to make utilitarianism, these are; Consequentialism, which is the relevance of actions that are determined solely by their consequences. Hedonism, which is the so called good that each human seeks to achieve, and utility to which is the degree an act produces pleasure. Maximalism, which is the right action producing the most good and thus causing the least bad, and finally Universalism, which is how the consequences affect everyone (Waight 2012). Overall utilitarians are mainly concerned with the two following components; happiness and consequences of actions. Within utilitarianism happiness is about reaching the biggest state of contentment and pleasure that every human being strives for. Utilitarianism is based on the principle of Utility, which is found in everything that contributes to happiness of every rational human being (Genniet 2010). The utilitarianism approach is classified as a consequentialist ethical theory, so this simply means that a judgment is made on morality of an action in relation to the consequences or results of that action (Mackie 1977). Consequentialism within utilitarianism is the fact that an action must be judged for its consequences on the happiness of the largest number (Mill 1863). So in simple terms this means within utilitarianism the belief is; there is a choice between courses of action and the most ethical one will produce the greatest happiness and cause the least harm, not only to the i ndividual, but for all who are in any way affected (Mackie 1977). Utilitarianism does not care if that action is formed by lies, manipulation, or coercion as long as it produces the greatest benefits (Velasquez et al 1996). The strengths of the utilitarian approach is that it is a simple clear systematic method to ethics and cannot be faulted on its morals, as it tries to establish the greatest happiness and fairness of the greatest number or party involved (Mackie 1977). Bentham states that utilitarianism considers all the consequences from differing actions, which is vital in building a civilized society (Troyer 2003). This can be seen each time we make a cost-benefit decision, we are being utilitarians. An example of this could be, when we build a new road, instinctively knowing that traffic fatalities will occur, we are analysing that the sacrifice is worth making for the greater good that will follow (Gillette n.d). In terms of the theory, these decisions are crucial in order to live and further develop the world we live in, otherwise society will stand still. Researchers have argued that there are many weaknesses and implications within the utilitarian approach and one strong weakness is that according to this ethical theory there would be no moral absolutes. For example, things that are always right or wrong whatever the circumstances or actions may be, would not exist (Mackie 1977). Many have argued with the concepts of utilitarianism, as some state that it does not relate well to human beings, instead treating individuals as objects used in connection with increasing happiness (Gillette n.d). This is furthered by that fact that utilitarian theories make it morally permissible to imprison, torture and murder individuals, whether innocent or guilty, in order to achieve the greater good (Gillette n.d). Other weaknesses from this theory include that it is difficult and sometimes impossible to predict the consequences of each action, and that it is difficult to define exactly what is meant by someones happiness (Smart and Williams 1973). Al though these are all strong weaknesses within utilitarianism, strong believers of this theory like Bentham and Mill, have confidence in that the strengths outweigh these perceived flaws. I will now discuss the utilitarian approach in relation to my ethical issue of arming the police and my working scenario of the Menezes case. In its simplest the utilitarian belief is that the most ethical action will produce the greatest happiness and cause the least harm to all who are in any way affected (Mackie 1977). So from the information I have researched it would be plausible to assume that arming the police would be both permissible and acceptable in the eyes of utilitarians and their approach. This is because having a society which police officers are routinely armed with guns that are capable of delivering lethal and life threating force; it can be seen as a method of protection and prevention for both the police and greater community. This links to the utilitarian approach in terms of sparing the lives of the many which outweigh the potential lives of a few. However, the risk of injuring to the many can be exacerbated as there is a potential for the police officers weapo ns to be used for wrong doing or the criminal believing that they should be armed as well, like within an Americanised society. This would then flaw the utilitarian approach as by criminals having guns, its main principle theme of achieving greatest happiness by causing least harm, would be not be entirely applicable. In the terms of utilitarianism and specific to the Menezes case, shooting an individual or suspected individual who poses a risk to innocent civilians is justified because the death on that individual would mean sparing the lives of many others. Furthermore, the officers involved in this situation can be seen to have followed the ethical framework, the National Decision Model to aid there decision making. They did this by gathering the apparent intelligence from the control room, assessing the threat to themselves and the public which informed them that they were under red alert and to use lethal force in order to stop the risk of the bomb being detonated and prevent fatalities. When the situation arose the officer decided that it was necessary to take action and did what was needed to be done. However, as the final stage of the National Decision making Model is to review what happened, in this case it turned out that the information they had received was not hundred percent accurate and thus resulted in killing an innocent member of society, Mr Jean Charles de Menezes. I will now discuss the justice approach or otherwise known as the fairness approach, which was developed by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle who stated equals should be treated equally and unequals should be treated unequally (Velasquez et al 1996). Justice has multiple meanings within different context for example the importance of having rights, equality and fairness. Surrounding this concept are theories which cannot solely be related to moral theories because justice and morality can be separate notions within themselves (Gray 2011). The underpinning moral question this approach asks are; how fair is the action, how does it treat everyone in the same way, or does it show discrimination and favouritism. Discrimination and favouritism within the justice approach focuses on how unfairly benefits or burdens are dispensed among members in a group without justifiable reason, even though those members are the same as other members within that group (Velasquez et al 1996). In simple terms the justice approach finds that moral decisions must be based on standards of equality, impartiality and fairness (Daft and Marcic 2008). A leading individual within the justice approach is Rawls, who rejects the utilitarian approach with its basis on maximising happiness and formulating a social contract through establishing principle of justice (Rawls 1999). Rawlss theory is purely hypothetical, which helps identify a rational choice of what the justice approach might require. Within this theory, Rawls believes that individuals should operate behind a veil of ignorance in which they are not aware of their gender, religion, social position, intelligence or place in society (Rawls 1999). Following this Rawls predicts that two essential features would become apparent in society, firstly people have the same equal rights to certain basic liberties for example freedom of life, freedom of speech and thought and freedom to participate in government. Secondly, least well off members of society would benefit from social and economic inequalities and differences of treatment, however only if these principles are available to e veryone (Rawls 1999). This shows that Rawls take on the justice approach is purely hypothetical and only parts of it relate to todays society. There are three main types of justice concerned within this approach and they are; Distributive justice, Procedural justice and Compensatory Justice. Distributive justice is concerned with individuals who are similar in ways that is relevant to an action or decision, for example men and women carrying out the same job should be paid the same (Daft and Marcic 2008). Procedural justice requires that rules and regulations should be administered honestly and these rules should be clearly stated and impartially and consistently enforced (Daft and Marcic 2008). Compensatory justice is focussed on individuals receiving fair compensation for any injuries they sustain from another party if it was not their fault or wrong doing. This approach does reflect however the utilitarian ethics as it uses merit to distinguish how members of society will either be punished or rewarded, based solely on whether that individuals actions is beneficial or harmful to the society in which it occurred (Rawls 1999). The strengths of the justice theory are that it does not require complex calculations such as those demanded by the utilitarian approach, nor does it justify self-interest as the individualism approach does (Daft and Marcic 2008). However its weaknesses are far more arguable, including that there is no knowledge of its own status, no social background, and it is influenced by not having social circumstances, psychological make-up, culture and civilization. I will now apply the justice approach and its theoretical concepts to my ethical issue of arming the police and the working scenario of the Menezes case. As previously established the Menezes case is a prominent event in the deliberation of whether it is ethically justifiable to arm all police officers within todays society, and is plausible from the utilitarian viewpoint. However the justice approach stands aside in this issue, with the notion that by disarming all involved parties will equal the playing field for all. This is true as it may limit such violent crimes and any lethal mistakes made by the police, thus concurring with Velasquez et al (1996), that equals should be treated equally and unequals should be treated unequally. However, practically within society this would not exist as some individuals already have firearms and would not want to see themselves as equal to others. This poses both a risk and a challenge for police officers within the justice approach as the majo rity of society would be equal in not having firearms, although they would be inadequately prepared if faced unexpectedly with an individual with a firearm, therefore not on an equal level. Additionally the justice approach is concerned with individuals having certain liberties such as the right to life and speech, which could be compromised and infringed upon if society decided that police officers should routinely have firearms. In terms on the Menezes case, taking the life of someone who is innocent and unarmed is against the principles of the justice approach as these two parties were unequal. This is irrelevant to the officers ethical decision making process or the National Decision Model to which it can be seen as lawfully correct but not ethically right in this situation. To conclude, this essay has used the ethical issue of whether police should be routinely armed in society and has looked at the ethical example of Jean Charles de Menezes. As a method of ensuring a balanced argument I have examined two ethical theories, the utilitarian approach and the justice approach and explored their viewpoint related to my ethical issue. This essay has found that the utilitarian approach is mainly concerned with the two following components; happiness and consequences of actions and although its morals cannot be doubted, achieving the greatest happiness is important, the approach is very limited and not practical in a modern society. This is evident in an example by Gillette (n.d) who conceptualised that utilitarians view of murdering, raping or torturing is acceptable if it is for the greater good and happiness, yet this is not ethical. In relation to arming the police, the utilitarian approach is immoral, as it would make it ethically permissible to shoot someone if it benefits the greater good of everyone else. Alternatively the justice approach finds that moral decisions must be based on standards of equality, impartiality and fairness (Daft and Marcic 2008), although similarly to the utilitarian approach, this is not always practical and is restricted by the nature of society we all live in. The justice approach finds that in relation to arming the police, some individuals may not want to perceive themselves as equal to others, for example already owning a firearm therefore invalidating the possibility of all individuals being equal and having the same liberties under a veil of ignorance. Overall the ethical issue of whether police should be routinely armed remains controversial from various ethical viewpoints, and will remain a prominent subject in our ever developing society for the forcible future. Word Count: 3261References Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). (No date) ACPO Professional Ethics [Online]. Available at: http://www.acpoprofessionalethics.org/default.aspx?page=ndm (Accessed: 09.11.12). BBC News. (2005) Timeline: Tube shooting [Online]. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4159902.stm (Accessed 09.12.12). Daft, R.L. and Marcic, D. (2008) Understand Management. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning. Genniet, H. (2010) Utilitarian Philosophy [Online]. Available at: http://utilitarianphilosophy.com/definition.eng.html (Accessed: 07.12.12). Gillette, M.A. (No date) Ethics Decision Strategies [Online]. Available at: http://www.bsvinc.com/ethics_decision.htm (Accessed: 07.12.12). Glass, D. (2007) Getting the Balance Right: The Use of Firearms in British Policing. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 1(3), pp. 293-299. Gray, J.W. (2011) Ethical Realism [Online]. Available at: http://ethicalrealism.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/three-theories-of-justice/ (Accessed: 12.12.12). Karhausen, L. (1987) From ethics to medical ethics, pp. 25-33, in Doxiadis, S. (ed) Ethical dilemmas in health promotion. London: John Wiley and Sons. Kohlberg, L., (1973) The claim of moral adequacy of a highest stage of moral judgement. Journal of Philosophy. 70 (18), pp. 630-646. Mackie, J.L. (1977) Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong. London: Penguin Books. Mill, J.S. (1863) Utilitarianism. London: Parker, Son and Bourne. Rawls, J (1999) A Theory of Justice. London: Harvard University Press. Smart, J.J.C and Williams, B. (1973) Utilitarianism: for and against. London: Cambridge University Press. Telegraph. (2008) Jean Charles de Menezes inquest timeline [Online]. Available at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3061485/Jean-Charles-de-Menezes-inquest-timeline.html (Accessed: 07.12.12). Troyer, J. (2003) The Classical Utilitarians: Bentham and Mill. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company. Velasquez, M., Andre, C., Shanks, T. and Meyer, M.J. (1996) Thinking Ethically: A framework for Moral Decision Making, Issues in ethics [Online]. Available at: http://www.sme.ie/articles/business_ethics/frameworks_ethical_decision.pdf (Accessed: 09.11.12). Waight, T. (2012) Research Ethics. [Lecture to Bsc Public Services Year 3], November.

Dred Scott case Essay -- American History, African Americans

On June 19th 1862 the US Congress prohibits slavery in the United States territories nullifying the Dred Scott Case. This was the most important day in US history for African Americans. This is because it helped blacks gain the rights they deserve. It also gave them rights they never thought they could achieve. This Court case of Scott vs. Sanford was a catalyst to riots, other court cases such as Brown vs. Board of Education, Rachel vs. Walker and many acts and amendments resulted from one mans wish to be free. Dred Scott was a slave to the Emerson family of Missouri. Emerson soon died in 1846 making Scott sue for his freedom. He soon lost the case in a state court, but shortly after he was introduced to a national court. Scott Soon after lost the case again but then was later considered free man. This case caused many good things to occur, and many things bad to occur. Some of these things include the strengthening of the Republican Party in opposition to the courts decision; and it increased the abolitionist to get rid of slavery which eventually leads to the civil war. There are also some negatives to the Dred Scott Case like how it eventually led to the Panic of 1857. As well caused fights like Bleeding Kansas. Even the system of checks and balances was hurt by the Dred Scott Case. This case played a major role in how African Americans live today and how they are accepted among people. Without the efforts of Dred Scott and the people who followed in his footsteps there would be no way African Americans can live with the freedom and rights they have today because of the Dred Scott Case. Scott in addition caused people to really understand what life was... ...gislative branch, but also strengthened all the power of the republican party and there abolitionist ways. There was other things that have helped like the Rachel vs. Walker and James Tallmadge. These other cases and people have really helped Dred Scott gain his freedom and effect the world in so many ways that have effected the world so blacks no longer have to worry about being whipped, hit , or any racial discrimination without justice stepping in. Dred Scott was easily the most important person to ever live he has done so many great things. Dred Scott has become a major topic in all United States history, he will also go down as the best civil rights activist to ever live even though he did not realize at the time that he would become a major celebrity in history. Easily Dred Scott is known as the greatest person in history.

Practical Cognition :: essays research papers

Practical Cognition Theories of Knowledge (Karl Marx) In his early years of writing, Karl Marx's ideas were similar to American Pragmatism, especially his ideas about epistemology. He defines truth in a pragmatic fashion and explains cognition in terms of practical needs of the human being. While some of his ideas were not followed to their logical conclusion, nor made sense, the fundamentals of his epistemology contain valuable ideas which can be viewed as furthering pragmatism as a respectable philosophy. His theory of cognition states that cognition is a biological function of the human which is used as a tool for his survival. Marx defines truth in a pragmatic way. The truth value of a judgement is due to the usefulness of accepting or rejecting the judgement. A statement is true if accepting it makes a positive difference or has a helpful influence and it is false if accepting it causes difficulty or dissatisfaction. The meaning of a statement is the practical result of accepting the statement. In general, then, the truth or falsity of a statement is relative, not only to the individual accepting or rejecting the statement, but also to the circumstances in which that person finds himself. Truth is relative, but Marx is not an extreme relativist (no one to be taken seriously is) because there is a constraint to how relative the truth can be; Humans are making the truth judgements, and humans have a common element, viz . their needs, which do not vary greatly between people. Humans are in contact with nature at a fundamental level. The human understanding of nature is a consequence of the fact that nature confronts humans when they try to fulfill their needs. This is the case with any organism, and each species reacts according to the tools of that species. One of the human tools is the intellect, and it works through the cognition of the perception of elements of nature. Cognition occurs as the organizing of sensory data into categories. Without the ability to make generalizations, man would not be able to think. Moreover, the human capacity to think is exactly the same as making abstractions about experience. There is nothing more to descriptions of the world than those abstractions. Details about the world are described only in terms of generalizations, for if there were a word for a specific detail unique to only one event, then that word would be nothing but a name -an abbreviation for the term, the specific detail x , unique to only this one event, y . The assimilation of the external world, which is at first

Intelligent Minds :: essays research papers

I am a twenty something male. most whom live in this town have no idea that i exist or am aware that i am even here. I have lived here for little less than four years. my name is tanner l. beltran. that is as far as i know of who i am.a label a person gave to me upon birth. a struggle of finding myself, knowing my identity as a person and my place in this life, are completely unkown to me. day to day i seek for this answer, finding it nill. to be quite frank, i have not graduated high school. I attempted going back to finish my ''much needed to survive this candy-land extistence'' education which was quite minimal in gaining for i had only 3 credits needed to obtain a peice of glorified paper that states i completed requirements to become proficient in facing the real world. Without any idea of who you are and what you are supposed to do in life, it may seem coping with this so called 'reality' is harsh.For me it is. struggling for identity and self acceptance from others, facing inner compications that only add to my horror that i may never figure out my own life. to quote Grace Hansen ''Dont be a fraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin.'' this is something that i am deathly afraid of; afraid i will i fail the one person who cherishes who i am to her. But in all I feel I am failing my self. And that takes away all my hope to ever succeed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You see the prominent people never believed in me or had faith in my abilities. At least not the ones that should have. They faltered in early judgement of me at quite an early age. I feel it has been that inflicted inhibition that makes me fear failure more than being alive. that judgement makes finding myself brutally agonizing. In additon to this loss of mistaken identity of who I think I am, finding what I am supposed to do in my existent as a person of this nation falling to all hell, I need a piece of paper that states I meet requisetes to pursue any given career. Why do I need that piece of paper? What is its nominal meaning? What does it represent?

Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s The Confessions: A Review Essay

In Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Rousseau seeks to explain who he is by trying to paint layer by layer, a portrait of himself, without missing any details and having his end product being interpreted by his readers. Rousseau was born into a lower class family, part of the commons, in a childhood mixed with medieval and modern values and lifestyles. Rousseau was a product of a mother and father who married out of love, being born into a nuclear family rather than the traditional big family of the medieval times. His mother passed away at Rousseau’s birth and even though his father abandoned him at a young age, he still had a close relationship to Rousseau for he thought him how to read. As Rousseau grew older, he became independent and begun an apprenticeship as an engraver. In his confessions, he reveals an experience of being beaten at the age of 11 by a much-loved female nanny twice his age—and desiring to be beaten again, which he evaluates as being his admission into the world of adult sexuality. Rousseau does not agree with the medieval traditions of corporal punishment. He believes beating children will lead them to become mischievous, sneaky, and sexual deviances. Rousseau’s intended audience was made for the general public of Europe to read. He wanted to express his individualism and try to get his audience to know his true self. Rousseau also wanted the public to know all his secrets and love him regardless so he can establish the personal bonds which he describes were stripped by money, â€Å"the money you have gives you freedom. The money you pursue enslaves you†. Given that man contributes his mutual consent to money as a store of value in a society, Rousseau believes money has both positive and negative traits. He states that money is virtuous since it gives an individual independence but goes on to also state that money brings the disadvantage of breaking personal bonds. Moreover, the significance and effects of The Confessions reaches toward the emphasis of discipline and upbringing of children. Rousseau tells his audience how childhood experiences can carry psychologically into adulthood, especially in relation to the development of sexuality and deviance. The Confessions influenced society to change. Even though some members where not comfortable with this change Rousseau had regardless already brought upon the ideas which reformed the way of many individuals’ outlook and thinking towards their families, children, money, personal bonds, private properties, etc.

Study Habits

Sometimes a purely quantitative matter, while having the findings of lengthy, comprehensive research published by a recognized journal is also a notable academic achievement (Ansari 1983 ). When students get admission in a university, they have no idea about studies requirement. Most of them have old patterns of seeking knowledge at the beginning, they apply the same old techniques but after some time they realize that old techniques are no more effective. Gradually they started developing mature study style. Some students, when enter the higher education institution, feel free themselves from all the worries of studies which affect their studies negatively. Even they get failed in their tests or exams and there are some other poor study habits which affect the achievement of the students. These are as follow: This is a very common mistake which is made by students, and also most unavoidable from the side of students. When students enter, especially in the universities, they think of themselves free from every duty of studies. When students leave their classes, due to this, their study habits are also affected. They get used to it and lose their positions. If they want to succeed in their life, they should be punctual in their studies, attend all lectures which the teacher delivers in the class. Hostel is a place where usually travelers and students live in a supervised environment. Mostly hostels are used by the students, who come from distant places to earn their degrees. Hostel life has a great impact on the academic achievement of the students. Some students gain knowledge in proper manner but some do not. The reason is that some students do not feel comfortable in hostels and get home sick. On the other side, those students who are day scholars, they also have some problems. Some have home conflicts and other factors which influence their academic achievements. Because of these problems, they can never be able to achieve good results in their academics. Sometimes students those are living in hostels face many difficulties due to economic hardships or home sickness but still work hard and achieve good grade and sometime they deviate due to lack of proper supervision and guidance so in the case of day scholars. Present study is design to explore this mystery that whether day scholar’s students have good study habits and higher academic achievement or hostel living students have more effective study habits and higher academic achievements Statement of the Problem The problem under investigation was to explore the relationship between study habits

The Importance of Medical Marijuana

Individual Project # 3 Erricka Mayfield Colorado Technical University ENGL126-1204A-03: Sound Writing October 29th, 2012 Professor: David Mulvihill Introduction: The use of medical marijuana has been a controversial issue since it has been suggested as a method for use as medication. Despite its dissention, it comes by patient recommendation and Doctors prescribe it to their patients based on its medical benefits.Marijuana has been classified as a Controlled Substance and there have been statements that it is a â€Å"gateway drug,† in spite of the accusations against it, patients who use medical marijuana opinions differ greatly. Although documented studies exist weighing the benefits or non-benefits of medical marijuana, it is heartfelt that it should be legalized on the basis that it helps those who are critically ill to cope with various side effects of the diseases like AIDS, Cancer, and Multiple Sclerosis by alleviating pain, vomiting, and nausea.While many patients are a fflicted with side effects from the medications that are used to treat their diseases, the United States Government approved marijuana in pill form called â€Å"marinol† which is available as a prescription and has been proven to not be as effective due to the synthetic ingredient known as delta-9-THC.Whereas, marijuana derived directly from the plant has the original ingredient of delta-9-THC which works with the body’s natural endorphins by working in direct correlation of the body’s opioids receptor system and creating benefits to the patients who use it be restoring ailing patients to some quality of life, while battling these life altering diseases. Body: In 1997, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy asked the Institute of Medicine to â€Å"review the scientific evidence on the potential health benefits and risks of marijuana† as a gateway drug.To the White House’s surprise and to the benefits of those who desperately need me dical marijuana, the Institute of Medicine proclaimed â€Å"that marijuana usually precedes rather that follows initiation of other illicit drug use. † The Institute of Medicine also states that â€Å"most users of illicit drugs had already used alcohol and nicotine while underage, before the use of marijuana. † In the opinion of the Institute of Medicine they feel that â€Å"because underage smoking and alcohol use typically precede marijuana use, marijuana is not the most common and rarely the first â€Å"gateway† to illicit drug use. In the studies completed by the Institute of Medicine they â€Å"found no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the direct abuse of other illicit drugs. † The American College of Physicians also â€Å"urges the review of marijuana as a Schedule I Controlled Substance and its reclassification into a more appropriate schedule, given the scientific evidence concerning marijuanaâ€℠¢s safety and efficacy in some clinical conditions. In simpler terms the Institute of Medicine found no linkable evidence to â€Å"marijuana† being a gateway drug as most have claimed, stating that â€Å"most users of illicit drugs began using either alcohol or nicotine even before the legal age limit,† therefore stating that â€Å"they would not consider marijuana as a gateway drug. † Maybe the Institute of Medicine reaffirms some of the findings, studies, perceptions, and or opinions of others who agree that medical marijuana has some positive benefits.According to Medical Doctor and Former United States Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders asserts that â€Å"the evidence is overwhelming how marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, and AIDS or by the harsh drugs used to treat the diseases. † Dr. Elders firmly states â€Å"that marijuana can safely alleviate such symptoms in chronically ill patients and that marijuana is less toxic than many of the medications that Physicians prescribe their patients. The Institute of Medicine contributed information upon a study they completed called â€Å"The Efficacy of Cannabinoid Drugs† which is a study completed on the effects of cannabinoids on a range of symptoms in multiple patients who used medical marijuana. Their findings revealed that the cannabinoids were â€Å"effective in anxiety reduction, appetite stimulation, nausea reduction, and pain relief. † The Institute of Medicine strongly suggested that â€Å"cannabinoids would be well suited for particular conditions like chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and in the AIDS wasting syndrome.A study completed at the University of California at San Francisco â€Å"found that smoked marijuana was more effective at relieving extreme pain in a debilitating condition known as peripheral neuropathy, as well as those patients who have diabetes and multiple sclerosis. To gain a better understanding of how cannabinoids work, they work with specific endo- cannabinoids and are produced by the body and also interact with the body’s natural pain receptors. Based upon the opinion of Doctor Gregory T. Carter, who is Co-Director at the University of Washington Medical Center Muscular Dystrophy Association says that there are really no other medications that have the same mechanisms of actions as marijuana, although â€Å"Marinol† is available by prescription but lacks the advantages by containing only a synthetic ingredient of delta-9-THC, which is only one of many therapeutically beneficial cannabinoids found in the natural marijuana plant. † An advocate for the medical use of marijuana named Rudolph J. Gerber cited a number of independent studies that coincide with the therapeutic uses of marijuana in symptoms affiliated with AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Tourette’s syndrome and even anxiety.In Mr. Gerber’s citing he found that marijuana’s health benefits were greater opposed to those found in Marinol like â€Å"the onset of relief from the capsule which takes an hour or more, as with the effects of smoking marijuana are only within minutes. † Marinol which is oral form of marijuana and contains delt-9-THC which is metabolized through the liver and neutralizes more than 90 percent of the chemical, while smoked marijuana contains the direct ingredient of delta-9-THC providing the ingredient direct delivery to the bloodstream. Lastly, â€Å"an oral dose of Marinol lasts up to six unpredictable hours, with variable effects, while smoked marijuana lasts a more manageable and predictable hour or two. Conclusion: Overall the benefits of patient using medical marijuana personally out way the recourse of prescription drugs and all of its side effects. Consider this if you know someone personally who is battling a critically illness and regular pres cribed Medications do not suffice, and the patient has to deal with the adverse side effects of the prescribed medications would medical marijuana be an alternative to consider?Would you advocate for the use of medical marijuana to help provide relief to a loved one from crippling side effects of prescribed medication? If so, I urge you today to consider the medical benefits of medical marijuana. Consider how medical marijuana can alleviate pain, and stop vomiting, and relieve nausea by creating relief to a patient who is battling a life altering disease. Just consider the option of medical marijuana! References: http://medicalmarijuana. procon. org/view. resource. php? resourceID Retrieved from www. procons. org Gerber, Rudolph J. Beneficial Effects of Marijuana as a Medical Prescription. † Legalizing Marijuana: Drug Policy Reform and Prohibition Politics. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2004. Rpt. in Marijuana. Ed. Joseph Tardiff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. Retrieved from http://ic. galegroup. com. proxy. cecybrary. com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/Viewpoints Grinspoon, Lester. â€Å"Medical Marijuana Is an Effective Medicine. † Medicine. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from â€Å"Marijuana

Managing Employee Performance Essay

In the article under review, Hoogenboezem and Hoogenboezem (2005) discuss the introduction of performance measurement in the Dutch Police service since 2002. This phenomenon followed radical changes in Dutch political organization largely precipitated by the rise of politician Pim Fortuyn who had government performance on top of his political agenda. The Dutch government, like most of its Western counterparts had been cited for underperformance with regards to public service delivery. The government had frequently shifted this blame on non-performance of its civil servants. This was taken as a key political agenda in the run up to the 2002 elections in the Netherlands. Fortuyn’s argument was that government had refused to exercise control by holding public sector managers accountable and setting targets for them. The authors examine the Dutch political system. Traditionally, the system has thrived on consensus building. This had affected efficiency in performance within the public sector which gave rise to a ‘’political attention for performance measurement’’ (2005:571). They also investigate the collapse of the Dutch pillars of society, the nature of policing and the community policing approach in the Netherlands and conclude that performance measurement will eventually become ineffective as a performance enhancing instrument. This they ascribe to the fact that the whole process of targeting in the Dutch Police administration does not have a firm philosophical base. It is based on loose arguments of a loud politician and an electorate that wanted change at all cost. Importing management practices like performance targeting from the private sector to the public sector comes with complexities (Adcroft and Willis, 2005). This is manifest in the struggle to cope with t argets by the Dutch Police. Effect of Targets on Performance Measurement The consequence of the political waves in the Netherlands in 2002 was the setting of quantitative law enforcement targets for political heads of the Police force. Specific figures for the number of suspects to be prosecuted for public violence and juvenile crime, for example were set. It appears to me that the targets are the result of undue political pressure rather than a carefully thought through system of performance management. Performance management systems are implemented to produce tangible results for organizations based on their mission statement and strategic objectives. Performance measurement is only one component of a performance management system. There is no indication, at least from the journal article, that the due processes for establishing a performance management process, namely prerequisites, planning, execution, assessment, review and renewal/recontracting (Agunis, 2009:32) are followed in the Dutch Police example. The effect is the general cynicism towards tar geting by the Police and the public. Again, employees react differently to performance measurement. This requires that organizations must be able to predict employee reaction to targets and factor these reactions into the management process (Selden and Sowa, 2011). Feedback from the parties involved in the Dutch Police targeting differs hugely. Whilst one group (senior management) appear enthused about the targets, another group (the operational policemen) are aggrieved. This suggests lack of consultation of all stakeholders which is a key component to successful performance management; especially in the setting of targets and measurement criteria. The essence of policing is to make society safer. Any ‘’†¦system that will not make the Netherlands safer†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Hoogenboezem and Hoogenboezem, 2005:573) is doomed to fail ab initio. Such a system lacks strategic congruence and becomes a public relations gimmick. This is the position expressed by some in Police leadership. However another group are inspired about getting more money ((Hoogenboezem and Hoogenboezem, 2005:573). The ‘’more money’’ factor will tend to obscure an impartial assessment of the scheme. This is also the case with Police chiefs expressing some support for targeting, with targets linked to reward in their case. Policemen at the operational level have problems with the targets because they make their jobs a routine; leaving them with few choices in the maintenance of law and order. The exercise of discretion appears to be of intrinsic value to the operational policeman. Where targets have placed a strict regiment on the use of discretion the intrinsic motivation in being a Policeman gets lost. An unmotivated Policeman could be a danger to society. Although officers in lower and middle management appear inspired about targets and their alignment to rewards, this is not necessarily a motivator for performance. Job enrichment and job enlargement have been recognised as essential motivators in the not-for-profit organizations (Selden and Sowa, 2011) and the Dutch politicians must recognise this. Any perception of unfairness in the Performance management system could lead to decreased employee commitment (Aguinis, 2009) and eventually undermine the whole system. In this regard the conclusion of the authors that the performance measurement in the Netherlands Police is a mixture of cynicism and a public relations ritual of signing contracts is validated. This is largely the result of it being a knee jerk reaction not involving employees in the determination of the entire process. Employee involvement helps translate targets into operational language that is understood by all participants in the process (Chamberlain, 2011) and bought into. Employee buy-in is essential for the success of every performance management system. Worst still is the fact that the new requirements of the Dutch Policeman under the present circumstance has not come with any training package. It is also not evident that systems of recruitment and selection have been amended to reflect the expected outcome in view of the radical changes in nature of the job. Conclusion In my opinion performance of Policemen should not be measured against outcomes. It should be exhibited in various agreed behaviours and programmes. Take the example of Washington State in the US where pperformance data indicated an increase in motorcycle accidents. Several Agencies like the Department of Licensing, Washington State Patrol, Traffic Safety Commission and the Department of Transportation, worked together to provide more education for motorcycle operators and manufacturers as well as stricter licensing. These measures (programs and behaviours) resulted in fewer accidents (http://www.agacgfm.org/research/downloads/CPAGNo23.pdf). The case for quantifying performance outcomes for the public sector does not have much merit in my opinion. References Aguinis, H. (2009) Performance management. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Chamberlain, L (2011). ‘Does your performance management need a tune-up?’ Strategic Finance. November. pp.18-20. Available at: http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/pdf27_28/pdf/2011/5Y6/01Nov11/67179179.pdf?T=P&P=AN&K=67179179&S=R&D=buh&EbscoContent=dGJyMNLe80SeprY4wtvhOLCmr0mep69Ssam4SrWWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMOzprkmvqLJPuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA . Accessed on: 7 December 2011) Hoogenboezem, J. A., & Hoogenboezem, D. (2005) ‘Coping with targets: performance measurement in The Netherlands police’, International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 54 (7), pp. 568–578. http://sfx7.exlibrisgroup.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/lpu?title=International+Journal+of+Productivity+and+Performance+Management&volume=54&issue=7&spage=568&date=2005&issn=&eissn Seldon, S., & Sowa, JE (2010) ‘Performance management and appraisal in human service organizations: management and staff perspectives.’ Public Personnel Management. 40(3), pp. 251-262. Available at: http://ehis.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.liv.ac.uk/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=8b3e34b3-2e4c-4ffe-bcb5-f57ceb9d50f7%40sessionmgr113&vid=4&hid=120 (Accessed on: 7 December 2011) Adcroft, A., & Willis, R., (2005) ‘The (un)intended outcome of public sector performance measurement’ International Journal of Public Sector Management, 18(5) pp. 386-400. DOI 10.1108/09513550510608859. Available at: http://www.alternativeminds.co.uk/AA4.pdf. (Accessed on: 28 December 2011)

Situation Analysis & Swot Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Situation Analysis & Swot - Research Paper Example Another goal of the organization to engage in community-based scientific studies or research aimed at adding knowledge and improving the community’s understanding of therapeutic importance of medicines that originate from cannabis whole-plant. The organization brands itself as a non-profit organization that strives to solve medical issues in the Vancouver community. The success of this society is because of the positive brand image among its esteemed customers. By definition, brand image is the position that a product name takes in the mind of the consumers (Hassan, & Craft, 2012). Therefore, VICS has a strong brand image among its users as a supplier of cannabis-related prescriptions. On the contrary, the general society might have a negative perception of the organization’s efforts to provide cannabis medication, and this might affect the brand image. Besides, the company brands itself as an organization that adheres to ethical obligation like abiding by the recommendations of the physicians in cannabinoid prescription. In this context, the company makes it mandatory for the customers to present medical forms when applying for membership. Nonetheless, the organization brands itself as a company that offers luxury services to customers who may want to take their doses within the premises since there are facilities for such purposes. Mr. Lucas founded the Vancouver Island Compassion Society where the existence of the group had been incorporates under the country’s Society Act in 1999 (The Vancouver Island Compassion Society, 2015). The kind of business that the organization runs is well stated in its application procedure as a NGO that has dedicated itself in treating individuals with legitimate medical marijuana needs. On the other hand, the company was established to offer homeopathic therapies. However, all organization offers the services on membership basis with an aim of providing safe, reasonably priced, and consistent marijuana

The Training Need Analysis Concept Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Training Need Analysis Concept - Assignment Example The concept of Training Need Analysis has been applied successfully in several corporate companies to depict the learning curve of the employee and estimate their potential towards the company. This analysis incorporates the skill specific to the requirement of the company only. Prior to recruitment, the hiring is based upon the credibility, achievements, and merit of the employee irrespective of its relevance to the actual nature of the job. It is after the recruitment when the employees are evaluated against the requirement of the system, and rather their training plan is developed to improve their understanding and knowledge relevant to the actual need of the employer. The question can be raised that what is the point in the recruitment of the individuals who actually have no relevant knowledge and experience; the answer is that the academic institutions have failed to discuss the actual corporate related issues and in some cases the core industrial and corporate related practices are ignored, therefore the training of the job-seekers continue even after the recruitment. Under the post-recruitment phase, the justification provided in favor of the Training Need Analysis system is that this strategy has been able to align the expectations of the employers with the performance of the employees. The Training Need Analysis is the concept of accountability under which the employees are evaluated on a periodic basis to confirm their coherence with the values and working culture of the employer. The development of the company is based upon the talent and ability of the employee, and the concept of Training Need Analysis is the key to enhance the productivity of the company. The employees are considered as the most important asset by the companies, and the Training Need Analysis is the approach through which companies can inspect and verify the potential of their resources. The Training Need Analysis concept is an audit program through which an employer cannot just e valuate but calculate the technical and managerial skills of the employee. I consider this analysis to be quantitative analysis through which the influence and contribution of the employee can be well monitored. The grey areas relevant to the skills of the employee are identified through this approach, and the shortcomings are treated accordingly. The focus of this analysis is limited to the professional skills of the employees. I understand that Training Need Analysis can bridge the gulf between the employer and employee; the expectations of the employer are listed in the skill analysis module. The employees are then regularly monitored against this module, and each skill of the employee is evaluated on a scale.

Critos Reason to Escape Prison Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Critos Reason to Escape Prison - Assignment Example Crito believes that no one would believe that he actually gave out money for Socrates to escape, but Socrates declined and according to him, there is no any other disgrace than being considered as a person who values money compared to a friend. Crito’s reason for convincing Socrates to escape prison in order to avoid the death penalty is driven by the fact that he cannot believe that Socrates is justified in betraying his own life when he can be saved. Crito asserts that Socrates betraying own life is akin to betraying his own children (Plato, n.d.). This is because he is choosing to leave them when he can bring them up and play a role in educating them. He challenges Socrates by saying that nobody should bring forth children when they are not willing to persevere until the end to educate and nurture them into responsible people. Â  Socrates listens keenly to Crito before giving him reasons that counter his arguments. First and foremost, he tells Crito that he fears that Crito and his other friends may get into trouble with the informers for helping him escape. Additionally, helping him to escape will make them lose their entire or a huge part of their property; or they may even face worse evil. Â  In as much as Crito tries to convince him that they are willing to go to the extreme to ensure that he escapes, Socrates is exceptionally adamant. He gives Crito several premises and asks him whether he is right by saying that opinions of some people are to be valued and opinions others is not to be valued. In saying this, he was telling Crito not to value the opinion of people who will consider him as a person who values wealth as opposed to friendship (Plato, n.d.). According to Socrates, the opinions of such people are the ones to be considered as opinions that do not matter.

Is the death penalty effective Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Is the death penalty effective - Essay Example The society is one which requires deeply and desperately at all times, a capital punishment. If not for the punishment, there would have been a much higher level of murders across the world. Without the capital punishment, the population would tend to use, ‘mob mentality’ in situations where the emotions get out of hand. There are a number of cases, both simple as well as more intense where people have lost their lives and it is important to note that without the prevalence of a death penalty, there would not be any deterrent to murder. If a person was simply to be locked in jail with complete access to food, clothes, and shelter without having to earn it, then people would take this option and would never worry about murdering anyone (Davis, 1998). In simple terms, our society is filed with a number of criminals and is not civilized enough to manage without a clear set down deterrent for the crime. Hence, it is necessary for the death penalty to be applied to ensure a s afer society. A number of experts have also pointed their views to the ineffectiveness of the death penalties and have also brought out the fact that in spite of the death penalties that are being used within the countries, there are still a number of people who tend to do the crime. The process of giving the death penalty is a long one with the criminals living comfortably in prison and this to a great extent tends to reduce the effectiveness of a death penalty. As a deterrent, it is important that the criminals are not given a chance and are executed right away to make the punishment a successful one (Dieter, 1998). However this clearly is not possible considering the number of laws and regulations that need to be considered before giving a person a death sentence, thereby making this method ineffective and inefficient. I personally believe that the death penalties are a very effective method of conducting the society and criminals that have committed murder. This is mainly because, the