Wednesday, November 27, 2019

The Control of Media in the Gulf War Essay Example

The Control of Media in the Gulf War Essay Example The Control of Media in the Gulf War Essay The Control of Media in the Gulf War Essay The Control of Media in the Gulf War How much do you think you know about the world around you? What if everything you viewed was a lie? During the Gulf War, the White House and the military seized and screened every news report, determining the images and information the media would relay to the public. The result was that the president and the military framed the debate, set the public agenda, supplied television with many of the defining images of the war, and enjoyed very favorable press coverage throughout the conflict . If you ask most Americans what they remember about the Gulf War, they will tell you they remember the super intelligent smart bombs, SCUD missiles, Patriot missiles, and Saddam Hussein is a very bad man, but that is only part of the story. (Muellar, 22) The Gulf War was both the most widely cover war in history and one in which the U. S. government imposed the greatest Restrictions on the press short of outright censorship. Bush’s announcement of war to the nation on January 16 was watched by the largest American audience in history, over 120 million people tuned in. Without the Cold War or the â€Å"Americans in Danger† theme to frame the crisis, the Gulf War administration needed to work harder though the media to convince both the public and the congress that the use of military force was necessary in January. (Trevor. 185) With television technology providing instant transference of images from the front, something had to be done to prevent another Vietnam. (Muellar, 20) On December 14, Pete Williams , Pentagon spokesperson, dropped the first on the media, issuing a memorandum to news organizations that spelled out the press ground rules in the event of hostilities . All interviews with service members will be on the record . Security at the source is the policy. In event of hostilities, media products will be subject to security review prior to release. You must retain with your military escort at all times, until released, and follow instructions regarding your activities. These instructions are intended only to facilitate troop movement, ensure safety, and maintain operational security. In a departure from Pentagon assurances and from existing policy, the press would cover Desert Storm exclusively rom pools. Pentagon used pools for the purpose of secrecy on the grounds of national security. The media expected to be able to roam battlefields, as a small number of reporters had in Vietnam, but in fact, the importance of secrecy made this unacceptable from the military’s stand point. The military developed this ad hoc system of combat pools controlled by the military in conjunction with media which were taken to particular areas of news co verage. Yetiv, 131) As of January 12, plans called for 2 eighteen member pools, consisting of reporters from television, newspapers, news, magazines, and the wire services. One would cover the Army, one the Marines. No â€Å"unilateral† or independent coverage would be permitted. The military would detain and take back to Dhahran any, journalists found within 100 miles of the war zone. Saudis were also very reluctant to have journalists running around looking for stories. The Saudis later strengthened this rule by making the punishment for unilateral reporting arrest deportation. In their rush to get their people to the Gulf and into pools, the only way they could count on being able to report at least some of the action their umber one goal after- they had been forced to comply with the pentagon’s rules. And guidelines before fully realizing the impact they had been forced to comply with the Pentagons rules and guidelines before fully realizing the impact they would have. (Yetiv, 132) There were two options open to journalists wishing to cover Desert Storm. First, journalist could accept the pool system and work out of Dhahran, watching televised briefings. These press briefings were another way the Pentagon controlled the news. Press briefings were carried out on net work and global news. This achieved virtual domination of public imaginations regarding the nature, cause, and success of the war. They didn’t want it to be Vietnam all over again. No left-leaning journalists were going to make the U. s armed forces look like bad guys. In addition to watching these press briefings they would gather pool reports until a slot in the pool opened. This route assured journalists material for daily story and a chance for better once they got a pool slot. On the downside, covering the war from a hotel is not most journalists’ idea of a good time the real story was out in the desert. And worse, being in a pool was guarantee of a good story, because it meant letting the military dictate where, to go and what to see. Pools had no opportunities to observe combat, see war damage, interview soldiers or civilians, and all footage had to be approved by military censors before publications. The other option was to reject the pool system and â€Å"go unilateral† venturing out into the desert, evading media hostile military types and looking for a unit that would agree to let a journalist do a story. Of the 1400 or so journalists occupying Saudi Arabia by the ground war, only a handful chose to attempt unilateral reporting because it was dangerous. Several journalists wound up hostages of the Iraqis, many got lost repeatedly, often ending up in less desirable areas like minefields. Even if a journalist did manage to locate U. S. ilitary unit, there was a good chance of being detained and sent back to Dhahran with the threat of deportation by the Saudis. (Yetiv, 132) The Gulf War was the first fully censored made for TV war in history it was pretty much a reality show where reporters would be forced to cover emotional issues such as the troops in their tents smiling and bonding with each other. And if coverage was not that, it was a light show, the amazing colors in the sky, like fireworks of the bombs falling on the Iraqis. What we saw was images of our soldiers dedicated, cheerful, and confident. We saw the hardships of those loved ones at home waiting for their spouses and family members to return home heroes. We did not see Iraqi victims. The impression of a bloodless war was partly due to the emphasis placed upon so called smart weapons technology in Pentagon briefings and media coverage. While the performance of the smart weapons was apparently reliable and accurate as military reports indicated, their overall importance in the war (in terms of total tonnage of weapons dropped) was not nearly as great as their symbolic function in helping generate the facade of high tech warfare. We were not told that smart bombs constituted only 10 percent of the total bombs dropped in Iraq or that 70 percent of our bombs missed their targets. (Thrall, 196-199) Furthermore there were virtually no images of human death carried by the media. Instead, coverage tended to emphasize property damage bridges blowing up military bunkers exploding and other forms of non human destruction. During and immediately after the war, the US military avoided providing a comprehensive and reliable accounting of Iraqi casualties. Initial estimates however placed them above 100,000 with an additional 100,000-200,000 civilian death. In fact due to the widespread destruction caused by the U. S bombing Greenpeace would have considered what Americans did to be terrorism. (Clark, 122) The amusing part is the American people believed they received good news coverage. Media celebrities working in the pools were just entertainers who read lines largely written by the Pentagon for national television audience. The media became a cheer leader for the war. In 1991 TV networks monopolized public access to events that made the news. Ramsey, 130) The media had financial relationships with the military and weapons industries. It depended on major corporate advertising, political campaign, contributions and it close alliance with political parties and leaders made the American media virtually one with the government. Media exert its power to persuade public to support war, while it demonized Saddam Hussein, and portrayed Bush as a courageous leader. The Massive Media campaign to persuade the public righteousness of the American cause and conduct includes an intense promotion of the US military action. It justified violence by creating hatred toward and dehumanizing Iraq and concealing or misrepresenting anything conflicted with that purpose. This caused people to celebrate the slaughter of tens of thousands of defenseless human beings, ignore crimes against humanity, and then blame those who are dying for their plight. Even if a reporter wanted to tell the truth, their employer wouldn’t allow it . (Woodword, 3-11) Media never analyzed the enormous volume of evidence that the US planned the destruction of Iraq long before August 2, 1990. Nor did the media ever speculate on vast amounts of evidences showing that the US with help Kuwait was trying to provoke Saddam Hussein into attack. Media never yelled cover up. They just ignored the story and falsely claimed Iraq planned to invade Saudi Arabia to dominate oil reserves. Media would also describe powerful Iraq’s military is while its population is only 6 % of the United States. (Denton, 33) Demonization of Saddam Hussein was a continuing process by the government and the media from early 1990. Headlines appeared in the Washington Post such as the following: Monster in the Making, from unknown to â€Å"Ach Villain in a Matter of Days† and â€Å"The Demonization of Saddam Hussein†. (Prince, 253) Such propaganda has always been used to dehumanize an enemy so that their deaths seem desirable. It is essential to emotionalize a soldier to kill, the public approved of it to kill. The pentagon’s press would even lie to loved ones, families about the death of the soldiers. They would tell them stories of how the soldier died from enemy fire, heroically defending freedom, when the death was actually a mistake. To learn the truth the family would have to ask a soldier who actually witnessed the truth. How could the government lie about something as precious as life? (Prince, 253) If a government can portray a war with all the positives and none of the negatives, then people can go to their war rallies and wear their yellow ribbons and no worry about the opposing side. If a government can completely control the information disseminated by civilian news media then there really is no point to having civilian journalists risking their lives for stories they can’t even broadcast. It begs the question of how far the military will go to cover up stories and events that they do not want the world to know. It is scary to think about it, the United States military could be committing war crimes without the knowledge of American people or United Nations. War crimes that could be horrific as those committed in Bosnia or Kosovo, those of which we were involved in military actions to stop. Who knows how far it could go in the future? Could we someday be involved in committing genocide in China? We may never know if the civilian news organizations have their hands tied by the government. (Ramsey, 134)

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Using Captions in Microsoft Word - Proofread My Papers Academic Blog

Using Captions in Microsoft Word - Proofread My Papers Academic Blog Using Captions in Microsoft Word The â€Å"Caption† options in Microsoft Word allow you to label images, diagrams, charts, illustrations and figures so your reader can quickly identify what they mean, as well as enabling use of the â€Å"dynamic† list functions offered by Microsoft Word. As such, using captions can help make sure your written work is clear, professionally presented and easy to follow. None of this is much good unless you know how to use captions, though, so strap in and we’ll run you through the basics. Adding Captions Adding a basic caption to an existing image/chart in your document is pleasingly straightforward: Right click on your image and select â€Å"Insert Caption†¦Ã¢â‚¬  from the menu In the pop-up window, choose how you want to label the image (e.g., Figure, Table, etc.) and whether you want it to appear above or below the image Add text that describes the image (e.g., â€Å"Figure 1: Experimental Apparatus†) and click â€Å"OK† This will make a caption appear in the chosen position. If you want to add a caption to something in the document other than an embedded image, position the cursor where you want to caption to appear and either: Go to the â€Å"References† tab and select â€Å"Insert Caption,† then follow the instructions above, or: Select the â€Å"Caption† option from the Styles menu and type; this creates captions without a â€Å"Label,† giving you more control over how they’re presented Setting Caption Style Microsoft Word comes with a default â€Å"Caption† style, but you can modify this through the â€Å"Styles† menu. If you want to set your own caption style, simply: Click on the arrow in the bottom right of the â€Å"Styles† menu on the â€Å"Home† tab to open the â€Å"Styles† sidebar Right click on â€Å"Caption† and select â€Å"Modify†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to open a new window In the pop up window, select the font/formatting options you require for your captions If you want to use different caption styles for different captions or in different parts of your document, you can do this by: Clicking on the â€Å"New Style† button on the â€Å"Styles† sidebar Selecting â€Å"Caption† under the â€Å"Style Based On† option Choosing a name for your new style (e.g., â€Å"Caption 2†) and selecting the font/formatting options required Using Captions As well as labeling your charts and images, using the â€Å"Caption† options in Microsoft Word means you can add a dynamic list of charts/figures to your document. This is quicker than creating a list manually, and you can update dynamic lists at the touch of a button, thereby ensuring they remain accurate even if you amend captions later on. To use this function: Position the cursor where you want the list to appear Go to the â€Å"References† tab and select â€Å"Insert Table of Figures† Choose the caption label type (e.g., Figure, Table, None) Click â€Å"OK† If you’re using more than one caption style, you can even create separate lists for different label types.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Airport Capacity and Delay Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Airport Capacity and Delay - Term Paper Example U.S.A’s aviation system is the most complex and the largest system in the globe. U.S’s airspace system contains 3364 airports, 14,934 air traffic controllers and 315 air traffic control facilities. U.S airports handle approximately 171,200 aircraft operations per annum, which include landings and takeoffs each day. From FY 2003 through FY 2O06, it has been estimated that there were about 250 million landings and takeoffs and this amounts to about 62.5 million airport operations per annum. . From FY 2003 through FY 2O06, there were about 1,306 reported runway incursions and however, it is a console to note that no fatalities have occurred from these collisions. (FAA 2007).Despite of this mammoth size and intricacy, commercial aviation is considered to be the safest form of transportation in U.S.A. Despite these complexities, U.S.A has witnessed only one commercial accident since 2002. This is mainly due to FAA strategic goals to minimise the rates of general and commerci al aviation related grave accidents, to minimize the peril of probable runway collisions, and to minimize cabin injuries created by turbulence. (GPO, 2006, p238). Though there has been a steady increase in air traffic in US in recent years, congestion-associated issue does not yet seem to be a pervasive issue for the country’s aviation administration. It is to be noted that majority of delay is caused not by congestion but by inclemental weather. According to FAA data, volume –associated delays amounted for less than fifteen percent of all delays in each of the four years just before 9/11 incident and volume related delays have in fact declined over the past decade. A further, weather associated delay is frequently accounted for over seventy -percent of all delays. However, according to US Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration (US DTFA), present delays seem to happen only at some major airports in US. Delay and capacity issues at U.S airports

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Is Capitalism a Hindrance to Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Is Capitalism a Hindrance to Democracy - Essay Example Before making an argument on this issue, it is necessary to fully understand the terms involved. Democracy is typically used interchangeably with the form of government more properly known as a republic. Because true citizenship democracies have rarely ever existed, representative democracies have co-opted the term despite lacking key factors. For the purpose of argument, this paper will use as a definition of democracy that which is agreed upon by the authors of The Politics of Power: A democracy is a system based on popular participation by its citizens, representative government and a commitment to equality in the ability of citizens to influence policies directly affecting their lives (Katznelson, Kesselman and Draper 2006, p. 8). Capitalism is typically defined as an economic sy... The nuances of capitalism that affect the course of democracy revolve around the power of capital itself. If it is accepted that part of the definition of democracy includes representative governors elected by the people, then a question immediately must be raised. Who are these representatives and how are they elected In the current American system, the pool of those eligible for election is becoming increasingly smaller. The reason has to do with the cost of getting elected. As the cost of a candidacy increases, so does the power of those who can contribute the most to these candidates. ARGUMENT Corruption is an unavoidable component of any political or economic system. There is no such thing as a universally viable economic system that is inherently corrupt. Capitalism and socialism could both theoretically work without the taint of corruption. The reason that neither ever has is due to the human factor. Human beings have needs that require currency and sometimes the easiest way to acquire that extra currency is through corrupt practices. While no economic system is in itself corrupt, they all contain practices which promote corruption. The fact that capitalism has led democracy in the United States to the point where only a select few can ever dream of being elected to positions of power is not proof that the economic system is a hindrance to the political system. After all, there is no evidence to suggest that simply because someone has the economic basis to get elected that he will not then act in the best interests of those whom he is representing. What is far more disturbing is how the electoral process mirrors the governmental process. The ability to get

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Hot-Button Issue Paper Essay Example for Free

Hot-Button Issue Paper Essay Nowadays one of most concerning topic in today’s media is sex and violence. Determining what’s â€Å"too much† for children is not an easy task, because every parent has their personal preferences about such matters. But determining the actual effects of media violence on children gives rise a problem in itself, as it’s quite tricky to actually determine what â€Å"violent media† means to the children (Cutler, 2002). There were many children friendly shows back in the days, shows that taught some useful lessons to the children in a non-violent manner. Shows like Ducktales or Darkwing Duck are examples of such shows that children not only could enjoy, but also learn some valuable lessons from. Even vintage video games like Super Mario was just a fun seeking game that children could enjoy and parents didn’t have to worry about their effects on their children too. But if we look at the TV shows, movies and games in the present, it’s quite obvious that the use of excessive violence has crawled its’ way into almost every form of media. Another problem is the increase of usage of sexual acts in the media. There are open discussions of sex and enactments of sexual activities in almost all the TV shows and movies. In the past, TV shows mostly showed two persons getting into bed and the next scene took us to the next day. There were no enactments of sexual activities in the shows. But today, almost every show on every premium channels show fully nude persons or even the acts of having sex. The media industries have been strongly resisting such arguments that the usage of scenes containing sex, violence, and drug usage in TV, music, radio and movies is directly related to the increasing cases of negative behavior buildups in the society, (Anderson, 2002). Canceling such shows is the only way to get rid of sex from the TV. But doing so creates the possibility that children will grow up without the knowledge of sex. They might grow up and have to face the big bad world without anyone to properly guide them into making the right decisions. So it’s essential for them to learn the correct decisions at an early age, so  that they don’t make any decision that could destroy their life forever. You might be able to control the TV shows on their usage of sex and violence; but what about other for ms of media such as magazines, internet, books, music, and movies? Nowadays media has an array of methods to attract peoples’ eyes. They can target audiences of any age or group by tempting their senses. Teenagers are often attracted by violent acts, and by using this they can easily influence them. It doesn’t matter if it’s TV or the movies or the internet, violence is everywhere and trying to shut down all of them is simply not possible. Imagine yourself in a scenario where you’re changing through channels on the TV and you can’t find any shows with violence, shooting or sexual scenes. What would you do in that case, keep on watching the TV or turn it off and do something else? Doing the later would cause the viewer ratings of TV networks to go down and thus giving them the impression that they need to show more violence and sexual acts to attract the audiences. There’s no point in denying that sex and violence attract people or â€Å"sell†, so to say. Although almost 60-70 persons out of 100 say that there’s excess use of sex and violence on TV, they have to firstly watch such usage to find that out. Imagine a show that you watch on a regular basis, and you’d realize by yourself that sex and violence sell. Not a single person can be found who hasn’t seen or doesn’t know of a show that uses violence or sexual references, at the very least. Just as a children mig ht want to smoke if they see their parents smoke, they also might have the inclination towards committing crime if they see their favorite TV character commit a crime. Recently several methods have been developed to control or even block specific shows at specific times. A parental control, that gives the parents the power to block certain TV shows, is offered by every cable provider. But still, it’s the parent that must decide whether to block or not. The V-chip is a recent controlling method developed to restrict sex and violence scenes from being showed on the TV and it’s done by incorporating a small chip in the TV. But to some extent, this seems to be violating the first amendment. What someone wants to watch on their TV is their personal choice; why should they be restrained from watching something they want? It’s understandable that children shouldn’t be exposed to such shows that negatively impact their sense of judgment, but what about someone who’s an adult and willing to watch those shows? Whether you allow play in  shows containing sex and violence in your household premises is a decision that you should make, not the government. If there are children in the house, the parents should be responsible for keeping them away from shows that contain sex or violence. Another point is that most of these shows are aired at nighttime, and it’s safe to assume that children should be in the bed by that time. If kids are staying up at nights to see such shows, it’s not the networks’ fault that they are airing these shows, but it’s the parents’ fault that they can’t fulfill their responsibilities as a parent. On average, a child in the USA watches almost 28 hours of TV shows per week. Also, by the age of eleven, before finishing elementary school, a child views about 8000 murders on these TV shows. And the most terrifying fact is that in almost 75% of the cases shown in the TV, the criminal is shown to get away without being caught and feeling no remorse for their violent acts. This creates a false impression on children about violence. They often get an impractical idea about the acts of violence. Some of them feel no affect of violence whatsoever and even think that it’s cool, while other few become scared of everything around them. In 2009, the National Organization of Women reported that the most violent shows that were being aired were- Alias of ABC, Law Order: SVU of NBC and WWE: Smackdown of CW (NOW, 2009). When children watch TV shows that show someone committing a crime and getting away with it, it creates an impression on their mind that even they can get away without suffering the consequences of their actions. It’s also possible to link violent movies to several cases of assault, robbery and other anti social behaviors. People, particularly teenagers, often confuse things they watch on TV or movies with reality. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the Columbine shooters, are a perfect example of such delusional cases. They tried to dup licate scenes from the movies The Matrix and Basketball Diaries and even dressed up in trench coats and armed themselves with guns to depict those scenes. But just watching violence on TV and movies is not the entire story, there are several other factors that shape the thoughts of persons. Information obtained from several social research studies prove that what a child learns from what he/she watches is greatly affected by his/her surrounding environment (Anderson, 2002). For instance, if a child grows up seeing domestic violence in his/her household, he/she is more likely to think that these acts of violence is acceptable in the society. He/she would  be more prone to act according to what he/she saw when growing up, thus giving him/her a completely false sense of what’s acceptable and what’s not. To those who are mentally handicapped, these effects are much more severe. Since they often have problems differentiating what’s right and what’s wrong, exposure to these sexual acts and violence change the way they think about the world and often clouds their judgments. Watching people commit crimes in the media might give them the impression that it’s okay to do such acts. In one of her studies, Sue Bailey declared that people would of ten enact scenes they saw in the media, even if those scenes were to contain violence or sexual exploitation (Anderson, 2002). This is in fact the main reason why we see so many copycat criminals nowadays. This reminds us of the Banduras theory of modeling (Sparks, 2013). Children often idolize these TV and movie characters and watching their idols beat someone, sell drugs, and committing crimes makes them want to do the same. The act of violence and their rate varies in every society, but what’s alarming is that the USA has a horrifying rate of killings and suicides in the 15 year age group. In 1995, the combined death toll of children among 26 countries was at 2872. Out of these 2872 deaths, 1446 were in the USA alone and compared with the other 25 countries; this rate was almost 5 times higher. A child’s personality also plays an important role in their vulnerability to these violent acts. From an early age, some children might have the tendency to be temperamental. Watching violent acts in the media might increase their tendency to act violently. Furthermore, prolonged exposure to acts of violence increases their chance to act according to what they see in the media. Showing sexual acts and violence in TV can, in many ways, negatively impact the society. But the most argued point is the belief that a persons’ behavior is affected by what they watch. But this seems likely only if someone was to watch only these type of shows at all times. Watching such acts on TV or movies once or twice is not going to affect someone’s personality or turn them into violent sexual offenders. Moreover, the choices someone make is their and theirs’ only to make. No one else can be blamed for their personal faults. To conclude all this discussion, today’s TV can’t be compared with the TV from 30 years ago. Today’s shows cover a more wide range of topics, represent different cultures and languages and they’re targeted for every age group. The increase in sexual scenes and acts  of violence in the media reflects the change our society has undergone in the past years. This change can’t be denied and sooner or later society has to accept that these shows are a part of this change. So rather than demanding to stop this change, it’s practical to demand that these shows should be aired at a certain t ime, thus enabling the viewers to choose what they see and what they allow their children to see. References Anderson, C. A. (2002). Violent Video Games and Hostile Expectations. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.iastate.edu/faculty/caa/abstracts/2000-2004/02BApspb.pdf Bandura, A. (2006). Social Learning Theory. Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/social-learning.html Cutler, Maggie: Research on the Effects of Media Violence on Children Is Inconclusive. Is Media Violence a Problem? James D. Torr, Ed. At Issue Series. Greenhaven Press 2002 National Organization of Women. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.now.org/organization/conference/resolutions/2009.html Sparks, G. G. (2013). Media Effects Research (14th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook.

Friday, November 15, 2019

E-commerce :: essays research papers

What are the security risks associated with business-to-business e-commerce? In today’s business world it is of utmost importance that we secure our businesses because they hold a lot of information of great importance. Business-to-business e-commerce is basically businesses that buy and sell from each other online. They also communicate with one another to build relations online. The security risk that I can see is that one of the two organizations may have poor or little security that may in turn cause other organizations that they are doing business online with to be exposed to viruses, bugs, trojans, etc. Also, customers, as well as, other businesses important information needs to be encrypted. Some employees may try to steal this information to use for their own personal gain or they might sell them to make a profit. Use short answers to explain the difference between: "X Availability and reliability Availability deals with network downtime. Most businesses want their networks to have high availability so that they don’t have any downtime because this can lead to profit and customer loss. Reliability deals with the network being consistent and dependable. Networks need to be able to keep running even when malfunctions or server attacks occur. "X Response time and throughput Response time is basically the time from when you click on the server to the time data appears on your screen. Throughput is basically the speed that it will take the information to transfer from point-to-point within the server. "X Throughput and bandwidth I was having a hard time on this one explaining the difference but I found a site that had some useful information: http://www.support.psi.com/support/common/networking/diff.html â€Å"Bandwidth is a measure of potential rate that data can be transmitted over a network.† â€Å"Throughput is the actual speed data will transfer at from one point on the network to another.† "X Delay and Jitter Delay is basically the time it takes for a packet to arrive at its destination and back in a network.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Ethics in public ad Essay

Since the 1970s there has been a great deal of change associated with the implementation of administrative ethics. These changes have been promoted and motivated by the concept of public administration in the new era. An important position is given to the concept of ethical issues in today’s civil governance. There has been a great deal of research associated with this concept which has been supported by translation of evidences and theories into practice across different continents. Frederickson and Ghere (2005) address both the managerial and individual/moral dimensions of ethical behavior as well as new challenges to administrative ethics posed by globalization. As promoted by Cooper (2001) ethics in public administration is not a transient concept but has proven to be an approach which has shown a great deal of sustainability which is fundamental to the area of public administration. Public administration has certain issues with regard to ethics implementation and finds it troublesome to come to terms with them. One reason for this is because ethics is embedded in an intellectual framework. This framework is based on stable institutional as well as role relationship levels, among both public employees as well as the organization. According to the views of a number of researchers (Bang and Sorensen, 1999; Keast et al., 2004; Rhodes, 1996; Sorensen, 2002, 2006; Sorensen and Torfing, 2004; Stoker, 1998), current government perspectives believe that clarity and stability at these levels would be problematic. Despite the increasing number of studies that have focused on the importance of administrative ethics, there has been very little effort spent on identifying what is exactly the crux of ethics in administration (Cooper, 2004). This lack of directed research in the dynamics of operations with regards to ethics in public administration along with constant changes in the principles and policies associated with administrative ethics need to be examined. These developments have raised new topics for concern in this field. One example which can be cited at this juncture is the emergence of the concept of egovernance which would require the identification of a whole new paradigm of ethics in public administration.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Ethical egoism Essay

Ethical egoism is a doctrine under normative ethics which prescribes a moral agent to act in accordance to one’s own self-interest. It states that what one’s self-interest may in one way or another proves to have harmful, favorable or neutral effects on other people. One should also take note of the fact that ethical egoism is not synonymous to rational egoism or individualism. Rational egoism is a form of egoism who claims that it is rational to act in accordance to one’s self-interest. The difference could mostly be seen on the fact that rational egoism does not claim that egoism is ethically imperative. There are people who criticize ethical egoism on the basis that the latter does not take other’s well-beings into consideration. There are even claims that ethical egoism makes a moral agent abstain from taking the well-being of other people into consideration when determining when an action is morally right or not. One should not fall into this line of thinking since ethical egoism does not necessitates that a person abstain from taking other people’s well-being into consideration. As a matter of fact ethical egoism allows a person to take other’s interest into consideration as long as the action a moral agent does is an efficient means in terms of gratifying the self-interest of the moral agent. A great contrast could be seen with ethical egoism and altruism especially since altruism believes in the notion that each individual has a responsibility or obligation of helping others obtain their self-interests. There are three categories under ethical egoism namely, personal ethical egoism, individual ethical egoism and lastly, universal ethical egoism. Personal ethical egoism is the notion that only â€Å"I† should act in accordance to the motive of my own self-interest. However, personal ethical egoism did not state in accordance to what motive should other act to. It is on this basis (it does not generalize or emphasize what others would do) that personal ethical egoism is not considered as an ethical theory. Another factor why such a notion would not be universalizable or could not be considered an ethical theory is the fact that a person could not really suggest others to follow personal ethical egoism since it would go against one’s own self-interest. Individual ethical egoism on the other hand is prescriptive in that it necessitates others in accordance or in pursuance of my own self-interest. However, this belief is also problematic and thus like personal ethical egoism, this belief is also not universalizable. Thus in a way this belief is almost synonymous to solipsism in that the said notion is not justifiable since it does not apply to only one person. This notion is also inconsistent in that it is only applicable to just one person. The problem arises from the fact that no one would really want to serve the self-interest of only one individual. The third category under ethical egoism is universal ethical egoism. The universal ethical egoism is the least problematic of the three since it is a doctrine which pursues the belief that everyone should follow pursue only their own self-interests. However, a problem can still be relocated in this ethical egoism particularly that of the Socratic Paradox which claims that since all human beings have no knowledge of the world there is no way of my knowing what would really serve my own self-interest. Thus it is hard to determine what would really be one’s self-interest. For one what is pleasurable for me may go against my own self-interest such as smoking or drinking. Thus, in a way the last ethical doctrine is still problematic in its own way. Personally I do not advocate nor do I believe in the doctrine of ethical egoism. First and foremost an ethical theory does not have any room for inconsistency and for incompleteness. And in this regard I do not believe that ethical egoism is itself both complete and consistent. First and foremost I believe that the said theory is contradictory in that it contradicts itself in most part. What made me say so is the fact that it permits certain acts to be assessed as both right and wrong in the same time. Therefore, ethical egoism is inconsistent. To further elaborate my point I would make use of a hypothetical example. Say Dianne and Donna joined a beauty contest. According to ethical egoism it is only right and proper for Dianne to praise herself since it pursue her own self interest. On this basis we could say that Dianne’s action is morally right. However, it is not right or proper for Donna to praise Dianne since it would clearly go against the doctrine of ethical egoism since it does not promote Donna’s self-interest. In this regard we could say that praising Dianne is morally wrong for ethical egoism if it is to be done by Donna. Thus this proves to be inconsistent in that while it is right for Dianne to praise herself it is not right for Donna to praise Dianne which makes the act both morally right and wrong. However, one may argue that there is no inconsistency here since the act was done by different people. Thus I will move on to my next set of objections. Let’s say in the same beauty contest I happened to be a judge. Both Dianne and Donna have equal amount of beauty, talent and the like. Clearly whoever wins in the contest would be of no consequence for me since it would not serve my own interest in this regard who am I to choose between Dianne and Donna? Thus, in this instance one could clearly see that if a person has got to be impartial in the instance that a certain things would not serve one’s own self-interest then that particular person would be lost since ethical egoism only tells us to pursue our own interest without giving any advice on what we are supposed to do when a situation calls for our impartiality. Thus in this regard it would suffice for me to say that the theory of ethical egoism in itself is incomplete since when a conflict between the interests of two egoists comes into question, ethical egoism gives no advice on how to solve such problem. It is true that I am no big fan of ethical egoism, but to give ethical egoism justice I admit to the fact that ethical egoism does not necessarily mean that in acting in accordance to my own self-interest it necessitates that I cause harm to other’s self-interest. Another important factor in regards of ethical egoism is the fact that by being an egoist or by acting in my own self-interest I could in a way be also promoting the interest of other people. To further my point let us say that I am born a compassionate person and it always bring me happiness to help other people. In this regard by promoting my own self-interest or by helping others since it makes me happy, I am also helping other people in the process. Another factor is the fact that this world in a way is a give and take world. In order to pursue my own interest I must also take into account other’s interest. Say for example if I want to live a peaceful life I must see to it that I do not harm other people in the process. However, in spite of all the goods one may find in the idea of ethical egoism I still stand firm to my belief against ethical egoism. First and foremost I believe that ethical egoism is a doctrine which is not complete. Secondly, I believe that those people who adhere to ethical egoism do so in expense of restating what one means by self-interest to the point that when one says self-interest they also incorporate other’s interest into the word. Basically, this could clearly be seen on the example I have mentioned above about not harming other people or not putting their interests at stake to insure the safeness of my own self-interests. Another thing I need to point out is that the notion of self-interest is vague and if people go on pursuing their own self-interest then the world would surely be in chaos. Take the issue of slavery as an example. Let us say that it is in my own self-interest to own slaves and to work them to death with no pay whatsoever. By doing this there are those who would condemn my action and the others like me in order to make sure that slavery would no longer take place ever again. And since there are others like me who believes that slavery pursues our own self-interest then surely we would not give way to the abortion of slavery and thus this could lead to a war. Such is one of the troubles one may face if everyone adheres to the belief that the pursuance of one’s self-interest is the best form of ethical theory. There are also other ethical theories such as Kantianism, utilitarianism, Christian ethics and the like which are at odds with ethical egoism. The ethical theories I have mentioned earlier is in contrast with ethical egoism in that they believe that a moral agent is necessitated by the need to take other’s well-being into consideration in determining the moral worth of an action. Utilitarianism for one would see the need for major sacrifice if it means greater benefits for other people. However, believers of ethical egoism may argue that I could also do moral duties to other such as cooperating with other people in order to pursue my own self-interest. However, I say that such a thing would still not be sufficient to justify the position of ethical egoism since if others refuse to cooperate with egoists then there would be no longer any basis on why egoists would still cooperate with other people. His is the main difference between ethical egoism and other ethical theories. Ethical egoism is conditional in its own way whereas Kantianism, Utilitarianism and the like leaves no room for sets of conditions. Another factor I do not like about ethical egoism is the fact that it would always choose the thing which would benefit one’s self the most. Say for example I have to choose between helping those who are experiencing famine in Africa or helping our neighborhood conduct the most extravagant feast in the year then since helping my neighborhood would cause me fame and the like, ethical egoism would require me to choose that which would benefit me most and in this regard it would be helping the neighborhood. Thus this example would prove that ethical egoism ranks one’s interest more than the interest of the majority of people and in this way it is a little bit of on the selfish side even though I must admit that ethical egoism is not wrong in every cases there are still things within the boundary of ethical egoism which I could not bring myself to accept. If egoists makes sacrifice they are only short-term sacrifices. In this regard some egoists may claim that they could convert in other ethical principle if a situation calls for it especially if it would take the cooperation argument a little further. However such conversion would be dangerous. Take this hypothetical example into consideration. Let us say that the world is in big trouble and the only one who could save the world is a blind man. However, that man could not save the world without the sense of sight and the only one who could give him eyesight is me. In this regard it is dangerous for me as an egoist to convert because this conversion would necessitate me to offer my eyesight which would not be serving my personal-interests at all. This is basically some of the reasons why I could not really bring myself to accept ethical egoism. Thus, to summarize, ethical egoism is the belief that a moral agent must pursue his or her own moral interest. However the effect of one’s self-interests to other may vary from one incident to another. It could be detrimental to some people as well as it could be beneficial and neutral in its effect to some. Ethical egoism in itself is not complete since it does not provide a solution when interests of two egoists came into clash. It also does not give an advice on what a neutral bystander would do if he is asked to choose between the two egoists. Ethical egoism is also ineffective in achieving the common good since it always put one’s self interest before the interest for other and although cooperation theorist may believe that they could solve this particular problem of an egoists I believe that it is still not the case especially since the only way for egoists to do it is by conversion which could in most way complicate the matter more. It is on this basis that I do not adhere to the principles of ethical egoism and I guess it suffice for me to say that ethical egoism is lacking in many ways as compared to other ethical theories. Reference: Shaver, Robert. â€Å"Egoism. † Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2002.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Critical study of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) set forth by the European Union (EU) The WritePass Journal

Critical study of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) set forth by the European Union (EU) Introduction Critical study of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) set forth by the European Union (EU) IntroductionBIBLIOGRAPHYRelated Introduction The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is a policy, set forth by the European Union (EU).It also comprises of a set of rules that control the manufacture, trade, and processing of agricultural products.   The CAP currently accounts for almost fifty percent of the EU budget, however, this number continues to decrease over the years.   The CAP is significant in that it symbolizes Europe’s switch from sovereignty on a national level to a European level. The CAP is funded by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).This fund is allocated into two different sections, the Guidance section and the Guarantee section.   The Guidance section is one of the structural funds, which contributes to the structural improvements in agriculture and the development of rural areas; the Guarantee section funds expenditures concerning the common organization of the markets. Storage taxes, manufacture taxes, and portions of each member state’s Gross National Product (G NP) also finances the CAP. The Treaty of Rome, in July 1958, formed the foundation for a unified Europe via the implementation of the general objectives for the CAP.   â€Å"The CAP was established as a means of rectifying the deficit in food production within Europe through supporting internal prices and incomes† (Blair 123-124).   The CAP succeeded in realizing its initial goals of increased production and productivity, stabilized markets, secured supplies, and farmer protection.   However, the system included problems, which became apparent as the Community established a surplus for most of its agricultural products.   First, the CAP increased output beyond the market’s need via the guaranteeing of prices through intervention and production aids. Second, the very success of the Cap caused tension within the Community’s trading partners as subsidized exports affected the market, and thirdly, the desire to produce more food brought with it environmental damage to certain regions ( Blair 123-4). The legal base for the CAP is defined in Articles 32-38 in Title II of the EC Treaty, in which, Articles 33-34 form the basic foundation for the CAP.   Article 33 lists the objectives of the CAP as a means, â€Å"to increase agricultural productivity by promoting technical progress and by ensuring the balanced development of agricultural production and the optimal utilization of the factors of production, to ensure a fair standard of living for the agricultural community, in particular by increasing the individual earnings of persons engaged in agriculture, to stabilize markets, to assure the availability of supplies, and to ensure that supplies reach consumers at reasonable prices† (europa.eu.int).Through Article 34 came the creation of the Common Organization of the Agricultural Markets (COM).   These COM’s were to take on one of three different forms, depending on the product.   They successfully eliminate obstacles to intra-Union trade while also keeping a com mon customs barrier with respect to countries outside the Union.   Results of the COM’s include a unified market in which products move freely between nations, community preference, in which EU products are always given preference, price advantage over imported products, and financial solidarity in which all expenses by the CAP are covered by the Community budget. The CAP has had a long history of reform, and is nowhere near perfect.   The main attempt of improvement came just ten years after its operation.   In 1968, the Mansholt Plan in which he aimed at rationalizing farming with the community, giving farmers an adequate income and reducing the burden of subsidies in the economy was put into effect in an attempt to reduce the number of people in the agriculture business and to promote more efficient means of agricultural production.   In 1972, the extensive food surpluses were targeted through the creation of structural measures designed to modernize European agriculture.   This attempt at reform is generally regarded as a failure because many of the problems it tried to fix were still left unchecked.   In 1983, a publication was released entitled, The Green Paper, which sought to balance the on-going differences between supply and demand through improvements in production.   In 1988, the European Council agreed on various refor m measures.   The â€Å"agricultural expenditure guideline,† limited the percentage of CAP expenditure in the complete budget.   In 1991-92 the future of the CAP was addressed through what has been called, â€Å"The MacSharry Reforms† in which the reforms included the cutback of agricultural prices to make the products more competitive, compensation for farmers that incurred a loss in income, and environmental protection. With the positive effects on European agriculture, the reform of 1992 was generally regarded as successful. However, international trends, the expansion towards Central and Eastern Europe, the preparation of the single currency causing budget constraints, the increasing competitiveness of products from non-member countries, and a new round of World Trade Organization negotiations forced further adaptation of the CAP† (europa.eu.int).   In July 1997, â€Å"Agenda 2000† was created to address many of the important issues facing the EU and the CAP.   the reinforcement of the competitiveness of agricultural commodities in domestic and world markets were the key focuses of this new agenda , the promotion of a fair standard of living, the creation of extra sources of income for farmers, a new rural development policy, revamped environmental considerations, better food quality and safety, and the simplification of CAP legislation. The European Union’s common agricultural policy protects and subsidizes agriculture so heavily as to bring serious social losses to the Economic Union.   The policy creates inadequacies in the agriculture sector as well as other sectors of society such as manufacturing, textiles, and service industries.   Furthermore, â€Å"there have been many economic consequences of the CAP, including the high level of protection, the burdens on consumers, taxpayers, and the EU budget, environmental damage, the harm to international trading relations, and the failure to raise farmers’ incomes† (Howarth 4). There have been a number of negative effects on the European Union countries.   First and foremost, the Common Agricultural Policy has kept agricultural prices in the member countries above world market prices.   â€Å"The CAP has encouraged production of certain products to the extent that net importers of these products have become net exporters† (Rosenblatt 9).   Also, the CAP has contributed to large agricultural net export or stock-building by the European community.   This has contributed to the CAP hindering the economies of the EU member countries.   Higher food prices, which the CAP causes, and which fall hardest on the least well off, hinder economic development and reduce international competitiveness and EU employment.   Consumers lose twice under this policy since they have to pay higher prices for their good and pay taxes to subsidize the agricultural sector. The CAP has also led to inefficiencies in production and the European Union’s total budget. The European Union’s expenditures on agriculture consume roughly 45 percent of their total budget (Rosenblatt 36).   The expenditures are paid to keep farmers from letting land go idle, and there is no condition on what types of crops are to be grown on this land.   Under the Common Agricultural Policy, farmers tend to harvest more profitable crops on land that is not as suitable for their growth.   For example, producers have switched over from producing wheat and oil seeds to butter because the EU has such a high price support for it.   This causes the market to go from excess supply to excess demand, and the producers are becoming a net exporter of butter (Pugel 312).   Thus, farmers may actually grow crops for which production costs are not covered by the prevailing market prices, but payments make production of these crops profitable to them. The CAP has also caused concern for the environment as well as concerns for the economy.   Because of the subsidies provided to farmers, they have the incentive to produce more agricultural products because they will receive more money.   The CAP price policies have encouraged intensive farming and the overuse of antibiotics, pesticides, and nitrates.   This has put a strain on the environment and has concerned the people of the European Union.   The policy did not foresee farmers overproducing and over using chemicals, but this has become an indirect cost created by the policy.   Europeans are also concerned with food safety because of farmers using so many chemicals in production.   Farmers have been getting away with using the chemicals and unsafe practices because of the limited food safety regulations.   Policymakers believed that high price supports would lead to higher food safety and quality.   â€Å"High support prices do not increase either food safety or q uality: indeed, minimum prices and intervention guarantees encourage low quality and standardized produce† (Consumers in Europe group). Under the CAP, the European Union countries have shifted from net importers to net exporters of food products.   With the EU subsidizing the agricultural sector so heavily, as to raise some sectors, such as non-grain crops, to eight times larger than it would normally be at (Borrell 18).   This has drawn resources and labour out of other sectors of the economy and into the agricultural sector because of the subsidies.   â€Å"These costs and resource misallocation reduce the total output and income of the European Union† (Borrell 18).   Borrell charts the percentage changes in specific industries due to the CAP in the EU.   For example, the CAP has caused negative changes in the following industries: construction and utilities are down one percent, the service industry is down two percent, the manufacturing sector in down almost five percent, and other primary products are down almost six percent (Borrell 20).   This information demonstrates that CAP is taking away resources from these service type industries and placing it in the agricultural sector.   The transference of these resources is coming at the cost of the consumers, taxpayers, or society as a whole. The effects of the EU Common Agricultural Policy have not just altered the European Union’s economy, but it has also restructured other economies throughout the world.   The CAP has caused farmers to produce a surplus of agricultural goods in the EU.   This has led to dumping of these products into other countries.   As a result, importing countries have shifted away from producing agricultural goods to goods such as manufacturing, construction, services, and other primary goods.   The United States and Canada have experienced a decrease in agricultural production due to the CAP.   Combined, the United States and Canada have experienced a decrease of approximately 8.1 percent across primary agricultural goods (as much as 13 percent for non-grain products to as low as 2.9 percent for meat products) (Borrell 23).   Also, with cropping exports down between 26 and 45 percent, this shows implications that output has been dropping in the cropping sector.   The effects of the CAP have also shifted resources in Australia and New Zealand from agriculture to other primary industries.   These countries have experienced an expansion in the mining and forestry industries of 7.5 percent (Borrell 21).   These examples display how the CAP has suppressed exports of agricultural products and has led to the allocation of resources into other industries in other countries. It is apparent that the Common Agricultural Policy has been and is causing problems not only in the European Union, but it has also been creating problems in the rest of the world.   What the CAP has effectively done to the European Union is that it has caused it to become a net exporter of agricultural products when it should be a net importer of these goods.   The EU’s policy has changed the world markets for agricultural goods and has imposed significant costs to the EU’s consumers and taxpayers.   Consumers and taxpayers in the EU bear most of the cost of 70 to 80 million US dollars a year, which is used to increase farmers’ incomes.   The taxpayers and consumers are responsible for this increase in cost, which in turn causes an increase in unemployment. â€Å"†¦The CAP was responsible for a loss of one million jobs in the EU manufacturing sector alone.   The EU unemployment rate is currently around 10 percent, which is currently 40 percent hi gher than the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development) average† (Borrell 20).   It is clear that the Common Agricultural Policy is responsible for increases in unemployment, increases in taxpayer cost and consumer burden, drops in farmer income, and harm to international relations.   If the CAP were not implemented, many of these issues would be alleviated. There have been significant losses to the European Union as a whole because of the CAP. To understand, however, what this does to an individual country, an analysis of Britain experience must be looked at.   In 1973, Great Britain entered the European Community and, therefore, accepted the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).   The acceptance of the CAP caused Britain to move from an agricultural market of free trade and cheap food, to an agricultural market that became the pawn of the European Union’s protectionism (Harvey 2).   The CAP’s main goal was, â€Å"to keep agricultural market’s stable, ensure that farmers earn a fair living, and provide consumers with affordable food supplies† (Think quest Library 2).   The CAP achieved many goals it set out to accomplish.   The very generous price supports to farmers and technological innovation have caused surpluses that are not being offset by a decreasing demand. The CAP has run into criticism in recent times by both British consumers and taxpayers alike, and many citizens and even farmers are calling for its reform.   One recent event that caused the European Union to rethink the restrictions of the CAP was the outbreak of mad cow disease in Britain.   British cattle that were infected by mad cow disease experienced nervous system breakdown and eventually death.   The beef industry suffered in Britain and many of the cattle had to be put to death because they were not suitable to eat.   Therefore, the European Union, in 1996, had to impose a British beef export ban (Barclay 21).   The ban, and the fall in beef consumption in the UK market, caused the United Kingdom cattle market to lose sales totalling 800 million pounds (Barclay 22).   The British were not allowed to export tainted beef to member countries and many member countries feared to import any British beef (Barclay 22). The CAP has hurt Britain in more ways than one.   British consumers have been burdened by higher domestic agriculture prices because of CAP policies when they could easily go buy the same product cheaper in the world market.   The taxpayers in Britain have been burdened by taxes the European Union imposes to finance subsidies to farmers.   Undoubtedly, the United Kingdom would still have to face the mad cow dilemma regardless of its prior entry in the Union.   However, the British would be able to develop a unilateral policy in which they would be free from the strict requirements of the European Union. BIBLIOGRAPHY â€Å"Agriculture.†Ã‚   Think quest Library.   5 Dec. 2001 Sparks, P. Western Culture and Society: The United Kingdom(UK)-The British Economy[Online],Available on: xiangtan.co.uk/ukeconomy.htm#top,[Acessed on May 20th2011] Anonymous, 2007.Common Agriculture Policy In European Union[Online],Available on: http://referaty-seminarky.sk/common-agriculture-policy-in-european-union/,[Acessed on May 23rd 2011] Borjas H and Rooij D S, Europe[Online],Available on: fao.org/DOCREP/003/W8376E/w8376e06.htm,[Accessed on May 24th 2011] Mardell M (2008).Controversial CAP reform [Online],Available on: fao.org/DOCREP/003/W8376E/w8376e06.htm,[Accessed on May 21st 2011] Kelly J,(2010). European Court Rejects EU Attempt to Promote Farm Subsidy Transparency   [Online],Available on: globalgovernancewatch.org/spotlight_on_sovereignty/european-court-rejects-eu-attempt-to-promote-farm-subsidy-transparency,[Accessed on May 21st 2011] CAP -Swedish Left Party Report [Online], Available on: spectrezine.org/europe/cap.htm,[Accessed on May 25th 2011]

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Emmeline Pankhurst, Womens Rights Activist

Emmeline Pankhurst, Women's Rights Activist Emmeline Pankhurst (July 15, 1858–June 14, 1928) was a British suffragette who championed the cause of womens voting rights in Great Britain in the early 20th century, founding the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903. Her militant tactics earned her several imprisonments and stirred up controversy among various suffragist groups. Widely credited with bringing womens issues to the forefront- thus helping them win the vote- Pankhurst is considered one of the most influential women of the 20th century. Fast Facts: Emmeline Pankhurst Known For: British suffragette who founded the Womens Social and Political UnionAlso Known As: Emmeline GouldenBorn: July 15, 1858  in Manchester, United KingdomParents: Sophia and Robert GouldenDied: June 14, 1928  in  London, United KingdomEducation: École Normale de NeuillyPublished Works: Freedom or Death (speech delivered in Hartford, Connecticut on Nov. 13, 1913, later published), My Own Story (1914)Awards and Honors: A statue of Pankhurst  was unveiled in Manchester on Dec. 14, 2018. Pankhursts name and image and those of 58 other womens suffrage supporters including her daughters are etched at the base  of a  statue of Millicent Fawcett  in  Parliament Square in London.Spouse: Richard Pankhurst (m. Dec. 18, 1879–July 5, 1898)Children: Estelle Sylvia,  Christabel,  Adela,  Francis Henry,  Henry FrancisNotable Quote: We are here, not because we are law-breakers; we are here in our efforts to become law-makers. Early Years Pankhurst, the eldest girl in a family of 10 children, was born to Robert and Sophie Goulden on July 15, 1858, in Manchester, England. Robert Goulden ran a successful calico-printing business; his profits enabled his family to live in a large house on the outskirts of Manchester. Pankhurst developed a social conscience at an early age, thanks to her parents, both ardent supporters of the antislavery movement and womens rights. At age 14, Emmeline attended her first suffrage meeting with her mother and came away inspired by the speeches she heard. A bright child who was able to read at the age of 3, Pankhurst was somewhat shy and feared speaking in public. Yet she was not timid about making her feelings known to her parents. Pankhurst felt resentful that her parents placed a lot of importance upon the education of her brothers, but gave little consideration to educating their daughters. Girls attended a local boarding school that primarily taught social skills that would enable them to become good wives. Pankhurst convinced her parents to send her to a progressive womens school in Paris. When she returned five years later at the age of 20, she had become fluent in French and had learned not only sewing and embroidery but chemistry and bookkeeping as well. Marriage and Family Soon after returning from France, Emmeline met Richard Pankhurst, a radical Manchester attorney more than twice her age. She admired Pankhursts commitment to liberal causes, notably the womens suffrage movement. A political extremist, Richard Pankhurst also supported home rule for the Irish and the radical notion of abolishing the monarchy. They married in 1879 when Emmeline was 21 and Richard was in his mid-40s. In contrast to the relative wealth of Pankhursts childhood, she and her husband struggled financially. Richard Pankhurst, who might have made a good living working as a lawyer, despised his work and preferred to dabble in politics and social causes. When the couple approached Robert Goulden about financial assistance, he refused; an indignant Pankhurst never spoke to her father again. Pankhurst gave birth to five children between 1880 and 1889: daughters Christabel, Sylvia, and Adela, and sons Frank and Harry. Having taken care of her firstborn (and alleged favorite) Christobel, Pankhurst spent little time with her subsequent children when they were young, leaving them instead in the care of nannies. The children did benefit, however, from growing up in a household filled with interesting visitors and lively discussions, including with well-known socialists of the day. Gets Involved Pankhurst became active in the local womens suffrage movement, joining the Manchester Womens Suffrage Committee soon after her marriage. She later worked to promote the Married Womens Property Bill, which was drafted in 1882 by her husband. In 1883, Richard Pankhurst ran unsuccessfully as an independent for a seat in Parliament. Disappointed by his loss, Richard Pankhurst was nonetheless encouraged by an invitation from the Liberal Party to run again in 1885- this time in London. The Pankhursts moved to London, where Richard lost his bid to secure a seat in Parliament. Determined to earn money for her family- and to free her husband to pursue his political ambitions- Pankhurst opened a shop selling fancy home furnishings in the Hempstead section of London. Ultimately, the business failed because it was located in a poor part of London, where there was little demand for such items. Pankhurst closed the shop in 1888. Later that year, the family suffered the loss of 4-year-old Frank, who died of diphtheria. The Pankhursts, along with friends and fellow activists, formed the Womens Franchise League (WFL) in 1889. Although the Leagues main purpose was to gain the vote for women, Richard Pankhurst tried to take on too many other causes, alienating the Leagues members. The WFL disbanded in 1893. Having failed to achieve their political goals in London and troubled by money woes, the Pankhursts returned to Manchester in 1892. Joining the newly formed Labor Party in 1894, the Pankhursts worked with the Party to help feed the multitudes of poor and unemployed people in Manchester. Pankhurst was named to the board of poor law guardians, whose job it was to supervise the local workhouse- an institute for destitute people. Pankhurst was shocked by conditions in the workhouse, where inhabitants were fed and clothed inadequately and young children were forced to scrub floors. Pankhurst helped to improve conditions immensely; within five years, she had even established a school in the workhouse. A Tragic Loss In 1898, Pankhurst suffered another devastating loss when her husband of 19 years died suddenly of a perforated ulcer. Widowed at only 40 years old, Pankhurst learned that her husband had left his family deeply in debt. She was forced to sell furniture to pay off debts and accepted a paying position in Manchester as registrar of births, marriages, and deaths. As a registrar in a working-class district, Pankhurst encountered many women who struggled financially. Her exposure to these women- as well as her experience at the workhouse- reinforced her sense that women were victimized by unfair laws. In Pankhursts time, women were at the mercy of laws which favored men. If a woman died, her husband would receive a pension; a widow, however, might not receive the same benefit. Although progress had been made by the passage of the Married Womens Property Act (which granted women the right to inherit property and to keep the money they earned), those women without an income might very well find themselves living at the workhouse. Pankhurst committed herself to securing the vote for women because she knew their needs would never be met until they gained a voice in the law-making process. Getting Organized: The WSPU In October 1903, Pankhurst founded the Womens Social and Political Union (WSPU). The organization, whose simple motto was Votes for Women, accepted only women as members and actively sought out those from the working class. Mill-worker Annie Kenny became an articulate speaker for the WSPU, as did Pankhursts three daughters. The new organization held weekly meetings at Pankhursts home and membership grew steadily. The group adopted white, green, and purple as its official colors, symbolizing purity, hope, and dignity. Dubbed by the press suffragettes (meant as an insulting play on the word suffragists), the women proudly embraced the term and called their organizations newspaper Suffragette. The following spring, Pankhurst attended the Labor Partys conference, bringing with her a copy of the womens suffrage bill written years earlier by her late husband. She was assured by the Labor Party that her bill would be up for discussion during its May session. When that long-anticipated day came, Pankhurst and other members of the WSPU crowded the House of Commons, expecting that their bill would come up for debate. To their great disappointment, members of Parliament (MPs) staged a talk out, during which they intentionally prolonged their discussion on other topics, leaving no time for the womens suffrage bill. The group of angry women formed a protest outside, condemning the Tory government for its refusal to address the issue of womens voting rights. Gaining Strength In 1905- a general election year- the women of WSPU found ample opportunities to make themselves heard. During a Liberal Party rally held in Manchester on October 13, 1905, Christabel Pankhurst and Annie Kenny repeatedly posed the question to speakers: Will the liberal government give votes to women? This created an uproar, leading to the pair being forced outside, where they held a protest. Both were arrested; refusing to pay their fines, they were sent to jail for a week. These were the first of what would amount to nearly 1,000 arrests of suffragists in the coming years. This highly publicized incident brought more attention to the cause of womens suffrage than any previous event; it also brought a surge of new members. Emboldened by its growing numbers and infuriated by the governments refusal to address the issue of womens voting rights, the WSPU developed a new tactic- heckling politicians during speeches. The days of the early suffrage societies- polite, ladylike letter-writing groups- had given way to a new kind of activism. In February 1906, Pankhurst, her daughter Sylvia, and Annie Kenny staged a womens suffrage rally in London. Nearly 400 women took part in the rally and in the ensuing march to the House of Commons, where small groups of women were allowed in to speak to their MPs after initially being locked out. Not a single member of Parliament would agree to work for womens suffrage, but Pankhurst considered the event a success. An unprecedented number of women had come together to stand for their beliefs and had shown that they would fight for the right to vote. Protests Pankhurst, shy as a child, evolved into a powerful and compelling public speaker. She toured the country, giving speeches at rallies and demonstrations, while Christabel became the political organizer for the WSPU, moving its headquarters to London. On June 26, 1908, an estimated 500,000 people gathered in Hyde Park for a WSPU demonstration. Later that year, Pankhurst went to the United States on a speaking tour, in need of money for medical treatment for her son Harry, who had contracted polio. Unfortunately, he died soon after her return. Over the next seven years, Pankhurst and other suffragettes were repeatedly arrested as the WSPU employed ever more militant tactics. Imprisonment On March 4, 1912, hundreds of women, including Pankhurst (who broke a window at the prime ministers residence), participated in a rock-throwing, window-smashing campaign throughout commercial districts in London.  Pankhurst was sentenced to nine months in prison for her part in the incident. In protest of their imprisonment, she and fellow detainees embarked upon a hunger strike. Many of the women, including Pankhurst, were held down and force-fed through rubber tubes passed through their noses into their stomachs. Prison officials were widely condemned when reports of the feedings were made public. Weakened by the ordeal, Pankhurst was released after spending a few months in abysmal prison conditions. In response to the hunger strikes, Parliament passed what came to be known as the Cat and Mouse Act (officially called the Temporary Discharge for Ill-Health Act), which allowed women to be released so that they could regain their health, only to be re-incarcerated once they had recuperated, with no credit for time served. The WSPU stepped up its extreme tactics, including the use of arson and bombs. In 1913, one member of the Union, Emily Davidson, attracted publicity by throwing herself in front of the kings horse in the middle of the Epsom Derby race. Gravely injured, she died days later. The more conservative members of the Union became alarmed by such developments, creating divisions within the organization and leading to the departure of several prominent members. Eventually, even Pankhursts daughter Sylvia became disenchanted with her mothers leadership and the two became estranged. World War I and the Womens Vote In 1914, Britains involvement in World War I effectively put an end to the WSPUs militancy. Pankhurst believed it was her patriotic duty to assist in the war effort and ordered that a truce be declared between the WSPU and the government. In return, all suffragette prisoners were released. Pankhursts support of the war further alienated her from daughter Sylvia, an ardent pacifist. Pankhurst published her autobiography, My Own Story, in 1914. (Daughter Sylvia later wrote a biography of her mother, published in 1935.) Later Years, Death, and Legacy As an unexpected by-product of the war, women had the opportunity to prove themselves by carrying out jobs previously held only by men. By 1916, attitudes toward women had changed; they were now regarded as more deserving of the vote after having served their country so admirably. On February 6, 1918, Parliament passed the Representation of the People Act, which granted the vote to all women over 30. In 1925, Pankhurst joined the Conservative Party, much to the astonishment of her former socialist friends. She ran for a seat in Parliament but withdrew before the election because of ill health. Pankhurst died at the age of 69 on June 14, 1928, only weeks before the vote was extended to all women over 21 years of age on July 2, 1928. Sources ï » ¿Emmeline Pankhurst - Suffragette - BBC Bitesize.†Ã‚  BBC News, BBC, 27 Mar. 2019,  Pankhurst, Emmeline. â€Å"Great Speeches of the 20th Century: Emmeline Pankhursts Freedom or Death.†Ã‚  The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 27 Apr. 2007.â€Å"Representation of the People Act 1918.†Ã‚  UK Parliament.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Strategies for internationalisation of Aditya Birla Group (ABG) Assignment

Strategies for internationalisation of Aditya Birla Group (ABG) - Assignment Example International business helps an organisation to develop its growth strategy.This in turn helps to acquire a better product life cycle.It is recognised that at times a company’s products do not receive desired attention in its home nation, however, there are significant demands of them in other nations. International business operations provide certain pertinent benefits to an organisation such as scope to incorporate advanced technologies, increase investment opportunities, and make product or service expansion among others which in turn can provide greater returns than operating in home markets (Wall & et. al., 2009). Aditya Birla Group is a multinational Indian company headquartered in Mumbai, India. Aditya Birla Group is a US$40 billion organisation and it is part of Fortune 500 companies recognised by Fortune magazine. In Aditya Birla Group, more than 136,000 employees are competently working as of the year 2012. The Group was ranked in 1st position, in a survey related to ‘Top Companies For Leaders’, in Asia Pacific in the year 2011. This survey is mainly conducted for studying the organisational leadership. The organisation earns more than 53 percent of revenue from operations in abroad. The Group has been operating in 36 countries which comprise Canada, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, France, Japan and Russia among others. In its home business destination i.e. India the Group is recognised as a leading name in mobile telephone sector, life insurance as well as asset management, supermarket chains and branded apparel among others. In its global operations, the Group is renowned as one of the biggest aluminium and copper producers, carbon black and Viscose staple fibre producers among others (Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt. Ltd., 2012). In this paper, the internationalisation strategies of Aditya Birla Group will be recognised as well as a critical analysis of the adopted strategies would be conducted. Moreover, certain reco mmendations related to future strategic direction of the company will be made in order to sustain its competitive advantage. Strategies for Internationalisation of Aditya Birla Group (ABG) There are several strategies that are adopted by the ABG for internationalisation of the business. Acquisition Strategy Aditya Birla Group is well renowned for its business acquisition strategy in the global market. The product as well as service portfolio of ABG includes cement, fertilizers, chemical and financial services among others. Acquisition is the process of buying a company’s most of the stakes with the purpose of getting the ownership of the company (Kazmi, 2008). The corporate strategies prepared for internationalisation of ABG has been focused on expansion of the business with the help of acquisition as well as internationalisation of new business by acquisition. ABG prepares strategies for acquisition of major companies related to their most preferable sectors such as mining. ABG adopted this strategy as an aggressive action towards the internalisation of the business. As a part of this strategy, ABG had signed an accord to acquire the assets of Terrace Bay Pulp Mill in the region of North America. According to statement made by the Chairman of ABG, Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla â€Å"The acquisition of the Terrace Bay Mill and its subsequent conversion into a dissolving grade pulp mill is a major strategic move† (Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt. Ltd., 2012).This move has been especially useful for attaining global leadership. In Canada, Novelis Inc., a leading corporation related to aluminium rolled products was acquired by an ABG’

Friday, November 1, 2019

Analysis of the integrated marketing communications mix strategies of Essay - 3

Analysis of the integrated marketing communications mix strategies of your chosen smartphone brand - Essay Example Apple should ensure consistency in the messages and slogans should focus on the unique selling points or the differentiated benefits. Apple should segment its market and select an appropriate media channel for each target audience in order to improve the effectiveness of marketing communication. The company must position the brand as innovative and premium brand that delivers added customer value. Apple Incorporation is a multinational company that designs, creates and sells consumer electronics, personal computers, computer software and smart phones (Arthur 2014). The company has attained consistent market growth and profitability due to its culture of product innovation that ensures that the company anticipates and meets the changing customer product requirements (Arthur 2014). Some of the innovative products that have attained global customer loyalty include the iPhone, iPad and iPod products that revolutionalised the technology industry (Arthur 2014). The mission of Apple is to bring the best personal experience to students, creative professionals, educators and consumers across the world through offering them with innovative hardware software and internet products (Arthur 2014). The report will analyse Apple Smartphone brand integrated marketing communication strategies with a focus on how branding and positioning strategies can facilitate the design and implementation of integrated marketing communications mix. The next part of the report will be an analysis of the Smartphone market in UK including the key competitors, market trends and environment factors that have influence on the strategic decisions. The report will also discuss the strategies implemented by Apple including the target audience, brand positioning, media selection and communication mix management. The last part of the report will be a recommendation that explains how Apple Inc can make the IMC