Right Responsibilities And Real Deal By Butler Essays -

Right Responsibilities And Real Deal By Butler Rights, Responsibility and the Real Deal by Jeremy Butler The Right to Free Speech is Protected Ideas are the backbone of democracy. However we see fit to express those ideas is a right provided in the Constitution of the United States. No matter the format of that expression someone will find them offensive and seek to stop that expression. The Communications Decency Act is just the latest incarnation of small minds raging against the tide. The CDA stomps on the first amendment of the Constitution like a bunch of bikers in hobnailed boots. It must be relentlessly pursued until dead. Everyone participating in the 24 Hours of Democracy is part of the hunting party that will see to that. Thankfully we are not alone, the ACLU, EFF, VTW and others are on our side. And let's not forget our most powerful ally is the Constitution itself. The framers of the Constitution fought a bloody Revolution based on freedom of speech and other rights of a truly free people. They included no qualifications on that free speech. That principle has been upheld with minimal exceptions (no shouting "FIRE" in a crowded theater, please). The CDA is not the first (or last) legislation to attack free speech, and it won't survive in the courts any better than past laws. That is the purpose of the judicial branch of the government, to balance the excesses of the legislative (Congress) and the executive (President) branches. Our forefathers included that in the Constitution too, almost as if they knew that government would be dominated by self serving, arrogant prostitutes who could only be controlled by pitting them against one another. I believe in the U.S. system of government, even while questioning the motives and methods of the participants. Our voices and votes will be heard. It's not a conspiracy, it's just government. It is our Responsibility to Maintain the Net Culture Pornography is a tripwire, out in the fringes of the larger issue of free speech. I'm glad it's there, so we know when the storm troopers are coming (no pun intended), but it is not the reason the First Amendment is there. Open political discourse, such as 24 Hours of Democracy, is the idea the founders were protecting. So long as the general public only hears "We want our porn" they will never hear the real message "We are fighting for your freedom". We cannot forget the General Public; we must gather and nurture their support. The Net has always been about openness, but at the same time it has always been self policing (ask any flamee). It is our responsibility to maintain that environment. While the anything goes rule must be protected, we must provide the tools to allow parents to control the content of what their children access. We must voluntarily adopt some form of rating system that makes it simple. We must not only provide the means, we must aggressively and happily promote them (without whining). To do less is to avoid our responsibility and hand control over to others. This is a political issue, if we don't police ourselves then the public will demand that it be done for them. If it is done by the government, you can be assured we will come full circle to this point again. It is that simple. Providing Content on the Net is the Real Deal. The whole telecommunications bill is about the Net of the Future. The floodgates are open, the carriers can now build their pipes from any place to any place, everybody gets to create content for sale and the media giants are happy. Picture the land rushes into the West, a cannon goes off and everybody charges off to stake their claim. The Net has one key difference, unlimited territory. Right now anybody with the right equipment and the knowledge can be a Net/Web presence with the content of their choice and basically doesn't have to ask ANYBODY. That must be protected from central authority, whether governmental or corporate. That responsibility falls to us, because we are here and we understand what we have. We are the Thomas Paine's of our age with a printing press, a burning desire for freedom and the will to risk it all to print a political pamphlet. We have the tools, the desire is evident in 24 Hours of Democracy, and thanks to a functional democratic system the risks are relatively low (no gallows at least). We must create our own territory and defend

Logitechs Global Distribution and Logistics Analysis Essays

Logitechs Global Distribution and Logistics Analysis Essays Logitechs Global Distribution and Logistics Analysis Paper Logitechs Global Distribution and Logistics Analysis Paper Chapter 1. Company Introduction Logitech is a world leader in personal peripherals, driving innovation in PC navigation, Internet communications, digital music, home-entertainment control, gaming and wireless devices (PriceGrabber. com 2007). The companys products combine essential core technologies, continuing innovation, award-winning industrial design and excellent price performance. Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange under the symbol LOGN and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol LOGI. In January 2007, Logitech was added to the NASDAQ-100 Index ® (Logitech 2008). Logitechs origins lie in the OEM sector, which remains an important part of its business, and represented 11. 6 percent of the companys total sales in Fiscal 2006 (PriceGrabber. com 2007). To meet the demands of its OEM customer base, which includes most of the worlds largest PC manufacturers, Logitech offers high-volume manufacturing with focused quality control, worldwide distribution and logistics, and the ability to leverage its infrastructure under changing demand conditions. Logitech continues to broaden its product offering and its presence in the retail sector. This is fueled by a trend among consumers to enhance their basic PC systems with more fully featured personal peripherals that add functionality and cordless freedom to their desktops. They are also purchasing supplementary devices designed for new applications and specific purposes such as gaming, multimedia, or audio and visual communication over the Internet. Further, Logitechs retail business includes personal peripherals for platforms beyond the PC, such as gaming consoles, portable music players, mobile phones and home-entertainment systems. Today, Logitechs retail business accounts for 88. 4 percent of its revenue (Logitech 2008). To provide the market with a broadening array of best-of-category products, Logitechs business model calls for supplementing its internal engineering and manufacturing strength with additional products and technologies through a combination of strategic acquisitions and industry partnerships (PriceGrabber. com 2007). Chapter 2. Supply Chain Logitech is sensitive to the trend in IT industry. Customers are always long for updating their PCs accessories and purchasing stylish and personalized IT products. By this reason, Logitech has put a lots effort in fastening the launch of new products to the market to satisfy the needs and trends. Nevertheless, a well-operating supply chain is the conjunction to the successful achievement. The success of Logitech is to convert a simple and single-product supply chain into a complex and multi-product supply chain under harmlessness to its sales and to fasten the product delivery. However, behind this steady the deployment of its sources efficiently is the key, and Logitech has still insisted this merit. The development of Logitech starts from a simple and inelastic supply chain. In the beginning of ‘80s, Logitech started running the mouse-manufacturing business. The operation was running excellently with a simple supply chain. The single-product supply chain was supported by its manufactory in Suzhou, China and served the worldwide market. Although it was not efficient, it was enough for Logitech to cope with orders. Nowadays a simple supply chain can’t meet the requirements of Logitech anymore which has developed more and more product lines and has become a multi-product company. In 2005 Logitech have 135 kinds of PCs peripheral products in the market. Except for manufacturing over 6 million mice in a year, Logitech has also produced numerous peripheral products. In this case, the management of the simple supply chain has been no longer realistic. A more elastic supply chain which is able to deal with the changes of demand and compete against the pressure from competitors is what Logitech needs. Therefore, Logitech addressed itself to build the high visibility of its supplier-web, production and transportation transaction. However, the change resulted in a plentiful harvest. In the 2005 annual report, it shows a +13% growth in net income which reached 1. 93 billion USD. In spite of the markup of fuel and raw materials, the gross profit margin improved from 32% to 34%. The sales volume and net income of 1st quarter in 2005 raised 26% and 19%. This record was the fastest growth among previous 3 years. An elastic supply chain The supply chain of Logitech In the past, Logitech completed all the manufacturing process internally. However , in order to deal with the expansion of the transaction, Logitech started to outsource its manufacturing business, for instance, the acquisition of Labtec in 2001(Logitech 2008) whose products are mostly produced by ODM is one of them. Presently Logitech has maintained its 50% manufacturing business by it own and has outsourced other 50% to ODM. The emergence of ODM seems to prolong the supply chain. However, it didn’t reduce the performance of the supply chain. Conversely, it helped Logitech expanding its business to many new markets. In order to build a more elastic supply chain, the first step for Logitech is to fasten the reaction of the Suzhou manufactory to the orders. Logitech has founded 6 technology centers in worldwide which locate in Switzerland, U. S. , Canada, Taiwan, and Suzhou, China. By absorbing the technology forte of each country, the worldwide technology synergy worked very well. However, operating the connection between worldwide technology and the Suzhou basement harmoniously and delivering the products to the points of sale in the world efficiently is a complicated work. Consequently Logitech decided to adopt a diversified supply chain strategy. There are 3 different kinds of consignment patterns: For some heavier products (Ex. amplifiers) they have their own consignment patterns through sea and land transportation. Normal products (Ex. ice) are mainly delivered through sea and land transportation. As to some high-quality products, delivering through air freight is mainly used. Also, all the bulk parts delivered to distribution centers through air/sea freight are assembled locally. Further, to achieve the goal fastening the reaction of the Suzhou manufactory to the orders, Logitech invested a new plant in the Suzhou New District. Compare to the old one, it is bigger, and the arrangement of the product lines is more reasonable. The construction of the new plant is double-decked. Goods are produced in the upper side and stored in the under side. With this construction, raw materials can be delivered to the right place in a shortest distance. Furthermore, Logitech has used a hybrid manufacturing model to increase flexibility, with high-volume products manufactured using a traditional production line, and lower-volume products manufactured in a cell-line by a core team of specialized staff. Logitech also uses a just-in-time system for components, so approximately 60 percent of all components are delivered on a daily basis. To cooperate with this new system, Logitech applied for a Free Trade Zone in the Suzhou New District. The purpose is obviously to enable the suppliers to be closer their product lines. Logitech continues to add whole new categories to their product portfolio and to expand their sales channels, increasing their product demand. Their entire supply chain, from manufacturing in China to distribution in more than 100 countries worldwide, has provided Logitech with a significant competitive advantage. Chapter 3. Suppliers In the cooperation with suppliers, speed –up delivering lowers the pressure of storage. In Suzhou, the superior environmental factor increases the competitive advantage of Logitech largely. With the rapid expansion in the market, Logitech realized that managing the plans of each area centralizedly is getting important. In the past, the data of information and volume-delivery forecasting took long time to collect and couldn’t be updated immediately. Also, due to the seasonal fluctuation of market price, suppliers are hard to progress the forecasting works. However, under the new mechanism, managers of each area and sales teams monitored the actual sales situation together and progressed the forecasting work according to the feedback. The up-to-date forecast would be reported to global supply chain department and shared the data with suppliers. After receiving the forecast, central procurement department would place orders for all areas. By doing so, Logitech not only shared the latest data with suppliers but also benefit by the bulk purchasing. Furthermore, the on-line sharing movement with suppliers and ODM enabled Logitech’s partners to react from changes immediately. Nevertheless, sharing data by internet isn’t an innovation anymore. The key of success is building a â€Å"Sales and Operation Planning Procedure† and providing the visibility of data by cooperating with suppliers. There are many requirements asked within the contracts from Logitech to suppliers. For example, in most contracts it claims that â€Å"Sharing the obligation together†. When supply and demand changes, it is important to clear the obligation up. After improving this weakness, the formulation of supply and demand becomes 75% faster than before. The reflection to customers is also enhanced. In 2006, selling mice in supermarket is one of the developed trends. This movement was decided by consumer behavior. From the consumer behavior aspect, convenience and easy to reach become main reasons for consumers to purchase the IT products. Selling channels is diversified. Besides hypermarkets, Logitech set up direct stores to display and sell products. Chapter 4. Logistics strategy The OEM, Logitech mice and web cameras are produced in Suzhou, China and sold in U. S. Joy sticks are produced by ODM and sold in Europe. In NorthAmerica and Europe, Logitech set up regional logistics centers in Memphis and Amsterdam. Doing most of its manufacturing in China, Logitech uses a variety of solutions to handle its logistics needs. They serve customers worldwide in U. S. , Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Oceania. Vision into its network comes from an Oracle system under which Logitech runs. For improving customers’ satisfaction further, Logitech has adopted Just-in-time system. The requirement of this ability is to rebuild the information system between Logitech and logistics companies in order to clear off the obstacles of the speed-up. However, adopting Just-in-time system didn’t sacrifice the profit. Presently, the turnover rate of the stocks yearly reaches 5-6 times, more than previous record 3 times. This achievement was reached from the optimization of the logistics link. First, Logitech evaluated its transportation system. Consider saving the cost, Logitech delivered its products from China across globe through sea transportation which ships merely start from Hong Kong. In the past, the shipping contracts between Logitech and shipping companies were signed as long-term corporations. From 2003 Logitech signed and negotiated its shipping contracts with regional shipping companies annually. Through the regularly negotiations, Logitech can assure its encasement cost in advance. When facing the fluctuation of global oil price, Logitech can still hold a stable transportation cost. Also, because that Logitech has huge amount of products need to be delivered across globe every year, they always can bargain and get most favorable price from logistics companies. Besides, Logitech delivered some parts to the sales areas in advance and put the last assembling work of some particular products, for example, web camera at the sales areas. These doings have enhanced the flexibility of the supply chain. Due to the improved efficiency of the transportation system, it is not necessary for Logitech to set up manufactories in some high-cost areas, like North America and Europe. Although having considered setting up manufactories in Mexico and Hungary because of the lower transportation cost, Logitech found considering from the aspect of total cost, the manufacturing cost in China is still half of those countries. From the chart below, a Logitech mouse is sold at $40 in U. S. 8% (20%) was taken by Logitech as corporate costs and profit. Global distributors and retailers take $15 (37. %), and, suppliers take $14 (35%). The rest $3 (7. 5%) is belong to China. This $3 includes salary, power, transportation, and management costs (JRJ. com 2008) A ELEMENTS OF THE VALUE CHAIN B COSTS IN VALUE CHAIN AB Assembly in China$3 Parts from suppliers for China$14 Corporate costs + profit$8 Global distributors and retailers$15 Total costs$40 Percentage of retail 100% In Tennnesse, America, Hungary, an d the Netherlands, Logitech has also owned warehousing business. In Hungary, Flextronics and DHL have been employed and taken charge of final assembling and managing warehouses. The agreements that Logitech and these logistics companies made have been re-signed through inviting tenders quarterly. Therefore, these logistics partners would provide the best service to keep this business relationship. However, the managers of warehousing business are assigned by Logitech. This method bases on two considerations: First, it costs too much to outsource logistics suppliers, like UPS or DHL to progress everything. Second, with its own professional experiences Logitech can also reduce the cost of total warehousing management. Further, Logitech sell products on-line by E-Commerce Catalogers and have an OEM channel as well (Logitech 2008). The underlying platform supporting Logitech’s channel and supply chain work is a forecasting solution from Click Commerce Inc. Their sales people do a bottom-up forecast, so Logitech can command the detail and holistic information. Among other benefits, channel forecasting allows Logitech to tie its sales demand to supply chain activities in order to shrink inventory (Technology 2003). In order to occupy Chinese market, Logitech has created more and more hannels gradually. In 2007, Zarva and Logitech built a cooperative relationship. Zarva became the whole authorized distributor in China. The content of the cooperation is simple. Logitech expects to spread, market and sell Logitech’s products through national distribution coverage. In the same time, Logitech’s original authorized distributors, like China Digi have superior channel coverages. Therefor e, other mouse manufacturers are hard to compete with Logitech in China (ciw. com 2007). Chapter 5. SWOT Analysis Logitech has just seen its 30th consecutive quarter of double digit growth. This growth, however, could be stunted by increasing competition from Microsoft, its biggest competitor in the mice and keyboards market. StrengthsWeaknesses Strong financial performance High returns Manufacturing capabilities Strong research and developmentDeclining operating margins Dependence on retail segment OpportunitiesThreats Non-PC platforms Growth of computer industry Emerging markets Growing Indian console marketsCompetition from Microsoft Low barrier for entry into core market Counterfeit goods Short product life cycles (More detail information is put in appendix. Chapter 6. Conclusion and recommendations Logitech manages a complicated supply chain with a expanding product lines. For them, here are some recommendations. 1. Make the supply chain more flexible; in order to assure it can expand with the increase of the product lines. In some cases, this would involve the balance between internal manufacturing and outsourcing. 2. Draw the base of the stock turnover period by comparing other companies who have same mode of operating business manufacture products at some particular areas and sell to the whole world. 3. Centralize the management of information forecasting and procurement to harvest from batch discount and simplify the purchasing procedure. By doing this better demand formulation and storage reinforcement plan could be formed. Also, it can diminish storage and reduce the ambiguous issue of responsibilities. 4. Go shares the responsibility with the suppliers; do NOT absorb all the logistics costs alone, as well as do NOT fall into the trap of long-term contracts. Long-term contract would hold you back on choosing lower-cost substitute projects. Shipping agreements should be negotiated every one year. 5. Although costs can be saved by product design and product package, product design should follow the collocation of the supply chain to enable them easier to be packaged and transported. This issue always ignored by most of the companies. 6. Keep updating the information system and evaluate it frequently. It would assure the IT system will not become the obstacle to grow. Chapter 7. References PriceGrabber. com 2007 LOGITECH NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES [online], tweaknews. net/reviews/logitech_noise_canceling_headphones/ [Assessed in Apr. 09 2008] Logitech International SA 2008 [online] http://ir. ogitech. com/releasedetail. cfm? ReleaseID=174502 [Assessed in Apr. 09 2008] Datamonitor 2007 [online] http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/pdf? vid=1=109=3a191d7a-7e0d-4d0b-ba85-2483ea127fc1%40sessionmgr104 [Assessed in APR. 09 2008] JRJ. com 2006 [online] http://finance. jrj. com/news/2006-12-05/000001829203. html [Assessed in Apr. 09 2008] Ciw. com 2007 [online] ciw. com. cn/ciwepaper/qudao/ 20071105101319. shtml [Assessed in Apr. 09 2008] Technology 2003 [online] http://web. ebscohost. com/ehost/pdf? vid=1=108=6644df7a-bfd5-4115-858f-8582b47fc1e7%40sessionmgr109 [Assessed in Apr. 09 2008]

Bharti Enterprises

Ensuring that the look and feel of the store is as per guidelines/standards Ensuring/ reporting Inventory and Stock availability as per the norms to prevent stock-outs Provide suggestions /feedback to improve store productivity People Development / Team Management: Acting as a mentor and trainer for store staff To ensure daily roistering briefing to inbound outbound store staff Customer Experience: Manage staff allocation based on demand at point in time Personally step in to handle demanding customers Provide suggestions for improvements in CE 4. A. On Diversity and Cultural spread in Africa, As Africa consists of 53 countries, to operate successfully it is important to understand the dynamics of each country, including differences in culture, language and especially regulations. Bharti would do well to put in place as few expatriates as possible and have most of its top management from Africa. b. On Infrastructure sharing and cost / capital issues, The biggest driver of network sharing will be the shift in approach of the biggest operators, who had been unwilling to share network to sustain competitive advantage. There is visible network sharing in the markets of Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa, and that this is likely to pick up in other markets. c. On Bharti Airtel’s Minute Factor Model, Network sharing and IT outsourcing would help operators bring down costs. While costs could trend down, however they will be higher than in India because of some of the structural costs caused by power shortage and poor infrastructure. 5. Bharti Airtel has a history of making first moves and emerging as the winner just because of that. This is what built the company’s success in India, where it remains the top MNO and second-largest fixed-line operator. In fact, thanks to the massive market it serves at home, at the time it acquired the Zain portfolio in March 2010 Airtel was reckoned to be the fifth largest mobile operator in the world on a proportional subscriber basis, putting it behind the likes of China Mobile, Vodafone Group, American Movil and Telefonica, but ahead of China Unicom. As has been widely covered for over a year now, Airtel has been looking at Africa as a new growth market. While it has a deal with Vodafone for the Channel Islands, Africa is the only other territory outside the Indian subcontinent (including Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) that the company has entered. The commonalities are compelling: similar markets, needs and infrastructure. The realities on the ground are somewhat more challenging: logistics, legislative compliance and serious local competition being foremost. The logistics of infrastructure in Africa are an equal challenge for all MNOs. That is a given. Where Airtel might have been overly optimistic is in hoping its Africa model would run similarly to its success in India, based on a first-to-market approach and having some leverage to overcome legislative obstacles. Unfortunately, while Airtel has a 30-year history of being first in India (with pushbutton phones, cordless phones and then mobile), they were not first in Africa. There were major EU, Middle East and South African players there ahead of them. In fact, Airtel’s African expansion is largely thanks to its takeover of Kuwait’s Zain mobile operations in 15 countries. This was a beachhead, not a conquest. Zain only held dominant market share in a few countries. Going up against market leaders such as MTN of South Africa, Airtel applied a strategy of extensive cost cutting. This followed on what it achieved in India, cutting a deal with Ericsson for per-minute fees (rather than upfront payment) that enabled very low-cost call rates from the outset. Airtel has an all-Africa, five-year deal in place with Ericsson for network management that offers similar advantages. Elsewhere, Airtel is engaged with Nokia Siemens Networks and Huawei, not keeping all its eggs in one basket, of course. As a Plan B, possibly following on the indecisive outcome of Airtel’s low-cost invasion, the company has previously been negotiating a takeover of or (maybe) a joint venture with MTN itself. How this putative deal is described depends on which company is talking. This has been going on for some four years without a definitive ending. Even if it never happens, it is a signpost of just what Airtel would consider to get its Africa operations truly established.

Auditing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Auditing - Essay Example The following are the five main areas of high audit risk that face Havelock Europa Plc. The Company is said to provide equal opportunities to all employees for growth, training and career development regardless of age, sex, ethnic background or religion. They also consider the disadvantaged in the society and give them opportunities where they fit. In case an employee is disabled on course of duty, the company makes reasonable adjustments to accommodate such a member of staff. However, this information cannot be proved. According to the financial statements issued, it is hard to establish whether employees are remunerated fairly. Consolidated accounts make it difficult to establish whether employees from various subsidiaries are compensated fairly. The total number of employees for both 2012 and 2011 are given as 649 and 731 respectively, but the exact month when the new employees joined is hard to establish (Havelock Europa Plc 2012, P. 63). It is not sensible to assume all the new employees joined at the beginning of the year. Wages and salaries for the whole year ar e given, but auditors will be unable to determine the numbers of hours worked overtime that is usually not fixed. There is also likelihood that some of the employees being compensated exist only in books, the auditors may be unable to meet all employees especially those who do not work in the parent company (Porter et al 2008, p. 90). The financial statements presented show the values of noncurrent assets and inventory for both years (2011 and 2012). Non- current assets are reported on their deemed cost because any other value can only be an estimation (Havelock Europa Plc 2012, p. 82). The cost of the asset is then adjusted for depreciation every year using a specified formula. The risk arises in that the formula is only estimation and the auditor cannot be certain about those values. The notes to the financial statements also reveal the expected lives of both the tangible and intangible assets

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Political Science - Essay Example When a particular state is composed of a single nation or people with common identity, we call it a nation-state† (Viotti 464). However, the dynamics of nationalism may be a little complex and tricky where more than one groups, may be on the basis of religion, race etc, exist and interacts to formulate the national interest of the state. This may result in sort of interest clashes if not dealt tactfully at state level. Ethnic and racial groups are conservative and traditionalist in their loyalty and allegiance towards their religion and race. These groups possess their own specific and rigid identities and like to maintain themselves as unit while sticking firm to these identities. The unity on the basis of religious or racial grouping gives birth to the problem of contentious autonomy within the state. The intricacies are purely the subject of politics and have to be address with political will while safeguarding the interest of state. The unity and identity on the basis of religion and race is a challenging issue for the state level unity and identity as a nation-state. People tend to retain their religious and racial identity while â€Å"Nationality involves a significant degree of self-definition and refers to a people with sense of common identity, if not destiny† (Viotti 464). Nationality demands subjugation of religious and ethnic interests by the sovereignty, integrity and solidarity of the state. If the group level identities and interests are dominated and governed by the state interests, the concept of nation-state persists and flourishes otherwise it spoils and destroys. Nationalism manifest itself in several different colors and shapes but one major attribute of the nationalism is its conformity to the history and myth. Every state despite existence of multicultural religious and racial groups and unities share some common exhibits of historical and mythical events which promote nationalism. Among these

Journal Article Critique of an Empirical Analysis of Trends in Psychology Essay Example for Free

Journal Article Critique of an Empirical Analysis of Trends in Psychology Essay I.Research Question or Problem The journal article question is clearly stated. The question asks whether the behaviourist, the psychoanalytic, the cognitive, or the neuroscientific perspective is most intellectually significant and most prominent in psychology today (Robins, Goling, Craik, 1999, p. 117). II. Introduction The introduction presents differing contentions regarding which school of psychology is most prominent. Five references have been cited in the introduction. It is believed by some that the cognitive perspective reigns over psychoanalysis and behaviourism (Baars, 1986; Gardner, 1985; Hunt, 1993; Sperry, 1988, as cited in Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 117). An opposing conviction, however, states that this belief is merely a representation of cognitive psychologists’ opinion of their own field rather than an accurate statement based on facts (Friman, Allen, Kerwin, Larzelere, 1993, p. 662, as cited in Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 117). Furthermore, it is argued that the belief in a â€Å"cognitive perspective revolution† is simply a method for scientists to justify their practice (Leahey, 1991, p.362, as cited in Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 117). Other theories have indicated, without empirical evidence however, that behaviourism continues to flourish despite the loss of â€Å"mentor B.F Skinner† (Salzinger, 1994, p. 816; p. 461, as cited in Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 117). Lastly, it is contented by some that the neuroscientific perspective continues to prosper (Churchland, 1998, as cited in Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 117), and that the entire field of psychology will eventually become a subfield of neuroscience (Bechtel, 1988, as cited in Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 117). III.Methods The authors employed three indexes to conduct their study; the subject-matter index of psychology’s Flagship publications, the subject-matter index of psychology dissertations and the citation index of Flagship publications. For the psychology’s Flagship publications, authors selected several word stems in a database called psychINFO, including: psychoanal#, cognit#, neurosci#, reinforce#, and conditioning#. At that time, they calculated the percentage of articles published in the Flagship publications between 1950 to 1997 and charted their findings over time (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 118). For the psychology dissertations, authors once again employed psychINFO, this time, to analyze the topics presented in doctoral dissertations between 1967 to 1994. Then, they calculated the percentage of dissertations for each of the four psychological perspectives (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 119). Finally, for the citation index of Flagship publications, authors surv eyed trends regarding the number of citations found concerning each perspective in the Flagship publications. Then, they selected the top four journals in each perspective using a rating system operated by prominent neuroscientists (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 119). Applying these findings, authors calculated the â€Å"total number of times per year the flagship publications cited articles published in each sub-disciplinary journal† (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p. 119). IV. Results The results undoubtedly provided answers to the question/hypothesis. The findings indicated that articles regarding the cognitive perspective appeared most frequently in all three indexes, followed by the behavioural perspective. Articles regarding the psychoanalytic and neuroscientific perspective, however, were essentially non-existent throughout the studied period. Authors provided graphs and tables in order to demonstrate their findings over time for each index (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p.121-126). V.Discussion/Conclusions Due to their compelling findings, the authors were able to construct several conclusions. Firstly, psychoanalytic journals, dissertations, and flagship articles have not been in the spotlight of mainstream psychology for the past several decades (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p.123, 124). Secondly, with the focus currently on cognitive psychology, behavioural psychology has and continues to subside in scientific psychology (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p.124). Moreover, the authors’ state that one reason cognitive psychology is transcending behavioural psychology is due to the immeasurable role of computers in modern society. For example, thanks to computers, considerable changes have taken place in regards to scientists’ understanding of memory, information processing, etc (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p.124). Lastly, mainstream psychology does not yet recognize neuropsychology; however, there is an obvious increase in popularity that is underway. Authors recommen d further research to explore the growing prominence of neuropsychology (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p.125). VI.References Authors used a clear and consistent citation format, and each of the references was properly cited within the article. The authors used a variety of sources ranging from the 1930’s to the year prior to the study. The older references were used to demonstrate variations of theories over time. VII.Personal Reaction I consider this article to be rather thought-provoking. From the beginning, I agreed with the theorists who believed that cognitive psychology was the leading school of psychology. Although this article was written fourteen years ago, I believe it continues to be true today. I was not aware of the serious decline of the behavioural perspective; however, after reading about the impact computers have had on science and scientists, it became clear (Robins, Gosling, Craik, 1999, p.124). One limitation that I feel could have affected the results was the manner in which they selected the top four journals. I wonder if the results would have varied had different journals been chosen. In my opinion, the sample size of four journals seems somewhat confining to the research. Even so, this was a very interesting article. I would be rather intrigued to read a current study of the same topic and see if the results are equivalent.

Gender-Neutral English Language Essays -- Papers

Gender-Neutral English Language The English language has evolved through history in a male-centered, patriarchal society. The male orientation of English carries two complementary implications: being male is normative and natural; and therefore, not being male is abnormal and unnatural. The shifting of our language from masculine to gender-neutral may be awkward at first, and our children may wonder what all the fuss was about. The English language is always changing and the future will hold a gender-neutral language. Throughout the history of the United States, men have been the dominant sex. Men have not only been the documenters of the English language, but also the creators. â€Å"Men, especially those with class and race privilege, remain the chief gatekeepers of language: the editors, publishers, rhetoricians, dictionary-makers, broadcasters, high-status educators†(Henley, 1983). The inequalities in the use of language are numerous. â€Å"The grammars of the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries give evidence that indicates that most of the names in English are used for exclusive masculine reference (Kramarae, 1981). Some argue that language shapes the attitudes and beliefs of a society, â€Å"the language has worked with remarkable success in making it possible for man to perpetuate himself as master, to foster the illusion that women are dependent, and in fact, to subjugate women. Male dominance in language may not only reflect but also be involved in the perpetuation of cultural male dominance† (Caldie, 1981). However, some say that language is a reflection of the values of a society it would be simple to blame men for the bias in the English language. The word â€Å"man† was once interrupt... ...s of American, Inc. Graddol, D., Swann, J. (1989). Gender Voices. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Newberry House Publishers, Inc. Grudem, Wayne (1997, October 27). Do Inclusive Language Bibles Distort Scripture? Yes. Christianity Today. p. 27. Heatherington, Madelon E. (1980). How Language Works. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Winthrop Publishers, Inc. Henley, N., Kramarae, C., & Thorne, B. (1983). Language, Gender and Society. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Newbury House Publishers, Inc. Jacobson, Carolyn. (1995) Non-Sexist Language. [On-Line] Available: http://www.stetson.edu./departments/history/nongenderlang.html [1995] Kramarae, C. (1981). Women and Men Speaking. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Newbury House Publishers, Inc. Stackhouse, John G. Jr. (1999, November 15). The Battle for Inclusive Bible. Christianity Today, p.38. The Bible

Love and Responsibility in “Hill Like White Elephants”

Essay Title: Love and Responsibility in Hills Like White Elephants â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants† written by Ernest Hemingway that is the controversy revolving around the theme of abortion between the American man and the girl named Jig waiting for a train at the station. Through their conversation and their difficult decision that whether or not having an abortion, the story shows love and responsibility in a relationship between the couple. While waiting for a press, they drinking beer and talking together. The girl was looking at the hills and said â€Å"They look like white elephants†.The hills can be symbolized the pregnancy and â€Å"white elephants† can be interpreted as baby that is the trouble they are facing. That leads the couple to biggest conflict in their relationship. Although he knows that the girl is pregnant, he still has allowed her to drink beer and liquor. It’s not good for her health and unborn child. Besides, it is revealed from t he American man’s words â€Å"It’s really an awfully simple operation† and â€Å"It just to let the air in† that he is trying to convince the girl to abort the child.Having an abortion can be damaged for her, but he does not worry about that because â€Å"It’s perfectly simple†. In addition, he also is afraid of the responsibility of having a child. He does not want to be father. He considers baby as a burden. â€Å"That’s the only thing that bothers us. It’s the only thing that’s made us unhappy†, said the man. He wants to be free. He does not want to be encumbered with child. For these reasons, it can be seen that he is not responsible for her. Moreover, love is the understanding each other.Nevertheless, through Jig and the American man’s conversation, there is the misunderstanding in their relationship. Jig wants to keep baby whereas the man doesn’t want to. He does not care about her feelings bec ause of his lacks of imagination. â€Å"They look like white elephants†, the girl means â€Å"white elephants† is baby that is her â€Å"whole world† while the man’s â€Å"whole world† is freedom. She loves baby very much but he is not, â€Å"I love it now but I just can’t think about it†. In another way, the man loves Jig not too much.He just wants her, nobody else. He is selfish man because he just thinks of himself. However, Jig loves him. She will have an abortion if it is pleasing to him. She tries to reassure herself that â€Å"There’s nothing wrong with me. I feel fine†. She does not care about herself because she loves him and she wants to have a happy family with him in the future. Because of the different point of view between the American man and the girl about abortion, their relationship arise problems and different resolutions.The story leave us think that their love is like liquorice which is bitter. There fore, if they want to maintain their relationship, they have to love and be responsible for each other. APA citations Hemingway, Ernest. â€Å"Hills Like White Elephants. † The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway. New York: Collier, 1987. 211-14. Literary Analysis: Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants. Retrieved from http://www. customessaymeister. com/customessays/Philosophy/16907. htm http://www. 123helpme. com/hemingways-hills-like-white-elephants-view. asp? id=152214

“During the Period 1939-45 Opponents Within the Army Posed a Greater Threat to Hitler and the Nazi Regime Than Any Other Opposition Group.”

â€Å"During the period 1939-45 opponents within the army posed a greater threat to Hitler and the Nazi regime than any other opposition group. † How far do you agree with this statement? The Nazi’s arguably faced a lot of opposition between the years 1939-45 and not only from the army; who had the power of keeping up the morale of the citizens due to their military strengths and integrating part of the Nazi regime. However Hitler and the Nazi’s also faced other oppositions, such as the church which again was a source of opposition based on morale.The threats from the left and the right continued, as an on-going conflict of extremist behaviour. The youth of the country also posed a threat to Hitler and the Nazi’s due to boycotting and attacking the Hitler youth regimes. Firstly, the army was a major threat between the period 1935-49, due to the attempt of preventing war by several serving military officers, including Head of the General Staff, Franz Halder . Hitler and the Nazi’s are argued to have wanted as a means of showing Hitler’s power as a dictator, showing the significance of this threat to his regime.At the start of the period 1939, Hitler achieved a victory at Blitzkreig, which was followed by his momentous victory in Europe a year later, both of which led to the portrayal of Hitler as a military genius. However despite this title he had embarked, there were at least 6 assassination attempts of Hitler during the period 1943-44, including the two major attempts; Operation Flash and Operation Valkyrie, all of which failed for several different reasons.Operation Flash was an attempt to assassinate Hitler in March 1943, in which the bomb planted on his plane to Rastenburg failed to explode. There are several arguments explaining the failure of this attempt including the fact that the plane was too hot and the timed device therefore did not go off. Operation Valkyrie was another significant attempt on Hitler’ s life, known as The Stauffenberg bomb plot. This was argued to as the last realistic attempt and also the closest attempt at that, due to several minor movements of the suitcase planted by Beck.These assassination attempts increased the suspicion of the Gestapo against future army plots, and therefore Hitler’s protection was also increased. In terms of Hitler’s life protection the threat from the military was seen as a serious nationwide opposition in 1943, and therefore the fact that it was a nationwide opposition highlights the fact that it was the most significant opposition that Hitler faced between 1939 and 1945. The army did not only hold power over the assassination attempts but also held power over the morale of the public.The involvement of the USA in the war in 1941, along with military failures including the defeat at Stalingrad in 1942 and also the failure to defeat Russia made it evident that Germany were losing. These failures in wartime not only meant t hat Germany were seen as the losing party in the war, but it also meant that people were beginning to see flaws in Hitler’s strategic leadership. Similarly it was not only the army which posed threat to Hitler and the Nazi’s regime, the church was another opposition which they faced.Dietrich Bonhoeffer opposed Hitler and the Nazi’s and although the dictatorship meant that free speech had been abolished, he vocally fought against the Nazi’s. Such a brave decision meant that he did in fact stand alone, but it didn’t mean that others did not agree with his view that â€Å"what Germans have done to the Jews, they’ve also done to God’s people†. This was significant as it made him a role model for Christians and he regarded the Jews and Christians all as one.It was due to the African-American situation that he has witnessed in America which encouraged Bonhoeffer to stand up and protest against the Nazi’s, as in hindsight he sa w it as the same thing. This was not regarded as a major threat though as on July 20th 1944 Bonhoeffer was imprisoned in Gestapo prisons prior to being sent to a concentration camp. Bonhoeffer was hanged 3 weeks before Hitler’s suicide, which in itself is argued as emphasising that Hitler did not know how to handle the opposition, as his way of stopping it ultimately ended in the sacrifice of his own life.Although Bavarian Catholics were successful in pursuing Wagner’s ban on crucifixes in schools, the Catholic Church failed to condemn systematic extermination of Jews in Public (as early as 1942). The banning of crucifixes in Bavarian schools highlighting that the church was seen as some sort of threat to Hitler’s regime and also highlights the use of religion in society. This caused some uproar and in August 1941 the Nazi’s had a policy which was part of the Aktion T4 programme, the killing of asylum patients.However Bishop Von Galen was motivated by the attempt to maintain independence and integrity and led to an outspoken attack from the pulpit. This was regarded as a notable exception from the Nazi’s as Von Galen’s speech led to the â€Å"stepping down† of the programme. These exceptions from the Nazi’s and more so the acts of the religious people involved highlighted the importance of religion and also showed a devotion to Catholicism and not to the Nazi’s, therefore emphasising that the church cannot be seen as a real threat to Hitler and the Nazi’s.Other Sections of the German society posed threats to the Nazi’s, particularly the youth. Organised attempts to actively oppose the regime were set up. The Edelweiss Pirates were the most organised, these attacked the Hitler Youth and also went against social expectations of the youth in Germany. There was a lot of delinquency, drinking, smoking and even promiscuity among the young people, who deliberately went against Hitler and the Nazi’s regime. In December 1942 over 700 members were arrested and later executed in public on behalf of their actions, as a means of threatening and even more so a warning to others.These along with the ‘White Rose Group’ led by Sophie and Hans Scholl distributed anti-Nazi leaflets and graffiti, demonstrated through a march set up by University students through Munich. However the fact that Hans and Sophie Scholl were beheaded as a result of their protest demonstrates that the Nazi’s and Hitler were not allowing any form of anti-Nazi behaviour and showed publicly the limits that the Nazi’s were willing to go to in order to stop any opposition. Other groups were set up in 1941 including the ‘Kreisau Circle’ and the ‘Goerdeler Group’, both of which were seen as an opposition to the Nazi’s and Hitler.Both groups consisted of upper-class people who detested the Nazi barbarism and the fact that Hitler was leading German y into disaster. Von Moltke and Von Wartenburg made contact with the Goerdeler Group but they did not both share the same views on what they wanted out of Germany, just knew that they did not like Hitler’s leadership. The involvement of some members from both groups in the bomb plots meant that they were easily founded by the Gestapo in 1944; resulting in many members from both groups arrested and executed.This threat from the conservatives links into the threat of the army, however it is seen that the threat from the conservatives alone was not a massive threat to Hitler and the Nazi’s regime, and the deaths and arrests of several members shows that the threat was not great due to the fact that the Nazi’s were able to stop any threats present from the conservatives before they got too serious. The Nazi’s also faced great opposition from the left, which is argued as the most obvious opposition they faced, due to the left’s political position; thus being the complete opposite end of the political scale and therefore all of their iews were in direct contrast to the Nazi’s. The left faced many weaknesses and arguably their main fundamental weakness was due to the fact that their opinions in politics meant that they were seen as an opposition to the Nazi’s from the beginning of 1939, resulting in their vulnerability to the Gestapo. In Berlin alone 89 communist cells were set up in 1941, and a year later the communist resistance was united under the leadership of Wilhelm Knochel.Splinter groups were set up by ex-SPD members, such as the Socialist Front and also the Red Patrol. Splinter groups had a more assertive policy and even attempted to co-operate with other opposition groups. However despite this co-operation the left had little impact on Hitler and the Nazi regime. As well as active the active resistance, there was also passive resistance to Hitler and the Nazi’s, although it is hard to prove who acted as a means of passive resistance it is clear that such a thing was still present in Nazi Germany.These range from merely listening to foreign radio stations to the refusal to the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute. Despite being hard to prove and not necessarily being the greatest, most significant opposition that Hitler faced it shows that there were other ways in which people could subtly oppose the Nazi Regime. Another example was telling anti-regime jokes; which resulted in the punishment of death, one can say a little extreme for a punishment however it shows the force and power that Hitler and the Nazi regime have over the citizens of Germany at the time.It also shows that Hitler was highly against any opposition that he faced, and that he did not think twice about how he would eliminate this opposition. The passive opposition had little impact on the regime as a whole, as it was not a major threat, however it allowed people to subtly oppose Hitler and the Nazi Regime. In concl usion Hitler faced a lot of opposition, some greater than others; the army being an example. The army had a lot of power in Germany during the years 1939 and 1945, both for military purposes and also for the morale of the country.The army was also the only real threat to Hitler in the sense that they were the only opposition which were close to killing Hitler. The left is seen as one of the most motivated opposition due to their political contrasts with the Nazi’s, they were not seen as any real threat though due to their decrease in power by 1939. Amongst the youth there were several resistant groups set up, but again their limitations meant they could not offer any true threat to the regime.The greatest opposition is arguably that of the Church, this is due to the religious status of the country, and also the fact that the Nazis were unable to close down the churches, despite their attempts with the Bavarian Catholics. Although the church was a key opposition to the regime it was not necessarily a threat to the regime, due to no real attempts. Overall despite the plethora of oppositions that the regime faced the only real threat was the army. The army was the only opposition that attempted to assassinate Hitler, and fortunately for Hitler was not successful despite numerous attempts.

Free Essays on Cultura Approach

Culture is defined as everything that occurs in a society. It consists of all the customs and practices handed down from generation top generation. According to Geertz, culture is a ‘system of shared meaning', although he finds this definition to be rather ambiguous and prefers to delve into the details of culture that are found within subcultures and countercultures. Culture is also integral in explaining the way in which society works and functions. It helps to explain the reasons behind people's action and beliefs and why societies follow the normatives that they do. It also helps to explain the reason that societies conform to the guidelines that are presented, however, it lacks in explaining why and how these guidelines are constituted and assembled. Culture is also useful in predicting what a society considers to be common sense. There are certain facets of life that a person begins to accept with question which are highly impart due to cultural expectations. From a very early age, a child knows that they are not supposed to talk to strangers, or accept candy from a stranger, or get in a car with a stranger, etc. Children are often taught these ‘rules' by their parents or teachers even though, at a young age, the child would not know or understand the consequence of breaking one of these rules. These are things that are ingrained into our minds at a young age and it is only when we are mature enough to understand the full meaning of each guideline that we begin to question them. Another example is learning not to touch a plate that has just been taken out of the over or off the stove (or any other hot plate). We often learn not to do this through conditioning but it is an idea that exists throughout all cultures - d o not touch something hot because you will just get burned. These are examples of what we consider to be common sense. They are perfectly understandable and people do not often question the validity ... Free Essays on Cultura Approach Free Essays on Cultura Approach Culture is defined as everything that occurs in a society. It consists of all the customs and practices handed down from generation top generation. According to Geertz, culture is a ‘system of shared meaning', although he finds this definition to be rather ambiguous and prefers to delve into the details of culture that are found within subcultures and countercultures. Culture is also integral in explaining the way in which society works and functions. It helps to explain the reasons behind people's action and beliefs and why societies follow the normatives that they do. It also helps to explain the reason that societies conform to the guidelines that are presented, however, it lacks in explaining why and how these guidelines are constituted and assembled. Culture is also useful in predicting what a society considers to be common sense. There are certain facets of life that a person begins to accept with question which are highly impart due to cultural expectations. From a very early age, a child knows that they are not supposed to talk to strangers, or accept candy from a stranger, or get in a car with a stranger, etc. Children are often taught these ‘rules' by their parents or teachers even though, at a young age, the child would not know or understand the consequence of breaking one of these rules. These are things that are ingrained into our minds at a young age and it is only when we are mature enough to understand the full meaning of each guideline that we begin to question them. Another example is learning not to touch a plate that has just been taken out of the over or off the stove (or any other hot plate). We often learn not to do this through conditioning but it is an idea that exists throughout all cultures - d o not touch something hot because you will just get burned. These are examples of what we consider to be common sense. They are perfectly understandable and people do not often question the validity ...

Socratic Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Socratic Philosophy - Essay Example The original speech given by Socrates was written by Xenophon, but Plato's version is still considered to be the most reliable source of gaining information about the history of the Socrates. There is no assurance considering how close are Plato's words to the words employed by Socrates in the actual speech at the time of his trial but it is believed that they are as closest as they can be. The speech given by Socrates was an attempt to defend himself from the accusations that were presented in the court against him. These charges included his corruptive activities in order to deliberately corrupt young minds along with his belief in atheism and creation of new deities. Plato was the only one who was able to revive the existence of Socrates in that court and his true state of mind. 'The apology' begins with the confusion that Socrates explained during the trial which said that he does not know if people of Athens, which were presented in the courts as the jury have been convinced by his accusers to join the jury. According to Plato's version of Socrates, he believed in the instant usage of words that came right from his mind rather than the usage of metaphors and perhaps words that over elaborate. The speech clearly presents Socrates notion of philosophy, which was an integral part of his undeveloped wisdom and his belief that philosophy can never be there unless one a dmits the intensity of Ignorance. The Trial: There three men who accused Socrates were Anytus, son of Anthemion who according to Socrates became a part of the indictment to represent the anger of the politicians and craftsmen. Socrates explained the eminence of virtue and that it cannot be taught while providing evidences to prove that many Athenians have sons who are in many ways mediocre as compared to the greatness that they had to offer. He precedes with real life examples of Pericles and Thucydides to strongly support the notion. Anytus was aggravated by Socrates' offensive remarks and impolite behavior that persuaded Anytus to convict him for various charges. The second man to represent the accusations was Meletus, the only speaker during Socrates' defense speech. Socrates mentions that Meletus joined the indictment to represent the poets; he also describes Meletus's appearance as a young hook-nosed man who is not known to many. During their discussion Meletus permits Socrates to bombard him with baffling queries that entrapped him in Socrates little conspiracy. Meletus accused Socrates of atheism and his belief in demi-gods. The third and the final accuser was Lycon, a remarkable rhetorician who as per Socrates joined the indictment on behalf of the rhetoricians. Along with Lycon, Nails is also believed to be an accuser who strongly represented the indictment and the charges pressed against Socrates. Nails became a democratic politician right after the downfall of the four hundred; he accused Socrates for his active part as one of the thirty tyrants who were solely responsible for the execution of his son, Autolycus. Socrates was faced by a set of two accusations which he had to defend himself from. The first set of accusations comprises of his conviction in various sorts of crimes and his big mouth that has only offensive words to convey. This set of accusations

Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 13

Management - Essay Example One of the organizations that he studied was the Sears. Chandler proposed that Sears and the other three companies that he researched upon had grown and diversified by adopting the multi-divisional form of organizational structure. The multi-divisional form of organizational structure, or the M-form, is a corporate group of semi-independent products or geographic groups whose activities are supervised by headquarters that charts out management strategies and synchronizes interdependencies. Sears started opening retail stores in the 1920s and opened many stores in Chicago, Indiana and Englewood, with its main headquarters at Homan Avenue in Chicago coordinating the company strategy. Up till the 1950s, the company had opened many urban department stores and had diversified itself by adding companies like Allstate Insurance Company. However, the M-form is not the only organizational structure; other organizational structures include functional, geographic, hybrid, matrix, form/product a nd user/market. The functional structure is concerned with the specialized management of its parts where the geographical structure distributes parts in different places. The product organizational structure deals with the material people are dealing with, while the market structure works on the basis of market segmentation. The hybrid structure combines two structures, but the matrix organizational structure entails a repeating substructure within each department under one roof (SUNRISE Information Services, 2010). 2. Organizational culture refers to the beliefs, cultural values and professional and ethical codes of conduct that craft what the business stands for. It is reflected in many forms within the organization such as the language and traditions of the employees, goal of the business, in group dynamics and the values that are tied to it, the working environment etc. CEOs have emphasized on organizational