Kant On Ethics Essays - Kantianism, Deontological Ethics

Kant On Ethics Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) had an interesting ethical system for reasoning. It is based on a belief that the reason is the final authority for morality. In Kant's eyes reason is directly correlated with morals and ideals. Actions of any sort, he believed, must be undertaken from a sense of duty dictated by reason, and no action performed for appropriateness or solely in obedience to law or custom can be regarded as moral. A moral act is an act done for the "right" reasons. Kant would argue that to make a promise for the wrong reason is not moral you might as well not make the promise. You must have a duty code inside of you or it will not come through in your actions otherwise. Our reasoning ability will always allow us to know what our duty is. Kant described two types of common commands given by reason: the hypothetical imperative, which dictates a given course of action to reach a specific end; and the categorical imperative, which dictates a course of action that must be followed because of its rightness and necessity. The categorical imperative is the basis of morality and was stated by Kant in these words: "Act as if the maxim of your action were to become through your will and general natural law." Therefore, before proceeding to act, you must decide what rule you would be following if you were to act, whether you are willing for that rule to be followed by everyone all over. If you are willing to universalize the act, it must be moral; if you are not, then the act is morally impermissible. Kant believes that moral rules have no exceptions. Therefore, it is wrong to kill in all situations, even those of self-defense. This belief comes from the Universal Law theory. Since we would never want murder to become a universal law, then it must be not moral in all situations. Kant believes killing could never be universal, therefore it is wrong in each and every situation. There are never any extenuating circumstances, such as self-defense. The act is either wrong or right, based on his universality law. For example, giving money to a beggar just to get him to leave you alone would be judged not moral by Kant because it was done for the wrong reason. With Kant's belief in mind; if the consequence of immoral behavior were dealt with in a legal structure, people would be prosecuted for EVERYTHING since there are no extenuating circumstances. Kant's categorical imperative is a tri-dynamic statement of philosophical thought:(1) "So act that the maxim of your will could always hold at the same time as a principle establishing universal law."(2) "Act so as to treat humanity, whether in your own person in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only.'(3) "Act according to the maxims if a universally legislative member of a merely potential kingdom of ends." In other words, Kant argues that particular action requires conscious thought of the rule governing the action. Whether if everyone should follow that rule, and if the rule is acceptable for universal action, it should be adopted. If the rule is unacceptable, then it should be rejected. In order to understand whether or not an action follows Kant's "categorical imperative," we must prescribe those norms that we wish to be universal laws. These norms are created through value judgments based on issues of justice between persons or groups (nations, etc.) of persons. Kant's theories discuss the ethical questions that determine impartial consideration of conflicting interest in issues of justice. Kant also states that because we must believe that all things develop to their fullest capacity, then we can theorize in summary, through cognitive processes we can create communities, based on moral (ethical) action towards every person, thereby creating universal ethics throughout the community or "republic". With that in mind, it appears that Kant makes statements that assume all people within like "republics" can achieve a level of cognition equal to one another, for without that equanimity of cognition and judgment, then the conflict issues cannot be rationalized through creation of universal law. The statement that all people can achieve a similar level of cognition seems preposterous in our modern world cognition in the sense of like thought. Because we need the principles of Kant's categorically designed thought and action to have universal acceptance; we must be willing to accept the undesirable psychological deviants within the "republic." If we can't accept that a person's cognition is capable of

The Poetry of Sylvia Plath Essays

The Poetry of Sylvia Plath Essays The Poetry of Sylvia Plath Paper The Poetry of Sylvia Plath Paper Plath’s real-life marriage to the poet Ted Hughes involved, as even a cursory glance of the biographic record indicates, a replication of the â€Å"Tyrant† theme associated with her father in her journals and in the poem â€Å"Daddy. † The sordid details of Plath’s marriage to Hughes involved sexual domination and submission, physical fighting, infidelity, poetic rivalry, and a exploration of occultism, including Cabalistic work and magickal operations. This latter consideration of magickal and cabalistic practices enjoins the poem â€Å"Daddy† in a veiled autobiographical reference â€Å"With my gipsy ancestress and my weird luck/And my Taroc pack and my Taroc pack/ I may be a bit of a Jew. † These lines may seem obscure - or purely within the invented scope of the poem; however, inspection of Plath’s biography reveals that these lines invoke her sense of oppression through mysticism likely brought upon by her magickal associations with Hughes. In addition to Cabala , astrology, and Tarot, Hughes practiced hypnosis on Plath seeking to guide her to self-affirmation and poetic inspiration. (Malcom). In â€Å"Daddy,† Plath identifies herself, mystically, as a persecuted Jew indicating that she regarded Hughes’ attempts to guide her as artificial and constraining of her own gifts, which, in turn, brought upon her own subjection to oppression. Instead of illumination, blackness, exudes from father and husband. Here, an important distinction between autobiography and narrative is made; a distinction which propels the poem in a Confessional mode from the merely personal, and thus becoming, perhaps, turgid or melodramatic rather than spell-binding and dramatic. This distinction is that Plath identifies her speaker with the Jews of the Auschwitz, Dachua, and Belsen concentration camps, exalting her personal mode of suffering brought upon by her fathers death and her abusive marriage to a stature that would resonate not merely with those familiar with the details of her life but with those who had never known her at all. That said, the poem gains its most sinister and perhaps most powerful energies from deeply autobiographical confession. That â€Å"Daddy† was written by Plath as an exercise in personal catharsis, as well as a lyric poem meant to excite large audiences, is obvious. The lines which seemingly abruptly refer to San Francisco: Ghastly statue with one gray toe / Big as a Frisco Seal / And a head in the freakish Atlantic. † identify the daddy in the poem â€Å"as a colossus who stretches across America from the Atlantic to the Pacifica colossus even larger than the one described in The Colossus. These seemingly obscure details are in fact references to Plaths father: the Ghastly statue with one gray toe is Otto Plaths gangrenous leg, and San Francisco Bay is where he conducted his research on muscid larvae. † (Plath 194). The poem’s narrative arc foreshadows suicide in the poem’s opening lines, and repeats the affirmation of suicide in the lines â€Å"At twenty I tried to die/ And get back, back, back to you.? I thought even bones would do. † Thus, suicide becomes the implicit form of revenge with the â€Å"stake† in Daddy’s â€Å"fat black heart† being the stake of death- and the poet’s death as an act of revenge and personal empowerment. Annas, Pamela J. A Disturbance in Mirrors: The Poetry of Sylvia Plath. New York: Greenwood Press, 1988. Plath, Sylvia. The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath. New York NY Anchor Books. 2000. Plath, Sylvia The Collected Poems New York NY: HarperPerennial 1992. Malcolm, Janet. The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath Ted Hughes. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994.

Business Plan For Candle Business In Nigeria Commerce Essay

Business Plan For Candle Business In Nigeria Commerce Essay Candles have been in existence for many years. At one time, people depended on them to light as well as heat their homes. Archaeologists have found proof of the existence of ancient candles in caves all over the world, most recently in France. The theory is that cavemen used candles as a source of light for etching their stories and charts on the walls of their homes. These candles were most likely created from fat derived from animals that were killed for food and fur. Even the ancient Egyptians created and used candles. Regardless of what material the candle is made of, to burn and provide adequate light and heat it has to have plasma, solids, gasses, and liquids. In today’s modern world, we create candles for our own personal enjoyment, as crafts and hobbies for most people. Some people enjoy making candles so much that they turn their craft into a profitable business. With a little creativity, you can make some truly unique candles, simply by adding your own designs and s kills. It is possible to make candles in every shape and size that you can imagine, and in any colours you can create. You can even add essential oils and fragrances to your candles, so that they not only provide decorative light, but a beautiful scent as well. Most of today’s modern candles are made primarily out of paraffin wax, but some are also made of beeswax as well. Paraffin wax is a wax that is derived from plants, found naturally all over the world. Strict safety precautions should be followed when making your candles. It could be very easy to make a small mistake and suffer serious burns from the wax, not to mention the very real danger of fire, when using or creating candles. There should be separate area in your home or workshop especially for candle making, with fire extinguishers readily available in case of emergency. For a new candle making, it will be best to start with simple candle designs, then increase the difficulty as your skill increases. The basic tec hniques of candle making, have to be learn and setup your work area appropriately. Pay attention to temperatures, and make certain that you are careful to follow safety rules. Candle making is fairly easy once when understanding the basics and perfect techniques. The good news is that the supplies needed in candle making are fairly inexpensive, so no worry about wasting money if ruin along the way. 1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The broad aim of the study is to introduce candle manufacturing business into Nigeria market in other to improve their standard of living. Along this broad aim emerges the following specific objectives which are: To determine the viability of Candle manufacturing business in Nigeria market. To determine the feasibility of Candle manufacturing business in Nigeria market. To determine the market trends for Candle business. CHAPTER TWO MARKET SURVEY / ANALYSIS 2.1 MARKET The end users of candle are mainly householders. It is their source of lightening during power outage. As earlier mentioned ‘white garment churches’ (the celestial and cherubim and seraphim) are the other end users of candle for making supplication to celestial bodies.

PROJECT Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PROJECT - Assignment Example The management has to determine and evaluate the performance of each employee which is difficult. Decreasing the labor force also demotivates the remaining work force which may result in poor performance and the management has to assure the remaining employees of a long term relationship and motivate them. This article will cover the strategies of reducing the workforce and include other changes that can be adopted to improve the overall performance of the organization (University of Washington n.d) We have to bear in mind the laws governing employment termination, treat the employees fairly, preserve and protect the employee’s dignity, make the reasons for termination confidential and handle the termination process professionally. We can adopt various strategies to measure the performance of the employees in order to know which employees should be terminated. The first measure is to determine the quantity in terms of units produced by the employee in case of a production industry which can be quantified. The other factor to be considered is the quality of the goods produced or the services offered. Quality can be determined by complaints received from customers, the output that has to be redone and the quantity of work rejected. Timeliness should be considered in terms of the speed of completion of activities. We should also evaluate the cases of delays of an employee in completing the tasks assigned and in the case of a manufacturing industry, determine the number of u nits produced per hour (Hakala 2008). We should as well consider the cost-effectiveness of each employee. This will determine the responsibility of each employee in terms of cost control over the organizational spending. This should also include misuse of organizational resources such as using organizational vehicles for personal convenience. We should evaluate absenteeism of

Welcome Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Welcome Letter - Essay Example Foreigners are welcome in the United States. Due to the diverse ethnic and racial composition of the student population on campus few will actually realize that you are foreign students. Learning the basics about the United States culture is important. In the United States we eat three times a day. Eating at fast food restaurants is a common occurrence. I recommend that as you start meeting people inside and outside of class inviting them to enjoy a meal during lunchtime at the cafeteria or at fast food restaurants is a good way to enjoy time with other people while sharing a meal together. Sports are a major part of our culture. Our school has several sporting teams. Students at our university enjoy going to these sporting events. Most of them are free of charge for students. There are many extracurricular activities going on at our campus everyday. To enjoy the full college experience it would be good for you guys to attend the art expositions, theater events, music shows, and seminars by professionals that occur every semester at our university. Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace are a hot trend among young people in America. If you donâ€℠¢t have one you should open an account immediately particularly one in Facebook which is the industry leader in social networks. Facebook has 750 million users worldwide (Facebook, 2011). This is a great way to meet friends. You should invite your classmates to be your friends on Facebook or any other social network. As students that are enrolled at our university I know you have high educational goals. You should visit the educational counselors of our school to share with them your aspirations and goals. They can help you create a long term plan for your future. This university is not a walk in the park from an academic perspective. All curriculums are very hard and it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to succeed academically. If you need help don’t hesitate

Conclusion According Essay Example for Free

Conclusion According Essay This is the hatred of another person by a person due to his status and the skin color. Racism has been a major issue in the United States and this has lead to hatred of many people. Racism is specifically accomplished by the skin color that is how the white perceive the black people. The dark skin has been disrespected worldwide by the white people and this has brought about racism. Metraux A (1950) Racism is like a belief that another person is less than of a value than the person, the belief determines the person background d the power and also the color. Racism is something that as been inherited from the fore front of our great grand parents, that is according to the white man they used to put the black man into slavery because the black man had no power over the white man, racism is something that is running into our own lives and it is something that has been very difficult to overcome because it is said it is something that is in a culture of a person and it is inheritable. Scholars have been very much to know the roots of racism and to look upon the causes and ways in which h racism can be avoided but it is true to say that racism lives within a person and the only way to change racism is by fighting and changing of our own perception towards a particular group of people or not looking at people according to there own skin co lour. Wellman T (1993) The perception of the black men on politics, during this era of Richard Wright the white men were the only people who were considered in politics and not in social areas, the white men had the only power to be seen in politics and anything that needed leadership and this brought about the discrimination of the black on politics. The black men were inert and no where to be seen in anything that concerned politics or leadership, they were considered as people who could not lead and who had little knowledge or no knowledge of the way to politics, therefore the white people made the decisions on matters that resulted to politics and social matters. Bernard L (1992) The black men had no right of being educated or receive any information according to Richard Wright, the Whites were only seen to be the people who were allowed to be educated, and mostly the black people were considered to grow up as slaves of the white people. Therefore they never considered giving the white childhood any type of education because they new definitely that they will grow into slaves of the white, and in any case a black was considered educated there was a certain place where they could be taken and given work but under the management of the white people, therefore no black person was seen as a leader or a manager of a company despite his educational background he had to be under the supervision of the white people. Benjamin H (2006) During this era the black men were perceived as people who grew up as criminals and there main aim was to kill the white people, they were considered as poor people always in need and people who had no power over anything that is they were to work and be slaves under the strict supervision of the white people. Has this perception changed? The perception of the black by the white has partly changed; still there is the discrimination of the white by the black in the modern world meaning that racism is still a topic to be discussed and how to overcome it. black people are now allowed in politics by the white people, but still there are number of white people who do not accept that black people can still lead they grant them as people who need strict supervision and in this case they have not be able to accept leadership by the black people. Black men have been freed from the times of slavery by the white people and the society has regarded racism as a discrimination term that is supposed to be changed, therefore considering the skin colour of the black as being helpful to the society. The culture has developed a very bad image of the black people from the white perception it is accurate to say that the society looks upon its roots on the black perception they still discriminate the black on some of the current issues for example they still consider the black as criminals, drug addicts and abusers. Therefore it is true that racism is being fought but still there people who are still bound by there cultural perception and beliefs about the black. Stereotypes of African American are generalized about the behavior of African group or individual. These stereotypes developed in American culture since the colonial era and they have been used to portray the black men as naive irresponsible or careless, lazy, poor and violent. Therefore racism is all about the color, the black face was developed in America to show the color development of the black and how the black got discriminated simply be cause of there color. There was a book for children that was developed called Sambo, it also discriminated the black as people who were lazy and people who were irresponsible and it considered black to be slur. The book is about a boy who outwitted a number of tiger and the boy is considered to be black. The magic Negro also refereed the black people discrimination; Negro was a disrespectful term that was used to call the black people. The mammy archetype referred the black people as slaves that are they were seen tying apron so that they can help the white either in there assigned work by the white people. Current survey has shown that the white are still discriminating the black people, for example research has shown that there is discrimination of the black by the white especially by the taxi drivers, they consider the white more than the black people showing that the white still grant the black people as people who are still poor. In a police case survey has shown that the black people are much discriminated by the white policemen more than the way the white policeman will deal with a white person, this shows that racism is still going on. Black people are still considered as criminal more than the white people; there skin color which is black has made them be preserved as criminal more than the white people. Marvin J On current survey black people possess the ownership of being feared by other people because from there judgment of color they look like criminals and thugs, this has created a difference from the white people, who have been judged by there skin color as people who posses innocence Conclusion According to Richard Wright era black men perception was very negative, this shows that Racism is like a diseases that is within our own perception and in this ca se it should be healed, human being s were created in different color that is there is the white and the black, and it is true to say that there is no need to judge a person according to the skin color. Having a white skin does not mean that power over everything was given to the whites, this has been developed over the years and this has lead to the disrespect and the misuse of the dark skin, there fore changing the perception about the black people over the white people is very difficult. Because racism is something that has been there since the colonial era and it is something that has been developing over and over the generations. Robber M(Ed) the stereotypes that were developed to mark the black man it is certainly that they are still continuing to mark the black man as still powerless up to this current world. It is very unfortunate to explain that the current world has not changed there conduct to the perception of racism especially when it comes to the dark skin, most leaders in the world have lead to the racism and minority of these leaders have been unable to fight, it is wise to change the people perception on racism especially when dealing with the skin color. People have difference by there own skin color but this does not mean that one skin color is superior to the other; there fore it is good for the world to come to an end and fight racism on skin color. Work cited Metraux A (1950) United Nations Economic and Security Council Statement by Experts on problems of race in American Anthropologist Wellman T (1993) portraits of white Racism. New York, NY Cambridge University Press Bernard L (1992) Race and Slavery in the Middle East an historical enquiry. Oxford University Press Benjamin H (2006) THE invention of racism in classical antiquity, Princeton University press Marvin J the myth of the black man on race, sex, and suspicion Robber M and Andrew R, the black image in the white image

Machiavelli vs Islamic political thought :: essays research papers

Machiavelli vs Islamic Political Thought   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Niccolo Machiavelli was a political realist. He thought there were certain skills and characteristics needed to become a political ruler. In his work, The Prince, Machiavelli gives advice on how to be a successful prince, or ruler. â€Å"Successful† is partly based on how powerful a ruler was during his lifetime (reign), but largely based on how much the prince affected the lives, through laws or societal norms, of future generations. Machiavelli was mainly interested in attaining and keeping political power. He believed people were inherently selfish and would, by nature, not respect the law or work for the common good, without civic virtues. The only way to ‘control’ these human urges was to instill national pride and mutual respect for all citizens of a state. The difference in Machiavellian thought, up to this point in history, from other philosophers was he believed political authority was no longer justified by religious or spiritual doct rines. Although Machiavelli believed this to be true, he still knew it was important for citizens to maintain a commitment for the common good, through national pride and respect. Another aspect of differing thought up to this point in time was Machiavelli knew promoting civic virtue in citizens needed to be coupled with the pursuit of individual liberty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Machiavelli, in his writings, talks about several different forms of government. Specifically, monarchies, aristocracies, and democracies. He was able to pick apart monarchies, establishing the difference between ‘new’ and old monarchies. The new monarchies are the hard ones to maintain, because people are not susceptible to change, in fact they almost revolt against it, unless the new ruler can make good on his word and keep his promises. Machiavelli’s preferred form of government was the republic. A republic is a mixing of the three governments aforementioned. Having the government made up of the nobles, the elite, and the commoners establishes a set of checks and balances against one another. No one, particular group will be able to take control of the state again. And in fact, the people (citizens) tend to have more leverage than any other faction. Machiavelli knew people were mainly concerned about their property and well being of their fa mily. He also knew the government’s job was to protect both, in addition to helping the people prosper and follow their â€Å"hearts,† if you will. Machiavelli believed only certain people could become rulers, because it took a special sort of person.

Foreign Exchange Management in Perfect Pieces Limited

Ltd is exposed to foreign exchange risk because it buys some of its production inputs from overseas and pays for them in foreign currency; has sales revenue in foreign currency and competes with other manufacturers whose costs are denominated in foreign currency. The company imports from New Zealand, Japan, and the United States. The company's foreign currency payable are in the US Lars, NZ dollars, and Japanese yen. On the other hand, the sales are mostly conducted in US dollars.Proceedings of the International Academy for Case Studies, Volume 10, Number 2 Lass Vegas, 2003 page 74 UP Lad's exposure environment consisted predominantly of the US dollars, the NZ dollar, and the Japanese yen. The foreign currency denominated sales were about 52 percent of total sales: 40 percent in US dollars, and 12 percent in New Zealand dollars. The company's estimate of US dollar denominated payable was 36 percent of total sales: 19 percent in US dollars, 12 percent in Japanese yen, and 5 percent in New Zealand dollars.In general UP Ltd gives customers an average credit period of between 3 to 6 months while the average credit period for all foreign currency denominated payable was 3 months. There was therefore a working capital gap as the collection of accounts receivable was longer than accounts payable. This situation was made worse by the fact that 40 per cent of the sales were denominated in US dollars and the US dollar was weakening against the Australian dollar. There was no cover taken out for the exposure in US dollars because the financial accountant who acted as the company's exposure manager thought the US dollar would shortly strengthen.Previously the US dollar was stronger than the Australian dollar and the company had gained from the US dollar denominated receivables. This experience had apparently, surprisingly, made the company's exposure manager consider it inappropriate to hedge the US dollar. The responsibility for identifying FEMME was in the hands of a fin ancial accountant, with the assistance of the general manager. They hedged 50 per cent of the transactions for accounts payable in Japanese yen, and accounts receivable in New Zealand dollars. The financial accountant, in consultation with the general manager, bought forward contracts to cover the exposures.Most senior members of the company were concerned with manufacturing, promoting and marketing products rather than foreign exchange exposure management. It was increasingly becoming difficult for the general manager to meet the financial accountant in order to manage FEE because the general manager had to deal with other company duties. Previously, the general manager and the financial accountant met at least once a day to assess foreign exchange market movements. The increasing inability to meet the general manager as frequently as before was making the financial accountant concerned.The financial accountant was anxious that he should be left alone to make decisions in matters a s volatile as the foreign exchange movements. The financial accountant felt that it was important to specify Job descriptions in order to attach responsibility for the monitoring and compilation of foreign exchange information. Presumably, he hoped, that would lead to increasing resources in his section. He explained: The two clerks in my section are responsible for helping me in ash management, pension management, as well as compiling foreign exchange exposure management forecasts. The finance section is very understaffed.The engineering and marketing functions were considered more important than financial management. The finance section was not only understaffed, but it also lacked properly qualified and experienced personnel. The general manager thought that taking personal interest in treasury matters would mitigate the sense of alienation that was perceived by the financial accountant. The lack of understanding about the importance of FEMME among most of the company officers wa s discernible urine the interview. Most senior managers considered the primary tasks in the company to be the operational activities, namely; manufacturing, procurement, and selling.Lass Vegas, 2003 page 75 In terms of the organizational structure for exposure management, members of the company felt that centralization should be pursued subject to other considerations. One senior member of the company said: The task of identifying and managing foreign exchange exposure is too onerous to be left in the hands of only one functional unit The financial accountant was a relatively Junior officer in the company and had robbers in trying to obtain information he needed to manage exposure.Since FEE is a result of activities that transcend one functional unit, and can be constrained by lack of resources such as trained and experienced staff, and lack of appropriate equipment, this seemed to call for a company-wide policy from the top. The dialogue with most members of the company confirmed t hat there was no company-wide policy for FEMME. The next point was to consider the extent of risk aversion. Most members of the company were keen that currency risk should be avoided as much as possible.Some of the members wondered why the company should not invoice customers in Australian dollars rather than foreign currencies. As to the general attitude to foreign exchange risk, some members said that they generally preferred average expected return with average risk to high return with high risk for any business involving foreign currency denominated receivables and/or payable. But if the company was considering projects which involved no foreign currency receivables or payable, then high expected return and high risk projects could be considered.One of the senior officers, however, pointed out that foreign exchange considerations are but one factor. He was supported by another senior officer who said that sometimes the company may have other overriding strategic considerations t o take into account, such as obtaining a share of the market even if that means at the expense of incurring foreign exchange loss. The company's foreign exchange rate forecasts were mainly obtained from banks and publications such as the Financial Review newspaper. The information on foreign exchange rates was prepared manually.The lack of computerizing was considered hindrance to better monitoring of exposure management. The influence of the satisfaction with previous foreign exchange forecasts on hedging could only be commented on by the financial accountant and the general manager who carried out hedging of FEE. They both said that satisfaction with previous foreign exchange forecasts had minimum influence on the way they hedged. They were not confident with the forecasts they used. As they said: Foreign exchange forecasts are Just forecasts, they are never the same as the actual exchange rates so we are usually less confident about them.The extent of hedging is a situational mat ter. UP Ltd was involved in foreign exchange transactions at least once a fortnight. It was evident that the intensity of involvement in foreign exchange transactions did not have any influence on the hedging behavior. In spite of the fact that the US dollar denominated receivables were left exposed, Proceedings of the International Academy for Case Studies, Volume 10, Number 2 page 76 most members felt that the extent of involvement in foreign currency denominated business should be accompanied by more hedging activity.

Department of Peace Essay

1 Internet is always been a source of information. With just one click, all the information you want to know is right in front of your eyes. It always caters to different topics such as: academics, religion, sports, entertainment and even politics. Today, there is probably hundreds of website that discuss about politics and their relevance to national issues. Such website provides information on what they do and on what they will do in the future. A site of the â€Å"U. S. Department of Defense† provides information that caters the entire American citizen. It allows every concern people to have an access or information regarding the department of U. S. defense. Also, the site enables its reader to have an idea or knowledge about the service that the government is doing for them. It provides different links as to explain everything that the defense is responsible of and to give its readers a chance to understand clearly its purpose. The site actually convinces its readers that the U. S. Department of defense’s main goal is to protect the countrymen. Definitely, the site is successful in inducing the citizen to join and unite as one for peace and humanitarian services through the information they have provided. The site was able to affirm that it is there duty to serve and defend the American people whether saving lives or spreading peace in the community. The values are still in tack and the need to share all the information was manifested clearly in the site. They do not only provide the purpose, mission and vision of the department but they have successfully managed to disseminate information through the site. The U. S. Department of Defense official site is convincing primarily because it showed what the people would want to know. Amidst politics intrigues, the department remains stand still and still uphold to its virtues. The use of this site for understanding the duties and responsibilities of the department gives its reader the capacity to make good judgment and to support the department’s mission and vision. Indeed, the site provided by the U. S. department of defense is capable of persuasion because of its plain and truthful explanation of its purpose and of its current activities that is for the betterment of the country. 2 Another site is the â€Å"U. S. Department of Peace† that also caters for the American people. While the department of defense serves for defending its countrymen and for building peace, the U. S. Department of Peace develops programs and campaigns as to promote peace and for national interest. There main goal is to â€Å"take the field of peace building from the margins of the political† and hopefully, bring it to a better place. They intend to apply peace building as to lessen all the conflicts before it gets even worse. The site also provides ample information regarding the association from its mission, vision, goal and their current focus today. The site indicated that the association is not just about the politics but mainly it’s about the effective and practical way in promoting and developing peace. In the site, they’ve explained that the U. S. department of peace is an association that encourages citizen activist to join in building peace for a prosperous nation. Their intention as a peace alliance is well explained in the site because they have indicated their campaigns, programs and activities. Their means of persuading its readers is credible because they have explained point by point their mission and their plans. At first visit to the site, you’ll automatically recognize that they encourage everyone to subscribe holiday cards and at the same time support the work of the peace alliance. In that way, they encourage the readers to support their campaign and offer them such good card. The use of this technique is probably a best way to encourage people since holidays is fast approaching. Nonetheless, the U. S. department of peace is an association that continue to grow as they progress and plan campaigns. Through the help of volunteers and activist, they continue to develop and put into works all of the association’s plan and goal. The use of the internet to promote the association is one of the best way to explain their purpose as an association and as well as to have a discussion board to all the concern people and to those who wanted to support. Indeed, the site also provided the necessary information and they were able to persuade its readers through their truthful agenda and well explained purpose. 3 A related site entitled â€Å"U. S. Peace Government† is about preventing war and terrorism and promotes peace. The site is for promoting peace and establishes peace-creating groups for the nation and other states. The U. S. peace government is pro-peace and in the site they clearly illustrated their purpose. The peace government is composed of hundreds of American scientist and researchers in medical field. These scientist and experts are capable of strong commitment in terms of leading the nation to peaceful direction. The site also includes the introduction of different programs for developing peace. Their ways of promoting peace in its realistic ways is explained in the site. The main purpose of the site is to share to its reader the possible effect of permanent peace if they developed their programs. Their goal as an organization is very simple and they need not to compete with existing governments but instead they will try to prevent problems from occurring. Upon reading the site, you’ll notice that it is trying to persuade its readers by laying all the facts and there agenda as an organization. Their way of imparting information to its readers is clearly manifested in the site. It also includes their stand and perceptions on the current issues that the government is experiencing now. As said, they are not merely a â€Å"policy think tank† but they will contribute to the development of peace in the country. The site has transformed the association’s mission into a realistic way because they put more information about their goal rather than discussing about other matters. They intend to spread peace all over the nation and lessen the conflict. Indeed, the association has come along way in promoting their mission because there is improvement in the nation. 4 â€Å"Daily Kos† is an on-line blog that tackles about the political issues that the present administration is facing now. Contrary to the previous site that was discuss, Daily Kos is far from what those site is all about. The blog talks about the opinions and the suggestions of different writers who share their thoughts fearlessly without hesitations and doubts. The blog define the very essence of being an opposition and the articles talks about the â€Å"what should the government do† instead of some other not so important matters. The writers of the said blog discussed point by point their stand regarding all the current issues. While they cited all their grievances, there is also a link where you can comment and side your side. The blog indicates their own perception according to their virtues and they are not persuaded by the current government. They stand on their own, believing that the government should improve and most of all focus on other important issues. The blog is not actually pro-peace because instead of delivering good feedbacks for the government, they criticize and find fault in the current administration. With their writings, they manifested the idea of a conflict between the government and its people. Nonetheless, we are all entitled for our freedom of speech and the liberation to address our concerns. We cannot deny the fact that there are disagreements and probably arguments that is widely expressed by people all over the nation not just in the internet. Now if you’re for pro-peace, you’ll not be able to be persuaded by the ideas and opinions of the blog’s writers but instead you’ll end up switching or finding another blog that tackles about peace and promoting it. On the positive side, the blog just shared their insights and probably their way of solving the problems that they think is more practical. The better thing to do is to also get the side of the government and let them take their part in explaining to the people the real agenda and their plans for the government in improving peace and not war. Works Cited â€Å"U. S. Department of Defense. † 2007. 21 November 2007 http://www. defenselink. mil â€Å"The Peace Alliance Campaign to Establish a U. S. Department of Peace. † 2007. 21 November 2007 http://www. thepeacealliance. org â€Å"The U. S. Peace Government. † 2007. 21 November 2007 http://uspeacegovernment. org â€Å"Daily Kos. † 20 November 2007. 21 November 2007 http://www. dailykos. com.

Overview of Corn-Pone Opinions by Mark Twain

Overview of Corn-Pone Opinions by Mark Twain In an essay not published until several years after his death, humorist Mark Twain examines the effects of social pressures on our thoughts and beliefs. Corn-Pone Opinions is presented as an argument, says Davidson College English professor Ann M. Fox, not a sermon. Rhetorical questions, elevated language, and short clipped declarations . . . are part of this strategy. (The Mark Twain Encyclopedia, 1993) Corn-Pone Opinions by Mark Twain Fifty years ago, when I was a boy of fifteen and helping to inhabit a Missourian village on the banks of the Mississippi, I had a friend whose society was very dear to me because I was forbidden by my mother to partake of it. He was a gay and impudent and satirical and delightful young black mana slavewho daily preached sermons from the top of his masters woodpile, with me for sole audience. He imitated the pulpit style of the several clergymen of the village and did it well, and with fine passion and energy. To me, he was a wonder. I believed he was the greatest orator in the United States and would some day be heard from. But it did not happen; in the distribution of rewards, he was overlooked. It is the way, in this world. He interrupted his preaching, now and then, to saw a stick of wood; but the sawing was a pretensehe did it with his mouth; exactly imitating the sound the bucksaw makes in shrieking its way through the wood. But it served its purpose; it kept his master from coming out to see how the work was getting along. I listened to the sermons from the open window of a lumber room at the back of the house. One of his texts was this: You tell me whar a man gits his corn pone, en Ill tell you what his pinions is. I can never forget it. It was deeply impressed upon me. By my mother. Not upon my memory, but elsewhere. She had slipped in upon me while I was absorbed and not watching. The black philosophers idea was that a man is not independent, and cannot afford views which might interfere with his bread and butter. If he would prosper, he must train with the majority; in matters of large moment, like politics and religion, he must think and feel with the bulk of his neighbors or suffer damage in his social standing and in his business prosperities. He must restrict himself to corn-pone opinionsat least on the surface. He must get his opinions from other people; he must reason out none for himself; he must have no first-hand views. I think Jerry was right, in the main, but I think he did not go far enough. It was his idea that a man conforms to the majority view of his locality by calculation and intention.This happens, but I think it is not the rule.It was his idea that there is such a thing as a first-hand opinion; an original opinion; an opinion which is coldly reasoned out in a mans head, by a searching analysis of the facts involved, with the heart unconsulted, and the jury room closed against outside influences. It may be that such an opinion has been born somewhere, at some time or other, but I suppose it got away before they could catch it and stuff it and put it in the museum. I am persuaded that a coldly-thought-out and independent verdict upon a fashion in clothes, or manners, or literature, or politics, or religion, or any other matter that is projected into the field of our notice and interest, is a most rare thingif it has indeed ever existed. A new thing in costume appearsthe flaring hoopskirt, for exampleand the passers-by are shocked, and the irreverent laugh. Six months later everybody is reconciled; the fashion has established itself; it is admired, now, and no one laughs. Public opinion resented it before, public opinion accepts it now and is happy in it. Why? Was the resentment reasoned out? Was the acceptance reasoned out? No. The instinct that moves to conformity did the work. It is our nature to conform; it is a force which not many can successfully resist. What is its seat? The inborn requirement of self-approval. We all have to bow to that; there are no exceptions. Even the woman who refuses from first to last to wear the hoopskirt comes under that law and is its slave; she could not wear the skirt and have her own approval; and that she must have, she cannot help herself. But as a rule, our self-approval has its source in but one place and not elsewherethe approval of other people. A person of vast consequence s can introduce any kind of novelty in dress and the general world will presently adopt itmoved to do it, in the first place, by the natural instinct to passively yield to that vague something recognized as authority, and in the second place by the human instinct to train with the multitude and have its approval. An empress introduced the hoopskirt, and we know the result. A nobody introduced the bloomer, and we know the result. If Eve should come again, in her ripe renown, and reintroduce her quaint styleswell, we know what would happen. And we should be cruelly embarrassed, along at first. The hoopskirt runs its course and disappears. Nobody reasons about it. One woman abandons the fashion; her neighbor notices this and follows her lead; this influences the next woman; and so on and so on, and presently the skirt has vanished out of the world, no one knows how nor why, nor cares, for that matter. It will come again, by and by and in due course will go again. Twenty-five years ago, in England, six or eight wine glasses stood grouped by each persons plate at a dinner party, and they were used, not left idle and empty; today there are but three or four in the group, and the average guest sparingly uses about two of them. We have not adopted this new fashion yet, but we shall do it presently. We shall not think it out; we shall merely conform, and let it go at that. We get our notions and habits and opinions from outside influences; we do not have to study them out. Our table manners, and company manners, and street manners change from time to time, but the changes are not reasoned out; we merely notice and conform. We are creatures of outside influences; as a  rule, we do not think, we only imitate. We cannot invent standards that will stick; what we mistake for standards are only fashions, and perishable. We may continue to admire them, but we drop the use of them. We notice this in literature. Shakespeare is a standard, and fifty years ago we used to write tragedies which we couldnt tell fromfrom somebody elses; but we dont do it  any more, now. Our  prose  standard,  three quarters  of a century ago, was ornate and diffuse; some authority or other changed it in the direction of compactness and simplicity, and conformity followed, without argument. The historical novel starts up  suddenly and sweeps the land. Everybody writes one, and the nation is glad. We had historical novels before; but nobody read them, and the rest of us  conformedwithout reasoning it out. We are conforming in the other way, now, because it is another case of everybody. The outside influences are always pouring in upon us, and we are always obeying their orders and accepting their verdicts. The Smiths like the new play; the Joneses go to see it, and they copy the Smith verdict. Morals, religions, politics, get their following from surrounding influences and atmospheres, almost entirely; not from study, not from thinking. A man must and will have his own approval first of all, in each and every moment and circumstance of his lifeeven if he must repent of a self-approved act the moment after its commission, in order to get his self-approval again: but, speaking in general terms, a mans self-approval in the large concerns of life has its source in the approval of the peoples about him, and not in a searching personal examination of the matter. Mohammedans are Mohammedans because they are born and reared among that sect, not because they have thought it out and can furnish sound reasons for being Mohammedans; we know why Catholics are Catholics; why Pre sbyterians are Presbyterians; why Baptists are Baptists; why Mormons are Mormons; why thieves are thieves; why monarchists are monarchists; why Republicans are Republicans and Democrats, Democrats. We know it is a matter of association and sympathy, not reasoning and examination; that hardly a man in the world has an opinion upon morals, politics, or religion which he got otherwise than through his associations and sympathies. Broadly speaking, there are none but corn-pone opinions. And broadly speaking, corn-pone stands for self-approval. Self-approval is acquired mainly from the approval of other people. The result is conformity. Sometimes conformity has a sordid business interestthe bread-and-butter interestbut not in most cases, I think. I think that in the majority of cases it is unconscious and not calculated; that it is born of the human beings natural yearning to stand well with his fellows and have their inspiring approval and praisea yearning which is commonly so strong and so insistent that it cannot be effectually resisted, and must have its way. A political emergency brings out the corn-pone opinion in fine force in its two chief varietiesthe pocketbook variety, which has its origin in self-interest, and the bigger variety, the sentimental varietythe one which cant bear to be outside the pale; cant bear to be in disfavor; cant endure the averted face and the cold shoulder; wants to stand well with his friends, wants to be smiled upon, wants to be welcome, wants to hear the precious words, Hes on the right track! Uttered, perhaps by an ass, but still an ass of high degree, an ass whose approval is gold and diamonds to a smaller ass, and confers glory and honor and happiness, and membership in the herd. For these  gauds, many a man will dump his lifelong principles into the street, and his conscience along with them. We have seen it happen. In some millions of instances. Men think they think upon great political questions, and they do; but they think with their party, not independently; they read its literature, but not that of the other side; they arrive at convictions, but they are drawn from a partial view of the matter in hand and are of no particular value. They swarm with their party, they feel with their party, they are happy in their partys approval; and where the party leads they will follow, whether for right and  honor or through blood and dirt and a mush of mutilated morals. In our late canvass half of the nation passionately believed that in silver lay salvation, the other half as passionately believed that that way lay destruction. Do you believe that a tenth part of the people, on either side, had any rational excuse for having an opinion about the matter at all? I studied that mighty question to the bottomand came out empty. Half of our people passionately believe in high tariff, the other half believe otherwise. Does this mean study and examination, or only feeling? The latter, I think. I have deeply studied that question, tooand didnt arrive. We all do no end of feeling, and we mistake it for thinking. And out of  it, we  get an aggregation which we consider a Boon. Its name is Public Opinion. It is held in reverence. It settles everything. Some think it the Voice of God.  Praps. I suppose that in more cases than we should like to admit, we have two sets of opinions: one private, the other public; one secret and sincere, the other corn-pone, and more or less tainted. Written in 1901, Mark Twains Corn-Pone Opinions was first published in 1923 in Europe and Elsewhere, edited by Albert Bigelow Paine (Harper Brothers).

Comparative Analysis of Advertisements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Comparative Analysis of Advertisements - Essay Example This essay reflects on the advertising strategies of these companies in terms of models and media employed, target audience, approaches to advertisements, consumers’ appeal, effectiveness of these strategies and congruent success in the market. The view of the essay is to employ a critical analysis approach in order to present a unique comparison and contrasting of the advertising approach of the two multinational companies. Additionally, the rhetorical presentation of the company’s products is analyzed within this paper in order to define the effectiveness of each of the company’s marketing communication images and messages. Both Pepsi and Coca-Cola present their brands in a very convincing manner. This is regardless of numerous differences in approach which are used by these two companies. More notable though is the rivalry and wars which evidently exist between these companies in their marketing and promotion projects, campaigns and advertisements (Behrooz 10) . The influence that the two companies impact on the market is based on the fact that they have laid large budgets for advertising their products. As a result, Pepsi and Coke adverts are common place. They frequently appear on television commercials, radio, billboards and at promotional events and campaigns such as sports sponsorship (Odell 1). Because of the approach that the companies have employed, their popularity has grown significantly within various markets and segments. Popularity of a company leads to a conviction within a customer or potential consumer that the company is authentic and as a result its products are superior and are of a high quality. It is arguable that both of these companies have attained this though at different levels. The advertisements of Coke and Pepsi have achieved different levels of influence on their target market. For example, Pepsi is leading within the youth market segment because of the youthful language, style, culture and images which it pr esents within its commercials (PR Newswire 1). On the other hand, Coke has attained more success in the market because of its strategy of targeting a wider market (Behrooz 5). The rhetoric that is expressed within the company’s marketing strategy is demonstrated by the fact that the companies placed insiders of each other’s advertising units to provide intelligence information for marketing strategy (Behrooz 12). Even though this approach reflects the height of market rivalry, it is evident that regardless of notable differences in marketing strategy, the commercials of these companies have been planned, designed and planned based on insider information that they steal from each other. The feelings and emotions that the consumers attain from the advertising strategies of these companies are very paramount even though it is achieved through different approaches. For example Pepsi initially relied upon celebrities, such as pop and film starts or cricket players, in its c ommercials (Behrooz 14). This was aimed at arousing feelings and emotions within the consumers especially those who were affiliated with film, pop music and sports. As a result Pepsi was able to connect the feelings of the consumers for stars and sports to the love for the Pepsi brand. This strategy is attributed to the increased performance of the company within the market. Coke also employs strategies of arousing feelings within

Employee engagement is crucial for effective corporate decision making Essay

Employee engagement is crucial for effective corporate decision making - Essay Example Effective and efficient decision making in a company will enhance a perfect maximization of profits. A poor one, on the other hand, is not flexible to change especially technological changes, in a business corporation. The inefficiency of a poor decision-making by the managerial teams may lead to the decline of the company. This may be because of the poor relationship between the employer and the employees thus resulting into lack of responsibility towards the production of the final products. In the decision making process, the managers choose a perfect course of action from some of the few observable ones. The Lenovo and Samsung Companies have adopted this system of decision-making process towards acquiring a perfect product for competition. Employees’ Engagement in Corporate Decision-Making The Lenovo and Samsung Companies indulge in a more competitive market environment. Their decision-making processes are, therefore, very considerate especially in the managerial decision- making. This has seen these companies at the top of their game due to the well-organised decision-making process. Decision-making processes, in these companies, range from the product promotion, customer relation and to the employee-employer relationship. In addition, when it comes to the employee-employee relations, the companies have adopted a perfect system since this is the ultimate goal of any given business corporate. The brands of products produced by the Lenovo and Samsung companies are as well not affected by the market segmentations. Concept of Corporate Decision-Making A perfect corporate decision-making is a significant aspect towards achieving a healthy competitive marketing environment by a company (Salman, 2001 p201). Pricing, as an example of a decision making process, has made Lenovo as a multinational company acquire a greater status in the technological field. This company adopted one of the most appropriate pricing strategies, which has increased its customerâ₠¬â„¢s loyalty that has led to increased demand of their products globally due to their affordable nature (Bevans, 2007 p142). This, in addition, has maximised the profit maximization limits of the Lenovo Company. In the technology market, Lenovo has been viewed as one of the fast moving globally operating companies (Akwetey, 2011 p123). Samsung, on the other hand, has also adopted a flexible decision-making process in its marketing strategies (Mylanas & Hodges, 2007 p154). Samsung’s products are also affordable in most marketing environment. Over the last decades, Samsung has been able to acquire a good number of customers in spite of the stiff competition in the technological marketing environment. The Effectiveness of Corporate Decision-Making Businesses that handgrip their decisions in a well-organised manner just as these two companies will always be at an upper hand towards achieving a perfect financial status. Financial superiority, as an aspect of decision-making, is o ne of the key goals of a corporate decision making (Ling, 2006 p121). The entrepreneurs, therefore, engage in the decision-making system by considering financial status acquaintances as the driving factors. Another key aspect of an effective decision-making process is the motivation of employees in the workplace. Motivation of workers in the organisation is also a key role of decision-making (Mauboussin, 2021 p253). Various businesses have undergone