Ben and Jerrys Ethical Issues - 1953 Words

1. Were Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield right to accept Unilever’s takeover offer for Ben amp; Jerry’s in 2000? And what does this case imply about business ethics more generally? Ben and Jerry’s is an ice cream producing company. The first shop opened in Burlington, Vermont in 1978. With a $12.000 ($4.000 were borrowed) investment, Ben and Jerry opened their first homemade ice-cream scoop shop. Each year the company celebrates its anniversary by having a free cone day. This has been a tradition since the very beginning. In 1981 the expansion begins and the company starts its first franchise. In 1984 sales begin to increase at an extremely high rate. At this time there was a 120% increase compared to the previous year. In 1985, the†¦show more content†¦It has exposed itself many times to political actions as well as sponsoring its ideals on the cover of their ice cream pints. (History 1) Finally Ben and Jerry are the founding members of the â€Å"Business for Social Responsibility† (BSR). The BSR mission statement is â€Å"We work with business to create a just and sustainable world†. It provides consulting services, research and innovation, and cross-sector collaboration. (Business1). In 1994, the business for Ben and Jerry had to face various difficulties. To begin with, the market started to change. People were more concerned with health issues. It is renowned that the products of this famous ice cream company are amongst the most fattening within the category. Obesity became a huge concern for the health of the American population. Fast food companies, together with hyper caloric food producers, were put under the guillotine by health aware professionals. Ben and Jerry’s obviously fell under this category. For this reason, demand started to fall and the company went in the red. To contribute to this loss in sales and demand, is the entering competition in the market. At that time, the company had to confront a market full of competitors, most of which with lower caloric ice creams such as general ice cream scoop shops, Hoovers or Hà ¤agen-Dazs. In order to make up for these losses Ben and Jerry’s hadShow MoreRelatedUnit 37 Task M11495 Words    |  6 Pagesexplaining how my business (Ben and Jerry’s) could change or alter some of its practices and showing how these changes would contribute to improved ethical behaviour. The ethical issues I will be working on are CSR and trading fairly. Corporate social responsibility: Businesses do not exist in isolation nor is it simply just to make money; a lot of factors come into play. Customers, suppliers and the local community are all affected by the business and its operations. Ben and Jerry’s products, and the wayRead MoreThe Code Of Conduct For Armed Forces1413 Words   |  6 Pagesover such as discrimination and conflict of interest. The doctrine was written and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on 17 August 1955 and has only modified twice since. When women entered the workforce, it made significant changes to the ethical cultures within different organizations. A lot of these women and men have been victims of physical violence within the workplace and/or involving their co-workers. Recognition. In the Code of Conduct for the Armed Forces of the United States, thereRead MoreThe Citizen Consumer Hybrid Of Ben Jerry s Marketing Strategy1624 Words   |  7 PagesCITIZEN-CONSUMER HYBRID IN BEN JERRY’S MS 2 THE CITIZEN-CONSUMER HYBRID IN BEN JERRY’S MS The Citizen-consumer Hybrid in Ben Jerry’s Marketing Strategy Yilin Zhang Media, Culture and Environment Dr. Andy Opel Nov 1, 2017 The Citizen-consumer Hybrid in Ben Jerry’s Marketing Strategy Today, the ice cream industry has been developed mainly in the United States (Arbuckle, 2013). As a frozen product, ice cream is often related to environmental issue. As Gwanpua (2015) pointsRead MoreEssay on Strategic Plan, Part I: Conceptualizing a Business1277 Words   |  6 Pagesexperience. Ben Jerry’s has elevated the ‘ice cream experience’ to a whole new level with their company philosophy, the product they offer and the service they provide to their customers. It is important to understand how the vision, mission and values of a company can affect the business. Lip service is not something any consumer deserves, and Ben Jerry’s has taken this to heart. Their three-part mission statement, progressive value statement and their stand on current social issues show theyRead MoreMm Case Seminar1149 Words   |  5 Pagesands not to lose their market shares to others.    Ben Jerrys  Ã‚   1. How does Ben Jerrys values help execute the marketing strategy?   Social values take an important part of Ben Jerry’s company values. The company aims to build a strong relationship with its customers therefore creates a long-term loyalty. Ben Jerry’s social values is the foundation of its marketing strategy. The product and promotion of marketing mix in Ben Jerry’s are good examples of how their company values affectRead MoreCorporate Social Responsibility And Its Effects On Environmental And Social Wellbeing Essay2027 Words   |  9 Pagesresponsibility is something that is practiced in every company. However, every company is different and is portrayed in the way they complete their Corporate social responsibilities. Because of this, each company is unique, especially Ben and Jerry’s. Ben and Jerry’s needs very specific corporate social responsibilities and because they are environmentally friendly. First, what is CSR? CSR is corporate social responsibility, which â€Å"refers to business practices involving initiatives that benefit societyRead MoreWhat are Benefit Corporations?2336 Words   |  9 Pagesfor of change in passing legislation and investing capital to make a difference in the world. Besides being accountable to all stakeholders, B Corporations are more transparent than that of traditional corporations as they are required to annually issue a report to the public, assessing their overall financial and environmental performance against a quoted threshold known as the B Impact Assessment. In acting socially responsible as a mission rather than an option for businesses, Benefit CorporationsRead MoreMarketing Strategy1138 Words   |  5 PagesReynolds’ marketing strategies. Which issues seem to be perennial problems for the company? 2. How has R.J. Reynolds used its marketing strategy to counteract negative influences within its operating environments? Exercise 3.2 Ben Jerry’s http://www.benjerry.com 1. Based on Ben Jerry’s website, can you determine the characteristics of the firm’s customers? How are these customer groups related to selling ice cream? 2. How is Ben Jerry’s website used to collect customer informationRead MoreAdvertising And Their Influence On Children1516 Words   |  7 Pagesmarketers might overlook the ethical policies. Ethics in advertising has become critical in today’s scandal ridden ere and it affects the practices of human’s lives. Hence ethics is considered most important feature of advertising. Ethical advertising is constantly beneath the scrutiny of the public and shelled with criticism and has been through many moral ethical issues involved in â€Å"fair† advertising. Also, unethical practices may endure to raise question from an ethical standpoint. Advertising canRead MoreChallenges Faced By Hybrid Models1271 Words   |  6 PagesHowever, to a certain extent, for-profit corporations are limited in their capacity to address social issues as a result of their responsibility to their shareholders to maximize share value. While legal scholars continue to debate this claim, it is generally accepted that shareholders reserve the right to demand that corporations put profits above all else. The Unilever forced buyout of Ben Jerry’s in 2000 is one notable example often cited as evidence that corporations, even those that have operated

Why Do You Think It Is Important to Study Economics

In this essay, it is my objective to be able to illustrate the importance and significance of economics in our daily lives. The Internet was mostly used as assistance in completing this essay. Also, the information here are gathered and reviewed from various Internet web pages and textbooks which can be found in the list of references at the end of this assignment. To begin with, I shall start with the definition of economics. There is no exact definition of economics as it varies from the opinions among economist. However, many have chosen to agree with Alfred Marshall, a leading 19th century English economist, that economics is â€Å"a study of mankind in the ordinary business of life; it examines that part of individual and social action†¦show more content†¦It is easy to gain entry into a purely competitive market and also easy to exit it. There are few, if any, barriers to entry and the prices are determined by the demand and supply of the market. Most agricultural products like potatoes or wheat are supplied by individual sellers in a purely competitive market. There are hundreds or thousands of independent sellers who compete against each other to gain profit. In economics, the scope is very wide. Hence, the study of economics is organized under two major vantage points from which the economy is observed: macroeconomics and microeconomics. Macroeconomics concerns the operation of the economy as a whole and the interactions of the major groups like the household, business, government, and foreign sectors in the economy. After observing society as a whole, Adam Smith noted that there was an â€Å"invisible hand† that turning the wheels of the economy: a market force that keeps the economy functioning. Macroeconomics helps us understand the roles of the household, business, and government sectors plays in the economy, and how the sectors relate to each other. It also informs us about the problems and issues that arise in the economy as a whole and how those problems can be resolved. One of the primary issues in macroeconomy that needs to be overcome is unemployment. The consequences of unemployment are economic lossShow MoreRelatedWhy Do You Think It Is Important to Study Economics?1914 Words   |  8 Pagesto be able to illustrate the importance and significance of economics in our daily lives. The Internet was mostly used as assistance in completing this essay. Also, the information here are gathered and reviewed from various Internet web pages and textbooks which can be found in the list of references at the end of this assignment. To begin with, I shall start with the definition of economics. There is no exact definition of economics as it varies from the opinions among economist. However, manyRead MoreEssay on APES Ch 1 Study Guide1271 Words   |  6 PagesStory: The Mysterious Neuse River Fish Kill Environmental science offers important insights into our world and how we influence it. Humans alter natural systems. Environmental scientists monitor natural systems for signs of stress. 1. What happened in the Neuse River, and how did it affect the local population economy? 2. What is the importance of studying systems in environmental science? Why can’t we just study isolated events or isolated individuals? 3. Environmental ScienceRead MoreManagement Economics0U Nit 1685 Words   |  3 Pagesdefinitions of economics can you find? Explain briefly how they are related to one another. [definitions, not descriptions]. 1-Economics is the study of allocation of scarce means to alternative uses. 2- We want to understand the typical person, not the exceptions ir unique people. 3- Economics is not dismal, its about understanding about what is going on. It is an art an a science at the same time. Economic is not an exact science, that is why some doubt is a science. 4- The study of men in theRead MoreThe Social Setting Within Jelly s1438 Words   |  6 PagesEA: Wow, it’s nice to finally be able to spend time at a nice restaurant with old friends instead of down at that old liquor store. LM: From what you wrote about in your book it didn’t seem like a good place to eat. I hope the food and service here is better. How did you like your time there? EA: I enjoyed spending that time in Jelly’s. The people were very interesting, and I got a lot out of studying them. By the end of my work I really felt like I was a part of that community, instead of an outsiderRead MoreNational Culture And Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting1676 Words   |  7 Pagesregret to inform you that your revised manuscript, â€Å"National Culture and Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting† is being rejected. We have completed an evaluation of your paper by sending it to two experts who assessed the overall potential contribution to business ethics research. Unfortunately, based on their feedback there are concerns with the research problem and its significance, the interpretations, and the overall contribution of the research. In order to assist you in improving yourRead MoreFreakonomics by Stephen Dubner and Stephen Levitt1448 Words   |  6 Pagesnothing to do with each other, but the authors find a way to connect them. In this summary, I will take you through some of the highlights of my favorite chapters and some of the more important chapters as well. The interesting thing about the book as a whole is that it does not even seem like you are reading a book that is trying to teach you economics through some outrageous situations. Another intriguing thing about this book is that these authors have such an extensive knowledge of studies that theyRead MoreEssay about Lesson 01 Case Study Analysis Worksheet 1 853 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿FDCNC 350 Case Study Analysis Worksheet Name Daniel Diaz Case Study This Bud’s for You Argue the following claims: It IS okay for Mormon farmers to grow Barley that may ultimately be used in Beer production. It is NOT okay for Mormon farmers to grow Barley that may ultimately be used in Beer production. Provide statements to support your claim. These may come from the case study, personal observations, or outside sources. **However, at least 2 statements must come from outside sources** CiteRead MoreEconomics Is Not A Science?712 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"What is Economic Good For? ‘’ ‘’ The fact that the discipline of economics hasn’t helped us improve our predictive abilities suggests it is still far from being a science.’’ What should be kept in mind is that, economic is not a science or if it is, it is a extremely weak focused of ‘’ science’’ since consumers truly, madly, extremely believe housing prices will never fall since they have never done that before. For instance, economics is broad discipline that covers many different fields.Read MoreThe Nature Of Happiness By Daniel Gilbert1501 Words   |  7 PagesYou may have guessed Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert is all about what makes people happy, how to make people happy, and why people feel happy in certain situations. This assumption is correct, but Gilbert digs much deeper than these three simple questions. He discusses the nature of happiness and explains the many, many psychological illusions that alter our perception of happiness. Gilbert focuses on why happiness is so difficult to measure and why many people have bias views regardingRead MoreDependency Theory And Globalization Theory866 Words   |   4 PagesEurocentric. Do you think dependency theory and globalization theory are also biased? Why or why not? Yes I do think that both theories are biased, and somehow both have Eurocentric approaches. The globalization theory has failed to overcome the relationship with the dependency theory. To me both theories are highly abstract and they are also connected. For example, those in favor of the dependency theory indicate that industrialization and capital are crucial requirements for economic progress. However

Great Gatsby American Dream Free Essays

As time flows everlastingly on, the dreams which man builds Its self upon are prone to change. Throughout American history the American dream has changed from being one which inspired and fed the hopes of people all over the country, to the twenties’ mangled interpretation of it, where everything revolved around money and status. This theme is expressed in multiple characters and more specifically Gatsby who is a prime example of such corruption. We will write a custom essay sample on Great Gatsby: American Dream or any similar topic only for you Order Now The untimely demise of Gatsby in F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby, signals the unraveling of the American dream. In the beginning of the novel Gatsby dream is pure in its initial form. Starting out his dream is Just like any other’s, one with glory and a better life for himself as he believed he deserved. Eventually he gain his dream of riches, this being reflected In his new life In the West Egg with his mansion being brand new apart from the Ivy coating It possesses along with his vast amount of lawn area. Fitzgerald 9) Gatsby pays special attention to his lawn also, cultivating It as he did with his rise to fortune and controlling most details apart from one section allowed to grow wild, which was a Indo to see the inner turmoil of Gatsby. This anxiety within is helped by the fact that one of Gatsby driving notions in the book was to When the realization hits that Gatsby dream is becoming a false sense of its self, the reader is forced to look deeper into the character of Gatsby and who he really is. This leads to the discovery of Gatsby continually living in the past, often times fabricating a story to make himself seem more outgoing and distanced from what he truly is, leaving the reader wondering â€Å"if there wasn’t something a little sinister about him after all. (Fitzgerald 69) These tendencies led Gatsby to boast about what materialistic Items he has today and what he can give himself and others. Such as when Gatsby Is feeling anxious about Daisy coming over for tea he mows his own yard for a sense of control then extends his control to also â€Å"[send someone] over to cut [Nick’s] grass. (Fitzgerald 88) Eventually, Gatsby possessive feelings lead to the corruption of his dream of winning over Daisy because he begins to want to possess her as well. The final turning point In the novel relating to Gatsby distress with his dream is he climaxing fight between Tom and himself over Daisy. Gatsby being so corrupted now, that he yells and forces his supposed tru e love to tell her husband she never loved him. (Fitzgerald 139) In the end this actually pushes Daisy away more and back into the arms of her husband, Tom. Within Fitzgerald novel the American dream was once seen as a budding new concept but In the end failed to bloom due to the circumstances in which the characters, specifically Gatsby, took to find their route to their believed happiness. Great Gatsby: American Dream By Instrumentalists As time flows everlastingly on, the dreams which man builds its self upon are In the beginning of the novel Gatsby dream is pure in its initial form. Starting believed he deserved. Eventually he gain his dream of riches, this being reflected in his new life in the West Egg with his mansion being brand new apart from the coating it possesses along with his vast amount of lawn area. (Fitzgerald 9) Gatsby pays special attention to his lawn also, cultivating it as he did with his rise to fortune hat one of Gatsby driving notions in the book was to materialistic items he has today and what he can give himself and others. Such as when Gatsby is feeling anxious about Daisy coming over for tea he mows his own cut [Nicks] grass. † (Fitzgerald 88) Eventually, Gatsby possessive feelings lead to the The final turning point in the novel relating to Gatsby distress with his dream is the climaxing fight between Tom and himself over Daisy. Gatsby being so corrupted concept but in the end failed to bloom due to the circumstances in which the How to cite Great Gatsby: American Dream, Papers

Comparison Between Mexico and Japan Educational System free essay sample

Comparison between Mexico and Japan Educational Systems Educational system, which is the learning curriculum of a country must has many similarities and contrasts with another country, like Mexico as a developing country and Japan as a developed country, that is why I choose to compare them both. The education system in Mexico and Japan are similar in that they have same periods for Elementary School, Junior High School, and Senior High School. Students in Mexico study in a class that supported by technological tools. In the same way, Japanese students also study in a smart class. Both Mexican and Japanese school require their students to wear school uniforms. Another similarity is Mexico, like Japan, has a co-educational system which boys and girls attend school together. Mexican schools is different from Japanese schools in that they provide free education for students until grade 9, with free textbooks. However, Japan has free schools, but somehow they are less structured. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison Between Mexico and Japan Educational System or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In Mexico, students are required to attend school until 12 year olds, whereas Japanese curriculum is compulsory for children until the age of 15. Only 47 percent of Mexicans have a college degree. Japan, on the other hand, has a higher achievement which is 69 percent. The last difference between Mexico and Japan is their school schedules. The class schedules in Mexico are divided into morning class that starts at 8 am and afternoon class at 2 pm. In contrast, Japan only has one class schedule which is in the morning at 8. 30 am. In conclusion, I prefer Japanese to Mexican school because it is developed better, and also provides more promising education and produce high qualified graduates people. 286 words

Herbert George Wells Essays (990 words) - The War Of The Worlds

Herbert George Wells One of the most prolific writers of his time, H.G. ( Herbert George) Wells was able to do it all. He was universal, and could write from many different sides. He was one of the most versitile writers, as he could write like a novelist, as in the The History of Mr. Polly. He could also write short stories, like The Star, or The Door In The Wall. He was also considered to be a visionary and a dreamer, as shown throughout A Modern Utopia, and Men Like Gods. What Wells was most famous for was his ability to be a scientific romancer. His novels, The Time Machine, The War of The Worlds, and The Invisible Man, were what he became most widely known for. All his writings, in the different genere's they were written from, truly prove he was one of the most versitile writers that ever lived. The date was September 21, 1866, and the place was 47 (now renumbered 172) High Street, Bromley, Kent, a suburb of London.. His father, Joseph Wells, and his mother, Sarah, had been married in 1853 and they had four children. An elder sister, Fanny, had died at the age of 9 two years before H.G. was born. After he was born, his family was worried that he may also die like his sister Fanny, being that he was a sort of "weakling" and struggled to not get sick most of the time. His father was a shopkeeper and a professional cricketer, and his mother served from time to time as a housekeeper at the nearby estate of Uppark. His father's business failed and the family never made it to middle-class status, so Wells was apprenticed like his brothers to a draper, spending the years between 1880 and 1883 inWindsor and Southsea as a drapeist. In 1883 Wells became a teacher/pupil at Midhurst Grammar Scool. He obtained a scholarship to the Normal School of Science in London and studied there biology under T.H. Huxley. However, his interest faltered and in 1887 he left without a degree. He taught in private schools for four years, not taking his B.S. degree until 1890. Next year he settled in London, married his cousin Isabel and continued his career as a teacher in a correspondence college. From 1893 Wells became a full-time writer. After some years Wells left Isabel for one of his brightest students, Amy Catherine, whom he married in 1895. Wells began to write fantasy fiction because he wanted to make money, and to get on with his writing career. He decided to write in this genere because he thought, and was right, that there was a large amount of people looking for spine chilling stories and the unexplained. Also, Wells knew of some of the early tales of the unexplained and far fetched: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and The Last Man, and also works of Edgar Allan Poe, all which he enjoyed profousely. Wells made his debut with The Time Machine, where the Time Traveler lands in the year 802701 and finds two people: the Eloi, weak and little, happy during the day, scared at night, who live above ground, and the Morlocks, apelike and carnivorous creatures that live below ground. Much of the realism of the story was achieved by carefully studied technical details. The Time Machine was a great success, and is the first of hundred's of writings Well's produced. The Island Of Doctor Moreau (1896) is the most horrifying of Wells's fantasies and one of the best written. The doctor is seeking to make animals half human by means of vivisectional surgery, the transplatation of organs, and the pain involved is very vividly described. Doctor Moreau suceede's in making some of his man-animals talk and even read, but they tend to revert to the beast, so Moreau continues to try to get all the animal out, and make a creature of his own. Moreau is then killed by his creatures, which continue to come to their demise, and finally all die off. When the H.M.S. Scorpion visits the island, there is nothing alive there except for a few "white moths, some hogs and rabbits and some rather peculiar rats." In the same year as his gorey fantasy The Island Of Doctor Moreau, he also published the light and cheerful novel The Wheels of Chance: A holiday Adventure. The Wheels Of Chance: A Holiday Adventure tells about a draper's assistant (Wells was a drapers apprentice when he was younger, which is why it is believed

The Family Guy Superlative Multi

The Family Guy Superlative Multi The Family Guy: Superlative Multi-Paragraph Essay Superlative Multi-Paragraph Essay Even though Tom is getting older and older each day, he is still a hardworking, supportive, and caring man. Although he could retire and travel the world like he wishes to, he chooses to work and supports his family. As of now he is 70 years old, still managing his company. Waking up at six in the morning each week day and working till 3 p.m. He doesn’t complain about his job or having to wake up early. Tom knows he has to support his family; paying all the bills and buying most of the grocery for his family. Without him, his family wouldn’t have a decent house to be living in. Tom is one of the hardest workers in this world today. Tom wasn’t very fortunate when he was younger. His mother passed away while he was 20 months old. He didn’t have much food or even fancy clothes to wear. Back in his time, there wasn’t technology like now today or even transportation. He doesn’t want his kids to grow up like he did . Tom wants his kids to have a better life than he had back then. Tom can be strict on his kids sometimes, but it’s mostly about education. He wants his kids to have the best education and go far in life. Not some dropout that works full-time at McDonalds that can’t even pay rent on his own. Tom would often lecture his sons every two weeks or so, saying that for them to have whatever they want such as houses or cars, they have to study hard and go to college. It will all pay off in the future as long as you work hard right

Product Costing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Product Costing - Essay Example But with the concept of management accounting system, John has decided to place in a better and sound managerial accounting system. The proposed solutions seem to be useful for John and Mary Farmers and other agricultural enterprises. Its basic aim is to gather better and vast information for managerial purposes and such information will be used in the long term as well. As, John and Mary Farmers are more keen in knowing the differences in the cost of production between farms and the profit difference between differing commodities produced over the years. To address this issue, the managerial accounting system will have its respected costs and profit centers. This method is more commonly known as â€Å"responsibility accounting†. Each service center is given its support cost centers. Those support cost centers are divided into activities and sites. These costs are further re-allocated to production cost centers. The marketing centers are concerned with the cost of marketing related with the products. Further on, profit centers are introduced, these profit centers account for both costs and revenue, the ke y performance measure of any profit center is therefore profit. This proposed costing system seems like a product costing system or an Activity Based Costing System. The benefit of having such systems is that each allocated center (either profit or cost) is responsible for its negative or positive variances. This system would prove beneficial for almost all agricultural businesses, with agricultural products having shorter life cycles and more complex production processes, this proposed system recognizes the complexity with its multiple cost drivers. Besides this, as the agricultural sector being a more competitive sector, this proposed system facilitates a better understanding of the driver of overhead costs. With all these positive feedbacks

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

Management - Essay Example Diversity, gender, and philosophy are becoming increasingly important variables for a manager to base decisions on (Hersey, Blanchard, & Johnson, 2001, p. 160). Its imperative that they be able to act, react, and interact in a management environment where they may seem to have little control, yet are actively engaged in command. Lets face it. The goal is the bottom line, the bottom line is the goal and getting there requires that a company maintain a workforce that is highly productive. Buckingham and Coffman (1999) assert that the role of the manager is crucial in providing the company with the four vital signs of a healthy business; Productivity, Profitability, Retention, and Customer Satisfaction (p. 31). Yet, all of these key components are influenced by the differing perceptions each employee has of their own role. Though some points may overlap, it is striking that the points most influenced by managers are also related to employee satisfaction and retention (Buckingham, et. al., 1999, p. 33). These points will vary across the workforce and will manifest as ability and readiness to perform a given task (Hersey, et. al., 2001, p. 176). Once again, the manager will have to maintain control over the resource. In the case of ability, two major components are knowledge and skill (Hersey, et. al, 2001, p. 176). Having the materials, knowing what is expected, and the opportunity to excel are also components that make up greater employee satisfaction (Buckingham, et. al., 1999, p. 34). In fact the way to safeguard against under-achieving employees in complacent positions is to enhance employee status through ongoing training programs (Hersey, et. al., 2001, p. 168). This insures that the workforce has the necessary ability to do the job and a greater motivation to do the task. The willingness of an employee to perform will also be tested. An employee requires a duty to their position, assurance that they have the ability, and a desire to do the

Discovery of electrons(J,J Thomson) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discovery of electrons(J,J Thomson) - Essay Example Cathode rays were an enigma during the late 1800s. Many Europeans thought that the rays emitted at the cathode in the discharge tube were an ethereal disturbance, like light. Crookes proposed in 1879, that the cathode rays were radiant matter or negatively charged particles that were attracted to the anode and repelled from the cathode (Cambridge Physics, 2015). In Germany, Hertz conducted an experiment where he observed that the rays discharged could pass through very thin gold sheets. He also conducted another experiment to find out the impact of electric fields on the rays and wrongly concluded that the rays were not deflected by the electric fields. In 1897, J.J Thomson repeated Hertz’s experiment (Cambridge Physics, 2015). The difference between J.J Thomson’s experiment and Hertz’s experiment was that J.J Thomson conducted his experiment in a vacuum tube. Hertz had too much gas in his discharge tube and the gas had become ionized by the electric field. The positive ions were attracted to the negative plate and the negative ions were attracted to the positive plate. This reduced the net charge on the plates and the strength of the field was not enough to deflect the cathode rays. J.J Thomson repeated the experiment and when he passed the cathode rays through the electric field in a vacuum, deflection occurred. The fact that the cathode rays moved towards the positively charged plate allowed him to conclude that the rays must be negatively charged. After this, J.J Thomson used two coils of wire known as the Helmholtz pair to produce a uniform magnetic field. Any beam of charged particles when passed through the magnetic field produced by the Helmholtz pair will be bent at 90 degree angle to the field into a complete circle Using this concept, J.J Thomson positioned the coils to cause a deflection in the opposite direction to that produced by the electric field. To balance the forces

An Overview Of Metaphor And Politics English Language Essay

An Overview Of Metaphor And Politics English Language Essay The earliest study of metaphor can be traced back to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose definition of metaphor as transference of lexical meaning for achieving rhetorical and poetical value set the tones for scores of generations in their metaphor study. For a long time, metaphor was limited to a narrow field of practical rhetoric and composition, and even considered simply ornamental in function. The advent of cognitive linguistics, put forward by Lakoff and Johnson, has exerted a dramatic change to metaphor research. Metaphor is not merely a linguistic expression, but more fundamentally a form of thought with its own epistemological function. Furthermore, Lakoff also advocated that metaphor, as a phenomenon, involves both conceptual mappings and individual linguistic expressions (1992, p.5). In modern times, metaphor is recognized as a powerful tool in shaping the cognitive world that we experience and therefore is indeed something that we live by. Acknowledged as an in dispensable and decisive feature of natural language, metaphor is so ubiquitous that no study of language can be complete without an adequate account of it. Weekly Radio Address delivered by American Presidents is a special kind of language report in that the Presidents, facing a great number of audiences at home and abroad, have to analyze the current issues and persuade listeners to support or accept à ¥Ã‚ ¤Ã‚ © their ideas. America is a county largely propagating democracy and freedom, therefore, the President is placed on a high obligation to make his decisions open to the public. It should not be taken for granted that once winning the election and taking oaths in the inaugural address, the president can rest easy and relax himself forever. Weekly address serves as a channel for American president to communicate with people, strengthen his power and establish his image. In the address, either for political, cultural or economic, the main aim for the president is to win public support and acceptance; thus language choice and communication skills are of high necessity in achieving political persuasion. Charteris-Black (2004) once cla imed that Choice of language in general and metaphor in particular is essential to politicians overall pervasiveness. (p.2). In other words, proper metaphors are of top priority in the well-formed radio addresses, which can not A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses only get the speeches running smoothly, but add color to the language and make it easily accepted by the audience. Barack Obama is the first black president in American history. So in order to consolidate his position, he should pay much more attention to strengthening his impression on people through public communication. The image of reliability, honesty, morality and integrity is essential to making sure his long-term success in politics. Taking the weekly addresses made by previous presidents into consideration, it is not difficult to confirm that metaphor is widely employed owing to its nature of vividness and persuasiveness. In addition, as a great art work of language, metaphor also contributes a lot to polishing President Obamas speeches so as to avoid the risks of directly noting something unpleasant. So the relationship between politics and metaphor is like fish and water, just as Thompson (1996) once asserted that politics without metaphors is like a fish without water (p.185). In a word, metaphor and politics are closely related in one way or another. Without metaphor, politicians may encounter a lot of obstacles and troubles in expressing their ideas to the people; without metaphor, the strength of the political address will fade; without metaphor, human language will only serve a role of delivering information. Take what Miller (1976) said as a summary, metaphor is essential to political inquiry, because it permits us to extend our knowledge from our familiar world to a region that is not open to immediate experienceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Metaphor is necessary to political knowledge precisely because the meaning and reality of the political world transcends what is open to observation (p.457). Therefore, President Obama extensively applies metaphors in his weekly radio address in that they can help to explain complex political issues, and Obama in this way can persuade listeners to accept his ideas, and influence their interpretation as well. 1.2. Goal of the Study Metaphor and politics are closely connected with each other. Weekly Radio address is a typical platform for the president conveying his political views and winning supports from the public. In the address, American president employs various tips, metaphor in particular, to make his speeches more accessible and powerful. In the past years, scholars both at home and abroad have made great efforts to study English political speeches in line with pragmatics, stylistics, rhetoric and syntax. But little 2 Chapter 1 Introduction emphasis has been placed on analyzing President weekly radio address from the perspective of conceptual metaphor. Therefore the purpose of the present study is to further analyze it in terms of the metaphor. We are expected to solve such problems: What kinds of metaphors are frequently selected in President Obamas Weekly Radio Address? What are the roles of metaphors in Weekly Radio Address? How do metaphors reveal president Obamas ideology meaning? By discussing the above three aspects, the author intends to raise wider awareness of metaphors and finally comes to a conclusion that selection of metaphor is to satisfy or realize the purpose of the speakers, that is, identifying speaker with the whole audience. 1.3. Data and Method The data in this paper is all Weekly Radio Addresses delivered by the current American President Barack Obama in 2010, from January 2nd to December 25th. These speeches mostly focus on discussing the important issues at home and abroad, and they are all downloaded from VOA website. As the main purpose for this thesis is to analyze the radio addresses in terms of conceptual metaphor, identifying or selecting the metaphors out is of top priority in the process. With the development of linguistics and science, Gerard J. Steen and other ten linguists have introduced a five-step procedure for metaphor identification (2002b); they are 1) identification for metaphor focus; 2) identification of metaphor ideas; 3) identification of metaphor comparison; 4) identification of incomplete compositions; 5) identification of metaphor mapping. (Steen, 2002b, p.393). Therefore, based on their theory of metaphor identification as well as Lakoff and Johnsons conceptual metaphor theory, the researcher will first select the conceptual metaphors from the data, and then classify them in groups for further discussion. Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in the process of analysis, so that the conceptual metaphors, as well as their frequency and functions can be measured in details. 1.4. Organization of the Thesis In general, the thesis consists of three parts, introduction, body and conclusion. The 3 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses introduction is responsible for presenting the purpose and the macro-organization of the thesis. Some background information and the research tasks of the thesis are also included in this part. The body is the main part in the study, including four chapters. Chapter 2 first presents the history of metaphor study and then mainly focuses on exploring the conceptual metaphor proposed by Lakoff and Johnson, including its categorization, working mechanism and systematicity. It comes to a conclusion that metaphor is pervasive in our daily conversation, no longer restricted in poetry language as before. Therefore, political language is also full of conceptual metaphors deserving our consideration and study. Chapter 3 gives a brief introduction to the Weekly Radio Address, and also explains its features and functions according to the varieties of public speaking. Chapter 4 discusses research design and research procedures. Conceptual metaphors from the weekly radio addresses delivered by president Obama in 2010 will be singled out and classified for special analysis. Then based on quantitative and qualitative methods, their discourse functions as well as frequency will meet careful investigation. Chapter 5 as the last chapter of the body mainly discusses the basis and the purpose for applying conceptual metaphors in radio address. That is, why should the prepared radio address choose metaphors to fulfill its goals? At last, the conclusion part is a brief summary of the above five chapters and generally restates the findings of this study. Some limitations and future proposals are also mentioned for further research. 4 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis 2.1. Previous Studies on Metaphor 2.1.1. A Brief History of Metaphor No technical term or concept in linguistics as well as in any other science is born out of nothing. The notion of metaphor originates from the Greek word metapherein, meta means with or after (denoting sharing) and pherein means bring across. Although the researches on metaphor have a long history which can be traced back to Plato and Aristotle, a widely-accepted definition for metaphor has not come into being yet. In the era of Greek scholars like Aristotle, metaphor was only referred to here and there in the ocean of linguistic literature or poetry. At that period, western literacy, linguistics and critical traditions had been interested in the possibilities of differentiating between literal and figurative language. Aristotle, generally praised as a first thinker to elaborate the theory of metaphor, also classified language into rhetorical and common ones, and in his book Poetics (1951, p.71) he pointed out that Metaphor is the application of an alien name by transference either f rom genus to species, or from species to genus, or from species to species, or by analogy, that is, proportionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Analogy or proportion is when the second term is to the first as the fourth to the third. We may then use the fourth for the second, or the second for the fourth. Sometimes too we qualify the metaphor by adding the term to which the proper word is relative., which indicates that the greatest scholar here identified metaphor as a figure of speech, using the name of one thing to refer to the other. After that, his view on metaphor has been largely followed by rhetorical scholars who also regarded metaphor as a displacement or an extension of the meaning of words (Ricocur, 1978), or an implied comparison of two different things (Feng, 1983). In addition, they also emphasized that an eye for resemblance was essential in making a good metaphor, and metaphor itself could polish language, make language more charming and distinctive. Later on, another slightly different view on metaphor, known as substitution, was proposed by the ancient Rome rhetorician Quintilian. It mainly stated that metaphor was formed by using one expression to substitute another equivalent literal expression (Lin Shuwu, 1997, pp.11-19). Therefore, both Aristotle and Quintilian have limited metaphor 5 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses to lexical level, as a figure of speech no different from other rhetorical devices like synecdoche, metonymy and personification. But their main differences lie in that the former regarded resemblance or analogy as the essence of metaphor, while the latter shifted his attention to substitution or replacement. From 1930s to 1960s, a new view called Interactive Theory was put forward by Ivan A. Richards, one of the founders of modern, psychologically based literary criticism, to examine the metaphorical property of human beings mind and action and the structure of metaphor. He claimed that In the simplest formulation, when we use a metaphor we have two thoughts of different things active together and supported by a single word, or phrase, whose meaning is a resultant of their interaction(Richards, 1936, p.89). Therefore, according to Richards, when researchers are trying to find out how the language works, they are actually studying human beings mechanism of thought, emotion and other brain activities. Compared with the above mentioned two theories, Interactive Theory is much better and more authentic in that it no longer limits metaphor at lexical level, but shifts to the way of thinking. Whats more, Richards has widened the researching field of metaphor, not just in rhetorical or poetry d iscourse but in our daily language including science discourse. A new view of metaphor that challenged all these aspects of the powerful traditional theory in a coherent and systematical way was first developed by George Lakoff and Make Johnson in 1980 in their seminal study: Metaphors we live by. Their conception has become known as the the cognitive linguistic view of metaphor. Lakoff and Johnson challenged the deeply trenched view of metaphor by claiming that 1) metaphor is a property of concept, and not of words; 2) the function of metaphor is to better understand certain concepts, not just some artistic or esthetical purposes; 3) metaphor is often not based on similarity; 4) metaphor is used effortlessly in everyday life by ordinary people, not just by special talented people; and 5) metaphor, far from being a superfluous though pleasing linguistics ornament, is an inevitable process of human thought and reasoning (1980, p.3). They have been convinced that metaphor is pervasive both in thought and everyday language. 2.1.2. Definition of Metaphor In terms of the several theories discussed above, it can be taken for granted that metaphor has witnessed a great revolution, from rhetorical devices at lexical level to 6 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis cognitive aspect as a way of thinking, and from poetry discourses to daily language. Its definition has also changed a lot: as in the ancient Greek, the word metaphor was defined as a novel or poetic linguistic expression where one or more words for a concept are used outside of its normal conventional meaning to express a similar concept; but since 1980s, the essence of metaphor has focused on cognition instead of comparison and the locus of metaphor is not in language at all, but in the way we conceptualize one mental domain in terms of another. Today, an increasing number of cognitive scientists, including cognitive linguists, are engaged in researches on metaphor. The reason is that metaphor study has extended to a much wider area, interrelating with human thought, understanding, and reasoning. Trying to understand metaphor, then, means attempting to understand a vital part of who we are and what kind of world we live in. So now one widely shared definition of metaphor is propose d by Lakoff and Johnson (1980): metaphor is not just a matter of language, that is, of mere words, but a cross-domain mapping in the conceptual system; the essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another; and metaphor is pervasive in everyday life, not just in language but in thought and action (pp.3-5). In addition, other scholars also put forward their ideas about metaphor. Metaphor is characterized by the conceptualization of one cognitive domain in terms of component more usually associated with another cognitive domain (Taylor, 1989, pp.132-133). Yu (1998) focuses on the mappings between the source domain between the target domain, stating that metaphor is a conceptual mapping from a source domain to a target domain with both ontological correspondence and epistemic correspondence entailed by the mapping (p.15). All the definitions indicate that metaphor is related to conceptual system and should be understood as a metaphorical concept. 2.2. Researches on Conceptual Metaphor In cognitive linguistics, conceptual metaphor, or cognitive metaphor, refers to the understanding of one idea, or one conceptual domain, in terms of another. There are two main roles for the conceptual domains posited in conceptual metaphor: one is source domain, referring to the one from which we draw metaphorical expressions; and the other is target domain, referring to the conceptual domain that we try to understand. For 7 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses example, in the metaphorical sentence ARGUMENT IS WAR, the word war is the source domain, while argument as the target domain; the concrete source domain is used here to better analyze the abstract target domain. Therefore, with the advent of cognitive linguistics, metaphor has witnessed a great revolution in getting access to the conceptual study. In this part, some researches on conceptual metaphor are to be discussed for the sake of theoretical basis. 2.2.1. Categorization of Conceptual Metaphor Influenced by Michael Reddys Conduit Metaphor Theory (Reddy, 1979, pp.284-310) (He put forward that language functions like a conduit, transferring thoughts bodily from one person to another), Lakoff and Johnson in their cognitive theory of metaphor subdivided conceptual metaphor into three categories: structural metaphor, orientational metaphor, and ontological metaphor (1980, pp.93-112). Structural metaphor refers to the type of conceptual metaphor in which a target domain is understood by reference to the structure of its source domain (Wang Yin, 2006, p.409). In terms of its definition, there are two components and two conditions that are essential to compose a structural metaphor. The source domain and the target domain are the two components that must be two different concepts, which satisfy the first condition. The second condition requires that the two unlike concepts should have something in common by which the structural metaphor adopts to illustrate and comprehend the concept of the target. Again take the expression ARGUMENT IS WAR for example: Conceptual metaphor: ARGUMENT IS WAR Linguistic analysis: Your claims are indefensible; His criticisms were right on target; I demolished his argument; Ive never won an argument with him; He attacked every weak point in my argument. (Wang Yin, 2006, 459) It can be seen from the example that the words like claims criticisms and argument used for describing argument can also collocate with such war-related words or expressions as indefensible on target demolished won and attached. So we can come to conclude that the concept ARGUMENT is metaphorically 8 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis constructed in terms of the concept WAR. Ontological metaphor is another evidence to show that metaphor is not only a phenomenon of language but also a means of thinking and behavior, which is pervasive in our daily life (Wang Yin, 2006, p.410). The source domain in ontological metaphor always refers to those familiar things or objects in our world, which can be seen and touched easily, so we can know its function and qualities at the first sight, then it contributes to the comprehension and cognition of the target which is regarded as non-material or supernatural experience. Take the following sentence as an example. ARGUMENTS ARE BUILDINGS. Obviously, buildings are the most familiar thing that we see and have a direct contact every day, so their special qualities, such as the appearance, the foundation, the thickness, the possibility of construction, repair, destroy, collapse, etc., can be physically perceived. Therefore, arguments are metaphorically described as buildings, implying that a successful argument is similar to a good building based on careful preparations, firm foundations, good working skills and so on. Otherwise, it will be defeated. In terms of the ontological metaphor: ARGUMENTS ARE BUILDINGS, there arise many expressions as follows. We need some facts or the argument will fail apart. We need to construct a strong argument for that. This is an argument, and it needs more foundation. If you dont support your argument with solid facts the whole thing will collapse. Orientational metaphor, also called the spatialization metaphor, refers to a series of conceptual metaphors structured according to spatial orientation such as up-down, in-out, front-back, left-right and central-peripheral (Wang Yin, 2006, p.410). The specialty of the orientational metaphors is that they are not used in arbitrary but in a fixed way based on peoples experience and culture, and their cognitive job is to give an ontological status to general categories of abstract target concepts. For example, Happy is up, sad is down. Im feeling up/down. You are in high spirits. He is really low these days. The above four sentences prove that we can understand and express our feelings in 9 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses terms of the simple spatial concept (like up and down), and the spatial concept itself is constructed from our experiences, that is, interactive with the physical environment. The physical words up down high and low here are no longer understood as the direction words as before, but used to explain and describe the non-physical phenomenon. 2.2.2. Working Mechanism of Conceptual Metaphor In the past years, different linguists have formed different understandings on the working mechanism of conceptual metaphor, such as Richard and Black interaction theory (1936), Lakoff and Johnsons mapping theory (1980) and Fauconniers conceptual blending theory (1996). Mapping theory will be singled out in this part for further discussion. According to Lakoff and Johnson, there are two cognitive domains in the conceptual metaphor, the source and the target, and its working mechanism is to map the experiences of the source domain onto the relatively abstract target domain. They also reinforced that metaphorical thought, in the form of cross-mappings is primary, metaphorical language is secondary (1999, p.123). Fauconnier inherited Lakoff and Johnson cross-domain mappings, claiming that mappings between domains are at the heart of the unique human cognitive faulty of producing, transferring and processing meaning (1997, p.1). Mapping theory is widely applied in illustrating how the two parts or domains can be identified with each other. Take LIFE IS A JONRNEY for example; figure 1 shows the corresponding conceptual mappings between the source domain JOURNEY and the target domain LIFE: Figure 2-1: Mapping Structure in LIFE IS A JONRNEY Source domain Journey Travelers Point of departure Distance Obstacles Destination Termination Target domain Life Common people Birth Process of life Difficulties Goals in life Death 10 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Theoretical Basis 2.2.3. Systematicity of Conceptual Metaphor According to Lakoff and Johnson, metaphorical concept is systematic as metaphor is to understand one concept in terms of another (1980, p.12). Based on the above analysis of the expression ARGUMENT IS WAR, it can be seen that such war-related words as indefensible, on target, demolished, won and attacked are used in a systematic way to describe the battling aspects of an argument. The conceptual features of war are partially transferred to those of argument, adding much color and vividness to the abstract word ARGUMENT. The analysis of LIFE IS A JONRNEY put forward by Lakoff also proves that full clusters of semantically-related words (the italic parts) are sometimes used with related metaphorical meanings. It goes as follows: He got a head start in life. Hes without direction in his life. Im where I want to be in life. Im at a crossroad in life. Hell go places in life. Hes never let anyone in his way. Hes gone through a lot in life. (Lakoff, 1993, p.19) One aspect needs to be pointed out that the very systematicity allows people to comprehend one aspect of a concept in terms of another but meanwhile it also hides other aspects of the concept. Just as the above mentioned, the conceptual features are just partially not totally transferred from one domain to another. Some other features especially those inconsistent ones are not selected out for cross-mappings. For instance, air battle, naval battle, radar-invading airplane, missile, field hospital and Military Area Command are all under the vocabulary of war, but they are not chosen here to systematically depict the feature of argument. 11 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses Chapter 3 Weekly Radio Addresses of the US Presidents 3.1. Introduction The Weekly Radio Address is the weekly discussion of current events in the United States by the President. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the first U.S. president to deliver such radio addresses, and then in 1982, President Reagan revived the practice of delivering a weekly Saturday radio broadcast which is followed by all the other successors including President Barack Obama right now (Wikipedia). It is a typical and important kind of discourse, as in the speech, the President usually announces many newly-emerged domestic or international issues, attracting public attention and responses. The address embraces a lot of useful and fresh information, ranging from politics, economics, culture, education, military service, to health care, etc.. Since Barack Obama made his inaugural address on January 20th, 2009 as a new President in America, his weekly addresses have continued on the White House website, showing his concern on America as well as the whole world. So it can be taken for granted that the weekly address is of great necessity either for the President who can build up his public image, or for the American people who can in this way enhance their vigilance and take current problems into further consideration. 3.2. Varieties of Public Speaking The Weekly Radio Addresses made my U.S. president can be perceived as a sort of public speaking for the audience around the world. Therefore, the varieties of public speaking are necessary to be mentioned here to illustrate the features of Weekly Address. In accordance with their general purposes, speeches usually can be classified into four categories: to inform, to persuade, to entertain, and to stimulate. 3.2.1. Informative Speech Information or information transition plays an important role in the development process of human society. In the ancient time, people could not have developed themselves without sharing information or drawing on the experiences of others. In 12 Chapter 3 Weekly Radio Addresses of the US Presidents addition, people in the modern world often consider information as a kind of power, bringing a lot of physical property and mental legacy. One of the major purposes for human communication is to collect, exchange and share information with each other, and so is public speaking. As for this type of speech, the speaker is required to convey information, or in other words, to keep the audience informed of something important and teach them how to deal with it. For instance, President Obama once started his radio address with a matter of doctors pay cuts aiming to keep people informed of its real reason and effect: More than a decade ago, Congress set up a formula that governs how doctors get paid by the Medicare program. The intent was to slow the growth of Medicare costs, but the result was a formula that has proposed cutting payments for Americas doctors year after year after year. These are cuts that would not only jeopardize our physicians pay, but our seniors health care. Since 2003, Congress has acted to prevent these pay cuts from going into effect. These votes were largely bipartisan, and they succeeded when Democrats ran Congress and when Republicans ran Congress which was most of the time. (12th, June, 2010) The above paragraph is a typical example of informative speech in Obamas weekly radio addresses. Furthermore, in the process of delivering speech, such techniques as discussion, explanation, illustration and description are of great help in ensuring that the audience can bear what the speaker said in mind and then really put them into practice. 3.2.2. Persuasive Speech The purpose of this type of speech is to influence or change audiences attitudes, beliefs, values, feelings, etc. or to persuade them to take some action. In ancient Greek, a famous scholar, Aristotle in his book Rhetoric and Politics (1954) once pointed out a reasoning formula known as the syllogism, in which ethos, pathos and logos were identified as the three criteria for achieving a successful argumentative speech. Ethos means the persuasive appeal of ones character, especially how his character is established by means of the speech and discourse. It is a vital factor in determining whether the speech enjoys a persuasive power or not, as only an ethical and honest speaker could present a truthful argument and win the audiences approval. Pathos is 13 A Study of Conceptual Metaphors in President Obamas Weekly Radio Addresses another communication technique and means persuading by appealing to the readers or listeners emotions. So in order to make the argument attractive enough, the speaker needs to have deep passion when delivering the speech. Logos stands for the appeal to reason. It is harder to argue against the argument built on reason and solid ground; and such arguments make the speaker look prepared and knowledgeable to the audience, which can in turn enhance the power of ethos. All the above mentioned three factors are of great necessity in improving the speakers persuasive ability when making a public speech. President Obamas radio address on 12th, June will be selected here once more for analysis: Im absolutely willing to take the difficult steps necessary to lower the cost of Medicare and put our budget on a more fiscally sustainable path. But Im not willing to do that by punishing hard-working physicians or the millions of Americans who count on Medicare. Thats just wrong. And thats why in the short-term, Congress must act to prevent this pay cut to doctors. If they dont act, doctors will see a 21% cut in their Medicare payments this week. This week, doctors will start receiving these lower reimbursements from the Medicare program. That could lead them to stop participating in the Medicare program. And that could lead seniors to lose their doctors. (12th, June, 2010) In persuading Congress to draft a plan to prevent doctors pay cut, President Obama first defines himself as a man full of sympathy, love and considerateness by putting on the shoes of physicians and the millions of Americans, and then presents several reasons to consolidate his argument. So ethos, pathos and logos are all skillfully used in this persuasive part. 3.2.3. Entertaining Speech As the name suggests, this type of speech is just to bring some entertainment or amusement to the audience rather than to arouse any serious response. It is

Ku Klux Klan, Past and Present Essay -- American America History

Ku Klux Klan, Past and Present The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is one of America's oldest and most feared groups. Driven by the dream of a world with only one master race, the KKK often uses violence and moves above the law to promote their cause. Violence and white supremacy was not their original intention. They have been in the shadows for over 130 years and continue to thrive in America's society today. The Ku Klux Klan began almost accidentally during the reconstruction period after the civil war in the Southern United States. The southern people had suffered greatly from the effects of the great war. Many of them lost their homes and plantations. Many also lost friends and loved ones to the war. The people needed a release from the sorrow of everyday life. In 1865, six men from a small town in Tennessee accidentally began what has grown to be the largest and most feared "hate group" in the country. The men decided to make a club to help release the stress of the times. The men were all poor and could not afford to make gowns or great costumes for the group, so they decided to use linens. They wore the linens over their backs and put pillowcases on their heads. They also draped the linens over their horses. The Ku Klux Klan was going to ride for the first time. In the beginning, the men wanted to do nothing more than play pranks on people. However, the people were more frightened than they were cheered up. They soon realized what they could do with these fear tactics. The South had turned into a place that was no longer theirs. The slaves were now free (many of these men were slave owners) and carpetbaggers were coming from the North to take advantage of the southern people. They saw the opportunit... ...m to have the same things in common. They contain information that undermines other races and religions. A majority of these sites also appeal to adolescents, teenagers and younger children by boasting such slogans as "Cool Hate Music." Cartoons are also found on many pages. These cartoons demonstrate the "enemy" races in displeasing situations that often elaborate the points and views of the KKK. In the end, the KKK is a problem that won't go away for long. As we have seen, the KKK will be active for a period and then disappear. As long as there is differences between people in this world, there will always be hate. And the Ku Klux Klan will be there to feed on this hate and exploit it in every way possible. They may be silent for many years, but you can count on the fact that they are there. They are "The Invisible Empire" and will always be the dark

Life Is a Journey Speech Essay

Sometime you can just feel a person’s spirit around you. In many ways, we can see that the death of something does often leave some kind of impact, and as a result of this impact something about us inevitably changes. I’m sure we’ve all had to deal with a close relative or a friend passing away, and it’s not the easiest thing, but there’s so much to learn from it. I’ve never really had a reason to until my good friend Dominique passed away earlier last year. Its nuts that one-day we’re all sitting together sharing a few laughs, and the next day a member of our group is no longer with us. Dominique was one of the smartest and most compassionate people I knew. He’d always make sure others were comfortable and never put himself before others. And that’s part of the reason why his death affected me so much; it’s saddening to know that a person that has done so much good can pass away at such a young age. Granted it is saddening, we can only learn from the good he has accomplished. It was hard seeing someone go that moved through life with you like water (simile). But I learned a lot from it. About embracing moments. About taking chances. About never giving up. About gratitude. About me (alliteration). Life is a journey (metaphor). And I never really understood what that meant until Dominique passed. As an active member of his community and a student at University of Maryland, Dominique always had something to offer to others. He always counted his blessings and paid it forward. Which continually blew my mind; why is someone so young worried about giving back to others when he has so much life left to live? Especially after Dominique’s death, I’ve realized that we can go so unexpectedly. When most people hear this, they think of all of the things that they have not done yet, the places they want to go, the crazy stories they want to tell, but because of my friend Dominique, I am able to see there are far more important things to live your life by; like establishing good character, and having the ability to be selfless. I’m not saying this is easy, but it is something I believe everyone should strive for in life. We all go through struggles on a daily basis but should we give up or continue to bite our teeth and fight on. Every setback happens for a reason, and this is the best time to learn from our mistakes, correct them, and hopefully not make the same mistakes in the future. Learn something new and strengthen yourself. My favorite quality of Dominique’s was that he never expected, demanded, or assumed anything. He always gave people the benefit of the doubt, did his best, and controlled the elements that he could control. We’ve all heard the quote; â€Å"Things that don’t kill you will only make you stronger.† After every setback, bounce back and become stronger. He always fought like the courageous man he was (simile). We often don’t realize that our attitude determines our unhappiness or misery. He always taught me to become determined to stay positive. Circumstances will direct you, correct you, and perfect you over time; so whatever you do, hold on to hope. The last thing Dominique really opened my eyes to was that he was never afraid to get out of his comfort zone. He was never shy and always put himself out there. Sometimes, when you are too comfortable in your journey to success, you will not improve, and tend to become okay with where you stand. Dominique was a great example of someone who kept moving forward and wasn’t afraid of what he may run into. We’ve all taken the first step of getting out our comfort zone by signing up for SP CM 212. But we must keep in mind that it’s a work in progress and that nothing comes easy. Dom always tried to persuade me into doing something I wouldn’t normally do and to give everything a chance. Thanks to him we were able to share a few memories by going on multiple trips together. By following the same old routine we begin to bore those around us and even ourselves. I guess I never really understood why it was such a big deal that every minute lost was never coming back to us. Your minutes are the only thing on this earth that there’s a limited amount of. We tend to take death pretty hard and question why they had to go at such a young age. But maybe we’re doing it all wrong and should be remembering the great things that person accomplished and what they left us with. If you’re looking for a happy ending and can’t seem to find one, maybe it’s time to remember the great things. When I look back at my life I can see how perfect all has been for me to be right where I am today. And I’m sure that goes to for many of us here. Life is a mystery unfolding every moment! (metaphor). Some of the strongest people out there are the ones who laugh the hardest with a genuine smile and have gone through the hardest of hardships.

Wallace v. Jaffree - School Prayer Silent Meditation

Wallace v. Jaffree - School Prayer Silent Meditation Can public schools endorse or encourage prayer if they do so in the context of endorsing and encouraging silent meditation as well? Some Christians thought this would be a good way to smuggle official prayers back into the school day, but courts rejected their arguments and the Supreme Court found the practice unconstitutional. According to the court, such laws have a religious rather than a secular purpose, though all the justices had different opinions as to why exactly the law was invalid.​ Fast Facts: Wallace v. Jaffree Case Argued: Dec. 4, 1984Decision Issued: June 4, 1985Petitioner: George Wallace, Governor of AlabamaRespondent: Ishmael Jaffree, a parent of three students who attended school in the  Mobile County Public School SystemKey Questions: Did Alabama law violate the First Amendments Establishment Clause in endorsing or encouraging prayer in schools if it did so in the context of endorsing and encouraging silent meditation as well?Majority Decision: Justices Stevens, Brennan, Marshall, Blackmun, Powell, OConnorDissenting: Justices Rehnquist, Burger, WhiteRuling: The Supreme Court ruled that an Alabama law providing for a moment of silence was unconstitutional and that Alabamas prayer and meditation statute was not only a deviation from the states duty to maintain absolute neutrality toward religion but was an affirmative endorsement of religion, violating the First Amendment. Background Information At issue was an Alabama law requiring that each school day to  begin with a one minute period of silent meditation or voluntary prayer (the original 1978 law read-only silent meditation, but the words or voluntary prayer were added in 1981). A students parent sued to allege that this law violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment because it forced students to pray and basically exposed them to religious indoctrination. The District Court permitted the prayers to continue, but the Court of Appeals ruled that they were unconstitutional, so the state appealed to the Supreme Court. Court Decision With Justice Stevens writing the majority opinion, the Court decided 6-3 that the Alabama law providing for a moment of silence was unconstitutional. The important issue was whether the law was instituted for a religious purpose. Because the only evidence in the record indicated that the words or prayer had been added to the existing statute by amendment for the sole purpose of returning voluntary prayer to the public schools, the Court found that the first prong of the Lemon Test had been violated, i.e., that the statute was invalid as being entirely motivated by a purpose of advancing religion. In Justice OConnors concurring opinion, she refined the endorsement test which she first described in: The endorsement test does not preclude government from acknowledging religion or from taking religion into account in making law and policy. It does preclude government from conveying or attempting to convey a message that religion or a particular religious belief is favored or preferred. Such an endorsement infringes the religious liberty of the nonadherent, for [w]hen the power, prestige and financial support of government is placed behind a particular religious belief, the indirect coercive pressure upon religious minorities to conform to the prevailing officially approved religion is plain.At issue today is whether state moment of silence statutes in general, and Alabamas moment of silence statute in particular, embody an impermissible endorsement of prayer in public schools. [emphasis added] This fact was clear because Alabama already had a law that allowed school days to begin with a moment for silent meditation. The newer law was expanded the existing law by giving it a religious purpose. The Court characterized this legislative attempt to return prayer to the public schools as quite different from merely protecting every students right to engage in voluntary prayer during an appropriate moment of silence during the school day. Significance This decision emphasized the scrutiny the Supreme Court uses when evaluating the constitutionality of government actions. Rather than accept the argument that the inclusion of or voluntary prayer was a minor addition with little practical significance, the intentions of the legislature that passed it was enough to demonstrate its unconstitutionality. One important aspect to this case is that the authors of the majority opinion, two concurring opinions, and all three dissents agreed that a minute of silence at the beginning of each school day would be acceptable. Justice OConnors concurring opinion is notable for its effort to synthesize and refine the Courts Establishment and Free Exercise tests (see also Justices concurring opinion in ). It was here that she first articulated her reasonable observer test: The relevant issue is whether an objective observer, acquainted with the text, legislative history, and implementation of the statute, would perceive it is a state endorsement... Also notable is Justice Rehnquists dissent for its effort to redirect Establishment Clause analysis by abandoning the tripartite test, discarding any requirement that government is neutral between religion and irreligion, and confining the scope to a prohibition on establishing a national church or otherwise favoring one religious group over another. Many conservative Christians today insist that the First Amendment only prohibits the establishment of a national church and Rehnquist clearly bought into that propaganda, but the rest of the court disagreed.

Free Essays on Mutual Fund Competition

A mutual fund is a corporation that pools large sums of money ranging from one million to several billions of dollars, pooled from millions of individual investors, just like you, who wish to save or make money. An individual or a team of professional money managers who invest the pool of money into stocks, bonds, or other securities runs mutual funds. I believe the form of competition a mutual fund would encounter would be monopolistic competition. The mutual fund competitive market would consist of the 10s are Charles Schwab, Merrill Lynch, Fidelity, etc. etc. A couple of examples of the funds available are income funds, and growth funds. Taken as a whole, my suggestion would be that large mutual fund markets are imperfectly competitive. The quality of the product does not seem to be related to the price of the product and the quality-price relationship does not seem to be improving in spite of the large number of suppliers in the market. It’s difficult to determine the quality of the product being sold. Securities are difficult to price because risk is difficult to judge. Both the market and mutual funds are responsible for prices. I believe their main focus would be not only who the competition is, but also, how well their competitors are doing on their returns for investors. If another firm is getting a better return for the same perceived amount of risk, they are more susceptible of losing their clients. The ease of entry into this market can be somewhat difficult. On the entry side of this industry, I think it would be difficult to enter this market because of the knowledge/track records needed to sell a particular mutual fund to potential investors. Also, money can be known as an entry barrier. Starting your own mutual fund organization is likely to be costly. Analysis using Porter’s Five Forces for Mutual Funds Starting at the center of Porter’s diagram, I looked at the competito... Free Essays on Mutual Fund Competition Free Essays on Mutual Fund Competition A mutual fund is a corporation that pools large sums of money ranging from one million to several billions of dollars, pooled from millions of individual investors, just like you, who wish to save or make money. An individual or a team of professional money managers who invest the pool of money into stocks, bonds, or other securities runs mutual funds. I believe the form of competition a mutual fund would encounter would be monopolistic competition. The mutual fund competitive market would consist of the 10s are Charles Schwab, Merrill Lynch, Fidelity, etc. etc. A couple of examples of the funds available are income funds, and growth funds. Taken as a whole, my suggestion would be that large mutual fund markets are imperfectly competitive. The quality of the product does not seem to be related to the price of the product and the quality-price relationship does not seem to be improving in spite of the large number of suppliers in the market. It’s difficult to determine the quality of the product being sold. Securities are difficult to price because risk is difficult to judge. Both the market and mutual funds are responsible for prices. I believe their main focus would be not only who the competition is, but also, how well their competitors are doing on their returns for investors. If another firm is getting a better return for the same perceived amount of risk, they are more susceptible of losing their clients. The ease of entry into this market can be somewhat difficult. On the entry side of this industry, I think it would be difficult to enter this market because of the knowledge/track records needed to sell a particular mutual fund to potential investors. Also, money can be known as an entry barrier. Starting your own mutual fund organization is likely to be costly. Analysis using Porter’s Five Forces for Mutual Funds Starting at the center of Porter’s diagram, I looked at the competito...

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Business Plan - Essay Example One would be in Marlowe Arcade in Canterbury and in Westgate Shopping Centre at Oxford. Both stores shall carry the same products. The business will be financed with  £ 100,000 by a sole proprietor and  £ 200,000 through a business loan from a bank. Sales are estimated to reach about  £ 52,000 average for the first and second year. A positive cash flow is projected at the end of the first year. Prints & Plains shall offer products of various British Designers, from casual wear to formal wear, and to special attires depending on the season. As it caters mainly to women in their 20s and 30s who are already busy with their careers, it would present to this target market a wide array of choices in terms of clothing. It would offer practical get ups for the overly busy working women, and would carry stylish and fashionable ensembles as well. Covent Garden in London is popular for its shops, street performers, bars, restaurants, theatres and the Royal Opera House. It is an Italian style piazza holding restaurants, bars and fashionable boutiques and is known for being the capital’s premier entertainment and leisure destination. (Covent Garden Life.Com. 2007). In it are stores selling the country’s leading designer brands, and it has already a steady host of clients having been in operations for several years now. Marlowe Arcade in Canterbury and Westgate Shopping Centre at Oxford are both popular destinations for both local residents and tourists. They are also the best places to put up Prints & Plains branches as they are situated along busy districts where the hustle and bustle happens. Prints & Plains’s Target Market would primarily be working women in their early 20s to their late 40s, whose monthly salary range is from  £ 10,000 to  £ 50,000. They are the ones who appreciate trend and styles and would spend a considerable amount for nice clothing that would fit

International Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 4

International Human Resource Management - Essay Example Through the current report, the researcher is going to evaluate critical similarities and differences between these domestic and international human resource policies and the different situations where each one influences the decision making process of the organisations. DefinitionsDomestic Human Resource PoliciesDomestic human resource policies of an organisation are limited to national borders. Basically, these are organisation with little or no international connection. There services are limited to local consumers and the employees are also locally recruited. Thus, cross-cultural interaction is rare and they are committed to management of local resources only (Black, 1999).International Human resource policies The international human resource management involves the same activities as the domestic human resource management has including human resource planning, staffing, recruitment, development and rewards etc, but critics argue that domestic human resource management usually en gage with employees within one national boundary.International human resource policies can be described as those regulations and guidelines which help in facilitating the business and relationship between cross national organisations. It also encompasses all legal activities which will keep a check on normal functioning of the international business (Takeda and Helms, 2010). Overall international human resource policies are aimed at maintaining and effectiveness of human resources in an international context. Apart from the basic polices of planning, recruitment and selection, performance management, staffing, labour relations and compensation and benefits. International HR policies also take care of various functions such as monitoring and management of international laws, selection and recruitment for international assignments, expatriate employee development and training and management of their compensation and career issues Similarities between Domestic and Multinational Human R esource policies and practices   The core human resource policies concerning domestic and international environment are almost similar. They include basic human resource planning, compensation and performance management, reward system, development and appraisal, recruitment and selection etc. The existence of these similarities is because of the fact that policies and guidelines inside the office are almost similar. The other reason is that these policies have a single origin. It is only with the advent of globalization and international business networks, that these policies have been stretched and modified according to requirements. Human resource planning Human resource policies imply on all those planning processes which link the various needs of human capital of a firm to its strategic aim. The objective of the human resource planning process is to make the human resource