Ethical Audit Report of Tesco

1. 0 Introduction According to Mamoria (2010), business ethics is defined as the businessman's integrity so far as his conduct or behaviour is concerned in all fields of business as well as towards the society and other businesses. Thus, the conduct or behaviour by businessman towards the society or others may have some conflicts and contradictions. The intention of this report is to highlight what and why the incidents happened. The incidents include the employment of illegal workers, price fixing, and poor product quality.All these incidents tend to spoil the corporate’ image of the company and also bring harmful effect to the communities and other stakeholders. So, Tesco took action by compensating to the victims, restructured corporate management system for better performances, and provided training programme and learning course for the employee. The ethical theories applicable to Tesco include Ethics of Justice, Ethics of Duty, and Feminist Ethics, which will also be disc ussed in this report. Related article: How Tesco Communicates With CustomersIn addition, the organization’s best practices and values such as corporate social responsibility and protecting the environment will also be discussed for the close up of this report. 1. 1 Background of Tesco Tesco, one of the largest retailers in the world started its business in 1919. The Founder, Jack Cohen started a grocery stall in East End of London. He made a profit of ? 1 from sales of ? 4 on his first day. After 5 years, in 1924. Mr. Cohen bought a shipment of tea from Mr. T. E. Stockwell where the â€Å"Tesco† brand first appearance.Tesco expanded its business to petrol station in 1974, and became the UK’s largest independent petrol retailer. It generated a total sales topped ? 1bn and doubled up to ? 2bn in 1982. In order to overtake the UK’s leading grocer in 1990, Tesco made an aggressive marketing campaign to open more stores to gain its businesses. In 2000, Tesco continued to expand its business by product range from clothes to electrical and personal finance products when Tesco. com was launched (www. telegraph. co. uk). For more detail on its corporate background, kindly refer to Appendix I. 2. 0 Ethical DilemmasEthics in general and ethics in business are very intimate to one another. Therefore one's personal ethics cannot be completely separated from one's business or organizational ethics. If you are a man of principles, then you are more inclined to insist on high moral standards in your business and organizations (Gavai, 2010). No matter how strong the corporate policy and system, ethical dilemmas still exist as everyone is looking for their own interest. Tesco, one of the biggest retailers in worldwide also faces the same problems such as illegal workers, price fixing and poor product quality. . 1 Illegal Workers Tesco was caught for hiring 30 illegal workers who were foreign students at one of its warehouses. These students were from 11 different nationali ties; mostly Bangladeshi and Indian origins were alleged for working up to 3? times longer than their allowed working hour in visa permit (www. visabureau. com). They worked as much as 50 hours extra than the allowed hours of 20 hours per week. This incident happened after the UK border Agency enforcement team visited their factory on July 2012 in Croydon (www. immigrationmatters. co. uk).The retailer took responsibilities by giving corporation to the investigation as they insisted they did not condone illegal working (www. telegraph. co. uk). Anyhow, employees were considered the victims in this incident as they had not been protected by the company’s employment rules, where they were forced to work for extra hours. They faced big losses such as inability to further education and having a work-life balance. Employer did not protect for employee welfare, they abused employee right to work extra which prompted to product high productivity, maximize the profit margin by saving cost of employee salary.Supplier played a key role in this scenario, as it was the only party to transform information between the employers and the employee while in the process of recruitment. In fact, there was wrong information sending either to the employer or the employee. 2. 2 Price Fixing Tesco was accused in the scandal of the pricing fixing on its dairy products such as cheese and milk. The consumers from the Office of Fair Trading in UK reported that Tesco had charged them an additional of approximately ? 270M between years 2002-2003.The huge amount was accumulated from 3 pence extra for a pint of milk, 15 penny extra for each quarter-pound of butter and the same amount per half-pound of cheese for every single purchased together with another 8 firms were implicated in the collusion (www. dailymail. co. uk). They were caught by breaching the competition act in synchronising the increased price with other competitors for certain dairy products. However, Tesco’s comp etitors had admitted and OFT had been given discount on the fined amount as they had given cooperation in the investigation.When the corporations did not practice fair competition which comply with the competition law, consumers were the victims because they did not protect in fair trading. This is clearly a strong violation of consumers’ rights (www. savistamagazine. com). Shareholders in the corporations basically earned extra profits in this scenario. Whereas, this practices was not encouraged as they must obey the corporate law which was stated in the Corporate Governance. Government department plays a key role in this embarrass scenario; their intention was to protect the consumers.Their penalty towards the corporations sent a clear signal to them not to violate consumers’ rights. In fact, families in UK suffering big loss of expensed extra for the daily goods in unknowingly. They should be protected under the fair trading policy which ensured them to trade in wor thiness. 2. 3 Poor Product Quality Tesco also received a punishment from the Bracknell Magistrate Court for selling 127 outdated foods in the Martins Heron branch on May 2011. The foods included beef-burgers, ham and chocolate cheesecake. This incident happened when a girl fell sick after consuming chargrilled chicken pasta salad.This prompted Bracknell Forest Trading Standards officers to investigate the matter after receiving the complaint. The officers found that the foods had expired for 16 days during a visit to the store (www. getreading. co. uk). Trading Standards officers commented this matter as the â€Å"worst case of out-of- date product† that they had ever seen (www. mirror. co. uk). The irresponsible behavior acted by the management of Tesco was strongly affected to the public health. It also brought suffer to the consumers from physically and mentality. The shareholders were also facing lost when the management was careless in managing the stocks.Besides the abo ve, Tesco was discovered for selling 100 expired food products which included yoghurts, fruit smoothies, soup, gravy, vegetable pakoras, packaged salad, pasta bowls, samosa and bhaji snack packs and guacomole dip. These items were past their sell-by-dated of between 1 to 17 days. The occurrence was engaged by a manager who had 20 years experience but his first time to manage the largest store chain, Tesco Extra. Shoppers had complaint about the poor problems to the Coventry City Council and the trading standards officers had proven the issues after their raids at the branch in Gielgud Way, Walsgrave in November 2009 (www. oventrytelegraph. net) 3. 0 Actions taken to solve these dilemmas According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, dilemmas are situations or problems where a person has to make a difficult choice; an ethical dilemma is a problem where a person has to choose between a moral and an immoral act (smallbusiness. chron. com). Dilemma occurrences in the workplace are common and action taken to solve them is very important, whereas theory of ethics can be applied as guidelines which may bring the moral decision. 3. 1 Reinforce in recruitment and management system Tesco was fined for a total of ? 15,000 by UK Border Agency (UKBA) for 23 students, of various nationalities who had breached the visa working terms (www. telegraph. co. uk). UKBA was reflecting UK government’s intention into act which has promised to overwhelm on visa abuse. The 23 individuals were not permitted to enter UK again (www. visabureau. com). The Britain’s biggest supermarket had ensured that the incident in this nature will never happen again. One of the executive had been laid off after the lacklustre performance (www. telegraph. co. uk). Tesco was a founder member of Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI).They searched employee with high standard by applying the ETI base code which included; no exploitation of child labour, working hours not exceeding (20 hours per week f or foreign workers) and regular employment is provided (www. tesco. ie). However, the government had carried out a good job by taking serious action against any employers who had breached the visa working terms. After the fined it brought a â€Å"warning† to the competitors and simultaneously as a reminder to them to have good ethical practice while in competition. Nobody is allowed to breach the rules in order to obtain success in competition.In addition, after UKBA taken action against the employer, the rest employees will enjoy the benefits which to work in regularly, fair treated, feel protected and concerned by the government. Employer was ensured that the management system been improved after laid off an employee who made mistake. Employer was informed to put employee’s welfares as priority. 3. 2 Defending the rights Tesco was slapped with the fined of ? 10m for price-fixing of its dairy products by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in 2011 after seven years of in vestigation. However, they threatened to fight back by taking legal action against OFT to defend themselves.The company claimed they were â€Å"surprised and dismayed† with the fined and strongly denied with any collusion in changing pricing detail with each other via the dairy processors. Tesco stand at its point vigorously and throughout the court. However, it had urged the government to deprive OFT of its power to investigate and punish firms under the competition act (www. mirror. co. uk). The intention of OFT was to alert the industries that the competition laws was enforced in ensuring the shopper in a fair trade condition. Hence, after the punishments were sent, it was ensure that the competition was maintained under the competition laws.Furthermore, competitors were only able to divulge information to each other via dairy suppliers. Suppliers were also not been honest in this incident. Suppliers did not bear responsibility of providing high quality products with reaso nable prices where the consumers are able enjoy the benefits. Thus, suppliers being fined by the OFT were considered reasonable. No matter how the employer wanted to fight back with OFT, they had to pay the fine and settled it in the fastest way where to stop any embarrassing matters to affect their sales figure.At the same time, the costly and time consuming case might affect the expense of both taxpayer and business as well. So the fine paid has benefitted the consumers which bring fairness of their trading. 3. 3 Compensations After Tesco had admitted selling of outdated food, it was fined by the Bracknell Magistate Court for ? 12,000, and ? 15,000 in legal fees and a ? 15 victim surcharge. The Charges were related to 88 types of food which were put on shelves for sales. Tesco had to bear for the penalty as they knew that selling of out-date-food brought harm to the public health (www. tutorcare. o. uk). In order not to repeat their mistake, they were reinforced through staff trai ning at the Bracknell store to ensure all the processes undergone strict quality control and the procedures were complied. Customers are the cause and purpose of every business. A business is supposed to serve them satisfactorily (Gavai, 2010). According to Tesco Corporate responsibility, they were running local supplier programme for the purpose of getting fresh and quality products. Therefore, the company had to enforce the programme to ensure it was running smoothly and the supplier complied with it.Employers had to bear the responsibility for the incident where there was serious problem in the management. The accused significantly spoiled the corporate image and reputation which cause the sales figure to drop. However, the employers had made a right decision for admitting the mistake and paid compensation. It significantly showed that Tesco was applying the Ethics of Justice. According to Plato (2010), justice is an order and a beauty of the parts of a whole. Justice is effectiv e coordination. It is an effective harmony of the whole.Ethics of justice can be defined as what is right and what is wrong in clear and precision. It was related to the notion of fairness. When a person is been treated unequally or deprived from what he deserved, then he was treated with injustice. Tesco realized that treating someone injustice was an immoral action, so they pledged guilty and paid fined which tend to bring fairness to the consumers as to determine this action on the criterion of rightness, which is one of the concepts in Ethics of Justice as well. Furthermore, Tesco was fined for ? 33,400 for 43 charges of selling 100 out-of-date foods at a hearing in Coventry Magistrates Court and a further of 94 charges after considering their sentenced. However, some shareholders of Tesco were present in court to show their seriousness of this matter and their concern on the case. They pledged guilty on the charges and their managers were laid off and two other employees were b eing disciplined (www. lacors. gov. uk). Employees had the responsibility to carry out their job by following the corporate system. Some of the mistakes were not being tolerated and it has brought harm to the public health.The Coventry council was pleased with the results as the sentenced brought a warning to other competitors in the same industry that the government had stand at their point for the communities was appreciated. 4. 0 Best Practices and Values According to Donald, White and Bedner (2010), value is a concept of the desirable, an internalized criterion or standard of evaluation a person possesses. Such concepts and standards are relatively few and determine or guide an individual's evaluation of many objects encountered in everyday life. Values are tinged with moral flavour involving an individual's judgement of what is good, right or desirable.Tesco has practiced several communities’ works as a return to the society and tried to deliver values to them. Corporate social responsibility is in the interest of business because, by contributing to social change, it can create a better environment for its own transactions, thereby developing business while being socially responsibly (Rendtorff and Dahl, 2009). 4. 1 Communities Works Tesco plays a vital role in the local communities by supporting them actively without preconditions. They wanted to have a good relationship with the communities in which they operated.The fundamental condition that Tesco can provide to the communities is providing good quality, affordable foods and goods, and offering job to the unemployment. Besides that, they are listening and responding to the local communities for their needs and values, carrying out the issues that matter to them positively, and improve the local area by providing lasting contributions. They regularly set up a new store in the area where the retailers or businesses had been neglected. Tesco also launched a Regeneration Partnership Programs in UK where Tesco was proud as this prompted to providing job opportunities to the long term unemployment.In May 2012, they had their first launched store under the regeneration program in Hungary at Debrecen. Hiring 100 unemployed and providing 42 with courses organized by Regional Labour Centre helped them to readjust in their routine of daily work. Tesco also gathered the local communities in a centre point for them to interact. In Turkey, Tesco Kipa Family Club offered Cooking class, Dancing class, chess and learning English Class to their 60,000 members. In addition, Tesco had over 100 schools of Extended Class in South Korea to let the customers and families to attend Arts and English Class.Presently, Tesco had over 750 communities champion working into the communities which communicated with the communities effectively. They were organizing activities such as Healthy Eating to the primary school and local school children, charity event by collection or bag packing, and also asking the staff and customers to join the events like Race for Life (www. tescoplc. com). Without doubt, values to the communities such as responsibility, accountability, concern and unity had contributed absolutely by Tesco. â€Å"Value† so understood is a very broad category.It includes all sorts of things, from personal desire like health or a sense of humor to social ideals like wealth or liberty (Weston, 2010). They are responsible to the communities by giving them quality product in affordable prices. In addition, they were giving values of accountability by organizing learning class for the communities to gain their knowledge and interests. Tesco is also concerned about the communities of the unemployment, giving priority to the unemployed for job opportunities which also gave them better future and better life.Unity of the communities is very important in local area, Tesco provided a platform for the communities to communicate, interact and work together. They looked forwa rd that every business and store were valued by the communities as they were trying hard to give interest to the communities. Tesco contributed a lot of times and fund to the community works. This demonstrates the application of Ethics of Duty. According to Kant (2010), a duty is obligatory and one has to do his duty regardless of any situation.Most of the time duty implies an action that one is expected to do as a part of society which may be neither for self-satisfaction nor for immediate happiness. Tesco knew what their prime duty to the communities was. Having a good thought is not enough but must in action. An action with potential concern showed their responsibility to the communities. 4. 2 Protecting Environment Protecting the environment is one of the important missions set by Tesco. The only way to deal with it was reducing the impact on the environment, including water and energy usage.All the suppliers have to follow the program with Tesco by reducing carbon footprint on the product and manage the water usage in all the store chain. The mission to be achieved is to become a zero-carbon business by 2050. Achieving a mission is not only in planning but practice. Tesco has converted over 100 stores to natural refrigeration across the corporate. The project in Kenya for the Lake Naivasha water stewardship helped to reduce water pollution and raised the water levels, replace transportation from lorries to rail transport which saved 15,000 tonnes of CO2e per year.Tesco had also collaborated with Unilever to create awareness amongst customers of sustainable product choices; more than 10,000 customers were advised to reduce their water footprint in Turkey. Tesco practiced by reducing in packaging and minimizing waste in their dairy operation which helped to reduce the impact on the environment. Reducing waste was the priority plan for Tesco. They used a market-leading store ordering system which helped to predict what each store chain will sell, this minimi zed waste of food accurately before it reached their customers.The programmes of minimizing the store’s operational waste started running since 2009 throughout the world’s store chain. They did not send any wastage from the UK store to the landfill. If the wasted were unable to recycle then it will be converted into other sources of energy. In China, cardboard and wasted oil in the stores had been fully recycled. In Poland, in order to increase the rate of recycling, they have conducted an audit of waste segregation in stores. In Malaysia, they encouraged the employees to recycle by launching a weekly league table to record who recycled the most.In US, they sent their waste food to the food bank for those who needed to reduce the wastage. And lastly in Slovakia, they donated the waste food the Hunter’s association for feeding animals. The materials used for product packing were the lightest weight and sustainable and also gave opportunities for recycling. Since 2007, Tesco have reduced the packaging of own-brand product more than 15% in UK, which included cutting glass usage by 420 tonnes annually when producing their own label Champagne. They also changed traditional packaging of toys to new packaging reduction technique that brought 15% reduction.In UK, Tesco also has commitments with WRAP’s Courtauld 2 (Waste and Resource Action Programme) to reduce the packaging waste by 2012. The commitments included the reduction of weight, recycled content of grocery packaging to be increased, rates of recycling to be increased, and carbon impact to be lowered by 10%, reduction of 4% for the UK household food and drink, and reduction of 5% for the products and packaging waste in the supply chains (www. tescoplc. com). Caring for the environment brings value of duty, love, hope, and comfort. Tesco has carried out their duty towards the society by committing on wastage reduction.All the resources taken from the earth and environment were fully utilized and the balances were recycled. This duty is belonging to everyone; therefore Tesco has taken it into priority. Tesco also showed the values of love. In terms of loving the earth, loving the environment, and loving each others in the world by saving the resources such as water. Human being is unable to live without water. Tesco knew the seriousness so they ran several programmes on reducing the usage of water. Tesco is giving Hope to the society as well, saving resources in order to prevent resources shortage, and climate changing.Value of hope is generating with these practices to the people. Living in harmony and secure which may concern for the next generation as well. With the clean environment, the values of comfort arise and the people can feel that they are living in a peaceful world. This is the main objective achieved by Tesco. A comfort lifestyle may bring positive thinking to the people, staying with tolerance and forgiveness. Tesco has significantly practiced et hical theory of right for the programme. According to William Sbaw (2010), a right is an entitlement to act or have other acts in a certain way.Everyone has a right in doing certain action and simultaneously expecting others not to deprive its right. However, others also possess a right to disagree to the action, but they cannot dismiss it. Tesco promoted the protecting environment programme and has prompted to let the communities knew that they had the right to live harmony. Right and Duty are correlated as that our prime duty is to protect the rights of people (Gavai, 2010). Tesco has the duty of giving fairness to the society and the communities have the right to enjoy the fair treatment. 5. Conclusion Business ethics is important for a corporate because it brings significant benefits and advantages. Corporation with good business ethics prompt to have good image and reputation in the market, which assist to create market awareness and promote sales easily. Furthermore, a corpora tion best practice such as corporate social responsibility is also very crucial which to protect the employees and communities’ welfare, corporation may enjoy benefits for itself also because a good corporate social responsibility may create loyalty of an employee.A loyal and committted employee will stay with the corporation constantly and increase productivity, which can reduce labour turnover as well. Whereas, Tesco, as one of the biggest retailers in the world, which cover business internationally (refer Appendix II for International business Chart), they realize the importance of these and working hard to practice good ethical behavior, create value for the communities and providing moral decision to settle the ethical dilemma to ensure the stakeholder and communities can enjoy the benefits.

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Owner- Congratulations for taking the first step in starting your own business. I am confident that I can provide you the necessary information that you need in order to help you make the best decisions for you and your new business venture. Developing a detailed business plan is key in starting a successful business. When forming a business you will first need to decide on the business structure. In your email you stated that you were on whether or not you wanted partners. You have the following options for business structures: sole proprietorship or partnership. A sole proprietorship is the basic type of business structure. It would consist as you being the owner only to run and operate the business. The advantages of this business structure is that it is easy to start-up, the start-up costs are low and the owner receives all profits from the business. Also, the owner can upgrade to a partnership or corporation easily in the future. A disadvantage to this business structure is the proprietor is responsible for debts and obligations. Business earnings for a sole proprietorship is taxed once, thus making filing taxes not complicated. Funding for a sole proprietorship is usually from personal finances and friends and families. This is due to limited financial opportunities from lending institutions and investors. A partnership involves you and at least one other person. There is two types of partnerships: general and limited. In a general partnership owners are equal and split responsibilities accordingly. In a limited partnership the limited partner have a limited role. The advantage of a general partnership is that the business is easy to start and profits and losses are divided among the partners. A disadvantage is that all partners are liable for debt. Another disadvantage is that all partners are bound to actions or decisions made by one partner. Last, this is not a good structure if the partnership wants large capital. For this type of business structure, each partner is taxed. A limited partnership is ideal for who has a preference of not having an active role in the company. Advantages include: minimum government regulations, limited partners not held responsible for debt and liabilities, and gener al partners have complete control. Disadvantages for a limited partnership are: more expensive to create compared to a general.

Every Father’s Dream Essay

Parents play an important role in the fulfillment of their children’s dreams. Often, before a child can even start to dream, parents have already made a mental picture of what they want their children to be in the future. In Barack Obama’s (2004) â€Å"Dreams from My Father,† we see the important role a father plays in the success of the incumbent president. On the contrary, in Arthur Miller’s (1949) â€Å"Death of Salesman,† the author illustrates how a father’s dream and example can sometimes destroy a son’s future. Look more:  perseverance example essay In this paper, we compare and contrast the dreams of the fathers in the two works in order to derive a lesson every parent and child should know. Published in 2004, â€Å"Dreams from My Father† narrates the life of the 44th president of the United States. The novel is told by the president himself, who was then elected for the senate. In his story, Obama describes how his father’s ambition and examples helped shape and made him realize his own dreams. The story narrates the young Barack Obama Sr. as a clever and intelligent yet mischievous student during his early years. Unable to finish college in his homeland, he lands a clerical job until two female missionaries help him find scholarship to a university in Hawaii. His perseverance to finish his studies later provides inspiration to his son, Barry. In his letter to his son, the father says, â€Å"Like water finding its level, you will arrive at a career that suits you† (45). This expresses the father’s wish for his son to find his own destiny, his own place in society. Finding one’s place in society is possible through education. Although Barack Sr. does not emphasize to Barry the importance of education, the boy realizes this through his parents’ examples. Specifically, the father’s own perseverance to gain further studies serves as example for the son to follow. Likewise, his words during their last meeting echo and translate in Barry’s mind as, â€Å"You do not work hard enough, Barry. You must help in your people’s struggle. Wake up, black man (126)! † These words serve as Barry’s motivation to persevere in all the struggles and responsibilities he has to face. In the play, â€Å"Death of a Salesman,† the father, Willy Loman has the same dreams for his son, Biff. He wishes for him to find his place in society, to be the best he can be. However, since Biff relies too much on his father’s examples, he becomes disappointed when he finds out that all the while, his father has not been true to his mother. The scene in the hotel where Biff finds out about Willy’s other woman devastates him, and ruins his life later on. Due to this, he decides not to attend the summer school and finish his studies. Considering his actions, Willy can be blamed for Biff’s inability to reach his dreams. The boy’s mindset is very much affected by his father’s actions. In contrast to Obama Sr. who serves his country and continues his studies, Willy shares in the disappointment of his son. These examples show us the important role of the father in giving advice to their sons, and in setting a good example. Despite the fact that Obama leaves his son to his wife, the good memory he leaves the boy serves as a good foundation for the child. Moreover, as the older Obama expresses in one of his letters to his son, for one to realize his place in society, one has to know one’s people, where he belongs (66). To do this, Barry searches for his roots and listens to what his grandmother’s story. From this, he finds out the struggles of his grandfather and his father, and finds strength in their sacrifices and dreams. The dreams of his father to be fully educated and to serve his country are enough to inspire Barry to move on and be the best he can be. In contrast, the theme of knowing oneself in order to realize one’s dreams is expressed differently in â€Å"Death of a Salesman. † In the play, Willy’s high expectations of Biff disappoint the son more. Biff insists to his father, â€Å"Pop, I’m nothing! I’m nothing, Pop. Can’t you understand that? There’s no spite in it any more (99)† Despite this, Willy still believes in Biff. He believes that if given a chance and a big sum to start on his own, his son can be successful. This is the reason why Willy sacrifices his life at the end, so that his sons can have what it takes to start on their own. The legacies of the two fathers are totally different. Obama leaves to his son an identity and reputation he can live with, while Loman bequeathes a good sum, which he is unable to provide his sons during his lifetime. Either way, the examples of the two fathers imply a general truth about fathers, that every one of them desires the best for their children. References Miller, Arthur. (1949). Death of a salesman. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://www. franklang. ru/download/Miller_Death_of_a_Salesman__pdf. pdf Obama, Barack. (2004). Dreams from my father. Retrieved April 29, 2009, from http://cephas17507. multiply. com/journal/item/20/Dreams_from_My_Father_Barack_Obama_2004_. pdf

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Brown v. Board of Education - Research Paper Example The complainants were thirteen Topeka parents on behalf of their twenty children† (Patterson, 2001). They wanted the school segregation – separate schools for white and black pupils as it was recommended (but not required) by the 1879 Kansas law - to be abolished in Topeka. The named complainant was Oliver Brown, whose friend convinced him to join the suit. His third-grade daughter Linda had to attend the school for black children far away that situated far from her house, while the one for white children was close. The District Court ruled in favor of the Board of Education grounding its decision by the decision of U.S. Supreme Court set in Plessy v. Ferguson case (1896), according to which the schools had to be â€Å"separated but equal† (means equal in facilities). In 1954 the case was reargued in the Supreme Court. The question was not whether the educational establishments for children with different color of skin offered "equal" opportunities, but whether th e policy of separate schools for black and white children answered to the Constitution. The justices answered with a strong "no": â€Å"Segregation with the sanction of law, therefore, has a tendency to [retard] the educational and mental development of negro children and to deprive them of some of the benefits they would receive in a racial[ly] integrated school system... We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of "separate but equal" has no place† (Patterson, 2001). The decision publicized on May 17, 1954 appeared for be the victory for black people. The government stated that the white and black children will be able to attend the same schools by 1963. Ralph Ellison wrote: â€Å"What a wonderful world of possibilities is unfolded for the children† (cited in Rosenberg 1991). From the first sight it seems that Brown is one of the decisive moments in American history. However, the more one investigates the issue, the more doubts arise. The ques tion is has Brown case been really so important in achieving those wonderful things Ellison wrote about? I would like to focus on only two key legacies of the case: its influence on the struggle of black people for their rights and its influence on desegregation of educational establishments for black and white pupils and the quality of education in these establishments. From the first sight it seems that Brown case impact on the civil rights movement is very clear as it served as the stimulus for the well-known Montgomery school bus boycott. Another milestone was the Little Rock case happened in 1957. The Supreme Court decision made President Dwight Eisenhower involve the troops to enforce it, which was a token of desegregation. But even this token would never take place if not Brown case. At the seventh anniversary of Brown, on May 17, 1961 in New Orleans the Freedom Rides were scheduled to come. His timing is another evidence of symbolic value of Brown case decision. Unfortunatel y they did not reach New Orleans in time due to strong opposition. Well-known black students’ sit-ins in Greensboro were inspired by desegregation of the schools in the South between 1954 and 1960. So, as we can see there was a chain of causations. However, some historians and among them Gerald Rosenberg, think that Brown case has not made such a considerable impact on the escalation of the struggle for civil rights in late 1950s or 1960s. He indicates that the press gave too little attention to Brown case in general

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Playboy Approaching Singapore - Essay Example While I don’t need to go to Playboy to get the latest topics of interest, I also believe that individuals or a culture shouldn’t be prevented from doing so. While this shows a sense of respect to culture, it also creates a question of how much control should be created over media influences in a given country. By releasing the ban on Playboy, there is also the ability to open media statements that allow the public to gather information that is diverse and timely from a broader perspective. The ban of Playboy is only one of several media publications which don’t have room in the Singapore culture. I have found that the controls over the magazine are creating continuous debates from those who want to get closer to nudity and to organizations that want to keep the doors closed. The problem is one based on the ideology of out of bound markers, mostly which implies sexual, political, racial and religious issues which don’t have an ethical or cultural relationsh ip to the culture. Bans made in Singapore are implemented through the Media Development Authority (MDA), specifically which justifies what is shown through the media. The authority is a branch of the Singapore government and has created a standard for censorship policies to uphold values and ethics in relation to the concept of free expression (Gomez, 2000). While the government, authorities and culture of Singapore holds values through the banning of magazines, a larger issue is at hand with the decision not to provide Playboy in the culture. I believe that the issue is based on control over topics which may not be considered ethical or which may be controversial. If there isn’t a magazine like Playboy, then how will free expression from various topics be heard? The problem isn’t with nudity it is with individual interest and to undress different areas of freedom. I believe the government and the MDA become forces which stop freedom of expression, exploration or a dee per understanding of the news, media and knowledge understood to the world. The problem then relates to individuals who can’t explore the full depth of nudity and Playboy statements. I think it is time for the controls and forces from the government and media to come down in Singapore. There isn’t a true understanding of whether sexual expressions are also a lack of value within society. The content in Playboy is considered controversial because of the nudity of women and what this may imply. However, this may not be considered morally wrong by some and implies a freedom of expression. I think that with exposure, there is also expanded awareness, changing beliefs and the ability to understand new lifestyles. By censoring the media, an entire culture is deprived from this awareness. While the ban on Playboy in Singapore is created through the government and MDA as a censorship for values, it does not provide a complete interpretation for the needs of society. The statem ent made through the institutions is one created with the ideology that media and information should be controlled according to what the government believes the values should be. More important, there is a withholding of knowledge and information that may provide those in Singapore with a different understanding or meaning to life. By withholding any type of media, there is also a censorship of freedom in terms of expression and exploration of society. I believe that

Clinical Journal(s) X4 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Clinical Journal(s) X4 - Research Paper Example A yellow bracelet and socks were worn by the patient to provide warning of the falls precaution requirement for the patient. Issue Encountered I observed the patient walking in the unit, and also moving out of the unit, without being stopped by any of the staff nurses. The issues here are the negligence of a system put in place for patient safety, and the confusion in me whether to intervene or not. Ultimately, I did warn the patient not to ambulate in the unit and also out of the unit. Questions Related to Practice Evidence from a long-term study of a large number of post operative patients in surgical units shows that 1.6% of surgical inpatients have one or more postoperative falls, with significant morbidity risk (Church et al, 2011). A possible cause of this risk for falls in postoperative patients is the use of strong analgesics of the opiate and opiate-like group to provide pain relief. These pain medications carry a high risk of falls in patients, from dizziness that is caused by them (Vestergaard, 2008). Recognition of the fall risk in postoperative patients assists in putting in place systems to reduce the risk of falls for patient safety. Effective falls prevention systems in hospitals may be costly, but taking into consideration the higher economic costs to patients in terms of morbidity, length of stay in hospitals, and costs associated with it, falls prevention systems are useful in hospitals (Spetz, Jacobs & Hatler, 2007). In this hospital a yellow colored bracelet and socks has been introduced in the system for falls prevention, to warn nurses of the fall risk potential of the patient, and that ambulation has to be prohibited. Yet, none of the staff nurses paid heed to the requirements of the falls prevention system, negating the effect of the falls prevention system, and reducing the safety of the patient. Money is being spent by the hospital to enhance patient safety through the falls prevention system. What needs to be done is for the nurses t o be conscious of the requirements of the falls prevention system, and be more vigilant to prevent postoperative patients with fall risk warnings moving around. Professional Growth I believe I am growing as a nursing professional through the experience of this event. I have learnt that there is the risk for falls in postoperative patients from the analgesics that are administered to them for pain relief. Systems for fall prevention are used for patient safety, which have to be adhered to, for effectiveness in the patient safety objective. I have also learnt that postoperative patients are likely to be unaware of the risk of falls from the pain medication that they take, and are likely to move around. It is the responsibility of the nurses to educate patients on these aspects, with the aim of making them desist from attempting to move around. Action and Non-action The postoperative patient on pain medications was moving around, though he was not supposed. The non-action part lay in n one of the staff nurses taking any steps to prevent his moving around, which may have resulted in a fall. I communicated to the patient that he should not be moving around the unit, and got him back to his bed. In addition, I informed my preceptor of my experience. She took steps to convene a meeting of all nurses, where the discussion was on effective implementation of the falls prevention system that was in use in the hospital. Safety Risk Opiate and opiate-like pain medications administered to

Moblie Phone Insurance Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Moblie Phone Insurance Research - Essay Example To this effect, a host of insurance companies created mobile phone insurance to provide cover for phones that are lost, damaged or stolen. Several companies have presented different options that make it easy to provide insurance cover for the mobile phones, and people have to choose dependent on the cover that suits them best, as well as the benefits that emanate from such dealings (Cai, Li, Xia, & Giannelli 2010: 49). Several ways of looking at the way of dealing with such an issue is actually dependent on the person making the payments. Some people will be content by knowing that they have an extra source of security for their expensive gadgets. The problem is that this peace of mind could come at an extra cost that they ought to have reduced at the very start by choosing the best MPI in the market. Some, however, will see the money paid to be quite high and unrealistic. They will wish to have their phones remain as they are without any cover (Brignall 2012). Nonetheless, it is important to understand that when companies are designing their MPIs, they are aware that customers will require different covers and will come up with different gadgets that vary in price. The company must understand this and place it into consideration as a way of appealing and satisfying their employees. The goal is to assure them that they will get the best through their indulgence and utility of covers from their companies (Cai, et al. 2010: 78-79). The delivery of services must meet the clients’ needs; hence, a need to work on carrying out their feasibility studies to understand what is missing. For instance, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) carried out a survey seeking to understand the impact MPIs have on clients (King & Carey 2013: 212). There were existing gaps brought about by ineffective product governance in companies, the products were not tailored to meet the needs of the consumers, the terms and conditions were unfair or

The Impacts of Black Death in Europe Research Paper

The Impacts of Black Death in Europe - Research Paper Example Capitals, were the toughest hit by the epidemic, suffering a great loss of cultural institutions such as churches and schools. Universities and grade schools were closed and at most abandoned. This was because the institutions did not have enough students to go to class or because teachers were not enough to teach the classes. For instance, Cambridge University alone lost sixteen out of forty lecturers to the plague. Churches lost priests and many people worried that there would be not a single soul left to share testimonies or lead sermons. Bishops and their successors were not spared either. People started to question their values. The atmosphere changed from one of cooperation to an individualism idea. Self-indulgence and self-satisfaction became popular as the whole society started to question what to expect the following day, so people started living each day to the fullest (Gottfried 164). The people became hopeless with the Roman Church and its power, as a result, the churches ’ influence and power declined. They started to question the Roman Catholic beliefs and faith, and God too. The priests had always taught the human race was chosen by God, but at that particular time, they wondered why God was not saving them.Education and religion systems had been brought to a standstill. An aspect of the community that was not as significantly affected by the plague as a culture was politics. The plague did not highly affect the course of politics, but it still had its share.

My personal capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

My personal capital - Essay Example What exactly will be the nature of business under the plan for my group? As a business consultant and empanelled with local chapter of chamber of commerce, I will seek to organize a seminar on emerging businesses that involve local as well as international venturing. Technical experts from various fields will be invited to take part in the workshop and discussions forming part of this seminar. Ideas about new products and services on the horizon will get exchanged; and after attaining details about two or three alternative ventures from these workshop and discussion forum the matter will be deliberated at the group level in order to take a final decision about the venture to be pursued. Next step will involve utilization of my capabilities in deciding the type of business entity to be established for the business. Do we need to incorporate our business or form a partnership is a crucial decision to be taken? The fact is that ‘the nature of your business is one of the factors th at must be evaluated in determining the best business entity for your business.’(Sherri K. DeWitt) . Though corporation provides certain protection from liabilities to shareholders, but partnerships have certain advantages as well. Partnership can be a general partnership or limited liability partnership. Then there is another alternative in shape of LLC. So the decision about incorporating the business or not is a crucial one; and my experience and capabilities intuit me to suggest corporation status as the business should always be of permanent nature and not depending upon the vagaries of ownership.

Romeo and Juliet essay Baz Luhrmanhas Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet essay Baz Luhrmanhas Essay Baz Luhrman has updated the screenplay of Romeo and Juliet. The scene is placed in America what is perfect for this screenplay. This screenplay suits America as it has a very violent place. Caused by gang warfare and gun being legal. Romeo and Juliet, it has a lot of sword fights and murders. Themes have a very important part of this love story; the whole story is based on opposites. The director Baz Luhrman has set the scene very well and has chosen the important parts that will make sense. The setting of America is good as drive-by shooting happen all the time and it has gangster who rule the streets by fighting, stabbing, shooting and killing in any form to win. It in Californian what is a built up place, and has not very built up areas around it. The themes have made this play what it is; it uses themes like love-hate and life-death. The opening scene starts off with the main credits, it has a black background what give tension to the start of the play. The characters in the credits seem every serious except Paris who is a neutral person in the families grudges. And in the beginning he shows a lot of faces as it shows emotion, this giving him to push the audience to the scene. Blood is even a theme as he uses to persuade you that it going to be gory as first impressions are vital. The first make setting is in a car were the Montague boys are, their wearing beach boy clothing, their very loud, got very simple hair cuts what shows hard people as personal in the armys have simple haircuts and they shout abuse to other people in the streets. They arrive at a petrol station, and Benvilo walks outer sight, which seams to be the leader of the pack as he driving the car. You then get a camera shot of a car with the licence plate printed on them Capulet, as there the other family that is in the civil war with there own family. Tybut steps out the car but u dont see his face and that he lighted a cigarette in a petrol station. Fire and petrol do not mix so this will build the audience and make them respond to his presence. He disappears and it end up with Gregory and Samson and Abram and an unknown person. Abram sees the montages and walks over to them and scares them. They do not want to seem weak or scared so they insult them with a hand gesture. This starts a argument what spirals out of control, they draw their guns with two on each side, Benvilo steps out and calls for peace but he draws his gun, this is an opposite as he want peace but draws a lethal weapon. This is a theme as it an opposite, this opposite is a peace-violent theme. The Capulets boys are very well dressed and seem to be care about there appearance by wearing expensive clothes, there look like gangsters as they like to dress well and need to make an impression from their appearance. This gangster thing comes into all parts of their life as Tybalt called the prince of cats his name tell you that he got leadership and power as he a prince and their in a powerful family. Abram is a very well built person he tall and has a wide body showing power as he seem to have strength. Peter seems least powerful as u only see him partly plus hes in the back of the car. The Capulet boys seem organised as they knew what to do in a gun fight, they did not back down and had no hesitation in drawing their guns. They seem not bothered to draw their guns and seem to not care about rules and Tybult is smoking in the petrol station. The Montague boys seem less organised and prepared for a gun fight as when they insulted Abram they started hesitating and did some panic gesture by the way Samson picked up the petrol pump and started wobbling and was shaking with it. Benvilo seem most powerful as he driving the car, and has the better built body. Samson and Gregory seem less powerful as they talk to Benvilo as he a leader and that they had to try and impress Benvilo with the ways they react to other people. When Benvilo has gone into the toilet the other two are very scared by Abram presence and they panic when they draw their guns. Benvilo walks back and draws his gun without panic but he try to call the peace, Benvilo name in Italian means peacemaker. This shows he not a violent person. Tybult walks back into the scene and want the conflict to carry on. Romeo is a very lonely person who does not seem to have a great relationship with his parents. Romeo is a very romantic young man, as he loves to be in love. He seems to be very confused about what is love and whom he loves; this is shown from lines 165-177. Romeo is not a violent person who the audience makes out to be a very perfect person. The pun that is said about him is in relationship to him love being in love. Benvilo says he has been walking around near a sycamore tree, he is saying that Romeo has got love sickness. Mr and Mrs Montague seem to be very wealthy as their travelling around in a limo, they are wearing very expensive clothes and other items. The Capulet parents seem to live the same lives of the Montague. They have expensive clothes a very nice house and they have expensive cars. Paris is a neutral person in this civil brawl, he want to marry Juliet but Juliet does not want to marry Paris, This is a arranged married as her parents want Paris to be her husband as he got a good job prospects and is a very nice young gentleman. The prince of Verona is a neutral person as he has family on both sides; he in charge of the town, in the film Baz has interoperated him as a chief of police. He is very concise as he gets to the point when he tells the family both in the civil brawl that one more outburst will result in their lives paying the price. Juliet is a very young woman who does not love Paris, she does not want what her parents want her, what in those days was very rude. Baz Luhrman has used the same language except he cut parts out that of the original screenplay. There is a lot of puns what are jokes what are words that mean two different things. The start of the play starts off with a series of puns based on the word coal and colliers. This would not make sense to a modern day audience as there Elizabethan phrases. These series of puns have been cut out as no one would understand them and it would not make sense, and this would cause problems with tension building and first impression as there most important in a film as it plans out the rest of the film.

The field of nuclear physics

The field of nuclear physics Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power and nuclear weapons, but the research has provided wider applications, including those in medicine (nuclear medicine, magnetic resonance imaging), materials engineering (ion implantation) and archaeology (radiocarbon dating). The field of particle physics evolved out of nuclear physics and, for this reason, has been included under the same term in earlier times. The discovery of the electron by J. J. Thomson was the first indication that the atom had internal structure. At the turn of the 20th century the accepted model of the atom was J. J. Thomsons plum pudding model in which the atom was a large positively charged ball with small negatively charged electrons embedded inside of it. By the turn of the century physicists had also discovered three types of radiation coming from atoms, which they named alpha, beta, and gamma radiation. Experiments in 1911 by Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn, and by James Chadwick in 1914 discovered that the beta decay spectrum was continuous rather than discrete. That is, electrons were ejected from the atom with a range of energies, rather than the discrete amounts of energies that were observed in gamma and alpha decays. This was a problem for nuclear physics at the time, because it indicated that energy was not conserved in these decays. In 1905, Albert Einstein formulated the idea of mass?energy equivalence. While the work on radioactivity by Becquerel, Pierre and Marie Curie predates this, an explanation of the source of the energy of radioactivity would have to wait for the discovery that the nucleus itself was composed of smaller constituents, the nucleons. Rutherfords team discovers the nucleus In 1907 Ernest Rutherford published Radiation of the a Particle from Radium in passing through Matter[1]. Geiger expanded on this work in a communication to the Royal Society[2] with experiments he and Rutherford had done passing a particles through air, aluminum foil and gold leaf. More work was published in 1909 by Geiger and Marsden[3] and further greatly expanded work was published in 1910 by Geiger,[4] In 1911-2 Rutherford went before the Royal Society to explain the experiments and propound the new theory of the atomic nucleus as we now understand it. The key experiment behind this announcement happened in 1909 as Ernest Rutherfords team performed a remarkable experiment in which Hans Geiger and Ernest Marsden under his supervision fired alpha particles (helium nuclei) at a thin film of gold foil. The plum pudding model predicted that the alpha particles should come out of the foil with their trajectories being at most slightly bent. Rutherford had the idea to instruct his team to look for something that shocked him to actually observe: a few particles were scattered through large angles, even completely backwards, in some cases. He likened it to firing a bullet at tissue paper and having it bounce off. The discovery, beginning with Rutherfords analysis of the data in 1911, eventually led to the Rutherford model of the atom, in which the atom has a very small, very dense nucleus containing most of its mass, and consisting of heavy positively charged particles with embedded electrons in order to balance out the charge (since the ne utron was unknown). As an example, in this model (which is not the modern one) nitrogen-14 consisted of a nucleus with 14 protons and 7 electrons (21 total particles), and the nucleus was surrounded by 7 more orbiting electrons. The Rutherford model worked quite well until studies of nuclear spin were carried out by Franco Rasetti at the California Institute of Technology in 1929. By 1925 it was known that protons and electrons had a spin of 1/2, and in the Rutherford model of nitrogen-14, 20 of the total 21 nuclear particles should have paired up to cancel each others spin, and the final odd particle should have left the nucleus with a net spin of 1/2. Rasetti discovered, however, that nitrogen-14 has a spin of 1. James Chadwick discovers the neutron In 1932 Chadwick realized that radiation that had been observed by Walther Bothe, Herbert L. Becker, Ir?ne and Fr?d?ric Joliot-Curie was actually due to a neutral particle of about the same mass as the proton, that he called the neutron (following a suggestion about the need for such a particle, by Rutherford). In the same year Dmitri Ivanenko suggested that neutrons were in fact spin 1/2 particles and that the nucleus contained neutrons to explain the mass not due to protons, and that there were no electrons in the nucleus only protons and neutrons. The neutron spin immediately solved the problem of the spin of nitrogen-14, as the one unpaired proton and one unpaired neutron in this model, each contribute a spin of 1/2 in the same direction, for a final total spin of 1. With the discovery of the neutron, scientists at last could calculate what fraction of binding energy each nucleus had, from comparing the nuclear mass with that of the protons and neutrons which composed it. Differences between nuclear masses calculated in this way, and when nuclear reactions were measured, were found to agree with Einsteins calculation of the equivalence of mass and energy to high accuracy (within 1% as of in 1934). Yukawas meson postulated to bind nuclei In 1935 Hideki Yukawa proposed the first significant theory of the strong force to explain how the nucleus holds together. In the Yukawa interaction a virtual particle, later called a meson, mediated a force between all nucleons, including protons and neutrons. This force explained why nuclei did not disintegrate under the influence of proton repulsion, and it also gave an explanation of why the attractive strong force had a more limited range than the electromagnetic repulsion between protons. Later, the discovery of the pi meson showed it to have the properties of Yukawas particle. With Yukawas papers, the modern model of the atom was complete. The center of the atom contains a tight ball of neutrons and protons, which is held together by the strong nuclear force, unless it is too large. Unstable nuclei may undergo alpha decay, in which they emit an energetic helium nucleus, or beta decay, in which they eject an electron (or positron). After one of these decays the resultant nucleus may be left in an excited state, and in this case it decays to its ground state by emitting high energy photons (gamma decay). The study of the strong and weak nuclear forces (the latter explained by Enrico Fermi via Fermis interaction in 1934) led physicists to collide nuclei and electrons at ever higher energies. This research became the science of particle physics, the crown jewel of which is the standard model of particle physics which unifies the strong, weak, and electromagnetic forces. Modern nuclear physics Main articles: Liquid-drop model and Shell model A heavy nucleus can contain hundreds of nucleons which means that with some approximation it can be treated as a classical system, rather than a quantum-mechanical one. In the resulting liquid-drop model, the nucleus has an energy which arises partly from surface tension and partly from electrical repulsion of the protons. The liquid-drop model is able to reproduce many features of nuclei, including the general trend of binding energy with respect to mass number, as well as the phenomenon of nuclear fission. Superimposed on this classical picture, however, are quantum-mechanical effects, which can be described using the nuclear shell model, developed in large part by Maria Goeppert-Mayer. Nuclei with certain numbers of neutrons and protons (the magic numbers 2, 8, 20, 50, 82, 126, ) are particularly stable, because their shells are filled. Other more complicated models for the nucleus have also been proposed, such as the interacting boson model, in which pairs of neutrons and protons interact as bosons, analogously to Cooper pairs of electrons. Much of current research in nuclear physics relates to the study of nuclei under extreme conditions such as high spin and excitation energy. Nuclei may also have extreme shapes (similar to that of Rugby balls) or extreme neutron-to-proton ratios. Experimenters can create such nuclei using artificially induced fusion or nucleon transfer reactions, employing ion beams from an accelerator. Beams with even higher energies can be used to create nuclei at very high temperatures, and there are signs that these experiments have produced a phase transition from normal nuclear matter to a new state, the quark-gluon plasma, in which the quarks mingle with one another, rather than being segregated in triplets as they are in neutrons and protons. Modern topics in nuclear physics Spontaneous changes from one nuclide to another: nuclear decay Main article: Radioactivity There are 80 elements which have at least one stable isotope (defined as isotopes never observed to decay), and in total there are about 256 such stable isotopes. However, there are thousands more well-characterized isotopes which are unstable. These radioisotopes may be unstable and decay in all timescales ranging from fractions of a second to weeks, years, or many billions of years. For example, if a nucleus has too few or too many neutrons it may be unstable, and will decay after some period of time. For example, in a process called beta decay a nitrogen-16 atom (7 protons, 9 neutrons) is converted to an oxygen-16 atom (8 protons, 8 neutrons) within a few seconds of being created. In this decay a neutron in the nitrogen nucleus is turned into a proton and an electron and antineutrino, by the weak nuclear force. The element is transmuted to another element in the process, because while it previously had seven protons (which makes it nitrogen) it now has eight (which makes it oxygen). In alpha decay the radioactive element decays by emitting a helium nucleus (2 protons and 2 neutrons), giving another element, plus helium-4. In many cases this process continues through several steps of this kind, including other types of decays, until a stable element is formed. In gamma decay, a nucleus decays from an excited state into a lower state by emitting a gamma ray. It is then stable. The element is not changed in the process. Other more exotic decays are possible (see the main article). For example, in internal conversion decay, the energy from an excited nucleus may be used to eject one of the inner orbital electrons from the atom, in a process which produces high speed electrons, but is not beta decay, and (unlike beta decay) does not transmute one element to another. Nuclear fusion Main article: Nuclear fusion When two low mass nuclei come into very close contact with each other it is possible for the strong force to fuse the two together. It takes a great deal of energy to push the nuclei close enough together for the strong or nuclear forces to have an effect, so the process of nuclear fusion can only take place at very high temperatures or high densities. Once the nuclei are close enough together the strong force overcomes their electromagnetic repulsion and squishes them into a new nucleus. A very large amount of energy is released when light nuclei fuse together because the binding energy per nucleon increases with mass number up until nickel-62. Stars like our sun are powered by the fusion of four protons into a helium nucleus, two positrons, and two neutrinos. The uncontrolled fusion of hydrogen into helium is known as thermonuclear runaway. Research to find an economically viable method of using energy from a controlled fusion reaction is currently being undertaken by various resea rch establishments (see JET and ITER). For nuclei heavier than nickel-62 the binding energy per nucleon decreases with the mass number. It is therefore possible for energy to be released if a heavy nucleus breaks apart into two lighter ones. This splitting of atoms is known as nuclear fission. The process of alpha decay may be thought of as a special type of spontaneous nuclear fission. This process produces a highly asymmetrical fission because the four particles which make up the alpha particle are especially tightly bound to each other, making production of this nucleus in fission particularly likely. For certain of the heaviest nuclei which produce neutrons on fission, and which also easily absorb neutrons to initiate fission, a self-igniting type of neutron-initiated fission can be obtained, in a so-called chain reaction. (Chain reactions were known in chemistry before physics, and in fact many familiar processes like fires and chemical explosions are chemical chain reactions.) The fission or nuclear chain-reaction, using fission-produced neutrons, is the source of energy for nuclear power plants and fission type nuclear bombs such as the two that the United States used against Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. Heavy nuclei such as uranium and thorium may undergo spontaneous fission, but they are much more likely to undergo decay by alpha decay. For a neutron-initiated chain-reaction to occur, there must be a critical mass of the element present in a certain space under certain conditions (these conditions slow and conserve neutrons for the reactions). There is one known example of a natural nuclear fission reactor, which was active in two regions of Oklo, Gabon, Africa, over 1.5 billion years ago. Measurements of natural neutrino emission have demonstrated that around half of the heat emanating from the Earths core results from radioactive decay. However, it is not known if any of this results from fission chain-reactions. Production of heavy elements According to the theory, as the Universe cooled after the big bang it eventually became possible for particles as we know them to exist. The most common particles created in the big bang which are still easily observable to us today were protons (hydrogen) and electrons (in equal numbers). Some heavier elements were created as the protons collided with each other, but most of the heavy elements we see today were created inside of stars during a series of fusion stages, such as the proton-proton chain, the CNO cycle and the triple-alpha process. Progressively heavier elements are created during the evolution of a star. Since the binding energy per nucleon peaks around iron, energy is only released in fusion processes occurring below this point. Since the creation of heavier nuclei by fusion costs energy, nature resorts to the process of neutron capture. Neutrons (due to their lack of charge) are readily absorbed by a nucleus. The heavy elements are created by either a slow neutron cap ture process (the so-called s process) or by the rapid, or r process. The s process occurs in thermally pulsing stars (called AGB, or asymptotic giant branch stars) and takes hundreds to thousands of years to reach the heaviest elements of lead and bismuth. The r process is thought to occur in supernova explosions because the conditions of high temperature, high neutron flux and ejected matter are present. These stellar conditions make the successive neutron captures very fast, involving very neutron-rich species which then beta-decay to heavier elements, especially at the so-called waiting points that correspond to more stable nuclides with closed neutron shells (magic numbers). The r process duration is typically in the range of a few seconds.

Philosophys Study Of Value Axiology Essay

Philosophys Study Of Value Axiology Essay It follows from questions Q-Q of the interview that the price defines the current value of the object auctioned. The process of accepting or amending the price seems to be, at least to an extent, both irrational and random. How much irrational or how much rational is that process? To answer this question, we have to elucidate the nature of value. In philosophy, the study of value is called axiology, derived from the Greek (worth), and (the knowledge of). Axiology was developed a century ago, mainly by Paul Lapin (1902) and E. von Hartmann (1908). It focuses on two kinds of values: aesthetics and ethics. The former studies what beauty and harmony are, while the latter puts emphasis on what is wrong and what is right in the social conduct of individuals. A mathematical approach to this topic, resulting in formal axiology, is the brainchild of Robert S. Hartman (1967). Hartmans contribution is unique in the sense that his Formal Axiology is the only social science in which a one-to-one relationship exists between the dimensions of axiology and mathematics. If axiology is viewed as a collective name for aesthetics and ethics, it is similar to value theory. The latter teaches about the value of things. A thing in this context may be anything: an object, a person, or an idea. The study encompasses what people value, how they value it and why they value it. The results may be slightly different in the fields of philosophy, psychology, economics, or sociology. In the realm of psychology, value theory is applied to the study of how people are affected by their values. The object of study is how people develop a set of values, and how they subsequently profess and believe in these values. Even more important is how people act or fail to act on their values. The answer to the question how human behaviour may be guided, fail to be guided or be misguided by a set of values, or why people choose or prefer some things to others, or why and how certain values emerge at different stages of human physical and intellectual development, has not been found yet. Human beings are social animals and as such animals, they congregate in groups and communities. Each group or community may have its own values, usually different from the values and priorities of another community. The community values interact with personal values. The nature of the interaction and its impact on personal values or their change is the subject of sociological studies. Among prominent scientists who studied these topics, viewing value as an independent variable, we find Max Weber, Jà ¼rgen Habermas, or Émile Durkheim. Returning to the axiology view, the value can be viewed as relations between subjects and objects. Through these relations, the social, group, or individual evaluations of certain material, human or natural qualities are expressed in hierarchical and polarised forms. These forms fill ideals, needs, or desires adapted to the time and space in which they occur. Three levels can be distinguished in the determination of their essential type. They can be studied on the pragmatic level (Why?), on the syntactic level (How?), and on the semantic level (What?). Value is multidimensional: (more BS, p.1) For this purpose, Nadine (2003) defines an axiological system S = (M, à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å", I), where M is the class of representative structures, à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å" is the class of interdependent objects or other entities I is the class of interpretations (assignments) given to the structures. The system S can function in a number of ways, and subsystems can be associated to it. A complex axiological system may thus be generated. Nadin (2003) has derived the following operations and relations can be established between any two axiological systems S1 and S2: S1 is the subsystem of S2 S1 is complementary to S1 S1 and S2 are equal Union of S1 and S2 exists Intersection of S1 and S2 exists An empty system exists S1 and S2 are independent Similar relationships can be defined for the predicates. Nadine has also shown the categories and morphisms of the systems mentioned. ** ** ** ** ** The term creating value has an aura of mystery about itself. How do we create value? And, indeed, what is value? And how does it relate to luxury? These are the important questions that will be addressed in this chapter. A product attains the status of luxury good because of its unique intrinsic properties, such as design, performance, durability, quality and reliability. At least some of these properties must be perceived as considerably superior to comparable common substitutes. Quality The term value has been treated extensively in philosophy, as well as in economy. In spite of this, or perhaps because of it, there is no unified definition of value. There are definitions appropriate for the respective perspectives of value. Therefore, creating value may seem a sheer contradiction. The first approximation to understanding value is the realization that in many instances value is time, space and person dependent. For instance, Arabian horses were very valuable as recently as a century ago. But they were appreciated mainly by the male population, and only in those social circles that could afford owning an Arabian horse. Nowadays, with the car being the king of the road, owning a horse, even the most extraordinary one, is not a matter of prestige. This simple example illustrates that value is a perceived property. Its model necessarily must comprise at least some of the value categories: emotional, economic, and social. Among the components of the emotional category, most outstanding are beauty, durability, exclusiveness, and perhaps also a sense of belonging caused by the high cost of luxury. Each of these dimensions is complex enough to be scrutinized separately. Some people believe that beauty, whether in humans or in nature, obeys a mathematical law. Based on countless observations, it can be stated that living organisms, plants, animals, or human beings, grow according to a precise mathematical law given by the geometrical ratio of 1:1,618. It is called the Golden Ratio, or the Divine proportion, obtained by a precise mathematical procedure. Two quantities are in the Golden Ratio if their sum divided by the larger quantity is equal to 1,1618 (its reciprocal is 0,618). It is based on the Fibonacci Sequence, in which each member is a number obtained as the sum of the previous two number. By and by, any successive pair of the Fibonacci series will result in the ratio mentioned, called ÃŽÂ ¦. The interesting observation is that this ratio, ÃŽÂ ¦ = 1:1,1618, appears consistently in beautiful things in nature, architecture, the arts, or living beings. Many beautiful pictures illustrating the Phi, as well as explaining the secrets of the G olden Ratio, can be found at the Golden Ratio website. The logos of Atari, Nissan and Toyota, obeying the Golden Ratio law, the metric dimensions of paper formats, shells, credit cards, architectonic drawings, too, can be found at the Golden Ratio website. Some time ago, the press reported that Dr Marquardt, a facial surgeon from California, had constructed a mask of the human face based on ÃŽÂ ¦. This beautiful face displays the proportion everywhere: in the skull, the positioning of the eyes, the length of the nose, or the size of the teeth. The mask conforms to todays standards of beautiful faces, regardless of race. Moreover, it also agrees with pre-modern paintings, antique statues, or old-time movie stars. This might lead us to believe that facial beauty is invariant over time and across cultures. Is it then not tempting to conclude that beauty, quantified by a mathematical ratio, is not remarkable at all, that beauty is the property of the visible surface, and that philosophizing on what beauty means is a waste of time? Perhaps not quite yet. Beauty, indeed, is in the eyes of the beholder, but it goes beyond physical attractiveness, so intensely blared by the media and popular culture. Beauty in the context of luxury includes also authenticity, kindness, wisdom, happiness, love, dignity, and self-realization. The possibilities for the beautiful to be known have thus been extended infinitely. Because luxury may very well depend on this kind of beauty derived not only from physical objects, but also from human interaction perceived as valuable to a specific individual. Again, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Durability, too, may have a great many meanings to different individuals. A general dictionary definition (Merriam-Webster, website) states that something that is durable is able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration. These terms are technical because, indeed, durability is most often of interest to engineers and businessmen. It refers to unchanged properties or performance of a product with reference to some environmental or application-related conditions. Most often, durability of industrial products is achieved or enhanced by a proper choice of materials, clever design, and surface treatment. Durability may be a preferred property of objects including luxury objects. For instance, gems or precious metals are durable. The durability is given by their resistance to environmental influences, which is an inherent property of these materials. Durability is further corroborated by their aesthetic features. Non-objects, for instance luxury holidays, or sumptuous meals, can hardly be durable longer than what is acceptable, which is a relatively short time. Exclusiveness is a perceived property per se, but it may also be viewed as a component of durability. Exclusiveness is predominantly a product of craftsmanship applied to luxury items. This is what gives a luxury item a life. A mass-produced item, no matter how beautiful, lacks the touch of the spirit of its creator, and never makes the same impression as a hand-made object. Personalized production, combined with exquisite design, makes luxury objects invariant in time, and resistant to fashion fluctuations. Because luxury items are not available to everyone, the narrow segment of the population that can afford them makes up a virtual club. The sheer belonging to the club tickles many peoples imagination about the social status or importance they acquire if the public associates them with the exclusive club. It may or may not be so. The economic aspects of luxury seem to be simple to grasp. Luxury costs a lot of money. That is the simple conclusion most people would be tempted to draw. The actual relationships holding between luxury objects and their users are, however, vastly more complex. In the realm of economics, human beings are viewed as consumers. Their revealed preferences for various goods are considered indicators of the fact that those goods are of value. Self-evident as this statement may sound, it generates a contradiction between various political or religious influences, and a struggle over what goods should be available on the market. Market goods must be owned, if the market system is to provide information on the consensus on certain essential questions concerning individual and society, and the ecosystems affected by the market transactions. The term market goods is too constrained, as the taxonomy of goods is much more complex. First, a distinction has to be made between moral and material goods. Moral goods is anything a person is expected to be morally obligated to strive for. The study of this kind of goods belongs to the realm of ethics. People and their conduct may thus deserve praise or blame in a given system. Natural goods is any kind of goods that is palpable. The discipline that deals with natural goods is economics. Luxury goods, too, are natural goods. A complement to this is the distinction between moral and non-moral goods. A non-moral good is something that one or more individuals desire. A non-moral good may include moral goods, but includes predominantly material goods. There is a mental distinction between these two views of goods. If one says: Fred is a good pianist, and This meal was very good, the meaning of the qualifier good is not interchangeable. It has a different sense: accomplished in the former case, and delicious in the latter. Another important distinction is that between economic goods and moral goods. The former is anything that stimulates economic growth. So, for instance, alcohol has an exchange value in that it stimulates economic growth. Thus, alcohol is economically good. Since there are circumstances when it may be harmful to a persons body, and even have a negative social effect, alcohol can hardly ever be regarded as a moral goods. Several other taxonomies exist. To value, in the realm of goods, means to determine an essential type of goods, decide that things are in some relation to each other, and that one thing is better than another. Thus, to value is to prioritize. Valuations in the sense of assigning higher value to some things and lower value to other things, is a consistent pattern of deciding what is good. Being a persons manner of thinking, it is strictly individual. The manner in which a person reaches conclusions about things, and the unique pattern of thinking and assigning value is called the Value Structure. Its principal components comprise thinking about objects, discerning their different aspects, making judgment and choosing, in other words, it involves the processes of filtering, storing, and analyzing data. *** However, as the real luxury market moves into the stratosphere, its leaving open a vast universe in which mass marketers can fulfill the neo-luxury desires of mass consumers. And these consuming masses have shown strong evidence they are ready, willing and able to pay premium prices for products and services that were once considered commodities. From ice cream to bottled water, beer to potato chips, coffee to coffee pots, washing machines to power saws, there isnt a mass-market category that hasnt jumped onto the up-branding bandwagon-and a very wise jump it is. Adding a premium product to an already strong brand name is a great way to drive brand growth and drive up margins. In fact, it can cast a positive halo over the entire brand family of products, making them all seem worth more. While this incredible market opportunity was recognized most presciently by brands such as Target and Trader Joes, its no longer a trend. Thanks to the internet and other media channels, consumers have changed too: People are more informed and more worldly-wise than ever before. Theres greater awareness of whats sophisticated, whats hot and, more important, whats cool. Having long satisfied their need for the basics, midlevel American consumers are no longer content with midlevel products and services. With basic water needs satisfied, for example, American consumers want Evian, Deja Blue, Glaceau or any bottled-water brand carried in Patagonia water pouches by athletes, movie stars and politicians. Consumers may get hungry, but no basic burger will do: Nieman Ranch beef cooked on one of Frontgates sleekest grills followed by a Tassimo espresso is the only way upbranders will go. Some even think theyll be loved far better if they use Olay Regenerist and Crest Vivid White and launder their Victoria Secrets in Whirlpool Duets. On another level, given all the stresses of the world, there seems to be an increasing desire to take care of me. People want a bit of luxury however they can get it. Starbucks, early on, recognized that while not everyone can afford to go to Tiffanys, they can enjoy the small indulgence of a grande nonfat latte. The coffee costs $5-a small price to pay to treat oneself well.

Shakespeares Hamlet - Observations of Madness Essay -- Madness and I

Hamlet: Observations of Madness One of the most analyzed plays in existence is the tragedy Hamlet, with its recurring question: "Is Hamlet’s 'antic disposition' feigned or real?" In truth, this question can only be answered by observing the thoughts of the main characters in relation to the cause of Hamlet real or feigned madness. In the tragedy Hamlet, each of the main characters explains Hamlets madness in their own unique way. To discover the cause behind the madness of Hamlet, each character used their own ambitions, emotions and interpretations of past events. Characters tried to explain Hamlet's "antic disposition" by means of association to thwarted ambition, heartbreaking anguish, and denied love. In the workings of their thoughts, the characters inadvertently reveal something about their own desires, emotions and experiences to the reader. The thoughts of Guildenstern and Rosencrantz present the reader with one possible factor for the cause of Hamlets supposed madness. The two men believe that the cause for Hamlets madness is his lack of â€Å"advancement† or thwarted ambition. In a conversation with Hamlet in Act II scene II, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz come upon this idea: Hamlet: Denmark's a prison. Rosencrantz: Then is the world one. Hamlet: A goodly one; in which there are many confines, wards and dungeons, Denmark being one o' the worst. Rosencrantz: We think not so, my lord. Hamlet: Why, then, 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so: to me it is a prison. When the heir apparent calls his heritage a prison, something must be seriously wrong, and it is not difficult for th... ...rman N. Holland, Sidney Homan and Bernard J. Paris. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 175-190. Leverenz, David. 1980. 'The Woman in Hamlet: An Interpersonal View.' In Representing Shakespeare: New Psychoanalytic Essays, edited by Coppelia Kahn and Murray M. Schwarz. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins Press, 110-128. Levin, Richard. 1990. 'The Poetics and Politics of Bardicide.' PMLA 105: 491-504. Vickers, Brian. 1993. Appropriating Shakespeare: Contemporary Critical Quarrels. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Watson, Robert N. 1990. 'Giving up the Ghost in a World of Decay: Hamlet, Revenge and Denial.' Renaissance Drama 21:199-223. Wright, George T. 1981. 'Hendiadys and Hamlet.' PMLA 96:168-193. Shakespeare, William. The Tradegy of Hamlet Prince of Denmark. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992

Gender Still Plays a Role in the Workplace :: work discrimination

Gender Still Plays a Role in the Workplace Since the nineteen twenties women of America have been considered equal citizens of our country, and had to work hard in order to obtain that equality in the workplace. One may reconsider the success rate of females in America, and if they really have made it as far as popular belief may have it. Of course, American women can vote, can hold office, and they can work, which is more than can be said for some countries. But do both sexes really hold equal in the workplace regarding manners of salary and respect? Does the corporate executive world really take women seriously? These are some of the arguments made by women today that do not feel that they are being treated equal in the workplace. On the other hand, those who believe women are treated equally usually reason that differences balance out in statistics, things such as majority of teachers are women, and women also have a hold on the entrepreneur side of businesses. The voices that are still screaming come from an audien ce who feel that women still have a long way to go before achieving a status of total equality. We may just not be being told any information. In Lenny Liebmann's article, "Mending the Gender Gap," he reveals that women earn an average of $18,000 less annually than men. He further reports that the US Census Bureau states the male/female pay differential ranges between 15-50%, depending on the industry and the job title. Not to mention that within the Fortune 1000, 95% of all executive positions were held by men in 1997. (62-63) Although these examples could prove a case in the corporate world some may take defense by balancing with further statistics. It is stated in Clayton Collin's article, "Why Girls May Still Need an Edge," that women in America may not be at the top of the corporate ladder, but they do hold around forty percent of all privately owned businesses in the United States. (11) So, even though women haven't quite proven themselves to the corporate world, they have most certainly conquered a portion in the entrepreneur world and in a big way. That is definitely a positive point for America's look on gender equality in the workplace. This same viewpoint could throw the fact that male babysitters and male elementary teachers are less common to homes and classrooms than women.

My Favorite Superpower

The three most fun and useful super powers would be the ability to time-travel, the ability of flight, and the power of invisibility. There are many other super powers, like super strength and underwater breathing but the three powers that I mentioned allow you to do incredible things, especially when they are used together. Time travel would be fun for me especially because I am fascinated by history. Imagine having the ability to see what your block looked like, 100, 200, 300 or even 1,000,000 years ago.Or imagine being able to see, in real life, famous events that you were always curious about, like the sinking of the Titanic, the building of the Empire State Building, or famous battles from the American Revolution. It would also be useful because it would help me become an amazing historian. I would observe events that other historians could only read about. The ability to fly would obviously be fun. Imagine being able to fly across a basketball court and dunk a basketball from 5 0 high! Imagine flying up to the balcony of your apartment instead of waiting for the elevator!Plus, you could fly over the street and never have to wait for a green light. In these ways flying would allow you to save a lot of time. Invisibility would be fun, mostly for doing sneaky things like spying on people. It would also make you the best hide-and-seek player of all time. It would be useful because it would allow you to get into places that you couldn’t otherwise have access to. For example, you could invisibly sneak onto the field during a Yankee game or watch the game from inside the dugout. Nobody would even know that you were there.Not only are these powers fun and useful on their own–they could also be used together for some really amazing experiences. Imagine having the ability to invisibly fly over a prehistoric gathering of dinosaurs. It would give you the perfect view of the action and you would be totally safe because none of the dinosaurs could see you. Unfortunately, I do not foresee ever having these abilities as I do not believe in genies and scientists are not even close to inventing the technology that is necessary to make these powers possible.

Introduction to Philosophy Essay

Abstract â€Å"It is very tempting for people not to think, to remain submerged in reality rather than aware of it, to be carried along by the current of events rather than creating their destiny through thoughtful, independent choices† (Chaffee, 2013). In this paper, the importance of philosophy is discussed in practical terms. Why is it important? What purpose does it serve and what reasons do people have for pursuing an education in it? How can this affect my life? The major branches of philosophy, which are Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Political & Social, Aesthetics and  Logic, are also discussed along with the contributing questions specific to each branch and what each branch focuses on. Philosophical Areas 3 Philosophical Areas of Inquiry, Personal Relations and Application As stated by Cicero (n. d. ), â€Å"Rightly defined, philosophy is simply the love of wisdom. † â€Å"The actual word philosophy is Greek in origin, and it is the composite of two Greek roots: philein, a Greek word for ‘love,’ and sophia, the Greek word for ‘wisdom. ’ Taken together, they mean ‘the love or pursuit of wisdom’† (Chaffee, 2013). There are so many reasons one would  want to study philosophy, and considering that we are all different, our reasons vary. â€Å"Philosophy means liberation from the two dimensions of routine, soaring above the well known, seeing it in new perspectives, arousing wonder and the wish to fly† (Walter Kaufmann, n. d. ). Studying philosophy is a life-changing experience. It is impossible to â€Å"unlearn† something once you have discovered it, so upon your mind being awakened, it cannot go back to sleep. This grants you the gift of having a new, more complete perspective of the world around you and of life in general. People are naturally inquisitive creatures. This is one of our biggest assets, as well as our biggest downfalls. Philosophy teaches you to think critically about important issues. This is something that takes time, effort and practice. Thinking critically isn’t necessarily easy, but the benefits are plentiful. The purpose of philosophy is to ask questions that â€Å"penetrate the surface of life to confront the deeper currents lying beneath† (Chaffee, 2013, p. 4). Due to there being so many different categories of philosophical questions to be answered and studied, there are several  branches of philosophy with questions specific to them and certain methodologies used in search of answers. These branches are Metaphysics, Epistemology, Ethics, Political & Social, Aesthetics and Logic. Metaphysics Metaphysics is â€Å"the study of the ultimate characteristics of reality or existence† (Chaffee, 2013, p. 31). Bertrand Russell defines metaphysical philosophy as such, â€Å"Metaphysics, or the Philosophical Areas 4 attempt to conceive the world as a whole by means of thought, has been developed from the first by the union and conflict of two very different impulses, the one urging men towards mysticism,  the other urging them toward science. † Some of the major questions asked in this area of inquiry are, â€Å"What is the nature of reality? †, â€Å"What is the nature of self? †, â€Å"How are the mind and body related to each other? †, â€Å"Do we have personal freedom or are our choices limited? †, â€Å"What are the arguments for and against the existence of God? †, â€Å"Is there life after death? † and â€Å"Does life have meaning? † The methodology used in Metaphysics has expanded so much over the years since Aristotle. One method used for answering questions such as these â€Å"emphasizes the continuity of metaphysics with science. On this conception, metaphysics is primarily or exclusively concerned with developing generalizations from our best-confirmed scientific theories† (â€Å"Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy†, 2014). Because of the difficulty answering some of these questions, some believe Metaphysics to be â€Å"impossible. † There is no current way to label a metaphysical statement either true or false, and therefore â€Å"impossible to find out what they are† (â€Å"Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy†, 2014). Citations Chaffee, J. (2013). The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2014). Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/metaphysics/ Epistemology Epistemology is the study of knowledge. This identifies and develops criteria, as well as methodologies, for what we know and why we know it (Chaffee, 2013, p. 31). Some questions asked regarded epistemology are, â€Å"What is truth? †, â€Å"Can we ever really know anything? †, â€Å"What Philosophical Areas 5 are the sources of knowledge? †, â€Å"What is the relation between truth and knowledge? † and â€Å"How can you increase your wisdom? † This, â€Å"Defined narrowly†¦is the study of knowledge and justified belief,† according to the â€Å"Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2014) or SEP. Now, this being said, there are sources of knowledge and justification in epistemology. These sources include perception, introspection, memory, reason and testimony. The limits to this branch of philosophy are skepticism, closure, relevant alternatives, denial, and moorean, contextualist & ambiguity responses (â€Å"Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy†, 2014). Citations Chaffee, J. (2013). The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas (4thed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2014). Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/metaphysics/ Ethics Ethics is the study of moral values and principles. Questions regarding ethics are things such as, â€Å"How should we treat other people? †, â€Å"Is there a ‘good life’ for humans? †, â€Å"What is the relation between moral values and religion? † and â€Å"How do we decide on the moral rightness of social issues? † (Chaffee, 2013, p. 31). Everyday ethical concerns in life can include any topic  from capital punishment, euthanasia, lying, human rights, abortion, animal testing, cloning, slavery and pornography, among several others. The purpose of having and studying ethics is a way for people to ensure that the decisions made are following a preset ethical code or guideline. â€Å"Creating yourself to be a wise and knowledgeable person entails developing an enlightened moral compass that will guide your decisions. People typically rely on what they ‘feel’ is right Philosophical Areas 6 when faced with challenging moral dilemmas. The but we ‘feel’ is an unreliable moral guide†(Chaffee, 2013, p. 35). Citations Chaffee, J. (2013). The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Political & Social Political and social philosophy is â€Å"the study of social values and political forms of government† (Chaffee, 2013, p. 31). â€Å"What is the nature of justice? † and â€Å"What is the most enlightened government? † are common points of inquiry from a political and social standpoint in philosophy. Political and social philosophy basically takes a look at the various methods people should govern themselves. According to philosopher, Baron D’Holbach, â€Å"Politics must conform to the essence and aims of society, not to the passions of rulers. † This means analyzing the values that the society should be based on, keeping in mind individual rights and justice. Citations Chaffee, J. (2013). The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Aesthetics Aesthetics studies beauty, taste and art. Two very distinct questions that are specific to this branch are as follows: â€Å"What is the nature of beauty? † and â€Å"What is art? † â€Å"It analyzes efforts to establish standards for beauty in all of its various manifestations. And it explores the nature and purpose of art in human affairs† (Chaffee, 2013, p. 37). Have you ever heard of the saying, â€Å"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder†? Well, this is the branch of philosophy that examines how to identify principles of beauty. Other questions related to this asked in aesthetics are â€Å"Are there Philosophical Areas 7 universal standards of beauty, or are they relative to cultural and individual taste? † and â€Å"Is there one core concept of beauty or many different concepts? † Citations Chaffee, J. (2013). The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Logic Logic is the branch of philosophy that â€Å"seeks to establish the rules of correct reasoning, clear understanding and valid arguments† (Chaffee, 2013, p. 31). â€Å"What are the logical principles of correct reasoning? † and â€Å"How do people use incorrect reasoning to reach false conclusions? † are questions associated with this branch. In this branch of philosophy, critical thinking is one of the most important skills needed. Citations Chaffee, J.(2013). The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Thought Development: Philosophy & Culture Religion, philosophy and culture are said to be the three pillars or elements of human reality. How does this tie into thought development? What is the relationship between philosophy and culture? â€Å"†¦compared to the feet with which Man journeys towards his destiny, philosophy could represent the eyes that scrutinize that journey, and culture, the earth on which Man is walking during his concrete pilgrimage†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Panikkar, 2000). Depending on one’s approach to examining this matter, it may be difficult to separate religion from philosophy. For example, with an intercultural approach, it would not be possible, for religion and philosophy would both be dependent upon the culture. The reason that the two are inseparable sometimes is, according to Philosophical Areas 8 Panikkar (2000), â€Å"Philosophy is but the conscious and critical accompaniment of Man’s journeying towards his destiny. This journeying is called religion in many cultures. † Citations Panikkar, R. (2000). Religion, Philosophy & Culture. Retrieved from http://them.polylog. org/1/fpr-en. htm Personal Attachment to Inquiry Philosophical Areas 9 Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that sticks out to me the most and resonates closest to my innermost self. The runner up is metaphysics, because I do find myself questioning and wondering on the meaning of life and things of that nature. However, I have decided a long time ago that the meaning of life is specific to the person. Whatever it is that drives you, motivates you and keeps you pushing forward, that is your meaning; your â€Å"why†. Epistemology fascinates me because of its questions regarding knowledge and truth. Just because we know something, does that make it truth? In the Taoist religion, the journey you embark on is to enlightenment. The purpose of Taoism is to find truth and to see the whole picture, the entire picture, for what it is. Not many make it to such a spiritual level such as that, but that is the reason for working so diligently internally. I have always admired Buddhist and Taoist for these reasons. As far as cultural influence on my decisions goes, I would have to admit that the American culture does not have as much to offer (that I am seeking, at least) as other cultures do. I am proud of my heritage, but my culture is a different story. I feel like I’m searching for something, yet cannot pinpoint what that something is. Hopefully by the end of this course I will have a better outlook and idea of what that thing is. References Chaffee, J. (2013). The Philosopher’s Way: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas (4th ed. ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2014). Retrieved from http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/metaphysics/ Panikkar, R. (2000). Religion, Philosophy & Culture. Retrieved from http://them. polylog. org/1/fpr-en. htm.