Saturday, August 31, 2019

Volcano

The evaporating of harmful gases, earthquakes, and some evidences from the manhole are the manifestations showed that an underground volcano was forming under the city. This means that there was already lava under the city and the ground cannot take the pressure anymore so it formed a volcano. The physical changes in the movie are the breaking of glasses from buildings, breaking of buildings, cracking of the ground, boiling of water from the pond, injured people, the melting of metal, and the falling down of some properties. The chemical changes are the burning of trees and people, formation of the volcano and its eruption, the ashfall, and the lava turning to rocks when mixed with water. These changes are driven by some factors in the environment such as the formation of gases underground, and the eruption of the volcano. The eruption affected the place by destroying buildings and properties, injuring people, loss of lives, and the panicking and crying of the citizens. I learned that we should always be alert, caring, trustworthy, and we should have teamwork and cooperation. We should be alert so that when disasters like this happen to our community, we’ll know what to do and we can evacuate safely. We should be trustworthy so that other people will believe us and we should trust one another. We should be caring and concerned to each other and other people. In disasters like this, we can do small heroic acts which can save lives of millions of people that means very big to them. We should do heroic acts not because we want to be recognized but because it came from our heart. Last but not the least, we should have teamwork and cooperation so that problems can be solved quickly and we can aim for success.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Lessons Form the Classroom Essay

A. I think my main strength is that I like interacting with people. In my career thus far I have worked in multi-disciplinary teams, made daily presentations and managed teams so working with people is natural and comfortable for me. I’m friendly, inclusive and approachable. I think this is an asset that will carry me far as a teacher. I have experienced teachers who were intimidating and I found it detrimental to my learning. I want my students to feel comfortable to ask me anything, repeat anything, or explain anything. I think that as time progresses in the classroom I’ll be able to develop good relationships with the students where they feel safe and uninhibited. I am naturally and therefore normally well organised and prepared which I think is a key skill in ELT. At my university induction lecture the speaker said ‘fail to plan, and plan to fail’ which I think was valuable advice and which has stuck with me. Planning my lessons appropriately helps me to better understand what I’m teaching, embeds it in my mind so I’m more confident in delivering it and helps me to predict possible problems and their solutions. I think that as my confidence and skills grow I will be able to compose highly detailed lesson plans that will deliver my objectives. I am a creative person and like devising innovative approaches to problems. I like to challenge the standard to create new ways of doing things. The results have engaged and generated new perspectives. I hope this will translate well into the classroom where I can devise games and exercises that will appeal to the students and accelerate their learning. As my confidence, knowledge and skills develop I plan to combine my own methods into my teaching. My main weakness is my inability to express grammar rules and understand grammatical terminology such as ‘present continuous’. Although my primary school was strict with grammar, punctuation and spelling, we were not taught the labels of grammar terms beyond the basics of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. So whilst I can speak and write sentences that are clear and grammatically correct I am finding the terminology challenging. As an English language teacher this is obviously something that I need to remedy as soon as possible! I am studying several grammar reference books from the suggested reading list and using mind mapping to help me understand and learn the rules. I remind myself that I already know the grammar rules I just don’t know that I know them! I have never used an interactive white board (IWB) before and have historically been reluctant to embrace new technology so I have not made full use of it as yet. As the teachers have used the IWB extensively in classes I have seen how convenient and flexible it is. I am keen to address this challenge as I believe it will be enormously beneficial to me in the classroom and therefore improve and accelerate my learners’ experiences. I am going to take advantage of break times to practise using it to build my confidence and then set myself a deadline to incorporate it into a lesson. I am sure that after using it in a few lessons I will feel more composed and will easily integrate it into classes. I would like to improve my ability to communicate with the students in a more concise and succinct way. I have found that my instructions have been too complicated and lengthy and thus caused confusion. As well as cultivating this skill I’m going to try to integrate more gestures, demonstrations and pictures to resolve the issue. My research has produced a checklist for communication, (concise, concrete, clear, correct, coherent, complete), which I will use to test my instructions going forward. B. I have been impressed with the eliciting skills of the Celta teachers. In particular James Johnson has been demonstrating how to proficiently organise materials and structure questions to draw out desired responses. He is adept at posing questions that produce the target language or lexis. His seamless ability has demonstrated how effective this technique is in encouraging the students to think for themselves rather than simply giving them the answer, keeping them alert and assessing their language level as well as understanding of the concept being taught. In this way he truly engages with the students and thus his lessons are memorable. This is a very unnatural communication for me so to be able to smoothly incorporate this skill into my teaching would be a triumph for me. All of the teachers have a very calm, confident and charming disposition, which pervades the classroom. They are clearly highly skilled and experienced, which generates trust. I think these qualities are fundamental for effective learning. These qualities seem to be intrinsic to the instructors but I’m hoping that over time I will ripen or at least acquire the ability to convey a fraction of this demeanour. C. When I have completed my Celta training I will be just at the beginning of my career so continuing professional development will be paramount to consolidate what I’ve learned so far, keep my skills up to date, learn new and different techniques from other teachers and experts, and keep abreast of industry trends. I love learning and developing myself and regularly take classes, workshops and courses for fun and personal development as well as career development, so I am highly motivated to continue my ELT development. My research has made me aware of various online communities, which could be a great way to exchange ideas. I also intend to stay in touch with my peers on the course so we can continue to learn together, share experiences, ideas, problems and solutions.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Assessing the effects of evolving consumer expectations of corporate philanthropy on the shareholder and stakeholder primacy models of CSR. A case study of Marks and Spencer

In other words, it involves spending organization’s resources for the benefit of society. It is usually done directly or through a company’s foundation. In some cases, donations are in the form of an organization’s facilities, products and services. The areas covered under corporate philanthropy consist of education, health, art and environment (Council on Foundations, 1982). On the other hand, CSR or corporate social responsibility is an enterprise level program designed to bring positive change in society. The primary effect of the evolution of consumer expectation on CSR is the incorporation of this concept into corporate strategy of such organizations. Likewise, the effect on the shareholder’s model of CSR is also considerable. The incorporation of the CSR model within corporate strategy enables the shareholder to enjoy returns from the CSR program of the organization. The returns usually manifest in the form of increased sales and profits, which resul ts from the goodwill created by the CSR program (Urip, 2010). One of the distinctive features of the CSR concept is the involvement and participation of all the stakeholders including shareholders, employees, customers, supply chain partners, community and government. This feature is the central point of the stakeholder’s primacy model of CSR. According to this model, the CSR incorporates the interests of the society at both the strategic and operational level. Furthermore, this concept also entails the interaction and relationship of all the key stakeholders in the context of CSR. This means that an integral aspect of CSR is the interaction of the organization with internal and external stakeholders. The internal stakeholders consist in the form of employees, top management and shareholders, whereas external stakeholders consist of government, non-government organization and community. The scope of issues that CSR covers ranges from the environment, economic and social faced by the community and society at large. The stakeholder’s primacy model on CSR also entails that CSR should be considered separate from the core operations and activities of the business. This means that CSR should be given similar importance compared to other core functions such as marketing, sales, finance and HR. However, according to this model, CSR is a voluntary concept. Nevertheless, it should be noted that changing a consumer’s expectations has made this concept more of an obligation. This is due to the fact that consumers increasingly hold the view that corporations are directly responsible for the well being of the society and, therefore, should play their due role (Fernando, 2011). 2.2. Aim: To assess the effects of evolving and changing consumer expectations of corporate philanthropy on the shareholder and stakeholder’s primacy models of CSR 2.2.1. Objectives: To understand how the evolving consumer expectations has affected the CSR programs of Marks and Spencer. To determine the changes in consumer expectations in regard to corporate philanthropy. 2.2.2. Research questions For the purpose of attaining research objective, this study will make use of following research questions: Is the CSR program of Marks and Spencer part of the organization’s corporate strategy Is the CSR program of Marks and Spencer affected by the evolving consumer expectations of corporate philanthropy What areas of society are covered by the Marks and Spencer CSR program Does Marks and Spencer’s CSR program come under stakeholder’s primacy model of CSR 3.0 Literature Review The literature reviews enable the understanding of the topic in the context of different theories. The theories, which are brought under discussion usually exists in academic journals, books and other research dissertations The literature review will enable the research to determine the effects of customers’ expectations of corporate philanthropic initiatives on an organization’s primary CSR model. However, before delineating these effects, it is imperative that a clear understanding of the meaning and scope of CSR is made. Usually CSR referred to all the activities, which are conducted by a private organization for the well-being of the general public or community. These activities can relate to different social and environmental issues. The CSR activities do not differ from each other regarding the amount spent on each activity but on the basis of the way in which an organization indulges in that CSR activity (Werther Chandler, 2010). The importance of CSR and its im plications are vital for any global or national business. As a result, the changes in the consumer expectations have assumed vital importance for the nature of organization’s CSR model. Business concern for society is not a new concept but can be traced backed many centuries.. Initially, the activities, which are now categorized as CSR, were seen as merely corporate or business philanthropy. The perception and expectation from the consumer that companies or businesses are an important part of society and, therefore, has responsibility towards society originated in last few years. This led to the development of formal concepts of CSR (Carroll, 1999). Likewise, academic and scholarly work on CSR and corporate philanthropy started in the last century, which led to the belief that CSR is an obligation of every corporate entity. Bowen, who is considered the father of the modern concept of CSR, classified CSR as those activities, which enables businesses and companies to achieve ob jectives, which are desirable for any society (Bowen, 1953). This definition is very simplistic in nature and does not cover the entire spectrum of CSR activities. Davis (1960) sees CSR as a responsibility on the part of a firm, which forces it to admit to duties, which are present in areas beyond the domain of commercial interest. Resultantly, firms will be engaging in politics, community welfare, education and health. Walton (1967) sees CSR as an activity, which will cost the organization without any material gain for the business. Therefore, such activity must be done on a voluntary basis. From this concept, it can be seen that CSR was seen as a matter of moral duty instead of something, which could generate material gain for the organization. However, this consideration has started to change as many firms expect intangible returns from their CSR initiatives. The intangible initiatives can be in the shape of goodwill and creation of a friendly image in the public eye (Louche et a l., 2010). On the other hand, the prevalence of CSR in the modern world has made it necessary for the organization to perform CSR activities. In the case by which an organization decides not to participate in CSR initiatives, it risks losing its customer base. This can be attributed to constant expectations from the consumers for socially responsible behaviour from the companies. Such consumers have increasingly become socially and environmentally conscious and support only those firms, which are involved in CSR and in the provision of sustainable products. The importance of such customers for businesses can be gauged from the recent researches, which show consumer’s preferences for socially responsible firms (Lindgreen Swaen, 2010). One such study showed that the market of those customers, who live their life according to the new concepts of health and environment, is expected to grow to 30% alone in the US (Forster, 2007). The customers are increasingly expecting a great a mount of sustainability from the corporate entities. This is one of the new trends, which have originated in the customer’s way of thinking as far as corporate philanthropy. Initially, consumers’ view any activity, intended to bring positive in the society, as part of corporate philanthropic initiative. Such initiative was considered separate and discrete from organization’s core activities, where were the provision of products and services to customers. Now, such initiative, which comes under the domain of CSR, needs to be considered a core business activity and, hence, part of organizational corporate strategy. Therefore, the primary effect of the changing and evolving expectations of corporate philanthropy on the consumers is the incorporation of CSR model in the organization’s main strategy. This incorporation will enable the organization to provide products and services, which are up to the social and environmental standards. And at the same time, it will enable the organization to launch separate but related initiatives intended to bring positive change in the society. Any organization, which fails to perform this, can risk losing customer base within the market. Therefore, the CSR model has now become an integral part of corporate strategy of all large multinational organizations (Fernando, 2011). The effects of changing consumer expectations has led to the development of the concept of ‘sustainable development’. According it is viewed as the responsibility of businesses to conduct their core activities in such manner, which will not affect the ability of the future generation to meet their basic needs (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). It can be seen from this concept that sustainability in the organization’s activities has now become an integral part of the customers. An organization can fulfil this expectation by integrating the economic, social and environmental consideration in its corporate strategy. This will enable it to achieve sustainability in all aspects of an organization’s operations ( (Visser et al., 2007). Another effect of evolving consumers’ expectation of corporate philanthropy on organization’s CSR model is the adoption of concept of â€Å"Triple Bottom Line† (TBL) by the organization. Ac cording to such, it is the obligation of the organization to put its focus on three main aspects. The first is related to the responsibility of economic success. Secondly, it is related to the responsibility to the environment and thirdly is related to the responsibility of the individuals and the community in general (Elkington, 1998). With this concept, the business organization has transformed itself from a primary economic entity to an organization, which is responsible for fulfilling social and environmental needs of the society alongside achieving their objective of profit generation. This change in the approach of conducting business is attributed to the evolving consumer’s expectation of corporate philanthropy. In the past, any activity on the part of the corporation for the well-being of the community was looked as an initiative taken on the part of shareholders and the high-management. However, with the emergence of CSR, such activities have come under the domain of institutions. Now all activities, taken for the improvement of society have assumed institutional shape (Gainer, 2010). It is equally important to understand the reasons, which led to the evolution of consumers’ expectations of business philanthropy. One pertinent factor responsible for the change is the increase in consumers’ awareness. Consumer awareness has gone a long way in changing the perception of business activities of the corporations. Consumers have now increasingly become aware of their rights. Moreover, this awareness is usually backed by legal and regulatory support , which increases the overall bargaining power of consumers in relation to the organizations. This has enabled the consumers to hold expectations from the corporate entities to perform their due share in the well-being of society. If any organizations fail to perform its obligations, it will not only face legal repercussions but also risk losing consumers in the market. In addition to this, h igh competition in the market is also one of the factors responsible in the shift of customers’ expectations. High forces of competition in the market have required the organization to look for new avenues to build and sustain their competitive advantage. One such technique is through the creation of goodwill within the general public. And the best method for creating such goodwill is through CSR. Furthermore, the effects of culture on CSR expectations are also considerable. For instance, according to Matten Moon (2004), in Europe, the CSR is viewed more in terms of philanthropy than the US, where it is most likely viewed as institutional activity. This difference is primarily attributed to the dissimilarity in the institutional environment and cultural values of the regions. This is the reason, why organizations usually incorporate CSR initiatives in the corporate policies and programs. On the other hand, in Europe, it is mostly viewed as an informal business activity. This shows that customers’ expectations of corporate philanthropy have not matured in Europe as it has done in the US (Baden et al., 2011). For the clear understanding of the problem, it is also important to allow comprehension of the stakeholders’ primacy model of CSR. It is not sufficient to only understand the activities but, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of all the stakeholders, who are directly and indirectly involved in it. Overall, the CSR model is focused on the improvement of society. Resultantly, it should incorporate all the values of society (Carroll, 1979). On the other hand, there is another school of thought, which views CSR as entirely aimed at addressing the issues of different stakeholders in place of the entire society. One proponent of this school of thought is Clarkson (1995). According to Clarkson (1995), the activities including CSR of any business entity are aimed at fulfilling the needs of stakeholders. According to this concept, corporations are free from any obligation concerning society. Instead, there are only responsible for the welfare of the community, which is direc tly affected by their activities. Likewise, (Maignan et al., 2005) also supports this assertion. According to (Maignan et al., 2005), businesses and corporations are responsible for satisfying economic and noneconomic needs of the stakeholders. However, it is difficult to ascertain the exact boundaries of stakeholders especially in the case of multinationals, whose activities spread to different dimensions and areas of society. Nevertheless, the stakeholder model of CSR provides a framework, which can be used to analyze the relationship of the business with the society in the context of CSR (Carroll Shabana, 2010). This theory plays more a complementary role than conflict, when viewed in the milieu of CSR. This theory allows a better understanding of relationship between principal factors involved in the provision of CSR related initiative. According to this theory, corporate units can be better understood through the relationship of different actors, which have a stake in the oper ations of the business (Friedman, 1970). This means that the objectives of any CSR initiative taken by the organization are indirectly related to the primary goal of the organization, which is profit maximization. It means any CSR activity conducted by the organization will eventually increase the customer base for the organization and will subsequently translate in the form of higher returns for the organization. This approach creates a win-win situation for all stakeholders. The community gets the benefit from the CSR activities whereas shareholders and management of the organization receive benefits in the form of increased profits (Freeman, 1984). Theoretically, this model is very effective in transforming capitalism into serving the interest of different stakeholders, excluding shareholders. Within the framework of this theory, the implications of the evolving consumer’s expectations are considerable. The new set of consumer’s belief expects the organization to wo rk for the wellbeing of actors who do not come under the category of stakeholders. As a result, it has become necessary for the organization to redefine the boundaries of stakeholders and include all those actors within society, who are not directly related to the activities of the organization. The primary implication of this for the organization is increased cost related to CSR initiatives without any translations of returns for the organization. In other words, the organization fails to achieve something tangible from such initiative. Moreover, such initiative has departed from pure CSR and has returned to the scope of corporate philanthropy. Previously, only stakeholder’s interest was considered in the CSR program, which is regarded as vital for the existence and success of the organization. This concept also takes into account the importance of power dependent relationships, which suggests that an organization customizes its CSR program according to the power enjoyed by certain stakeholder groups over the firm (Pirsch, 2007). 4.0 Methodology 4.1 Research approach: The research approach adopted for this thesis is the case-based approach. The case study approach will provide profound understanding of the effects of changing consumer’s expectations on an organization’s CSR models. The case study approach is preferred because it allows the collection of in-depth information, which can be comprehensively analyzed in order to reach definite conclusions (Kumar, n.d.). This approach will also enable understanding of the problem in isolation, which is not possible with any other research approach (Bergh Ketchen, 2009). As a result, a comprehensive study of the case will be conducted, which will enable identification and analysis of the factors affecting the consumer expectation of corporate philanthropy on the stakeholder primacy model of CSR. Due to the nature of the case study, the research approach will be primarily qualitative in nature. This approach is ideal because it allows clear comprehension of the all the dimensions of the top ic under discussion (Maxwell, 2005). Therefore, the first stage of this research will consists of in-depth research and review of the relevant literature. The stage will also consist of the study of primacy models of CSR in the context of organizational strategy. This approach will enable the fulfilment of the objective of ascertaining the effects of fluctuating consumer’s expectations on the stakeholder primacy models of CSR. 4.2 Case selection This research will study the case of Marks and Spencer as a model organization for understanding and concluding the effects of evolving customer’s expectation on organization’s dominant models of CSR. The case study approach is ideal in the present scenario because it will allow the research to investigate the problem while retaining the holistic point of view, which is necessary for accurate results (Henn, 2009). The reason Marks and Spencer is selected rests in its long history of corporate philanthropy in the shape of CSR. Likewise, it is a large organization, which makes it representative for all other organizations. This case is also appropriate as it will lead the research to accurate theory development. It should be noted here that the fact the each business unit of Mark and Spenser develops its own CSR strategy makes it relevant for this research. This case will also allow the understanding and identification of the issues concerning the CSR model of Marks and S penser. CSR has an integral position in the organization of Marks and Spenser. This can be attributed to the founders of MS who intended to build sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships with all stakeholders including the community and employees. This model of CSR was implemented with the belief that it will ensure long-term success for the organization. MS launched a number of initiatives under its CSR model relating to education, health, environment and employability. This model has led to the creation of trustworthy images of the company in the general public and the community (Hallbauer, 2008). 4.3 Sample size This research will use a sample of 25 to 40 respondents. This size is ideal to reach a representative conclusion and at the same time eliminates bias in the research. The information from the respondents from the sample will provide additional data and perspective to the information derived from literature and theory review. 4.4 Data collection Primary data: In order to ascertain the effects of evolving customer’s expectations of corporate philanthropy, a large chunk of data will be collected from comprehensive primary research. The case study approach will allow triangulation of data from multiple sources, which will further allow a balanced understating of the problem under discussion. The primary data will be collected from semi structured interviews, which will provide insight into the thought process of the respondents being interviewed. The respondents will include the customers alongside employees of the organization, which will permit an incorporation of the view points of both sides. The questions for the interview are divided according to the respondent type. The following tentative and semi structured questions will be presented the customers: What areas should be targeted in the organization’s CSR strategy Have you witnessed any changes in the the CSR activities of the organizations in last 5 years Do you consider corporate philanthropy an integral responsibility of the organization On the other hand, managerial staff of the organization will be asked to follow main questions: How many changes have taken place in the scope of CSR activities of the organization How much of this change reflects the changes in the customer expectations from the organization’s CSR model How much organization’s philanthropy has been transformed into formalized CSR system Using these questions, this study will collect the relevant data, which will later be used in collaboration with the literature review to address the concerned topic. Secondary data: This research study will also make use of a variety of sources of secondary data alongside primary data, collected from interviews. The secondary data will consist of the website and annual reports of the concerned organization. In addition to this, academic journals and books relating to the topic will also come under the purview of this research. The purpose of the secondary data collection is to determine the effects of evolving customers’ expectations of corporate philanthropy on the organization’s primary CSR model. In addition to this, external reports originating from third party sources, such as the government, will also be used to provide all-encompassing analysis of the topic. The secondary data will enable a balanced understanding of the organization’s CSR model in the wake of evolving customer expectations from corporate philanthropy. 4.5 Pilot study The main objective of the pilot study was to ensure that the terminologies used in the research methodology are correct. As a result, the pilot study was conducted in the shape of interviews from a narrow range of respondents. The method used for the pilot study was a face-to-face to interview. This method enabled direct feedback from the respondents. In addition to this, the method also allowed the interviewer to ask relevant and pertinent questions, which were not present in the question guide, for the sole purpose of clarity. 4.6 Data analysis The data collected from the interview will consist of qualitative data. Therefore, it will not be possible to apply statistical principles and techniques, which can be applied to quantitative data, to extract trends and patterns. As a result, the information collected from interviews will be analyzed to deduce normative patterns for further understanding. However, for the purpose of categorization, the data will be coded and compared according to the research questions. The purpose of this activity is to identify any gaps in the research. In the case of identification of certain gaps, extended data collection will be conducted to eliminate any deficiencies. Moreover, the comparisons will also lead to the elimination of discrepancies before the final stage, when this data will be used to derive concrete findings. The main objective of the data analysis is to find the different dimensions of the topic under discussion. As the data in question primarily consists of primary information, it will provide more realistic picture of all aspects of the problem. Furthermore, this data analysis could also be used with the literature review, which will allow an incorporation of primary data with the theory development in the research finding stage (Miles Huberman, 1994). 5.0 Conclusion The purpose of this research is to assess the effects of the evolving customer expectations in regard to corporate philanthropy on the stakeholder’s primacy model of CSR. For this purpose, the case of Marks and Spencer is selected. Marks and Spencer has a long history of CSR and, therefore, provides a representative model for research study. This research will make use of qualitative data for the purpose of analysis and deriving conclusions. The qualitative data will provide normative insight into the problem, which will enable accurate assessment of the problem under discussion. This research will make use of both primary and secondary data. The primary data will be collected from semi structured interview, which will be conducted from the sample of 25 to 40 respondents. The respondents are divided into two categories in the form of consumers and employees of the said discussion. The data collected will be used in collaboration with secondary data. The secondary data will con sist of academic journals, books, websites and external reports. The secondary data will enable the analysis of primary data in a more comprehensive and balanced manner. With this research methodology, the research study intends to achieve its objective, which is to assess the effects of evolving and changing consumer expectations of corporate philanthropy on the shareholder and stakeholder primacy models of CSR. 6.0 References Baden, Tonne Meyer, 2011. The effect of context and type of corporate philanthropy on moral capital. Journal of Business Ethics . Bergh, D.D. Ketchen, D.J., 2009. Research methodology in strategy and management. Emerald Group Publishing. Bowen, H., 1953. Social responsibility of the businessman. New York: Harper Row. Carroll, A., 1979. A Three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate social performance. Academy of Management Review, 4(4), pp.497-505. Carroll, A., 1999. Corporate Social Responsibility: Evolution of a defnitional construct. Business and Society, 39, p.268–295. Carroll, A.B. Shabana, K.M., 2010. The business case for corporate social responsibility: A review of concepts, research and practice. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), p.85–105. Clarkson, M., 1995. The Toronto conference: Refections on stakeholder theory. Business and Society, 33(1), p.82–131. Council on Foundations, 1982. Corporate philanthropy: Philosophy, management, trends, future, background. Council on Foundations. Davis, K., 1960. Can business afford to ignore social responsibilities. California Management Review, 2(3), p.70–76. Elkington, J., 1998. Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st Century business. Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Publishers. Fernando, A., 2011. Business environment. Pearson Education India. Forster, T., 2004. Die grunen Yuppies. Werben Verkaufen, 51, p.45. Freeman, R., 1984. Strategic management: A stakeholder perspective. Boston: Pitman Publishing Inc. Friedman, M., 1962. Capitalism and freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Gainer, B., 2010. Corporate social responsibility. Third Sector Research, pp.187-200. Hallbauer, S., 2008. Retail marketing and new retail idea – Marks Spencer. GRIN Verlag. Henn, S.K., 2009. Business ethics: A case study approach. John Wiley Sons. Kumar, R., n.d. Research methodology. APH Publishing. Lindgreen, A. Swaen, V., 2010. Corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), pp.1-7. Louche, C., Idowu, S.O. Filho, W.L., 2010. Innovative Csr: From risk management to value creation. Greenleaf Publishing. Maignan, I., Ferrell, O. Ferrell, L., 2005. A stakeholder model for implementing social responsibility in marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 29(9/10), p.956–977. Matten, D. Moon, J., 2004. Implicit and explicit CSR: A conceptual framework for understanding CSR in Europe. ICCSR Research Paper Series, (29). Maxwell, J.A., 2005. Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. Sage Publications. Miles, M.B. Huberman, A.M., 1994. Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage Publications. Pirsch, J., 2007. A framework for understanding corporate social responsibility programs as a continuum: An exploratory study. Journal of Business Ethics, 70(2), pp.125-40. Urip, S., 2010. CSR strategies: Corporate Social Responsibility for a competitive edge in emerging markets. John Wiley Sons. Visser, W., Matten, D. Pohl, M., 2007. The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility: A complete reference guide to concepts, codes and organisations. London: Wiley. Walton, C., 1967. Corporate social responsibilities. Belmont, CA, USA.: Wadsworth. Werther, W.B. Chandler, D., 2010. Strategic corporate social responsibility: Stakeholders in a global environment. SAGE. World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987. Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Assessing the effects of evolving consumer expectations of corporate philanthropy on the shareholder and stakeholder primacy models of CSR. A case study of Marks and Spencer In other words, it involves spending organization’s resources for the benefit of society. It is usually done directly or through a company’s foundation. In some cases, donations are in the form of an organization’s facilities, products and services. The areas covered under corporate philanthropy consist of education, health, art and environment (Council on Foundations, 1982). On the other hand, CSR or corporate social responsibility is an enterprise level program designed to bring positive change in society. The primary effect of the evolution of consumer expectation on CSR is the incorporation of this concept into corporate strategy of such organizations. Likewise, the effect on the shareholder’s model of CSR is also considerable. The incorporation of the CSR model within corporate strategy enables the shareholder to enjoy returns from the CSR program of the organization. The returns usually manifest in the form of increased sales and profits, which resul ts from the goodwill created by the CSR program (Urip, 2010). One of the distinctive features of the CSR concept is the involvement and participation of all the stakeholders including shareholders, employees, customers, supply chain partners, community and government. This feature is the central point of the stakeholder’s primacy model of CSR. According to this model, the CSR incorporates the interests of the society at both the strategic and operational level. Furthermore, this concept also entails the interaction and relationship of all the key stakeholders in the context of CSR. This means that an integral aspect of CSR is the interaction of the organization with internal and external stakeholders. The internal stakeholders consist in the form of employees, top management and shareholders, whereas external stakeholders consist of government, non-government organization and community. The scope of issues that CSR covers ranges from the environment, economic and social faced by the community and society at large. The stakeholder’s primacy model on CSR also entails that CSR should be considered separate from the core operations and activities of the business. This means that CSR should be given similar importance compared to other core functions such as marketing, sales, finance and HR. However, according to this model, CSR is a voluntary concept. Nevertheless, it should be noted that changing a consumer’s expectations has made this concept more of an obligation. This is due to the fact that consumers increasingly hold the view that corporations are directly responsible for the well being of the society and, therefore, should play their due role (Fernando, 2011). 2.2. Aim: To assess the effects of evolving and changing consumer expectations of corporate philanthropy on the shareholder and stakeholder’s primacy models of CSR 2.2.1. Objectives: To understand how the evolving consumer expectations has affected the CSR programs of Marks and Spencer. To determine the changes in consumer expectations in regard to corporate philanthropy. 2.2.2. Research questions For the purpose of attaining research objective, this study will make use of following research questions: Is the CSR program of Marks and Spencer part of the organization’s corporate strategy Is the CSR program of Marks and Spencer affected by the evolving consumer expectations of corporate philanthropy What areas of society are covered by the Marks and Spencer CSR program Does Marks and Spencer’s CSR program come under stakeholder’s primacy model of CSR 3.0 Literature Review The literature reviews enable the understanding of the topic in the context of different theories. The theories, which are brought under discussion usually exists in academic journals, books and other research dissertations The literature review will enable the research to determine the effects of customers’ expectations of corporate philanthropic initiatives on an organization’s primary CSR model. However, before delineating these effects, it is imperative that a clear understanding of the meaning and scope of CSR is made. Usually CSR referred to all the activities, which are conducted by a private organization for the well-being of the general public or community. These activities can relate to different social and environmental issues. The CSR activities do not differ from each other regarding the amount spent on each activity but on the basis of the way in which an organization indulges in that CSR activity (Werther Chandler, 2010). The importance of CSR and its im plications are vital for any global or national business. As a result, the changes in the consumer expectations have assumed vital importance for the nature of organization’s CSR model. Business concern for society is not a new concept but can be traced backed many centuries.. Initially, the activities, which are now categorized as CSR, were seen as merely corporate or business philanthropy. The perception and expectation from the consumer that companies or businesses are an important part of society and, therefore, has responsibility towards society originated in last few years. This led to the development of formal concepts of CSR (Carroll, 1999). Likewise, academic and scholarly work on CSR and corporate philanthropy started in the last century, which led to the belief that CSR is an obligation of every corporate entity. Bowen, who is considered the father of the modern concept of CSR, classified CSR as those activities, which enables businesses and companies to achieve ob jectives, which are desirable for any society (Bowen, 1953). This definition is very simplistic in nature and does not cover the entire spectrum of CSR activities. Davis (1960) sees CSR as a responsibility on the part of a firm, which forces it to admit to duties, which are present in areas beyond the domain of commercial interest. Resultantly, firms will be engaging in politics, community welfare, education and health. Walton (1967) sees CSR as an activity, which will cost the organization without any material gain for the business. Therefore, such activity must be done on a voluntary basis. From this concept, it can be seen that CSR was seen as a matter of moral duty instead of something, which could generate material gain for the organization. However, this consideration has started to change as many firms expect intangible returns from their CSR initiatives. The intangible initiatives can be in the shape of goodwill and creation of a friendly image in the public eye (Louche et a l., 2010). On the other hand, the prevalence of CSR in the modern world has made it necessary for the organization to perform CSR activities. In the case by which an organization decides not to participate in CSR initiatives, it risks losing its customer base. This can be attributed to constant expectations from the consumers for socially responsible behaviour from the companies. Such consumers have increasingly become socially and environmentally conscious and support only those firms, which are involved in CSR and in the provision of sustainable products. The importance of such customers for businesses can be gauged from the recent researches, which show consumer’s preferences for socially responsible firms (Lindgreen Swaen, 2010). One such study showed that the market of those customers, who live their life according to the new concepts of health and environment, is expected to grow to 30% alone in the US (Forster, 2007). The customers are increasingly expecting a great a mount of sustainability from the corporate entities. This is one of the new trends, which have originated in the customer’s way of thinking as far as corporate philanthropy. Initially, consumers’ view any activity, intended to bring positive in the society, as part of corporate philanthropic initiative. Such initiative was considered separate and discrete from organization’s core activities, where were the provision of products and services to customers. Now, such initiative, which comes under the domain of CSR, needs to be considered a core business activity and, hence, part of organizational corporate strategy. Therefore, the primary effect of the changing and evolving expectations of corporate philanthropy on the consumers is the incorporation of CSR model in the organization’s main strategy. This incorporation will enable the organization to provide products and services, which are up to the social and environmental standards. And at the same time, it will enable the organization to launch separate but related initiatives intended to bring positive change in the society. Any organization, which fails to perform this, can risk losing customer base within the market. Therefore, the CSR model has now become an integral part of corporate strategy of all large multinational organizations (Fernando, 2011). The effects of changing consumer expectations has led to the development of the concept of ‘sustainable development’. According it is viewed as the responsibility of businesses to conduct their core activities in such manner, which will not affect the ability of the future generation to meet their basic needs (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). It can be seen from this concept that sustainability in the organization’s activities has now become an integral part of the customers. An organization can fulfil this expectation by integrating the economic, social and environmental consideration in its corporate strategy. This will enable it to achieve sustainability in all aspects of an organization’s operations ( (Visser et al., 2007). Another effect of evolving consumers’ expectation of corporate philanthropy on organization’s CSR model is the adoption of concept of â€Å"Triple Bottom Line† (TBL) by the organization. Ac cording to such, it is the obligation of the organization to put its focus on three main aspects. The first is related to the responsibility of economic success. Secondly, it is related to the responsibility to the environment and thirdly is related to the responsibility of the individuals and the community in general (Elkington, 1998). With this concept, the business organization has transformed itself from a primary economic entity to an organization, which is responsible for fulfilling social and environmental needs of the society alongside achieving their objective of profit generation. This change in the approach of conducting business is attributed to the evolving consumer’s expectation of corporate philanthropy. In the past, any activity on the part of the corporation for the well-being of the community was looked as an initiative taken on the part of shareholders and the high-management. However, with the emergence of CSR, such activities have come under the domain of institutions. Now all activities, taken for the improvement of society have assumed institutional shape (Gainer, 2010). It is equally important to understand the reasons, which led to the evolution of consumers’ expectations of business philanthropy. One pertinent factor responsible for the change is the increase in consumers’ awareness. Consumer awareness has gone a long way in changing the perception of business activities of the corporations. Consumers have now increasingly become aware of their rights. Moreover, this awareness is usually backed by legal and regulatory support , which increases the overall bargaining power of consumers in relation to the organizations. This has enabled the consumers to hold expectations from the corporate entities to perform their due share in the well-being of society. If any organizations fail to perform its obligations, it will not only face legal repercussions but also risk losing consumers in the market. In addition to this, h igh competition in the market is also one of the factors responsible in the shift of customers’ expectations. High forces of competition in the market have required the organization to look for new avenues to build and sustain their competitive advantage. One such technique is through the creation of goodwill within the general public. And the best method for creating such goodwill is through CSR. Furthermore, the effects of culture on CSR expectations are also considerable. For instance, according to Matten Moon (2004), in Europe, the CSR is viewed more in terms of philanthropy than the US, where it is most likely viewed as institutional activity. This difference is primarily attributed to the dissimilarity in the institutional environment and cultural values of the regions. This is the reason, why organizations usually incorporate CSR initiatives in the corporate policies and programs. On the other hand, in Europe, it is mostly viewed as an informal business activity. This shows that customers’ expectations of corporate philanthropy have not matured in Europe as it has done in the US (Baden et al., 2011). For the clear understanding of the problem, it is also important to allow comprehension of the stakeholders’ primacy model of CSR. It is not sufficient to only understand the activities but, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of all the stakeholders, who are directly and indirectly involved in it. Overall, the CSR model is focused on the improvement of society. Resultantly, it should incorporate all the values of society (Carroll, 1979). On the other hand, there is another school of thought, which views CSR as entirely aimed at addressing the issues of different stakeholders in place of the entire society. One proponent of this school of thought is Clarkson (1995). According to Clarkson (1995), the activities including CSR of any business entity are aimed at fulfilling the needs of stakeholders. According to this concept, corporations are free from any obligation concerning society. Instead, there are only responsible for the welfare of the community, which is direc tly affected by their activities. Likewise, (Maignan et al., 2005) also supports this assertion. According to (Maignan et al., 2005), businesses and corporations are responsible for satisfying economic and noneconomic needs of the stakeholders. However, it is difficult to ascertain the exact boundaries of stakeholders especially in the case of multinationals, whose activities spread to different dimensions and areas of society. Nevertheless, the stakeholder model of CSR provides a framework, which can be used to analyze the relationship of the business with the society in the context of CSR (Carroll Shabana, 2010). This theory plays more a complementary role than conflict, when viewed in the milieu of CSR. This theory allows a better understanding of relationship between principal factors involved in the provision of CSR related initiative. According to this theory, corporate units can be better understood through the relationship of different actors, which have a stake in the oper ations of the business (Friedman, 1970). This means that the objectives of any CSR initiative taken by the organization are indirectly related to the primary goal of the organization, which is profit maximization. It means any CSR activity conducted by the organization will eventually increase the customer base for the organization and will subsequently translate in the form of higher returns for the organization. This approach creates a win-win situation for all stakeholders. The community gets the benefit from the CSR activities whereas shareholders and management of the organization receive benefits in the form of increased profits (Freeman, 1984). Theoretically, this model is very effective in transforming capitalism into serving the interest of different stakeholders, excluding shareholders. Within the framework of this theory, the implications of the evolving consumer’s expectations are considerable. The new set of consumer’s belief expects the organization to wo rk for the wellbeing of actors who do not come under the category of stakeholders. As a result, it has become necessary for the organization to redefine the boundaries of stakeholders and include all those actors within society, who are not directly related to the activities of the organization. The primary implication of this for the organization is increased cost related to CSR initiatives without any translations of returns for the organization. In other words, the organization fails to achieve something tangible from such initiative. Moreover, such initiative has departed from pure CSR and has returned to the scope of corporate philanthropy. Previously, only stakeholder’s interest was considered in the CSR program, which is regarded as vital for the existence and success of the organization. This concept also takes into account the importance of power dependent relationships, which suggests that an organization customizes its CSR program according to the power enjoyed by certain stakeholder groups over the firm (Pirsch, 2007). 4.0 Methodology 4.1 Research approach: The research approach adopted for this thesis is the case-based approach. The case study approach will provide profound understanding of the effects of changing consumer’s expectations on an organization’s CSR models. The case study approach is preferred because it allows the collection of in-depth information, which can be comprehensively analyzed in order to reach definite conclusions (Kumar, n.d.). This approach will also enable understanding of the problem in isolation, which is not possible with any other research approach (Bergh Ketchen, 2009). As a result, a comprehensive study of the case will be conducted, which will enable identification and analysis of the factors affecting the consumer expectation of corporate philanthropy on the stakeholder primacy model of CSR. Due to the nature of the case study, the research approach will be primarily qualitative in nature. This approach is ideal because it allows clear comprehension of the all the dimensions of the top ic under discussion (Maxwell, 2005). Therefore, the first stage of this research will consists of in-depth research and review of the relevant literature. The stage will also consist of the study of primacy models of CSR in the context of organizational strategy. This approach will enable the fulfilment of the objective of ascertaining the effects of fluctuating consumer’s expectations on the stakeholder primacy models of CSR. 4.2 Case selection This research will study the case of Marks and Spencer as a model organization for understanding and concluding the effects of evolving customer’s expectation on organization’s dominant models of CSR. The case study approach is ideal in the present scenario because it will allow the research to investigate the problem while retaining the holistic point of view, which is necessary for accurate results (Henn, 2009). The reason Marks and Spencer is selected rests in its long history of corporate philanthropy in the shape of CSR. Likewise, it is a large organization, which makes it representative for all other organizations. This case is also appropriate as it will lead the research to accurate theory development. It should be noted here that the fact the each business unit of Mark and Spenser develops its own CSR strategy makes it relevant for this research. This case will also allow the understanding and identification of the issues concerning the CSR model of Marks and S penser. CSR has an integral position in the organization of Marks and Spenser. This can be attributed to the founders of MS who intended to build sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships with all stakeholders including the community and employees. This model of CSR was implemented with the belief that it will ensure long-term success for the organization. MS launched a number of initiatives under its CSR model relating to education, health, environment and employability. This model has led to the creation of trustworthy images of the company in the general public and the community (Hallbauer, 2008). 4.3 Sample size This research will use a sample of 25 to 40 respondents. This size is ideal to reach a representative conclusion and at the same time eliminates bias in the research. The information from the respondents from the sample will provide additional data and perspective to the information derived from literature and theory review. 4.4 Data collection Primary data: In order to ascertain the effects of evolving customer’s expectations of corporate philanthropy, a large chunk of data will be collected from comprehensive primary research. The case study approach will allow triangulation of data from multiple sources, which will further allow a balanced understating of the problem under discussion. The primary data will be collected from semi structured interviews, which will provide insight into the thought process of the respondents being interviewed. The respondents will include the customers alongside employees of the organization, which will permit an incorporation of the view points of both sides. The questions for the interview are divided according to the respondent type. The following tentative and semi structured questions will be presented the customers: What areas should be targeted in the organization’s CSR strategy Have you witnessed any changes in the the CSR activities of the organizations in last 5 years Do you consider corporate philanthropy an integral responsibility of the organization On the other hand, managerial staff of the organization will be asked to follow main questions: How many changes have taken place in the scope of CSR activities of the organization How much of this change reflects the changes in the customer expectations from the organization’s CSR model How much organization’s philanthropy has been transformed into formalized CSR system Using these questions, this study will collect the relevant data, which will later be used in collaboration with the literature review to address the concerned topic. Secondary data: This research study will also make use of a variety of sources of secondary data alongside primary data, collected from interviews. The secondary data will consist of the website and annual reports of the concerned organization. In addition to this, academic journals and books relating to the topic will also come under the purview of this research. The purpose of the secondary data collection is to determine the effects of evolving customers’ expectations of corporate philanthropy on the organization’s primary CSR model. In addition to this, external reports originating from third party sources, such as the government, will also be used to provide all-encompassing analysis of the topic. The secondary data will enable a balanced understanding of the organization’s CSR model in the wake of evolving customer expectations from corporate philanthropy. 4.5 Pilot study The main objective of the pilot study was to ensure that the terminologies used in the research methodology are correct. As a result, the pilot study was conducted in the shape of interviews from a narrow range of respondents. The method used for the pilot study was a face-to-face to interview. This method enabled direct feedback from the respondents. In addition to this, the method also allowed the interviewer to ask relevant and pertinent questions, which were not present in the question guide, for the sole purpose of clarity. 4.6 Data analysis The data collected from the interview will consist of qualitative data. Therefore, it will not be possible to apply statistical principles and techniques, which can be applied to quantitative data, to extract trends and patterns. As a result, the information collected from interviews will be analyzed to deduce normative patterns for further understanding. However, for the purpose of categorization, the data will be coded and compared according to the research questions. The purpose of this activity is to identify any gaps in the research. In the case of identification of certain gaps, extended data collection will be conducted to eliminate any deficiencies. Moreover, the comparisons will also lead to the elimination of discrepancies before the final stage, when this data will be used to derive concrete findings. The main objective of the data analysis is to find the different dimensions of the topic under discussion. As the data in question primarily consists of primary information, it will provide more realistic picture of all aspects of the problem. Furthermore, this data analysis could also be used with the literature review, which will allow an incorporation of primary data with the theory development in the research finding stage (Miles Huberman, 1994). 5.0 Conclusion The purpose of this research is to assess the effects of the evolving customer expectations in regard to corporate philanthropy on the stakeholder’s primacy model of CSR. For this purpose, the case of Marks and Spencer is selected. Marks and Spencer has a long history of CSR and, therefore, provides a representative model for research study. This research will make use of qualitative data for the purpose of analysis and deriving conclusions. The qualitative data will provide normative insight into the problem, which will enable accurate assessment of the problem under discussion. This research will make use of both primary and secondary data. The primary data will be collected from semi structured interview, which will be conducted from the sample of 25 to 40 respondents. The respondents are divided into two categories in the form of consumers and employees of the said discussion. The data collected will be used in collaboration with secondary data. The secondary data will con sist of academic journals, books, websites and external reports. The secondary data will enable the analysis of primary data in a more comprehensive and balanced manner. With this research methodology, the research study intends to achieve its objective, which is to assess the effects of evolving and changing consumer expectations of corporate philanthropy on the shareholder and stakeholder primacy models of CSR. 6.0 References Baden, Tonne Meyer, 2011. The effect of context and type of corporate philanthropy on moral capital. Journal of Business Ethics . Bergh, D.D. Ketchen, D.J., 2009. Research methodology in strategy and management. Emerald Group Publishing. Bowen, H., 1953. Social responsibility of the businessman. New York: Harper Row. Carroll, A., 1979. A Three-dimensional conceptual model of corporate social performance. Academy of Management Review, 4(4), pp.497-505. Carroll, A., 1999. Corporate Social Responsibility: Evolution of a defnitional construct. Business and Society, 39, p.268–295. Carroll, A.B. Shabana, K.M., 2010. The business case for corporate social responsibility: A review of concepts, research and practice. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), p.85–105. Clarkson, M., 1995. The Toronto conference: Refections on stakeholder theory. Business and Society, 33(1), p.82–131. Council on Foundations, 1982. Corporate philanthropy: Philosophy, management, trends, future, background. Council on Foundations. Davis, K., 1960. Can business afford to ignore social responsibilities. California Management Review, 2(3), p.70–76. Elkington, J., 1998. Cannibals with forks: The triple bottom line of 21st Century business. Gabriola Island, Canada: New Society Publishers. Fernando, A., 2011. Business environment. Pearson Education India. Forster, T., 2004. Die grunen Yuppies. Werben Verkaufen, 51, p.45. Freeman, R., 1984. Strategic management: A stakeholder perspective. Boston: Pitman Publishing Inc. Friedman, M., 1962. Capitalism and freedom. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Gainer, B., 2010. Corporate social responsibility. Third Sector Research, pp.187-200. Hallbauer, S., 2008. Retail marketing and new retail idea – Marks Spencer. GRIN Verlag. Henn, S.K., 2009. Business ethics: A case study approach. John Wiley Sons. Kumar, R., n.d. Research methodology. APH Publishing. Lindgreen, A. Swaen, V., 2010. Corporate social responsibility. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), pp.1-7. Louche, C., Idowu, S.O. Filho, W.L., 2010. Innovative Csr: From risk management to value creation. Greenleaf Publishing. Maignan, I., Ferrell, O. Ferrell, L., 2005. A stakeholder model for implementing social responsibility in marketing. European Journal of Marketing, 29(9/10), p.956–977. Matten, D. Moon, J., 2004. Implicit and explicit CSR: A conceptual framework for understanding CSR in Europe. ICCSR Research Paper Series, (29). Maxwell, J.A., 2005. Qualitative research design: An interactive approach. Sage Publications. Miles, M.B. Huberman, A.M., 1994. Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Sage Publications. Pirsch, J., 2007. A framework for understanding corporate social responsibility programs as a continuum: An exploratory study. Journal of Business Ethics, 70(2), pp.125-40. Urip, S., 2010. CSR strategies: Corporate Social Responsibility for a competitive edge in emerging markets. John Wiley Sons. Visser, W., Matten, D. Pohl, M., 2007. The A to Z of Corporate Social Responsibility: A complete reference guide to concepts, codes and organisations. London: Wiley. Walton, C., 1967. Corporate social responsibilities. Belmont, CA, USA.: Wadsworth. Werther, W.B. Chandler, D., 2010. Strategic corporate social responsibility: Stakeholders in a global environment. SAGE. World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987. Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Economics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Economics - Research Paper Example As a result, the Current Account Balance of has been continuously deteriorating. It has not been long that China gained its position as a sovereign independent state. Initially, a centralized system or a planned economy was being focused upon. But later, the Chinese economy became more reliant on market oriented techniques and by the year 2000 the output of China quadrupled (CIA Factbook). Today China is an epitome of prosperity and economic development. It is the economic giant of today’s world. Its main focus has been on the manufacturing sector and is the major exporter of different goods and services. In this recessionary phase, China has managed to be coped very tactfully. With rising production and employment generation, not only the standard of living is being improved in China but also the economic position of China is being strengthened extensively. China manages to maintain a positive Current Account Balance in this phase of depressing worldwide economy. Additionally , China owns a large amount of foreign reserves to back its economy as well. The demographics of both the countries are different in the sense that China has the largest population of the world whereas, USA is at number 3.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Public International Law as a Branch of Ethics Assignment

Public International Law as a Branch of Ethics - Assignment Example The vital question that needs to be answered in the given context is as to whether public international law is simply a branch of ethics or the concept has a distinct legal character? The fact that must be understood here is that there exists very little divergence between the ethics and the law is it in a local or international context. In such a scenario, public international law is an institution that has strong ethical moorings and an effective and pragmatic legal character. Devoid of ethics, the public international law will be a tool serving the more powerful. Sans a legal character, public international law will be some sort of international diplomatic luxury. Hence, to be effective, the public international needs to rest on the twin pillars of ethical sanctity and legal force. Law stands to be a rule or general principle that has significance and acceptance in a specific domain and is enforceable by an authority. Ethics pertain to the general aspects of morals and the particular moral choices to be made by an individual, community or a nation, which are not enforceable by any authority. Going by these definitions, there certainly exists a relation between ethics and the law. The power of law rests on an agreement between the individuals, institutions, and nations that they will abide by an acceptable and just code of conduct in their association and relationship with each other. Hence, law constitutes the fundamental foundation of any viable community, be it local or international. It can only sustain itself as a pragmatic institution if the involved parties abide by it and agree to respect its outcome and sanctity and respect the institutions and organizations divested with the power to enforce the law. The notion that encourages the individuals, organiza tions and nations to abide by and respect law is their acceptance and understanding of the fact that the institutions designed by them to enforce and administer law will do so in a just and upright manner, without resorting to any impropriety, that is in an ethical manner.

Monday, August 26, 2019

Water Pollution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Water Pollution - Essay Example Over time the stream dried and it became a seasonal flowing river. The livestock waste was streamed into the Fork West making it extremely polluted making the vertebrates in the river to perish which in turn led to a decrease in fish population in the stream. This animal waste also led to algal bloom which worsens the conditions of waters in this river which later leads to death of fish due to lack of oxygen. The pesticides and insecticides used in the farms gets its way into the waters of river West Fork polluting its waters. The poor sewerage systems along the river make the river polluted and unhygienic therefore the water is not suitable for domestic use. As the towns grew and expanded this made pollution of this stream more severe and deadly to the life of the river. The sewage water was channeled to the stream with no concern of its effects. This made pollution more terrible to the marine life in the river at that point in time. The users of the river at the downstream were not taken into consideration. The situation of the stream became worse when the domestic waste came into contact with waste from the industries. This destroyed the natural environment which was a catchment area for this river and a source of living to many downstream. The clearing of the natural vegetation led to rapid surface runoff which further led to formation of ditches which never had the capacity of carrying the flow which was on increase. The development of ditches and trenches led to the destruction of water catchment areas which were formally of a quality nature. This pollution led to degradation of the water of this stream and lives of the people who live downstream .The people down the stream use the river both for domestic use and other farming activities. The water could therefore have negative effects on their health since it may lead to contamination of water and food. These conditions of the stream

Why Women Should Not be Allowed in Active Combat Duty Essay

Why Women Should Not be Allowed in Active Combat Duty - Essay Example They are admirable in the way they acquit themselves in times of conflict and split second decision making and maybe, just maybe -- we might even have a female president some day. Women still have lofty ambitions when it comes to more things that they hope to do in terms of male equality and, along with the presidency, fighting alongside men in active combat is still one glass ceiling they cannot break. Although there already exists cracks in that particular ceiling, I do not believe that women should ever be allowed to see active combat for a number of valid reasons. There are two main reasons that women should not be allowed in combat according to Robert Bork (qtd. in Sowin). Those reasons are: 1. Putting women in combat is crucial to women’s self-esteem and to men’s respect for women. (That has never been true in the past and it is impossible to see why it should be true now.) 2. Combat roles are important to military advancement. The above arguments are all based up on the way that women are traditionally viewed in our society. Women's rights activists protest the idealization of the female role in society because it makes them seem like fragile, emotionally weak people who do not have any desire or capability to defend themselves or others. By joining the military and joining active combat, women feel that they are an equally strong sex and are capable of fighting the good fight also. This is one case wherein the intentions may be sound, but the execution will always be weak. The reality of women in the military is that they are given preference and leeway in most streneous and taxing activities because women do not have the same stamina as men. In fact, women who train in West Point and other military institutions are not made to compete against other men or by male standards, they are only measured in terms of capabilty against other women. This can prove to be detrimental on the battlefield where they fight alongside men who are faster and stronger but are then held back in order to allow the women to catch up. (Sowin Why Women Should Not Be Allowed in Combat). Gender norming and lowering the training standards in order to allow women to pass is a disservice to our world class soldiers who are expected to lead on the battlefield. Women are still thought of all over the world, most specially in the Muslim territories as being weak and dependent on the male species. Majority of the modern women have managed to change that idea by proving that they can be emotionally and physically strong in various ways. I take my hats off to those women. However, fighting in an active battlefront requires much more than just marathon training and endurance tests. There are those who take on the point of view that : Women are not suited by temperament or by physical characteristics for the highly aggressive, ultra-violent pursuit of victory in battle. Much of an army’s success depends upon intimidation of the enemy. A force compo sed of women is far less intimidating than one consisting of macho men. Intimidation of the enemy saves lives in wartime. (Women Should Not Be Allowed in Military Combat). Consider if you will, that the enemies of our nation field burly, scary, and brainwashed men into battle. They live to intimidate the weak. The simple glare of of their eyes, flare of the nostrils, or clearing of the throat is designed to instill fear into any enemy be he male or female. Fighting a war does not allow for segregation of the sexes in order to effectively fight the battle. It is man vs. woman in most cases and, no matter what Hollywood says about G.I. Jane, a woman can easily be taken down by a well trained and strength enhanced enemy. This will then pose a problem for the team who will

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Coursework - Essay Example The harshest reaction is a condition called coelliac disease. Some other forms of reactions include non-coelliac gluten sensitivity, gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity. Persons with coelliac disease and gluten sensitivity feel improvement when they pursue a gluten free diet. This Genius Gluten Free advert has presented this entire idea in a simple, attractive and tempting way, which has the potential to grab its target consumer within an instant. Meaning of the Advert Genius Foods has launched what it promises to be the first TV advert for a gluten free bakery brand in the United Kingdom. The theme of the advert offers a wholesome and tasty option for those looking for a gluten free diet. It has been presented with a quite homely touch, particularly with a mother expressing her delight in the product. The layout is attractive and appealing as consumers would love to try the product. The line at the bottom is convincing and drives the consumer to know more about gluten free prod ucts and related benefits and eventually end up in buying the brand. It is a very strong motivator for the consumers to try the brand after realising the importance of instilling gluten free products in their daily diet. The slogan ‘Surprise! I bake you a cake’, as pictured in the ad, is expressing a simple gluten free seeded loaf to be as tasty and tempting as a cake. There is a mother standing beside with a cake, and surprised expressions tell the audience about the goodness of the Genius Gluten Free brand, which is not only delicious but also wholesome (Locker & Kienzler 2009). Denotative and Connotative Meaning Genius Gluten Free bread offers full sized slices that are ideal for sandwiches. It has been created for people who rely on a gluten free lifestyle and can enjoy a pleasant tasting gluten free bread option. The advert has been expressed through a perception of a common consumer who lives on a gluten free diet and looks forward to having a daily diet free from gluten but does not want to compromise taste. This bread brand has delivered its message successfully to its target market, which is a common health conscious consumer. The meaning of a mother with a cake captures the common household attention to buy a better option of daily bakery requirements with a much better taste in comparison to other gluten free products available in the product (Martin & Chaney 2012). The advert also emphasises the fact that there are some people who wish to switch their diet to a gluten free one but are hesitant to bear the unpleasant taste it might offer. For these types of people, the Genius Gluten Free has offered a complete healthy solution with supreme taste and health at the same time. Moreover, a strong aspect in the advert is the information it is offering to its consumers to check further knowledge about the gluten free products through a website link provided (Mead & Andrews 2009). This enables the consumers, especially the dubious ones, to lea rn more about the special diet option, and what benefits a gluten free diet can offer them if they incorporate it in their daily diet plan. The complete advert is aimed to target its market with a convincing idea simple enough to understand and attractive enough to buy the brand. Most importantly, the advert is capable of retaining in the minds of those who watch it, which becomes a great factor in making an actual purchase by the consumer. Cultural Aspect and Consumer Accessibility The Genius Gluten F

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Discuss the representation of the supernatural in Frankenstein and Essay

Discuss the representation of the supernatural in Frankenstein and Lyrical Ballads and related writings - Essay Example These representations are probably the secret ingredients of writers to their works that usually hold their readers’ attention, and getting their praises in the end. As for Wordsworth and Coleridge, they were initially stoned with many negative comments from reviewers like Francis Jeffrey which resulted to readers refraining from embracing their works (enotes.com). However, with the rise of other reviewers who appreciated the simplicity of the two Romantics’ works, the dice was rolled for the authors’ favors and marked their names in history, where even today, the representations of their works are rediscovered time and again. Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein (Literature.org) is a lyrical ballad with representations of the unseen world and nature, of gods and humans. During the times of early discoveries of what we enjoy now like electricity, unseen powers greatly influenced the imaginations of men that this theme is scattered in many of their literary works. Fr ankenstein’s creation of a monster resulted from the understanding of the works of the gods who keep the equilibrium of the universe and things in it. The creator intended to make a man like himself through his study of Chemistry, one that he would be proud of, intended for the good of mankind. To his disappointment, he made alive a creature he eventually feared and despised; a demonstration of what the supreme can do to frustrate the illusions of man for fame, glory and power. Frankenstein, destroying his she monster before even taking the breath of life brings to him a realization that he can not play god again. He may have been able to create a man, but it was to his misfortune and not according to what he expected things to be. This realization may have not been explicitly mentioned but the representation rings through the story where Frankenstein’s fears for what the monster could do, with a helper who could be able to reproduce their kinds amongst humankind. It c ould also have been to Frankenstein, a submission and acceptance that he is not at all powerful as the gods who are able to look after their creations and limit their fantasies as they did to him and his creation, a monster instead of an adorable man. Looking at the story more closely and its implications to the modern world, Frankenstein obviously would represent men or scientists in particular and the monster are the bad effects of their discoveries and creations. For instance, men created bombs, missiles and guns. Like the monster of Frankenstein, these creations take millions of lives around the world not only the bad guys but more often than not, the innocent become the victims. The creators of which are not spared from the pain of such a great misery as seen in the life of Frankenstein whose loved ones were not spared, making him suffer all the more, blaming himself for such a misfortune. Men can not undo what they have done, they can not bring the time of ignorance about such destructive creations as Frankenstein was not able to destroy his monster. However, it could be implied in the story that such insanity can either be reinforced or put to a stop. Frankenstein, creating a she monster would strengthen the male counter part and eventually take more lives than he is able to do alone, likewise, scientists creating more and stronger kinds of bombs will physically do the same.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Crisis Management Speech Manuscript Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crisis Management Speech Manuscript - Assignment Example Good and useful lessons were drawn from this incident in the Sacks store. I hope such incidents will even bring some benefits to the company as they will improve the service at the store. Ms. Ryder has already admitted that it was a serious and important experience in her life which eventually brought her to the new level of her development.1 Therefore, I am going to provide you with all the information you need to know regarding this incident. Ms. Ryder came to Saks store on 12th December where she was a regular customer in order to purchase some clothes. However, her shopping went the wrong way and soon she was grabbing more and more clothes piling them in her arms, as it is seen on the video from cameras2. Allegedly Ms. Ryder went to the changing rooms where she was cutting of the tags with prices with the help of scissors. However, this information was only available from the words of the guards since there are no cameras in changing rooms. Ms. Ryder on her part denied this accusation, and it is hardly possible to determine what happened exactly in this couple of minutes in the cubicles. Later M. Ryder did paid for the part of her clothes while she was stopped with the rest of her unpaid things by the guard. She looked confused and asked whether her assistant had paid for these items.3 Totally there were 20 things that were not paid by Ms. Ryder and that could be considered stolen. The total price exceeded $1, 595. It is necessary to mention that Ms. Ryder did not resist accusations of the guard. She was cooperative and apologetic with the guards of Saks. Thus, I suppose making some concrete conclusions regarding the motivation of her actions is wrong because the case is complicated. There have been many questions of â€Å"Why did she do it?† and â€Å"How is it possible to trust her after this?† which can be answered. Ms. Ryder apologized for her behavior and

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Persulphate and Potassium Iodide Essay Example for Free

Persulphate and Potassium Iodide Essay The rate of which the reaction happened can be found out by using the simple formulae: Speed = Distance Time Distance is what we call the persulphate because we are measuring the amount of persulphate needed to react. The amount of persulphate will always be the same at the end so it doesnt matter how much we use. So to make it easy we can call this 1 (unit). Therefore Rate = 1 Time Therefore rate is the inverse of time and we can draw a graph of this. The faster the rate of reaction takes place, the shorter is the time needed for the reaction to finish. To be more precise, the speed of the reaction is inversely proportional to the time taken for the reaction to finish. In my prediction I stated, I predict that when the concentration of the reactant, Potassium Persulphate, is increased while all other factors are kept constant then the rate of reaction will increase. From the graph we can clearly see that this is the case. At 5% concentration the rate of reaction is very slow as it takes 720. 29 seconds for the cross to disappear but at 100% concentration the rate of reaction has increased dramatically and is very fast, taking only 16. 12 seconds for the cross to disappear. From my predicted graph, we can see that it is very similar to that of the actual graph and therefore my prediction has been supported by the experiment. In this experiment only one concentration was altered. A variation is to keep the concentration of iodide constant and alter the concentration of Potassium persulphate. Then the speed of the reaction is found to be proportional to the concentration of the Persulphate. If the Persulphate concentration is doubled then the speed doubles. The reason for this is that the ions are closer together in a concentrated solution. The closer together they are, the more often the ions collide. The more often they collide, the more chance they have of reacting. Collision Theory for Rates of Reaction Before looking at the factors that can alter the rate of reaction, we must consider when happens when a reaction takes place. First of all, the particles of the reacting substances must collide with each other and, secondly, a fixed amount of energy called the activation energy must be reached if the reaction is to take place. If a collision between particles can produce sufficient energy (i. e.if they collide fast enough and in the right direction) a reaction will take place. Not all collisions will result in a reaction. A reaction is speeded up if the number of suitable collisions is increased. Effect of Temperature on the Rate of Reaction When one of the reactants is a solid, the reaction must take place on the surface of the solid. By breaking up the solid in to smaller pieces, the surface are is increased, giving a greater area for collisions to take place and so causing and increase in the rate of reaction. This explains why mixtures of coal dust and air can cause explosions. The experiment was done on the same day trying to keep the temperature the same. Effect of Light on the Rate of Reaction The rates of some reactions are increased by exposure to light. Light has a similar effect, therefore, to increasing temperature. This is why the paper had to be used. Effect of Concentration on the Rate of Reaction The more concentrated the reactants, the greater will be the rate of reaction. This is because increasing the concentration of the reactants increases the number of collisions between particles and therefore, increases the rate of reaction. This also explains why the greatest rate of reaction are usually as soon as the reactants are mixed i. e. they are both at their highest concentrations. As the reaction precedes the concentrations of the reacting substances decrease and the rate of reaction decreases. The effect of concentration is shown in this experiment using potassium persulphate and Iodine showing a colour change and cloudiness due to the precipitation of potassium. Effect of Light on the Rate of Reaction The rates of some reactions are increased by exposure to light. Light has a similar effect, therefore, to increasing temperature. Thats why paper is used to surround the beaker. Effect of Catalysts on the Rate of Reaction A catalyse is a substance which can alter the rate of a reaction but remains chemically unchanged at the end of the reaction. Catalysts usually speed up reactions. A catalyst, which slows down a reaction, is called a negative catalyst or inhibitor. Catalysts speed up reactions by providing an alternative pathway for the reaction, i. e. one that has much lower activation energy. More collisions will, therefore, have enough energy for this new pathway. So the factors, which affect the rate of a chemical reaction, include: 7. Concentration 8. Particle Size 9. Pressure (for reactions involving gases) 10. Temperature 11. Light 12. Presence of a catalyst The difference in the rate of reaction can be explained in terms of a simple collision theory. Evaluation The procedure used wasnt the most accurate procedure but it was good enough to give us firm enough results and conclusion. The experiment shows a reasonably high accuracy of results to a hundredth of a second. Although, when dealing with the solutions it was taken to the nearest cm3. This was because we only had equipment to this degree although it was good enough to give accurate results. The experiment has shown to produce no anomalous results. As you can see from the graph that all the results follow the line of best fit and none seem out of place. I think the experiment shows quite a high standard of reliability. The preliminary experiment showed that the right amount of starch was used and even when repeated no anomalies were found. I can say therefore from this that I can support a firm conclusion. There are only a few things that could produce anomalous results. If the constants were not kept constant then this may produce some misleading results. This was done as best of our abilities although if a different batch of starch was used through the experiment this would produce inaccurate times also if the pipettes were accidentally mixed up or the observer of the cross changed or stopped the clock not as accurately as before. The number of results taken from the experiment though was a suitable number, although to make it a lot more accurate the results could have been repeated 3 times and then an average taken, although this would take a long time. This experiment has shown to be very suitable for its purpose and given some accurate and reliable results. If, for any instance, it was necessary to have extremely high accurate results the experimental procedure may have to be changed. If this experiment were to be changed in any way it would only be to do more repeat readings and measure and time more accurately; this then would give more accurate results. Improvements outside the school laboratories, with this experiment, can be changed by using very accurate equipment. Keeping all things, which affect the rate of reaction constant, for example light and temperature. If done in a cabinet with a thermometer and light sensor these two things can be kept constant to a high degree. By observing a colour change can be improved by a colour detection sensor. Fresh solutions in apparatus, which is cleaned thoroughly after use an also using a photocell linked into a clock rather than the visual way These differences can produce some very highly precise results. Chemistry: Scientific Investigation.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Hillary Clinton’s Persuasive Style Essay Example for Free

Hillary Clinton’s Persuasive Style Essay Hillary Clinton is definitely one of the most popular presidential aspirants of the Democrat Party. Her experiences as first lady coupled with her extensive service in American politics have given her the strength one needs to run for the highest administrative position in the country. Her charm and direct-to-the-point approach in dealing with issues have earned her enough supporters. However, the speeches and interviews she has had for her campaign are also brilliant proof of her mastery of the art of persuasion. Propaganda is not bad in itself because it can work to people’s advantages even if the word itself sounds negative (Cross 123). In elections, however, the persuasion techniques of candidates can distract unwary voters of the true issues that need to be discussed. The goal of the candidate is always to convince the audience that he or she has the ability to lead – even if it means fooling people. Clinton can be very persuasive if her listeners are not aware of her techniques. It is very easy to be persuaded by Hillary Clinton because she uses every possible way of convincing her audience that she is the right choice for president. She is adept in using the English language to boost her chances in winning her readers’ consent to what she says. She even uses different rhetoric styles to lend credibility to her speech. In her speeches before the Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF) in July 2007 and during Super Tuesday, she showed that she can use techniques like name-calling, glittering generalities, plain-folks appeal, argumentum ad populum, argumentum ad hominem, card stacking, and bandwagon to her favor. Clinton opened her speech to the PPAF by using persuasion techniques like transfer and argumentum ad populum. She acknowledged her friendship with Cecile Richards, president of the organization, and praised her efforts to get the favor of her audience. Clinton used the transfer technique because by associating herself with Richards, she is able to get the confidence of her audience. In doing so, she was also able to use plain-folks appeal because she was also able to connect herself as an advocate of Richards’ principles which shows that she is one with her audience. Clinton used name-calling and glittering generalities often to put emphasis and drama to her claims. Although she never used name-calling towards any specific person, she used the technique to show what she thought of certain principles of the incumbent administration. She referred to the family planning guidelines as â€Å"anti-science, anti-prevention policies† (qtd. in Echevarria 2007 par. 14). She also showed her disgust over new Medicaid rules by name-calling it â€Å"burdensome new Medicaid documentation requirements† (par. 22) On the other hand, she used the glittering generalities technique to uplift the egos of her audience by saying that â€Å"you are the only place to turn to† (par. ) and â€Å"often the ones who are the sole advocates for women† (par. 3). To charm her audience, Clinton was always finding ways to make the people hear what they wanted to hear through argumentum ad populum. She kept uplifting the audience of PPAF by saying things like, â€Å"thank you for your courage, thank you for your dedication, and thank you for your commitment to our Constitutional rights† (par. 4). Her listeners during Super Tuesday were also soothed by her descriptions of them as â€Å"moms and dads who want a better world for our children† and â€Å"young people who deserve a world of opportunity† (qtd. n The Associated Press 2008 par. 1) However, her disdain over the Bush administration was never concealed and she was frank enough to use the argumentum ad hominem technique to throw her comments on the prevailing policies of the current government. She describes Bush as â€Å"a president who listens only to the special interests† (par. 2) to make her audience think that she is better than he. To show that she had done better in promoting women’s health and better sex education, she accused the current leader of having â€Å"played politics with women’s health†¦and he’s worked to turn Washington, D.  C. into an evidence-free zone where facts are subordinate to ideology and opinion. (Echevarria par. 13). Another popular persuasive technique that candidates like Clinton have used is card stacking wherein the information being divulged during the speech are only those that would support the speaker’s claims. In Echevarria’s transcription of her speech at PPAF, Clinton claimed that unintended pregnancies were cut by one-third from the 1990s to 2000s because of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (par. 16). Here, she uses the ethos rhetoric style by showing that she has the credibility to lead and have a say in the issue. However, according to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops who made 23 different studies of the emergency contraception used by the campaign, the plan failed â€Å"to achieve any statistically significant reduction in rates of unintended pregnancies and abortion† (Raymond, et. al. 2007 181-188 cited in par. 4) One of the most popular techniques used by all candidates is the bandwagon. Clinton definitely used this technique in her speeches. For the PPAF, she calls the audience to vote for her by saying â€Å"when we take back the White House† (Echevarria par. 25). She also makes the listeners take up her cause by saying, â€Å"with good information, good education, and good healthcare we can empower women and girls† (par. 41) On the other hand, she has chosen to use this technique to close her speech on Super Tuesday. She kept using the word â€Å"we† to show her solidarity with the people in seeking change in the administration. Phrases like â€Å"we much continue to be a nation that strives always to give each of our children a better future† (The Associated Press par. 3) and â€Å"give us this nation to heal, this world to lead, this moment to seize† (par. 24) served to incite powerful emotions among Americans to propel her towards the presidential seat. Clinton loved using the pathos rhetoric style which is an appeal based on the emotion â€Å"The Art of Rhetoric† par. 8). She does this by praising and thanking her audience many times within her speeches. In her speech with the PPAF, Clinton also used the logos rhetoric style in making her audience understand how Bush’s policies have become a disadvantage to young women. She uses references like Mathematica to show that her stance on the poor sex education that teenagers are now getting is correct. Hillary Clinton is a tough presidential candidate because she is very good in using persuasive language to make her audience feel that she is one with them in all their concerns. She uses what she can of the persuasive techniques available and Aristotle’s rhetoric styles to captivate her audience and move them to consider her as the best candidate for the presidency.