Images of Success and the Prefernce for Luxury Brands

Kate Chopins Controversial Views Essays - Frdric Chopin,

Kate Chopin's Controversial Views "Too strong a drink for moral babies, and should be labeled `poison'." was the how the Republic described Kate Chopin's most famous novel The Awakening (Seyersted 174). This was the not only the view of one magazine, but it summarized the feelings of society as a whole. Chopin woke up people to the feelings and minds of women. Even though her ideas were controversial at first, slowly over the decades people began to accept them. Kate O'Flaherty Chopin was raised in St. Louis in the 1850's and 1860's. Chopin had a close relationship with her French grandmother which lead to her appreciation of French writers. When she was only five Chopin's father, Thomas O'Flaherty died leaving her without a father figure. Eliza O'Flaherty, Chopin's mother, was from there on the head of the household. Chopin grew up knowing that women could be strong and intelligent and that they did not have to be submissive creatures (Skaggs 2). She loved her mother and considered her "A woman of great beauty, intelligence, and personal magnetism" (Seyersted 14). Growing up around independent women, however, did not dissuade her from marriage. Her marriage to Oscar Chopin by all accounts was a happy one. Taking on the role of a high society lady as well as wife and new mother, Chopin fit in well with the New Orleans culture. She enjoyed the Louisiana atmosphere so well that most of her writings were based here. Chopin continued living in Louisiana raising her six young children until the sudden death of her husband brought her back to St., Louis (Skaggs 3). Oscar Chopin died while their youngest child, Lelia was only three. Soon after Chopin moved her family to St. Louis to be with her dying mother. In the grief of her losses Chopin had to rediscover who she was. This challenge came out in her writing of heroines searching for self-understanding (Skaggs 3). No longer Eliza O'Flaherty's daughter or Oscar Chopin's wife, Kate Chopin was forced to find a new role for herself. Her new role would be a writer. A few key figures in her life influenced Chopin to write. Doctor Frederick Kolbemheyer was a life long friend on whose support she always relied. Raised in Austria and then exiled for his beliefs, Kolbemheyer was a philosopher and encouraged Chopin to read Darwin, Haxley, and Spencer. Their beliefs were very similar and he must have supported her when she denounced the Catholic religion after her mother's death. The beloved friends wrote to each other often while Chopin was in Louisiana. Seeing the talent in her writing, Kolbemheyer encouraged Chopin to publish her letters. She admired him greatly and even named her son Frederick after him. (Taylor 147). There were three American women writers of the time that Chopin admired. When asked who would be a good model woman writer she responded, "I know of no one better than Miss Jewett to study for technique and nicety of construction. I don't mention Mary E. Wilkins for she is a great genius and genius is not to be studied." (Taylor 163). Wilkins's book Pembroke was condemned by society and Chopin must have been sympathetic when five years later her own book The Awakening was also condemned. Chopin also looked up to Ruth McEnery Stuart and praised her work as being "True to nature," and having a "wholesome human note" (Taylor 163). It is notable that later Chopin's talent and style were to be compared to the works of these women whom she admired. The greatest influence on Chopin was the French writer Guy de Maupassant. Chopin describes Maupassant by writing, "Here was a man who escaped from tradition and authority ... looked out upon life through his own being with his own eyes; and who, in a direct and simple was, told up what he saw." (Taylor 159). Chopin translated eight of his works and through him developed her style of writing. She shared his concept of a hero : "An isolated world-weary and misanthropic hero who revels in his own sensuality; who trusts in nature and distrusts human relationships, especially love; who experiences a sense of liberation through solitary walks and confidences in his writing... and who is strongly drawn to death as a solution to the repetitive meaninglessness of life's pleasures. (Taylor 160) This was the basic outline for the plot of The Awakening . The book starts with Edna, a New Orleans high society wife and mother who was miserable with her life. While spending the summer in Grand Isle, Edna meets Mademoiselle Reiz whose music is the only thing in which Edna finds happiness.

Bipolar Disorder

The topic I chose for my internet assignment is Bipolar Disorder. I chose this disorder because I find it to be very interesting and I also know someone who has been diagnosed with it. >From my research I learned many things about Bipolar Disorder. It affects around 1% of the population and it fits into the category of affective disorders. People experience the disorder in many different ways. Some experience "full blown mania" while others react in a more subtle way. Usually there are periods of depression between the mania, but not always. The cause of the disorder has still not been determined, but 50% of people who suffer from it are known to have a family history of manic depression. There is not yet a cure for Bipolar Disorder although, it is treatable with medications and therapy. Online Dictionary of Mental Health. (2000) The Mercurial Mind, [online]. Available:http://home.att.net/~mercurial-mind/ [2000, January 27] The first web site I visited was The Mercurial Mind: Living with Bipolar Disorder. This site answered questions such as what does bipolar disorder feel like, how do mental health professionals determine whether or not you have bipolar disorder and how does bipolar disorder affect the lives of the people who have it. The information is laid out in a clear and accurate manner. I found the information to be useful and learned a lot from the site. The author of the site states at the bottom of the second page that he is not a health care professional. He was diagnosed with the disease when he was 39 years old, so although he may be a useful source I am not sure how credible he is. His site has been online since January 2000 and he has already had 35,929 hits, which I think is pretty good. There is a place on the site to sign the guest book and also send in an e-mail if you have any more questions. This site has won numerous awards from internet critics. Sister Leslie. (2000) The Bipolar Planet...

Lady Macbeth Essays - Characters In Macbeth, English-language Films

Lady Macbeth Essays - Characters In Macbeth, English-language Films Lady Macbeth Lady Macbeth Amongst the most essential of characters in the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare is Lady Macbeth. Upon the introduction of Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth is brought into the plot of the play. In this soliloquy, Lady Macbeth comments on her thoughts after having read a letter from her husband, Macbeth, informing her about the witches prophecies on the possibility of Kingship. A variety of well-known topics are explored, including the revelation of the true traits of characters such as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be What thou art promised; yet do I fear thy nature, It is too full othmilk of human kindness To catch the nearest way. Thou wouldst be great, Art not without ambition, but without The illness should attend it. What thou wouldst highly, That wouldst thou holily; wouldst not play false, And yet wouldst strongly win. Thoudst have, great Glamis, That which cries, Thus who must do if thou have it; And that which rather thou dost fear to do. Than wishest should be undone. Hie thee hither, That I may pour my spirits in thine ear And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round, Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have crowned thee withal. -Lady Macbeth, Act 1 Sc5, Lines 13 28 Her first thoughts are based on the reaction of the realism of Macbeth being Thane of Glamis, and possibly Cawdor as the witches predicted. This is expressed through the words What thou art promised. The idea of having soliloquy interacting with the witches predictions creates a sense of spirituality. This being Lady Macbeths first appearance in the play is effective as it allows the reader to associate this sense of spirituality and evil with her character, that has yet to have any substance to allow the reader to interpret her role by. She continues by expressing her fear over not being able to catch the nearest way due to Macbeths overly kind character. This is demonstrated through a variety of techniques. For example, Lady Macbeth explains how her husband would not play false nor would he wrongly win. This suggests a fair person with a kindness too powerful for him to be a false king, through murder. The extent of Macbeths kind character is described as too full othmilk of human kindness. This is extremely significant as milk, similar to a mothers breast milk, is filled with the vital pureness and nutrition that a baby needs in order to grow. This can be used to mirror Macbeths kind character to the importance of a mothers breast milk in the eyes of a newly born baby. In addition, Lady Macbeths envy for her husband is shown through the compilation of words such as great, highly and holiliy. These words create imagery of religion and heavens to support her feelings towards Macbeth. The presence of the thought of h eavens being the place of good after death can be used to mirror the extent of Macbeths kind character. Lady Macbeth describes the action of murdering King Duncan through the words to catch the nearest way. The use of this euphemism to describe the action of killing Duncan can be seen as though she is trying to hide the harsh imagery of blood and violence in the action of murder. This is an example of Lady Macbeths diminishing sense of honesty. Throughout the course of the soliloquy, the developing theme of evilness continues to show through words such as spirits and metaphysical which produce an authoritative feeling of negativity. This form of negativity is extremely effective as it relates to the topic of the supernatural and unknown that causes for greater intrigue amongst the audience as a result. Also, these words being said through Lady Macbeth gives the audience an opportunity to further build their personal folio of her character. The idea of having to call upon the spirits and gods, the most divine of beings also can be interpreted to suggest multiple meanings. The fact that Lady Macbeth has to call upon the most powerful of beings suggests the extent of Macbeths kindness, that only the most commanding of beings has the dominance to sway Macbeths conscience. Alternatively, the act of Lady Macbeth calling upon the most

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS AND PUBLIC POLICY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS AND PUBLIC POLICY - Essay Example The company has a truly effective corporate social responsibility in the country. The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Penny, clearly states that a company does well when it does good-beneficiation (Goldsmith, Arthur 136). This has had a great impact in the growth of the country over time. De Beers Diamond Company believes in giving back to the society by contributing to the improvement of the living standards of the people of Botswana. This is seen through its commitment to better the infrastructure and superstructure of the country by building roads, hospitals as well as schools. The company has improved the social welfare of the Botswana people by implementing educative and awareness programs on health issues and most importantly on H.I.V and A.I.D.S. The company believes that helping the people of Botswana remain productive and live in better conditions will have a positive impact on its operations. In the economic aspect, the company has greatly boosted the countryâ⠂¬â„¢s economy. Its operations currently cater for one third of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country’s economy. Through the discovery of diamond in the country, the company has empowered the country to deviate from over reliance on the agricultural sector and has given it a competitive advantage in the diamond trade. Both the social and economic role go hand in hand. It is very had to separate the two as they are driven by similar factors. Through the economic gains reaped by the company from its operations, the benefits are able to contribute to economic growth, as well as foster, social development through the various projects. Through the economic role the company plays, the people are able to benefit from a more stable economic and this indirectly improves their standard of living. This is a perfect example of sound business practice. A company must be able to support its community, for whom it may not have existed. A business

BlackBerry company fail Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BlackBerry company fail - Essay Example Blackberry, the Ontario-based smartphone company, had opportunities to survive and adapt but it took the wrong direction. U.S President Barack Obama was quoted saying that one of the things he was addicted to was his BlackBerry. One of his reasons was that the phone had advanced security features (Herman, Hadlaw and Swiss, 2014). The company was started in 1984 by engineering students Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fregin and was for a long time a global leader in communication products. This was until it failed to see the impact of the iPhone, became blind to competition (especially from cheaper Asian rivals), and delayed in launching new phones. Despite being named by Fortune magazine in 2009 as the world’s fastest growing company, BlackBerry dropped a plan to be acquired for $4.7 billion and laid off its chief executive. This is in contrast to Apple, where Steve Jobs managed to turn it round through adaptability after being 90 days from the verge of bankruptcy in 1997 (Kint, 2014). Success and failure in the technology business are rarely predictable. BlackBerry had an obvious lead in the market, and its managers discussed various ways of coming out of the predicament but in the end they made the wrong choices (Rao and Klein, 2013). Basically, they did not fail to adapt, but they made the wrong adaptations. Long time survival is about making the right adaptations. In the book Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure, Financial Time’s columnist Tim Harford stated that, â€Å"success comes through rapidly fixing our mistakes rather than getting things right the first time† (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2014). The Globe and Mail of Friday 27th September 2013 investigative report revealed that Verizon asked Blackberry to create a touch screen but the result was a failure leading Verizon to turn to Motorola and Google (Hitt, Ireland and Hoskisson, 2014). In 2012 BlackBerry’s CEO Jim Balsillie quit the

Marketing - Santa Fe Grill analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing - Santa Fe Grill analysis - Essay Example tors that influence the clients decision to dine either at Santa Fe Grill or Joses Southwestern Cafà ©, (2) the features that customers associate each of the restaurants with, (3) the geographic and demographic description of the clients, the impact of advertising, willingness to refer their friends to the restaurant or even return to their restaurant of choice as well as their degree of satisfaction. Summary statistics, univariate and other statistical tests were conducted and results presented in the following sections. Table 1 shows the summary statistics for the responses obtained for this question. Majority of the respondents interviewed with regard to Joses Southwestern Cafà © occasionally ate there (38.2%) while for Santa Fe Grill majority of the respondents ate there somewhat frequently. Tabulation of the frequency at which respondents ate at each of the two restaurants is provided in table 1 below. Regarding whether the respondents perceived the prices at either Santa Fe Grill or Jose’s Southwestern Cafà © to be reasonable, a seven point likert scale response was used from which the results indicated that on average, the respondents in both restaurants were indifferent about the pricing (Average for this response was 4). Further tests were conducted on how much they agreed with the pricing (6 on the likert scale). Results from an independent sample t-test (table2) indicated that for both restaurant, the customers agreed with the pricing. Table 3 shows results of a cross tabulation of the respondents’ gender versus whether they recall seeing an advertisement in the past 60 days. Majority of those who could not recall seeing an advertisement in the past 60 days were males (68.80%). However, for the respondents who could recall seeing an advertisement in the past 60 days, 73.3% were males. We therefore conclude that more males recalled seeing an advertisement as compared to those that did not see it, while for females a higher number of female could not

Extended School Year in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvannia Research Paper

Extended School Year in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvannia - Research Paper Example Perhaps the greatest finding of the commission’s report was the fact that students present in other democratic countries (especially industrialized nations) were expected to take up to two times as much instructions in core academic areas during the course of a high school year than students being taught in high schools across the United States. (NECTL, 1994) 2. Relating Time and Learning Investigations into time and learning reveal that the amount of time spent on learning and the total learning acquired are directly related. Learning is affected consistently in a powerful manner based on the time allocated to learning. Moreover it has been found that schools that devote greater student time to learning tend to produce students with greater test scores in comparison to schools where student’s time is used up in other activities. (Walberg, Extended Learning Time, 1991) (Walberg, 1988) On the other hand there is no clear relationship between the amount of time allocated for instructing students in a school and the amount of time that students are engaged in various kinds of learning activities. Research carried out on the issue of time spent by students in school reveals that time is just one constituent that is required to ensure learning for students. This also indicates that merely increasing the time spent in schools is unlikely to produce any major changes in the amount of learning of students. The relationship between the amount of time spent and achievement does not present a strong case. Hence it is apparent that by only increasing the amount of time spent in schools will not produce large gains in learning by students. Therefore policy makers cannot expect to increase the amount of time spent in instructing students either in school days or school years in order to justify tremendous increases in learning. Another aspect often brought to light by most researchers is that the utilization of time is far more important than simple increases i n the time spent in school by students. As mentioned before mere mechanical increases in time are not likely to produce any major changes in the amount of learning or in academic achievement. However even then certain states are adding more and more time to their class times with some states adopting the school day approach while others adopt the school year approach. Based on these arguments it is pertinent to realize that time spent in the classroom should be optimized further in order to maximize learning in the classroom. This in turn leads to the question: How do aspects of learning and academic achievement get affected as time in the classroom is increased due to extended school year periods? Moreover should such a system be enforced in New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania? 3. Findings 3.1. Academic Achievement The effects of prescribing an extended day or year program for classrooms was only the subject of a very few studies that were reviewed. However the few pertinent stud ies reviewed indicated that some issues were worth noting. A study conducted on 181 kindergarten students was structured that one half received conventional schooling while the other half received extended year programs at school. The study examined the effect of additional school days on the children’

Technology Professional Growth part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Technology Professional Growth part 2 - Essay Example Social trends must be considered in this approach and the disadvantages associated with the web. I posit that incorporation of web technology in education is a step towards improving the means of concentrating on the acquisition of new information, towards different objectives. The use of technology in the society is highly linked to the actions of the young. The youth are more engaged in the use of technology, specifically IT based, and though the main use lies in entertainment, more can be done to increase its use in education and leadership. The utilization of mobile phones and computers to access information on the web is increasing with each new day and the engagement of institutions such as commerce towards communicating important details. The education sector has been influenced through means such as educational podcast, videos, blogs, and websites among others, but more must be done. Higher learning institutions have engaged in the development of platforms through which students may interact with their tutors in shared information, yet there are means by which the education and leadership education programs can be boosted by the use of web technology. The initial step involved in the program is the analysis of the project scope. An analysis of the possible beneficiaries of the program is essential towards justification of the project. The project must have a target audience, and a survey is the research methodology that can be used to establish the efficiency by which the project will operate. Assessment of the ICT and IT structures and use is needed to validate the incorporation of an interactive scholarly system that does not necessarily depend on the use of computers. In this survey, the use of mobile telephones is instrumental, as the aim of the approach is to get education to the student on a personal level (West 2012). The

Post Mortem Forensic Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Post Mortem Forensic Analysis - Research Paper Example In order to initialize a forensic analysis, the first step is to determine the point of the breach to the network. Likewise, after identifying the point of the breach, a forensic examiner can evaluate its exploitation. Moreover, the examiners can also identify the source of the threat i.e. the Internet. As per the scenario, a large computer network is compromised by a threat that may have also exploited classified documents. The report will demonstrate the forensic analysis with the aid of FTK tools in order to identify the root cause of the threat. Overview If an organization is affected by a security breach, in some cases, it is complex to calculate risks related to information assets present on the network. Likewise, it depends on the severity of the threat that may have caused large disruptions in network-based services. This is the point where the digital forensic expert is incorporated for identifying the threat, impact and network incidents caused by it. Organizations experien ce new techniques and methods from an ongoing investigation by a digital forensic expert. Likewise, the point of interception, methodology, and protection etc. are considered to be critical. Moreover, financial institutions are keener to adopt forensic analysis, as this domain including business model and nature of the data, cannot compromise on security (Network postmortem: Forensic analysis after a compromise, n.d.). For instance, master card, visa, American express demonstrates a solid online security framework. In the current scenario, where a network is already breached by a threat, these forensic experts focus on three core factors i.e. (Network postmortem: Forensic analysis after a compromise, n.d.): A discovery process focused on understanding the application and network infrastructure, as well as the business information flow of the organization Interviews with key personnel to understand the facts of the case from the customer's perspective and identify suitable sources of forensics data Data collection to gather critical sources of evidence to support the investigation, followed by analysis Methodology Assuming that the threat has initially breached the application server that was serving as an intranet for the organization, forensic investigators construct a methodology that will monitor attacks from inbound and outbound networks. These three processes will be executed, in order to detect the cause and the source: pcap trace analysis that is initialized for server-side attack pcap trace analysis that is initialized for client-side attack Netflow analysis initialized for network flow monitoring In order to capture attacks, forensic investigators implemented a vulnerable HTTP server. The server will acts as an original server and address every query related to HTTP. However, for processing a ‘POST’ request the server will initiate a separate thread that will encapsulate a shell incorporated by a port 12345. The replicated fake web server will process the shellcode similarly to the original one. The tool that will be used for exploiting and capturing network traffic is ‘WireShark’(Cert Exercises Handbook – Scribd, n.d.). It is an open-source tool that is meant for capturing data packets and network traffic examination on wired and wireless networks (Wireshark Network Analysis n.d.).

Improving Eye Care In Rural India Communications Essay

Improving Eye Care In Rural India Communications Essay CATARACT refers to the clouding of the lens in the human eye, affecting vision. In the developing world, cataract is the cause for blindness in nearly half the blind population i.e. 50% of the recorded number of blindness cases. While problems of inaccessibility continue to plague many parts of the developing world nearly two-thirds of the population in many developing countries are unable to access quality medical resources infrastructure primarily because quality medical care or eye care in this case is still urban-centric all hope is not lost yet. In India too, where 90% of the cases are treatable, most Indians lack access to quality eye care. In the early 1990s, the country was home to a third of the worlds blind people and here too cataract blindness was the major cause in most cases. The World Bank decided to step in and help the Indian government deal with the problem, spending $144.8 million between 1994 and 2002 on the Cataract Blindness Control Project under which 15.3 million eye surgeries were performed. The World Bank-funded project was largely implemented in northern India and it helped reduce the incidence of cataract, in the states that were covered under this project, by half. But India is a very big country and it definitely needs a more sustainable approach to dealing with cataract blindness given that it has a sizeable ageing population. One such approach is the Aravind Eye Care System, a three-decade old campaign that has been fighting cataract blindness predominantly in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nad u. Working in the same direction is the L V Prasdad Eye Institue, operating from the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh. Both Aravind and LVPEI, setup in the mid 1970s and the mid 1980s respectively, have been focused on taking quality eye care to the rural masses from the very beginning, most of it free of cost. In the larger context, this paper discusses how private entrepreneurship is taking quality Eye Care to the rural masses in India. This paper will discuss the Eye Care delivery model aimed at fighting Cataract Blindness in the context of the Culture-Centered Approach (CCA). The Culture-Centered Approach advoates greater engagment with the local culture, â€Å"through dialogues with community members†, to ensure â€Å"equitable† and â€Å"accessible† healthcare across communities (Dutta-Bergman, 2004a, 2004b; Dutta and Basu 2007 as quoted in Dutta, 2008). Furthermore, this paper will use the Extended Technology-Community-Management (TCM) model (Chib Komathi, 2008) to explain the intersections between technology, community and the management of information communication technologies (ICT) in the context of the CCA and the Eye Care delivery model adopted by the private healthcare players i.e. the non-governmental organisations (NGOs). According to the TCM model (Lee Chib, 2008), the intersection of ICT characteristics of technology, along with the dimensions of software and hardware, project management dimensions of financial requirements, the regulatory environment, and stakeholder involvement, along with local community participation â€Å"will ultimately lead to sustainable ICTD interventions.† Culture-Centered Approach Globalisation has led to an increasing realisation that the Biomedical[6] model of healthcare is limited in scope when engaging in issues of global health (Dutta, 2008). Furthermore, Dutta (2008) says that many societies now feel the need to â€Å"open up the spaces of health communication to the voices of cultural communities† i.e. there is now greater awarness of the need for better engagement with marginalised communities. Culture is dynamic. That culture has an important role to play in health communication is better understood today. But this concept began attracting widespread attention only in the early 1980s, especially in the U.S. when healthcare practitioners felt a need to adopt multiple strategies to address the health-related issues of a multicultural population (Dutta, 208). â€Å"This helped question the universalist assumptions of various health communication programs† aimed at the developing nations and the so called third-world nations   (Dutta, 2008). The Culture-Centered Approach was born out of the need to oppose the dominant approach of health communication, located within the Biomedical model, where health is treated as a â€Å"universal concept based on Eurocentric[7] understandings of health-related issues, disease and the treatment of diseases† (Dutta, 2008). According to Dutta (2008), the CCA is a better alternative to understanding health communication because it is a â€Å"value-centered† approach. The CCA is built on the notion that the â€Å"meanings of health† cannot be universal because they are ingrained within cultural contextsm, he argues.  Ã‚   The CCA has its roots in three key concepts i.e. ‘structure, ‘agency and ‘culture. The term ‘culture refers to the local context within which so called health meanings are created and dealt with. ‘Structure encompasses food, shelter, medical services and transportational services that are all vital to the overall healthcare of various members of a community. ‘Agency points to the â€Å"capacity of cultural members† to negotiate the structures within which they live. It must be noted that ‘structure, ‘agency and ‘culture and entwined and they do not operate in isolation. Dutta (2008), in his book Communicating Health, further elaborates that the CCA throws light on how the dominant healthcare ideology serves the needs of those in power. Powerful members of society create conditions of marginalistaion. Therefore the focus of the CCA lies in the study of the intersections between ‘structure, ‘agency and ‘culture in the context of marginalised communities. To understand better the problems faced by the marginalised, the CCA advocates the healthcare practitioners engage in dialogues with members of the concerned community. Each community has its own set of stories to share and this is vital to understanding the local culture. The CCA also aims to document resistance, of any kind, to dominant ideologies as this helps strengthen the case of the CCA against the dominant healthcare model. The CCA, according to Dutta (2008), provides sufficient scope to study physician-patient relationships, in a bid to ultimately improve the healthcare deli very model. Adopting the CCA is just half your problem solved; the integration of the CCA with the Extended TCM model completes the picture.   The Extended TCM Model The TCM model (Lee Chib, 2008) argues that the larger question of social sustainability depends on both local relevance and institutional support. The TCM Model proposes that the intersection of ICT characteristics of technology, along with the dimensions of software and hardware, project management dimensions of financial requirements, the regulatory environment, and stakeholder involvement, along with local community participation, will ultimately lead to sustainable ICTD interventions (See Figure 1.1). The TCM model was further revised. Community was subdivided to include: modes of ownership of ICT investments and profits; training of community users both in the use and in technology management; and the basic needs of the community. Furthermore, Sustainability was also subdivided into financial and social (see Figure 1.2). Chib Komathi (2009) found that the TCM Model was inadequate as it could not examine the critical issue of vulnerability. Therefore, their study improved on this inadequacy by adding crucial factors and variables relating to vulnerability. They extended the TCM model, and called it the Extended Technology-Community-Management (Extended TCM) model (see Figure1.3).  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This new framework on ICT planning accounts for community involvement, the management components, the overall design of technologies such as telemedicine or tele-consultation, and evaluation of existing vulnerabilities in the community where these technologies are implemented. It identifies four dimensions of vulnerabilities influencing technology implementation among the rural poor: economic vulnerability, informational vulnerability, physiological/psychological vulnerability, and socio-cultural vulnerability. Chib Komathi (2009) further explain each dimension of vulnerability: Physiological and psychological vulnerabilities refer to the physical and mental well-being of an affected person, or a specific community. Informational vulnerability deals with the access to and availability of information within affected communities. Informational resources include personal documents, books and critical data, opinion leaders and professional experts,. The lack of such resources affects the capabilities of people who are dependent on them. In a rural setting, informational vulnerability is further augmented by the low literacy levels and lack of pertinent â€Å"technological skills necessary to enable the learning and processing of information.† The economic vulnerability is sparked off by the loss of livelihood i.e. a loss of activities that otherwise financially support households and sustain economic growth in a rural setting. The socio-cultural vulnerability of communities is determine d by â€Å"the structure and values of a given society that define human relationships in communities.† Hierarchies in any society (gender, race, religion, caste, age and class egalitarianism within communities) or a community often dictate access to resources and assets, and the decision-making power of people. Cataract Blindness in India At the outset, one has to understand the sufferings of the blind in India, in a rural setting blindness, irrespective of the cause, results in a loss of livelihood for an individual. In rural India, like elsewhere, this would translate into one less earning member in the family, making the blind person a burden to his/her family. This leads to a loss of dignity and status in the family. In effect, blind people in rural India, like in many other societies, are marginalized. Enter Aravind and LVPEI, who continue to strive to help blind people in rural India and empower them by giving them back their sight. There are many causes of blindness, like Diabetes for instance. But Cataract is one of the leading causes of blindness in the developing world. Records in India show that Cataract is the most significant cause of blindness in the country (Nirmalan et al. 2002 Murthy et al. 2001).Cataract, reports say, is responsible for 50 to 80 per cent of the bilaterally blind (Thulsiraj et al. 2003 Thulsiraj et al. 2002).The elderly are more at risk of developing Cataract. India aims to eliminate needless blindness by 2020 in line with ‘Vision 2020: the right to sight initiative, launched jointly by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). Many organisations worldwide are also working in the direction of eliminating needless blindness (Foster, 2001). The government in India and the World Bank launched the Cataract Blindness Control Project in seven states across India in 1994.From close to 1.2 million cataract surgeries a year in the 1980s (Minassian Mehra 1990), Cataract surgical output tripled to 3.9 million per year by 2003 (Jose, 2003). In 2004, World Health Organization (WHO) data showed that there was a 25 per cent decrease in blindness prevalence in India (Resnikoff et al. 2004) the reason(s) could be the increase in Cataract surgeries countrywide. But there is a larger problem here, that of population growth. The aged population in India (those aged over 60 years) population which stood at 56 million people in the year 1991 is expected to double by the year 2016 (Kumar, 1997). This ‘greying of Indias population only suggests that the number of people ‘at-risk of developing Cataract is constantly on the rises. In the larger sense, this paper aims to show how private entrepreneurship in India is taking quality eye care to the rural masses in that country. This paper aimed to discuss the same through two case studies, that of the Aravind Eye Care system as well as the L V Prasad Eye Institute (LVPEI). Unfortunately, email correspondence with LVPEI failed to elicit responses from this organization. Given the limitations of this study, including time constraints, this paper will explain the Aravind Eye Care system in the context of rural Eye Care in India and the fight against Cataract Blindness all this within the framework of the CCA. Furthermore, this paper will critique the business model of NGOs like Aravind in the context of the Extended TCM model, including whether for-profit organisations are using the rural masses to support their business model. In particular, what is the role of the healthcare provider in this case disseminate knowledge to the grass-roots or live-off their healthcare delivery model? Aravind Eye Care Dr. G. Venkataswamy had a very simple vision when he first setup Aravind Eye Care in 1976: â€Å"Eradicate needless blindness at least in Tamil Nadu, his home state, if not in the entire nation of India.† Aravind began as an 11-bed private clinic in the founders brothers house in the southern Indian city of Madurai. Today, the Aravind Eye Hospital (AEH) at Madurai is a 1,500 bed hospital.   In addition to Madurai, there are four more AEHs in Tamil Nadu (Aravind.org) with a combined total of over 3,500 beds. By 2003 the Aravind Eye Care System as we know it today was up and running. The System continues to operate under the aegis of a nonprofit trust named the Govel Trust it comprises of a manufacturing facility (for manufacturing synthetic lenses, sutures, and pharmaceuticals related to eye care); eye hospitals; education and training (graduate institute of ophthalmology); research facilities (complete with an eye bank);) and a center for community outreach programs (Prahlad, 2004). A typical day at Aravind now has doctors performing about 1,000 surgeries including free surgeries; 5-6 outreach camps in rural areas where about 1,500 people are examined and close to 300 people are brought to an AEH for eye surgery (TED, 2009). How does Aravind do it? The organisation has setup ‘vision centers or clinics in remote villages, fitted with basic eye care equipment. Each clinic is manned by an ophthalmic assistant and â€Å"these clinics perform basic examinations; prescribe corrective lenses and treat minor ailments.† If an eye ailment can be cured by the application of eye drops, these clinics are equipped to do so.   For more complicated cases, such as Cataract Blindness, the patient consults an ophthalmologist based at an AEH in a nearby city via the videoconferencing route. If the patient needs corrective surgery, he/she is asked to hop onto a bus waiting outside the ‘vision centre that takes them to the nearest Aravind base hospital. The patients are operated upon the following day; they spend a day in post-operative care and then take a bus back to their villages all free of cost (Laks, 2009).[8] But it wasnt all gung-ho in the beginning; more hard work than anything else. There was no specific Outreach team. Everyone in the pool was asked to participate in Outreach programme. â€Å"In the beginning (in 1976-77) Dr. V and a small team would visit villages and conduct eye screening camps. Those who required Cataract surgery would then be advised to visit the base hospital for surgery. But Dr .V found that a majority of those advised to undergo surgery would dropout, owing to socio-economic factors like fear of surgery; lack of trust on restoration of sight; no money to spend for transport, food and post operative medical care and (their) resistance to western medicine,† according to the head of Outreach activities at Aravind, R. Meenakshi Sundaram in his email response to my queries. These barriers were gradually addressed through various strategies. â€Å"We decided to involve village chiefs and local organizations to take ownership of the Outreach programmes, in terms of identifying the right location for the Eye Camp and providing the required support facilities. Their help was key to community mobilization. We organized a team to standardize the quality in Eye Care service delivery. Furthermore, Dr. V focussed his attention on building hospitals like ones home where we normally expect basic culture and values,† said Mr. Sundaram. â€Å"Fear of surgery was a common barrier in addition to other factors. Perhaps the acceptance for surgery was low in the beginning. But it was constantly explained at the community level whenever camps were organized as the programme aims to serve people at large. Particularly, in the year 1992 the Intra Ocular Lens (IOL) was introduced and the rural community did not believe in having a ‘foreign particle in their eyes. We came across a lot of myths. Those issues were addressed thru counselling,† added Mr. Sundaram. Realizing the impact of counselling, a cadre was developed within the System in 1992 and seven counsellors were trained in the first batch of counsellors training. They were given a basic orientation about common eye problems with a special focus on IEC. ‘Patient counsellors i.e. patients who had undergone eye surgery were asked to help the Outreach team. â€Å"They played their role in explaining eye problems in the local language and tried to help others realize the consequences of failing to accept surgery. Considering the myths, a real IOL was used as education material to help the rural folk understand the concept of the IOL,† Mr Sundaram said. The number of counsellors has steadily risen ever since and stands at 179 at present. How is the Aravind Eye Care System possible? Financial self-sustainability was the primary focus from day one at Aravind. Initially, the organization was given a grant by the government to help subsidize the treatment costs for eye camp patients (Prahlad, 2004) and the Govel Trust also pledged properties to raise money from banks in the early days. Prahlad (2004) states that the Madurai AEH, the first, was always self-supporting as far as recurring expenditures were concerned. Within the first five years of operation, the Madurai AEH had accumulated surplus revenues for further development and for the construction of four other hospitals in the Tamil Nadu state. He adds that over the years, the patient revenues generated from its five hospitals located in five cities finance the Aravind Eye Care System to a great extent. Furthermore, Aravind has also taken to the management-contract route and it manages two hospitals outside of its home-state. While city folk are charged market rates for each consultancy and for surgery, patients in remote villages pay just Rs. 20 for three consultancies or SGD 0.60. (TED, 2009). Those who can afford to pay, the urban folk who visit Aravinds hospitals in urban locations on their own, do not get discounted rates. Such a system of cross-subsidies ensures that only 45 percent pay while the rest are not charged at all i.e. about five out of every 10 patients examined at Aravind can be provided free eye care, including eye surgery (TED, 2009). A cross-subsidising financial model is not the only mantra[9] to Aravinds success. Having been in the business of delivering quality Eye Care for over three decades now, the System is well-positioned to leverage on the Aravind brand-name to attract donations. Over the years, the organization has received international recognition for its work and this includes the 2008 Gates Award for Global Health, and this years Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize that carries a US$1.5 million cash award. Last but not the least is the money that flows into Aravind in the form of specific project-funding. One such sponsor is the London-based ‘Seeing Is Believing (SiB) Trust, a collaboration between Standard Chartered Bank and the International Agency for Prevention of Blindness (IAPB). Since 2003, ‘Seeing is Believing has grown from a staff initiative to raise enough money to fund a cataract operation for each member of the Bank to a US$40 million global community initiative. I wrote to Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) asking them why they decided to partner with Aravind and LVPEI. â€Å"LV Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad, as well as Aravind Eye Hospital are premier eye care institutes in the country.   India has a vast geographic spread and both these institutions work in different geographic zones of the country.   LVPEI is prominent in the south-eastern states of the country while Aravind is prominent in the southern states of India,† said Pratima Harite, Manager (Sustainability), Corporate Affairs- India in her email response to my queries. The rationale behind the India Consortium Project is the ‘vision centre concept that a significant proportion of eye problems corrected or detected at the primary care level has substantial savings to the individual and to the communities.   â€Å"Based on the success of LVPEIs Vision Centre model, the India Consortium Project proposed scaling up the development of Vision Centres in a co-ordinated matter in six states across the country.   For this, LVPEI sought support from four key implementing partners premier eye care institutions themselves across the country,† added Ms. Harite. Singapores Temasek Foundation (TF) part-funds SiB activities in India, particularly in capacity building i.e. in enhancing the training component of the SiB programme. Is this a viable business model? Aravind has perfected the model over the last three decades. They have the technology, behind the video consultation, in place â€Å"a low-cost wireless long-distance network (WiLDNet)† put together by the Technology and Infrastructure for Emerging Regions (TIER) research group at the University of California, Berkeley, California, USA.[10] This was done to overcome the issue of zero internet connectivity or slow connections that do not support video consultations in remote villages (Laks, 2009). In 2004, a mobile van with satellite connectivity was introduced to facilitate Tele-Consultations. The Indian Space Research Organisations (ISRO)[11] help was sought to this extent. The ‘vision centres can easily communicate with the base hospital (some 30 to 40 kms.) via satellite. These ‘vision centres effectively address the issue of accessibility, affordability and availability of quality Eye Care. â€Å"A series of centres were started across the Tamil Nadu state. Each base hospital is connected with a group of vision centres. At present, we have 10 ‘vision centres that operate on WiFi. The rest run on BSNL[12] broadband connections,† Mr Sundaram said. Aravind has the delivery system in place. A sound understanding of the local culture that in many cases is averse to western medicine and where modern-day medicine is not the first and only option to treat any disease or ailment. Why would a villager trust a doctor who drives down one fine morning and says he would like to operate upon them? Aravind begins by appointing a volunteer group for each community; some of these volunteers are further trained to serve as ophthalmic assistants and even as nurses in Aravinds hospitals. In a rural setting, rural folk trust their friends, neighbors, and their own people first. It is about creating ownership to the problem, like Mr. Sundaram said, and then partnering with the community to solve the problem. Aravinds financial results for the year 2008-09 were healthy. It raked in (income) US$22 million and spent (expenditure and depreciation) US$ 13 million.[13] Discussion That Aravind and other NGOs working in a similar direction, like LVPEI for instance, use the Culture-Centered Approach, as elaborated by Dutta (2008), in delivering quality eye care to rural India is quite clear. Aravind, in particular, has successfully integrated the CCA with the Technology-Communication-Management (TCM) model, as elaborated by Lee Chib (2008) to create a sustainable model for Eye Care delivery. ‘Accessibility and ‘affordability are the key factors in such healthcare models. In taking this route, one has to ensure that the technologies chosen for the job are cost-effective and easy to implement because capital expenditure and operational expenditure do play a vital role in determining the cost of healthcare services. Aravind has been able to keep the cost of Eye Care delivery considerable low consistently for many years now. Critics argue that organizations like Aravind are feeding-off their model. At this point, it is important to understand the ground-realities. In India, the divide between the urban ‘haves, and the rural ‘have-nots is only getting wider with each passing year. According to UN projections released 2008, India would urbanize at a much slower rate than China and have, by 2050, 45% of its population still living in rural areas (Lederer, 2008). The Government in India is not doing enough to address the plethora of health issues that plague [the various regions and communities in] the country. The flagship scheme to improve healthcare services in rural India, the National Rural Health Mission    launched in 2005 as a seven-year programme has many of its goals yet to be achieved, and the government is now considering extending it to 2015, according to recent media reports. Despite many a government claims and many a government schemes several villages in states across India co ntinue to depend on the private sector for quality healthcare or in this case Eye Care. Given this situation, Aravind and LVPEIs work in the direction of providing affordable Eye Care and free eye surgeries to five out of every ten patients they examine is a commendable feat.   A second question raised in this study is, what is the role of the healthcare provider in this case disseminate knowledge to the grass-roots or live-off their healthcare delivery model? Aravind is doing its part in disseminating knowledge to the grass-roots. Most ophthalmic assistants who man the ‘vision centers are community members trained by Aravind. But one has to understand that the act of knowledge dissemination in a remote rural setting has its challenges i.e. tackling illiteracy, basic awareness among others and these challenges cannot be addressed in just a few years. The India Consortium Project, sponsored by SCB and Temasek Foundation, set a target to set up 40 ‘vision centres by 2010. So far, 32 ‘vision centres are operational and the remaining will be operational this year, according to Ms. Harite.   On the flip side, a study by Murthy et al. (2008) argues that the goals of the ‘Vision 2020: the right to sight initiative to eliminate Cataract blindness in India by the year 2020 may not be achieved. But this should not deter those working in this direction. Both the public and the private sector must continue to fight Cataract Blindness because that is the only way to tackle the problem at hand. Last but not the least, this study recommends that NGOs operating in the healthcare space look at both the CCA and the TCM model to ensure better service delivery. References Chib, A. Komathi, A.L.E. (2009). Extending the Technology-Community-Management Model to Disaster Recovery: Assessing Vulnerability in Rural Asia. Submitted to ICTD 2009. Dutta, M. J. (2008). Communicating Health. Polity Press, Cambridge, U.K. Foster A. (2001).Cataract and Vision 2020 the right to sight initiative. British Journal Ophthalmology, 85, 635-639. Jose R, Bachani D. (2003). Performance of cataract surgery between April 2002 and March 2003. NPCB-India;2:2. Kumar S. (1997). Alarm sounded over Greying of Indias population. Lancet, 350, 271 Lee, S., Chib, A. (2008). Wireless initiatives for connecting rural areas: Developing a framework. In N. Carpentier B. De Cleen (Eds.), Participationand media production. Critical reflections on content creation. ICA 2007Conference Theme Book (pp. 113-128). Newcastle, UK: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Lederer, E.M. (2008). Mint. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.livemint.com/2008/02/27231012/Half-the-world8217s-populat.html Laks, R. (2009). Videoconferencing and Low-cost Wireless Networks Improve Vision in Rural India. Comminit.com. Retrieved April16, 2010, from http://www.comminit.com/en/node/301452/307 Minassian DC, Mehra V. (1990). 3.8 Million blinded by cataract each year: Projections from the first epidemiological study of incidence of cataract blindness in India. Br J Ophthalmol, 4, 341-3. Murthy GV, Gupta S, Ellwein LB, Munoz SR, Bachani D, Dada VK. (2001). A Population-based Eye Survey of Older Adults in a Rural District of Rajasthan: I, Central Vision Impairment, Blindness and Cataract Surgery. Ophthalmology, 108,679-85. Nirmalan PK, Thulasiraj RD, Maneksha V, Rahmathullah R, Ramakrishnan R, Padmavathi A,et al. (2002). A population based eye survey of older adults in Tirunelveli district of south India: Blindness, cataract surgery and visual outcomes. Br J Ophthalmol, 86, 505-12. Prahlad, C. K. (2004). The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid. Wharton School Publishing, Pennsylvanial, U.S. Resnikoff S, Pascolini D, Etyaale D, Kocur I, Pararajasegaram R, Pokharel GP,et al. (2004). Global data on visual impairment in the year 2002. Bull WHO, 82, 844-51. TED. (2009). Thulasiraj Ravilla: How low cost eye care can be world class. Retrieved April 16, 2010, from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/thulasiraj_ravilla_how_low_cost_eye_care_can_be_worl

Ethical Decision Making: Nike Case Study

Ethical Decision Making: Nike Case Study 1. OBJECTIVE The main objective of writing this report is to help students gain a deeper understanding regarding the course CBEB 3101 Business Ethics. Through this course, we get to learn how to make ethical decisions in a company. Some of the principles that we have learned are the principle of utilitarianism and principle of rights. By writing this report, we get to learn how to apply the theories learned in lectures into real life cases and situations. Different situations have different theories and principles. We also get to learn the proper steps in the decision making model, which are determine the facts, identify the ethical issues involve, identify stakeholders and consider the situation from their point of view, consider available alternative, consider how a decision affects stakeholders, make a decision and monitor outcomes. Besides that, we get to build stronger relationships among our group members. All the time spent together discussing and analyzing the case study helps to strengthen our bond and molds us into becoming a more responsible person in the future. We also get to see the corporate world from a different point of view, whereby being ethical is very important. 2. INTRODUCTION Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman are the founders of Blue Ribbon Sports in the year 1964. Later, it was renamed as Nike in the year 1978 whereby it received its name from the Greek goddess of victory. Nike has become the worlds major supplier for athletic shoes and sport apparels. As to remain competitive in the market, Nike searched for cheaper resources and markets. Therefore, Nike had shifted its production to lower manufacturing cost countries such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Later in the 1980s, production had moved to Southern China. However, as Japans economic started expanding, the manufacturing cost increased. Therefore, Nike shifted its contracts to Vietnam, Indonesia and China. Starting from the mid 1990s, there were criticisms from human right protectors and media regarding labour health and safety conditions, low wages and discrimination in the hiring and firing process. Therefore, Nike started to take actions as to rescue its reputation. Since 1991, Nikes corporate social responsibility practices started evolving. As time passed, Nike revised its code of conduct and became more ethical in its manufacturing practices. In 1998, Nikes revenues and stock prices had decreased dramatically. Due to that, Nike laid off 1600 workers. Nike then immediately started to launch several public relations campaigns as to reduce the damage to its reputation. A code of conduct was implemented with Global Alliances to review all of Nikes factories. On August 1996, Nike Corporation joined the Apparel Industry Partnership to draft a code of conduct for the usage of the whole industry. In 1998, audit tools were developed to increase the transparency in order to evaluate the compliance with the company standard, Nikes Code Leadership Standards by those subcontractors. In addition, Bike had disclosed the names and locations of its subcontractors factories in the year 2000. The reason for disclosing its supply chain was to enhance monitoring and make changes. The Corporate Responsibility Board was developed during the year 2001. The purpose of the board is to review the policies and activities and therefore, make recommendations to the board of directors regarding labour and environmental practices. The organizational environment of Nike is a competitive market. In order to remain competitive, Nike had moved the production to poorer nation countries where low cost labour was attainable. Therefore, Nike subcontracted its production to other countries without proper regulation on the working conditions of workers and wages. Simple time line of events Year Descriptions 1964 Phil Knight and William Bowerman founded Blue Ribbon Sports. 1965 Jeff Johnson signed an agreement with Blue Ribbon Sports to be a full time employee. 1966 Jeff Johnson opens the first Blue Ribbon Sports retail outlet in Santa Monica, California. Phil Knight and William Bowerman signed a formal written Partnership. 1967 Company was incorporated and named as Blue Ribbon Sports Inc. 1971 Swoosh trademark is created by a graphic student named Carolyn Davidson for a fee of $35. Jeff Johnson dreams of Nike, the Greek goddess of victory. 1972 Litigation on distribution and broke the business relationship between Blue Ribbon Sports and Onitsuka Tiger. 1973 Romanian tennis star Ilie Nastase was the first professional athlete who signed the endorsement contract with Blue Ribbon Sports to wear Nike Shoes. 1977 Blue Ribbon Sports starts the first US track and training club called Athletics West. 1978 Blue Ribbon Sports officially change its name to Nike. 1981 Nike begins promotional efforts in China by supplying the national basketball team with sports apparel and footwear. 1988 Nike acquired Cole Haan which is the producer of mens and womens footwear, outerwear and accessories. 1993 Nike introduced a program called Reuse A Shoe which collects athletic shoes and makes athletic courts and fields. 1995 Reuse A Shoe began to collect old shoes from Nike retail stores. 1998 Phil Knight set standards for Nike subcontracted factories: minimum age, air quality, mandatory education programs, expansion of microloan program, factory monitoring and increase the transparency of Nikes corporate social responsibility practices. 1999 Bill Bowerman died at the age of 88. 2001 Nike developed a Corporate Responsibility (CR) Board to review the policies and make recommendations to the board of directors on labour and environment practices. 2002 Nike partnered with National Recycling Coalition to set up the drop off stations in Europe and Australia. 2004 Phil Knight stepped down as CEO and president of Nike but continues to work as chairman in Nike. 2. ISSUES AND ANALYSIS Issue 1: Nikes Manufacturing Practices on Sweatshop Summary To be competitive in the market as well as keeping the manufacturing costs low, Nike had shifted its contract to low labour cost countries such as China, Vietnam Indonesia, Pakistan and etc. Nikes reputation was damaged especially due to accusations on human and labour rights violations by labour rights activists and the mainstream media. The accusations were deficiencies in working environment, health and safety conditions and low wages and indiscriminate in hiring and firing practices in the factories. Roberta Baskins CBS had reported about the conditions in Nikes manufacturing factories in Indonesia. Even though subcontracted work to poor nations had created employment, the pay was merely $1.60 a day to Vietnam factory workers when the living wage is around $3 per day (Hill, 2009). In this situation, is it ethical for Nike to treat its labourers this way? Analysis We can evaluate the practices by using these principles: Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a moral theory whereby we should act in ways that produce the most pleasure or happiness for the greatest number of people affected by our actions. By using utilitarian reasoning, the following are the good and bad consequences: Good Consequences Bad Consequences Increase profitability of the company. Labourers welfare are ignored. Shareholders wealth is maximised. Company reputation has been affected badly by those practices. Customers loyalty towards the company becomes a doubt. From the overall consequences, even though increasing profit of the company can ensure the shareholders wealth, it is more important to take care of their employees welfare and gain trust and maintain a profitable relationship with its customers. This is because employees and customers are the primary stakeholders of the company who have the ability to influence the business of the company and especially those whose continual association is necessary for a firms survival. Therefore, in the long term, it is found that the unethical practices of Nike had negatively influenced stakeholders and changed the perception of the shareholders towards the company. Principle of Rights The basic human rights under Kantian are the rights that are the result of particular roles, special relationships or specific circumstances. Nike as an employer should consider the rights of its employees to have a safe working environment and a competitive wage instead of being a sweatshop labour. Although Nike is doing a much better job with foreign labour relations compared to other corporations, Nike should not be comparing itself to other companies. Rather, it should be holding itself to the absolute highest ethical standards it can attain. Principle of Duty Based on this principle, rightness of our actions depends on whether we perform our duties. If we fail to carry out our duties in the society, our acts are considered unethical or wrong. In our opinion, we feel that all the contractual factories in developing countries or any further subcontracted out work of Nike has a moral duty to ensure the health and financial well-being of all the people who work for it. Categorical Imperative Principle of universalizability mentions that we should treat others the way we want to be treated. Nikes management team should put themselves in the labourers shoes and they will find out that they would not want their employers to violate their rights to have safe working conditions and fair wages. As a result, Nikes practice on sweatshop labour is wrong. Therefore, it has to work on its corporate responsibilities to make sure its practices have improved. Besides that, principle of ends means that we must respect humanity and never exploit others to achieve our own benefit or purpose. Nikes act of exploiting other human beings such as the sweatshop practice is to serve its own interest which is to maintain low manufacturing cost. Principle of Equal Liberty Each person has an equal right to be treated equally under the principle of equal liberty. Obviously, Rawls would disagree with Nikes labour and business practices as it is unethical for Nike to overwork its employees or perhaps pay them meager wages just so it can supply shoes to America. Besides that, in order to fulfill the expectation as an employer, it is necessary to appreciate individual diversity and become more dedicated to offering equal opportunity to each individual. Issue 2: Nikes Manufacturing Practices on Child Labours Summary In this issue, Nikes contracted factories hire children to work overtime at below minimum pay as the children are not capable to make right decisions and unable to differentiate pros and cons of certain matters. Hence, children have been exploited to work for the subcontracted factories. The issue being is: whether it is ethical for Nike to hire child labours to reduce manufacturing cost? Analysis Utilitarianism Based on utilitarianism, below is the comparison of good and bad consequences of this issue: Good Consequences Bad Consequences Nike gets cheap labour and low cost facilities and therefore, low cost of production allows Nike to set lower price on its product to attract more consumers. Children suffer psychological and physical harms. Bring in foreign investments and job opportunities and therefore, alleviate poverty level for the countries that Nike are operating in. Denied opportunities for childrens education. Extremely low pay still cannot alleviate poverty of the countries. From the overall consequences to the entire society, Nike had violated the theory of utilitarianism As one of the largest multinational companies, Nike should have carefully evaluated the outcome of using low cost labours. From the analysis, hiring child labours to serve its own interest to keep low labour cost is unethical. Principle of Rights Children have their right to get their education instead of working as they are under age according to the law of the country. Therefore, Nike should not hire child labour which violates their right to stay in school and receive education. Categorical Imperative Under the principle of universalizability, Nike should put itself into the situation of the child and will realize that it also does not want to work under such working conditions with such a low pay. Nike also should not exploit the children to serve its own interest to keep the low labour cost because the act is unethical according to the principle of means. Principle of Equal Liberty Children in Nikes contracted factories countries should be given an equal opportunity and treated as the children in other country as they are underage to work and supposed to have their education. Issue 3: Contract between Nike and University of North Carolina Summary In order to work on CSR after the incident which deeply affected the companys reputation, Nike had entered into a social contract with the University of North Carolina. Nikes contract requires all UNC athletes to wear its brand. In this issue, whether is it ethical to bind all UNC athletes under the contract? Analysis Utilitarianism Based on this concept, there are some benefits from the contract, such as, Nike has pumped in money which brings pleasure to the athletic department and the student athletes by virtue of wearing Nikes brand, improving Nikes reputation and rebuilding their confidence in public. However, the university should consider how the contract would affect the academic integrity and goals of the institution. It is more important to look at the issue from the perspective of athletes and the institution which will bring more consequences to the firm. Rawls theory of individual liberty Under this theory, it will disagree with the contract for the lone reason being the athletes have lost their individual rights to chose whether or not to wear Nikes brand. Even if the institution has maximized pleasure for itself, at the same time it infringes on the choice of its athletes. There is no right for the social institution to take away a basic individual right. Besides that, Nike also should not restrict the individuals right to have their own choice to wear other companys brand. Principle of Duty According to this principle, the University also has a moral responsibility to itself and Nike. It is morally obligated to use its position of power to encourage Nike to work harder to improve its business practices. Besides that, it also has a moral obligation to back out of a contract with any corporation that lacks ethical business integrity. Issue 4: Enhancing Nikes images by using endorsers Summary In this issue, Nike has signed with some well-known athletes as its endorsers to project a better athletic image for itself. For example. Nike has signed an endorser contract with famous basketball legend, Micheal Jordan. According to the contract, Nike has created more revenue from his fans with launching more new series of producst. In return, Nike paid 20 million per year to Micheal Jordan as its endorser. At the same time, labourers at its contract factories were paid low wages which was just above the minimum standard. In this issue, is it ethical for Nike to pay its labors and endorses unfairly? Analysis Utilitarianism Based on this principle, it solely benefits the company and the endorser while the labourers suffer from low wages. It is more beneficial to every party if Nike can use the money paid to the endorser and spend some on its employees welfare. Therefore, we think that Nike is unethical to pay its endorser such a large amount of money instead of taking care of its employees welfare. Principle of Right Under this issue, the employees have the right to get fair wages and deserve to get better treatment. Principle of Universalizability It is unethical for Nike to treat its employees as an end for themselves and never only as a mean to its own ends. Principle of Justice Employees should have fair wages and deserve to get their welfare whereby Nike should treat them equally with its endorsers. It is unfair to pay the endorsers so high but not taking care of its employees welfare. Actions taken From the case study we know that the corporate culture in Nike did not have a strong ethical focus which was to encourage its employees of the factories in many other countries to practice the ethical behaviours in the past. However, Nike then implements some efforts to instil ethical behaviours and practices and later became an ethical corporate in the industry after going through some critical period with negative issues on its business practices. In our opinion, we feel that Nike has used the integrity-based approach which is a value-driven approach with emphasis on employee responsibility for ethical conduct. It is a better approach which the employees are instructed to act with integrity and conduct business dealings honestly. Besides that, Nike may set goals of an integrity-based approach as it is a broader and more expansive application to the firm. For example, maintaining brands and reputation by ensuring the good quality of products and honesty to its consumers, and creating a better working environment for employees whereby the safety of employees is emphasized. Furthermore, we think that currently Nike focuses on the stakeholder theory instead of shareholder theory in its firm. All the stakeholders groups and their well being should be taken into account whenever the company wishes to take any significant managerial decision but not merely focus on financial and economic relationships with owners. In the past decade, Nike has taken CSR as its social contract. For example, University of North Carolina had entered into a corporate sponsorship agreement with Nike. On the other hand, Nike also undertook CSR because of its enlightened self-interest where CSR activities bring commercial returns to the firm. Especially after the damage by the media to the companys reputation, Nike started to undertake CSR activities in order to enhance its reputation and rebuild its good image. However, Nike now meets its standard for being a good corporate citizen after making progress for years. Corporate Social Responsibility It is a reactive concept where businesses try to do the minimum to fulfil the expectation of stakeholders. In the article, there are some discussions on Nikes CSR practices: Environmental Sustainability Nike had developed ReUse-A-Shoe Program and then expanded it by partnering with the National Recycling Coalition to promote environmental-friendly practices and encourage consumer about this issue. Code of Conduct This is the first step taken by Nike to improve the working conditions in its factories. It complies with the principle of justice, fulfils the duties as an employer to reach the desired level of employer responsibility. Other than comply with the laws and regulations, the company also strives to satisfy the expectation as a leader. Factory Transparency This is the corporate social responsiveness undertaken by Nike as it is the proactive actions where the firm anticipate the needs of stakeholders and try to fulfil those needs before the stakeholders demand them to do so. Nike had publicly disclosed its supply chain as it believes that can be more successful in monitoring and making changes as once issues have been uncovered, not only in its own factories but in an industry-wide basis. Furthermore, implementation of Balanced Scorecard for its suppliers helps the firm better assess factory compliance with the code of conduct. Corporate Responsibility Board Nike developed a Corporate Responsibility Board in 2001 to review policies and activities and make recommendations to the board of directors regarding certain important fields. Through the effort of the CR board, there were significant improvements in its business practices whereby the employees are now aware of their rights and have the opportunity to be educated and well-trained. Philanthropy Each year, Nike proactively donates product and contribution in cash to non-profit organizations and NGOs creating social changes through sports disaster relief efforts around the world. Nowadays, Nike has focused on innovation, collaboration, transparency and advocacy to prepare the company to thrive in a sustainable economy. There are some important initiatives for the company that are included in the CR report which includes Considered Design, GreenXchange (GX), Lean and Human Resource Management (HRM), Sport for Social Change, Energy and Climate Change Strategy. In 2008, Nike launched a footwear energy efficiency program with five contract manufacturers. Nikes commitment to collaboration on this project has shown excellent early results where the contract factories absolute CO2 footprint was down 6 percent despite a 9 percent increase in production. 4. RECOMMENDATIONS Due to the ethical issues discussed in the Nike case, we have come up with several recommendations on how to solve the problems occurred throughout the case. We hope that this can also serve as a guideline to other companies as well. First of all, the company management should be stricter on the rules and standards set by themselves. This will make sure that they follow or obey the rules of the company. In this case, the top management of Nike in the US should ensure that all the other retail outlets or factories all around the world follow a standard procedure in everything that they do. This will help them in monitoring all the other outlets around the world. This can also help avoid the issue of poor conditions, child labour, widespread harassment and abuse that has happened in some countries. When other manufacturers all over the world know the standard and code of ethics that they should follow, they will not do what they have done that caused all the issues to arise. This is because they have a guideline to follow and they know that whatever procedure that they are doing will be monitored by the top management. The top management should make sure that they provide a healthy and safe workplace for all its em ployees. This is because their employees have the right to be in a healthy and safe workplace. A poor condition of the workplace is wrong and is one of the main allegations that Nike had to deal with. Next, the management team and employees should also be sent for training once in awhile. This is important as it helps to establish a better corporate culture. This culture shapes the people who are members of the organization as it is a blend of ideas, beliefs, customs, traditional practices, company values, and shared meanings that help define and guide normal behaviour for everyone who work in a company. It is important to continuously train its employees so that the employees become more disciplined and responsible. They will always think of the best interest of the company and not be easily influenced by other factors that might bring the company down. This will help them have a sense of accountability and responsibility towards the company. One of the main issues that Nike was facing was child labour. Therefore, we have come up with an idea that might help solve this problem. Nike began to offshore its production of footwear and other sporting equipment because it wanted to remain competitive and keep manufacturing cost at a low. To solve this, instead of using child labour, Nike can actually install and use machines in it production. At the beginning it might be a little costly but in the long run, it will help the company save a lot of money. It is not only faster, but it also helps Nike save money in the long run and the management does not have to worry about any child labour allegations or poor working conditions. Besides that, the top management of Nike can also perform employee monitoring. The kind of employee monitoring meant over here is checking out the work done by the employees. They could perhaps send some spies or third parties to see how the employees perform their work but at the same time not let the employees know that they are being watched. Lastly, the ethics and compliance system should also be improved. Currently, there is only one person in charge of ten factories and inspection is only done for about 25 percent of the factories. The top management should make sure that it inspects every factory. This can be done by setting up a chart or timeline whereby they have already discussed and come to an agreement on when and which factory should be inspected throughout the year. This is a more systematic approach and the management must make sure that they follow what they have drawn up. CONCLUSION Running a company as big as Nike is definitely not an easy job as the management has to satisfy not only the shareholders of the company, but the stakeholders too. No matter what has happened in the past, Nike has learned its lesson. Remaining competitive and keeping manufacturing costs at a low should not be the only objective of the company. Due to its negligence in certain areas, Nikes allegations of poor conditions and child labour has become a global issue. This is not only bad for Nikes image but it has permanently tarnished its reputation. However, Nike never gave up and has continued to win back the hearts of its stakeholders by carrying out a lot of CSR. Even though it may still have a long way to go in the area of corporate responsibility, it can be seen that it is slowly receiving good responses from the industry. Nike will always continue to be a major brand throughout the whole world.

The Immortal Artist :: essays research papers

The immortal Artist Throughout the history of the world humans have been intrigued by a condition referred to as immortality. Immortality is the state in which one defies death, thus conquering the realm of being a mortal. Scientists have searched for ways to create this phenomenon. With there over thought out and complex ideas they had managed to overlook the obvious. People had been achieving immortality for years. The key is not in physical exesistance but in your actions, creations, and reputation which will live on long after you die. T.L. Lange, a reputable artist from Atlanta Georgia, once said "Music and art play the dominant roles in life. In the liberation from the self, the ripples which are left to be remembered. It is in this moment that we achieve immortality and imagine what goes well with corn flakes†¦." The visual Arts students at The North Carolina School of the Arts have utilized this knowledge in such a way so that their class has remained immortal. As a class, the class of 1986, the students composed a mural. Dr. Chaplin created the mural and gave each student a representation. He managed to re-create an image of each student through regenerating his or her image from a photograph. The canvas is divided into eighteen individual and distinct sections. Each section is devoted to one student picture or figure, and their mood or feelings in which they wanted to portray. The designer, Chaplin, gave the work a sense of unity by using all pure hue colors and geometric construction with illustrative organic shapes to create the students. The use of repetition in color and general shapes gives the piece an intimate since of unity that also pulls the students together in a metaphoric sense. The work is residing in the student commons. The commons is designed as a place for students to dine, relax and visit with their friends. Therefor this is an appropriate place for the painting because it helps create the feeling that they are relaxing with the students of today. The work is not at all accented by architectural lighting or by any frame, and is not put on a pedestal to be observed.

Watergate Scandal and President Nixon Essay example -- American Preside

What kind of person commits three major violations of the national law and gets away with it? Well that person is Nixon. President Richard Nixon was one of the most famous presidents in the United States. He was mainly renowned for his huge role in the Watergate scandal. The Watergate scandal was important because Nixon and his cabinet arranged to get people to spy on the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate building. After it became clear Nixon was responsible, he manages to resign before he was going to be impeached. President Nixon was involved with the Watergate scandal and should be sentenced to jail because he organized it, which then got leaked out and finally led to his resignation. Nixon was the mastermind behind the mission and the main reason he organized it was to find out secret information of the Democrats. He organized a committee to help him ensure his victory in the elections. â€Å"The committee to reelect the President† (CRP) used unfair tactics to get what they wanted. They organized a group of thugs – â€Å"Plumbers† to sneak into the Watergate and plant listening devices. The plumbers, James W. McCord, Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez, Eugenio Martinez, and Frank Sturgis however, were caught by the police. Nixon didn’t want anyone to find out about the break in. He said shortly after the plumbers were caught "In all my years of public life, I have never obstructed justice. People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook; I earned everything I've got." Nixon lied through his teeth just to get the public attention on something else. What he didn’t realize was that it was th e beginning of his demise. Although many Americans didn’t care about the little scene in the ... ...r’s mission, people got infuriated with the scandal, and he resigned to get away with his mistakes. He got impeached because he violated of constitutional oath, prevented, obstructed, and impeded administration of justice, and concealed those responsible of prison. He violated the constitutional oath because he did not serve his country the way he is supposed to. He obstructed, prevented and impeded administration of justice because lied that he was not responsible for the scandal. He concealed those responsible of prison because he didn’t tell the authorities who else was involved in the scandal. John Srica, Carl Woodward, and Bob Bernstein did an amazing job uncovering the scandal and who was behind it. Nixon should go to jail because everybody else who was responsible did. However, he escaped the wrath of jail because the next president, Gerald Ford pardoned him.

Frederick Douglass Paper Essay

For this year’s I.P., I picked Frederick Douglass to be my topic. The reason I picked him was because he was a great man and a well known abolitionist figure. He dedicated his life to opposing slavery. I have always admired Douglass since my first grade teacher told my class about him. Once I researched a little about him, mainly the time period of his life, I realized he was a perfect choice for my I.P. topic. He interested me and I could easily get plenty of information on him. I knew that all the information I needed was out there, I just needed to go out and find it. I went to my local library and checked out books on my topic. Remember, it’s about quality, not quantity, and that’s not an excuse for underachieving. I checked out three or four really effective books, a few that could be categorized as multigenre themselves. They contained both primary and secondary documents. Secondly, I researched him on the internet; and I don’t mean googling â€Å"Frederick Douglass.† I searched specific things like â€Å"Frederick Douglass as a slave† and â€Å"Frederick Douglass’ escape.† This allowed me to narrow the â€Å"millions† of results one always gets when using Google. I received plenty of good websites that I could use that summarized his whole life. I picked multigenre as my presentation category and its obvious why. Frederick Douglass’ life was a multigenre in a sense. He wrote letters and poems and narratives all about his life and slavery. He personified slavery and did all he could to abolish it. A multigenre would best represent Douglass and his life. In order to make my multigenre effective in â€Å"moving† the reader, I had to look at one of the examples Mrs. Jackson provided me with. Using that as a template, I wrote poems and short stories appropriate to the time period that related to the idea of the wrongness of slavery and Douglass. I found pictures that illustrated Douglass’ ideas, as well as drew a few of my own. I tried to picture myself as a slave that hated the way I was treated to add  that emotional feel to all my writings. My project definitely relates to the theme, important people in history, because Frederick Douglass was an important individual in history. He was one of the more famous abolitionists and publically expressed his views on slavery. His words and writings were more effective than some because he was once a slave and could back up his sayings. Without some of the things Douglass did, I don’t believe slavery would have ended when it did. America remembers him for his inspirational story, a slave who became free to help others become free. Annotated Bibliography â€Å"A FREEDOM WAR; Frederick Douglass and the Second American Revolution.(Opinion).† The Post-Standard [new york city] 22 Feb. 2012: 1. Print. [I used this as an inspiration for one of my poems in the multigenre] â€Å"Critical Points in Frederick Douglass’ Life; Confronted Lincoln on Issue of Slavery.† The Washington Times [Washington D.C.] 25 Feb. 2006: 2-3. Print. [I used this and made a replica of it and put it in the multigenre] Douglass, Frederick, and Philip Sheldon Foner. The life and writings of Frederick Douglass. New York: International Publishers, 1950. Print. [I used this primary source to realize what and how Frederick Douglass wrote] Douglass, Frederick, and Barbara Ritchie. Life and times of Frederick Douglass. New York: Crowell, 1966. Print. [This is both a primary and secondary source that shows how Douglass viewed his life and how another person, Barbara Ritchie, viewed his life and achievements] Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass an American slave. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Library, 1996. Print. [I read through parts of this as research to get a first hand view of his life. This is a primary source] PBS. â€Å"Frederick Douglass.† PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Oct. 2012. . [I watched this documentary and used the information to back up my research and make my ideas of Douglass concrete] Root, Damon W.. â€Å"‘A glorious liberty document’: Frederick Douglass’ case for an anti-slavery Constitution.(Frederick Douglass and the Fourth of July)(Book review).† Reason 1 Oct. 2006: 24-26. Print. [The author of this book expressed his view on Douglass’ anti slavery acts and this really inspired me to write a personified story of slavery] â€Å"The Frederick Douglass Papers Edition: Home.† IUPUI : Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. IU Schools of Liberal Arts, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. . [I used the timeline at this website to summarize Douglass’ life and give myself a simplified view of his life] â€Å"Welcome to the Frederick Douglass Foundation.† Welcome to the Frederick Douglass Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. . [This foundation really provided me with a good biography of Douglass and compared him to other anti-slavery activists like Lincoln and MLK] Turley, David. Slavery. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, 2000. Print. [This book gets into great detail of the what a slave would experience and what a slave owner would experience which really helped me with my multigenre] Douglass, Frederick. My escape from slavery. Charlottesville, Va.: University of Virginia Library, 1996. Print. [This story was basically a multigenre by Douglass that helped me write a few works on slavery in my multigenre].† Vernellia, Randall. â€Å"No Struggle No Progress.† autoredirect to main site. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2012. [This website had a poem that I used in my multigenre. It was a primary source]

Adventures of Huck Finn

American society during the time when the book was written. The protagonist, Houck, goes through a significant development and changes his views about life different from what the society has taught him. Throughout the story, characterization of the society and how it works, progress In Husk's relationship with Jim, and explanation why Houck respects certain individuals and why he is critical of some are evident.The picture of Southern society that can be derived from the book is a society that sacks an effective government and full of violence. In chapter five, a Judge releases an order to give Husk's custody to his father despite the father's history of neglect and abuse. This makes public officials' wisdom and morality questionable. In chapter eighteen of the book, it is revealed that there is a feud going on between the Grandiose and Sheepherders that has been going on for years and that multiple lives have been lost. In chapter twenty-two of the book, a mob charges to Shrubbery' s a house to lynch him for shooting a drunken man.It shows that there is a myriad of lenience but also a lack of rightful laws. People could execute someone accused of crimes without legal due process. This Is the kind of society Houck grew up In. The knowledge Houck gained from the society creates a conflict with the progress of his relationship with Jim. When Jim realizes that Houck is just pulling a trick on him saying that their separation due to a heavy fog is Just a dream, Jims feelings are hurt and Houck feels bad and apologizes. This is when Houck becomes aware that Jim cares about him and he cares about him too.Although when they think that they are close o Cairo, Husks conscience bothers him because he is actually letting Jim free which the society has taught him to be a wrong doing. Houck almost tells on Jim but decides to disregard morality. Their friendship grows stronger through series of events and eventually Houck decides that he would rather go to hell If It means f ollowing his gut and not the society cruel principles. Husk's relationship with Jim changes from weak to strong and makes him change his views about life particularly sense of morality.Houck respects Tom Sawyer and Jim while he Is critical of the duke and the pippin. Houck utters in chapter thirty-four that if he had Tom Sawyers head, he would not trade it off for anything. In addition, in most of his adventures he thinks what Tom Sawyer would do. In regards to Jim, the more Houck finds out about Jim, like how much he cares about his family especially his children, the more he finds out how great of a person Jim is and the greater the admiration he has for him. On the other hand, the people that pretend to be the duke and the dauphin are the ones Houck dislikes and disapproves.This is evident when Houck gets the $6,000 in gold that he duke and dauphin scammed from Mary Jane and her sisters and tries to give it back. In chapter twenty-four, the duke and the dauphin make Houck â€Å" ashamed of the human race†. Houck looks up to people who mean no harm to others. The book contains a myriad of lessons and questions about different aspects of life. It also Informs the readers of what the American society used to be like, one of It being the noble goodness of a person derives from the purity of their ancestry. To be looked up to and liked. The book undoubtedly has some though-provoking subjects.

Electrochemistry Essays

Electrochemistry Essays Electrochemistry Essay Electrochemistry Essay Everything started out of nothing. A mustard seed cannot be appreciated until it sprout it leaves and grow tall. I was once like a seed and the knowledge serves as the nutrients that support my growth. Day by day new knowledge is injected in my mind thru experiences and education that I take. Before, everything was a question and even the questions I raised were limited and shallow. As I slowly took the road and have my pace, questions popped-up and through everyday learning, they were answered. Almost everything falls to wrong assumptions and speculations. But with the help of those who took ahead of steps, learning was never as difficult as counting the sands in the seashore. Knowledge and ideas remain a lesson unless the one who knows put it into application. Everything that we learned, everything that I learned and will be learned will be best evaluated when it is applied in the real world. Even a single lesson has its significant purpose. It molds us to b e a person. Before I took this course I felt excited but nervous. I was excited that a new knowledge is waiting for me to learn in someway I was afraid that the knowledge will just pass without me learning from it. When I look at the syllabus, everything is new to me. Some topics were just known that time. Before, I look at chemistry as a subject only dealing with chemicals and will only be useful for industry and the like. It came to my amazement when I know that chemistry is also useful in solving crimes. In determining a finger print a silver nitrate is used. I used to look at this chemical as useful only in removing warts and tattoos. With this new idea, my mind and heart bind. In other words, the topic pushes me or inspires me to study more on chemistry. Electrochemistry also helped me in the addition of knowledge. When I look at a car battery, it looks like a huge division of cells with a liquid in between. I wonder before how those stored energy are transmitted into another form of energy. One amazing part of it is the reaction of chemicals to form such energy. I was also amazed one time when I separate the hydrogen and oxygen from water. I conducted some study about it and learned that because of electrolysis and other reactions, the hydrogen atom binds with another hydrogen atom to form a hydrogen gas. Hydrogen is flammable. It is used in air balloons or airships. Wit the day to day activities, chemistry molds a particular area of my personality. Due to it I’m no longer ignorant to some basic and common real life activities. Theories are important in learning. It is the foundation of knowledge. Sometimes a particular area or field of study is best learned or learned faster when put into application such as laboratory activities. In this kind of learning, theories are not only learned but visualized as well. One particular area or activity that I like is when I wrote a script. Before, when I saw movies dealing with science, it really amazed me. I really admire how writers at the same time learn science when he used to the field of literature, although it need also to have that knowledge to have a wonderful stories. Script writing did not only improve the way I think but also makes me acquire new knowledge. When I searched for a chemical that will used as a way to kill the victim in the story the process made me knew some chemical properties. This activity also widens my knowledge in researching. In research you must get the most significant information. You must read almost everything that is related to y our topic. One thing that encouraged me to strive is the fun of doing it. It is like playing, you have already exercised and at the same time enjoy. Knowledge or education need to be enjoyable so that it will not only retain but help the process even faster. For example, the freezing point of a salt is less than zero degrees Celsius and when an ice is mixed with salt the ice will be even cooler.   By this we cannot appreciate the importance of suck idea. If you try to look at some ice cream vendors (those who sell ice cream on streets without the use of freezer) you will notice that their ice cream tubes are surrounded with ice. Now try to put water in a glass and let it be surrounded with ice, the water will not turn into ice. The ice cream remains as it is because the ice surrounding it is mixed with salt. See, that’s the importance of application; you will know the idea better. When I researched for that script, everything was an effort. Series of readings and series or information search. Although I was only intended to get the information for that specific activity, I was able to acquire some important information about chemicals and of course, about chemistry. Another activity that is exciting is when I select an issue that is relevant to the society. Many problems occur due to lack of information about the daily activity. In canned products, after opening the can, the content should be transferred to a plastic or non-reactive material if it will be consumed in a later time. When a food is let to be stored in a half day inside the can, it will lead to poisoning (only a small amount of toxic). A can is composed mainly of metal particularly the iron. When iron is exposed to air it will react with oxygen and thus will become harmful to our body. There are also problems with the products in terms of chemicals used. Some chemicals are harmful to our body when taken in a greater amount. Like the toothpaste, fluoride can clean the teeth but with woo much fluoride the hardness of the teeth is lessened. Issues on environmental and societal area developed my mental awareness on some things that are almost neglected.   Many skills were developed as I go through with the course. My creativity was also developed when I wrote the script. Skill in researching was also developed. This is very important, a good foundation in researching is necessary for future studies. My skill in critical thinking was also developed. Every activity, the use of my brain serves as an exercise for it to think wisely and critically. My skill in conducting experiment was also developed. During laboratory activities, I was not only supposed to follow the procedures but also know the reason in conducting the experiment. Curiosity is the primary issue. Many great scientist developed concept and come up with the product out of it. My skill in reasoning was also developed . New techniques were learned and new ideas were earned. With it I come up and learned how to reason out correctly and scientifically. Before taking this course I only knew few. My curiosity is also limited. With this course I was able to know the deeper side of the subject. I learned how to investigate. As what we all know, education is a continuing process and what is more important is the application of knowledge. All we need is wisdom: the right application of knowledge. Also, learning is like writing an essay. Everything starts fro a single dot, then as you go on you will not notice that you already wrote more than a page. One thing that is with writing; you can write unlimited ideas which also means you can acquire unlimited knowledge.