Sustainable Supply Chains

Introduction to Sustainable Supply Chains A supply chain is a system in organizations, technology, information, people, resources, and activities that involves moving a product or service from the supplier to the customer.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Sustainable Supply Chains specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Sustainable supply chains are supply chains with the ability of helping organizations to grow, protect, and create long term social, economic and environmental value for shareholders involved in bringing products and services to the market. Supply chain sustainability is the management of social, economic, and environmental impacts and the encouragement of practices of good governance through the lifecycle of services and goods. Sustainable supply chain management is the transparent and strategic achievement and integration of economic, environmental, and social goals in an organization in a systematic c oordination of key business inter-organizational processes for improving the economic performance on individual companies in the long term (Pullman, Maloni Carter, 2009). Sustainable supply chains are important to ensure that an organization complies with laws and regulations and to support and adhere to international principles for sustainable business conduct. Organizations adopt sustainable supply chain to reduce costs of operations in order to maximize profits. The organizations acquire the potential of satisfying the interests of stakeholders and the society. Examples of successful sustainable supply chains are those that practices of collaboration. An example of collaboration is â€Å"investment in alternative modes of transportation to reduce environmental impacts and cost of deliveries†.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Some of the modes of transportation inc lude airports, ships and canals. A successful sustainable supply chain is also in major components of management of supplier relationships. It is applied to create efficient way of cutting costs in the retail business (Krause, Vachon Klassen, 2009). For example, Wal-Mart has a Supplier Energy Efficiency Project that are aimed at emission elimination the company’s supply chain.The project’s suppliers â€Å"reduced 3300 metric tons of GHG emissions saving approximately $200,000 costs of energy in 2009†. The suppliers of Wal-Mart were requested its suppliers to show efficiency in management of environmental footprint as a measure of reducing cost and realize this benefit. This could save energy, time, and cost for the company. IBM has a sustainable supply chain in which it conducts studies annually to address the issues in its supply chain. The company prepares strategies to overcome global challenges that arise from globalization to create business value (Pagell Wu, 2009). Difference Between Traditional Supply Chains and Sustainable Supply Chains Have Created Competitive Advantage For OrganizationsAdvertising We will write a custom report sample on Sustainable Supply Chains specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More When accurately designed, traditional or conventional supply chains present clientele the advantages of quality enhancement, reduced overheads, and rapid delivery. Sustainable supply chain offer reduced costs and create value in the supply chain. Supply chain managers face challenges of changes in requirements of expertise in today’s business long-term trends. Business trends in recent years involve increasing intensity of competition and demand in environmental protection, resource scarcity, and security arising from the ongoing globalization. Businesses have to adopt better business systems that have the potential of satisfying stakeholders and customers. This makes the tradi tional supply chain insufficient in the modern business world. Under the objectives of a variety performance, a new prototype of a more complicated supply chain is emerging that caters for the needs of sustainable and developing competitiveness. The main differences between the traditional and sustainable supply chain is that the traditional supply chain is a drive of prices and decouple strategically but the sustainable supply chain is a drive of value and couple strategically. This means that management and design of supply chains should deliver specific outcomes, such as security, sustainability, innovation, cost reduction, and resilience (Pagell, Wu Wasserma, 2010). Paulraj (2011) identified that sustainable supply chains create competitive advantage in businesses by managing risks, creating sustainable production, and realizing efficiencies.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Managing business risks minimizes disruptions in business from social, economic, and environmental impacts. Managing business risks also protects the brand value and reputation of the company. Companies can protect themselves from interruptions in their potential supply chains associated with labor, human rights, governmental practices, environmental practices, and suppliers’ human rights by ensuring that suppliers comply with management systems and programmes covering sustainable supply chain management principles. Managing risks ensures that a company has access to resources. A company with a sustainable supply chain has the potential of reducing future liability and additional costs. Therefore, companies with sustainable supply chains understand the different strategies to undertake to ensure productivity and efficiency. Realizing efficiencies occurs when sustainable supply chains reduce costs of energy, transportation, and material inputs. Realizing efficiencies also incr ease labor production and create efficiencies across the entire supply chain. Creating sustainable products involve meeting the requirements of business and customer partners and innovating to satisfy the changing market. A company can reduce costs of supply through creating strong health, safety, and labor practices, increasing the understanding of key processes in the supply chain, and designing systems and processes that reduce required inputs. Companies create competitive advantage through developing new products and improving existing products through collaborating with suppliers on sustainable issues that foster product innovation. Sustainable supply chain creates competitive advantage by providing understanding of the business value and incorporated ideas in the market by competitors. This is addresses as benchmarking against the competitors. Sustainable supply chain enables an understanding of customer, suppliers, and shareholder expectations creating maximum return on the i nvestments of the company. A sustainable supply chain creates a vision for the company providing direction of the company’s strategies and defining the company’s commitment to achieve competitive advantage. The company can evaluate and identify areas that need improvement to create competitive advantage (Reuter, Foerstl, Hartmann Blome, 2010). Challenges in Building Sustainable Supply Chains Supply chain managers face challenges because of the increase in the requirements of management expertise in the long-term trends of companies today. These trends include the increasing intensity of competition, ongoing globalization, environmental protection, resource scarcity, and the growing security demand in businesses. Businesses are also requiring cost efficient, flexible, and reliable business systems that have the capability of supporting customer differentiation. Modern supply chain managers have to confront complex and dynamic supply chains becoming difficult to predict developments and trends in the long term (Paulraj, 2011). Supply chain management has to come up with additional plans that extend beyond the operational scope of the current activities. Supply chain managers need to understand and identify the new sustainability issues in their businesses and company environment to respond to respond to the changes in the long term trends and to remain competitive. This challenges calls for international, global, and the fragmented supply chain to apply skills of networking and creating efficient supply chain operations that adapt to sustainable demands to create sustainable customer focused supply chains in the long term. This is because sustainable supply chains must be able to create sustainable competitive advantage (Pullman, Maloni Carter, 2009). Challenges of building sustainable supply chains can arise from the weak and non-built relationships of companies with suppliers. It becomes difficult for companies to form strong relationships with suppliers because some of the suppliers are untrustworthy in that they fail to deliver the quantity and quality paid by the company. The owners or managers have to inspect the suppliers, especially in cases in which the suppliers can corrupt the employees easily. Challenges can arise when the company has inadequate capital to pay the suppliers at the required time. The company can strain to pay the suppliers or the suppliers can reduce business relationships with the company. Challenges in building a sustainable supply chain can arise when the suppliers create inconsistencies in price and quality without providing notice to the purchasing enterprise. This means that this change would pass to the customers creating inefficiency in the supply chain (Reuter, Foerstl, Hartmann Blome, 2010). According to Pullman, Maloni and Carter (2009), challenges can arise when the suppliers have a poor record from the purchasing entity making it difficult for the purchasing enterprise to keep a tre nd of their suppliers in frequency of supply, quality of supply, and prices of supply. This makes it difficult for the purchasing enterprise to build a strong relationship with the supplier. Challenges in building sustainable supply chain can result from poor planning where the purchasing enterprise makes quick decisions on the supplier without taking time to understand the competence of the supplier. This makes it difficult for the supplier and the purchase enterprise to create good relationships when the problems in the supply chain begin to occur. Other challenges arise from unfair competition based on prices, high prices for poor quality of products, lack of customer records and statistics, and interpersonal challenges, such as religious differences, race, and social status. Cases of corruption can arise from the purchase enterprises to suppliers passing on the costs through price increments on the customers. Corruption destroys the sustainability in the supply chains. Challenge s can arise from changes in government levies and taxes. Government taxes and levies affect cost of operations to both the suppliers and the purchasing enterprises leading to additional costs that have to depict in changes in the quantity, quality, and prices of products and services in the market. These changes affect the satisfaction of the shareholders and customers forcing them to shift to competitors. The company profits and resources decrease leading to collapse of some of the supply chains (Pagell Wu, 2009). Management Implications to the Importance and Challenges in Building Sustainable Supply Chains Various enterprises strive to build positive public relations to improve image and reputation essential for attracting and maintaining potential and competent suppliers and customers. A company can improve the nature and frequency of communication to customers and suppliers to maintain or improve sustainable supply chains. Some enterprises offer promotional items and credit to customers in efforts to build strong relationships for sustainable supply chains. Business enterprises reduce prices below that of competitors and improve quality of products to attract customers. This is difficult because cost of production match prices, quantity, and quality and reducing the prices means that the quality or quantity will decline. Enterprises have difficult time managing sustainable supply chains with prices, especially when the business has obligation of satisfying the stakeholders, customers and suppliers (Paulraj, 2011). According to Reuter, Foerstl, Hartmann and Blome (2010), business enterprises provide quality and unique services to loyal customers and suppliers to attract and maintain them. This action strengthens their relationships making it easy to build a sustainable supply chain. This has been possible through creation of clubs, especially in retail shops and food points (Lamp, 2011). Enterprises result to supporting sporting events, channels, and teams to nurture prestige and good reputation of businesses. Businesses offer sponsorships and donations to the society to attract the attention and interest in the members in the supply chain. Business enterprises also offer newspapers and special seats to the members of the supply chain to ensure good relationships and image. Businesses enterprises have also put extra efforts in building sustainable supply chains by paying its suppliers promptly and involving the suppliers and customers in their business and personal functions and initiatives. For example, Unilever is multinational company that earns annual revenue of more than $50 billion in approximately 400 brands. It sources from 100000 non-production suppliers and 10000 suppliers of raw materials. The company approximately purchases 3% of the world’s palm oil and 6% of the world’s black tea (Krause, Vachon, Klassen, 2009). Securing sustainable supply chains is critical for sustaining growth and the success of the bu siness in the future. The company has developed tangible benefits in business through sustainable supply chains. The company invests resources and time in building strong relationships with suppliers, customers, and stakeholders. The company achieves this by providing good wage incomes, managing environmental issues, such as climate change and waste, and ensuring good working conditions in the supply chains. Unilever’s ability to maintain sustainability in chain of supply helps in creating cost efficiency in the company operations, improve company’s reputational image, and assist in securing and stabilizing business long-term operations.. Unilever has created competitive advantage successfully through building sustainable supply chains (Pagell, Wu Wasserma, 2010). References Krause, D., Vachon, S., Klassen, R. (2009). Special topic forum on sustainable supply chain management: introduction and reflections on the role of purchasing management. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 45(4), 18-25. Lamp, C. (2011). Essentials of marketing. New York, NY: Cengage Learning. Pagell, M. Wu, Z. (2009). Building a more complete theory of sustainable supply chain management using case studies of 10 exemplars. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 45(2), 37-56. Pagell, M., Wu, Z., Wasserma, M. (2010). Thinking differently about purchasing portfolios: an assessment of sustainable sourcing. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 46(1), 57-73. Paulraj, A. (2011). Understanding the relationships between internal resources and capabilities, sustainable supply management and organizational sustainability. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 47(1), 19-37. Pullman, M., Maloni, M., Carter, C. (2009). Food for thought: social versus environmental sustainability practices and performance outcomes. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 45(4), 38-54. Reuter, C., Foerstl, K., Hartmann, E., Blome, C. (2010). Sustainable global supplier management: the role of dynamic capabiliti es in achieving competitive advantage. Journal of Supply Chain Management, 46(2), 45-63. This report on Sustainable Supply Chains was written and submitted by user Camila Harvey to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Definition of Japanese Hontou, or Really

Definition of Japanese Hontou, or Really Those of us for whom English is our first language might not realize how much we use the word really in everyday conversations. Often, someone will tell us a startling fact or make a somewhat surprising statement and the natural response is, Really? There are many ways to say the word really for speakers of Japanese. One of the most common ways is  hontou. Writing and Saying Hontou Japanese Characters: æÅ" ¬Ã¥ ½â€œÃ£â‚¬â€š (㠁 »Ã£â€šâ€œÃ£  ¨Ã£ â€ Ã£â‚¬â€š)Pronunciation of Hontou. Other Ways to Say Really? hontou ni: Really, however, there is a stronger emphasis on the ni so it tends to be a stronger version of the word in verbal and written form. Examples of really in a Japanese formal conversation are: Hontou ni hajimete desu ka? (Is it really your first time?); Hontou ni yoku nite iru! (She’s really like you!); Hontou ni sono saabisu wa tadadesuka? (So is your service really free?).hontou desu ka: Are you sure? can be used in  place of hontou in formal situations.  Hontou desu ka allows you to express more doubt when saying really? in Japanese.sou desu ka: Is that so? or Are you sure?hontoudesu: It is true, or It is a fact.honki: Really. Hon means true, and ki means spirit or state of being. Example: Honki desu ka? (Are you serious?) Resources and Further Reading â€Å"Hontou?† Nihongo De Care-Navi, Japan Foundation Japanese-Language Institute, 2019.â€Å"Question to Teacher: HONTOU versus HONTOUNI.† Japanese From Zero, Yes Japan, 17 July 2009.

Military Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Military Strategy - Essay Example In the case of the War on Terror by the United States and its allies, non-state actors refer to organisations actively pursuing or having war with the United States. There are a number of these organisations which involve themselves in terrorism in trying to attain their objectives, for example Hezbollah and al-Qaeda. These two are called non-state actors because they are organisations whose aims are far higher than the aims of normally recognized nation-states. And they pursue their goals through terrorism like suicide bombings, sabotage and all sorts of creating panic and fear against their enemies. In the current controversy over Iran’s nuclear programme in which Iran categorically denies that it is building nuclear weapons, various scenarios can happen. As a deterrent, the United States wants to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities. Now Iran is trying to close the Strait of Hormuz, to block the flow of commerce in the region. But when the United States stops Iranâ€⠄¢s blockage of this important sea channel, it can push through and go as far as bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. As the US bombs Iran, Iran will instruct Hezbollah to conduct suicide bombing against Israel but US bombing will force Iran to stop Hezbollah from retaliating. Hezbollah, a militant organisation whose aims are for the advancement of the Palestinian people who are living along the Gaza Strip in Israel, may or may not provoke Israel. This is because Iran can stop it to continue attacking Israel through suicide bombing while at the same time convincing the US to stop the bombing. But it is a different story with Hezbollah in the field of battle. Hezbollah can be deterred only when it concerns the Palestinians. On the other hand, if groups like the al Qaeda were given the chance to possess nuclear weapons, they won’t hesitate to use these weapons against America or the United Kingdom, and Israel. Terrorist groups may not anymore be content of killing thousand s of Americans or the enemies they call ‘infidels’, but millions, and they use the Quran to justify their murderous desire. Deterrence is the only way wherein the United States and its allies can stop these terrorists. And deterrence means looking after every terrorist ‘cell’, which is just waiting for the right time to move and pull the trigger. Iran and other terrorist groups have long desired to manufacture nuclear weapons. The only way this can be stopped is through deterrent actions. Al-Qaeda has been stopped – at least temporarily – with the killing of their leader Osama bin Laden. An example of deterrent is denying rights to suspected terrorists. Rosenberg cites an instance wherein Homeland Security denied suspected terrorists entry into the U.S. and that action actually saved lives. There was this guy who was stopped from entering the U.S. border because an agent didn’t feel that he was legitimate. The U.S. Homeland Security fou nd, two years later, that he was a suicide bomber. His hands were found attached to the steering wheel after a suicide truck bombing in Iraq. The U.S. authorities in Iraq took the fingerprints from those hands and ran them through the Homeland Security database to see who he was. They identified the man and confirmed that he had tried to enter U.S. territories but had been refused (Rosenberg 137). 2. War Termination   It s said that when a war ends, there are no victors, only losers. The metaphor to this saying is that both sides are

Compare and Contrast Wilde and Hardy's Presentation of the Fallen Coursework

Compare and Contrast Wilde and Hardy's Presentation of the Fallen Woman - Coursework Example He depicts the type of woman Tess portrays by putting it her description in the story. In a very good manner, he uses narration to highlight facts about women. Hardy provokes more sympathy through his portrayal of Tess than Wilde because of the systematic way he shows her suffering. First, Tess is in a relationship that she expects to work out, but has a secret that when revealed can destroy the relationship. Hardy explains the way Alec got hold of Tess while in the woods and molested her without caring about the consequences2. Hardy could have chosen to minimize the suffering for this woman, but instead adds on more. Angel, Tess partner, leaves for Brazil on realizing that she was raped leaving her without somebody to nurse her wounded heart. Tess wishes that Alec was a lusty young farmer instead of being that entire Angel hated. Probably, the idea of being just a farmer would have lessened Angel’s heart into forgiving her. Peak of emotional sympathy happens when she had to g et executed for murdering Alec. In my opinion, she deserved to get pardoned because her actions towards Alec were based on the pain she felt and the pain he had caused her. Hardy brings more sympathy in the way he portrays Tess as the neglected woman. She is left to give birth in her village despite that her child is of a very wealthy man. Despite having just delivered, she has to ensure her survival by working as a field hand which leads to the death of her child. Hardy ensures that Tess’ misfortunes are elaborated in a narrated way. On the other hand, Wilde uses a number of characters to portray a fallen woman. The main character could be Mrs. Arbuthnot since she holds a dark secret of how she failed to stop her affair with the lord master. Her affair led to the emergence of a son out of wedlock. Wilde’s character does not provoke a lot of sympathy since; she has acquired a respectable name and lives a good life. Mrs. Allonby has had a lot of controversies in her lif e resulting to a flirtatious lady. Miss Hester can be used to portray a fallen woman since she is an orphan and has had to witness the shortcomings of life, despite being an heiress3. In addition, Jane can be identified as an indication of a fallen woman in the piece because the way she argues her points. Her arguments depict a woman of great ignorance and lack of education. Tess is used to show the different suffering women undergo and the how painful events can concurrently occur in a person’s life4. Hardy uses her to show the different ways in which women are treated in the society. During a conversation with Alec, Tess tries to bring out her own thinking about theology by rejecting sign writers words of condemnation. Her argument is purely ignored Hardy simply because he thought her agnosticism could be attributed to just a replication of angels. The fact that Tess’ ideas are not made up to something shows how the author used Tess to depict women in certain societi es. In contrast, Mrs. Arbuthnot is a woman who lost her husband but has gained a lot of respect from the people of her village. Her respect s earned from helping the poor and her neglect to associate with various people in social gatherings. Tess is identified as woman with sixth grade training in understanding and reproducing arguments. She seems intelligent and could have prospered as teacher if she was given a chance. This proves

Is There Life Off Earth Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Is There Life Off Earth - Term Paper Example But even it is taken for granted that on some planets in this universe, there prevails an environment like the one on the earth, one cannot be sure of the existence of life on those planet. This paper will devise an experiment to test whether any form of life as defined on Earth could prosper on Mars. This experiment will be conveyed mainly by the theoretical assessment of the possibility of life on Mars. Traditional search for life on Mars as well as in the universe is centered on the quest whether Mars can provide essential conditions of life. These conditions are to be the same as they are required for the survival of life on Earth. In order to life to exist on Mars, scientists suggest that the planet must have water. But the temperature of the planet must not be high enough to evaporate the water. Therefore, liquidity of water must be preserved in order to initiate the existence of life (Stewart 39). This opinion of the scientists is greatly influenced by the hydro-evolutionary theory that asserts that life on Earth has been initiated from the movement of water in the ocean. Also in order to sustain life, Mars must have the availability of elements like carbon and nitrogen, so that the unary organic system like cells can grow easily. At the same time, the planet should have an apparently congenial environment that can sustain life as well as preserve each its evolutionary steps. The question whether Mars can provide the conditions of life is totally based on empirical science. With a highest -600 C temperature that is slightly higher that the lowest -800 C temperature of the Antarctic region, the environment of Mars is supposed to be hostile for most of the microorganism organisms as well as other forms of earthly life. Also having a gravitational force, 38 percent of that of Earth, it has a thin layer atmosphere, .7% of Earth’s atmosphere. Even though there are other dissimilarities,

Post Modernism To Sociological Understanding Sociology Essay

Post Modernism To Sociological Understanding Sociology Essay Important contributions to sociological thinking about postmodernism emerged from several academics, some of whom considered themselves postmodernists and others who did not. This essay will discuss the origins of postmodernism and its views and focus primarily on the works of Jean-Franà §ois Lyotard, Jean Baudrillard and poststructuralist Michel Foucault. In addition to this, criticisms of their work and their influences within social theory shall be analysed. Postmodernism developed as a reaction to the inadequacies of the eighteenth century Enlightenment movement which held views about scientific positivism, the search for absolute truth, ultimate meaning and the nature of reality using rationality. Postmodernists are anti-essentialist and argue that an absolute scientific truth has been discredited as truths are multiple and always changing. The belief is that people no longer rely on science. In support of this, Fulcher Scott (2003) argue that in 1962, Thomas Kuhn suggested that science creates its facts instead of providing given facts. He argued that scientists collaborated with other researchers who shared particular concepts and methods in common to bring about factual knowledge; Kuhn claims this tells scientists what to find in experiments and help explain observations that do not match their preconceived ideas. This view was developed further by Lyotard, which shall be discussed in more detail (Haralambos Holborn, 2004). It is argued that the postmodern society is associated with pluralism, difference, uncertainty and cultural relativism as there is a vast choice of interpretations of the world surrounding humans. Moreover, individualism reigns and people find it difficult to form a real identity making them anxious and insecure (Jones et al. 2011, Giddens 2006, Bilton et al.2002, Connolly 2013, Boyne Rattansi, 1990). Therefore, postmodernists stress for the need for local knowledge produced out of particular locations (Macionis Plummer, 2nd edn). Jean- Francois Lyotard  (1995) stated I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives. This incredulity is undoubtedly a product of progress in the sciences. This rejection of metanarratives is related to the postmodernist idea that there is no social theory that can provide absolute sociological knowledge. Meta-narratives which are big stories that seek to find the objective truth about society, provided by the likes of Emile Durkheim and Karl Marx who attempt to explain the social world in its entirety have been abandoned, as suggested by Lyotard. This involves scepticism towards the idea of history moving in the direction of progress, freedom and reason (Beyer 1992, Connolly 2013, Ritzer,). Lyotard uses the concept of language- games. He argues that language is problematic as it does not provide a map for reality. With positivism however, language is considered to be a natural outlet to describe observations but postmodernists reject this notion as there are too many meanings for one word which are in constant flux. Lyotard argues that the Enlightenment brought about scientific denotative games whereby scientific statements are scrutinised by other scientists and rational argument is used to establish whether a statement should be accepted or rejected. The belief is that science can help humans to become more self-conscious. However, Lyotard rejects this view and argues that nowadays statements are judged not by whether they are true or not, but whether they are useful and efficient or not (Connolly 2013, Haralambos Holborn, 2004). On the other hand, Giddens (2006) argues that Jean Baudrillard sees society as characterised by simulations and hyper reality. The creation of simulacra attempt to reproduce reality and hype reality is a description of the social world in which simulations and simulacra become real and predominate. Society is dominated by media, technology and information which have created an empty world. Appignanesi et al. (2004) suggest that Baudrillard argues that this has reversed Marxs theory that economic forces shape society. Instead, society is influenced by a constant flux of meaningless signs and images. Meaning is now created by the flow of images such as in TV programmes, pop music and so forth. Individuals now respond to media images rather than to real people or places. These provide impermanent multiples of reality to consume (Haralambos Holborn, 2004, Kirby 2000, Agger, 1991 and Giddens 2009). Jones et al. (2011) argue that this breakdown between reality and knowledge is part of peo ples knowledge in the postmodern world as suggested by Baudrillard. He calls this the dissolution of life into TV (cited in Giddens, 2006: 115). In addition he states, TV watches us, TV alienates us, TV manipulates us, and TV informs us (Haralambos Holborn, 2004, p. 976). Baudrillard is pessimistic about the future and does not believe in socialism as suggested by Marx. He views the masses as being gradually more passive. Thus, life is led toward nihilism (Ritzer, 2008). In contrast, Lyotard is optimistic about these new changes. Unfortunately, Baudrillards work has been criticised for being highly abstract and relies upon examples to illustrate arguments (Haralambos Holborn, 2004). Alternatively, associated with post structuralism is Michel Foucault who incorporated a variety of theoretical insights, particularly from Karl Marx and Friedrich Nietzsche. Like Nietzsche, he was particularly interested in the relationship between power and knowledge. Foucault pays particular attention to the techniques that are developed from scientific knowledge and how they are used by various institutions to exert power over people via surveillance, enforcement and discipline. His work is known as Foucaults archaeology where he sets about making sense of the familiar by looking into the past. He sees history moving from one system of domination based on knowledge to another. He suggests that there is no history but a multiple, overlapping and interactive series of legitimate vs. excluded histories. One example he suggests is that there are increases in the ability of the sane and their agents such as psychologists to oppress and repress the mad, who initially used to be viewed t o possess a gift (Ritzer 2008, Marsh et al. 2009, Giddens, 2006, Macionis Plummer 2002, Jones et al. 2011, Appignanesi et al. 2004). This means that what counts as true, morally right is relative to a particular time, place and power struggle; truth changes according to whoever is powerful enough to define it (Jones et al. 2011). Foucault developed the concept of discourse by drawing upon the work of Claude Levi-Strauss who argued that language originates in the unconscious human mind. Furthermore, culture is also the creation of the same unconscious thought processes. Culture is therefore like language. Thus there is nothing in social life that is a result of the creation of the imaginative mind. Human beings are not the authors of their life stories as these are written for them in language and in culture which exist independently of individuals. Therefore social reality is defined by structural influences as a system of language external to the actor. This link between thought, language, knowledge and action Foucault summarizes with the phrase discursive practises (Jones et al, 2011). Fulcher and Scott (2003) argue that Foucault and Lyotards works are often linked as they both reject the idea that there are constraining structures in social life and recognise fragmentation and diversity in cultural and social life. Foucaults writings have been influential in furthering research into power and knowledge across the social sciences (Ritzer, 2008). His approach to analysing the relationship between truths, meaning and power has shaped the theoretical and research agendas of the social sciences Jones et al. (2011) (p. 128). Moreover, Agger argued that Foucault has made direct empirical contributions to social sciences where he has studied the discourse/practices of prisons (1977) and sexuality (1978). This research supports his argument. Overall, postmodernism is criticized for being untestable, superficial, fragmented, relativistic, abstract and lacking depth. A consequence of this is that people are unable to make sense of an increasingly complex society. In addition to this, Giddens (1990 cited in Bilton et al. (2002) argues that the postmodernist account of contemporary society is contradictory because Lyotard and Baudrillards arguments are based on uncertainty. Furthermore, Giddens criticises postmodernist approaches for rejecting the notion that humans are creative agents with an active part in shaping their social worlds. The view that an absolute break with past has occurred, as suggested by Baudrillard, has been solidly rejected by most sociologists, as he was unable to identify the point of separation between modernity and postmodernity or provide a clear account of the move into postmodern society. This inadequacy may have led sceptical sociologists like Giddens (1991) and Beck (1999) to go for terms such as late modernity to describe the social changes representative of contemporary society. Other criticisms by Greg Philo and David Miller suggest postmodernisms inability to account for social causation and the implication of factors such as the economy. Instead, the focus was only on surface portrayals of social change and missing the impact of deep social structures and growing inequalities which should not be ignored within sociology. Moreover, Philo and Miller argue that Baudrillard is said to pretend as though media images have no connection with reality at all. In their research, they found that media audiences are well aware of the difference between reality and TV images. Philo and Miller abandon the postmodern impression that people are free to consume, do as they wish and recreate identities as they please. They believe that people are still very much inhibited and shaped by structures such as the capitalist economy. Postmodernists ignore that culture is shaped by the capit alist economy (Haralambos Holborn, 2004). Another criticism is brought forward by Jà ¼rgen Habermas who rejects the arguments of postmodernism notion that it is impossible to understand the social world rationally (Kirby, 2000). Nevertheless, the biggest contribution of postmodernism may lie in its methodological approach in denying both the search for absolute truths and an emphasis on finding the foundations of social occurrences. Instead, the postmodern approach suggests that the influence of authority and power need to be analysed in social theory, with the intention of concentrating on the uncovered social conditions of marginalised groups of society (Ritzer, 1997). Additionally, Agger argues that postmodern approaches have been effective critiques of positivism, interrogating taken for granted assumptions about science. However, postmodernism has not produced a concrete version to replace positivist classical theories. In conclusion, Foucault has shown through his studies how knowledge was historically established through his concept of discourses. Baudrillards analysis has been suggested to possibly enhance research in the social sciences on culture and the media (Agger, 1991) and Lyotard has shown how science is just one of the many discourses currently in power to control people.

Teaching Philosophy :: Education Educating Teacher Essays

Teaching Philosophy The most important impact I want to have on students is that they remember me as a teacher who cares about their education. I want to leave an impact on each child’s life. My motivation to teach comes from a desire to help others and see student’s excitements as they learn new concepts. I believe teaching is my way to make a positive difference for each of my students. My approach to teaching is based on the belief that my purpose at any school is to serve the students. I will focus on the long-term best interests of each student. Serving students begins with respecting them as an individual who can make worthwhile contributions to my learning and others’ learning. This type of respect also leads to taking a personal interest in my students so they know that I value them. Serving students goes beyond just teaching them the facts of economics of how to think and learn. It means challenging them to be successful and excel in anything they accomplish. A prerequisite for good teaching is a solid understanding and thorough knowledge of the subject area. As I want my students to respect me, I desire to earn their respect by having something valuable to teach them. I will use my knowledge of real life experiences in the subject area I will teach. To me the overall purpose of education is to get win the battle with getting the students to be motivated in doing their best in school. For the students to develop an interest in a subject to learn it well and the primary source of that interest comes from the enthusiasm of the teacher. I believe that my passion for teaching will allow me to motivate my students to learn any difficult material. I will model this attitude by learning from my students in the classroom, showing that they have things to teach me. To make the best use of my classroom time I as a teacher need to know what strategies to apply to promote good classroom management. The following are the methods I would apply to my classroom: . Using rewards and reinforcements . Understanding my student’s level of learning

Disability and Education Disabled People Essay

Legal definition: * â€Å"The term â€Å"disabled person† means any person unable to ensure by himself or herself, wholly or partly, the necessities of a normal individual and/or social life, as a result of deficiency, either congenital or not, in his or her physical or mental capabilities†. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 * â€Å"A condition that in some way hampers or hinders a person in terms of their ability to carry out day to day activities†¦general range of disabilities varies from conditions that are mild (for example, the need to wear reading glasses) to severe (for example, some forms of brain injury).† Parliament of Australia, Parliamentary Library, Social Definitions: * A disabled person is someone who is not able to do things that â€Å"normal† people can do. They have limited capabilities, which restrict the way they live their life. * According to ABS, in 2003, New South Wales had 591800 males and 598800 females that were reported with a disability whether it is severe, moderate or mild. Characteristics Mobility problems or Wheelchair bound Sensory (blind, deaf, mute), intellectual, physical or psychological disability Temporary or Permanent disability May have personal carer Uses specialised equipment to assist with basic duties eg. Elevators, ramps and disabled parking etc. Specific needs (in priority order) Health-As a disabled person they are inclined to have more frequent trips to the local doctors/hospitals depending on their disability. Some disabilities may need medication to keep well and therefore may need adequate and affordable medication costs. Access to services-Disabled people needs access to services such as doctors, facilities, support services and other requires facilities. As a disabled person you want to have the right to access services as they gain more independence. For example a person wheelchair, they may need a car that is wheelchair accessible. Financial support- Most disabled people need ongoing support and treatment from local care centres they can be very money consuming, depending on the severity of the disability. E.g. a quadriplegic is unable to work and cannot financial support themselves and rely heavily on government funding and family income Self esteem- Disabled people are normal people and should be treated no differently. But usually a disabled person self esteem is allot lower than an able person as they feel they fit in society as they do things differently to able people. But disabled people within society are encouraged and treated as though they are normal so they don’t feel alienates or they don’t feel they belong. Sense of identity – It is important that disabled people know that they should be themselves and not treated any differently. If a disabled person feels they don’t fit in, they may try to change who they are and act like someone they aren’t. Safety and security-Safety and security are a need that is required by the disabled on account of their emotional wellbeing. Without their sense of safety and security the emotional wellbeing of the disabled person will be quite short because they feel quite weak to the other members in society. If the disabled person is in secure and safe environment and atmosphere they will grow in confidence and be more active in the community. Housing – Housing is a important need for the disabled community because without shelter and protection they are unable to recover sooner. It is important as well that a disabled person has modifications to their household to allow ease in movement and to apply assistance when they are alone which allows the disabled person to be more independent and confident. Education-Education is needed for the disabled community to ensure that they have knowledge about their disability. The earlier they are educated the greater time there is to enhance their physical and intellectual skills. Without the source of education they will be unable to exist in the communities and feel lost therefore isolate them. With education disabled people will improve their skills and find their place in society. It may be needed that disabled children will have to attend specialised school to suit their condition Employment- For the disabled it is a struggle to get secure and permanent work. This is because they are incapable of doing certain activities, which may be required of them when working, in saying this employer may find that there are other people that will suit the job better and reject their application to work. Equal chance of employment is a need for the disabled because they can gain money to assist with paying their specialised equipment and basic needs. Government policies and regulations The disabled is a group in society with are more likely more disadvantaged and less fortunate that other members within society, Government policies and regulations have be brought up in order to assist them in feeling apart of communities and less discrimination towards them this also helps them to enhance their independence and rights. Some of these following government policies and regulations show that they are unable to be discriminated against and have the same rights as any other individual. Disability Discrimination Act 1988-Businesses are obliged to cater for the disabled by providing disability facilities such as wheelchair ramps, hand rails along stairways, disabled toilets and lifts. Disability Discrimination Act 1992 –Protects against discrimination due to a disability, diseases or illnesses. The same opportunities must be available to all when accessing services. They gains rights to accommodation, employment, education The Disability Services Act 1986 (Cth)-Legalizes Federal Government funding of States and appropriate organisations in relation to the terms of disability employment services and other adequate and still suitable services. The Disability Services Act 1993 (NSW)-Legalises the funding of qualified organisations to provide disability services and regulates NSW Government provision of disability services. NSW Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care (DADHC) –10 Disability Services have adopted standards to assist service providers to meet these objects, principles and applications of principles. This supports disabled people with services such as Post School Program, Accommodation, Community Support Teams and also Respite Care. The Community Services (Complaints, Appeals and Monitoring) Act 1993 (NSW)-Talks on the NSW Ombudsman general functions in relation to monitoring and review of disability services and it allow complaints regarding disability services to be made to the Ombudsman. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986-A person is qualified for the Disability Support Pension if their disability, whether it be physical, intellectual or psychiatric impairment, stops them from working. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities- Having the right to education, sufficient standard of living, employment and standard of health. Community responsibilities As a community they have the responsibility to make disabled people feel welcomed, accepted and ad though they are no different to an able person within society. It is considered as a respectable action for the community to support the disabled people within their community and encourage them with their involvement in society, so that they feel they are no different. Within communities there are a few charities that recognize disabled people and as a community they try to raise money to help fund the disabled, so they can have the best possible living. For example raising money to help them adjust their way of living, e.g. housing or community. Also the council and RTA provide access to buildings with things such as putting in ramps, elevators and disabled parking, which shows how communities are taking the responsibility for disabled people within their community. Other ways communities can take responsibility to raise awareness it encourage all communities to not discriminate against disabled people, they can also help create a supportive environment for the disabled people within the group/ community Rights of the group Disabled people are significantly disadvantaged in society, but yet they are still human and they still have rights of their own. Usually the rights to disabled people they right are very similar to any individual within society and have equal rights, its just that due to some of their condidtion that have specific need that assist them to becoming part of their community, for example have ramps to access specific places. Disabled people have a right to: * Be employed and educated without being discriminated against their condition * Have housing and accommodation that allows them to feel safe and secure and additionally move with ease regardless of their disability * Gain respect and dignity, especially to be protected against discrimination * Have assistance from carers, nurses, friends and people so that they are able to help them care for themselves * Have access financial assistance. For example: Centrelink or other supporting government policies and pensions. * Have medical assistance giving them the professional and specialised treatment for their condition. * The same rights as people who don’t have a disability so that they are able to live life as normally as possible Access to resources The disabled have many factors, which can affect their access to resources. The three main factors include disability, socioeconomic status, location and also education; all these factors can have a positive and negative impact on the disabled person’s well-being. Disability- Disabled people are usually on pensions and are financially supported. The one main problem that disabled people have is their accessibility to transport systems as their is less disabled people to able people. But yet they are trying to help make accessibility for disabled people more know as they have started including wheelchair buses, wheel chair taxis and disabled parking for the some types of disabilities they are unable to walk for extensive amounts of time and putting the disabled parking as close as possible helps the disabled accessibility to services/groups better. Socioeconomic status- As disabled people they usually have a lower income as they are also paying for other specific needs that able people don’t have. Many disabled people rely on their family’s income and also the government. They rely on the government for payments from centre link and pensions. Many people do not have access to private health insurance rely on the funding of centrelink. Location- depending on the location you have as a disabled person the access to resources is very much so dependent on your location. See rural communities don’t have many support services as they are usually over a large area and accessing services there is already hard enough for them. And within urban areas they have ramps, rails and disabled parking to help disabled people access service/ resources, unlike rural area which are limited. Education- education for disabled people is very dependent on the severity of the disability. See if you as a disabled person don’t know how serve your disability is you are unable to know what needs to be done. As a disabled person you need to know exactly what your disability is and how it can be treated. Diagnosing the problem is a lot easier due to the education in technology and the communication is improved due to internet and mobiles. Societal attitudes towards the group Society has many different views and perceptions when it comes to recognizing the disabled community. Disabled people are looked upon as weak physically, mentally and are sympathised by society. Some groups in society are all for disabled people and want to support them and intend to help them live a ‘normal’ life as much as possible as they can feel they are mp different to any able person. On the other hand others feel that disabled people are extremely disgusting and should not be seen until cured. Little do these people who look down upon disability by doing this they are isolating them from society and they are affecting them emotionally but discriminating against them they are lowering the confidence in believing they are ‘normal human beings’. Members in society may find that disabled people are extremely disadvantaged as they are vulnerable and dependant on the carers that assists them with help with basic duties and responsibilities. These carers dedicate the time and energy to give their up most energy and care for the disabled people. Sometimes/Most of the time their carers are usually their relatives or friends. Furthermore the carer is there to assist to fulfil the basic needs and capabilities that a disabled person may not be able to do, for example preparing food/ feeding themselves, walking, showering ect. As they are unable to do a wide range of ‘normal’ functions. Society perceives the disabled as to be less privileged. Another type of attitude and perception society may have with the disabled is the idea that the they are considered to be classified as a lower class because they have no ability to perform basic skills and attitudes due to their type of condition. Also disabled people are given names labels for example ‘crippled’, ‘handicapped’ and ‘invalids’. Labels like these cause society to have a negative perception on the disabled community and its also a stereotype of how disabled people are, and they don’t taking into the consideration that not all people are extremely/severely disabled. Society feels they must pity and sympathise the disabled people as they are given charities from the generous people who feel sorry for them. Disabled people do not want to feel like that are any different to a normal human being but society without know excludes them but putting them in the spot light the complete opposite and pushing them aside because they are ‘Crippled’. Issues of concern for the Disabled As a disabled person concerns of the group are feeling safe and secure within their community, belonging, and self-esteem. It is greatly concerned as it creates negative mind sets and can cause other illnesses. Other concerns are things such as; * Discrimination toward the disabled. Discriminatory acts towards disabled people can be a large concern to the group as they can be pushed aside and their self esteem will decrease and can make them feel ‘not normal’. * The way they are seen within society. This is a major concern as the disabled community have equal rights to any able person. The way disable people are seen is very important as educating people to not discriminate is also vital. * Their environment. This is a major concern to not the able people of the community but the disable people within it, for the very reason the environment in different ways is important to the disable as they may need things such as; ramps, rails, elevators or things such as a supportive environment, support services ect. * How they feel is a big concern as they also are the same as normal human beings are have lower esteems as they feel different and excluded from society because of their disabilities Conflict between the group and community interests When the needs of a disabled person are not met, this can begin conflict to occur within the community. Disabled people are discriminated, as to society they are not seen as ‘normal’ but instead are ‘invalid’ and just a waste of space. Employment- If a disabled person is always off work, they may be asked to quit so they can take care of themselves. Some employers discriminate against disabled people and do not hire them; however, under the Disability discrimination act (1995), an employer cannot fire or not employ someone because they are disabled. Employers are to treat a disabled employee like they would treat the other employees. Self esteem- When in public, many people stare at someone who is disabled. A disabled person can feel embarrassed or upset as they feel they are an outcast to the society, as they don’t fir in the ‘normal’ people. This can cause low self esteem, especially if you are temporarily disabled. If you have any hope at recovering, you may feel you’re not worth continuing on in life. Safety and security- Some people see disabled people as easy targets to abuse, as they cannot run, scream or see the attacker. They are vulnerable and can easy be abused by someone they know or even when alone in public. It is important that someone who is disabled feels as though they are independent and if they feel they are at risk to tell someone they trust. Power within the group and the community Disabled people within society are seen as not as important but the disabled community have tried to get their name out they create fundraising within their community to raise awareness and to get others educated about disabilities. The disabled offer to the community by; * They show how lucky people are and how great their ways are living are compared to some disabled people who cannot do day to day things. * They create a sense of community.   * It creates perspective in communities as it can open up people eyes to how disabled people really are. Positive contributions the group makes to the community Disabled people despite their disadvantages they are able to bring positive contributions in society as well. These positive contributions could be; contributing to the workforce and educating other on the lifestyle of their own lives and how disabled people live. Contributions like these allow the wider community understand the perspectives of disabled people and how they go about life. Another contribution that is positive on the community is it the disability within the community improve the technology and medication in the general community. Other ways that disabled people contribute to a positive community is that it shows people how to accept them for who they are and not for what is wrong with them or how they look. Extent to which community service groups assist in meeting the need of the disabled Here are some examples which propose modifications in the social community which aims to facilitate the satisfaction of the disabled community’s needs: * On the central coast they have bowling nights for the disabled. This allows the wider community and groups to get together and have some fun and met other people who also have disabilities. This can create supportive environments for the disabled as they can feel that they are not the only one and they can discuss their disabilities with one another. * Services such as personal care and cleaning services for those who are not mobile and cannot do it themselves, This helps the disabled feel like they do not have to worry about the harder basic needs that they find difficult. * Internet allows people to shop at home. This service is provided for those who cannot get around on their own. Order and pay online and your shopping items are delivered to your door. * Services such as online universities or libraries which gives the opportunity for the non- mobile but they can sit at home and do their uni or read a book without leaving their homes. * Some universities provide for disabled people by providing cart and wheelchairs to get around the campuses. Management strategies to address equity issues faced by the group * As a community the disabled feel they are treated unfairly and are treated differently due to the difference and inability to follow day to day norms. By resolving this they must unjust the treatment management strategies must be make to address these issues faced by the disabled. * The Society have come up with labels for the disabled such as handicap, cripple, retarred which refers to ‘their type’. Often they are used as insults. The general public have changed their perception on disability but still there are some narrow minded people who don’t pay attention to the needs of the disabled community. A way of resolving this is by creating an event such as the Pink Ribbon Day and other things such as Daffodil Day, which try to celebrate and sponsor the disabled community and try to create spread awareness of their issues and try to make people become open minded to their problems. * In the health services, people with disabilities are discriminated against as they are generally on a much lower income, due to this they are unable to afford private health care/ private health insurance and are usually put on waiting lists for problems they may have. If a disabled person is in need of medication and are unable to afford it this could cause them to have a poorer wellbeing. To assist them the government should reduce the cost of private health cover and reduce the of mediation to allow the disabled people to have easier access to them * Some disabled people are physically disabled and therefore need to modify their house. This can be extremely expensive and if the disabled people are not working have to rely on pensions or funding from the government. They may need to modify the houses to be more accessible at they may be wheelchair bound. As disabled people are not as capable to do all the house work and daily jobs they can hire someone to help them. The government should make more services available to the disabled who struggle to leave their homes and they should also reduce the funding to modify housing costs. Bibliography * Legislation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT 1992.† DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION ACT 1992. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Disability Support Pension.† Disability Support Pension. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Disability and Community Care.† Department of Communities (Queensland Government). N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Disabilities.† Disabilities. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Australia.gov.au.† People with Disabilities -. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. http://australia.gov.au/people/people-with-disabilities * â€Å"International Day of People with Disability.† International Day of People with Disability. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Thank You ForYour Support.† Daffodil Day. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. . * â€Å"Have a Girls’ Night In,to Help the Girls out.† I Heart Pink. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2012. .

Deathwatch--literary analysis essays

Deathwatchliterary analysis essays In Robb Whites novel, Deathwatch, the author develops a theme of survival through the character of Ben. By examining Bens actions we can learn how people use instinct and creativity to survive in severe situations. After escaping from Madec in the hot, dry, desert with no clothes, shoes or water, Ben not only finds ways to survive the hunt; he also finds ways to survive the harsh desert elements. Ben does many things while stranded in the desert that contribute to his survival. One important thing Ben does in the desert to help him survive is when he covers his feet with nests to ease the pain of walking on the stones of the desert. Even though this was a painful process, once his feet were inside the nests the pain eased and, when he stood up, he know that, with just that much protection from the stones, he could go ahead. (77). Ben collected more nests, knowing they were brittle and would not last long, and carried them with him for future use. This action proves that Ben was planning ahead to guarantee his survival. This action by Ben also demonstrates his creativity and determination to survive. The author gives his readers a visual of how hard it is to survive in these elements when he explains how individuals can only survive for 48 hours without water and when they do get water, drinking one quart is only equal to one additional hour of survival. Bens actions illustrate the extreme measures people will go to to survive when he tries to get water. He finds a puddle of dirty water that had bird droppings caked to the floor and drank it. To the reader, this sounds horrid and one may think they would never do that under any circumstances, but to Ben, because of the situation he was in and because he was determined to survive, he drank the water and it tasted delicious. He knew that he needed this water to keep going and he was able to look past how dirty it was and see it more as a too...

8 Classic Storm Poems

8 Classic Storm Poems Poets love stormy weather. The powers of the natural world revealed in a tempest can be shocking, terrifying and destructive, but they are also awe-inspiring, exhilarating, and metaphorically rich- a perfect source of poetic inspiration. Here we’ve selected a few classic poems describing or inspired by storms. Attune yourself to the natural havoc outdoors by reading them while you’re safely sheltering inside from a storm, perhaps, or declaim them to the sky outside after the storm has passed. William Shakespeare, Storm speech on the heath from King Lear (1623)William Cullen Bryant, â€Å"The Hurricane† (1854)Walt Whitman, â€Å"Proud Music of the Storm† (from Leaves of Grass, 1900 edition)Algernon Charles Swinburne, â€Å"A Channel Passage† (1904)Amy Lowell, â€Å"Storm-Racked† (1914)Robert Frost, â€Å"A Line-Storm Song† (1915)Siegfried Sassoon, â€Å"Storm and Sunlight† (1918)Jean Toomer, â€Å"Storm Ending† (1922)

English Only Debate Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

English Only Debate - Article Example Some of the first casualties of the English only program would be the immigrant children who are in the process of learning English. America values its legal immigrant population and children need to be assimilated into the language as well as society. Bilingual education allows the children to continue to learn in both languages and allows them to keep pace with their classmates. An English only system would ban bilingual education in the public classroom. While a bilingual class could teach the child US History in their native tongue, an English only program could offer them no chance of learning about America's past. If the educational system fails to adequately support these students at this point in their education it will decrease their potential for success and increase the chances that they will become an economic burden to the system sometime in the future. States such as California and Arizona have debated and implemented bans on bilingual education, but Utah has gone farther by considering a bill that would require most all public business to be conducted in English only. When public notices and records are printed in a foreign language, it helps the non-English speaker to fully understand their rights and obligations. The requirement that all public paperwork be printed only in English would not only restrict the rights of the non-native speaker, but would also place an unwarranted burden on our public institutions. This would be especially true in areas that have concentrated numbers of immigrants. Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of an English only advocacy group, contends that the program would unite Americans by the use of a common language (Making English, 2008). The law may unite the English speaking population, but it would drive a wedge between the natives and the immigrant population. America has a long tradition of valuing diversity and language contributes to our cultural fabric. In fact, our concept of the world may be based in our language. Linguistic scientists believe that our language shapes human thought (Biever 2004). Many cultures have words for concepts and meanings that are lost in translation. As an example, the Inuit Eskimo has over 100 words for 'snow' (Mendosa 2005). If they were subjected to an English only system, they would lose the many fine nuances that they use to describe the vast differences in their winter precipitation. The diverse languages spoken in America help create the rich cultural differences that we value. There is little fear of English becoming a minority language as it has become the international language of choice for business. Most immigrants arriving in this country are anxious to learn English and become a part of our culture. They want to shop in American stores, watch American TV, and listen to American music. Placing an English only barrier may actually impede their progress towards that goal. The global view of English as the universal language makes it unnecessary to place limitations on the use of other languages. In conclusion, the hope that an English only America would help unite the people is a short-sighted and misguided effort. The children who currently have English as a second language would be left behind in the educational system. Bilingual programs could prevent these people from turning to public

Review the book named middlemarch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Review the book named middlemarch - Essay Example It constantly ran through Dorothea’s mind what the reaction of her husband would be if she did not accept his request (Eliot 678). According to Dorothea, a wife should be there to fulfill the wishes of her husband. Even though, her husband seemed to be selfish, Dorothea considered that the requirements of her husband were much more important than hers. Part 2 Being caught in such a situation is extremely tough to imagine. Speaking from a neutral point of view, every human is selfish to their well being first, and, for this reason, I think only a few people would consider carrying on with a dead person’s work. Therefore, if I was in Dorothea’s shoe, I would decline carrying one with Mr. Casaubon’s work because it certainly does not interest me. Before I make any decision, I only consider how it will affect me and the parties involved. Considering that Mr. Casaubon likes his work a lot, and Dorothea, in contrast, was not so much interested in the work, it wo uld simply be better to let it go. If I force myself into carrying on with the work, then I might end up messing it up since it is not what I am proud of doing. Step 2 The procedure that Dorothea would follow if she were to use Kant’s First Formulation theory would be to first find her husband’s motive or what is behind his motivation (Kant 437). For instance, she should ask herself why the husband wants her to carry on with his work yet he knows that she is not fully interested with the job. Secondly, Dorothea should picture an environment, which everybody is in such a situation. This would be much easier since not a majority of people would consider doing something they do not like. Thirdly, Dorothea should examine whether there would be any irrationality or contradictions in the environment she pictured the situation. It would be much easier to come up with the right decision when she knows whether or not her decision would affect others positively or negatively (Ka nt 437). Fourthly, if an irrationality of contradiction comes up, then performing towards the husband’s wishes is not permitted in the real world. Finally, if there is no irrationality of contradiction, then performing towards the husband’s wishes is allowed and needed. Probably, Dorothea would decline her husband’s wishes if she were to use the above described theory since it considers the individual self first then others. Step 3 The second formulation or, at times referred to as the Formula of the End in Itself, asserts that a rational human being should serve in every maxim as the state confining all simply relative and random ends. This is due to the nature of the state and also the end itself (Kant 450). The principle dictates that a person acts with reference to each and every rational human being so that it is an end in itself in the actor’s maxim. This means that the rational being is the grounds of all maxims of action. Therefore, they should ne ver be treated as only means, but as the supreme restricting circumstance in use in each and every situation (Kant 452). This means that human beings should be regarded as the ends at all times. With this in mind, it would be vital for Mr. Casaubon also to consider the consequences of his wishes before pleading with her to fulfill his wishes. If Mr. Casaubon truly thought of what his wife liked, then he could have known that his wife was not so much interested in his readings and especially carrying on with his work once he died. Step 4 Dorothea’s steps led her to agreeing to her husband’