Diversity in the United States Essay

Diversity in the United States Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Diversity is the concept of acceptance and respect upon every individual in relations to sexual category, ethnic and sexual coordination, and stage of development, bodily abilities and political beliefs. In United States there is synthesis of world’s abundant and varied religions, cultures and ethnic groups since it is a home to everybody and there is no group which can call itself the most American than the other. However, the merging of cultures here is so irreplaceable and so outstanding that citizens can be just as pleased and proud of their main cultural legacy as they are to be an American after all. The diversity in United States assemblage takes a moral look at what it means to be an American and scrutinizes the rich legacies that encompasses the entire nation. Any culture provides its specific and incomparable contribution to the current understanding in America and to the world generally. The issue of diversity in America not only provides a multitude of friendly portraits of heritage and culture, but records the fights of nationalities to incorporate into the sentimental society of America, and highlights the power and honesty of several cultural influential and socialites (Naylor, 1999, Naylor, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the current state of immigration in United States, diversity has however reached nearly every state in America. William Ferry, a demographer has stated that â€Å"This is just a strange explosion of diversity all across the United States† and thinks that diversity and immigration are going hand in hand. Due to the high of immigration, the current statistics indicate that Education ranks increased in every state from 2000 to 2010. Generally, the part of adults with 25 years and older with at least a high school diploma or certificate raised from 80 percent to 90 percent. Those adults with at least a bachelor’s degree from any university or college raised from 40 percent to 55 percent. This change could even rise higher in the coming years as far as there are available jobs and the growth of economy still continue growing in order to hold the population. Furthermore, there are all categories of construction, food p rocessing, every kind of service jobs, the full scale, where primary agriculture is practiced (Naylor, 1997)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Immigrants have also enriched American communities by bringing characteristics of their instinctive cultures with them. However, many of the black Americans now celebrate both Christmas and other festivals drawn from African rituals. Hispanic Americans enjoy their backgrounds with street fairgrounds and other parties or events. There are many ethnic restaurants that proliferate in many American cities. For example, President John Kennedy, the grandson of Irish immigrants, commissioned up this intermingling of the old and the new when he titled America as a society of immigrants, which could hold any person irrespective of their culture, race, religion or political ideologies and everyone would began life fresh, on an equal basis. Therefore, this is the secret of United State as a nation of people with the fresh retention of old backgrounds who venture to walk around with new borderlines (Lind, 2010).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, apart from the benefits which have been brought by the immigrants in the United States, challenges have been there more so to the government on how to counter the growing population. Services in all fields need to be increased and improved that is in organizational centers, health centers and educational centers because among the immigrants there are disabled people or people with special needs and they all expect assistance from the government. The issue of ethnicity is still there among various groups of people and this has led to gender difference and reduced sexual orientation. The uniformity that is beyond our internal extents there is outward effects of life practices, plus the choices we decide in our lives also affect our chances, circumstances, and elevations and since these controls, outward extents of religion, maternal prominence, and presence may influence others to create conventions about the immigrants (Naylor 1999 ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, diversity need to be fostered in all terms of climate of acceptance and cultural pluralism in the United States in the following ways. First, Asian, Hispanic, black, and American Indian kids require the same basic skills that we have low priorities that white children require. This is a recognizable point, but it is most forgotten idea when the subject of multiethnic education is raised. Second, they need a broad considerate of our form of government and its organizations because we live in a country in which we enjoy countless freedom, but we also live in a country in which people are extremely unconcerned. Third, we must teach our children the history of this United States and there are many sources where we can get that history. Finally, all American kids need a well understanding of the world in which we live, and this includes something of the history of other nations. They need a foundation in geography, which, if shown we ll, will also teach them why nations advanced as they did. Rivers, terrain and climate are all important to the improvement of culture and should be understood well (Naylor, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ways in which media perpetuate stereotyping and prejudice are relatively few. Erratically, there are studies within fields of journalism and mass communication that concentrate on stereotype and prejudice decline. One of the way is applying an audience-based tactic that openly teaches audiences how to be critical media consume while the other method is using message based method which enables the participants with all stereotypical news narratives that explain the existing cultural practices about various racial groups. The results of these two media-based methods on the accessibility of unfriendly and compassionate racial typecasts are considered to be having a great change. Finally every individual need to construct up prejudice like in other states such as Germany, china and Japan to improve our entrepreneurship. This may be called Ideology but we have to become one, not diverse and unlike (Lester, 2011, Lind, 2010). References Lester, P. M. (2011). Images That Injure: Pictorial Stereotypes in the Media, Third Edition. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO. Lind, R. A. (2010). Race/gender/media: Considering diversity, across audiences, content, and producers. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Naylor, L. L. (1999). Problems and issues of diversity in the United States. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Bergin & Garvey. Naylor, L. L. (1997). Cultural diversity in the United States. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Bergin & Garvey. Source document

Statistics: Practice Problems Solutions

1. (24 points) If needed, additional workspace is provided on the next sheet. Doug Moodie is the president of Garden Products Limited. Over the last 5 years, his vice president of marketing has been providing the sales forecast using his special â€Å"focus† forecasting technique. The actual sales for the past ten years and the forecasts from the vice president of marketing are given below. Year |Sales |VP/Marketing Forecast | |1 |170,300 |– | |2 |168,250 |– | |3 |165,700 |– | |4 |169,000 |– | |5 |168,000 |– | |6 |167,300 |170,000 | |7 |175,250 |170,000 | |8 |172,500 |180,000 | |9 |156,700 |180,000 | |10 |176,300 |160,000 | Doug wonders if perhaps a weighted moving average or an exponential smoothing approach to forecasting might be better than having the vice president of arketing prepare the forecast. Doug wants to evaluate a two-period weighted moving average with weights of 0. 7 and 0. 3 for the most recent and next most recent p eriods. He also wants to evaluate the exponential smoothing with an ? = 0. 3 and a starting forecast for period 6 of 168,000 units. a) Which of the three methods (weighted moving average, exponential smoothing and VP/Marketing) provides the best forecasting method if you were to evaluate these methods for their forecasting accuracy for Years 8 through 10. Use one of the evaluation methods we have discussed. See next page b) In part a) we identified which is the best method of those three methods.However, would you recommend using this method for forecasting sales for Year 11? Why or Why not? See next page c) What would be the forecast for Year 11 using both the weighted moving average and the exponential smoothing methods? See next page [pic] 2. (23 points) Lake Charles Seafood makes 500 wooden packing boxes for fresh seafood per day, working in two 10-hour shifts. The marketing department has advised that demand has increased so that 650 wooden boxes for fresh seafood are required daily. Due to higher demand, plant managers are considering operating three 8-hour shifts instead. Productivity is measured in terms of boxes produced per hour worked. ) Calculate the productivity of the operation for the two-shift operation producing 500 boxes. 500/20 = 25 boxes per hour b) Calculate the productivity of the operation for the three-shift operation producing 650 boxes. 650/24 = 27. 08 c) Using the two-shift operation as the base, calculate the percentage difference between the two-shift operation and the three-shift operation as described in parts a) and b). (27. 08-25)25 = 1. 083 or an increase of 8. 3% d) Now suppose that the plant managers want to be able to produce the 650 boxes but only use two 10-hour shifts. What must the productivity be to achieve this production output? 650/20 = 32. 50 boxes per hour ) If the company believes that to be competitive if it is to produce 650 wooden boxes, the company must reach a productivity measure of 40 boxes per hour. What are the maximum hours a day the company can work? 650/x = 40 X = 16. 25 hours 3. (19 points) Additional workspace is provided on the next page. Students in a science class have just received their grades on the first test. The instructor has provided information about the first test grades in some previous classes as well as the final average for the same students. Some of these grades have been sampled and are as follows: Student |1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6 |7 |8 |9 | |1st Test Grade |98 |77 |88 |80 |96 |61 |66 |95 |69 | Final Average |93 |78 |84 |73 |84 |64 |64 |95 |76 | |You are also provided the results from several different linear regression relationships for the above data. These provide different regression relationships looking at different combination of independent and dependent variables. [pic]a) Develop a linear regression model that can be used to predict the final course average based on the first test grade. [pic] b) Predict the final average of a student who made an 83 on the first test. [pic] c) Would you recommend using this relationship for forecasting the final averages? Why? Also, explain how strong the relationship is between these two variables. [pic] d) Suppose a student scored a 38 on the first test. Predict the final average of a student who had this score?What cautions would you recommend about using the linear regression relationship for predicting a final average? [pic] 4. (18 points) David Upton is president of Upton manufacturing, a producer of Go-Kart tires. Upton makes 1,000 tires per day with the following resources: Labor:400 hours at $12. 50 per hour Raw Material:20,000 pounds per day at $1. 00 per pound Energy:$5,000 per day Capital:$10,000 per day a) What is the labor productivity for these tires at Upton Manufacturing expressed per labor hour? Labor productivity = 1000 tires/400 hours = 2. 5 tires/hour. b) What is the multi-factor (total factor) productivity expressed per dollar? Original Multifactor productivity is 1000 tires/(40 0 ? $12. 50 + 20,000 ? $1 + $5,000 + $10,000) = ,000 tires/$40,000 = 0. 025 tires/dollar. c) What is the percent change in the total factor productivity if Upton can reduce the energy bill by $1,000 without cutting production or changing any other inputs? Original Multifactor productivity is 1000 tires/(400 ? $12. 50 + 20,000 ? $1 + $5,000 + $10,000) = 1,000 tires/$40,000 = 0. 025 tires/dollar. Revised Multifactor productivity changes from 1,000/40,000 to 1,000/39,000, or from 0. 025 to 0. 02564 The ratio is 1. 0256, so the change is a 2. 56 percent increase. 5. (16 points) a) Briefly discuss two ways that operations management can provide a company with a competitive advantage. 8 points Open-ended answerSupports the other functions, delivers what is promised to the customer; provides a competitive advantage; provides a low cost option; plan and execute the production and delivery of the firm’s goods and services; Ops Mgt is defined as the design, operation, and improvement o f the systems that create and deliver the firm’s primary products and services. b) Briefly discuss two of the major issues that are facing operations management staff in the current business environment. 8 points Open-ended answer Global challenge, automation and technology, commoditization of the supplier, coordinating the relationships between mutually supportive but separate organizations, optimizing global supplier, production, and distribution networks, increased co-production of goods and services, managing customer touch points, raising senior management awareness of operations as a significant competitive weapon.

Indian Cultural Ethics Values and Business Management

YUDHISHTIR AND DURYODHAN| Indian Cultural Ethics Values And Business Management | | 10/30/2012| Submitted by:-Au As we all are living in the 21ST century which in which their are plethora of all the men made gadgets to provide immense pleasure which some where increasing the endless desire of a mankind and in search of completing or fulfilling those desire with a fast pace men are turning materialistic, egoistic, stubborn, felineness and also diverging from the way of ethics and value which are thought by our parents and teachers also by the religious epics.We can also say that these endless desires giving birth to Duryodhana in each of us The epics, the Ramayana and t he Mahabharata contains many morals, from which we can learn how to live and conduct ourselves in various situations. The epic are meant for the laymen, people who are serious about their religious duties and salvation, but not able to make it the most important thing in their lives and pursue it steadfastly.Since they are in narrative form, their messages, morals and lessons are easy to understand and remember for the last several centuries, both the epics served people well by inculcating in them a deep sense of reverence, devotion, commitment to the path of righteousness and belief and interest in the live beyond.Usually this the first stage that ultimately leads to a more instance spiritual aspiration, culminating in one’s salvation by drawing a clear distinction between the good and evil , the right and the wrong, the appropriate and in appropriate, and by personifying these concepts in moral percepts clearly into appealing characters and personalities, these epics help men develop inside into our religion and cultivate budhi or discriminating intelligence , which would otherwise required years of dedicated study and religious practice.Truly speaking the epics are illustrative of the divine knowledge contend in the smriti text such as the Vedas and the Upanishads , in the language and idiom familiar to the masses . The eldest of the pandava brothers was dharma raja, who was known for his sense of justice and fair play , but with a weakness for gambling. He was clear in his conscience and soft in his heart and action, which was often misunderstood by his rivals and his weakness. The eldest of the kaurava brothers was duryodhana, known for his physical power, pride, arrogance, envy, greed, and lust for power.He personified unbridled ambition, aggression, egoism and complete disrespect for tradition in seniority in his own family. Both were cousins, but certain events in their lives made them become arch enemies. According to the laws of inheritance as prescribed in our dhramshashtra, dharamraj was supposed to be become the rural of the kuru Kingdome. But duryodhana was intent upon becoming the rural by whatever means. For him end justified the means. So he enticed his cousins to play a game of dice with him and used deceptive means to snatch the kingdom from him.B y falling in the trap laid out for him, dharamraj not only lost his kingdom, his self respect and his wife , but also head to force his brothers and himself into an ignominious exile for 12 long years as a part of his irresponsible wager. Finally after returning from the long exile, when they requested duryodhana to return their kingdom, they were flatly refused. In a desperate move, they requested him to at least grant them five villages. so arrogant and drunk with power duryodhana was that he close all doors of negotiation by telling them point blank that he would not grant them even that much land where they could pin a needle.With that it became clear to the pandavas that the only way they could settle the dispute was through a war. It was what exactly duryodhana wanted. His anger and jealousy towards his cousins was so intense that he wanted destroy all of them through a deadly war and settled the issue of succession once and for all. Lord Krishna who was related to both sides through many alliances, tried to reconcile both side. But when a person was drunk with power and blinded by egoism and ignorance, how could anyone put sense in to his mind?Duryodhana was not only stubborn, but dangerously destructive and egoistic. The sensible advice of his elders and lord Krishna fell upon his deaf ears. Once it clear to both side that their differences could be resolved only through a prolonged and destructive war they began making preparations for it. Emissaries and messengers were dispatched by both parties in all direction to muster support. It was a war in which almost every rural of the Indian sub-continent was destined to take part.It was also a war on whose outcome the effectiveness of dharma upon earth depended. Everything was at stake, our religion, tradition, family values and the very future of the land of the bharata. Hence the title, the great war of India or Mahabharata yuddham. Those who were sympathetic to the cause of the pandavas and came forward to lend their support and participate in their war on their side was actually less in number because it was a time during which evil was on the rise and dharma or righteousness was on the wane.Many rural agreed to support duroydhana either because they were impressed by him personally, for evil attracts evil or because they were afraid of incurring his wrath by refusing to support him. Some warriors supported him, though with great reluctance, because they were duty bound to their king who at that time was duryodhana. As a result of these developments, compared to dharamraja, duryodhana was succeeded in securing the support of great majority of the acclaimed warriors of his time. It seemed as if the fate of the war was already sealed and duryodhana was about to win.It was at this crucial juncture that duryodhana made one major blunder which cost him dearly in the end. What change the course of the war and its ultimate outcome was the participation of lord Krishna in it. At that tim e lord Krishna was the ruler of a powerful kingdom, with a formidable army of yadus who under his leadership, got the acclaimed as fearless and unstoppable warriors. He had no particular enmity with the kaurvas, although he was well aware of their evil nature and their unbiridled political ambition. Just as they approached other rulers, both sides decided to secure the support of Lord Krishna.So both Dharmaraja and duryodhana rushed to the city of dwarka to meet lord Krishna and present him with their respective proposals. Lord Krishna, knowing the nature of both, offered them a rather difficult choice. He told them they could either choose his moral and personal support or his material support in the form of his well trained army. They could choose only one of the two, but not oth. It was a clever ploy in which he put to test the buddhi (discriminating intelligence) of both his relations. True to his nature, duryodhana chose the army.Being ignorant and egoistic, who believed in his own prowess rather than that of god, he believed that lord Krishna’s power and stature stemmed from the yadu warriors and that they were more powerful than him. Wicked as he was in his thoughts and intentions, he thought that having them on his side would be a clever strategy in his plans for further aggression. By fighting against each other, the yadus and the pandavas would self destruct each other, resulting in the weakening of the political sway of lord Krishna and his yadu clan.Thus once the issue with the pandavas was settled, he could deal with lord Krishna appropriately from a point of strength rather than weakness. Dharmaraja on the other hand chose lord Krishna himself. He believed that lord Krishna was greater than all the armies put together and having him on their side would tilt the balance of power significantly. He had greater faith in the intelligence and wisdom of lord Krishna than the might of his army. Being spiritual in nature, he believed in the unlimit ed potentialities of spiritual power rather than in the limited capabilities of physical power.Besides, he knew lord Krishna was not an ordinary person. He saw him personally helping draupadi, after he lost his gamble, when the kauravas dragged her into the court in a show of strength and try to disrobe her in front of all people. Being a wise person himself, he was able to discern clearly the divinity in the person of lord Krishna. In doing so, dhrmarja changed the very character of war from a family war to a war between the good and the evil forces, with god actively participating on the side of the good.Most of us know what happened afterwards. The pandavas were greatly benefited by the presence of lord Krishna amidst them. The entire army of the kauravas consisting of millions of soldiers and legendary warriors was wiped out in the battle field and duryodhana himelf met with an ignonimous death. Lord Krishna stayed with the pandavas throughout the war and proved indispensable. H e gave them valuable advice and guidance on every challenging occasion and helped them deal with many formidable opponents like bhishma, karna, dronacharya,asvatthamaand so on.He personally served as the charioteer of arjuna and boosted his marole in the battlefield with his divine discourse (bhagavadgita), when the later lost his heart and refused to fight with his own kinsmen on the grounds of moral dilemma. Without him, arjuna would have probably lost either the battle or his nerve or both. The moral of the story is in whatever we do we should always seek the help and guidance of god and make him a partner in all our endeavours. It does not matter whether we are rich or poor or weak or powerful.What is important is whether we have god on our side or not. Of what use all power and riches in the world, if god is not with us and god is not part of our effort? Duryodhana had everything he wanted. But he lacked faith. He ignored the support of the god. He thought he had the necessary power and resources to deal with his enemies. He thought unwisely that he could do everything by himself. He did not care to stand against god in the battle field and fight with him. He believed in himself and that he was the master of his own fate. He would win, if necessary by fighting against god.He would take the help of god in securing the assets and the resources, but would not personally want him on his side. Such attitude and thinking proved his undoing. There is an important lesson in all this, which is very relevant today and which we can learn to save ourselves from the consequences of our selfish actions. If you look carefully you will see that in the present day world there are more duryodhanas amidst us than dharma rajas. We have people among us who would go to any length and resort to any means to achieve success and popularity in their lives.It does not matter to them whether god is with them or against them. They don’t care whether they are righteous or other wise. They have scant respect for relationships, family, tradition and moral values. What matters to them is material success in the form of money, power and wealth. They feed upon their own pride and revel in their own glory. They may use the name and power of god, but only with a selfish intent and for a selfish purpose, without ever acknowledging it. If necessary they don’t mind to defy him or his law to achieve their goals.Seeing but themselves and living or acting for themselves, they live under the illusion that their personal efforts are responsible for their achievements and they are masters of their own fate. Their obsession with power, name and fame is so strong that they make take credit for the work done by others, but rarely come forward to appreciate others. In a similar vein, they show no gratitude for the silent support rendered by god. This is unfortunate because in doing so they are exposing themselves to the consequences of thir own actions (kama) and also alienating themselves from their own inner divinity.

Team DISC Assessment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Team DISC Assessment - Coursework Example Team building often involves the bringing together of new teams and giving them a new sense of direction, a period of getting to know their colleagues, as well as recognizing abilities and skills. Team working on the other hand involves the sharing of ideas, supporting one another and being open. It is also important to note that good leadership is essential to any business; it is an important factor for making an organization successful. Leaders are a key human resource in each and every organization (Hersen, 2004). In fact, the importance of leadership in management can never be overemphasized. In order for things to get done by people in the organization, the management must supply leadership in the organization. Team work is especially essential in order for one to realize the organizational goals, and it is the work of the managers to influence the team to work and accomplish through leadership. Further, it is imperative to understand that leadership often aids authority and it must go hand in hand with team work. Pursia’s DISC assessment was an impresser. This was her strongest quality. Being an impresser in the organization is extremely useful (Sugerman, 2011). This is because it helps one charm to the business partners as well as breaks the ice when it comes to meetings within the organization. Further, being an impresser is also important as it helps employees to take greater responsibility when it comes to decision making and also helps team members to take control of the work processes (Avery, 2001). The impresser often helps in improving morale as the employee can be able to effectively gain more authority as well as ownership over the projects that one is working on. With the help of the impresser, she can help with the extra responsibility which can effectively lead to a more rewarding work environment as well as lower turnover. Further, with the impresser working on a team it gives the employees a greater sense of belonging and

E-commerce Individual Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

E-commerce Individual Assignment - Essay Example Although, there has been a failure of various electronic commerce initiatives but e-commerce is still of significant use to the economy of many companies. To understand the importance of the e business in the company, the case study will focus on the Gulf Agency Company that is a global leading provider of shipping and logistics materials. However, the company does not utilize the e- business modules in an efficient and effective manner due to the challenges and threats in the industry. The case will evaluate the areas of weakness of the Gulf Agency Company due to the failure of utilizing the e -business and discuss the various e business modules that it can employ to improve the situation. Meanwhile, the case will articulate its failing of the company based on the e-business can evaluate the areas for growth and development. 2. Internal and external analysis of GAC 2.1 SWOT analysis The SWOT analysis of the GAC will help in highlighting the areas of the business inefficiencies and i neffectiveness in its current business processes due to lack of an efficient and effective e business. ... 56).Thus, the SWOT analysis assist to examine the effectiveness of management providing clear comprehending of the e business before any action is taken. The process of undertaking internal analysis closely parallels of performing external audit that is done by the company’s representatives, managers and employees. The internal look analysis is based on the management, marketing research and development and the information technology system. The significant source of the strength of the GAC in its business operation is the availability of adequate financial resources and well trained staff in functional area strategies. However, instead of the company concentrating too much on its strength it is vital to look for the weakness that would diminish the organization ability to offer quality products and services. Most of the weakness of the GAC business operations arises are recognized from the perspective of the customers so that to have an honest evaluation of the failures the c ompany is facing and will affect the future of the company. The company is currently facing the weakness of not having a proper management system in that time and balanced scorecard has not been incorporated with the tailored training of the business that make it prone to challenges. Meanwhile, in current company’s research shows that to combat the difficulties of economies of scale the company needs expansion in its business portfolios so that to reach a wider market by way of diversification of products in the market and doing mergers. Further, the interview conducted on its employees revealed that there was an inefficient and ineffective of the e-business techniques that caused problems in outsourcing. The company needed to implement outsourcing

Organizational Behavior, Dr. Pavlov Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

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Problems when installing software Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Problems when installing software - Essay Example mportant to clarify the existence of a significant of problems that usually arise when it is installed or put into use in an organization (Ashdown & Easton 2001). In simple terms, the term software installation entails a process of bedding in a well-defined set of computer programs necessary for accomplishing a predefined set of tasks. In other words, this involves the act of making a particular computer application ready for use by adding its integrated components into a computer with an objective of reaping crucial functionalities. One of the most common problems in installing a software in an organization is lack of full compatibility with the installer of the organization operating system. This problem arises in scenarios where poor requirements gathering process is done particularly on the operating system needs of the software. To be precise, the compatibility issue occurs in scenarios where the software is successfully installed but containing problems in implementing some crucial functionalities necessary for the daily organization operations. This results into immense losses since sometimes the whole software can have to be uninstalled and never used in the organization (Faris 2006). Fear of the unknown by most employees in an organization offers another major problem in the newly installed software. Most employees usually fear that a new software installation can affect their reputations or remove the advantages enjoyed before. In this sense, employees can do their best to manipulate the software and rendering it non-functional or not working as per expectations. To the organization, this usually results into a huge a problem since it renders all investments made for the software turn into complete losses (Rozanski & Woods 2011). It is important to note that hacker techniques all around the globe have under gone significant technological advancements. This includes the fact that they integrate Trojan horses into most organization software or business

Can torture ever been acceptable in democratic civilized society Essay

Can torture ever been acceptable in democratic civilized society - Essay Example Thus in the article â€Å"Torture Damages Democracy says expert on Interrogation† the professor Darius Rejali states that torture can’t be costless. The professor discusses different forms of torture emphasizing the fact that torture affects not only those who are tortured but also the initiatives of torture. It is also mentioned in the article that torture is controversial issue and the same idea is reflected in the article by Paul W Kahn â€Å"Torture and Democratic Violence†, the aim of which is to understand what torture means for democratic society: â€Å"torture is no more destructive and no more illiberal than other forms of political violence† (Kahn). The professor Darius Rejali summarized his ideas in the book â€Å"Torture & democracy† that became the most comprehensive study of torture in the modern society. In the article â€Å"Torture State terrorism vs. Democracy† by Orlando Tizon it is stated that the â€Å"war against terrorism† is only an excuse of applying torture. "Only the person who has been tortured can tell how painful it is. The people who torture you dont let you die and they dont let you be alive" (Tison, 2002). The same issue is discussed in the â€Å"Work Open Society Institute: Globalizing Torture: CIA Secret Detention and Extraordinary Rendition† by Amrit Singh and in the article â€Å"the Use of torture†. In the work â€Å"The Proportionality of  Means and Ends: The Case against  Torture in a Democratic Society? the author Joaquà ­n Jareà ±o- Alarcà ³n raises an important issue discussing the position of torture defenders. Torture defenders in the modern society state that torture should be used as a method to get the necessary information. The author expresses the negative attitude to this approach: â€Å"with terrorist activities becoming an increasingly serious threat to democracy over the past ten years, the morality of torture is now an issue at the forefront of political

Discuss the arguments for and againts the reform of the international Essay

Discuss the arguments for and againts the reform of the international trading systems in general and the World Trade Organisationvin particular - Essay Example There has been greatest movement of resource to other countries and most of the companies have gone international. This has been a positive development in the business world as more and more companies in the world embrace e the concept of global operation. (Cancun 2003, p. 3) International trade can be described as trade between nations. This can be described as trade between national in different continents or it can mean trade between one neighbouring nations. International trade is the trade that happens beyond the boundaries of a continents and which in particular involves the subjects of that country. Unlike domestic trade that it controlled by the government, International trade is subject to the control of world and it comes with more regulation than the domestic trade International trade has been used as a yard stick for measuring the transparency and governance of a nation by the international community. In the recent past the wave of globalization has made it difficult for one a country to live as an island and the economic systems are moving more towards a dependency market structure. Globalization has brought about a cycle of dependency in which a country is depending on other for as structured by the world economic systems. This has been one of the reasons why international trade has become very important to the whole world. globalization has opened countries to the scrutiny of the international community and the world trade system has been used to force nations hat have been seen as deviating from the world economic system in order to force them to conform to world policies. One of the most important way in which world trade has been used to streamline the operation of nations is on mater that concerning respect of human rights. As we said earlier globalization has been characterized by opening of national police to the whole world and hence there is a scrutiny on how a nation is respecting issue of human rights and other.

Ethics of Care and Ethics of Justice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethics of Care and Ethics of Justice - Essay Example Thereupon, ethical prospects in nursing are at the core in this paper. Ethics of care seems to be taken for granted in nursing by many observers. It accompanies the idea of the Hippocratic Oath. Moreover, it makes the nurse-patient dialogue possible with emphasis on relief and recovery. However, this concept runs into the ethics of justice which can be narrowed down to a set of prescribed steps and norms in following nursing practice. Thus, the question of both ethical theories in their approaches toward contemporary medicine are to be duly analyzed so that to find out the best decision. ETHICS OF CARE Needless to say, current hospitals are full of professionals and those assisting them who can find out the right way in communication with patients. It is all about some psychological and moral obligations every nurse has at her/his disposal. The need for care is viewed to be paramount in hospitals. It makes the overall idea of recovery powerful. It goes without saying that a person can fight his/her illness starting from the inner decisions and inclinations. Believe it or not, such practice is well shared in the world. Moreover, it constitutes the need for care as a predominant impulse toward the inner recovery materializing in the physical healing. Ethics of care is well based on the personal relationships with a patient. It can be interpreted as the consideration of other’s point of view (Ashcroft, Dawson, & Draper, 2007). Care is a stimulus for every patient. Thus, a nurse able to follow up the prescriptions of her/his moral obligations before concrete patients, in particular, and the mankind, on the whole, has to use care every now and then. In other words, care is called to reduce patient’s vulnerability at the moment when it is critically high. Chesnay & Anderson (2011) admit in their study that ethics of care is generally focused on â€Å"attending to and meeting the needs of the particular others for whom we take responsibility† (p. 372). Thus, speaking ethically, the word â€Å"care† is already incorporated in the word â€Å"healthcare† justifying, therefore, the overall goal of the medicine. On the other hand, ethics of care seeks to pinpoint the need for relationship for the sake of striking a balance in gender roles. Definitely, women are more devoted to the caring; and the nursing ethics and ethics of care have become the pivotal virtues in the nursing practice far long ago (Yeo, 2010). To say more, ethical concerns should bear a confident character when applying to serious patients and those getting through some training and educational programs as a part of their recovery process (Klingberg-Allvin et al., 2007). Thus, the ethics of care is one of the first intentions coming on the part of a nurse despite of any circumstances or other impediments on her/his way. Again, relationship-based approach is what each nurse urges for. There is nothing more significant for a good and professionally fit nurse than to think about the need for assuring patients that they will be taken care of. To manage this prospect means to have an idea of where the nursing practice starts from: â€Å"The care ethics perspective cannot be understood in abstract or hypothetical terms, but only in actions stemming from caring relationships between people† (Sellman & Snelling, 2009, p. 60). Thus, any dispute on the nature of the ethics of care can be diminished due to a host of arguments on the importance of the first care aid and continuous care for patients throughout the period of hospitalization. Moreover, ethically grounded attitude of care on the part of a nurse is never a malfeasance. Ethics of justice Most researchers and observers are likely to state that ethics of justice serves a constraint for the

Colonial period from 1607 to 1750 Essay Example for Free

Colonial period from 1607 to 1750 Essay During the colonial period from 1607 to 1750 an American way of life emerged, differing from Old World European culture. This new lifestyle developed from the interaction of five major groups, including the; Native Americans, Chesapeake colonies, New England colonies, Indentured servants, and African slaves. Each of these peoples contributed ideas, principals, practices, and beliefs to the melting pot that would later become the United States of America. Native Americans had a significant impact on Europeans as early as Americas discovery in 1492 (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 14), during which time, the Columbian Exchange occurred. This initial exchange had a larger influence on Native American life than European, as the Old World explorers introduced diseases to which the Indians had no natural immunity (Yazawa, Melvin 46). According to Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey (15), in the Centuries after Columbus landfall, as many as 90 percent of the Native Americans perished. When Europeans returned to America in the 1600s to develop permanent settlements, Native Americans reintroduced to them planting techniques and crops, such as corn and tobacco, that would revolutionize the early colonies economies and diet allowing them to grow and flourish and making them an important aspect of American culture (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 15). Additionally, Native Americans shared in the celebration of the first Thanksgiving with the Plymouth pilgrims (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 52), a holiday still important and beloved today. Later interactions between the Native Americans and Colonists were mainly hostile, as a result of the Europeans insatiable land-lust, evident in such conflicts as the Pequot War (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 52). The aid Native Americans provided to early settlers allowing them to sustain themselves would result in the downfall and destruction of numerous Indian tribes, who had already dwindling populations as a result of European diseases (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 31). However, conflict forced Native Americans to band together, displaying a way in which Europeans shaped Indian history in America as well (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 32). The Chesapeake colonies were another group that largely influenced the development of the American culture. Virginia was the first colony; founded in 1607 by a joint-stock company hoping to find gold and a passage through America to the Indies (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 28). This company, named the Virginia Company of London, received a charter from the King for a settlement in the new world (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 28). This charter was important to the formation of an American pride. The document guaranteed the New World settlers would be guaranteed the same rights of Englishmen at home. However, this document later fueled the colonists desire for independence from their intrusive and controlling mother country (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 29). The introduction of tobacco to early settlers played a large role in the growth of the Chesapeake colonies, especially Virginia. In fact, tobacco growth was so important to colonists they threatened themselves with starvation by choosing to plant the cash crop over food crops (Wheeler and Becker 29). Without tobaccos economic contribution to the survival of Virginia, contributions made by the colony might not have been made. Virginias House of Burgesses was the first representative legislative assembly in British North America (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 33). This was the first of many parliaments to emerge in America, justifying the efforts of the Colonists to eventually breakaway from British rule, as they believed themselves fit to oversee their own nation. The other Chesapeake colonies also contributed to the formation of a uniquely American way of life. Maryland, founded in 1634 (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 33), was haven to Roman Catholics seeking refugee in the new world. Without a place for this minority religion to survive, it might not have been sheltered in the new world. The Carolinas were composed of large expanses of open land, resulting in a large plantation agriculture system in the south (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 38) that resulted in the use of indentured servitude and slavery throughout southern America. However, the colony founded last in 1733, Georgia (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 38), slowed the immediate development of slavery in the Chesapeake colonies. As Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey stated, Georgia was a religiously tolerant settlement, which was slavery free until 1750. The New England colonies were formed largely so those settling in the colonies could be free of religious persecution, especially in Massachusetts Bay (Wheeler and Becker 30). According to Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey, The Mass. Bay colony was formed in 1628 (37), although the puritans who merged into the Massachusetts Bay colony from Plymouth arrived in 1620 (37). The Pilgrims who arrived in Plymouth influenced American ideals of freedom from oppression, through the Mayflower Compact. This document became quintessential to the creation of later constitutions. It was an agreement to form a crude government and submit to the will of the majority ( Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey). The Massachusetts Bay colony contributed early concepts of a liberal government to America. Local affairs and issues were eligible for discussion by a large percentage of adult men, and voting was completed by majority rules (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 47). However, religious leaders held significant power in the lives of the settlers, influencing the beliefs of those residing in the Massachusetts Bay colony. As a result, those threatening Puritan views such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams, were banished (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 48). This was actually advantageous for the development of a diverse American culture, as those forced outside of Massachusetts Bay moved to more accepting colonies, such as Rhode Island. Rhode Island was a region of varying religious beliefs and ways of life as there was a lack of religious oath or taxation present in so many of the other colonies (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey). The Dutch contributed names and settlers to the renamed New York colony after it was surrendered to the Duke of York in 1664 (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey). Pennsylvania, founded in 1681 according to Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey (60), was home to the passive Quakers. Pennsylvania influenced American ethnicity, as the colony attracted people of various backgrounds (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 61). Indentured servants played a large role in the growth of an American lifestyle. Prior to the popularity of slavery in the South, colonies such as Virginia and Maryland utilized indentured servants to tend large plantations (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 33). Indentured servants supported the cash crops that helped the early colonies thrive financially, without which finances, the colonies might not have survived (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 67). Once indentured servants had completed their terms, they became freemen, but remained much in the same position as before. They were penniless and searching for land and a job. These freemen also contributed to a rebellious and headstrong American people, willing to fight for what they believed in. During Bacons Rebellion in 1676, a group of young freemen led by Nathaniel Bacon attacked Indians near jamestown in retaliation of Indian attacks on frontier settlements (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 68). African slaves during the colonial period influenced the development of the American way of life. Due to economic change in colonies in the 1680s (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 70), it was financially possible for plantation owners in the south to purchase African slaves as opposed to using indentured servants. Additionally, by 1662, distinctions between a white indentured servant and african slave were made in Virginia (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 72), which made blacks and their children the property of their white masters for life. African slavery in America made it possible for southern plantations to truly develop, at the cost of a peoples rights. African slaves were subject to a plethora of harsh conditions, including harsh hours and intensive labor in the blistering heat (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 72). This resulted in a large part of American economic success being reliant on the exploitation of a group of people. The American way of life developed as a result of the interaction of numerous groups including the Native Americans, the Chesapeake colonies, the New England colonies, the Indenture servants, and the African slaves. Native Americans contributed staple crops which would support the early settlers and modify the American diet permanantly. Chesapeake colonists, although originally settling the Americas in order to attain wealth, found a permanent home that they would later fight to rule. The New England colonists wrote up the Mayflower compact, a primitive agreement which would inspire later constitutions. The indentured white servants led to the eventual treatment of people solely as property in the case of African American slaves after indentured servitude ended. Slavery would prove to be a social barrier and issue for numerous years to come, as africans struggled to acquire the same rights as granted to white citizens.

Bystander Effect Essay Example for Free

Bystander Effect Essay Introduction – This study researched the implications of the bystander effect when both gaze and no gaze methods were used. It tested this with woman to woman interaction only. The belief was that when gaze was held between the subject needing assistance and a random subject the expressed desire to help would raise. Methods Participants – For participants the study used one hundred and ten adult American women waiting alone at a bus stop in Staten Island, New York. Apparatus/Materials – two women dressed in plain clothes, a pocket full of change, and conducted at a bus stop. Procedures – Two women dressed in plain clothes or one woman alone approached a bus stop where a solitary other woman already was(the subject) one of the women had a cast on her dominant hand. The woman with the impairment reached into her pocket on the side of her casted hand with the opposite hand and attempted to draw coins from the pocket. Upon doing this she dropped the coins over the sidewalk. After the coins had fallen she either made eye contact with the subject or just proceeded to pick up the coins. If the subject assisted in picking up the coins or helped identify where the coins were she was considered helpful. IV – the woman dropping the coins DV – whether or not the subject assisted in picking up or finding the coins. Results – In the gaze versus no gaze condition with a companion 70% of the subjects assisted rather than 30% that assisted when no gaze was used. When no- gaze was used and tested alone versus with companion a significant difference was seen. 33% helped when the person in need of help was alone as opposed to 11% when with a companion. Discussion – this research shows that a subject can feel increased responsibility when someone else is in the vicinity and gaze is held rather than when the subject is alone and gaze is held versus gaze not being held. A possible answer for his is that when two or more people are around and someone in distress makes eye contact they are showing a distinct desire for that person rather than the other people around who they could ask for assistance. This makes a subject feel more responsible to help rather than if they would have not made eye contact because the distressee is asking indirectly for help. The difference in between look and non- look while alone was less significant because the bystander already seemingly had a sole responsibility to help and not expect someone else to and so looking at them wasn’t as much asking them specifically rather than a plea for help. Limitations – the person in need of help could be asking for different amount of help with just there facial expressions. Certain females may prefer other females more than others and be more inclined to help. Future Research – this study can be held again but rather than having solely female to female interaction, male to female and female to male interaction can be had.

Self Efficacy Among Academically Low And High Achievers

Self Efficacy Among Academically Low And High Achievers The present study aims to assess the relationship of mindfulness with self-efficacy among academically low and high achievers as Confidence and belief in achieving goals is a good predictor of success. Mindfulness is an inherent state of consciousness that differs among individuals for a variety of reasons and that can be changed by individual. The definition of mindfulness points out that it is the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment (Kabat-zinn, 2003). It is considered a capacity available to everyone, although individuals differ in their tendency to be mindful (Brown Ryan, 2003) When students can learn to be fully present they can increase the quality of their learning performance by being more focused and become better able to deal with stressful situations and through their increased learning they can achieve considerably high grades (Langer, 1993). When a student is mindful he/she becomes able to approach learning situations from a novel perspective while drawing upon previously learned material. They can learn the material and are better able to relate it with their previous knowledge (Langer, Hatem, Joss, Howell, 1989) Mindfulness is an element of consciousness that is characterized by a heightened state of awareness in which an individual is attentive to being in the present moment. This enhanced attention to and awareness of current experience or present reality has been shown to be associated with enhanced self-awareness, self-regulated behaviors, and positive emotional states. (Brown, Kirk Richard, 2003) Attention plays a role in a students life to achieve high grades if they pay proper attention at the appropriate time. To be in a state of mindfulness in reference to academics we mean conscious awareness in which the individual is aware of the context and content of information. Increasing mindful awareness can deepen and broaden the understanding of the context and content of the subjects. Attention is a complex construct and is related to a variety of cognitive processes (e.g., perception, memory, planning, and speech) (Mirsky, Fantie, Tatman, 1995; Zimmerman Leclercq, 2002). Because of its centrality in the education it is of significant importance. The individual have tendency and opportunity to continually process information from various perspectives and it helps in increasing levels of creativity and knowledge. When students use mindfulness in their learning processes they utilize creativity, experience cognitive flexibility and are thus able to better use information and retain that information for a longer period of time (Langer, Hatem, Joss, Howell, 1989; Thornton McEntee, 1995). More recent studies in education have revealed a sharp increase in memory and creativity for mindful treatment groups (Langer, 1997). It has been observed that mindful learners are more mentally present and active (Langer, 1993). They plan what they will learn and the strategies they will use and they control and self-regulate their learning. As readers, they use strategies to organize, elaborate on, and evaluate text (Paris, Wasik, Turner, 1996). They integrate what they learn in school texts with their personal experiences to actively construct their own meanings and ideas and to use them in flexible ways. For the reasons that they are more constructive and give meanings to world according to their understandings thats why they are considered to be more real and are original thinkers. More mindful individuals are generally perceived as being more genuine than less mindful individuals and this has been shown to increase positive effect (Langer Moldoveneu 2000). Attention is the foundation of better retention of information and better cognitive functions in our life style (Cooley Morris, 1990), where multitasking has become the norm. Children also are multitasking as they face information overload due to watching hours of television, playing video games, surfing on internet, doing their home works and preparing for their exams etc. Developmental research indicates that childrens attention to specific information depends upon the importance they place on the information and that children in later stages of development are better able to logically control their selective attention (Wright Vliestra, 1975). In a study of mindfulness practice by Richart and Perkins (2000) in the classroom and took an example of a math lesson from a traditional didactic instructional classroom and a mindful constructivist classroom where students had more freedom to explore answers on their own. Second grade students were given the following problem: There are 26 sheep and 10 goats on a ship. How old is the captain? 88% of the students from the traditional classroom setting answered 36. Not one student commented that the question did not make any sense although they averaged in the 85th percentile on the tests. In contrast nearly a third of the students in the more mindful constructivist classroom questioned the sense of problem. (p29) In order for children to learn in the classroom they must be able to focus their attention. Mindfulness affects the grades in such a way that if the student present in the class is not paying attention to the lecture being delivered, then the understanding of the syllabus will not be as easy as it wouldve been had he/she been paying attention hence clearing concepts and asking questions to understand the confusions hence mindfulness is necessary for achieving academic achievements. The more mindful the student in the class, the better is his achievement. In one of the studies by Langer, Hefferman, Keiester, (1988) mindfulness in the workplace showed increase in creativity, decreased burnout and greater enjoyment of tasks Researchers in social psychology have also found benefits of mindfulness in a range of areas including increased creativity, increased productivity in the workplace (Park, 1990), increased attention (Langer Bodner, 1995), greater liking of a task (Langer et al., in press), and use a lot of effective learning methods (Langer Piper, 1987; Langer, Hatem, Joss, Howell, 1989; Langer, 1997). Education is an area that often seems to prosper in mindlessness. Traditionally, children have been taught to memorize course content and view what is being offered in the classroom from the teachers perspective. Children need to make sense of what they learn instead of solely memorizing facts. In the educational context other mindful manipulations have involved asking students to make material more meaningful for themselves, compared to groups asked to memorize it (Lieberman Langer, 1997). As students memorize most of the things that they do not understand. They do not pay attention to clear their concepts and just learn it by rote. As we know that material learned by rote memory has no personal meaning. Many problems are not solved because many students think in automatic and habitual ways. This automatic mode of thought is called mindlessness. The cost of mindless thinking is significant because it limits our ability to make good decisions (Langer, 1997) As discussed earlier that the mindful students retained the information better, for a longer period of time and was able to utilize it in more creative ways. Perspective should be taken into consideration because it brings out better performance (Lieberman Langer, 1997). Almost all of the facts most of people learned in school were taught to us in a perspective-free way that encourages mindless use of the information because it does not occur to us to question it again. In contrast, information presented in the mindful, perspective-taking condition was learned better by high school students, even though they had to deal with more information. In this way mindful teaching practices can have a mark effect on student learning and it also shows that students who learn mindfully can retain the information better. Individuals develop patterns of stress response from birth through continued interaction with the environment. Young (1995) acknowledges that educators today recognize that students are suffering from stress in very different ways than a decade ago. The literature indicates that children are under a great deal of external pressure both at home and in school, resulting in many of the same physiological symptoms of distress as adults (Miller McCormick, 1991). While much of the research on children and stress was conducted two decades ago, available research indicates that environmental stress negatively affects children. In a study seven and eight year olds were studied for two to four years, researchers found that increase in stressful life events were related to decrease in ratings of academic performance, though unrelated to ratings of social behaviors (Kiselica, Baker, Thomas Reedy 1994). Mindful teachings and mindful learning by the students can decrease this stress. Academic achievement Academic achievement is defined as excellence in academic disciplines, in class. Loe Fieldman, (2007) define academic performance as ones ability to complete class work and homework and they define academic underachievement as problem in learning and applying knowledge including earning poor grades. As this study is in Pakistani perspective so we first need to know the Pakistani educational system. There are two main types of schools in Pakistan government and private. In both school types, almost always, the formal education system comprises of 5 years of primary, 3 years of middle, 2 years high (Metric/GCSE) and 2 years of higher secondary schooling (FA/FSc. O level/A level). While similar in their educational structures, the two school-types differ in terms of financing and regulation. Public schools are schools that are provided by state and federal funding. Schools are heavily dependent on the state, although in recent years the system has become considerably decentralized and responsibility for the delivery and management of education has shifted to the districts. The government provides free education till primary although government primary schooling is mandated to be tuition-free and there are nominal fees in middle and high school. Most of the Government schools are single-sex schools (exceptions occur when schools are coeducational up till primary after which they be come single-sex). (Monazza, 2009) Some of the major problems faced by public schools include limited financial resources, poor quality of content and a greater demand for education amongst parents of school-aged children. Pakistans public schools are overcrowded and underfunded. In Public schools classes are often overcrowded. As Class size is a factor that can cause various difficulties in understanding the lecture. The smaller the class size, the more attention each individual student will receive. In a smaller class, child will get personal attention (Grace, 2007). Class size effect the attention student seeks from the teacher as well as he pays in understanding the concepts. Sometimes due to larger class size, students cannot see the blackboard. They then lose their interest in the lecture being delivered, get engaged in gossips with their friends and other activities. And so by wasting their precious time their grades in class gradually decrease. Another reason is that in our schools generally is no concept of s eats rotation due to which the pupils who are less competent always try to sit at the back rows of the class. They become habitual back benchers and the ones who are more competent and capable always try to grab seats in the front rows. As a result teachers pay more attention to them, consequently making them able to remain attentive and engaged in class lessons and activities resulting in higher grades. Since learning is more personal and responsibility is more on the shoulders of the students, education requires students to monitor and regulate their own learning. In order to achieve goals students should have mindfulness i.e. paying attention to the studies and self-efficacy beliefs that will lead to achievement of goals. Students can help themselves by focusing more on what they are studying and it would lead enhance their learning performance/meaningful learning and hence they can better deal with stressful situations. Self-efficacy on the other hand involves confidence in achieving goals and it also in return helps decrease academic stress. Students perceptions of their abilities contribute to their self-esteem, confidence and ultimately to the level of motivation towards their studies are related to educational achievement. Attention is related to motivational processes (Parasurman, 1998; Zimmerman Leclercq, 2002). When student is motivated they will form beliefs about what they can do and set goals for themselves and hence pay more attention to their studies and will eventually lead to academic achievement. Self-efficacy suggests to peoples beliefs about their abilities to perform a task successfully at selected levels (Bandura, 1986, 1997). It influence the choices one makes and the courses of action one performs and so Self efficacy can also be explained as a belief in ones capabilities to organize and perform the tasks required to deal with the future situations (Bandura, in press, p. 2). These beliefs of personal proficiency effect behavior in several ways. Individuals typically select tasks and activities in which they feel capable and avoid those in which they do not. Students who are confident in their ability to manage, perform, and regulate their task performance at a designated level of competence are representing high self- efficacy. The construct of self-efficacy helps in explaining the findings that the behavior of individuals is not always perfectly predicted from their capability to complete a specific task but how a person believes they will perform is often more importa nt. According to Bandura academic self-efficacy is grounded in self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977). According to this theory, it is an individuals self-confidence in his/her ability to manage and carry out a given course of action to resolve a problem or achieve a task (Eccles Wigfield, 2002, p. 110). Academic self-efficacy refers to ones belief that one can successfully achieve at a designated level on an educational task or get a specific academic goal and it is positively related to academic achievement (Bandura, 1997; Eccles Wigfield, 2002; Elias Loomis, 2002; Gresham, 1988; Linnenbrink Pintrich, 2002; Schunk Pajares, 2002). Self-efficacy theory suggests that academic self-efficacy may differ in strength as a function of problem solving. Some individuals may believe they are most efficient on difficult tasks, while others only on easier tasks. Ones self-efficacy has a great influence over ones choice of action, the kind of effort one spends, and how much one is able to keep that effort in the face of difficulty (Bandura, 1986, 1997; Schunk, 1995). Thus, self-efficacy beliefs have been found to influence students approach, their academic grades, their engagement in an activity, and how planned they may be while doing a task (Pajares Johnson, 1996; Pajares Miller, 1994, 1995). Therefore, Self-efficacy is supposed to effect performance via the influence on task perception. Each task achievement is assessed as a threat or a challenge, and persons with high self-efficacy beliefs are more likely to evaluate the tasks as a challenge (Chemers, Hu, and Garcia, 2001; Lazarus and Folkman, 1984; Pintrich and De Groot, 1990). That is, the degree to which a person feels confident about his or her capability to handle a given situation affects whether a certain task is supposed as stressful or threatening, rather than as a challenge. When a task is assessed as a challenge, one is more likely to select an effective coping strategy and to carry on the task. Self-efficacy also influences performance, confidence and self belief. Individuals with high self-efficacy practice challenging targets (Locke Latham, 1990), do their best, search for new solutions, and carry on in difficult task; this behavior leads to the improvement of actual ability and to goal achievement (Tuckman Sexton,1992). On the other hand, individuals with low self-efficacy practice lower levels of performance. Doubt and uncertainty during task performance weaken their concentration, and they give up easily when faced with difficult tasks. This process adversely affects the development of actual ability, which is reflected in lower achievement (Tuckman Sexton, 1992). A research suggests that high self-efficacy produces a feeling of calmness when approaching difficult tasks while low self-efficacy may result in an individual perceiving a task as more difficult than reality, which, in turn, may create anxiety, stress and a narrower idea on how best to approach the resolving of a problem or activity (Eccles, 2005). Students self-efficacy beliefs also seem to be considerably associated to the stress and their academic performance (Lane Lane, 2001). Therefore, lesser the stress better will be the performance and more a student will be motivated and more the stress the poor will be the performance and student will be less motivated. Moreover researches show that self-efficacy beliefs have positive effects on student motivation and achievement (Pintrich De Groot, 1990; Zimmerman, Bandura Martinez-Pons, 1992; Pajares Miller, 1994). Self-efficacy beliefs can determine how people feel, think, motivate themselves, and behave. Consequently motivation is improved when students recognize that they are making improvement in learning or feel they are competent enough of handling the task. In turn, as students make effort to do the tasks and become more  skillful they develop a sense of self-efficacy for performing well (Schunk, 1991). Self-efficacy beliefs play a key role in the self-regulation of mot ivation (Bandura 1994). According to Bandura, people motivate themselves and they form beliefs about what they can do, they set goals for themselves and plan courses of action designed to understand valued futures. Individuals who have a high sense of self-efficacy for accomplishing a task work harder and persist longer when they come across difficulties, whereas those who do not feel efficacious may give up or avoid a task (Schunk 1991). . Those who are more competent seem to set higher performance goals, get rid of faulty strategies more quickly, find out solutions in the face of difficulties and work more accurately than those with lower efficacy. Students who are confident in their capability to organize and achieve task performance are showing high self- efficacy. Whereas, students who are uncertain about their ability to successfully complete a task often participate less readily, do not work as hard, and give up quickly when faced with difficulty. Due to repeated failures in the classroom, it was hypothesized that students may feel that they cannot adequately perform certain behaviors and tasks to achieve a desired outcome. The resultant negative outcome may be lower academic self-efficacy. (Bong Skaalvick, 2003; Eccles Wigfield, 2002; Elias Loomis, 2002; Gresham, 1988; Schunk Pajares, 2002; Wentzel, 1999). However, negative self-efficacy could also disappoint a student and cause a student to fail in their personal or professional activities. Thus, students may face stress which may negatively impact academic achievement. Self-efficacy and stress are closely related concepts. According to a research by Zajacova, Lynch Espenshade investigates the joint effects of academic self-efficacy and stress on the academic performance. The survey was used as an instrument to measure the level of academic self-efficacy. The results suggest that academic self-efficacy is a more healthy and consistent predictor than stress of academic success. Self-efficacy is a better predictor of academic success than stress. Studies suggest that both academic stress and self-efficacy have some effect on academic outcomes, and there is some evidence that self-efficacy may be a better predictor (Pintrich and De Groot, 1990). Self efficacy and stress joint influence as determinants of academic success in schools/college. In a study by Hackett, Betz, Casas, and Rocha-Singh, (1992) identified both stress and academic self-efficacy as predictors of good grades. Good grades were associated with low perceived stress and high self-efficacy. In case of education, self-efficacy is seen to be related with effort, persistence and achievement. In one of the research by Chemers, Hu Garcia (2001), shown that children with higher self-efficacy strived for longer periods and used more useful problem solving strategies than students with lower self-efficacy. Therefore, self-efficacy changes the way a student works in order to get good grades and becomes more experienced and accurate about getting good grades in class and they keep on comparing themselves with their peers. Furthermore, classrooms that allow for extensive social comparisons (with the performance of other students) tend to lower self-efficacy of students whose performances are viewed as deficient when compared to others. People with low self-efficacy may believe that things are tougher than they really are, a belief that promote stress, narrow vision of how best to solve a problem. High self-efficacy, on the other hand, helps to create feelings of calmness in approaching difficult tasks and activities. As a result, self-efficacy beliefs are strong determinants and predictors of the level of achievement that individuals finally attain. The relationship between gender and self efficacy has also been a focus of the previous researches. It is assumed that Girls often outperform than boys. However, it is reported that males are tend to be more confident than females in academic areas related to mathematics, science and technology despite the fact that achievement differences in these areas are diminishing (Fuller, Hua Snyder, 1994). While in areas related to language, arts both male and female students exhibits similar confidence and this is also a truth that girls typically are high achievers (Pajares, in press) Keeping the above literature in view the rationale behind this research is to find the relationship between mindfulness and self efficacy among academically low and high achievers. There are a number of factors that may affect students achievement. These may include personal characteristics such as confidence in their abilities and attention they pay while studying. Confidence and belief in achieving goals is a good predictor of success. An increased academic self-efficacy may encourage the students confidence in utilizing his/her abilities to understand the course content, and achieve high grades. Simultaneously being mindful in the classroom can increase students ability to keep their attention which increases learning and academic performance. Moreover study will also allow the readers to understand that high achieving students might have different motivation to study than low achievers and that they are able to organize their study materials and study habits more efficiently. Act ive and independent engagement in the learning process might be more favorable to achievement than a passive and instructor dependent one. Although a lot of work is done on self efficacy and mindfulness in the education field but the lack of research in reference to Pakistan provided a rationale for examining the relationship between mindfulness and self efficacy. The research also investigates that which of these factors are characteristics of high-achieving and low-achieving students in the hope that the outcomes can be utilized to enhance student performance in the future. HYPOTHESES On the basis of the literature review the hypotheses formulated are: There exists a positive/significant correlation between mindfulness and self-efficacy among students. Students who are academically high achievers will perform high on mindfulness and self efficacy as compared to academically low achievers. Method The present study was conducted to find out the Relationship between mindfulness and self-efficacy among academically low and high achievers Participants In the present study convenient sampling technique was used. The sample consisted of 70 students out of which 35 were girls and 35 were boys within the age range of 13 -16 studying in 9th and 10th grades at government schools. Co relational research design was used. Inclusion criteria The participants selected for the research were low and high achievers. Above 70% were considered as high graders and below 50% were considered as low graders. Girls who were above 70% were taken as high achievers and boys who were below 50% were taken as low achievers. The students of age ranging from 13-16 years were included in the study. The sample was collected from government schools to maintain the consistency. Exclusion criteria Students who were average i.e. between 50% 70% were excluded from the study. Also girls below 70% and boys above 50% were excluded from the study. Students suffering from any physical and mental disability to answer were also not part of the study. Instruments The data was gathered by the use of the mindfulness based self efficacy scale and Toronto mindfulness scale. Demographic data sheet Demographic questionnaire (see appendix C) was designed by the researcher for this study to provide descriptive information about the participants name(optional), age, gender, grade, school, hobbies, their grades in last class, their personal evaluation of grades and their participation in co curricular activities and in sports. Academic achievement The academic achievements of the child were screened through his/her examination record in the previous class. Academic achievement was accessed in form of grades that student got. The divisions of grades according to the percentages are given below: Grade A Above 70% Grade B 60-70% Grade C 50-60% Grade D 40-50% Mindfulness Based Self Efficacy Scale (Cayoun Freestun 2004) Self efficacy was measured by mindfulness based self efficacy scale (See Appendix D) The MSES is a 35-item scale and consists of 7 subscales of self efficacy, each containing 5 items. Behavior (items 1, 8, 15, 22, 29), Cognition (items 2, 9, 16, 23, 30), Interoception (items 3, 10, 17, 24, 31), Affect (items 4, 11, 18, 25, 32), Interpersonal (items 5, 12, 19, 26, 33), Avoidance (items 6, 13, 20, 27, 34), Mindfulness (items 7, 14, 21, 28, 35). To calculate self-efficacy, 18 items must be scored in reverse. These are: 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 14, 16, 17, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 34, 35. High scores indicate high self efficacy and low scores indicate the low levels of self efficacy. The cronbachs alpha reliability of the scale was 0.71. There was no cultural bias item in the questionnaire. This scale is valid and reliable. Participants were asked to evaluate their perception of self-efficacy on a 5-point Likert-type scale (0= not at all, 4=completely). The estimated time to complete the instrument was 10-15 minutes approximately. Scale was administered in English. No special permission was taken from the researcher as questionnaire was easily available on internet. Toronto mindfulness scale (Lau, Bishop, Segal, Buis, Anderson, Carlson, Shapiro, Carmody, Abbey, Devins, 2006) Toronto mindfulness scale (TMS) (See Appendix D) consists of 13-items. This instrument has two-factors Curiosity and Decentering. For the curiosity score following items are summed 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 13. For the Decentering score following items are summed 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11. All items were written in positively keyed direction. The cronbachs alpha reliability of the scale was 0.72. The items of Factor 1 (Curiosity) reflect an attitude of wanting to learn more about ones experiences e.g. I was curious to see what my mind was up to from moment to moment .The items of Factor 2 (Decentering) reflect a shift from identify personally with thoughts and feelings to relating to ones experience in a wider field of awareness e.g. I was aware of my thoughts and feelings without over identifying with them. Each item was rated on 5 point likert scale (0=not at all, 4=very much). The estimated time to complete the instrument was 8-10 minutes. Questionnaire was easily available on internet. There was no cultural bias item in the questionnaire. Scale was administered in English and is a reliable and valid scale. Procedures Before starting the data collection, a pilot study was conducted on a sample of 7 students. It was done to check the reliability and validity of the instruments and to determine the time needed to complete the instruments to assess the self efficacy and mindfulness in students by the researcher. The results of the present study indicated that the reliability of MSES was .71 (See Appendix E) and the reliability of the TMS was .72 (See Appendix E). This indicated that the scales are reliable. After doing the pilot study the data was collected from 35 girls and 35 boys. The research was conducted in F.G Girls Public High School Lalazar, F.G Girls High School No 2 Iqbal Road and F.G Technical School for Boys. All the schools were taken from Rawalpindi. Participation was voluntarily and data was collected in the classrooms. After the approval of the principal students were contacted. Participants were then provided with a consent form (see appendix A). In order to participate in the study it was required that they confirm consent by signing it. After participants agreed to the consent form, instructions were provided followed by an administration of both the MSES and TMS scales. Data collection was completed in about six or seven days. Average time taken by an individual was 20-25 minutes. It took about 30-35 minutes in each class due to instructions given to children, in distribution and collection of questionnaires. A little difficulty was faced by the students to comprehend the questions like I was more invested in just watching my experiences as they arose. Than in figuring out what they could mean. But later on it was resolved by the researcher. The data was analyzed with the help of statistical package for social sciences (SPSS Version 13.0). For the purpose of analyzing Pearson correlation was used. And to see the difference of low and high achievers regarding variables of self efficacy and mindfulness in data independent sample t-test was applied. Results The study was conducted to find out the relationship between self efficacy and mindfulness among low and high achievers. A sample of 70 students (both girls and boys=35) within age range of (13-16). The sample was collected from 3 government schools of Rawalpindi and questionnaires were administered. Then the data collected was analyzed with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS Version 13.0). Descriptive statistics were computed for demographic characteristics of the participants. For this purpose Pearson correlation was used. And also to see the difference of low and high achievers regarding variables of self efficacy and mindfulness in data independent sample t-test was applied. Cross tabulation was also applied on the academic achievement of the students according to the ranges of self-efficacy. Table 1 Frequency and Percentage of participants according to demographic variables of gender, age, grade and academic achievement (N=70) Variable Label Frequency(f) Percentage (%) Gender Girl

Critiques of Faulkner’s Sound and Fury Essay -- Faulkner’s The Sound a

Critiques of Faulkner’s Sound and Fury After reading through a large chunk of criticism, it seems clear to me how David Minter, editor of our edition, hopes to direct the readers’ attentions. I was rather dumbstruck by the number of essays included in the criticism of this edition that felt compelled to discuss Faulkner and the writing of The Sound and the Fury seemingly more than to discuss the text itself. Upon going back over the essay, I realized that Minter’s own contribution, â€Å"Faulkner, Childhood, and the Making of The Sound and the Fury,† is a prime example of such â€Å"criticism of the text† that focuses on the author, his creation of the text as a process, and the author’s self-professed opinions of the text. I have a number of problems with this idea. Although analyzing Faulkner and his process is not condemnable in of itself, it seems as though nearly every essay in this edition feels it necessary to include a lengthy quote by Faulkner addressing either his love of Caddy , his non-plan when writing the novel, or his deeming the novel a failure. After reading about these facts in essay after essay, one hopes Minter is satisfied in drilling them into the reader’s head. Another issue I have with these inclusions is the relevancy of an author’s statements concerning the writing process of a particular text after the text has been written. It seems that most of Faulkner’s comments about the novel and the writing process were recorded long after the fact, and I have trouble believing his statements concerning his writing process after publication. It seems more likely that his repeated desire to emphasize Caddy’s positive nature is a direct response to more negative receptions of the character upon the release of the book. Re... ...solely within the imaginations of her three brothers. For Benjy, she is a non-past memory; for Quentin, her spoiled virginity haunts him (along with the honeysuckle he associates with her); for Jason, Caddy haunts in the form of the lost job and subsequent material loss. Thus she becomes in actuality triply phenomenally constructed, for not only does she exist solely within the imaginations of her brothers (in whatever form they are haunted by), but also within the imaginations of Faulkner and the reader. Just as we are watching the watched watcher, readers conceive of Caddy solely through her watchers, the brothers, and their watcher, Faulkner. Caddy exists only in the imaginations of the three (brothers, Faulkner, reader), but she effectively and efficiently haunts them all, detached and delocated from her material body into the phenomenal body of the imagination.

wwII profile Essay -- World War 2 II Two

Thought there have been movies and documentaries made about the events of World War II the story of the common man has been underrepresented. Movies like Pearl Harbor glamorize the hero and his epic love story. Untold are the graphic accounts and emotional stresses that were experienced by the common soldier.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Henry Wedman was born December 10th 1922, in the small town of Arkansas City, Kansas. Spending most of his time working on the family farm he barely had time for school let alone time to pursue the love of his life, Laverna Adler.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Wedman eventually accomplished his goals; he graduated high school and married Laverna in 1941. Wasting no time the two gave birth to their fist child Shirley, shortly after they were married. While Wedman was starting his family the war was starting to effect American soil. The Bombing of Pearl Harbor sparked the mobilization of the United States. Henry’s budding family was put on hold when he was drafted in October 1942. He completed his basic training at Ft. Riley Kansas. Ft. Riley was not too far from his home of Arkansas City. Leaving his beloved wife Laverna and 1-year-old daughter Shirley behind, Wedman crossed the Atlantic arriving in Italy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wedman’s first action was on the hills of Mt. Della in support of Company â€Å"B†. Wedman describes the movement down the slope and up the far side attempting to reach the crest o...

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company :: Business Marketing

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company Introduction The Vermont Teddy Bear Company (VTBC) was founded in 1981 by John Sorinto. Unfortunately, for John, the company became too big for him to oversee since he was an entrepreneur. However, he gracefully stepped down in 1995 and supported the hiring of a new CEO that would lead the company into its future success (Vincelette, p. 27-3). One thing that has remained is the companies focus. The Vermont Teddy Bear's "...focus has been to design, manufacture, and direct market the best teddy bears made in America using quality American materials and labor." (p. 27-1) In fact, "American made with American materials" is the basis of the company's mission statement. Planning for the future of Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Inc it is important that we consider conditions/trends in the internal environment of the company that may impact the future success of the company. These factors (conditions/trends) involve financial resources, human resources, the quality of products and services provided the efficiency of internal processes, student and stakeholder satisfaction, and the company culture. Specification of these factors will allow us to: 1) identify their potential impact on the market; 2) assess the probability that they will continue; 3) categorize them as strengths or challenges; 4) rank them in terms of how well the company is doing in each category. The internal strengths and weakness analysis examines the recent performance of the Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Inc in terms of marketing, finance, operations and logistics, research and development, human resource management and information systems. The purpose of this analysis is to provide the data for the gap analysis -- the current performance of Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Inc and the desired (vision) performance required to successfully increase market share and customer satisfaction. Since strengths and weaknesses involve the study of the internal structure, or come from within the organization. This process is extremely important because Vermont Teddy Bear Co. Inc may want to develop new goals that should allow them to maximize its position relative to each functional area. 1 Opportunities   Ã‚  Ã‚  Larger manufacturing facility   Ã‚  Retail stores   Ã‚  Ã‚  Made in America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Production and Service, Customer perspective Threats   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Competitors (chocolates, flowers, and greeting cards)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Disney /Patents, Trademarks, and licenses   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bear Grams   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2 .20 .07 .18 .15. .20 .10 .10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   3 4.6 4.2 5.0 4.2 3.6 2.8 2.5   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   4 0.92 0.29 0.90 0.63 0.72 0.28 0.25  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The small village, the Teddy Bear Common More retail stores are willing sell Attracts more Americans. The company provided unique and original customized products to everyone, from ages 1-100. advantage of national and international distribution opportunities The customers became confused and allowed Disney to enter the personalized teddy bear gift market.

Fair & Lovely

in newspapers or on the Web that are used by families to arrange suitable alliances, and you will see that most potential grooms and their families are looking for â€Å"fair† brides; some even are progressive enough to invite responses from women belonging to a different caste. These ads, hundreds of which appear in India’s daily newspapers, re? ect attempts to solicit individuals with the appropriate religion, caste, regional ancestry, professional and educational quali? cations, and, frequently, skin color. Even in the growing numbers of ads that announce â€Å"caste no bar,† the adjective â€Å"fair† regularly precedes professional quali? ations. In everyday conversation, the ultimate compliment on someone’s looks is to say someone is gora (fair). â€Å"I have no problem with people wanting to be lighter,† said a Delhi beauty parlor owner, Saroj Nath. â€Å"It doesn’t make you racist, any more than trying to make yourself look you nger makes you ageist. † Bollywood (India’s Hollywood) glori? es conventions on beauty by always casting a fair-skinned actress in the role of heroine, surrounded by the darkest extras. Women want to use whiteners because it is â€Å"aspirational, like losing weight. Even the gods supposedly lament their dark complexion— Krishna sings plaintively, â€Å"Radha kyoon gori, main kyoon kala? (Why is Radha so fair when I’m dark? ). † A skin de? cient in melanin (the pigment that determines the skin’s brown color) is an ancient predilection. More than 3,500 years ago, Charaka, the famous sage, wrote about herbs that could help make the skin fair. Indian dermatologists maintain that fairness products cannot truly work as they reach only the upper layers of the skin and so do not affect melanin production. Nevertheless, for some, Fair & Lovely is a â€Å"miracle worker. A user gushes that â€Å"The last time I went to my parents’ home, I go t compliments on my fair skin from everyone. † For others, there is only disappointment. One 26-year-old working woman has been a regular user for the past eight years but to no avail. â€Å"I should have turned into Snow White by now but my skin is still the same wheatish color. † As an owner of a public relations ? rm commented, â€Å"My maid has been using Fair and Lovely for years and I still can’t see her in the dark . . .. But she goes on using it. Hope springs eternal, I suppose. † The number of Indians who think lighter skin is more beautiful may be shrinking. Sumit Isralni, a 22-year-old hair designer in his father’s salon, thinks things have changed in the last two years, at least in India’s most cosmopolitan cities, Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Women now â€Å"prefer their own complexion, their natural way† Isralni says; he prefers a more â€Å"Indian beauty† himself: â€Å"I won’t judge my wife on how fair her complexion is. † Sunita Gupta, a beautician in the same salon, is more critical. â€Å"It’s just foolishness! † she exclaimed. The premise of the ads that women could not become airline attendants if they are dark-skinned was wrong, she said. Nowadays people like black beauty. † It is a truism that women, especially in the tropics, desire to be a shade fairer, no matter what their skin color. Yet, unlike the approach used in India, advertisements elsewhere usually show how to use the product and how it works. Cultural Norms, Fair & Lovely, and Advertising CASE 2? 2 Fa ir & Lovely, a branded product of Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL), is touted as a cosmetic that lightens skin color. On its Web site (www. hll. com), the company calls its product â€Å"the miracle worker,† â€Å"proven to deliver one to three shades of change. While tanning is the rage in Western countries, skin lightening treatments are popular in Asia. According to industry sources, the top-selling skin lightening cream in India is Fair & Lovely from Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL), followed by CavinKare’s Fairever brand. HLL’s Fair & Lovely brand dominated the market with a 90 percent share until CavinKare Ltd. (CKL) launched Fairever. In just two years, the Fairever brand gained an impressive 15 percent market share. HLL’s share of market for the Fair & Lovely line generates about $60 million annually. The product sells for about 23 rupees ($0. 9) for a 25-gram tube of cream. The rapid growth of CavinKare’s Fairever (www. cavinkare .com) brand prompted HLL to increase its advertising effort and to launch a series of ads depicting a â€Å"fairer girl gets the boy theme. † One advertisement featured a ? nancially strapped father lamenting his fate, saying, â€Å"If only I had a son,† while his dark-skinned daughter looks on, helpless and demoralized because she can’t bear the ? – nancial responsibility of her family. Fast-forward and plain Jane has been transformed into a gorgeous light-skinned woman through the use of a â€Å"fairness cream,† Fair & Lovely. Now clad in a miniskirt, the woman is a successful ? ight attendant and can take her father to dine at a ? ve-star hotel. She’s happy and so is her father. In another ad, two attractive young women are sitting in a bedroom; one has a boyfriend and, consequently, is happy. The darkerskinned woman, lacking a boyfriend, is not happy. Her friend’s advice—Use a bar of soap to wash away the dark skin that’s keeping men from ? ocking to her. HLL’s series of ads provoked CavinKare Ltd. to counter with an ad that takes a dig at HLL’s Fair & Lovely ad. CavinKare’s ad has a father–daughter duo as the protagonists, with the father shown encouraging the daughter to be an achiever irrespective of her complexion. CavinKare maintained that the objective of its new commercial is not to take a dig at Fair & Lovely but to â€Å"reinforce Fairever’s positioning. † Skin color is a powerful theme in India, and much of Asia, where a lighter color represents a higher status. While Americans and Europeans ? ock to tanning salons, many across Asia seek ways to have â€Å"fair† complexions. Culturally, fair skin is associated with positive values that relate to class and beauty. One Indian lady commented that when she was growing up, her mother forbade her to go outdoors. She was not trying to keep her daughter out of trouble but was trying to keep her skin from getting dark. Brahmins, the priestly caste at the top of the social hierarchy, are considered fair because they traditionally stayed inside, poring over books. The undercaste at the bottom of the ladder are regarded as the darkest people because they customarily worked in the searing sun. Ancient Hindu scriptures and modern poetry eulogize women endowed with skin made of white marble. Skin color is closely identi? ed with caste and is laden with symbolism. Pursue any of the â€Å"grooms† and â€Å"brides wanted† ads cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 25 cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 25 8/27/10 2:05 PM 8/27/10 2:05 PM Part 6 Supplementary Material three-month Home Healthcare Nursing Assistant course catering to young women between the ages of 18 and 30 years. According to HLL, the Fair & Lovely Academy for Home Care Nursing Assistants offers a unique training opportunity for young women who possess no entry-level skills and therefore are not employable in the new economy job market. The Fair & Lovely Foundation plans to serve as a catalyst for the economic empowerment for women across India. The Fair & Lovely Foundation will showcase the achievements of these women not only to honor them but also to set an example for other women to follow. AIDWA’s campaign against ads that convey the message, â€Å"if she is not fair in color, she won’t get married or won’t get promoted,† also has resulted in some adjustment to fairness cream ads. In revised versions of the fairness cream ads, the â€Å"get fair to attract a groom† theme is being reworked with â€Å"enhance your selfcon? ence† so that a potential groom himself begs for attention. It is an attempt at typifying the modern Indian woman, who has more than just marriage on her mind. Advertising focus is now on the message that lighter skin enables women to obtain jobs conventionally held by men. She is career-oriented, has high aspirations, and, at the same time, wants to lo ok good. AIDWA concedes that the current crop of television ads for fairness creams are â€Å"not as demeaning† as ones in the past. However, it remains against the product; as the president of AIDWA stated, â€Å"It is downright racist to denigrate dark skin. † Although AIWDA’s campaign against fairness creams seems to have had a modest impact on changing the advertising message, it has not slowed the demand for fairness creams. Sales of Fair & Lovely, for example, have been growing 15 to 20 percent year over year, and the $318 million market for skin care has grown by 42. 7 percent in the last three years. Says Euromonitor International, a research ? rm: â€Å"Half of the skin care market in India is fairness creams and 60 to 65 percent of Indian women use these products daily. † Recently, several Indian companies were extending their marketing of fairness creams beyond urban and rural markets. CavinKare’s launch of Fairever, a fairness cream in a small sachet pack priced at Rs 5, aimed at rural markets where some 320 million Indians reside. Most marketers have found rural markets impossible to penetrate pro? tably due to low income levels and inadequate distribution systems, among other problems. However, HLL is approaching the market through Project Shakti, a rural initiative that targets small villages with populations of 2,000 people or less. It empowers underprivileged rural women by providing income-generating opportunities to sell small, lower priced packets of its brands in villages. Special packaging for the rural market was designed to provide single-use sachet packets at 50 paise for a sachet of shampoo to Rs 5 for a fairness cream (for a week’s usage). The aim is to have 100,000 â€Å"Shakti Ammas,† as they are called, spread across 500,000 villages in India by year end. CavinKare is growing at 25 percent in rural areas compared with 15 percent in urban centers. In addition to expanding market effort into rural markets, an unexpected market arose when a research study revealed Indian men were applying girlie fairness potions in droves—but on the sly. It was estimated that 40 percent of boyfriends/husbands of girlfriends/wives were applying white magic solutions that came in little tubes. Indian companies spotted a business opportunity, and Fair & Handsome, Menz Active, Fair One Man, and a male bleach called Saka were introduced to the male market. The sector expanded dramatically when Shah Rukh Khan, a highly acclaimed Commenting on the cultural bias toward fair skin, one critic states, â€Å"There are attractive people who go through life feeling inferior to their fairer sisters. And all because of charming grandmothers and aunts who do not hesitate to make un? attering comparisons. Kalee Kalooti is an oft-heard comment about women who happen to have darker skin. They get humiliated and morti? ed over the color of their skin, a fact over which they have no control. Are societal values responsible? Or advertising campaigns? Advertising moguls claim they only re? ect prevailing attitudes in India. This is possibly true but what about ethics in advertising? Is it correct to make advertisements that openly denigrate a majority of Indian people—the dark-skinned populace? The advertising is blatant in their strategy. Mock anyone who is not the right color and shoot down their self-image. † A dermatologist comments, â€Å"Fairness obtained with the help of creams is short-lived. The main reason being, most of these creams contain a certain amount of bleaching agent, which whitens facial hair, and not the skin, which leads people to believe that the cream worked. † Furthermore, â€Å"In India the popularity of a product depends totally on the success of its advertising. HLL launched its television ad campaign to promote Fair & Lovely but withdrew it after four months amid severe criticism for its portrayal of women. Activists argued that one of the messages the company sends through its â€Å"air hostess† ads demonstrating the preference for a son who would be able to take on the ? nancial responsibility for his parents is especially harmful in a country such as India where gender discrimination is rampant. Another offense is perpet uating a culture of discrimination in a society where â€Å"fair† is synonymous with â€Å"beautiful. AIDWA (All India Women’s Democratic Association) lodged a complaint at the time with HLL about their offensive ads, but Hindustan Lever failed to respond. The women’s association then appealed to the National Human Rights Commission alleging that the ad demeaned women. AIDWA objected to three things: (1) the ads were racist, (2) they were promoting son preference, and (3) they were insulting to working women. â€Å"The way they portrayed the young woman who, after using Fair & Lovely, became attractive and therefore lands a job suggested that the main quali? ation for a woman to get a job is the way she looks. † The Human Rights Commission passed AIDWA’s complaints on to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, which said the campaign violated the Cable and Television Network Act of 1995—provisions in the act state that no advertisemen t shall be permitted which â€Å"derides any race, caste, color, creed and nationality† and that â€Å"Women must not be portrayed in a manner that emphasized passive, submissive qualities and encourages them to play a subordinate secondary role in the family and society. † The government issued notices of the complaints to HLL. After a year-long campaign led by the AIDWA, Hindustan Lever Limited discontinued two of its television advertisements for Fair & Lovely fairness cold cream. Shortly after pulling its ads off the air, HLL launched its Fair & Lovely Foundation, vowing to â€Å"encourage economic empowerment of women across India† by providing resources in education and business to millions of women â€Å"who, though immensely talented and capable, need a guiding hand to help them take the leap forward,† presumably into a fairer future. HLL sponsored career fairs in over 20 cities across the country offering counseling in as many as 110 careers. It supported 100 rural scholarships for women students passing their 10th grade, a professional course for aspiring beauticians, and a cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 26 cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 26 8/27/10 2:05 PM 8/27/10 2:05 PM Cases 2 The Cultural Environment of Global Marketing 2. Is it ethical to exploit cultural norms and values to promote a product? Discuss. 3. Is the advertising of Fair & Lovely demeaning to women, or is it promoting the fairness cream in a way not too dissimilar from how most cosmetics are promoted? 4. Will HLL’s Fair & Lovely Foundation be enough to counter charges made by AIDWA? Discuss. 5. In light of AIDWA’s charges, how would you suggest Fair & Lovely promote its product? Discuss. Would your response be different if Fairever continued to use â€Å"fairness† as a theme of its promotion? Discuss. 6. Propose a promotion/marketing program that will counter all the arguments and charges against Fair & Lovely and be an effective program. 7. Now that a male market for fairness cream exists, is the strength of AIDWA’s argument weakened? 8. Comment on using â€Å"Shakti Ammas† to introduce â€Å"fairness cream for the masses† in light of AIDWA’s charges. Sources: Nicole Leistikow, â€Å"Indian Women Criticize ‘Fair and Lovely’ Ideal,† Women’s eNews , April 28, 2003; Arundhati Parmar, â€Å"Objections to Indian Ad Not Taken Lightly,† Marketing News , June 9, 2003, p. 4; â€Å"Fair & Lovely Launches Foundation to Promote Economic Empowerment of Women,† press release, Fair & Lovely Foundation, http:// www. hll. com (search for foundation), March 11, 2003; Rina Chandran, â€Å"All for SelfControl,† Business Line (The Hindu), April 24, 2003; Khozem Merchant and Edward Luce, â€Å"Not So Fair and Lovely,† Financial Times , March 19, 2003; â€Å"Fair & Lovely Rede? es Fairness with Multivitamin Total Fairness Cream,† press release, Hindustan Lever Ltd. , May 3, 2005; Dr. Deepa Kanchankoti, â€Å"Do You Think Fairness Creams Work? † http://www. mid-day. com/metro, July 13, 2005; †CavinKare Launches Small Sachet Packs,† Business India , December 7, 2006; â€Å"A nalysis of Skin Care Advertising on TV During January–August 2006,† Indiantelevision. com Media, Advertising, Marketing Watch, October 17, 2006; â€Å"Women Power Gets Full Play in CavinKare’s Brand Strategy. The Economic Times (New Delhi, India), December 8, 2006; Heather Timmons, â€Å"Telling India’s Modern Women They Have Power, Even Over Their Skin Tone,† The New York Times , May 30, 2007; â€Å"The Year We Almost Lost Tall (or Short or Medium-Height), Dark and Handsome,† The Hindustan Times , December 29, 2007; â€Å"India’s Hue and Cry Over Paler Skin,† The Sunday Telegraph (London), July 1, 2007; â€Å"Fair and Lovely? † University Wire , June 4, 2007; â€Å"The Race to Keep up with Modern India,† Media, June 29, 2007; Aneel Karnani, â€Å"Doing Well by Doing Good—Case Study: ‘Fair & Lovely’ Whitening Cream,† Strategic Management Journal 28, no. 3 (2007), pp. 1351–57. Boll ywood actor likened to an Indian Tom Cruise, decided to endorse Fair & Handsome. Euromonitor International forecasts that in the next ? ve years, spending on men’s grooming products will rise 24 percent to 14. 5 billion rupees, or US$320 million. A recent product review in www. mouthshut. com, praises Fair & Lovely fairness cream: â€Å"[Fair & Lovely] contains fairness vitamins which penetrate deep down our skin to give us radiant fairness. â€Å"I don’t know if it can change the skin color from dark to fair, but my personal experience is that it works very well, if you have a naturally fair color and want to preserve it without much headache. † â€Å"I think Riya Sen has the best skin right now in Bollywood. It appears to be really soft and tender. So, to have a soft and fair skin like her I recommend Fair & Lovely Fairness Lotion or Cream. † Yet â€Å"skin color isn’t a proof of greatness. Those with wheatish or dark skin are by no way inferio r to those who have fair skin. † Here are a few facts from Hindustan Lever Ltd. s homepage: Lever Limited is India’s largest Packaged Mass Consumption Goods Company. We are leaders in Home and Personal Care Products and Food and Beverages including such products as Ponds and Pepsodent. We seek to meet everyday needs of people everywhere—to anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and services which raise the quality of life. It is this purpose which inspires us to build brands. Over the past 70 years, we have introduced about 110 brands. Fair & Lovely has been specially designed and proven to eliver one to three shades of change in most people. Also its sunscreen system is specially optimized for Indian skin. Indian skin, unlike Caucasian skin, tends to â€Å"tan† rather than â€Å"burn† and, hence, requires a different combination of UVA and UVB sunscreens. You may w ant to visit HLL’s homepage (www. hhl. com) for additional information about the company. QUESTIONS 1. Is it ethical to sell a product that is, at best, only mildly effective? Discuss. cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 27 cat2994X_case2_019-046. indd 27 8/27/10 2:05 PM 8/27/10 2:05 PM