Rene Descates and John Locke free essay sample

John Locke were both philosophers of the 17th century. Descartes was a rationalist in the way that he thought and wrote about. A rationalist used reasoning to gain knowledge. John Locke on the other hand, was an empiricist in the way he philosophized and taught. An empiricist used senses and experiences. These philosophers, being a rationalist and empiricist, were very different in the way they saw life and knowledge, but they had some similarities as well in the way that they thought.Being of two different groups of philosophers, the rationalists and empiricists, John Locke and Rene Descartes were very different in the beliefs they had; however, as different as they may be there were some similarities that were shared by both of these seventeenth century philosophers. First and most importantly, the biggest similarity that they shared was the fact that they were not skeptics. In other words, they both believed knowledge can be gained by humans. We will write a custom essay sample on Rene Descates and John Locke or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In addition, both of them separated the mind and the body to be two different things or concepts of a living being.For Descartes, mind was for thinking and reasoning and body was just matter or substance. For Locke mind was used for reflection or self-examination of oneself and the body was used for getting knowledge through its senses. For example, Locke says â€Å"it is past doubt that men have in their minds several ideas. † This is an example of how he says and believes the mind works in a human being and gives those ideas which are ultimately reflections. Descartes when he begins to write first states that he is going to doubt everything and then search for the truth. He first establishes himself. He writes â€Å"†¦I could imagine I had no body, and that there was no world nor or any place that I occupied, but that I could not imagine for a moment that I did not exist. † This is where he starts to identify his self. He goes on to say the very well-known phrase â€Å"I think therefore I am. † This is the first truth he presents. He pretty much says that he exists. Then he goes on to identify other truths that he finds. He ultimately finds the biggest truth and says that there is a God that exists. He says the God is almighty, all knowing and perfect in every way.Upon stating the existence of God he says that everything we and do are true. In his writing, he states this when he says â€Å"†¦that all those things which we conceived very clearly and very distinctly are true, is known to be true only because God exists†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and he goes on to say that this is true because everything we have comes from God and that he cannot be wrong. The reason as to why Descartes writes this is to get people to understand one thing. That people are a thinking substance and that because we are thinking we have the ability to reason.He says that â€Å"†¦we should never allow ourselves to be convinced except on the evidence of our reason. † This is how Descartes views self; it is a living substance that has the ability to reason and think and therefore it should. John Locke’s first words on his paper Of Ideas in general, and their Original is â€Å"Idea is the object of thinking. † This statement is a perfect way to summarize what Locke believes. Locke in his writing writes about how all ideas then come from experience. He then goes on to describe that there are two ways of achieving experience.One of them is reflection or self-examination and the other is through your senses. Locke uses these two concepts of experience to ultimately describe what he feels self is. He understands self not to be a reasoning body, but a blank paper. In other words, people are not born knowing anything. They acquire knowledge through the experiences that they go through in life. For example, a person when born does not know that fire is hot, but if he tries to touch it and gets burned he will have learned that it is hot. This is one example of how Locke sees people molding themselves to be who they are.He says â€Å"Men are differently furnished with these, according to the different objects they converse with. † This essentially summarizes the meaning of the fire example. In addition, he writes â€Å"These, when we have taken a full survey of them, and their several modes, combinations, and relations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He implies that our minds start to take these experiences and make them into ideas and then combine ideas to make bigger ideas and so on. All in all, John Locke regards the self to be born and be like a blank piece of paper and when grown he expects it to be a byproduct of its experiences.In fine, both of these writers had similarities even though they were part of two very different groups of philosophers. They had similarities such as, the fact that they were skeptics and that they separated the mind and body and these were the places where they found the most disagreement. In other words, they both believed knowledge was attainable but disagreed how and they both believed mind and body were different, but had different duties for them. Both these writers, even though they are very different, have made huge impacts in the field of philosophy and in life in general.

Personal Manifesto Essays

Personal Manifesto Essays Personal Manifesto Essay Personal Manifesto Essay I believe that everything began when God created it. God created the Heavens, Earth, and everything in it. There was nothing before creation. Genesis 1:1-31 and 2:1 give an account of the entire creation story and how the world came to be. On the other hand, I believe that the earth as we know it today will end with the rapture of the Christians to Heaven and with the battle of Armageddon that will destroy the earth, as we know it. However, I also believe that the there is no actual end. There is an eternity for all people, but each individual chooses their own eternity, Heaven or Hell. There is a God. God is the creator of the earth, our Heavenly Father, the ruler over the entire universe, and many more things. He is the father to the fatherless, He is love, and He is the Almighty. In Genesis 1:26-31, God says, â€Å"Let us make man in our image, in our likeness † I believe that we are somewhat like God because of what we can take from this verse. Man’s moral nature is sin. In the beginning, we were all created perfect, without any sin. However, while Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they sinned against God because of the influence of Satan (Genesis 3:1-24). After that moment of the first sin, all of humankind was born with sin being their moral nature. I believe that God controls the course of events in the universe. God is the creator and ruler over the entire universe. He knows everything that is going to happen even before it happens. He controls the clouds, the waves, the wind, and everything in between. I believe that each person decides what happens to him or her after death. The individual must make the choice themselves in order to decide where they will spend eternity, either with God in Heaven or in the fiery pits of Hell with Satan. I believe that there is not truly a death. We die on earth and that ends our life here but I believe that each person lives for eternity; the choice is where it will be. The way that I personally distinguish between good and evil is through the Bible. God gave us the Bible to learn from and to help us in our daily lives. Each story has a purpose to help us in life and to help us learn good from evil and right from wrong from the different stories and experiences of the people in the Bible. The Bible is like our guide to life, it is a true gift from God and it was given to us for that reason exactly (I Peter 1:19-21). The Bible is exactly why I believe that my worldview is correct. Again, the Bible is the words from God in order for us to learn from it and to know the truth. In John 7:15-18, Jesus is speaking to the Jews saying,† my teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. Of anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own But he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him. † This verse makes it very clear to us that the words of Jesus in the Bible are nothing but the truth because they are the words of God himself. I make my ethical decisions based on the Bible and what I have learned to be right and wrong based on the Bible and from the people around me. The truths of the Bible and from God help me to know how I should act and the way my life should be different from someone that does not know the truths or live their life for God. My beliefs most defiantly affect my daily life in that I act different, I know right from wrong, and I have a purpose and meaning for my life to live it for God and to be different to show others that they to need God in their life and to know the truths.

An Analysis and Discussion of Joint Venture and Cooperation within the Assignment

An Analysis and Discussion of Joint Venture and Cooperation within the High Entry Cost Market of Biotech and Pharmaceuticals - Assignment Example As a means of better understanding joint ventures and the motivations behind them, the following discussion will be concentric upon defining and discussing the ways in which joint ventures within the biotech and pharmaceutical field can be explained as ultimately rational business choices that are determined based upon ability to engage with the market, success ratios, and potential future profitability. As a guiding entity of the process, the legal departments of the requisite entities must be continually engaged and aware of the process. This represents an added cost and necessity that each and every pharmaceutical firm engaged in research and development must necessarily incorporate a team of legal experts and lawyers to guide them through each and every process of clinical trials, reporting requirements, paperwork, and associated compliance issues. Ultimately, economic theory dictates that that price discrimination corresponds to the following three market conditions: the power of market sellers, the segmentation and overall price responsiveness of the market, and the direct and indirect potential that exists for arbitrage. With respect to market power, this is a concept which can simply be understood as a function of the ability of the seller to raise its prices as compared to the other sellers that exist within the market. Obviously, in the case of a brand name drug that has r ecently been cleared by clinical trials and is available to the marketplace, the ability of the seller to raise his/her prices above that of the competition is very high due to the fact that no perfect substitute exists and there is a near perfect monopoly engaged by the given pharmaceutical manufacturer; albeit for a limited amount of time (Gupta et al 2011).

Evidence to Critically Discuss the Potential Consequences of Essay

Evidence to Critically Discuss the Potential Consequences of Implementing ERP Systems - Essay Example into a single information system5, ensure that financial data is consistent with other departments on a real-time basis6, improve resource planning, enhance the integration of global and supply chain system, and requires less computer applications7. Most of the routine accounting tasks will no longer be necessary8. Therefore, it is expected that there will be lesser cost on hiring accounting staff. Furthermore, the use of ERP can help reduce the risk of data redundancy. Therefore, problems related to financial integrity is possible. Due to the fact that real-time financial data will be available anytime of the day, managers can easily make important business decisions9. Despite the advantages of implementing ERPs, the use of this technology can be very costly because of the need to maintain and upgrade the system, hire additional consultants and technical experts who can convert existing data and customize the system based on the nature of business10. Aside from the need to re-train people on how to maximize the use of ERP system, the company also need to consider the need to change their normal business process. 11. Implementing the use of ERP could result to lesser accounting personnel by eliminating routine jobs12. Because of fear of losing their job security, implementing ERP increases the risk of creating resistance-to-change among its people13. As a result, there is a risk wherein internal problem such as work-related attitude and behaviour would arise. How the Role of Management Accountants Change when ERPs were Introduced Ever since the ERP has been introduced in the market, the role of management accountants has been subject to a lot of changes. Instead of focusing on pure book-keeping practices, management accountants who are obliged to use the ERP system are expected to play the role of an â€Å"internal consultant† to the business14. It means that management accountants should one way or the other serve as the financial adviser of the company. Through the use of ERP system, the future book-keeping would definitely become automated in terms of data collection15. Even though management accountants are expected to retain their knowledge in book-keeping, the future role of management accountants is not limited to having a vast knowledge and understanding about the basic business management theories and practices but also strive hard to improve their communication skills, interpersonal skills, consulting skills, IT skills, and ability to work in team16. Associated with the implementation of ERP system, the line managers are somehow expected to play a significant role in the management of allocated financial budget17. To ensure that the management accountants will be able to allocate sufficient budget to line managers, the management accountants should be able to forecast necessary budget based on historical data18. One of the main reasons why management accountants should acquire sufficient knowledge and skills in business management is because of their need to constantly communicate and interact with a group of business managers with regards to several bu siness issues19. By doing so, management accountants will be able to gain better understanding on how different business indicators can be used in gauging the overall business performance. In the process of learning more about how the daily business operations work, management accoun

Analysis and implications for practice of quantitative research report Essay

Analysis and implications for practice of quantitative research report - Essay Example This work, hence, aims at analyzing the theory use in qualitative approaches in research as applied in qualitative end-of-life studies. Qualitative end-of-life studies are reviewed in order to illustrate theory application to the designs and findings of the study Purpose of the Study As nurse researchers turn theory in order to gain guide investigations and conceptualize research problems, the application of such theory lacks consensus and consistency because qualitative research, in such a case, rarely articulate with the theory. Therefore, an analysis of this report is very significant to nursing because it will be applied by nurses’ researchers to improve their qualitative research and hence ensure consensus and consistency. On the other hand, nurses will learn to articulate application of qualitative research with theory thus improving their designs and findings. ... Finally, nurse researchers apply theory into approaches of qualitative research in end-of-life studies. Study Variables The dependent variables in the study are theory, and end-of-life, while the independent variable is qualitative research. Conceptual Model / Theoretical Framework Theory and research are characterized in many ways, in regard to their relationships. Research and theory have mutual effects, that is research problems and questions are conceptualized by theory. On the other hand, research can either support or reject theory. Studies that incorporate the link between theory and research are more effective, theory linked research, unlike theory isolated research. Therefore, in this study, theoretical framework is used to conceptualize, conceptual model, research problems and questions so as to develop, test and refine the theory, as applies in qualitative research to address end-of-life studies. Review of Related Literature The reviewed literature supports the needs of th is study in various ways. First, reviewed literature has been used to outline the relationship between theory and qualitative research. Fawcett (1998) says that the relationship between theory and qualitative research resembles that of a double helix DNA molecule. That is, they are interdependent. On the other hand, Polit & Beck (2006) describes their relationship as reciprocal. Review of literature has also been used to give definition of theory and qualitative research. Fawcett (1999) says that authors should clearly define the terms they use clearly because many researchers and theorists use theoretical framework, theory and conceptual framework to mean the same thing. Polit & Beck however say

Stylishly Reborn Alice In Wonderland Film Studies Essay

Stylishly Reborn Alice In Wonderland Film Studies Essay The original version of Alices Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll is a well-known fairy tale for describing a fantasy world populated by peculiar creatures. A girl named  Alice  who falls down a rabbit hole connected to a  fantasy world described as Wonderland. The newly released movie Alice in Wonderland in 2010 by the director Tim Burton portrays a nineteen-year-old Alice who, 13 years after her previous visit, returns for the first time as a young girl. Tim Burton has a recognizable and distinctive style and thematic content which turn his work into an  oeuvre  and themselves into  auteur which means that Tim Burton slightly changed the original Alice to his style of Alice by adding some different story in the movie. Burton is one such filmmaker, a director who has earned the status of auteur. By portraying grown up Alice, Tim Burton addresses some of both dark and bright sides of the adults society in a stealthy way described as Underland in the movie with visu al elements under the predominant perspective in the shape of fairy tale. In other words, there are hidden sides of Alice in Wonderland such as the use of drugs, gender roles and social hierarchy buried under the fairy tale. This paper analyzes how Tim Burton expresses visual elements to imply hidden meanings of the dark and problematic side and some of the bright side of the adults real society. Kim 2 The movie Alice in Wonderland, released in 2010, brought freshness to the storyline and came out with even deeper meanings implied visually keeping the classic story of Alice in Wonderland by the director Tim Burton. The film adapts many elements besides Carrolls book, rendering it digressive and derivative in the storyline. The movie should not be considered only as a fairy tale for children. Because of the directors style and narrative choices, the movie contains more actual emotional connection by using high quality techniques such as camera movements, colors, angles and lightings. The movie remains a fairy tale but under the surface of the story, it also contains deep psychological structures expressed by the director Tim Burtons style of visual elements such as graphics, camera movements, the contrast between light and shade, and textures in the frames having some deeper messages such as the use of drugs or the dictatorship according to the social class. These visual elements al low the director to represent some hope for the future real society and some of the corrupted adults world hidden under the innocence of a fairy tale. I have naturally thought that no matter what is shown on the movie screen, Alice in Wonderland should always be for innocent children with full of imagination. However, the movie Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton should be regarded as a story of illustrating some parts of corrupted society with the aesthetic visuals shown on the screen. Cleaver and Erdman, who wrote Changing Images Of Alice, reported that analysis of images of Alice found that although the character  of  Alice  was presented differently through time, there were no major changes to the story (Screen 12). The reason is because there had been no remarkable changes in the story of Alice in Wonderland other than Tim Burtons version of it. Tim Burton Kim 3 tried adapting some new point of views by illustrating Alice as a nineteen-year-old girl which implies that she is going to be an adult and enter the adults society soon so that Tim Burton can address deeper messages into the movie with his own style. Daniel Sieden who is engaged in education scholar said that Tim Burton explained the goal of the movie Alice in Wonderland is to try to make it an engaging movie with real emotional connection that he had never felt in other Alice stories (Examiner). The reason why Tim Burton made the film is because to make the original Alice in Wonderland even unique with his own story line making it as Alices second trip to Wonderland which is changed to Underland for grown up Alice. Tim Burton sets up the situation that she does not remember ever being there in the past. Alice mistakenly called Wonderland to Underland in the movie so it is called Underland through the movie which I think was great transition word from Wonderland which implies more c hildrens world with full of curious to Underland which more implies adults dark side of the real world. By setting Alice not remembering visiting Wonderland, Tim Burton connects emotional attachment of being in real Underland reflecting the real world in his style. Moreover, according to Niemiec, author of A Wonderland Journey Through Positive Psychology Interventions, said that though it is a continuation of the classic story in many respects, it is also a unique tale in its own right.  Alice  is now a 19-year-old, in the movie and she must decide whether she wants to accept the marriage proposal of Hamish, the son of a lord.  As she wanders away from the engagement party to reflect on the proposal, her curiosity leads her down the rabbit hole into  Wonderland  which was referred as Underland in the film.  Alices  emergence as a heroine is not only about helping others but also about identity, autonomy, competence, and self-development.  Burtons version is superior in creativity and Kim 4 depth, as well as more resonant with the themes of positive psychology (2). As Niemiec mentions, Tim Burton described well in fantasy way by setting up Alice as a grown up woman. Tim Burton added a chain of a connection between teenagers turning to adults and entering the real grown-up world. Tim Burton pursues his own style of Alice in Wonderland not only with the story of it but also astonishing visual elements generated based on the computer-animated skills. He uses a variety of formal structures such as camera movements, angles, lighting styles, colors, shot framings and visual transitions in each scene in his movie. These various uses of the techniques support discovering some hidden meanings such as the use of drugs, gender roles, and social hierarchy under the surface of the storyline. Throughout the whole movie, there are hundreds of scenes that represent the adults society such as the use of drugs, gender roles and social hierarchy. There are some brief examples showing the use of drugs, gender roles and social hierarchy. Simply, smoking Caterpillar is one of the scenes that shows the use of drugs. For the gender role, First of all, the genre of Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton is an adventurous fantasy. Therefore, there were a lot of scenes that can never happen in the real world even if the movie actually reflects the real world. Thus, there were a lot of scenes that can be interpreted to the use of drugs. When I decided to criticize Alice in Wonderland in my own argument, I personally thought that the film has some sort of allegory for a drug trip which I had never thought of when I read the original Alice in Wonderland in a book when I was a child. It was hard to not see all of the use of drugs once I realized they are in the movie expressed well by visual elements. According to the Unreality Magazine, actually many scenes can be interpreted as the uses of the drugs in Alice in Wonderland such as cocaine, nitros oxide, LSD, crystal meth, marijuana and some more. Almost every scene implied some popular drugs that are big problems in the real world. The way of drawing each scene with the various uses of colors, camera movements, and angles, some characters in the movie can be discovered as using drugs by some changes of their behaviors. For example, almost right after entering the Underland, Alice looks for the Caterplillar called Absolem. The Caterpillars house was hidden by a smoke which seems to be a smoke from cigarettes. At this moment of the scene, the audience can notice that the Caterpillar is definitely smoking a cigarette. When Alice meets the Caterpillar, the Caterpillar is holding a pipe while he talks with Alice. Alice coughs several times because of the smoke from the cigarette. This scene is fairly obvious that the Caterpillar is smoking a cigarette which contains nicotine. Also, Ti m Burton sets Alice and the Caterpillar face each other while talking to each other when the Caterpillar is smoking. This scene reflects the real world that adults smokes in front of people while talking with some people even if they are children no matter how young they are. It implies that adults do not really care the danger of smoking cigarettes to growing up children. This scene addresses problematic side of the corrupted world. People do not actually realize cigarettes are also a kind of drugs. Therefore, they just smoke cigarettes in front of children and the scene shows how adults are not aware of children. Unlike some of the other movies of my childhood such as  The Little Mermaid  or  Beauty and the Beast, Alice had no inclination to find her way to Prince Charming. She instead embraced a childlike curiosity that got her both into trouble and out of it. The gender roles  played out in Disneys newer, live action version of  Alice in Wonderland  are a bit different than both Carolls original book and Disneys original film, however. The fact that the new  Alice in Wonderland features a much older Alice, on the verge of marriage, exposes a bit of our societys infatuation with portraying a much older image as favorable (can kids just not be kids anymore?) This idea of marriage helps exemplify the gender roles present, however. There is much pressure on Alice to not only marry the geeky red-headed aristocrat, but his mother also assumes she will fill her proper gender role by spouting off all of his dietary needs at the very start of the film. Alice seems to go along with it at first, but later catches her sisters husband cheating-this seems to be the turning point in her attitude, and possibly the cause of her running away after the proposal. It is important to note that within  Alice in Wonderland  most of the leadership roles are fulfilled by women-the Queen of Hearts is, of course, the particularly brutal ruler. The White Queen, on the other hand, is the softer, feminine queen that is slowly gaining discreet support. The gender roles of these two queens are very important, especially when you take into consideration the effect their predicament has on Alice. The Queen of Hearts demonstrates that in order to get ahead you must take on a violent and fear-inducing persona-traditionally masculine in our society. The White Queen embraces no such violence, and states a few times within the film that acting violently is against her vows. However, she has no qualms sending others to do her dirty work-hence sending Alice to slay the Jabberwocky (cutting off his head, no less). Though the main leadership roles of  Alice in Wonderland  are held by females, it seems the brains behind the operation in both cases happen to fall with men-the Red Knight for the Red Queen, and most ironically the Mad Hatter for the White Queen. This gives the gender roles an interesting place. The Red Queen is comically shown to be quite stupid-and rather naÃÆ' ¯ve as well. The manipulative Knight rules Wonderland through the Queen. The White Queen may be the ruling figurehead trying to rise up in power, but it is the Mad Hatter that leads and organizes the resistance against the Red Queen. Really, the White Queen does little other than stand as a symbol. I commended the makers of  Alice in Wonderland  at first for allowing the White Queen to retain her femininity, but it was because of her particular lack of action that I was a bit saddened. She needed Alice to save her kingdom and stand as her champion, but again, Alice had to take on masculine traits in order to do this. Now, I have no problems with females embracing courage within childrens movies. Empowering girls is a great action to take, but I feel at the same time that it is a bit archaic that in order to succeed one must take on masculine characteristics. In this way, the gender roles within  Alice in Wonderland  are a bit hegemonic in nature-perpetuating the idea of masculine as ideal in our society. This ideal is perpetuated in the end of the film. I loved that Alice did not end up marrying, and became a part of the company her father left behind-a positive message showing that Alice indeed has the adventurous nature of her father. But forsaking the traditional female gender role to embrace a more masculine version also isnt the answer. What would have been the proper ending for  Alice in Wonderland? There is no easy answer here. I dont believe that the ending was improper, or sexist. It is obviously attempting to empower young girls to seek new horizons, which I entirely support. My suggestion is perhaps to not make the contrast between feminine and masculine quite so sharp. It shouldnt be settle down and be a housewife vs. adventure with your fathers trade route and see the world, after slaying a hideous creature. Gender roles today should be much more fluid in their interpretation, I believe. Why such a stark dichotomy between masculine and feminine within  Alice in Wonderland, as well as our own culture? Im not saying we should perpetuate historical female gender roles, but we shouldnt demonize them either. The point is to consider all gender attributes to be equal, and just as likely within every person.  Alice in Wonderland  does a good job of showing females embracing masculine characteristics (in bot h positive and negative ways), but they do little in showing men with fluid gender roles, positively embracing typically female gender attributes. I think  Alice in Wonderland  made a good effort at empowering young girls to overcome their traditional gender roles to broaden horizons. I believe by giving the White Queen highly feminine traits, and the Red Queen negatively violent traits, we see a step in the right direction in getting away from idealized aggressive masculine traits. Though there are some obvious issues, I would say  Alice in Wonderland  did a relatively good job in promoting healthy gender roles to the youth of our culture. But more work is still yet to be done.

Wal Mart Case Study Essay -- essays research papers

Wal Mart Case Study It opened in 1962 by Sam Walton, Wal-Mart has become the largest retailer in the United States, and with over 3,300 stores Wal-Mart continues to be successful. Under his successor, CEO David Glass, the small discount store chain started in Arkansas has become one of the largest corporations in the world. David Glass lays out the philosophy: â€Å"we approach this new and exciting decade of the 90’s much as we did in the 80’s focusing on only two main objectives, (1) providing the customers with what they want, when they want it, all at value, and (2) treating each other as we would hope to be treated, acknowledging our total dependency on our associate-partners to sustain our success.† This statement by Glass shows that Wal-Mart has devised a plan in order to maintain its high ranking in the retail business. The question becomes, can Wal-Mart continue to expand and succeed in an increasingly hostile retail environment? I will discuss the external stakeholders? 2) Do a SWOT analysis of Wal-Mart. What are the company’s distinctive competencies? 3) How would you describe Wal-Mart’s â€Å"Grand† strategy for the next decade? In terms of Porter’s generic strategies? Stakeholders are the persons, groups, and institutions directly affected by an organization’s performance. Some external stakeholders for Wal-Mart include the following: 1) Customers: specific consumer or client’s groups, individual, and organization’s goods and/or use its services. Wal-Mart has grown by ...

Nike and International Labor Practice Essay

Problem Identification Established in the early 70’s Nike, Inc., based in Beaverton, Oregon, USA faced a severe stream of criticism and experienced growing problems concerning their plants and employee treatment, mainly in Indonesia and Vietnam in 1988. Rising demand for Nike products, which almost doubled within a short period of time, led the company and its 350+ subcontractors to raise the production level. Series of labor problems and abuse such as cheap labor wages, poor working conditions, health and safety issues and underage workers exploitation, were the main issues Nike had to deal with. Furthermore, Nike, Inc. had to deal with managing the diversity of cultures and language barriers had to be overcome, while still be able to produce the high-quality product Nike is famous for. Throughout the 1990’s Phil Knight, CEO of Nike, Inc. and the company itself lost their superb corporate image in the eye of the world and it became an international incident. Causes of Problem After establishing a name in the world, Phil Knight, decided to manufacture Nike’s apparel in South Korea and Taiwan, and by 1982 already 86% of Nike’s sneakers came from these two countries. Realizing that Asian countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and China provide cheaper labor cost, better government support and higher profit, Nike moved their production lines there, with Indonesia becoming an important location. In 1991, the daily minimum wage was barely $1 in Indonesia, compared to a typical daily wage of $24.40 in South Korea and a US hourly wage of about $8 in athletic shoe manufacturing. Even that the Indonesian government raised the minimum wage from 2,100 Rupiah ($1.00/day) to 2,500 Rupiah ($1.25/day), the new wage was still underneath the workers’ living expenses. In 1992, these issues went outside of Indonesia and even hit Washington D.C., when President Clinton introduced the task force Apparel Industry Partnership (AIP) to develop and control labor st andards for foreign factories. Although Nike was the first one to join, they had trouble convincing people that everything went right in their plants in Asia. Ernst & Young was being hired to control and audit the factories, but soon voices became loud, that there was not a really  objective view at the problems, since Nike was paying them. It hit the peak in 1997/ 1998, when TV shows, newspapers and even a movie (The Big One) were talking about the bad conditions within Nike’s factories in Asia and publicly challenged Phil Knight to change the way workers were treated, compensated and how underage workers were employed. Adidas, Reebok and New Balance took advantage of Nike’s down slope and gained in competitive advantage. This led to diminishing sales number, earnings fell 69%, and for the first time in 13 years Nike, Inc. had a loss at the end of the year 1998. Alternatives 1.Government regulation of Nike Advantages: a)Local Government would have a closer look onto what is happening in its own country and with their people b)US Government could also have a closer look onto what Nike is doing abroad and would be able to intervene any illegal activity from the motherland c)Both governments would work closer together and it would open doors for other US companies to invest in the foreign country Disadvantages: a)As indicated in the case, some governments just see the money that is brought into the country, regardless what is happening within the company, or better said to its people. b)Ties between the US government and the foreign country might not be the best, due to political tensions, and makes it therefore tougher to work together. 2.Improve employee’s working and living standards Advantages: a)†A happy employee is a better worker† – improve the employees living standard by raising his wage, giving him more benefits (health insurance, vacation time), lessen his working hours, etc. b)Equal Opportunity – give chances to workers to move up the company ladder, and not only bring outside people in. Furthermore, adjust worker’s compensation, working hours and labor conditions to human standards. c)Extensive training and development for managers – All managers should learn foreign country’s language, living habits and adapt to culture. Training the workers on the job will also help to overcome workforce diversity and make the workplace a better place to be. Disadvantages: a)The changes will take time and will be cost effective. b)Adapt to western working habits, might be a huge change for Asian workforce and might not be adapted well 3.Documentation and Inspection Advantages: a)Factories will be supervised, by either the local government or organizations b)Inspections will lead to better working conditions c)Workers will have someone to talk to and will not be left alone Disadvantages: a)Again, organizations might be paid by Nike and not report the whole truth b)Reports from workers might be left alone and not brought up to people in charge Best Alternative The best alternative for Nike, Inc. is to undertake all three alternatives simultaneously. In order to gain back the market share and competitive advantage, their global view has to strengthen. They started off very well by implementing some of the above-mentioned ideas. These alternatives will just help them to become a stronger player in this fast growing and very competitive business world. Implementation Steps The actions, that Nike, Inc. should take are as followed: First they should work on getting their name back into the right spotlight, by implementing the alternatives. The governments will be more than willing to help them and since Nike is recognized all over the world, even the local governments/ countries are keen on keeping them in their country and employ their citizens. This might even bring countries like the USA and Indonesia closer together and more companies from the US will be ready to go to Indonesia and produce there. Secondly, the workers’ benefits, life standard and work habits are the most important of all of the alternatives. Nike, Inc. should invest most of their research and development in this field, since the wages are still not as they should be. An idea would be to start raising the wages to at least the country’s standard, so that people can live off their earnings a normal life. Nike started successfully the implementation of programs that involved increasing the workers’ living standard in the developing world, but still the compensation of the worker is the main problem that needs to be taken on right away. Secure working places, no lay-offs and safe working environments should be steps that must be taken immediately, only then we can see the difference and make a worker a happy  and productive employee. Last but not least, Nike should be watched, inspected and documented upon. It will not only help the factories in Vietnam or Indonesia, but also the company itself. Once outside organizations tell Nike where they need to improve on and do it after being told, then the company will also get into the positive spotlight, which will resume in higher sales and more profit. Nike will then be again the strongest contender in supporting and sponsoring universities, pro athletes and teams and most important a company that everybody wants to work for, regardless where.

Ken Kesey-The Alienated Hero essays

Ken Kesey-The Alienated Hero essays Ken Kesey creates one of Americas most famous alienated heroes in his work One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Keseys alienated hero, Randle Patrick McMurphy, is a wild red-haired American of Irish heritage. McMurphy is a lazy, rowdy fighter. He also gambles constantly and has been prosecuted on the charges of the statutory rape of a 9 year old. A character with many flaws, McMurphy is not the likely character for heroics, but it is his rebellious lack of authority that makes him the perfect hero for Keseys story. Transferred from a work camp to a psychiatric ward, McMurphy is the only patient sane enough to fight the tyrannical, oppressive Nurse Ratched and her staff. To understand McMurphys role as an alienated or anti-hero, the term must be clearly defined. The Living Webster Encyclopedia Dictionary defines a hero as a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength. A hero is a character that the reader is intended to fully embrace due to the characters selflessness and moral values. The Wikipedia Encyclopedia defines an anti-hero as a character that has some of the personality flaws and ultimate fortune traditionally assigned to villains but nonetheless also have the heroic qualities or intentions to gain the sympathy of the readers. In other words, the anti-hero or alienated hero is the unlikely hero. These flawed heroes are similar to the heroes seen in comic books. Comic book heroes often have troubled pasts or justify their means by the end. McMurphy certainly has a checkered past, after being discharged from the military, and spending time in prison. His distrust of societys values helps carve out his status as an outsider. An alienated hero often moves from one failure to the next and usually in the end reach the fate of a villain, failure. Jay Gatsby is comparable to McMurphy. Both come from checkered pasts, and fight for som...

Without Seeing The Dawn essays

Without Seeing The Dawn essays The story starts by describing the main character, Carding. At age eighteen, he had been fully grown as a very strong man. As the only son of Juan Suerte, he helps his father plow the land that they are tending to form their landlord Don Diego. As they lived in one of the suburbs of Iloilo, a barrio named Manhayang in the town of Santa Barbara. They lived a simple life, pasture the carabao and plow the land. Carding as a young lad usually goes out to the river and the field with his cousin Gondong along with their friends Polo, Ruben, Poncing, Isko and Intong. During that old times, the sons are the ones who help their fathers toil the land because farming is their main source of income. While the women stays at home doing household chores along with their daughters. Carding is a favored suitor of Lucia aka Lucing. Lucing is the beautiful daughter of Teniente Paul, the barangay chief of Manhayang. Lucia holds the beauty title as Ms. Barangay Fiesta. Many young men admire s Lucia, but Carding won her heart. One night, Carding talked to his father about getting married. At first his father disagreed because Tatay Juan, wants Carding to finish his studies. But since Carding changed his mind, Tata Juan supported his decision. He wants to marry Lucia, so they planned to ask for Lucias hand with the help of other advocates, Manong Marcelo the school teacher and Inday Picat the fat old maid who were once a school teacher also. So one night they went to Teniente Pauls house so as to discuss about the wedding. At first Teniente Paul is hesitant to decide. If he is going to let Lucia marry Carding or not. But since Tatay Juan and Carding are willing to agree in the terms and condition of Teniente Paul, the wedding will push through. If Teneinte Paul doesnt allow Lucia to marry him, he will carry away Lucia just to prove his unconditional love. The agreement was, Carding will build a house seven meteres ...

Managing HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Managing HR - Essay Example The researcher states that in order to select the best practice for recruiting new employees, the company gave an insight to all possible options and the costs involved. With the advent of the internet, and its deep impact on the human resourcing, companies have already been relying upon the computers to access and utilize a number of advantages, recruitment being one of them. Tracking of resumes, job applications, new job postings etc., has all been made much easier than before with the help of online recruitment methods. In spite of a number of employers using the traditional methods of newspaper ads, referencing within the industry, search agencies and personal recommendations, e-recruitment can easily integrate with all these HR services and offer much better results. Another part of the essay aims to explore the various methods that can be utilized by the company in order to reduce the absence of employees. Absenteeism can be defined as the unscheduled absence of employee / empl oyees from work and the cause of absence may range from personal to professional reasons – like illness, family issues, problems at office etc. managing employee absence has become one of the most challenging tasks for the companies across the globe. While there exists no particular approach for absenteeism management, the managers are required to address the issues and causes, and subsequently suggest solutions to employees to reduce their leaves and also increase work efficiency, such as counseling as the best method possible.

Discuss NEEDS & RIGHTS pilicy themes in relation to apractice Essay

Discuss NEEDS & RIGHTS pilicy themes in relation to apractice setting(FAMILIES AND CHILDREN CONTACT CENTRE) - Essay Example A social policy should thus provide a child centred model to enable the social workers working with families and children provide services without any difficult. This would also empower children to navigate through the family change using a holistic systematic approach Alcock et al.2007). The changing nature of family life and children demands that policies should be flexible to adapt to these changing circumstances. Needs and rights themes in policies are very important in relation to working with families and children. There is need for collective social response to address these issues. Needs and rights policy themes if well formulated can regulate how families and children in need of the social care can be assisted (Spicker 2008). In working with families I have realized that children are in dire need of achieving their rights and meeting their needs. This can only be done with a policy that focuses on the rights and needs of children in question (Barnett & Hustedt, 2005). In my engagement with the families and children, I found out that many children suffer from sexual abuse, physical abuse, serious willful neglect that affects them mentally. This includes failure to provide for them the necessities of life or where a child witnesses violence resulting in or having the potential to result to serious injury to a family member or even death. The child protection protocol states that such instances should be reported to the policy for investigation but have found out that in many instances these cases are not investigated and if investigated the government do not take any action (Dickens, 2010). There should be a policy to address these issues affecting children and families. The policy available does not address fully the issues that we experience at the contact centre. Many of the issues are tricky and hence demand a harmonious consideration of the issues and provide the necessary support but this can only be possible the social policy will be in place to a ddresses the needs and rights of the families and children involved. Most children need social support from other people to survive and this support with a well established framework will enable them to avoid stress. Social support should be the major theoretical framework of the policies that are formulated. For children at risk, accessible and positive social support can play a vital role in addressing their needs and rights (Barnett & Hustedt, 2005). Children and families we work with have needs and rights that are fundamental and if timely interventions are not taken, these rights and needs would not be realized. Working with families and children one realizes that in spite of the challenges that most of them go through, they have survived and are capable of leading a successful live. Therefore one of the needs and rights of the families and children undergoing difficulties should be entrenched in policies because their rights have to be protected despite the challenges. While w orking with children and families at the contact centre I realized that children in separated families have a higher chance of encountering many problems in life. For instance, most perform poorly in school, they are usually in need of medical attention and need help in most of other areas to ensure they attain their full potential. We work with parents to support them through the changes that