Corporate Social Responsibility Reports Essay

For so long, businesses tend to overlook the repercussions of their actions. They are so focused at maximizing the potential profits and minimizing the costs that the negative environmental, economic and social impacts of their operations are not considered. Nowadays, in an era wherein citizens are looking at the morals of companies, CSR or corporate social responsibility initiatives are the new trend regarding business ethics. Companies set up foundations and the like to create and implement CSR programs to show that they are also concerned about our society and the world that we live in. The reports on corporate social responsibility by Hewlett Packard and Toshiba are the ones that are going to be looked at in this paper. Both reports are remarkable but I am more impressed with Toshiba’s report. HP’s report has provided an easier way of understanding and locating the key and relevant information needed than Toshiba’s report but Toshiba has provided greater amount of details in the firm’s initiatives and the issues are covered more effectively than HP’s. The reports have shown a great deal of presenting their performance on issues relating to the environment, economy, and society as specific details of their programs towards these areas are also shown in the report allowing an assessment of these. I trust the reports of these two companies because it would be unethical to make fraudulent claims on ethical reports. It would be a big backlash on the company’s integrity and honesty. The report of HP has not presented details as to whether it is audited but independent parties or not. On the other hand, Toshiba’s report is audited by Shinnihon Integrity Assurance Inc. (SIAI) as to the compliance of the report to fundamental provisions of AA 1000 relating to the firm’s accountability to its stakeholders and if the report is put together based on the GRI Guidelines requirement. (www. corporateregister. com). Toshiba also presented the eco-efficiency report done by Shin Nihon Environmental Management and Quality Research Institute Co. , Ltd. so that an impartial and reliable report is assured (www.  corporateregister. com). International standards and codes are becoming more popular nowadays due to their CSR nature. These standards are aimed at promoting environmentally and socially aware companies the guidelines presented in them. Toshiba has received certification for ISO 9000 and 14000-series. Currently, they are working into adopting the ISO 9001 or the certification on quality management system and implementing the ISO 14001 or the certification on environmental management system (www. corporateregister. com). They have been guided by the principles of the UN Global Impact and the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines, and have consistently been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) which is geared towards socially accountable investing (www. corporateregister. com). On the other hand, HP has implemented the standards from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OEDC) Guidelines which are aimed at protecting the confidentiality and transfer of personal information from customer and employees as these are increasingly becoming a problem in the information technology industry (www. hp. com). They have also been guided by the principles of the UN Global Impact (www. hp. com). The initiatives are consistent with the core competencies of the firms because they are not just geared towards external works such as donations etc. They also focused on the internal aspects of their company like requiring their suppliers to adhere to CSR programs or that they use a system wherein they would be able to collect and recycle their used products from customers. These would give them an upper hand than their competitors who are not implementing CSR internally. These also became consistent with the company’s core values because of its orientation at improving the standards and code of conduct with the firm’s premises. Applying CSR internally in the company’s operation is a remarkable thing. This is because it bears cost that could mean a decrease in the firm’s profits than is expected. Whereas if the company would just donate, the amount of money that they will give is already fixed. For example, $10 million is allotted to the recycling program of the company but due to unforeseen events like unexpected cost for implementing the program it bloated to $100 million. Whereas if they had just donated the $10 million, they would not have incurred additional cost and their operation not jeopardized. I would say that HP should include the international standards certifications and benchmarks that their company has on their CSR report. They should also get a third party point of view with regards to the auditing of their report to show the transparency in their report. As for Toshiba, I would say that they should not clutter too much information to their CSR report. They should only include those that are relevant to which is related to the CSR initiatives of the company. They should also get more independent auditing. Although they have third party perspectives for their AA 1000 and their eco-efficiency, there are still other international standards or benchmark claims in the report that needs to be audited and certified true by pertinent authority.

Callaway Golf Canada

| Callaway Golf Canada: The Mobile Performance Team| Case Study| | | | Jamie Merrimen 100117777 October 12, 2012 Business 1703 D1 Dr. Conor Vibert | Problem Statement Wayne Mallette is the director of performance management for Callaway Golf Canada, the world`s largest golf club manufacturer. In 2004, Mallette launched the Mobile Performance Team (MPT), a team of 20 consultants who demonstrate the Callaway equipment line as well as measuring customers for custom equipment at private golf courses during the golf season.Mallette has been asked by Callaway Canada`s managing director to design a plan for the approaching 2008 golf season to make sure that Callaway Canada will stay ahead of its competitors. Mallette is faced with multiple choices for possible improvement, or the option to continue with the current operations. Important Facts * The golf manufacturing market is highly competitive. It is important for Callaway Golf Canada to stay ahead of the competition in order for them to keep their reputation and status, as well as increasing their sales. After the success of Callaway Golf`s Mobile Performance Team, other golf manufacturers are likely to follow lead and provide more service to their customers. * Callaway Golf philosophy states that the company intends to give more golfers more opportunities, by designing, creating, building, and selling the best golf clubs. Callaway Golf also believes that by making golf more enjoyable for the average golfer, the game of golf will grow. * In early 2008, Callaway Golf was the largest golf club manufacturer in the world. Golf equipment products have a life cycle of about two years, resulting in pressure on companies to release successful new products every year. Failure to release successful new products will result in poor sales in the current year, as well as future sales by hurting the company’s reputation. * Companies in the industry used two strategies: focusing resources on research and development to dev elop new, innovative products; or focusing resources on securing endorsements from professional golfers on tours, which led to an increase in sales from exposure.Callaway preferred to maintain a small amount of endorsements with high-profile players, while investing and focusing more on research and development. * From 2005 to 2007, nearly 65% of Callaway’s sales occurred during the first half of the year. * Callaway’s customers are players from every ability level and a wide range of socioeconomic groups. * Small golf specialty stores were the Callaway’s biggest customer. Other customers included sporting goods retailers, mass merchants, golf retailers, and pro shops. * The United States Golf Association began to institute policies limiting manufacturer innovation.This leaves manufacturers struggling to find different ways to compete. Other firms had cut prices as a way of competing, which resulted in a loss of margins across the industry. Firms were also focus ing more on securing endorsements with tour professionals. * The goal of the MPT is to maximize the performance of each individual golfer, not to maximize Callaway’s sales, even if it means recommending a competitor’s product. * The MPT program costs about $500,000 annually. * Callaway has a sales conversion of about 75% from custom fitting sessions. Alternative Solutions 1) Mallette has many different ideas on how to improve Callaway’s sales.His first option is to leave the MPT program unchanged; as it has been so successful he does not want to jinx it by changing something that could potentially decrease profit for Callaway’s Golf. 2) Callaway Golf does not currently require their mobile performance consultants (MPCs) to be professionally certified. If the MPCs were to be professionally certified, they would not only be able to give a hybrid service of custom fitting, but they would also be authorized to provide official lessons. This would add greater value to the private fitting and consultations if there were to be a private lesson included.Having a professional on site would increase the credibility and effectiveness of the consultations. An inconvenience in this plan is that `to become certified in Canada, an individual must work a minimum of 35 hours per week under a head professional and pass a playing ability test (Jackman, Brett (2008) Callaway Golf Canada. Ivey Cases page 9). 3) Mallette also is considering pairing the MPCs up with professional staff at the club the MPC is working at. This would have the same benefit of having professionally certified MPCs, but there wouldn`t be the one-on-one aspect that many club members enjoy and value.On the contrary, club members may be comforted by having a member of their club`s professional staff present, it may lead the club member to trust Callaway Golf and the MPC more. It would also be beneficial as the club member could consult the club`s staff member if they had any more qu estions after the MPC had left. The inconvenience in this scenario is that Callaway would have to pay the club staff member as well as the MPC. 4) Another option would be to update the equipment that Callaway Golf MPC`s use during their consultations.They currently are using Accusport Vector machines that are in fine working condition, but the newest model has just been launched, the Vector Pro monitor which would be useful for the golf professionals during lessons as it incorporates video swing analysis into the fitting process. This may also add value to the consultations. The downside to this solution is that each monitor would cost $3,500, as well as bringing all 20 MPCs to the head office for a training day at the expense of Callaway Golf. 5) There is currently only one MPC per territory in Canada.There is an average of 30 different accounts in each territory, and Mallette believes that hiring more MPCs would be beneficial in by being able to give more attention to each account . Mallette says that by doubling the amount of MPCs, the amount of service provided would be doubled. This means that the cost of the MPT program would be doubled as well, considering training and wage expenses. Most fitting days are scheduled for four hours; typically, each golf club currently has one fitting day per month, as there is insufficient demand to require more (Jackman, Brett (2008) Callaway Golf Canada.Ivey Cases page 8). This leads to the fact that there is insufficient demand for Callaway Golf to hire more MPCs. 6) Callaway Golf is focused on working with their current accounts, which are mainly private clubs. If they were to work more closely with public clubs across the country by bringing them MPT program, more sales could potentially be made. This option would only be realistic if more MPCs were hired, as there are many public clubs across the country and the MPT wouldn’t be as successful if they started neglecting their current accounts.Decision Criteria P rofitability: Choosing to leave the MTP program the same would result in Callaway Golf`s net income for 2008 to slightly decline or slightly increase. There wouldn`t be much change seeing as there was no change to the MTP program. The cause of decrease would come from the possibility of Callaway`s competitors launching a program similar to the MTP, causing Callaway`s to experience fewer sales. The increase could happen if the competitors programs weren`t a success.Changing the hiring requirements for MTCs would result in a loss of time and money in order to train current employees, or hire professionally certified employees and train them to be MTPs. Since having professionally certified employees would add value to the consultations, Callaway could increase their prices. It isn`t clear if this would generate more income in the end result. This solution would benefit only members of private clubs where the consultations are held, and public club members may start opting for cheaper products if Callaway’s increases its prices, which would lead to lower sales.Pairing MTCs with club staff would cost Callaway more in wages expense. It may result in more sales since customers would feel more comfortable with a club staff member, therefore more willing to trust Callaway Golf and buy their product, resulting in more sales. This solution would benefit only members of private clubs where the consultations are held, and public club members may start opting for cheaper products if Callaway’s increases its prices, which would lead to lower sales. Updating equipment would cost both the equipment price, and the price of training all current MTCs.This would also add more value to the consultations, which would lead to an increase in price of Callaway’s products, which may or may not lead to an increase in long term income. This solution would benefit only members of private clubs where the consultations are held, and public club members may start opting for cheaper products if Callaway’s increases its prices, which would lead to lower sales. Hiring 20 more MPCs would not be beneficial for Callaway Golf, seeing as there is not enough demand. This would lead to a loss in profit since the extra profit would not be sufficient to cover the extra wage expense.Hiring more MPCs to do consultations at public clubs would lead to an increase in sales for Callaway Golf. Looking at how much the net income increased after launching the MTP program in private clubs, it seems it would be beneficial to launch the program in public clubs as well. There are many more public clubs across Canada, so the sales made at all of these clubs would be greater than the wages expense for the new employees. Customer Satisfaction: Leaving the MTP program unchanged would result in the customer satisfaction rate leveling off and eventually declining s competitors improved their programs.Changing hiring requirements to include only professionally certified em ployees would increase customer satisfaction since there would be more value added to consultations, although this would lead to a price increase which could decrease the customer satisfaction rate if the price increase were too high. Pairing MTCs with club staff would have the same result as hiring only professionally certified staff, although customer satisfaction would likely increase since customers would be more comfortable with a member of the club’s staff.Updating equipment would also increase customer satisfaction because it would be adding value to the consultations. The product price increase may decrease the satisfaction rate. Hiring 20 more MPCs would only lead to customer satisfaction if they were introduced into public clubs. The public club members would likely be very happy to have a private consultation, which leads to a higher rate of customer satisfaction. If 20 more MPCs were hired only to work in private clubs, the unique value of consultations would go d own, causing fewer sales and more employees with nothing to do. RecommendationBased on the decision criteria, the best choice for Wayne Mallette to ensure that Callaway Golf Canada stays one step ahead of their competition is to hire more MTCs to work in public clubs. This is the best choice because both profitability and customer satisfaction would increase. It would also assure customers that Callaway Golf is not only a company for intense golf players, but for average players just like the Callaway Golf philosophy states. Starting consultations in public clubs would build Callaway’s reputation even more, increase sales and profit, and customer satisfaction. This is the best case scenario for Mallette to choose.

Help with safeguarding children and young people Essay

Outline current legislation , guidelines , policies and procedures within own UK Home Nation affecting safeguarding of children and young people. . There are many policies and procedures within the UK that outline the current legislation and guidelines to help with safeguarding children and young people. The Children Act 1989 The important part of this act is to maintain the child is at the forefront of decisions; the best option in relation to the child’s welfare will be taken into account when deciding the best course of action for the child/young person’s upbringing – creating a partnership between parents and multi-agencies. Alongside this, the requirement of parental responsibilities is outlined e.g. their rights, duties and powers and achieved a balance between the need/welfare of the child and the right of the parent/carers. It gives a clear definition for what is meant by ‘harm’ in relation to safeguarding children – for example introd ucing abuse as ‘ill-treatment’ and how the impairment of health can also be a contributing factor to abuse. Following this, the framework of courts was restructured to ensure consistency of decisions in relation to family court proceedings. Children’s Act 1999 The Children’s Act came into existence in the year 2000; it was to form a guideline that included a list of people deemed unsuitable to work with children and young people (e.g. paedophiles). Any person wanting to work with children/young people/vulnerable adults now has to complete an enhanced Criminal Record check (CRB). It is through databases such as the Criminal Records Bureau, that will safe-guard children and young people from contact with inappropriate adults. Children Act 2004 As a direct response to a very serious case review involving a girl named Victoria Climbie, this young girl was abused and after times of social workers not looking into her injuries and cancelling home visits , Victoria was in and out of hospital with burns , scabs , then Victoria was rushed into hospital she was suffering from malnutrition and hypothermia, doctor’s later transfer her to intensive care at another hospital where she died . Victoria’s body was examined and they found about 128 injuries and scars.  The government reviewed its approach to safeguarding and published a new green paper known as the Children’s Act 2004. The initial change was the introduction of the Child Protection .this act is linked to different agencies like , social-workers , child protection teams and SENCO, are able to look into cases and if they feel there are any concerns of a child is suffering from any harm / abuse they can apply for care orders and take them to safety in t heir best possible care homes. How national and local guidelines, policies and procedures for safeguarding affect day-to-day work with children and young people. There are many policies and procedures within the settings that cover the range of safeguarding children, the policies are Health and Safety policy, outings policy and Safeguarding policy. They are all put into place to ensure that all children / young people are cared for in the way they should be. The children and young people’s health and safety are important also is the welfare of the children in the settings/ schools.Social workers have to implement local procedures in Working Together. In some cases there will be reviews , they will look back into cases like Victoria Crimble, Bichard he murdered to young girls in Suffolk , Bichard work at the girls school. The case of baby ‘P’ He was treated like a punch bag after months of being harmed he died †¦betted to death social worker missed the signs. Now policies have changed to en sure that no more cases happen like these again. Safeguarding children’s policy; Our aim is to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. To ensure that the Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Board Child Protection procedures together with guidance described in the booklet ‘ What to do if you are a worried child being abused’ and the Children’s Needs and Response Framework are adhered too. Procedure: Our setting is registered on the Early Years register and we have a duty to comply with the welfare requirements of the Early years Foundation Stage which includes Safeguarding. We take seriously our responsibilities to ensure the safety and promote the welfare of children our care in line with the procedures laid out by the Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children’s Board. We have developed a structured procedure to be followed in the case of a suspected abuse which is regularly reviewed and updated. We are committed to working in partnership with parents and ensure that we involve parents/ carers to  the highest degree, wherever possible, whilst maintaining the focus on the best interests of the child. The Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children’s Board procedures have been agreed by all member agencies (R.B.S.C.B.)and must be followed whenever a concern exists about harm or potential harm to a child. The Children’s Needs and Response Frameworks has b een agreed through both the Children’s Trust and the Safeguarding Children’s Board and is to be used in all setting’s by all organisations that provide services for young children and young people . The Framework describes the levels of children’s needs and how as professionals we must respond to and meet those needs. Bullying / Behaviour Management Policy : Our aim is to create a safe and secure environment for all children that promotes and encourages acceptable behaviour and respect for others. To ensure behaviour strategies are consistent and developmentally appropriate, respecting individual children’s level of understanding, individual needs and maturity. Our procedure: Share with parents/ carers the rationale of boundaries and expectations to maintain a joint approach. ‘All adults ‘ role model good behaviour and positive strategies and language at all times. Bullying in any form will not be tolerated. Staff will respond positively to all parents/carers concerns regarding bullying ,and listen to all concerned. Help children to challenge bullying , harassment and name calling .Bullying is always distressing for the victim and can have serious consequences. Whistle Blowing policy: Every nursery has a whistle blowing policy and procedures these policies are put in place to pr ovide protection for the person against victimisation or reprisals from another member of staff. If any of your concerns are about malpractice or misconduct in the setting about another staff member to a child this must be reported to the named Safeguarding Officer in the setting. If concerns are raised then there are certain procedures to follow. .The whistle blower must write their concerns down and think what they saw, what happened and by who, was there any witnesses, the dates if it has happened more than once, the child’s name and place it took place. .Concerns must be reported to the named Safeguarding officer . .Al l information will be kept confidential and is investigated discreetly by Data Protection Act. Although whistle blowing may be a daunting and frightening experience to act  upon , the safety and well being of a child may depend on another person’s actions, subsequently all aspects of whistle blowing are to be thought over with the best intentions of children/ young people in mind in our setting. CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY: Our policy is to ensure that all those working or learning within the setting has a clear understanding of the meaning and importance of maintaining confidentiality. All parents/carers should be aware that information divulged about their family will be treated in confidence. No information regarding the family will be discussed with any third party without consent of the responsible adult and their agreement, except in the case of safeguarding children . We will respect confidentiality in the following ways: .As part of their induction, all staff are reminded of their responsibility to maintain confidentiality. .Staff will ensure that discussions regarding families will not take place in presence of children: such discussions will only take place in private to maintain confidentiality. . Care will be taken with informal records such as dairy notes, telephone messages etc: and these are also treated with sensitivity. .Any evidence relating to a child’s personal safety will be kept in a confidential file . Information about individual children will be shared between staff on a need to know basis. .Parents are welcome to access information on their child which has been recorded by staff, but we are unable to share information recorded by other professionals without their permission. Parents/carers will not have access to any information about any other children. .Children/ young people may wish to have access to their own files, However, it must be recognised that there may be inform ation in their file that parents have requested not to be shared with their children . .All records will be stored in a locked cabinet. Access to this cabinet is restricted to named personal. .Any confidential information will be shredded and disposed of appropriately. .Information which is stored on a computer will be password protected. COMPLAINTS POLICY: We aim to deal with complaints and concerns as quickly and effectively as possible in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage. It is of paramount importance that The Willows runs smoothly and parents and  staff work together in a spirit of co-operation and in the best interests of the children. Children and parents are entitled to expect courtesy and prompt, careful attention to their needs and wishes, we always ensure that parents views and opinions are listened to and taken seriously. Procedure: In the first instance if you wish to make a complaint please speak to your child’s key worker or another member of staff – team who will try to resolve the issue. If this does not have a satisfactory outcome please speak to one of the managers / deputy manager of the setting. You can make your complaint verbally or in writing .We will always complete one of our settings complaints record forms. All complaints will be acknowledged within 48 working hours of receipt. Compla ints will be investigated and an account of the findings of the investigation will then be acted on , the result of the action of the complaint will be put in writing within 28 day period. However if we cannot resolve your complaint or you are not happy with the outcome, due to the nature of the complaint you may wish to speak to our regulator ‘OFSTED’ you can contact them: we will give you their address, LEGISIATION: Children Act 1989 is a law that relates to children to provide for the local authority services to protect children in the event of allegations of signs of child abuse. The law is put in place for the safety of these children with organised children’s homes, fostering childminding ,adoption and day care settings for young children. The Childs Act 1989introdued the concept of parental responsibility, this act aimed to ensure that children’s welfare was dominant, whilst in partnership with the parents/carers. It is there to strengthen the child’s legal position, to give the child legal rights, feelings ands wishes. WORKING TOGETHER TO SAFEGUARD CHILDREN 2006: This revised version of the act sets out how organisations and individuals work together to safeguard and also to promote the welfare of children/ young people in accordance with the children’s act 1989. It is important that all practitioners within the settings and environments in childcare , must know their responsibilities and duties in order to safeguard the welfare of the children and young people by following their policies and procedures, especially in the light of THE LAMING AND BICHARD INQUIRIES; The children act 2004: Many professionals involved in cases remarked that they had big workloads and a low pay , and their morale was low . Communication was not good between teams and agencies. This inquiry made a number of improvements to departments and this led to Children’s Act 2004. The Data Protection Act 1989 This act came into force in early 1999 and covers how information and details about adults, children and young people are kept. The act is required that all organisations, environments and settings must keep all information and details of families filed and locked in cabinets . All confidential information that is kept on computers should be protected by passwords. EVERY CHILD MATTERS: This Act was formed in 2003 The with Lord Lamming report resulted in a green paper, ‘Every Child Matters’ to make sure that children could get help to be save, There are five outcomes : *Be healthy *Stay safe *Enjoy and Achieve *Make a positive contribution These are the main focus areas of early intervention, and a shared sense of responsibility , sharing of information and integrated services. CRB: Stands for Criminal Records Bureau, these are checks made by the settings , the police national computer has all criminal records and details stored in them . CRB checks are made for anyone working within a children/ young people’s environment or old person/ mental disabled environment .To ensure that you are legible to work in these environments and be responsible for children/young people and mental disabled people. If you are a volunteer / student you still have to have a CRB check done. Vetting and barring scheme were created to help safeguard children and vulnerable adults by introducing these new measures including monitoring and registration requirements following the Bichard inquiry.

US. Foreign Policy throttling the growth of Russian Economy Essay

US. Foreign Policy throttling the growth of Russian Economy - Essay Example The researcher has discussed that the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War left Russia with unresolved issues that the West vehemently needed to change. The imminent split of the Soviet Union had Russia with an area almost 70 percent of the former USSR. Moreover, all the nuclear warheads estimated to be about 27000 remain in the hands of Russia, making it a foe to the American national security interest. These factors influence policy in Washington to dislodge the power of the Russian Federation. The Russian relation with the U.S. has been shaky because of its domestic trajectory, regional influence, and its international department. Russia’s stance on Iran’s nuclear facilities, its increased energy activities in Europe as well as poor democratic processes have worried the U.S. for over two decades. Moreover, the Russia Georgia conflict was against the interests of America in the region. For these reasons, the U.S. has applied a tightened foreign policy toward Russia with the aim of weakening its economy. The aggressive foreign policy of the Reagan administration brought the imminent collapse of the Soviet Union. The U.S. support for guerrillas fighting in Afghanistan had negative consequences for the Russian defence spending. In addition, the U.S. programme in the defence system made the Soviet counteract with a similar programme, but it was expensive given that Russia could not match the U.S. defence spending. This brought strain to the Russian domestic economy. The programme coded â€Å"Star wars† negatively affected the Soviet political and economic institutions.

The Robinson-Patman Act and Its Applicability in the Modern Age Research Paper

The Robinson-Patman Act and Its Applicability in the Modern Age - Research Paper Example This unfair business practice created a price discrimination problem that threatened the survival of small companies or retailers (McElvain 35). Then the Robinson-Patman Act was implemented during the Great Depression when these large businesses that had emerged then were having competitive advantages over smaller retailers. There is no doubt that Robinson-Patman Act doused this economic problem by fighting against price discrimination. And the critics believe that the Act was most effective during this time period when price fixing posed a serious threat on competition and the economy. As a matter of fact, Robinson-Patman Act tended to reduce criminal business practices during the Great Depression. Therefore, four major requirements must occur for a claim to arise under the Robinson-Patman Act. There must be: 1. a sale of products that are of like â€Å"grade and quality† 2. from the same vendor to different purchasers in which there 3. is a discrimination in the prices of the products sold 4. that causes a restraint in competition. This necessitates that if a big company offers to sell a product of similar â€Å"grade and quality† at an expressly cheaper price, the small retailer affected by this action may seek legal recourse for redress and compensation. This action would discourage big businesses from using their economies of scales to have an advantage over the small businesses. Potentially, if the price of a good is reduced, a company can sell as many pieces of the product to several purchasers at a price that is far cheaper than the offering price by a smaller retailer. This discrimination in price kills competition, and it was discovered to be an inhibition to the economic growth during the Great Depression. The Court's opinion in FTC v. Morton Salt, 334 U.S. 37 (1948), illustrates how it was applied during the age of booming large businesses. Interestingly, the Supreme Court ruled that Morton Salt had acted illegally by selling its finest â€Å"Blue Label† salt to large chain-stores at a r elatively cheaper price instead of making the same product available for customers nationwide at the same price. The Federal Trade Commission made sure that the Robinson-Patman Act was enforced to discourage the criminal trade practice of selling goods at a discount price to large stores simply because they could afford to purchase large quantities of the products at a time. One of the possible effects of this practice is that small retailers would be pushed out of business as consumers could not afford to buy the same product or good that are offered at a competitive price by the 3 large stores. This instance of price discrimination was what Robinson-Patman Act fought against in the earliest time. The Congress then perceived the act of price fixing as an inhibitive and unhelpful to the American economy that had already been battered by the Great Depression. Critics have always pointed to the fact that the World World I contributed to the emergence of the Great Depression, and that the sharp practices by big retailers to cheat the smaller ones was caused by the need to earn higher profitability at the expense of other retailers (McElvain 48). Therefore, enacting the Robinson-Patman Act served as a salvaging force to discourage large businesses from making life unbearable for ordinary Americans who had already had enough hardship due to the effects of

Management in Brazil Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management in Brazil - Assignment Example Most of these firms operate under the economies of scale. There is no use of state of the art advance management practices. The situation is no different from the government owned large cooperation. Most of the managers in these co-operations are educated and come for the high social class group. The managers in these large co-operations act like their counterparts in smaller institutions, lack the necessary education in commensurate management. Issues to do with culture and business size limit are the limiting facts to management and are evident in most organization in Brazil. The family owned business the management is centralized around the family. In the middle level cooperation’s, there is no in between levels and the top management is by the owners of the business. The private organizations show very small levels of departments. The structure makes management in Brazil to be very authoritarian. The management is paternalistic and exploits employees mainly in terms of their security, safety and physiological needs. As a result, labor unions are becoming stronger and stronger each day that passes. The unions are advocating better employee working conditions and servicers. The above development has given rise to more firms adopting human and resource management. However, the department is limited to employees alone. Their role makes them to be viewed more as agents of the employees rather than a member of the managing team of the greater organization. The role of women in Brazilian firm’s management is limited. Women have been sideline in management and the main reason given by John Theodor is the Brazilian culture. There are also few women in the professions that are considered necessary to make top management position in an organization. The human and resource department also lack policies to encourage women to join the management as affirmative action. Existing managers in Brazil

SWOT analysis of Nike Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

SWOT analysis of Nike Company - Essay Example The Nike Corporation traces its origin back to early 1964 through the noble efforts of the then Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight (Richard 4). The Nike Corporation began as â€Å"Blue Ribbon Sports† and later developed for fourteen years before becoming the modern day â€Å"Nike Inc.† The name â€Å"Nike† was derived from the Greek word â€Å"Nikn† meaning the Greek’s goddess of victory. Through its own brand, The Nike Corporation markets its products in association with Nike Golf as well as Nike Pro (Deanne 11). As one of the five hundred companies that are headquartered in the Oregon State, the Nike corporation ranks as the leading brand with the highest value among the sports businesses (Richard 5). Being one of the sources of the market to the labor industry, the Nike Corporation registered one of the highest numbers of employees by recruiting more than 44000 personnel as servants (Deanne 24). The step in the field of employment moved The Nike Corporation miles in the satisfaction of their dreams for the provision of inspiration to the athletes and the public in general. The Nike Corporation has a mission statement which is, â€Å"To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.† Alongside the full realization of the mission statement, The Nike Corporation has also recorded some of the greatest profits as a business firm (Richard 7). For instance, within the fiscal year 2012, The Nike Corporation registered excess revenue of US$24.1 billion as at the end of May (Deanne 14). Furthermore, the brand itself is valued at US$10.7 billion hence ranks the best brand among all other sporting business. In the environmental stewardship, The Nike Corporation holds one of the best records as regards its performance in the environmental conservation policies of the state (Deanne 16). This fact is provided from the rese4arch activities conducted by an environmental conservation body  in England based on their Nike Grind program that greatly promotes environmental stewardship. In addition to the Nike Grind, The Nike Corporation has also launched more of such programs that aim at environmental conservation such as Nike’s Reuse-A-shoe program (Richard 9).

PERSONAL ETHICS ACTION PLAN Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

PERSONAL ETHICS ACTION PLAN - Assignment Example I will never compromise my integrity based on the opinions of others and I will remain true to my purpose and myself. I will remain ethical, motivate and enthusiastic at all times in both my personal and professional duties. While working in groups, I will ensure that my personal life reflects my character of respect, ethics and integrity and maintain the same standards throughout my career. I will lead by example and demonstrate how hard work and integrity pays off both in personal and professional life. I have learned that ethics comprise of the values, norms, beliefs and basic principles that govern interactions of individuals in the society. Sound ethical principles enable and individual to differentiate what is wrong and what is right. From my research, personal ethics provides the moral background that people build their live and assists in decision-making. Ethics will entail the core values that individuals will reflect on while solving day to day problems. I have also learned that ethics differ from one individual to the other and entails the ‘inner voice’ and intuitions that drive an individual in identifying what they consider as right or wrong in decision making. I believe ethics is demonstrated how an individual treats others with respect and dignity. Some of the virtues that guide individual ethical virtues that I have identified through research and course reading include integrity, competence, generosity and respect for other individuals’ lives and dignity. I have noticed that ethical norms are performed through consistent practice of the character traits that individual wishes to portray as the personal identity in the society. Ethics not only requires an individual to comply with the law but also the generally accepted norms in the society. From my discussions with classmates, the best way to understand your ethics is to begin questioning your beliefs, norms and attitudes of the human

Jim Crow Segregation in Mississippi Research Paper

Jim Crow Segregation in Mississippi - Research Paper Example The African-Americans were reduced to second class citizens. The churches claimed the whites were the chosen people and the blacks were cursed to be servants for white people. This implied that God supported segregation. The newspapers referred to blacks as Niggers, darkies, coons and even the articles and games played by children were stereotypic. Violence was used to maintain the blacks at the bottom of the hierarchy. The segregation rules came to ultimate end in 1965 when every individual was allowed full rights. This included voting but after a long tussle and struggle by the rights activists which included the civil war between the federation and the southern states (Kay 210). Essie’s family lived in a shack with two rooms. The shack was not enough for them and the conditions were dilapidating. The parents tried to make it comfortable by decorating it using mismatched wall papers with cardboard pieces stacked in the numberless cracks on the walls. The state of the house w as a clear example of the real conditions that the blacks in the southern states like Mississippi lived. The kids stayed alone at home because the parents stayed in the fields working for their white master all day. However, the wages were not even enough to fend the small families. This situation is aggravated by burning of the shack by Ed who was left to look after Essie and her siblings. Thereafter, Mae is blamed for the tragedy and thoroughly beaten (Moody 167). Mae’s father used his free time gambling although it was very difficult. This made him see another mulatto woman thus, a second marriage. Therefore, Mae was left alone to fend for the family. Later, the family decided to move to a house near a swamp. The place had several snakes which occasionally sneaked into the house. Mae’s mother was now working at a cafe for the blacks. She discovered that the place was not safe however; they could not find another cheap place to stay. They were living in such places a s a result of poverty. This poverty is aggravated by the fact that the blacks in Mississippi were discriminated in employment opportunities and land ownership. Due to the situation that Mae, Adline and Junior were facing, they yearned to ride bikes just like the other kids. They were segregated and they only had a chance to sit on the trench which indicated the level of poverty that the family had. Raymond builds a house for the family which lacks an indoor plumbing although it had water line. Mae believes that they were entitled to everything which could make them comfortable. This is evident as Mama and Essie Mae goes to the market to buy wallpapers for their new house. They also manage to purchase furniture as Essie proposes that they would buy a white post bed just like the one she had seen at Miss Ola’s place where she worked for an extra coin (Kay 178). Therein, she is reminded by the mother not to ape the whites. Her mother reiterates that she was influenced by the Cla iborne family where she spent most of the time working Raymond’s buys an old Mule to use in tilling a rented strip of land. This implied that the family was very poor and could not afford to purchase a young one which was more expensive. The piece of land that Raymond rented was very cheap and unused because he found a grenade which rendered the farm desolate and dangerous. This meant that the family could not afford to buy a piece of land. Furthermore, they could not afford to rent a more productive and safe land. The African-Americans could only

How would you describe International Political Economy Essay - 1

How would you describe International Political Economy - Essay Example Consequently, interactions define cooperation amongst nations and corporations in various countries. Hence, it is essential to note that governments have a responsibility of defining economic policies that determine transaction of international trade. Thus, the government’s role in defining economic policies enhances international relations in terms of the economy and politics while international forces in the economy can influence the policies of governments in international relations. Based on the foregoing, this expose describes international political economy on the foundation of interaction between international politics and the global economy. Frieden and Lake defined international political economy as the study involving the reciprocated interaction of politics and the economy in the global economic world (1). Following this perspective, it is common knowledge that the economy is the system that governs the processes constituting manufacturing, supplying, and consumption of products while managing a nation’s wealth efficaciously. On the other hand, politics is the approach towards governing a society and the society’s economy. In effect, international political economy involves studying the relationship between economic systems and political systems in the international arena. Political decisions and actions of nations influenced the flow of products in international trade. In effect, these political actions and decisions influenced the choice of decisions made by nations and entrepreneurs due to the prevailing economic environment (Veseth 3). In this case, international economy and international politics a re two mutually interacting aspects that governments and businesses should consider while developing policies meant to enable a nation to develop by participating in international trade. Despite this knowledge, it is possible for economists to disassociate international

Trifles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 5

Trifles - Essay Example In this regard, Susan Glaspell’s play â€Å"Trifles† appears to be a perfect example of representation of all essential literary elements of the play’s world for their research and analysis. For the beginning it must be said that the play â€Å"Trifles† is based on real-life story from the experience of Susan Glaspell as a reporter. The thing is that â€Å"†¦she was assigned to report on a murder case: the homicide of John Hossack, a prosperous Warren County farmer who had been killed in his sleep† in approximately 1900 year (MidnightAssassin.com). Being one of the first reporters who arrived at the accident site, Glaspell has been aware that Hossack’s wife is suspected in her husband’s murder, while she swore it was an intruder blood-guilty for John’s death. In a few days, Susan Glaspell has visited Hossacks’ farmhouse. The scenery of its kitchen has made a striking impression on the reporter. As we can see, the story of her further play’s character John Wright’s murder almost doubles the true story from Glaspell’s experience of the reporter. But there is one interesting point, that is, the time of the writing and performance of â€Å"Trifles†: â€Å"First performed by the Provincetown Players at the Wharf Theatre, Provincetown, Mass., August 8, 1916† (Glaspell). The time gap accounts for almost sixteen years. Then the obvious question arises: what circumstances prompted Glaspell to write the play? Having her previous practice of writing plays during 1909-1915 years, the playwrighter has decided not only to convey her ideas on paper, but also to animate them onstage before audiences. In this intention her husband has served as an active supporter and immediate participant of Glaspell’s ideas. â€Å"In 1915, at their summer home in Provincetown on Cape Cod, the couple organized a group of local artists as an amateur theatre group and staged a number of one-act plays in a converted fish warehouse† (Britannica.com). The

Homework Should Be Abolished Essay Example for Free

Homework Should Be Abolished Essay It is a common emotion to students regarding the distaste of homework, but legions of teachers know better because they recognize the importance of homework in the success of students in school and outside of school. I completely disagree with the statement that homework should be abolished. School without homework is not an image I can fathom. There are many reasons why homework should not be abolished as it is greatly beneficial towards the student. Homework improves the stability of the student in school allowing them to spend their time wisely and not only focus on play. It allows the teacher to acknowledge the students weaknesses and in turn giving them an opportunity to improve and acquire new skills. Also, taking time each night to do homework is a chance for students to catch up on missed class and further reinforces the days lessons so it is permanently etched in the students mind where the information is stored and used when called upon. Several studies have proven that homework, in fact, does improve the stability of the student in school. This strengthens the statement that time spent completing homework is time well spent. Rather than giving students another hour of leisure time, doing homework entitles the student to an hour of enriched education. This can greatly benefit the student, as consistently finishing homework will reap great rewards such as a favorable test score or report card. Not only does homework accomplishment benefit the student, it also benefits the teacher as well. Teachers receive the opportunity to see at what stage the student is by assigning homework. Furthermore, the teacher can identify the weaknesses of the student so they can ameliorate their study habits in hopes of pulling their grades up. Many students chose not to say when they are experiencing difficulties and it is often up to the teacher to find out. Homework is not set out only to serve students, but it is also definitely aimed to help teachers gain insight on their students progress. Moreover, the meaning and goal of homework is profitable towards the students. It allows students who missed the days lesson to catch up with the rest of their classmates. Likewise, homework reinforces the new concepts taught that day and helps the student develop a deeper understanding of what they have learned. On the contrary, if teachers were to assign no homework daily, then the new ideas they have brought forth will fall on deaf ears and the students are the ones who lose out on the wondrous opportunity of learning something new. Are you ready to give up an opportunity where new notions are introduced and planted firmly within your mind? It is incredulous to suggest that homework should be abolished. Although many may hate the mention of homework, no one can deny the fact that homeworks benefits overshadow its cons. To put it succinctly, homework should not be abolished! It helps with time management and organization skills, allows teachers the opportunity to find their students weaknesses so that they can help them to improve and lastly, it helps to reinforce things taught in school and help to gain a better understanding of the new ideas and concepts taught, engraving it inside students memories forever.

Definition Of Juvenile Delinquency Criminology Essay

Definition Of Juvenile Delinquency Criminology Essay This chapter includes the basic definition as to who is considered to be juvenile delinquent and there is an in-depth look of the different theories together with the various causes of juvenile delinquency. Academics within the discipline have regarded juvenile delinquency differently. Therefore, there are a multitude theories and factors concerning this social plague but not a single answer as how to curb it. Many theories have been propounded and can be classifies as follows: Biological Theory Rational Choice Theory Labelling Theory Strain Theory Social Disorganization Differential Association 2.1.1 Definition of juvenile delinquency When you input the word juvenile delinquency in your search engine, you will get the answer as antisocial or criminal behaviour by children or adolescents. Juvenile delinquency is a social phenomenon and may have the definition of young children being involve in felonious and criminal activities. Delinquent acts are a special category of deviant acts. Every deviant act involves the violation of social rules that regulate the behaviour of participants in a social system (Cloward and Ohlin, 1960). Worldwide, criminal acts of young persons are referred to as juvenile delinquency (Cohen, 1964). In the US, since the 1980s, juvenile delinquency has often been referred to as youth offences. The age at which juveniles legally become adults differs from country to country, but in most states, young people are considered juveniles until the age of 18 years (Clements, 1987, cited in Mzinyathi, 1992). In Mauritius people are considered juveniles until the age of 18. However, some countries set the limit at the age of 16 or 17. 2.2 The Biological Theory This theory states that the biogenetic factors are the key causes of behavioural changes in young people. It draws a link between behaviour and hormones. The presence of testosterone hormone is a strong predictor of sexual motivation and influences boys in their behaviour. The lack of oestrogen in girls can lead to depression and to react in negative moods. An undeniable fact is that most illegal rebellious acts are disproportionately carried out by young men. While girls are regarded as soft and tender, boys are regarded as strong and aggressive. Attempts in expressing ones masculinity may be a factor to be involved in illegal activities  [1]  . Being vigorous, powerful and to show ones prowess may be a way for young boys to express their masculinity. Acting out these ideals may make young men more likely to engage in antisocial and criminal behaviour  [2]  . Other than biological factors, the way parents behave with young boys may make them more susceptible to offending. According to a study which appeared in the Journal of Genetic Psychology September 2008, there exists a significant association between an affinity for antisocial peer groups and a particular variation called the 10-repaet allele of the dopamine transporter genes (DAT1). Florida State University criminologist M. Kevin Beamer conducted a study whereby adolescent males who possess a certain type of variation in a specific gene are more likely to flock to delinquent peers  [3]  . 2.3 The Rational Choice Theory Seeing an increase in the recorded rate of juvenile delinquency and the failure of rehabilitation purposes, researchers emerged with the Rational Choice Theory  [4]  . According to this research, offenders are motivated in committing any delinquent act when they decide to violate the rules and regulations after considering their personal interests, i.e, self-interest, learning experiences and personal values. For researchers in this domain, the causes of crime lie within the offender rather than in their external environment. This theory stresses on the act of engaging in delinquent activity rather than on the delinquent act itself. It is believed that before choosing to commit a non-conforming act, the deviant evaluates the seriousness and the degree of the punishment and the risk of apprehension. Moreover, the value of the felonious act as seen by the peer group and the extent the personal needs of the delinquent is taken into consideration by the latter. It cannot be denied that young people will indulge in deviant activities if they do not fear punishment and the risk of being apprehended. 2.4 Labelling Theory An act may become delinquent only if it is perceived and considered as delinquent. It may have been done for the first time and is known as a primary deviance. The person may be consequently punished for this misbehaviour. He is given an official label and is considered a as a thug. From then onwards, all his acts are viewed from a different perspective. According to Labelling Theory, once young people have been labelled as criminal they are more prone to offend. All those who are labelled as such are expected to behave accordingly. Once labelled as deviant, a youth may accept that role and be more likely to associate with others who have been similarly labelled  [5]  . The young person ends up by accepting the label imposed upon him and develops a deviant self-image  [6]  . Labelling theorists say that male children from poor families are more likely to be labelled deviant and that this may partially why there are more lower-class young male offenders  [7]  . The crux of labelling perspective lies not in whether ones norm violating behaviour is known but whether others decided to do something about it.  [8]   Any form of social reaction to delinquency may therefore amplify it rather than reduce it. 2.5 The Strain Theory Robert Merton (1968) has carried out an analysis where he felt that there are institutionalized paths to success in society. He came up with two concepts: ends and means. The ends are the goals that one tries to achieve when indulging in any kind of social behaviour. The main ends are money, possessions, status, power and an affluent standard of living. They can be achieved by conforming. People have accepted the ends and try to achieve them by legitimate means. The means would refer to the methods used to reach the goals. Strain Theory stresses that crime is mostly caused by people having difficulty in achieving socially valued goals by legitimate means, i.e, people who live in poverty. Example: A conformist means of obtaining wealth and status is by high educational attainment and securing well paid job. However, a delinquent means can be used to achieve the ends and this could be by robbing a bank, i.e, by bending the means he seeks to attain the desired ends. Merton has classified this dilemma into five stages: Innovation At this stage, delinquents accept the conforming goals but are unable to achieve them by the socially approved means. They use deviant methods which may or may not gain the approval of the society. Ritualism The deviants are not capable of achieving the conformist goals at this stage. They lose sight of the goals but continue to conform to the socially approved means. Retreatism These people reject the society and its values. They do not have faith in both the means and the ends and give up both. This is due mainly to failures experienced earlier and in almost all quarters- homes, school and work. E.g, drug addicts. Conformity At this particular stage people conform to both the systems means and goals. Rebellion Some people reject both the approved goals and means and replace them by a new system of acceptable ends and means. E.g, the socialists idea of redistribution of wealth in a capitalist economy or the activities of a religious group like Hare Rama Hare Krishna Mission in an Arab country. The extreme case may be the terrorists who reject the society and along with it the institutions and the rules. They seek to replace them by their own society through deviant means, usually rebellion. 2.6 Social Disorganization This theory generally focuses on the culture. Criminological theory attributes variation in crime and delinquency to the absence or breakdown of communal institutions, e.g, family. The personality of the child is affected due to poor or defective relationship with and between parents and being subject to frequent humiliations. Parents have been aggressive, disrupting frequently, using abusive language and are living separately in certain cases. A research carried out by Olweus (1995) shows the following factors can affect the development of a child during the course of his growing up  [9]  : Lack of emotional involvement by parents at early age Parents do not set limits to the degree of deviance tolerable Discipline being too strict by parents who use a rigidly authoritarian type of upbringing There are certain open causes in the family, which encourage behavioural deviations. These can be because of alcoholism or drug usage, bad examples of elders and an unorganised or asocial home. There are concealed causes which include some problems within the family and are hidden from outside. The symptoms of these problems are shown by the childs behaviours. All these lead us to suppose that there are families, which seem to produce children with behavioural deviations deviations or where the socialisation process is abnormal. 2.7 Differential Association With industrialisation, the family has witnessed various changes in its structures. The process has created a lot of instability in the family causing some form of disintegration. It cannot put into operation many of its fundamental functions as an institution. In the process of modernisation it is the young people who often have to bear the cost of the change. The family is incapable of providing the basic element of security to the young generation. The school, too, is not in a position to provide that care. It has become more like an A producing factory which is in one way the requirement for better jobs. The youngsters are uncertain about their position and try to find other shelters for security and stability. They turn towards the peer group, which plays an important role in compensation for the family and school. The delinquents form a common group and seek the support of each other. The theory of Differential Association suggests youngsters are motivated to commit crimes by delinquent peers and learn criminal skills from them. The peer group is able to exert a lot of influence on young people. It is very powerful; it helps to produce tendencies towards disintegration, which can result into various forms of deviant acts. Young people are unstable, uncertain and have problems of adaptation. They see their future prospects less bright, competition becoming tougher and social relationships being less stable  [10]  . In these conditions, it is most probable that they will come across other young people who are mentally and socially insecure. It forms a vicious circle. Altogether they will find solutions to their problems by going against the normal channel. The Differential Association Theory deals with young people in a group context and looks at how peer pressure and the existence of gangs could lead them into crime. Deviance is a means of coming to terms with anomic situations and also represents, if there are no alternative means of proving oneself, to make clear and excessive demanding clear and- even if only briefing- understable in a single act. Delinquency is therefore a reaction by young people to the process of disintegration and anomie in all social fields. 2.8 Causes of Juvenile Delinquency Every society has certain modes of behaviour to be acceptable or rebellious in nature from the very first civilisation. Every deviant act involves the violation of social system (Cloward and Ohlin, 1960). Researchers the world over have long debated the various causes of delinquency. Yet juvenile delinquency continues to be a salient topic and no single cause has been able to answer as to what leads a juvenile to become delinquent, Delinquency should not be seen as a surprising phenomenon but as something all adolescents will participate in unless obstacles are placed in their paths by a disapproving society.  [11]   Glasser (1965) believes a youth may become deviant if his lifestyle is based upon consistently meeting ones needs in such a way that it deprives others of the ability to meet their needs. Behavioural specialists indicate that socio-economic conditions like poverty hold a key importance in a youngsters life. Furthermore, peer pressure makes young people more vulnerable to conform to certain values and norms which are not socially acceptable. Other theorists believe experience of a childhood trauma such as child abuse and family dysfunctioning lead youngsters to be indulged in criminal activities. This chapter will address some of the factors and their attempts to explain why some young people are more susceptible to deviant behaviour. 2.8.1 Family structure and delinquency According to Wright and Wright (1994) the family is the foundation of human society. As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world we live in, said Pope John Paul II Norms, values, model of behaviour emanate from the family unit and these factors create an internalised blueprint for the childs personality, beliefs and attitudes  [12]  . Families can teach children to be aggressive, antisocial and violent (Wright and Wright 1994). Family Dysfunctioning Gorman-Smith and Tolan (1998) state that parental aggressiveness and parental conflict predict violent offending; whereas, lack of maternal affection and paternal criminality predict involvement in property crimes  [13]  . There is a strong link between delinquency and familial antisocial behaviour and family conflict. Children are more bent to violence if there is violence between relationships that they share with their family  [14]  . Amato and Sobolewski indicated associations between exposure to parental divorce and marital discord while growing and childrens psychological distress in adulthood  [15]  . Communication Communication plays a pivotal role in the functioning of family. As stated by Clark and Shields (1997) effective communication is important for optimal family functioning as it can have major implications for delinquent behaviour  [16]  . With continuous family communication in a compassionate and non-judgemental tones will make children feel understood and accepted leading to a positive self-image and higher sense of self-esteem. Parental Monitoring Monitoring becomes necessary as children moves into adolescence as the latter spend more time with peers than under the supervision of parents. Kim et al. showed that coercive parental and lack of monitoring leads directly not only to antisocial behaviours but also contributes to increase peer association which is predictive of higher levels of delinquency. However, it is also seen that when parents are too strict and maintain a harsh monitoring, adolescents are likely to 2.8.2 Peer influence Peer pressure can influence a childs behaviour just as the family can. When youths face lack of social support and response from their families and communities, they turn to their peer groups for support  [17]  . The peer group is an adolescents main source of social interaction. According to Agnew (1991) and Lamson(1993) juveniles substitute peer groups for parents when they see the latter as uncaring. Spending time with deviant peers exerts much pressure on the youth to adopt the same behaviour  [18]  . Weak bonding to conventional peers lead to association with deviant peers which results into initiation or aggravation of delinquent behaviour  [19]  . 2.8.3 Educational experiences Education is instrumental in this competitive environment, for instance, what we call the rat-race in Mauritius, to find a respectable source of income and to survive. High level of education for survive is responsible for changes in crimes and delinquency rates  [20]  . There is a well-established correlation between school failure and deviancy  [21]   Difficulty in the school environment often contributed to truancy and more serious offences  [22]  . School environment may shape a youth sense of opportunity and self-worth. In Mauritius, academic achievement is one of the principal stepping stone towards success. Socio-economic and demographic factors also impact on educational opportunities and performance  [23]  . For instance, in Mauritius educational environments are not always the same. It is apparent in underclass environment, e.g, outskirts of cities like Roche Bois where education is usually not a strong norm of behaviour. Moreover, school dropout and poor academic achievers are more likely to be involved in criminal acts. 2.8.4 Socio-economic class The gap between the rich and the poor is widening. According to Merton (1968), children from poor families do not have sufficient means to achieve status, employment, etc. hence, they turn to criminal behaviour to achieve the same things, i.e, through ways not being accepted by the society. Juvenile delinquency is influenced by the negative consequences of social and economic development. Furthermore, unemployment among youngsters can increase the likelihood of their involvement in illegal activity. 2.8.5 Trauma A grim reality in our modern world is that many young people are abused and traumatized every day. The abuse, whatever its nature, may have a long-lasting and profound effect on a youths life. Numerous studies over the past 10 years have shown a clear relationship between youth victimization and a variety of problems in later life, including mental health problems, substance abuse, impaired social relationships, suicide and delinquency.  [24]   2.9 Juvenile delinquency in Mauritius In Mauritius, delinquency includes conduct that is antisocial, dangerous, or harmful to the goals or norms of the society. The Brigade pour la protection des mineurs, a unit at the MPF, is specialized in the detection and prevention of juvenile delinquency. In 2011, around 700 juvenile offenders were involved in crime and misdemeanours, of whom 300 in assaults and 130 in thefts. About 800 juveniles were contravened for road traffic offences. 2.9.1 Juvenile offenders The juvenile delinquency rate (excluding contraventions) was 5.8 per 1,000 juvenile population in 2011 compared to 5.2 in 2010. The rate for boys (10.6) was much higher than that for girls (0.9) in 2011. In fact, juvenile delinquency rate has been rising for the past years: from 1.0 in 2000 to 5.8 per 1,000 juvenile population in 2011. According to experts in criminology, this rising trend has a direct link with the rise in the number of family issues (e.g. divorce, domestic violence, etc). Table 1.1 Juvenile offences reported, Republic of Mauritius, 2010 2011 Number 2010 2011 Juvenile offences 1,348 1,518 Juvenile offenders 1,395 1,572 Juvenile delinquency rate per 1,000 juvenile population 5.2 5.8 (Juvenile delinquency rate excludes contraventions) 2.9.2 Juveniles convictions in court (a) Around 300 convictions involved juveniles in 2011; almost three quarter of the sentences were fines. (b) A significant rise was noted in the number of convictions involving juveniles, with a fourfold increase since 2007 (from 75 in 2007 to 300 in 2011). Juvenile detainees Overview of juvenile detention Low but rising number of juveniles being sent on remand Male juvenile offenders are either admitted to Correctional Youth Centre (CYC) or Rehabilitation Youth Centre (RYC) according to the gravity of the cases and age of the offender. Those who commit serious offences are sent to CYC. However, all female juvenile/child offenders are sent to RYC as there is no CYC for female juveniles. Child/ juveniles beyond control are also sent to probation homes. The conviction rate (CYC RYC) per 100,000 juveniles was 22 in 2011 compared to 28 in 2010. Correctional Youth Centre (CYC) The CYC is under the aegis of the Mauritius Prisons Services. Male juvenile offenders aged 14 to 17 years old are admitted to CYC. (a) In 2011, the daily average population of detainees in CYC was 5 convicts and 20 remands. (b) More than three quarter of the 18 juvenile convicts admitted to CYC in 2011 had committed theft. Table 5.3 Juvenile detainees admitted to CYC, Republic of Mauritius, 2010 2011 Number Detainees 2010 2011 Convicts 24 18 Assault 1 1 Sodomy 1 1 Theft 14 14 Other offences 8 2 Remand 129 149 Total 153 167 Rehabilitational Youth Centre (RYC) The RYC is under the aegis of the Ministry of Social Security, National Solidarity and Reform Institutions. Child/ juvenile offenders aged 10 to 17 years old are admitted to RYC. (a) In 2011, the daily average population of RYC comprised 30 convicts (20 girls and 10 boys) and 10 remands (5 girls and 5 boys). (b) The number of juveniles admitted to RYC in 2011 was 161. Out of them:  · 131 were on remand and 30 were convicts,  · 23 were admitted as child/juvenile beyond control, of whom 19 were girls and 4 boys. Table 5.4 Juvenile detainees admitted to RYC, Republic of Mauritius, 2010 2011 Number Cases 2010 2011 Male Female Total Male Female Total Convicts 6 10 16 9 21 30 Sexual offences 1 0 1 2 0 2 Theft 1 1 2 1 1 2 Other cases 4 9 13 6 20 26 of which child/juvenile beyond control 4 9 13 4 19 23 Remand 48 56 104 71 60 131 Total 54 66 120 80 81 161 Probation homes/hostels Juveniles/children beyond control are also sent to probation homes/hostels under the aegis of the Probation and After-care Services. (a) In 2011, a daily average of 9 juveniles/children stayed (5 boys and 4 girls) in probation homes/ hostels (b) About 15 juveniles were admitted in probation homes in both 2010 and 2011. Other juvenile sentencing (a) Some 53 juveniles (up from 93 in 2010) were sentenced with probation orders in 2011, of whom 52 boys. (b) The number of juveniles were committed to community service work was 3 in 2011 compared to 8 in 2010.

Examples of Displacement in Literature

Examples of Displacement in Literature Place and displacement are always featured in post-colonial writings, whether its Derek Walcotts poem A far cry from Africa or powerful novels for example Heart of Darkness. This feature opens up a broader concept where post-colonial crisis of individuality comes into reality. When a novel carries elements of place and displacement, the theme of alienation is always reflected, this originates from a sense of displacement. The sense of displacement may have derived from migration, enslavement or even alterity which may be put forward by similarities or differences between different cultures. This concept was heavily reflected in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih. Both writers seem to be telling a tale about colonisation with their own interpretation of different experiences. Salihs novel revolves around the story of brilliant Mustafa Saeed, the novel indicates journey to the heart of light. Whereas, Conrads novel is a complete rever sal to Kurtzs journey to Congo and connotes a journey to heart of darkness. Both novels focus on geographical locations which have in some way shaped the individuals in the novel and perceived their emotions such of loathing and despair. It seems that both writers are searching for a true identity and avoiding the conflicts of other cultures. Their search is in the end a pointless and time wasting experience; nevertheless their experience of colonialism was all about corruption and greed. The concept of displacement is discovered by us (the readers) when Conrad instigated racism towards the Africans which was quite transparent. In contrast, Salih bravely expressed himself being misogynist, which is rather controversial in todays society-since men and women come across as being equal. The representation of the two continents in these novels is displayed in diverse ways to each other. In Conrads novel, the narrator expresses his opinion of River Thames being mournful gloom, brooding motionless. His description of England but darkness was here yesterday clearly reflects Conrads view as to how Romans once colonised England. The description gives an impression of England being wild: Here and there a military camp lost in a wilderness like a needle in a bundle of hay-cold, fog, tempests, disease, exile and death- death skulking in the air, in the water, in the bush. The metaphor is cleverly used here for camps being lost and its impossible to find them because of fog and exile. Here we discover Conrads first description of displacement from the evidence (as stated above). When Romans first arrived, England was seen as a displacement for people living there. In contrast Tayeb Salihs narrator describes Europe (where he studies) thus: I had lost for a time in a land whose fishes die of the cold. This clearly evokes a feeling of displacement he felt when he was in Europe-the feeling and emotions he got when he came back are complete reversal and it was an extraordinary moment of feeling for Europe. Later in the novel we come across the narrators feeling of alienation which evoked from displacement the trial into a conflict between two worlds, a struggle of which I was one of the victims. Here the narrator seems to be tied up between two worlds and trying to suggest that where he studied (Europe) is a different world to where he was born; his village. However, when he returns to his village, he seems to remember Europe, one possible reason could be he becomes attached to that world. This is quite evident in the novel I am from here- is not this reality enough?. I used to treasure within me the image of this little village, seeing it wherever I went with the eye of my imagination. Earlier in the novel his description of the village has drastically changed, because of the experiences that he came across in the village Over there is like here, neither better nor worse the narrator seems to come to a conclusion that world is the same theres no difference Europe is the same as his village. The concept of European being the dominant and powerful one is established in Edward Saids Orientalism (Is knowledge based idea in particular knowledgeknowlege and ideasisead of Asian cultures andnad languages.) In his book Said presents an argument argue of East being generated by western/European scholars who represent those cultures from a colonial point of view. Salih gives an impression of Africa is what Europeans make it. Which I think is a valid impression and its clearly evident in Conrads novel: They [the slaves] were dying slowly it was very clear. They were not enemies, they were not criminals, they were nothing earthly now inefficient, and were then allowed to crawl away and rest. These moribund shapes - Marlows description of African men and they are not treated humanely, thus Marlow describes them as less human. In one of his chapter he brilliantly says Orientalism was ultimately a political vision of reality whose structure promoted the difference between the familiar (Europe, West, us) and the strange (the Orient, the East, them). This is true to an extent if we base it upon both novels. When featuring the element of place and displacement in a colonial novel, it is always essential that the values of the place are considered; what effect do those values have on the character. In Heart of Darkness, Conrad mainly presents the values of Africa through the character and what view does the narrator have. In chapter one Conrad presents the narrators view of Africa They were dying slowly-it was very clearnothing but black shadows of disease and starvation (pg20). The whole passage gives an impression of African men as than human, as they the are mistreated and overworked slaves. Similar approachapproch is also seen further in the novel He was usefulthe evil spirit inside the boiler will get angrySo he sweated and fired up and watched the glass fearfully (pg 45). In this passage Conrads narrator, Marlow still doesnt consider them equally and compares them with animals a dog in a parody. The reason being for this is the man had no knowledgeknowlege of machinerymachinary bec ause for them its something new, thus they are dependent on thethr white men to train them. The white man took takes advantage of their lack of capacitycapcity and scares him by referringreferrring to the evil spirit. Not only the narrator in The Heart of Darkness doesnt respect the values of Africa nor the natives living there, the character of Kurtz, who is portrayed as a powerful, corrupt man, takes full advantage of these less capable men and treats them as slaves. Kurtz doesnt respect the Africans and treats them like childrenchidren who needs correction or help with anything He began with the argument that we whites, from the point of development we had arrived atBy simple exercise of our will we can exert a power for good (pg 61). Kurtz got the idea that before he went to Africa, the natives were living as uncivilised people which was then corruptedcorrpted by Kurtzs mission. On another surface level Kurtz, this wrotewuote also gives an impression of him believes that white men can revolutionisedrevolutioned Africa and bring goodness to the country as well as making African men more capable. Thus the Africans will see the white men as Gods showing them the path, which they will follow. Conrad seems to dismissdimiss the values of Africa and thus portrays the role of white men ruling over Africans at the time of when the novel was written. Africans were treated as slaves by the Europeans and white race at the time of slavery and the periodperoid of slavery was started long ago, during the 15th century. Throughout the novel Conrad refers to the natives as Savages, which shows his brutality towards them. This approachapproch was very evident in the novel when he refers to the Africans as Well if a lot of mysterious niggers armed with all kinds of fearful weapons (pg 23), another example unless the body of a middle-aged negro, with a bullet-hole. (pg 24) Both these quotes are very harsh and suggest that Conrad is being very racist towards the Africans. At the time, native Africansafricans were used to hearing such insulting names and because they werent treated equally as white men, this made them more weaker and less capable to stand for their self. Furthermorethemsel ves. Furtehrmore, the audience wouldnt find this racist besides England would expect something far more racism than this, as they ruled over them for hundredshunderds of years. This issue was consideredcondidered by many African Professors and one of the most effective approachesapproch to Conrads racism was seen by Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist and professor of African Literature. Achebe called Joseph Conrad a bloody racist (Knowles Moore 299), which he moderated in later printed versions to a thoroughgoing racist (Image 257). His view is contradictory, as some would agree with him. Simply because Conrad was very direct when he was referring to the Africans with the racist word, from the point of view of Africans he would definitelydefinately be classed as a racist. Achebe also said in his lecture that Marlow represents Africans as a part of the wilder- ness. He reduces them to fragmented body parts, limbs or rolling eyes (254). On the other hand, Marlow finds that an African who does something more than materializematerialise out of the evil jungle to scare him resembles a dog in a parody of breeches (Heart 38; Image 254). To an extent his argumentsar ugemts are clearly valid ones, the image of Africans portrayedportaryed by Conrad is very brutal and showssowss the narrators hostilityhostality towards Africans. On the other hand, from the point of view of Europeans Conrad would bebeen seen as racist. They would argue argure that Conrad only portrayed the events that occurredoccured during the time and at that time people wouldnt consider this as racism. However, from a point of view of 21st century generation, this would be considered as racism, such deference is more serious and sensitive;, people would be more careful and consider the affect of the word before saying it. In Salihs novel, Season of Migration to the North deals withiwth the values and culture of Sudan and how the narratornarrotor and other characterschracters develop their connection with the country they were born in. In the novel, Salih presents the NorthernNothern and Southern Sudan as very different to each other. The Northern Sudan is modernizedmordernised, in that theretheere are many facilities such afacelities sucha s hospitals, schools and other modern infrastructures. Thismordern indrsstructures. Which is contrasted with the narrators village in SouthernSouthewrn Sudan, where theres hardly a school for children. This conflict of Sudan is reflectedrefelcted in the novel by TayebTayed Salih and the novel givens an impression of traditional tradional Sudanese values being replaced by materialistic things and technology. Furthermore, in 1956 Sudan gained its independence and tension was on its peak between the north and the south due to differencesdiffernces in religion and ethnicity. In 1983, the war brakes out againagin between the Muslim north and Christian south. Now the Southern SudaneseSudanease have gained their independence and are allowed to choose between unity and secession. The second narrator, Mustafa Saeed like the first narrator feels alienatedaliented when hes in Europe to complete his study and I, over and above everything else, am a colonizer, I am the intruder whose fate must be decided (pg 94) like the narrator, Mustafa Saeeds comment evokes a feeling of displacement. This raises an argument that is Europe a hostile place for anyone like the narrator and Mustafa Saeed or whether its just your personal experience. ReferringReferrring to the values Sudan, Salih clearly reflectsreflets these values and tradition through the characters. Mustafa SaeedsSaeeds wife Hosna portraysportays the character of typical loyal wife, who keeps the tradition of a Muslimmuslim wife After Mustafa Saeed, she answered with a decisiveness that astonished me, I shall go to no man . Her character is completelycompletly opposite to Jean Morris, to whom Mustafa Saeed married and then killed her. Her character reflectsreflecst the values and culture of England or what he sees in her I was pleased she laughed so freely. Such a woman- there are many of her types in Europe- knows no fear; they accept life with gaiety and curiosity. And I am a thirsty desert, a wilderness of southernsourthern desires. This statement stereotypes the women and the way they approach men and Mustafa Saeed gives an impression of women being objectsojects in his eyes. Thus he compares himself to a prey, on a look out for any women. Furthermore, h es suggesting that he comes from a place which wild and full of desires and in this case his desires are sexual ones. These two women are complete reversal to each other, one is loyal portraysportays the value of Sudan and other portrays the careless European woman. The values of Europe are very differentdiffernt to Sudan, however it doesnt seem to be affecting Mustafa Saeed and yet he goes further with his desires. Frantz Fanons Black skin White masks is about the search of true identity, race and skin color.colour. There is a fact: White men consider themselves superior to black men. There is another fact: Black men want to prove to white men, at all costs, the richness of their thought, the equal value of their intellect. In his book he presents his personal experience and comments on other theories of psychologists.psychiologists. Fanon presented the idea that a person is criticizedcritised because of their native culture, they then become victims of inferiority complex, when they are put in the middle of a superior culture. Thus he believesbelievs that black men have to adopt white masks in order to become part of the superior culture. According to him, the best way to achieve this is to speak the language of that culture and by speaking the language, you need to understand the values and adopt the culture.cultre. So did Mustafa Saeed put on a white mask? To an extent, its its clearly evide nt from his desires which are not the values of Sudan. It seems that Mustafa Saeed valued the white culture so much above his original culture. However, this is arguable, as he might be trying to become part of what he believesbeleives a superior culture; thus he adopts its its language as well as culture. Next point: Marlow similarly adopts the culture of Africa or Kurtzs. Like Kurtz at the end he becomes corrupted and lies. Structure, language, form used in HOD and SOM to create effect Critical conclusion on both novels/or any parallelsparalells

The Story of Poseidon Essay -- History Greek Gods Mythology Essays

The Story of Poseidon (Roman - Neptune) Poseidon was the ruler of the sea, and a powerful god in Greek mythology who was often called the "Earth-shaker." His father was the Titan Cronus, who at the time was ruler of the Universe, and his mother was Rhea. Cronus was a paranoid ruler, because it had been prophesized that one of his own sons would dethrone him, just as Cronus had done to his father, Uranus. Thus, Cronus would swallow the children whom Rhea bore him. He figured that it was the safest way to ensure that none of his offspring overthrew him. One by one, the children were swallowed by Cronus: first Hestia, then Demeter, Hera, Hades and Poseidon. (Some mythographers claim that Rhea tricked Cronus by presenting a foal instead of the baby Poseidon for consumption, but most agree that Poseidon had been swallowed like the rest of his siblings.) Needless to say, this constant swallowing of her children enraged Rhea. She bore her third son, Zeus, in the middle of the night and gave him for safekeeping to Gaea (Mother Earth). She fooled Cronus into believing he had swallowed his new son by substituting a rock wrapped in baby blankets. When Zeus grew up, and with the help of Gaea and his mother Rhea, he slipped Cronus a potion that made the Titan disgorge the swallowed children. Being gods, they were unharmed, albeit a tad dazed and confused. With Zeus serving as their leader, Poseidon, Hades, Hestia, Demeter and Hera waged war against the Titans for supremacy of the Universe. Assisted by the Cyclops (they gave Zeus his thunderbolts, Poseidon his trident and Hades his helmet of invisibility) and the Hecatoncheires (the Hundred-handed-ones), the siblings fought a terrible war that lasted ten years. In the end they were victorious, banishing their vanquished foes to the deepest depths of the Underworld, called Tartarus. This dark and woeful place is as far beneath the earth as heaven is above the earth. Around Tartarus runs a fence of bronze with gates of bronze, which Poseidon fixed in such as way as to offer no escape, and there the Titans were forever confined. After Zeus, with his brothers and sisters, defeated the Titans and dethroned Cronus, the three brothers drew lots out of a helmet to determine which one of the three realms each would rule. Zeus won the heavens and thus became the supreme ruler, Hades got the Underworld and Poseid... ...rms began, but when he drove in his golden chariot over the water, the storms subsided and tranquil peace followed his wheels. Neptune and his Horses By E. K. Birce, 1880 Ancient sailors and warriors would pray and offer tributes to the great Poseidon prior to undertaking a sea journey. In turn, Poseidon could be cruel and hostile to those who displeased him, such as the hero of the Trojan War, Odysseus, who suffered great tribulations at the hands of Poseidon while embarked on his Odyssey back home. Both the bull and the horse are associated with Poseidon, but the bull is associated with many other gods as well, so the horse can be considered his animal. He was always depicted carrying, or using, his distinguishing weapon, the trident, a three-pronged spear which he used to shatter and shake anything he pleased, much like his brother Zeus used his thunderbolts. That's why he was commonly referred to as the "Earth Shaker". The trident, his symbol, was the gift of the Cyclopes, who had fought with the Olympians versus the Titans. He was always accompanied by his son, Triton, who was half man, half fish. Triton would blow on his seashell to announce Poseidon's arrival.

The Social Dynamics of the Weight Room Essay -- Personal Narrative Wei

The Social Dynamics of the Weight Room Missing Works Cited As I walk down the streets of Hollywood, I can’t help but notice all the billboards advertising numerous products. The symbols of these products are beautiful young people with rock hard, chizzled bodies. It is interesting to note what defines a female as beautiful and a male as beautiful. The females seem to look extremely thin with tight arms, stomachs and buttocks’. These models for â€Å"Levi’s† or â€Å"Banana Republic† don’t have all the curves, but look feminine in a rather boyish manner. When viewing males on these billboards, you will notice that they are often times cut, trim, and more curvy than the female. They commonly shave their bodies for companies like â€Å"J-Crew† and â€Å"Abercrombie and Fitch†. We can see that there may be a possibility of gender crossings (males looking more feminine and females looking more masculine). These images represent beauty and are seen as cultural icons of appearance in o ur culture. The media seems to determine and drive the social stigma of society. Looking for the effects of these icons in our culture, I decided that it would be beneficial to explore the source of the image building†¦a fitness gym. Weight lifting has many connotations for social interaction. The purpose of this ethnography is to discover possible explanations to lifting weights, how lifting weights personifies masculine and feminine gender roles, to understand the social interactions within the weight room, and to investigate how much the media plays into the development of the masculine and feminine image. The weight room is a culture in its own that represents the masculine and feminine image of our culture. When I first entered the â€Å"Muscle Madness ... ...is not heterosexual at all, but homosexual: not only is she ‘unnatural,’ but the female boldybuilder possesses the power to invert normal male sexuality. Since Bev Francis [female bodybuilder] looks and moves ‘like a man,’ homophobic patriarchal ideology whispers that men who find her attractive must be gay, and, further, that women who find her attractive must be lesbians. Bev’s muscles, dress, heavy facial features, and ‘unfemine’ body language evoke the stereotype of what a lesbian looks like: the butch, the lesbaian who is immediately recognizable as such, visibly different†¦.gay men are assumed to be wimps who worship ‘he-men,’ while lesbians are assumed to be women who are ‘he men’ or women who worship ‘he/she men’. †¦sexuality is surreptitiously linked with sex and gender in such a way as to support heterosexual and patriarchal ideologies. (Holmund, 150-51)

Manipulative Kate of All My Sons by Arthur Miller Essay examples -- A

Manipulative Kate of All My Sons by Arthur Miller All My Sons is a play about the trials and tribulations of the normal everyday suburbia. The play brings out the reality that not everything is perfect. Holes are created by the fight between good and evil. In this play the evil is the act of lying, and the good is the innocence of ignorance. The play starts with an everyday business man given the age-old fight of man versus himself. He had to decide whether or not to ship defective parts. On the one side if he did not, he would lose his business and his life as he knew it. On the other hand, he could send parts that could kill innocent others. Evil came out of him and he lied and shipped the defective parts. Later on twenty one soldiers died from this, and his business was put on the spot. He lied yet again and had his partner take the blame to spend years in prison. Joe was found not guilty by the court of law and only a few knew of the real happenings. One of those few was his wife, Kate. She was one of the good, innocent few unti l she began to lie to everyone, keeping in her husbands secret. Problems arose when her one son never returned from war. She did not want to assume he was dead; she was only lying to herself. Over time, Kate started to change; she never acknowledged the truth and kept trying to live her own little lie. A sinister outlook started to set in. Certain danger was imminent as Kate’s presence leached into the people of the formerly peaceful suburban t...

Dialectics in Oryx and Crake Essay

Canadian author Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake, is about an anti-utopian society that chronicles the collapse of civilization and corrupt medical practice. The town’s morals are highly questionable, in that the majority of the citizens approve of gene splicing, transgenic animals, like mixing a dog’s genetic code with a wolf, and transplanting animal organs in human beings. The book poses a question of what is truly ethical in medical practice? This story has an immediate correlation to the island of Dr.  Moreau, by H. G. Wells, in which a mad scientist creates a dysfunctional society of genetically spliced transgenic animals as well. Like The Island of Dr. Moreau, Margaret Atwood relies on dialectical elements. Dialectic is a classical philosophy originated by the Greeks that depended on the furthering of society through thesis and antithesis. In modern day it has developed between most scholastics as a fine art of persuasion. It is ever present in Oryx and Crake through the dialectics produced through Crake’s insanity. His main dialectical argument is that society has become morally bankrupt and is due for a change and Crake claims intellectual right over all of man kind. His views are presented as deliriously radical, but there is irony in the fact that the University that Crake attends is named Asperger’s U. A term used to describe people who are usually extremely intelligent and often very eccentric, it be could argued that Atwood hints to imply Crake may be the correct one after all, and that the rest of society is wrong. This virtually tyrannical takeover of both the world and the lives of Oryx and Snowman are done entirely through aggressive persuasion. In the formation of Crake, Atwood creates an insanely ranting lunatic, with whom in the end the reader has no choice but to sympathize. The dialectic argument that is posed here is that the dye is cast. Atwood, acknowledges that our society’s morals tread a fine line from damnation, and she writes a novel that puts us one step over that line. The reader has no choice but to sympathize with Crakes’ actions because he is a product of an unbearable world, not too distant from our own. The novel itself, poses a persuasive argument to the reader, in that all of the occurrences in the plot are rationally plausible. There are scenes in the novel where the two men, Crake and Snowman, are attending college together and enjoying their favorite pastimes. These hobbies include, watching nudie news, live executions, and child pornography. In the beginning moments of the lives of the two main characters, the reader views a demoralized world, in which it appears even the plot’s hero is desensitized to the plight of his society. The ironic and reasonable argument posed is that all of these things they are doing, we can do today in our society. At the same time, child pornography, nude news, and live executions online are all either frowned upon and remotely new to our society. Atwood presents the enjoyment of these practices like they are common occurrences. The same goes for gene splicing. It is widely debated as an immoral and illegal act, but it is reasonable enough to think that with the passing of time eventually a law can be passed to legalize both gene splicing and child pornography. This would inadvertently make the use and distribution of these practice more heavily abundant in society and change the moral makeup of the people as a whole. A third persuasive argument the novel poses, and this is more from a perspective of female empowerment, is the idea of polyandry. It is historically a man’s fantasy and an empowering element for the man, while degrading to the woman, for a man to have two wives. Atwood poses the exact opposing scenario in this novel. On one end the idea of polyandry is implied through the relationships both Snowman and Crake have with Oryx. It is directly inferred to in that the Crakers only breed when they are polyandrous. This like most of the novel is a play on societal norms. Underlying in the dialectic argument of the novel are societal implications. For example, by Atwood calling Crakes’ creations the Crakers, she creates an implied connection on words to the Quakers, who are known for starting their own Christian new world. Crake also embodies the values of real time corporations, in that he creates a medical demand for his products through unleashing a virus. His behavior can only be expected by his inherent capabilities and by him being the product of a moral-less society. Atwood’s novel is also fueled by human nature, the horrific experiences the characters go through and their apathetic reactions actually seem believable because they are so human. An example of this is shown in the scene where Crake has just destroyed society as we know it and snowman watches the devastation on the internet, The whole thing seemed like a movie†¦The worst of it was that those people out there – the fear, the suffering, the wholesale death – did not really touch him (Atwood, 2004). It is ironic that Atwood makes a reference to the end of society being like a movie; this exposes snowman’s adolescent and distant nature, as well as makes him appear more human. This also connects back to the live executions witnessed online earlier in the novel. These are examples of Atwood using real time human tendencies to show her characters’ disenfranchisement from society. The actions following this scene consist of snowman leading the Crakers out into the new world in which they find glow-in-the-dark bunnies running rampant. This is another societal implication in that this was the actual result of transgenic Dr. Eduardo Kac, who spliced rabbit and jellyfish DNA in the year 2000. In sum, the dialectic philosophy is present in Margaret Atwood’s novel, Oryx and Crake in that it poses multiple arguments. It supports these arguments through real-time societal implications, believable characters, and a radical thesis carried out by Crake. Atwood’s literary genius is revealed in the fact that, all three of these elements draw sympathy from the reader, and in effect persuade the reader to believe the rationale behind the destruction of their own society.