Political Corruption Essay

Greetings and good morning to all of you. My speech today will address the topic on corruption and mainly the corrupted political system of India. After many years of ceaseless struggle for freedom, India gained it’s independence in the year 1947 at the cost of some brave and noble lives whom we still remember and pay our tributes to on the memorable days of India’s fight to freedom. Our dignified leaders with a team of members over a series of studies and meetings drafted, the Indian Constitution, in which every citizen has an equal standing before the law and this came into effect on January 26th 1950. After having come so far where does India stand today with relevance to equality for citizens. Everything in this era revolves around the decisions made by powerful people in society, particularly politicians resorting to misuse power for their personal gain and today’s India does not reflect the same spirit of our faithful leaders. The influence of money has crept into our society and corruption has become so common a thing that people have come in terms with this social evil. Be it politics, sports, media, or court, anything seems to be achievable in India if you have fame and money while the less privileged experience the hard hand of law thus depriving citizens of their rights to equality. This kind of fraudulency over a period of time thwarts a person’s morals and ethics, consequently leading to the nation’s intolerance against its leaders and outbursts of mass protests dragging a nation to agitation, confusion, social disorder and on top of these, innocent lives being sacrificed for the wrong deeds of a despotic leader. As we all know Egypt and other countries like Libya and Yemen had witnessed this kind of tumultuous protests and as we all know gruesome fights against the corrupted government are still ongoing in Syria. It’s time that the citizens of India wake up and join hands with anti-corruption crusaders like the 72 year old Gandhian, Anna Hazare, an Indian social activist who led movements to promote rural development, increase government transparency, and investigate and punish official corruption and he pressed to pass the ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’. This is a bill that aims to change the way India tackles corruption. We should be determined not to allow corruption cripple our resourceful nation and tamper the economic growth of our country anymore. We children who are India’s future need to strongly value the good morals taught in homes and schools and strongly abide by them and fight towards a clean system and strive in every small way to bring about a change in this social evil. It is not an easy road and we as individuals can participate in this struggle by beginning to say NO to bribes. Dear friends, finally let me encourage you all to live by our motto â€Å"Lead kindly light† and radiate the values of life by our education and who knows we could probably be the future bearers of these offices that will pave way to be an exemplar of an ideal leader.

From Practical Knowledge To Practical Theory Education Essay

Several developments and worldwide alterations have begun to transform the nature of the workplaces and occupations in which they are performed ( Nankervis, Compton & A ; Baird 2005 ; Seel 2002 ) . These developments include the influences of globalisation and technological developments every bit good as political, economical, and societal alterations that are associated with the amendments of the new industrial systems and competitory markets or what is called ‘Postmodernity ‘ ( Stoll, Fink & A ; Earl 2003 ; Hargreaves 1994 ) . Postmodernity is defined as â€Å" a societal status in which economic, political, organisational, and even personal life comes to be organized around really different rules than those of modernness † ( Hargreaves 1994, p. 9 ) . It is characterized by the demand of flexibleness and reactivity as reflected in decentralised decision-making, level organisational constructions, dynamic webs of collaborative reactivity, and increased personal au thorization. In instruction, teacher ‘s engagement in the alteration procedure is considered critical, particularly if the alteration is complex and affects assorted educational scenes over a long period of clip ( Hargreaves 1994 ) . Teacher ‘s engagement is to be meaningful and productive when instructors get more than new cognition of teaching method and course of study. Teachers are non merely proficient scholars ; they are societal scholars who play an of import function in society and for society ( Beare 2001 ; Middleton & A ; Hill 1996 ) . Schooling in the station modern age trades with personal formation, belief building, developing a universe position, civilization transmittal, and geting the utile cognition and enabling accomplishments ( Beare 2001 ) . Teaching is considered a complex undertaking that involves garnering out a set of specific activities, patterns, and resources in footings of several educational intents ( Sanders & A ; McCutcheon 1986 ) . Furthermore, Sanders and McCutcheon argue that successful instructors should form these multiple factors so that they are effectual in cultivating the acquisition of a peculiar group of students. The cognition which is considered utile for instructors in transporting out this undertaking is practical information organized in the signifier of repertory, thoughts, and schemes that are effectual for them in a specific scene. In the last 2 decennaries, research on instruction has progressively focused on the knowledges that underlie instructors ‘ schoolroom patterns, instead than on their behaviours ( Van Driel, Verloop & A ; De Vos 1998 ) . This alteration in focal point was reinforced by developments in cognitive psychological science. These developments were based on the cardinal premise that instructors ‘ knowledges and actions influence each other, and, similarly, those instructors ‘ knowledges and their schoolroom behaviours reciprocally affect each other. These knowledges are referred to instructors ‘ practical cognition that underlies instructors ‘ actions. The term practical cognition is drawn from Fenstermacher, who described it as the cognition of instructors ( Husu 1999 ) . Fenstermacher distinguished this type of cognition from formal cognition, which he described as cognition for instructors. Practical cognition is the cognition that instructors generate as a co nsequence of their experiences as instructors and their contemplations on these experiences. This cognition is anchored in schoolroom state of affairss ; it includes all the practical quandary that instructors encounter in transporting out purposeful actions ( Munby, Russell & A ; Martin 2001 ) . Teacher ‘s Practical KnowledgePersonal cognition is related to the experiences and thoughts that a individual draws upon in order to learn and germinate as a instructor, it relates to adult male ‘s action and behaviour ( Back 2002 ) . Beliefs, values, attitudes, prejudices, and temperament are footings that relate to this personal cognition. Connelly, Clandinin and He ( 1997 ) refer this pre-articulated sense of instruction as personal practical cognition. For personal cognition to develop, instructors need clip and infinite to reflect on past practical experiences that inform their positions on learning. Nevertheless, instruction is a dynamic procedure that is constructed and continuously re-constructed, as instructors frame new experiences into their personal practical cognition on instruction. Practical cognition is at the centre of a instructor ‘s professional pattern ( Munby, Russsell & A ; Martin 2001 ) . There are four features of practical cognition. First, practical cognition is clip edge. Second, practical cognition is state of affairs specific and does non interpret easy to other, even in similar fortunes. Third, practical cognition is personally compelling. While information acquired in a professional development seminar might be interesting, it will non do the instructor to change pattern unless the particular job addressed is one that instructor is presently confronting in the schoolroom. Finally, practical cognition is directed toward action. The information is acquired ‘in usage ‘ with the professional giving significance to the new information even as he/she is make up one's minding the following action to take ( Schon 1987 ) . From a reappraisal of surveies on instructors ‘ practical cognition, the undermentioned features are identified: Practical cognition is personal ; each instructor ‘s practical cognition is to some extent unique, it is defined and adapted to the schoolroom state of affairs, it is based on ( contemplation on ) experience. Practical cognition originates in, and develops through, experiences in instruction, it guides instructors ‘ pattern, and it is connected with the topic that is taught ( Munby, Russsell & A ; Martin 2001 ; Schon 1987 ; Connelly, Clandinin & A ; He 1997 ; Driel, Verloop & A ; De Vos 1998 ) Practical Knowledge as TheoryMarland ( 1998 ) argues that practical cognition serves some of the maps of theory. He asserts that practical cognition provides a footing for instructors to depict and explicate what they do in schoolrooms and why. Practical cognition aid instructors to foretell how pupils might respond, to make up one's mind what is the best response to their reaction, and to bring forth effectual and feasible instruction programs and modify them when necessary or possible. Marland adds that practical cognition serves three standard maps of theory: description, account, and anticipation. Practical theories as Drum sanders and McCutcheon ( 1986 ) point out are markedly different from scientific theories. They lack the conceptual preciseness and generalizability of scientific theories, they have non been formulated in footings of a formal linguistic communication, so, can non be subjected to the same strict logical trials as scientific theories. Practical theories are the conceptual constructions and visions that provide instructors with justification for actions and for learning activities they choose in order to be effectual. They are considered the rules that guide instructors ‘ grasps, determinations, and actions. Teachers Practical TheoriesMarland ( 1998 ) argues that practical theories of instructors are impressions about how to learn. These impressions have been crafted by instructors from their ain experiences of learning for the intent of set uping their peculiar work scenes. Practical theories are hence individualized and context-specific. They are inexplicit in beginning and derived from the experience of learning. Drum sanders and McCutcheon ( 1986 ) specify practical theories as â€Å" the conceptual constructions and visions that provide instructors with grounds for moving as they do, and for taking the instruction activities and course of study stuffs they choose in order to be effectual † ( p. 54 ) . Practical theories are considered of import and of value for instructors because they offer their holders guidelines as to what be most effectual in a peculiar educational context. They are prized by instructors who see them as dependable and best ways to continue. For this ground, practical theories could be sometimes immune to alter ( Marland 1998 ) . Fenstermacher ( cited in Husu 1999 ) asserts that justification can take topographic point when logical thinking may demo that action is sensible thing to make, an obvious thing to make, and the lone thing to make under the fortunes. Each one of these is considered a part to the justification of a regulation of pattern. The regulations are justified because they have proven their worth and have hence been approved. Teachers think, both explicitly and implicitly, that their regulations of pattern work. This is why instructors act consequently. They believe that there is a connexion between the regulations of pattern and their intended results ( Husu 1999 ) . Practical theories draw on and incorporate cognition from assorted spheres of practical cognition, such as, cognition of ego, cognition of pupils, cognition direction, cognition of course of study, and cognition of context ( Elbaz 1983, cited in Reading Module 2 ) . Practical theories are considered critical to the success of learning because educational jobs encountered by instructors are normally practical jobs ( Sanders & A ; McCutcheon 1986 ) . These jobs can non be solved by merely detecting or contriving new cognition or solution. Drum sanders and McCutcheon ( 1986 ) assert that in order to be effectual in work outing educational jobs, solutions must be put in action to suit in the peculiar fortunes of a specific educational scene. It is of import to detect here that practical theories are non ever consciously held, despite that instructors may frequently explain them. Sometimes, instructors may still move if they are non witting of the grounds for their actions. In this state of affairs, instructors ‘ actions themselves may be the lone manifestation of what Argyris called their ‘theories-in-use ‘ , which are realized by instructors through contemplation on their pattern ( Sanders & A ; McCutcheon 1986 ) . Teachers in sch oolrooms use more than one theory, some theories could be known to them and some could be non. Whether or non instructors are witting of their theories of action, all what they enact during their Sessionss is rational in the sense that it is intended to carry through some intent and to bring forth a coveted effect ( Marland & A ; Osborne 1990 ) . Every instruction pattern used by instructors is employed rationally because instructors are engaged in knowing and purposive action to make conditions suited and facilitate acquisition ( Sanders & A ; McCutcheon 1986 ) . Teachers hold thoughts about what is of import to accomplish and what specific patterns they may utilize to learn in a peculiar state of affairs. All these thoughts as Sanders & A ; McCutcheon assert might be incorporated into a individual practical theory of learning in the instructor ‘s head, but more frequently, theories are used together in sets. These theories are developed by instructors over their whole calling by reflecting on what they know of the purposes of instruction, through duologue with, and observation of, other instructors, and by informally detecting their pupils as they talk, write, act, respond, speak, and engage in other activities throughout the twenty-four hours. Schon ( 1987 ) argues that the capacity to develop these meta-structures of cognition can be developed through brooding pattern. Brooding pattern requires that professionals engage in a duologue with themselves and their environments in which they review the jobs that are portion of their day-to-day pattern. The professional, confronted with a surprise job, uses intuition and stored cognition to try solutions, with each effort going progressively closer to an appropriate solution. Throughout this procedure, the professional is forced to oppugn premises about the cognition base, doing a restructuring of schemes of action and apprehensions of the phenomena that occurred. Once the solution is reached, each episode of â€Å" reflecting in action † , causes the professional to change pattern behaviour by adding new information to the shop of professional cognition. This increases the organic structure of adept cognition and makes it less differentiated, leting the professional to r eassign cognition across practical state of affairss. Much of the acquisition that is acquired by instructors in the action context is mostly self-validating and self-confirming. Learning basically occurs in fortunes of hot action where determinations must be made rapidly and instinctively, chances to reflect and do significance of the experience are limited. The significance taken from these experiences tend to be self-validating and self-confirming. Components of Practical TheoriesLiterature on instructors ‘ practical theories depicts most of the constituents of these theories. However, practical theory does non merely consist of constituents but of links among, or inter-relationships among, the constituents. These links or relationships among constituents give the theory its construction or form and find how good it fulfils its map. Footings that are normally appear in the literature in histories of instructors ‘ practical theories are as follows: instructors ‘ values, beliefs, rules, regulations, ends, tactics and schemes, normal desirable provinces and pupil provinces, cues, properties, contextual variables, images, metaphors, and pedagogical content cognition ( Marland 1998, 2007 ; Connelly & A ; Clandinin 1988 ; Marland & A ; Osborne 1990 ; Connelly, Clandinin & A ; He 1997 ) . Marland ( 1998 ) argues that instructors are keenly cognizant of how one constituent influences others. Teachers offer accounts for why they adopt different schemes with different categories at the same twelvemonth degree, why they spend more clip with some groups than with others, how their beliefs about pupil larning affect their pick of rules of instructor behaviour and instruction schemes, and how they use the pupil cues to place that provinces of head of pupils. Marland adds that the constituents of practical theories are non isolated, independent, and free-floating units ; they are linked together in a quite important manner. The constituents within a practical theory must complement and back up each other because a practical theory is a program for action. It is directed at accomplishing some ends. In other words, all constituents in a specific lesson program need to work good together in order for the ends of the lesson to be achieved. It is the links between constituents tha t give coherency and integrity of intent to a practical theory ( Marland 2007 ) . The linkages among constituents of a theory are like linkages among words in a sentence. To ease their communicating with each other, the words have to be presented in a peculiar sequence. This careful sequencing of words would give the set of words a significance. In a similar manner, learning becomes meaningful when instructors can do mention to the interactions among the assorted constituents of their theories ( Reading Module 3 ) . Teachers ‘ RulesRules are the clear statements used by instructors in schoolrooms to bespeak to pupils what represents appropriate behavior or action ( Marland 2007 ) . Elbaz uses the term, ‘rule of pattern ‘ and defines it as â€Å" a brief, clearly formulated statement of what to make or how to make in a peculiar state of affairs often encountered in pattern † ( Elbaz, cited in Connelly & A ; Clandinin 1988, p. 63 ) . Classroom regulations are normally used by instructors to set up forms of behaviour that facilitate a societal order and productive working scenes, guarantee effectual usage of clip, and facilitate bend taking in treatment and purposeful motion by pupils ( Marland 2007 ) . Rules may hold two signifiers, they could be brief statements or drawn-out description of pattern from which a figure of related regulations may be inferred ( Connelly & A ; Clandinin 1988 ) . For illustration, when the instructor provinces at the beginning of twelvemonth to the pupils that he/she will listen really carefully to them, promote them to rephrase, and let them to show their feelings, sentiments, and concerns without judging them. This statement expresses a figure of regulations, such as, listen carefully, encourage pupils to rephrase, let express of feelings, do non judge. All these regulations taken together will organize an attack of communicating in the schoolroom that can be expressed in the statement of a rule. They are called as regulations because they make mention to what and how of the state of affairs with the intent being taken for granted ( Connelly & A ; Clandinin 1988 ) . Rules may be suggested by the instructor or formulated jointly by the instructor and p upils. Seeking pupils input in the preparation of regulations will make a democratic ambiance in the schoolroom and will promote pupils engagement, which increases pupils understanding and committedness. Husu ( 1999 ) argues that regulations are normally justified by instructors because they have proven their worth and have hence been approved. Teachers think implicitly and explicitly that the regulations of pattern used in classrooms work efficaciously. And because they work, instructors act consequently. This type of concluding would warrant a connexion between the regulations of pattern and their intended results in schoolrooms. They are justified because they have met the criterions of the smooth practical action held by the instructor. Rules of pattern are socially constructed ; they emerge from old ages of experience in school scenes. It is a manner instructors found to be effectual in work outing debatable state of affairss. They set a strong organisational power to frequently helter-skelter patterns in the schoolroom. Teachers ‘ MetaphorsMarland ( 2007 ) argues that instructors sometimes refer to learning as mothering, coaching, or horticulture, each one of these descriptions draws attending to some similarities between learning and other activities. This pulling attending to similarities between two things is what a metaphor does. Analysis of these metaphors about learning reveals much about the ways instructors think about learning and how they conceptualize of import facets of their work and how they believe schoolrooms map best. Teacher ‘s behaviour in schoolrooms is normally consistent with the metaphors used in their negotiations about learning. For this ground, metaphors used by instructors are considered as supplying valuable penetrations into their practical theories. Metaphor is a constituent of personal practical cognition. It can be identified when listening to the instructor ‘s address ( Connelly & A ; Clandinin 1988 ) . It gives inventive look to this cognition that makes it possible for a individual to research concealed rational avenues contained in a metaphor ‘s frame ( Connelly, Clandinin & A ; He 1997 ) . A individual metaphor can be used to depict how instructors view their work in the schoolroom. It can be used to convey cardinal facets of the instructor ‘s position of instruction and acquisition ( Korthagen & A ; Lagerwerf 2001 ) , covering such constituents as ends, tactics, schemes, values, and pupil provinces. Deductions of Teachers ‘ Practical TheoriesMarland ( 1998 ) argues that a successful alteration in the instruction perspectives requires developing a committedness to follow new values and beliefs. This hard and time-consuming activity is considered critical because values and beliefs are cardinal to instructors ‘ impressions about learning. Valuess and beliefs are considered the cardinal constituents of the moral models that instructors hold, which besides influence their decision-making about learning. This moral model motivates and gives purpose and way to believing about learning. Teacher pedagogues that intend to do the displacement need to value practical cognition about learning that pupil instructors develop within their classs. They besides need to value the procedures such as those built-in in critical thought and contemplation that contribute to the acquisition and alteration of practical cognition and theories. Accepting these values would do instructors pedag ogues review their beliefs about pupil instructors, how they learn to learn, the function of the instructor pedagogue, and the nature of cognition. Alliance with the position that instruction is shaped by the practical theories of instructors requires that teacher instruction aid pupil instructors to develop practical theories that are personally meaningful and relevant to the contexts in which they pattern. This end emphasizes the importance of valuing personal liberty, critical thought, and diverseness of learning manners. This end besides requires careful attending to the schemes used in teacher instruction to guarantee that they are effectual in advancing personal and context-specific practical theories to the pre-service instructors. The schemes selected should be influenced by the nature of the topic for which the instructor pedagogue has duty. Besides make up one's minding the appropriate schemes, pedagogues should seek to bring on through their classs the provinces of pupils in order to ease end attainment. Students need to be inquiry-oriented and self-evaluative, to take enterprises and to be originative, and to demo readiness to be brooding and unfastened to other possibilities in order to construct their ain practical theories. Furthermore, pedagogues here play an of import function in easing pupils ‘ provinces by honoring enterprise, commending soul-searching, back uping flexibleness and bring forthing options, constructing self-pride of pupils, and promote hazard taking. It is imperative for instructor pedagogues to reflect on the rules which they build into their actions to guarantee that they reflect the values, beliefs, schemes, and pupil provinces that facilitate pupil teacher theory-building. Teacher pedagogues need to guarantee that they know plenty about the pupil instructors they are working with in ord er to be able to polish other characteristics of their practical theories, such as schemes, rules, pupil provinces and ends, and to personalise these in the involvements of maximising benefits for pupil instructors ( Marland 1998 ) . DecisionThis paper presented an overview of instructors ‘ practical theories. Practical theories are considered critical to the success of learning because educational jobs encountered by instructors are normally practical jobs ( Sanders & A ; McCutcheon 1986 ) . Practical theories are impressions about how to learn, these impressions have been crafted by instructors from their ain experiences of learning for set uping their peculiar work scenes. Practical theory does non merely consist of constituents but of links among, or inter-relationships among, the constituents. These links or relationships among constituents give the theory its construction or form and find how good it fulfils its map. They serve as the background to much of the instructors ‘ decision-making and action, and therefore represent what has been termed the civilization of instruction. MentionsBack, S 2002, ‘The Aristotelean challenge to teacher instruction ‘ , History of Intellectual Culture, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 1-5. Beare, H 2001, Making the future school, Routledge Falmer, London. Connelly, FM & A ; Clandinin, DJ & A ; He, Ming Fang 1997, ‘Teachers ‘ personal practical cognition on the professional cognition landscape ‘ , Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 13, no. 7, pp. 665-74. Connelly, FM & A ; Clandinin, DJ 1988, Teachers as course of study contrivers, Teachers College Press, New York. Hargreaves, A 1994, Changing instructors, altering times: instructors ‘ work and civilization in the postmodern age, Cassell, London. Husu, J 1999, ‘How instructors know and know about others? ‘ paper presented at the 9th Biennial Conference on International Study Association on Teachers & A ; Teaching ( ISATT ) , Dublin, Ireland, July, 25 pages. Korthagen, FA & A ; Lagerwerf, B 2001, ‘Teachers ‘ professional acquisition: how does it work? ‘ , in FA Korthagen ( ed. ) , Associating pattern and theory. The teaching method of realistic instructor instruction, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, London, pp. 175-206. Marland, P 2007, Learning to learn. A primer for pre-service instructors, Pearson, Gallic Forest, NSW. Marland, PW & A ; Osborne, AB 1990, ‘Classroom theory, believing and action ‘ , Teaching and Teacher Education, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 93-109. Marland, PW 1998, ‘Teachers ‘ practical theories: deductions for pre-service instructor instruction ‘ , Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education & A ; Development, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 15-23. Middleton, M & A ; Hill, J 1996, Changing schools: ambitious premises and researching possibilities, Hawker-Brownlow, Melbourne. Munby, H, Russell, T & A ; Martin, AK 2001, ‘Teachers ‘ cognition and how it develops ‘ , in V Richardson ( ed. ) , Handbook of research on instruction, 4th edn, American educational Research Association, Washington, pp. 877-904. Nankervis, AR, Compton, RL & A ; Baird, M 2005, Human resource direction: schemes and procedures, 5th edn, Thomas Nelson, Melbourne. Drum sanders, CP & A ; McCutcheon, G 1986, ‘The development of practical theories of learning ‘ , Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 50-67. Schon, D 1987, Educating the brooding practician, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Seel, R 2002, ‘The nature of organisational alteration ‘ , viewed 15 November 2006,. Stoll, L, Fink, D & A ; Earl, L 2003, It ‘s about acquisition ( and it ‘s about clip ) . What ‘s in it for schools? , Routledge Falmer, London. Van Driel, JH, Verloop, N & A ; De Vos, W 1998, ‘Developing scientific discipline instructors ‘ pedagogical content cognition ‘ , Journal of Research in Science Teaching, vol. 35, no. 6, pp. 673-95.

Taxi to the Dark Side

Brutality, degradation, inhumane treatment, cruelty, these are the words that are often ascribed to the act of torture, whatever form it maybe. The mere intention to conduct these actions reveals a complicated double standard (Fiala, 103). People would opt to be the punisher, the powerful, the dominant rather than being punished, being weak and being dominated by someone else. It might not generally surmise human nature but it reveals the fact that humans in a society would always aspire for the top position in the ladder.To this end, it is not surprising why some people support torture, most specifically, when they are not the one who is being (or will be) tortured. On the other hand, people also tend to display compassion and sympathy to other human beings. This is the basis of the deontological morality expressed by Immanuel Kant. This essay would try to explore the nature of torture and present an evaluation of the ethical values involved. The subject of the essay would be based on the discussion of torture in the documentary by Alex Gibney entitled ‘Taxi to the Dark Side’.The main argument would be that ‘torture is morally impermissible’ nonetheless the essay would also try to determine the reason behind the act of torture especially with regards to the incident in Afghanistan and Iraq. Interrogation is the basic means to attain ‘intelligence’ or first-hand information that are vital in the prevention of danger such as war/s and terrorism. It can also be use to gain knowledge of the culprit behind certain crimes. One, need not to be involved in an actual warfare or crime to understand the concept involved in interrogation.However, it is also a common knowledge that some information gathered through interrogation may not be valid. One cannot establish the factuality of a certain statement that people ‘spill out’ during interrogations. In some cases, ordinary interrogation techniques are futile since the pe rson being interrogated may not be willing to cooperate. These instances coupled with an urgent need for the ‘information’ usually calls for a ‘forceful’ kind of interrogation.In the context of this essay, the type of interrogation is known as ‘torture interrogation’ (Casebeer, 263). In the documentary ‘Taxi to the Dark Side’, torture interrogation is portrayed as a technique used to gather information from supposedly terrorists. It involves long hours of standing, sleep deprivation, use and application of physical force, humiliation and other maltreatments that would fall under CID or acts of ‘cruel, inhuman or degrading’ treatments (Luban).Casebeer (264), explained that torture interrogations encompass the strategy that involves ‘severe physical and/or mental pain’ (I believe that emotional or psychological pain can also be present especially during humiliation and inducement of fear) that is inflicted o n its ‘victim’, that is done by certain ‘perpetrators’ such as ‘interrogators and/or soldiers’ and are designed to reach a goal such as to ‘extract information and confessions’. The ethical considerations that torture interrogation presents are grounded on the fact that (in most cases) during ‘torture interrogations’ the person is not yet convicted ‘guilty’ (Fiala, 109).Torture, in its own terms, has long been considered as an immoral act. Nevertheless, torture as a type of punishment can be justified since the ‘victim’ of torture is ‘guilty’ of a certain crime which could have been worst than the punishment (torture) in itself. The possibility of torturing an innocent individual creates a moral debate regarding the permissibility of torture. The utilitarian principle requires the maximization of happiness and minimization of unhappiness as standard for morality.In the ‘tick ing time-bomb’ scenario, as mentioned by Casebeer (271) and in the documentary by Gibney, a bomb is placed in a certain field or establishment and only one person (a terrorist or the bomber) knows how to locate and defuse the bomb. If the bomb explodes, several people will be affected or will die, thus, all necessary parameters are to be taken to extract the relevant information from that person (terrorist or bomber). Torturing one person to be able to save more number of people is of course considerable.But it should not be taken for granted that this argument is ‘hypothetical’. In reality, this situation may not even exist. Deontological ethics focus on a person’s duty which implies the respect for another person’s rights. People, according to this ethical framework, should not be treated as means rather as an end (Casebeer, 266). In torturing another person to extract information that would benefit more people denotes using that other person as m eans. Whether the person is guilty or innocent, torture interrogation would still involve disrespect to the other person’s right and humanity.In reflecting on the documentary, a taxi driver nicknamed Dilawar died of homicide due to ‘blunt force of injuries to lower extremities that complicates coronary artery disease’ as a result of ‘torture interrogation’. The documentary elaborated that Dilawar is not-guilty. Furthermore, the documentary also highlighted that 93% of the suspected terrorists are turned over to the United States forces to gain bounties or rewards. It also turned out that Dilawar is included in this 93%. With these in mind, the act of torture interrogation is blatantly immoral.Despite the fact that legal documents and loopholes can be found to justify the act of ‘torture interrogation’ as can be deduced from documents, such as the memorandum for William J. Haynes II dated March 14, 2003, torture interrogation is morally i mpermissible. To better justify this position, Fiala argued about the possibility of the ‘slippery slope’ fallacy that might result if torture terrorism would be justified and practiced in ‘extreme cases’ or ‘supreme emergencies’ (quoted by Fiala from Walzer). According to Fiala, politicians or people who are granted the necessary authority to conduct torture terrorism might abuse their power.As Fiala states, ‘when political agents makes exceptions to moral principles, these exceptions can become precedents that serve to normalize immoral behavior’. In ‘Taxi to the Dark Side’, there is an argument regarding the slippery slope phenomena that transpired during the change in the ‘interrogation methods’ for the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. According to the documentary, the changes in the interrogation techniques are only applicable in Guantanamo. Nonetheless, the ambiguity and loopholes that surrounds the issu e resulted to the application of the interrogation techniques to Iraq.The danger of the slippery slope is when the technique is applied to innocent individuals. The documentary also mentioned that there are other prisoners that are sent to Guantanamo or in places outside the United States that permits torture interrogation because this methodology is illegal in the United States. After the discussion of the moral impermissibility of torture interrogation, it might be obvious to some people that torture interrogation is wrong. However, the question ‘why are there people who conduct such immoral acts’, might linger to a person’s mind.‘Taxi to the Other Side’ illustrates the confusion and the pressure that interrogators undergo during the ‘War against Terrorism’. Most of the pressure comes from the government, the need to justify an attack or the arrest of a person. Another source of pressure, as explained in the documentary, comes from oth er soldiers. As one soldier testified ‘I don’t want to go against my fellow soldiers’. Fiala (101) described the possibility of this situation as ‘a political pressure to take decisive and dramatic actions without regard for moral niceties’.This essay concludes that torture interrogation is morally impermissible based on the utilitarian and deontological ethical frameworks. Humans should be treated as humans. Punishments should be carried out effectively and justly. Torture interrogation does not treat humans humanely. Moreover, torture of the innocent is highly unacceptable under moral precepts. A clearer guidance on the interrogation process must be devised to be able to minimize the dangers of slipping down the use of torture interrogation specifically when there is a high pressure to produce information.Legal justifications are not enough to excuse or validate the use of torture during interrogation. It merely served as evidence that the legal st andards are flawed and needs immediate repair (reconstruction/revision). References Casebeer, W. D. (2005). â€Å"Torture Interrogation of Terrorists†. Fiala, A. (2008). â€Å"Torture and Terrorism†. Gibney, A. (2007) â€Å"Taxi to the Dark Side†. Luban, D. (2005). â€Å"Torture, American Style†. Office of Legal Counsel. (2003). â€Å"Torture Memo†.

Perfomance and Occupation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Perfomance and Occupation - Essay Example This paper will focus on the importance of the understanding of the occupation and this paper would also try to find out the proper occupational therapy to improve the performance of the employees. Introduction: To be written†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Value of skills and knowledge in the occupational therapy: To be written†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Professional skills: Personal and Professional Development, is the most important part of any educational course. The academic remarks will fetch good marks in the exams but, in the professional field the personal and professional development is very much important. The proper combination of good academics and the PPD would help a person to achieve a sustainable position in the real life corporate world. For any corporate on-job projects needs a personal and professional development training, because the fresher are not accustomed with the corporate world. And each and every organization has their own scale of professionalism and expectations from the employees. For any graduate the on-job projects are successful while they get confident about their personal and professional development during the projects. Most of the business schools send their students to the on-job training to get accustomed with the corporate world so, while they join the organizations in their final recruitment, they would be polished enough to join as the professionals. For any on-job training there is a learning stage and most of the time this learning stage is an ongoing process. This paper would try to reveal all the positive learning and the personal and professional developments during the training. The main outcomes of the process are written bellow. The meaning of success: It is very important to know the meaning of success. It is very easy to say that a course is very successful but it is very important to understand meaning of success. Erik Weihenmayer treated as one of the most successful man to reach his dream. He climbed the Mount Everest being the first blind men to reach the peak of the Everest (Throop and Castellucci, 2003). Now it is very important to understand why he is been treated as one of the most successful man, well, reaching the personal goal with the help of professional experience can be treated as the success. He was a blinded at the age of 13 and started climbing from the age of 16. With hard work and touch of professionalism he reached his goal and that is the reason he was successful. Same way in this case the meaning of success has been found with the proper blend of self belief, potentiality and values. Self belief: the confidence is a very important factor for any job to be done successfully. Nobody is perfect at the beginning; he or she has to nourish him or herself to gain the confidence. And with the mistakes the perfection will come, and that will make the person more confident. Potentiality: trainings are basically to improve the potentials of the individuals. Potentiality is a hidden strength and with the proper training it can be strengthened. The trainings and on-job projects help the individuals to learn from the others and it also teaches to understand the potentiality of the others. Values: personal values, professional values, ethical values and the ability to respect the values of the fellow employees are very much important. The particular course taught to respect what other thinks, how they feel and how an individual should act toward the values of the others. Organizational changes towards the better

Organizational Change, Values and Leadership Research Paper

Organizational Change, Values and Leadership - Research Paper Example Organizational change is often necessary to improve the performance of an organization or part of the organization (McNamara, n.d). Organizational values are acceptable beliefs, principles, and practices that govern behavior and actions of employees in an organization (The Teal Trust, n.d; Sources of Insight, 2007). On the hand, leadership is a scenario in which one individual exercises influence over the roles and operations of other individuals with the aim of achieving a common goal (Northouse, 2009). A strong connection exists between organizational change, values, and leadership. Vision and leadership are essential for successful change while change should be considered a core organizational value (Durant, 1999). Current Organizational Issues Organizations face certain issues that may pose challenges to their operations. Change is one of the current issues encountered in organizations. In the event that these organizational changes are encountered, there is need for the companie s to strive to adapt their employees to the new organizational requirements. A change in the organization’s policy, vision, or mission may cause certain challenges to the employees, who in turn must be ready to execute the changes. An organizational change may often lead to a difference in opinions among the employees of the organization. ... Similarly, effective leadership is an essential management tool in enhancing organizational effectiveness. The managers mobilize others to get things done in an organization. They need to acquire skills for peoples’ management through effective training. Literature Review The management of organizations is charged with the responsibility of detecting and responding to these changes accordingly and in good time. The changes affect the organizational objectives as well as the way employees deal with each other (Mowat, 2002). Addressing the issue of change is one of the difficult and yet most important tasks of the managers of an organization (Stichler, 2011). Management of change requires an earlier mitigation of the possible change patterns that are likely to be encountered. These changes can be caused by company growth, diversification leading to introduction of new products, acquisition of modern technology, or entry into new market (Sadler, 1998). It has also been noted that the real task in the management of change is not developing a new idea; the task lies in the implementation of change (Fishman, 1997). The managers have to ensure that the employees adapt to the observed changes and the new strategies to be adopted. Stichler (2011) further asserts that the greatest failure in the management of an organization is to avoid addressing the issues of organizational change with the assumptions that the employees will adapt willingly to the changes. The people constitute the organization and thus change often begins among the people (Brown & Gray, 1995). Values are fundamental beliefs upon which the strength of an organization is built (Business Improvement Architects, 2012). Individuals in

Venture capital( Researching Contemporary Management Issues),business Essay

Venture capital( Researching Contemporary Management Issues),business - Essay Example The learning shows that near exists immense heterogeneity in finance specialism. Finance size, proxy for VCs' threat hatred, and proxies for the risk connected with the excess returns of the fund all have unenthusiastic effects on specialization. It mainly constitutes two events differentiating VCs’ focused aptitude from their universal talent. I locate that it is VCs’ particular talent that actually matters in shaping interest. There is also verification demonstrating a constructive connection connecting specialty and fund presentation. Additionally, particular ability and common ability are both absolutely interrelated to concert. The many of the researches do not advance inspect how particular VC finances are. Certainly, little study in business has tried to calculate the specialty patterns of VC funds by means of real asset data or to expand a prescribed replica elucidating the occupation choice of scheme capitalists. In this learning, it is demonstrated that a huge number of US project resources are not specific. There survive immense heterogeneity in finance area. Some are barely paying awareness, some are more comprehensive, and others are well expanding over dissimilar industries, phase, or geographic regions. Additionally, significant the area preferences of business enterprise capitalist can assist entrepreneurs aim the accurate finance while looking for VC funding. Introduction: â€Å"Venture capital is a huge amount of money provided by the investors to a company in exchange of equities or shares† (Venture Capital, 2011). Venture Capital is a form of "risk capital". Venture capital raises their funds from several sources. Most UK venture capital firms raise their funds for investment from external sources, mainly institutional investors, such as pension funds and insurance companies. The major factors that are considered by a venture capitalist before investment are: 1. Quality of management team 2. Size of the company’s market 3. Proprietary, uniqueness or brand strength of the company’s product 4. Return on investment and companies’ potential for growth. Aims of the study: The main aim of this research is to examine the scope, working and limitations of ‘venture capital’. Objectives: The main objectives of the study are: 1. To assess the fund allotment of venture capital 2. To evaluate the viability of the long term relationship 3. To examine the degree of risk involved in investment 4. To evaluate the possibility of active participation of venture capital in management 5. To evaluate the problems faced by the venture capitalist Methodology: The purpose of research methodology is to describe the method of conduction of the study. Redman and Mory define research as a â€Å"systematized effort to gain new knowledge† (Research Methodology: an Introduction, 2011). The primary and secondary research helps in its way to analyse the working and success of venture capital . â€Å"Secondary research occurs when a project requires a summary or collection of existing data† (Secondary Research, n.d). â€Å"Primary research involves getting original data directly about the product and the market. Primary research data is data that did not exist before† (Market research - primary research, 2010). To analyze the working and to assess the limitations of venture capital, a strict analysis of primary and secondary data are necessary. The methods like surveys, questionnaires and interviews are the part of primary research. â€Å"

Create your Indiana Geology Discussion Assignment

Create your Indiana Geology Discussion - Assignment Example To be sure, there is the occasional oil spout that just happens, but usually the discovery of oil is the result of painstaking labor on the part of geologists to determine not only where oil lies, but rather or not it exists in a given place in large enough quantities to warrant massive digging and the land destructions that occurs as a result. Most of the oil in Indiana is located in the Southwestern part of the state, and into parts of Illinois and Kentucky. These oil reserves are embedded in sandstone reservoirs that average between 1,000 to 3,000 feet deep. That is some serious digging to be sure. Before digging of that scale can commence, geologists needed to be sure that it would be worth the expense and effort. This is why there was really about 50 years between the discovery of crude oil and the time that Indiana companies began to dig in 1938-1940 (Indiana Government, par. 4). The discovery in Indiana amounted to a total of 900 individual reservoirs located in approximately 500 different fields throughout southwestern Indiana. As mentioned, oil drilling began on a grand scale in 1938 and then began to expand rapidly after that into the Griffin Pool along the Wabash River. These geological features are found in Gibson County. Indiana is ranked 23rd in the United States in terms of crude oil production. While not earth shattering, this amounts to a respectable 1.73 million barrels a year. To protect the geological landscape of the state, and to ensure that environmental safety standards are met and exceeded, Indiana created the Division of Oil and Gas in 1947. They are responsible for making sure laws are followed and they regulate any future oil exploration. The division does employ three petroleum geologists, so the public can rest assured that these people have the states best interests at heart. The chart below, represented by the Indiana Government, is a representation of the oil

Reagan's Economic Policies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reagan's Economic Policies - Term Paper Example Besides, presidential policies are sometimes informed by the desire to discover new idea or to carry on the legacy of the American founders.1 Policies by respective presidential candidates greatly determine if they will win the elections or not; in other words, the electorates vote for a particular candidate based on the belief that his policies will propel America to greater heights of prosperity, as well as promoting national and international safety and security. Throughout the American history, the persons who have graced presidency have had various policies that have had positive and negative impacts to the country. It is well-known fact that these policies have been entrenched in the country’s history and defines each presidency that has existed. This paper will consider the President Ronald Reagan’s policies and actions concerning economic policies and his policies on the air traffic strike in particular. President Ronald Reagan was in office between 1981 and 198 9. He took office in 1981 in the wake of the worst recession since the Great Depression and he was determined to turn around America’s economic fortune. This desire was evident in his inaugural address where he articulated his intention to make the government work. In the address he said â€Å"In the days ahead, I will propose removing the roadblocks that have slowed our economy and reduced productivity.†2 His economic policies became so endeared within the broader America’s economic policies; these policies actually earned the tag of â€Å"Reaganomics.† These policies were aimed at attempting to change the United States economic policy’s course. The economic policies were contained under the Reagan’s Program for Economic Recovery of 1981 which had four main policy objectives: to reduce the government spending growth; to reduce regulation; to reduce inflation through the control of the growth of the money supply; and to reduce the marginal t ax rates on income from capital and labor. These policy objectives were expected to increase investment and saving, balance the budget, reduce interest rates and inflation, restore healthy financial markets, and increasing economic growth.3 It is imperative to understand the historical context that informed Reagan’s economic policy. This historical context not is critical in understanding what exactly was motivating President Reagan towards pushing for his economic policies. As it will be seen from the historical context, Reagan was consciously working within the Constitutional provisions and he was seeking to advance a particular great cause which was to rejuvenate America’s economy. Prior to the administration of President Reagan, the economy of the United States had experienced a decade of increasing inflation and unemployment which was popularly known as â€Å"stagflation.† His immediate predecessors had favoured stimulus that were resulting to money supply expansion. Reagan’s approach to stagflation that was facing the United States was to depart from his the approach used by his immediate predecessors.4 Reagan intended to reduce the growth of government. His policies was based on the supply side economics theory which states that tax cuts encourages expansion of the economy to eventually widen the tax base. To achieve this, he stated his intention of increasing defense spending while at the same time reducing taxes. He enacted lower rates of marginal tax in

Development of Collective Bargaining in the United States Research Paper

Development of Collective Bargaining in the United States - Research Paper Example Collective bargaining policies in the United States have played a very important role over the years. There were numerous efforts that were made for the development of collective bargaining by the way of formation of various legislations and labor unions. For the development of collective bargaining in the United States, there had been a lot of conflicts that were determined to arise between the employers and the employees. There were conflicts relating to the rights of the employees, management and the unions in the organizations. There were also conflicts that were viewed which accounted for increasing wages and salaries that were demanded by the employees. During this conflicting period, managers/employers were given full right to dismiss the workers/employees which was very objectionable for the employees (Andrews, 1981). Collective bargaining in the past was a major source of challenge for the US. It was more of a despicable situation when employers and employees had to cope up with the practice of this concept. However, the employees seem to suffer the most at all times because of the exclusion of collective bargaining in the US organizations (Mills, 1981). However, with the passage of time, the US has been able to adopt and practice collective bargaining and follow liberalization in the wage structures of the employees. The American labor policies have been formulated as per the company standards. The governing laws of the US in the organizational context have strived to keep pace with growth and maintain competitiveness with the organizations of different countries. The governing principles of US are now focusing towards incorporating collective bargaining at a whole new level in order to improve the economy of the country by a considerable extent. The country is planning to incorporate collective bargaining in different sectors that may include education sector and governmental agencies among others

Organisational Site Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Organisational Site Assessment - Essay Example The great wealth of history and traditions can still be seen everywhere from its shore to the tops of its high and ragged mountains. Bait Al Zubair houses one of Oman's finest and most comprehensive collections of antiques from all over the Sultanate. Anyone interested in learning more about Omani culture will definitely want to add this museum to his or her itinerary. Its displays include traditional Omani weaponry, jewellery, costumes, domestic utensils and recreated urban and rural environments. There is a coffee shop and souvenir shop selling a unique range of items most of which are based on the museum collection. A library that can be used for reference only by appointment, it offers a chance for scholars and researchers to extend their knowledge of Oman. Friendly Omani guides are on hand to explain the exhibits and add a real sense of discovery to Oman's culture and traditions. When I arrived at Baiz Al Zubair Museum for the first time for placement, I was supplied a document containing an introduction to Bait Al Zubair, current roles Performed by Bait Al Zubair, my Job description, experience required, staff organization chart and general guidelines to working at Bait Al Zubair. Bait Al Zubair Museum is an exhibition of a private collection that uses the wealth of Oman's historical past to explain the collection rather than vice versa. It can be considered as the Al Zubair family's private tribute to Oman. Bait Al Zubair Museum is located in Al Saidiya Street in old Muscat. One goes through Muscat Gate and it's just after the bend on the right-hand side of the road (opposite Bait Muzna Gallery) and just before the HSBC Bank. This privately-run Museum also has a traditional Omani "town house" (tours 1730 hours daily) and a small gift/book shop. Exhibitions are sometimes held there from Saturdays to Thursdays at 0900-1300 hours and 1600-1900 hours but Closes on Fridays. Entrance fee are: RO1.000 (Foreigners); 500 baizas (Omanis) and 250 baizas (children). The Arts Advisor at Bait Al Zubair museum is a Brit called Sarah White. She studied fine arts at undergraduate and postgraduate levels at the University of West England, Bristol and the Royal College of Art (RCA) respectively. After graduating, she worked as an artist, supporting herself through commissions, exhibitions and teaching. She also represented Britain in the Best of British Artists exhibition in Sweden as well as exhibiting in prominent London art galleries such as Flowers-East. While on visit to Oman where her father was working for a prominent family business, Sarah met Mohammad Zubair (advisor to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos for Economic Planning Affairs) who requested her to catalogue the Zubair family's private collection. This led to her being involved with the inception, development and execution of the concept of the Bait Al Zubair Museum, which exhibits the collection. Muscat is the capital of Oman since 1784 and has a great deal of charm and character and offers the combination of the relaxed atmosphere of an Indian Ocean town set amongst the well ordered life of a modern oil state. The original town of Muscat forms but a fraction of the

Role of the US Constitution and Legal System in Business Regulation Essay Example for Free

Role of the US Constitution and Legal System in Business Regulation Essay The Constitution of the United States and their legal system have an impact on the guidance and operation of companies in any industry. In case a person breaks a law, for example, he or she may be obliged to pay a fine or even imprisoned in the US. It works the same way with companies: if a business is found responsible for allowing its employees to violate regulations this company is subject to a fine and even closedown. For instance, companies are responsible to guarantee that all employees are legally authorized to work in the United States. Occasionally employees without proper documentation are able to get a job. The law enforcement agencies perform raids on business enterprises in effort to enforce appropriately laws concerning citizenship and permanent residency. These raids have been taking place all over the United States in attempt to protect the motherland after the tragedy of the September 11th. Immigration authorities have used debatable procedures when many innocent people have been kept in custody. The law allows the Immigration and Customs officials the right to question anyone on the premises during a search. It is the employers obligation to guarantee that all employees are legally authorized to work by means of performing systematic background checks in order to avoid a chaos and confusion during raids and punishment from the government of the US. Application of Constitutional RightsIn cases when organizations are hiring workers without proper documentation, the government enforces laws in order to protect the interest of United States citizens, the government, and businesses. In Los Angeles, a business was raided and workers were detained due to immigration authorities receiving information about undocumented workers at a particular organization. The constitution grants the right for authorities to search and seize given there is probable cause (US Constitution Annotated-Analysis and Interpretation of the Constitution, 2005.) Probable cause can be a controversial term that is used, in theory it means that all facts must be thoroughly investigated and warrants will be granted, if procedures are followed. In this particular case in Los Angeles, documented and undocumented employees were detained. Unfortunately, the document employees believed their constitutional rights were violated and they sued the Immigration and Customs Enforcement for false imprisonment and  detention without justification. The search warrant permits Immigration and Customs Enforcement to question everyone inside of the establishment in question (Bazar, 2008). In this particular case, one-fifth of the employees at this establishment were found to be undocumented. The Effect of Constitutional Rights on BusinessesEmployers are screening their employees more thoroughly to avoid the serious consequences of being an enabler of undocumented citizens. As one can imagine, this is a timely and costly procedure even if enough qualified employees are available. In many businesses, organizations are struggling to keep up with demand rather than being overly selective employers are looking for bodies to fill positions. Laws and regulations come with a cost; when those laws do not promote a healthy business environment, laws will stunt the growth of business enterprise. When organizations do not follow procedure by actively screening their applicants by conducting background checks, it reflects poorly on the organizations. There is a high risk of hiring applicants who are not qualified for positions, and the probability is even higher that undocumented workers will be hired. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement is enforcing laws designed to protect the interest of businesses, losing employees is extremely costly. When employees are documented they are more likely to remain employed at the company. Overall, constitutional rights and United States laws impact the hiring procedures of organizations which directly impacts the overall productivity of business. Following local city, state, and federal laws determines the flow of business and affects the customer base. Impact of Labor LawsLabors laws impact businesses the most because they dictate how businesses are run, their daily productivity, and expenditures. Federal labor laws protect the interest of employees by setting strict standards for organizations to follow. Regulations schedule breaks, wages, safe working conditions, unemployment insurance. There are federal standards that organizations must abide by and state regulations which never go below the federal standards. Federal laws set a minimum standard and state governments decide what is appropriate for their state (keeping in mind the cost of living standards). Federal and state regulations dictate the age of  employees including hours and breaks. There are strict restrictions about the type of work environment children can work in; allowing children to work in hazardous conditions is strictly prohibited under federal law (US (Department of Labor, 2008.) Employers must abide by federal regulations to compensate employees for workin g more than 40 hours per week. At some organizations unions are established to defend the rights of employees. Unions are a powerful force in the United States and are able to negotiate further for wages; holiday pay, fight against disciplinary action, and other challenges employees deal with on a daily basis. ConclusionThe United States Constitution and federal regulations have a tremendous impact over the functionality of all aspects of daily business operation. Immigration laws have impacted the operations of businesses; some organizations are learning they must follow federal laws by thoroughly screening applicants prior to hiring them. These regulations are in place to protect employers from severe loss of capital. The negligence of employers can impact citizens in good standing because Immigration and Customs Enforcement can use the right of search and seizure to question anyone in a business establishment. The United States Constitution and federal regulations are in place to protect the interest of businesses and people working in the United States legally. When regulations are not actively enforced by employers it impacts the interest of the business, and its employees who are law abiding. Labor laws protect the interest of employees and the United States economy. The laws dictate working conditions, hours employees can work, and federal standards for minimum wage are set. Most important, labor laws protect the interest of the future generation by enforcing age restrictions that would interfere with the development of children. Federal laws are designed to be fair and balanced to protect the interest of businesses and legal employees. References Bazar E. (2008, June 25). Citizens Sue After Detentions, Immigration Raides. USA Today. Retrieved November 1, 2008, from: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-24-Immigration-raids_N.htmUS Constitution Annotated-Analysis and Interpretation of the Constitution. (2005) U.S. Supreme Court Center. Retrieved October 30, 2008, from: http://supreme.justia.com/constitution/US Department of Labor. (2008). Compliance Assistance. Retrieved November 1, 2008, from US Department of Labor : http://www.dol.gov/compliance/topics/wages-overtime-pay.htm

A Modest Proposal Essay Example for Free

A Modest Proposal Essay Jonathan Swift starts off â€Å"A Modest Proposal† by giving the reader a bit of background information on Ireland’s current conditions at the time of publication. By doing so, Swift grasps the reader’s emotion and pulls them into the story. Then, when Swift makes a dramatic switch to his suggestion of cannibalism to stimulate the economy, he is able to fully grab the reader’s attention. Swift’s proposal is extreme and entirely unethical, but isn’t meant to be taken literally. His radical proposal of having babies to feed to the public and stimulate the economy, is his proposal to the public, but is not the heart of the essay. This radical proposal that takes on an alternate message is what classifies the piece as satire. Adding to the satire, Swift refers to women as breeders that can boost the despairing economy by having children that can be killed at one year old and be fed to the people of Ireland. It’s apparent that this extremist proposal is mockery of the Irish government and the cure-all proposals the politicians conjure, and getting the reader to think about these key political issues is the sole purpose of â€Å"A Modest Proposal. † In my opinion, Swift’s essay had a strong impact, and I’m sure had an even stronger impact in the era in which it was written. His use of hyperboles, metaphors, irony, and sarcasm greatly influenced the message. Because of his literary techniques he was able to draw the reader in to his essay and really get his message across. Word choice was another very effective technique used by Swift. By referring to women as breeders, he not only denounced them, but he was able to add to the ludicrous tone he was aiming to achieve. Every good piece of writing establishes in some ways ethos, pathos, and logos. Swift appeals to ethos in his argument by comparing venison to teenagers, an example of a truly outrageous and unethical idea. Another unethical idea Swift presents is that of the island of Formosa, in which the population eats many of the young women in their society. Pathos is established in the first paragraph when it pulls at the reader’s sympathy for the homeless and poor and again during his discussion of abortion. Swift uses logos in his essay when giving statistics numerous times throughout the essay. Of course his points were extremely radical, and any remotely developed civilization would be utterly disgusted at the thought of annibalism of new born babies, but his main focus wasn’t to propose a solution to Ireland’s impoverished conditions. His main purpose was to shock the readers into thinking of proposals that might actually have potential and criticizing ones that were already out there. He more or less was using extremism to mobilize the Irish people into thinking and developing concepts that could solve their current issues rather than do nothing and wait for someone else to come along and repair everything. In my opinion, Swift achieved his goal in his writing.

Restorative Justice | An analysis

Restorative Justice | An analysis Introduction Restorative Justice is often known as the term used to describe meetings in which people affected by crime talk about their experience, the damage and harm caused, in addition to discussing how the situation can be repaired, on a direct and personal level. Government research shows that Restorative Justice is coveted by around half of victims, helping victims who choose to take part, but reducing their desire for revenge and by relieving any undue stress that has come to fruition as a result of the victims experience. It has been argued that custodial sentences do not rehabilitate offenders, particularly those offenders who had committed minor/petty crimes. Many offenders, once released, would have strengthened their overall knowledge of crimes, gaining information from fellow inmates. Therefore, custodial punishments could be seen as considerably more harmful for the offender compared to community sentences. Prisons always do harm. Thats the most important thing that people have to get into their heads: that prison always does harm (McLellan, 2006:10) Restorative Justice allows victims the opportunity to inform their offenders of the true impact that the crime they committed had on the victims life, helping them to get answers to their questions and to receive an apology for the overall experience that they encountered. It gives the offenders the chance to repent and understand the significant impact of what they have done and to do something to repair the damage and harm caused. A great positive concerning restorative justice is that it has the potential to unite offenders, victims and local communities together to resolve any problems, and to settle on a response to a particular crime. Its crucial for the process of restorative justice to put victims needs at the centre of the criminal justice system and, drawing on positive solutions to crime by support them in order for the offender to face up to their actions. Within the criminal justice system, restorati ve justice conferences allow offenders, victims and their respective family members and friends to come together to explore how those involved in the incident had been affected and, when possible, to decide how to repair the harm and meet their own needs. A victim can request a restorative justice approach to help an offender comprehend and understand how the crime has affected their life, and/or other peoples lives in the process, to gain information, helping put the crime behind them and aiming to come to terms/forget their experience and personal ordeal, and to openly forgive the offender for their actions. Restorative Justice also aids offenders, with trials within the United Kingdom highlighting that the process of Restorative Justice significantly reduces the number of crimes offenders commit, with an average of 27% fewer crimes committed by offenders who had taken part in a restorative justice conference. Restorative Justice is also beneficial in terms of finance, as it has b een underlined that restorative justice saves the criminal justice system up to  £8 for every  £1 spent delivering the Restorative Justice Service. Restorative Justice assists offenders to account for what they have done, directly and personally, in addition to helping the victims to proceed with their lives. Restorative Justices is not only used successfully within the Criminal Justice System, but also in local communities, school, at work, and within other institutions across the country. (Restorative Justice Consortium (RJC)) Various techniques are used to bring the offender and victim together, to discuss the impact the crime has had, on both of their lives, futherly helping both parties to leave the incident behind them and continue with their lives. Direct mediation involves the victim, offender, facilitator and potentially other supporters for each party who come together to meet face to face, discussing the experience and incident as a whole. Similar to direct mediation is involving the wider community whereas indirect mediation concerns the victim and offender who communicate through letters which are passed between them by a facilitator. Conferencing is another technique used, which involves supporters from both parties. Restorative justice is carried out in many different forms and structures; however, each and every variety within restorative justice contains common/similar traits. When concerned with criminal cases, each and every victim is given the opportunity to express the full impact of the crime upon their lives. Offenders can also contribute by expressing their feelings and views concerning the crime, explain on a personal level why the crime was committed and similarly to the victim, explain how the incident has had on their life. In social justice cases, those less fortunate and impoverished people such as foster children are given a similar opportunity to express their opinions and points of view for their futures, and being encourag ed to plan their futures, thus avoiding involvement in committing crimes. However, only a small minority of young adolescents have access to Restorative Justice. The Restorative Justice Consortium (RJC) consider their consortium to be the national voice of restorative justice with their vision being for every person harmed by conflict to have the opportunity to resolve it through a restorative processproviding independent information about Restorative Justice to the public; support and resource our members who deliver Restorative Justice and promote the development and use of Restorative Justice. (Restorative Justice Consortium (RJC)) Restorative Justice Unit Victim-Offender Family Group Conferences is one method/process used within restorative justice, where conferences are organised by the Restorative Justice Unit (RJU) in reaction to referrals from victims, offenders, as well as anybody else considered to be involved in the situation. The programme occurs once the offenders sentence has been concluded, allowing victims to put across their point of view even once offender has been sentenced to jail or to a community alternative. Agreement on participation within the video conference must take place between the offender and the victim. Whilst participating in the conferences, the offender and victim(s) can meet together with their respective parties. Each and every participant has the chance to discuss the crime and the impact that this has had on their lives. Once this has occurred they then come to an agreement about what needs to be done to help to repair some of the damage and minimise future harm. The agreement is called a Conferenc e Agreement. This arrangement may include an apology, community service work, repair of damage to property, personal repayment as well as an undertaking by the offender to seek counselling, support or treatment. (Restorative Justice Consortium (RJC)) Restorative justice contains many benefits and positives. For example, whereas traditional justice can be seen to be about punishing offenders for committing crimes against the British Government/Nation, restorative justice solely concerns offenders and their victims, aiming to make making amends directly, with the people and victims involved. Restorative justice assists victims to speak and discuss their criminal experience as a victim within the criminal justice system, in addition to acknowledging the explanations of both parties concerned, building confidence and a rapport that ultimately leads to the offender making amends for their actions, and the damaging effect their actions caused upon an innocent member of society. Studies on restorative justice indicate the that restorative justice approaches help to reduce post-traumatic stress disorder in victims , and in many, deter offender from crime, as well as motivating offenders to avoid further criminal behaviour. Some may believe restorative justice to be an easy and simple process to go through, however it should not be considered a soft option as many offenders find it extremely difficult to face up to the impact of their crimes, committed by themselves. There are many types of restorative justice approaches including, offenders removing graffiti, repairing property that has been damaged, bringing shoplifters face to face with store managers to hear how shop theft affects others, and also getting offenders to write letters of apology to those who have been affected as a result of their own criminal behaviour. McCold and Wachtel bring to light that restorative practices have a clear and defined history within the concepts of restorative justice. The Interna tional Institute for Restorative Practices (IIRP) continues to develop comprehensive framework to be put into practice, with theory that aims to expand concept and hypothesis of restorative justice further afar than its original ideas in criminal justice. Restorative practices continue to emerge in term of practice and study, which are devoted to structuring and realising social discipline, through social participation in restorative justice Involved Steps Steps have been taken to considerably promote restorative justice within the criminal just system. Restorative justice is essentially committed to putting victims at the forefront of the criminal justice system, in order to have their say and reflect upon the experience they encountered, assisting the criminal justice system in the reduction of crime within the United Kingdom. Recent restorative justice strategies include introducing more restorative justice processes into the criminal justice system such as weve introduced restorative police cautioning , as well as aspiring to offer 75% of all victims of youth crime participation in restorative processes. Restorative justice also looks to develop an evidence headquarters for the use of restorative justice through funding a number of pilots on topics like the relationship between restorative justice and prevention of re-offending, in addition to developing and introducing constructive, practical and valuable guidelines for people wor king in restorative justice. Mc Cold continues to inform us of how restorative justice has been applied to property offences, as well as civil and criminal offences. However, it has been deemed as unsuitable for drug offences, sexual assault and domestic violence. However, areas of Australia and New Zealand are amongst the nations who have chosen to deal with juvenile sexual offences using restorative justice. Indigenous and native areas of Canada have implemented different approaches, such as circle sentencing, to tentatively deal with domestic violence. Supporters believe that this may be suitable to these indigenous communities due to their different levels concerning their personal regard and effectiveness they have for a punitive court system compared to non-indigenous communities and groups. However, it is acknowledged that restorative justice has no agreed, fixed or set rules and regulations, and therefore it must be emphasised to avoid conflict within communities. Reparation s is a fair and practical way for the offender to repay the harm caused as a result of their offence, either by personally repairing the damage caused or through assisting within the local community. Types of reparation include, as mentioned earlier, a written apology, an oral apology, or financial reparation to the victim. Community reparations involve the offender working within a local community, as a source of punishment and repayment due the detrimental effect their crime had on the community as a whole. In 2001, the Home Office conducted their fourth report concerning their Crime Reduction Programme. Earlier reports highlighted how schemes were implemented, the expectation of the participants who were due to be involved in the scheme in addition to feedback given from those who we previously involved in the scheme, highlight the benefits and rewards that they experienced as a result of restorative justice.. This fourth report focuses on one of the key original aims of the Home Office funding, whether restorative justice reduces re-offending and/or provides value for money. In 2007, Lawrence W Sherman, Professor of Criminology at the University of Cambridge, was assisted in publishing a review of each and every research project, from 1986 to 2005, concerning restorative justice conferencing. The results that came from the publication were considerably constructive, encouraging and optimistic. It found that victims who were assigned to and complete the restorative justice process reported greater ability to return to work, to resume normal daily activities, to sleep better at night. What is also very encouraging is that during the 19 year period of the reports, there were no documented cases or either physical or verbal violence between the two parties involved in the restorative justice process. The reports also emphasised that much of the reluctance is due to the unfamiliarity of the general public towards restorative, with the majority, having little or no knowledge of the procedures involved, due to misconceptions about what it entails, through communication and interaction with others. Restorative justice is considerably more accessible now than it ever has been throughout its history as well as the history of the criminal justice system, together with information about the upbeat views of the victims who have chosen to participate; this is likely to result in increased participation amongst victims, who previously were unwilling to participate. Due to such consistent positive feedback about victim benefits, within the vast majority of cases, helps us conclude that victims will generally benefit from participation whenever they have the opportunity to do so, and should seek to volunteer for restorative justice, as the report shows they have nothing to fear, but a great amount to gain through participation. The reports published also showed differences in the victims feeling prior to and after the meeting with the offender had ta ken place. Feelings differed greatly when considering personal fear of the offender, especially amongst more violent victims; personal self-confidence; level of personal anxiety; sympathy for the offender and the offenders supporters, wishing for their sake also that the crime had never been committed; as well as feelings of trust in others, that had previously been depleted as a result of the criminal ordeal as a victim Family group decision-making Family group decision-making (FGDM) also known as or referred to as family group conferencing (FGC) deals with allowing extended families to meet privately, with no counsellors/staff in the room, to formulate a plan to protect their children families from further neglect and violence. In education, circles and groups provide opportunities for students to share their feelings, build relationships and problem-solve, and when there is wrongdoing, to play an active role in addressing the wrong and making things right Thus, I see restorative justice as a forward-thinking and moving, anticipatory response that strives to understand crime in its modern day social context, challenging us to examine the causes of foundations that lead to criminal actions of violence. The restorative justice approach is based on the supposition that crime has its origins in social conditions, and recognises that offenders themselves have often suffered harm, turning to crime as a result of their personal exper iences. As a result, communities must both take some responsibility for controlling the social condition that significantly contributes to crime, simultaneously working to promote healing. With healing not only crucial to victims, but also to the offender. Equally the rehabilitation of offenders, as well as their re-integration into the community are critical aspects of restorative justice. Offenders are treated respectfully and their needs are addressed. Removing them from the community, or imposing any other severe restrictions, is a last resort. It is thought that the best way to prevent re-offending is re-integration. As a result, restorative justice can be seen to be a positive structure that continues to grow and gain publicity. It is the choice of the victim and the offender to volunteer to be included in the restorative justice programme, and therefore it can be said that a negative aspect concerning restorative justice lies with the victim and the offender, as restorative j ustice is not an issue forced upon a person, but a choice that can have a significant overall effect on not only the lives of the two parties involved, but also on the community as a whole. Another criticism of restorative justice that has been raised is that there is no detailed and precise theory supporting the procedures of restorative justice. For example, some see restorative justice as being vulnerable to biases and prejudice, particularly concerning class and race which could distort the fundamental purposes of restorative justice, instead reinforcing western, white middle-class values. (Delgado, 2000:768) Due to the lack of precise theory surround restorative justice, it is open and vulnerable to criticism. Ashworth and von Hirsch highlight the possible lack of equality and proportionality involved in restorative justice procedures, concerned with the extreme demands of irate victims, however Dalys claims are not supported by evidence or theory, and as a result his hypothese s is not always taken into consideration. Restorative justice is also vulnerable to criticism from opposing politicians and members of the general public, as a result of many believing in the old-fashioned phrase you do the crime, you do the time. Many see restorative justice as a simple option for offenders, causing numerous groups and people to ask the question Why commit the crime in the first place? Numerous members of the general public and several scholars believe that victims should not be pressured into reconciling with the offenders, ultimately ensuring that the general public and offenders separate in order to assure public safety. However I disagree with this view as restorative justice is a voluntary option, not being forced on the victim, it is their own personal choice, and in order for offenders to be fully rehabilitated, they have to accepted and re-integrate with society once their sentence has passed. Re-integration is made considerably simpler if the offender is given the chance and opportunity to come face-to-face with the victim, assisting the offender to realise the impact that their immoral actions have had, not only on the victim, but on close friends and relations. Overall I believe restorative justice to have a positive impact within the criminal justice system, targeting rehabilitation and reform, whilst hoping the offenders do not re-offend. Restorative justice can be seen to be a pro-active method of reducing crime, for the offender, as well as having a positive effect on the victim, helping them overcome any fears they may have had prior to meeting with the offender. Methods and processes of restorative justice continue to go from strength to strength, reforming and rehabilitating more offenders each year, which can simply be described as a move in the right direction for our criminal justice system.

Essay --

Makeup Essay 2 The only reason that I missed my lab quiz was because I own a company named Loan Modification Relief Center. What we specialize in is saving clients from loosing their homes to foreclosure, sale dates and help put them in a better situation. On the day of the 2nd lab quiz, I had 3 clients that were about to loose their homes and I don’t pass that job on to anyone else simply because I have that old school mentality that if I don’t do it myself it wont get done right. Since my name is on the line with it being my company I am not willing to tarnish my name so I had to be there to make sure it happen correctly. I’m pleased to say that the time I missed away from school was not wasted on a lazy day or a personal day or just a day off. I was able to postpone the sale dates for all three clients homes. In all honesty I have straight For future reference I assure you that I will not be missing anymore classes, I have done my best to implement an alternative solutions to prevent this situation form occurring again in the future. A’s and I take my schooling very seri...

Self-esteem Essay -- Psychology, Anxiety

To date, there is a large body of studies support the function of self-esteem defend against death anxiety. Conventional studies on the role of self-esteem act as an anxiety buffer to the mortality salience rely on the self-report questionnaire as the measurement tool (Burke et al., 2010). The construct measure by self-report questionnaire is mainly derived from the concept of explicit self-esteem. It is common for the research of TMT using explicit self-esteem indicates the concept of self-esteem and hence to explain their role on mortality salience (Pyszczynski, & Greenberg, 1992).Explicit self-esteem is measured in a conscious way. It is a reliable measure for the construct but we should not ignore the role of unconscious and introspective measurement of self-esteem. However, there is still concern about the social desirability effect on the self-report measurement. Previous research examined that participants had a tendency to have self-deception and impressive management on the measurement (Paulhus, 1998). It is not necessary to hold the view that self-reflections only process in conscious level. There are evidence revealed that many social cognitive functions operates in a unconscious evaluation (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995). Implicit measures of personality have proven useful since the beginning of personality psychology (Wilson, Lindsey, & Schooler, 2000). Scholars have argued that certain self-reflections may similarly operate at unconscious levels. It is assumed that non-conscious self-reflections are inaccessible to rational and conscious and have to observe in an indirect and implicit way (Greenwald & Banaji, 1995). The automatic self-reflection is termed as implicit self-esteem. Implicit self-esteem is defined as an aut... ... the other hand, there are several researches to construct self-esteem as other source of self-esteem or other self-related concept on TMT. For example, self-esteem is defined as a self-body image and body esteem (Goldenberg, McCoy, Pyszczynski, Greenberg, & Solomon, 2000; Goldenberg & Shackelford, 2005); self-enhancement (Arndt & Goldernberg, 2011) and fitness intentions (Arndt, Schimel, & Goldenberg, 2003).Therefore, it is justified enough to predict that people with high implicit self-esteem can reduce death anxiety by imposing defensive response to the mortality salience. In the theoretical point of view, full understanding of self-esteem in the TMT requires taking into consideration components of self-esteem other than the explicit level. These include implicit self-esteem and hence both implicit and explicit self-esteem will be examined in the current study.

Moyers vs. Frontline :: essays research papers

Moyers Vs. Frontline   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The difference between the Frontline video and the Moyers video is mainly that the Moyers video deals with normative ethics and the Frontline video deals with discriptive ethics. The Frontline video frightenly describes how George Walker bush came to develope the principles and values which guide his policy making. The Moyers video, on the other hand, dealt with how Sister Joan felt about the president's policies, and what she hoped the conservative Christian right would do to become more succinct with gospel teachings. Both sides have elements of both normative and discriptive ethics, but for the most part, they are polar in motivation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Moyers video gives a rather surprising account of the Bush policies from the perspective of a very politically active Catholic nun. Sister Joan criticizes the president for everything from his policies on Iraq to the conservative view on abortion. Sister Joan poigniantly displays Bush as an egotistical, confused absolutist who's own agenda is the only one he relies on. Not that Sister Joan is wrong, but the Moyers video paints him not as coniving, but as misguided. At the end of the Moyers video, one has a sense that he truly believes what he's doing is right. When he makes the comment as governor, that God wants him to be president, I think he really believes it. To make a statement like that isn't just meglomania, it's political suicide...unless you actually believe it and happen to be a member of a faith that believes God does things like pick presidents.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The president's interest in faith-based initiatives, is perhaps best contrasted against Sister Joan's response to the Conservative pro-life argument. Bush went against the constitution to allow religious institutions to recieve federal aid for community service programs, without being subjected to federal regulations. Nowhere, however, did he mention what faith would get the most funding. Bush had stated earlier that he didn't believe you were going to heaven without Jesus. He then showed an obvious favortism towards Christianity when speaking about the new programs in the public forum. If this continues, he will no doubt use his faith over the constitution to begin taking away the rightsof citizens. One of the areas in jeapardy is the women's right to privacy. Sister Joan uses the best response I've heard to the conservative argument I've heard in a

Cupcake Bouquet Marketing Plan Essay

Mission Cupcake Delight is dedicated to serve the market with its supreme and delightful varieties of cupcakes, pastries, and cakes featuring the Mindanao’s own fruit crops that will surely fit the palates and pockets of Filipinos. Vision Cupcake Delight, as a prime source of quality cupcakes in Davao City, envisions to continually serve the market with its finest products with virtuous customer service. It will strive to apply the total quality management in whole aspects of the organization in order to achieve the highest standards and expectations of the clienteles. Furthermore, Cupcake Delight will venture the desserts industry in the whole Philippines with its mission of delivering palatable and affordable products. Values Cupcake Delight is also designed to improve and enhance the values rooted from its creation. It believes that these values will be an essential part of its success. These include the areas of organization, human, society, economy, and politics. Organizational Values * Total quality management * Continuous innovation of the products * Integrity and priority of work and performance * Teamwork * Proper orientation to the customers Human Values * Safety and honesty of the workers * Freedom for initiative of employees * Development of skills of the bakers and employees * Career growth * Resourcefulness in every situation Social Values * Corporate social responsibility * Think green, do green * Respect for cultural diversity, minorities, and majorities Economic Values * Responsive to the trends in the economy * Harmony in the allocation of all forms of resources Political Values * Adherence of laws and policies * Appropriate use of freedom of expression * Advocate for peace and order Goals Cupcake Delight intends to be in the right direction and to keep on the right track. To accomplish this, it furnishes its goals for the company. * To introduce an innovation of cupcakes to the market and to advertise them effectively * To establish a connection, value, and loyalty to the customers * To promote the cupcake bouquet, Boucake, as one of the best gifts for any occasions II. TARGET MARKET The target market of Cupcake Delight feature product, Boucake, is the male. A total of 76% are willing to spend their money compared to the female with the total of 75%. There is a very little difference but it is great to target the males since they are the most appropriate customers who will spend their money to buy present for their significant others. Boucake is a supreme and delightful gift in this kind of romantic relationship. In addition, Boucake is not just limited as a gift for sweethearts but can also be a present for people celebrating special events in their lives. It is best for individuals celebrating their birthdays, commemorating their anniversaries, rejoicing their graduation, remembering special days like teacher, mother and father’s day, children’s party and among others. These occasions somewhat require gifts; the 75% female can be the customers for these. III. MARKETING NEEDS OR TRENDS The cupcake bouquet, Boucake, has a 79% demand in the market. The percentage of demand is based on the survey question whether the respondents are willing to spend their money to purchase the product. Out the 200 respondents, 158 answered yes. This demand can give anticipation that the product will be likely accepted by the market when introduced. A 79% is a good figure to start presenting a product that is something new to the market. Almost three fourths are willing to buy though roughly 47.5% have already seen a product in resemblance to the Boucake. Cupcakes are no longer different and new in the eyes and tastes of the customers but Boucake which is innovated from this common product has still a demand in the market. It can be furtherly explained because 81% is fond of eating sweets. Therefore, when Boucake is strategically introduced and advertised, the 79% market demand can equal the 81% of people who like sweets. Cupcake Stores are growing in the Davao Region. Recently, the Jonathan’s Cupcakery which has a shop at Arellano Street had its branch in the SM Lanang Premier where more people can notice its cupcakes. Sweet Aroma Bakeshoppe is also keep on expanding its branches at cities outside Davao. A group of students also entered the cupcake business just this year. It is evident that there is a trend in cupcake business. The challenge is how to make the product attractive and unique from others. These cupcake stores offer varieties of flavors and customization of designs. However, Boucake differentiates from these because of its feature and physique. This keeps up the Boucake with the current trend in the market. In addition, Boucake is not just for satisfying hunger but can also be a present for loved ones especially during special occasions. 93.5% stated that Boucake is a good gift for those special events. IV. SWOT ANALYSIS WEAKNESSES * new to the market, thus risky * no loyal customers yet * expensive compared to just buying a single cupcake * several competitors * short shelf life WEAKNESSES * new to the market, thus risky * no loyal customers yet * expensive compared to just buying a single cupcake * several competitors * short shelf life STRENGTHS * product’s newness and uniqueness * originality * best for gift-giving * suited alternative for flower bouquets * attractive and satisfying * large target market (teenagers, young adults, more in a romantic relationship at a very young age) * high-technology advertisements STRENGTHS * product’s newness and uniqueness * originality * best for gift-giving * suited alternative for flower bouquets * attractive and satisfying * large target market (teenagers, young adults, more in a romantic relationship at a very young age) * high-technology advertisements OPPORTUNITIES * expansion of branch and of products * more innovative products * partnership with related or substitute products OPPORTUNITIES * expansion of branch and of products * more innovative products * partnership with related or substitute products THREATS * famous or branded competitors might copy or imitate the product * failure or loss * overestimation of market demand THREATS * famous or branded competitors might copy or imitate the product * failure or loss * overestimation of market demand V. COMPETITION COMPETITIVE PROFILE MATRIX DIRECT COMPETITORS A. JONATHAN’S CUPCAKERY Product Jonathan’s Cupcakery offers different flavors of cupcakes from vanilla, chocolate, carrot, tiramisu, coffee, mocha, coconut mango, gingerose to pistachio. It also has various macarons, chip cookies, and curried chocolate and toasted coconut ice cream Place Jonathan’s Cupcakery has a shop located at Arellano Street. Customers can dine in to eat its cupcakes and other pastries. It also has a branch in the SM Lanang Premier where more people will be able to see its products. Promotion Jonathan’s Cupcakery promotes its product through Facebook page, uploading its menu, current and new products. It also joined in Davao Gourment Collective where it can expose its products to other class of market. It also offers customized cupcakes during Mother’s Day, Valentines, and other special occasions. Price The price of its cupcakes is quite expensive because of the special ingredients it incorporates to make the cupcakes more varied and special. Strengths It has a branch inside a mall; thus attracting more customers. It offers many variants of cupcakes which are not that known to the market making them interesting. Customization of its products is also being offered. Weaknesses It has strong competitors which are more famous and well known than them. Some of its products’ design is plain. B. SWEET AROMA BAKESHOPPE Product Sweet Aroma Bakeshoppe offers cupcakes with very cute and attractive designs and cakes with intricate and delicious appearance. Place Sweet Aroma Bakeshoppe has a main branch at Pichon Street fronting the Grand Men Seng Hotel where customers hotel can see its products. It has branches fronting San Pedro Hospital, Gaisano Mall, Gaisano Grand Mall of Tagum, and NCCC Mall of Tagum where are outside the region of Davao. Promotion It is promoting its products through its own website and own page at Facebook reaching people through online. Price The cupcake costs at P49 is quite expensive but reasonable since its design is so pleasing to the eyes as well as to the palate of the customers. The cakes are really expensive starting at P500 which are quite small in size. It also offers 7 cupcakes for P250. Strengths It has many branches where people can conveniently purchase its products not just in Davao Region. It is starting to expand and to make a name in the cupcake industry. The products are so good both in the eyes and tongues which encourage and motivate customers for buying them. Weaknesses Products are quite expensive which hesitate the customers from buying it. It is just starting thus competitors can still be the first choice of the customers. Its branch in Gaisano Mall does not have any flyers which might give extra information to the customers especially those who are interested to buy its products for special occasions. C. ROYAL BITES Product Royal Bites is offering flavors of cupcakes with very colorful designs. It also offers butter scotch, cookies, pastries, and customized cakes. Place Royal Bites is situated in Juna Subdivision, Matina, Davao City. Promotion Royal Bites promotes its products through Facebook, pictures, and word of mouth from the owners’ friends and customers. Price The price is reasonable for it meets the quality expected by the customers. Strengths Royal Bites doesn’t limit its products to cupcakes but also offer variants of cakes and pastries. The products are also appealing. Weaknesses The business is new to the market thus not all people know or notice its products. Competition can also be a hindrance for catering more people. INDIRECT COMPETITORS A. GOLDILOCKS Product Goldilocks offers cakes and rolls for birthdays, and any celebrations and occasions with different flavors and decorations. It also has cake which the customers can decorate with their own designs and likes. Pastries and pies are also available in its stores like mamon, hopia, egg pies, tarts, and macaroons. Goldilocks also has sweets like crinkles, cookies, pastillas, candies, chocolate bouquets and lollipops, polvoron, and popcorn. It also offers sarapinoy meals, pinoydeli, side dishes, and thirst quenchers. Place Goldilocks has numerous branches – stalls and shops inside and outside the malls. Its branches are scattered all over the islands of the Philippines. People can visibly see its goods almost everywhere; thus they are more encouraged to buy it. Promotion One of the most effective ways to promote Goldilocks products is to advertise it in national television since everyone has a chance of knowing their product offers both the new and old ones. It also uses high-end endorsers like Kris Aquino, Judy Ann Santos, and Dingdong Dantes. It also promotes its products particularly cakes through its program – decorate your own cake. Goldilocks goes green. It states, â€Å"Help us save the Earth by getting and bringing the Goldilocks brown bag whenever you buy their favorite Goldilocks products.† It also has discounts. Price Based on Mark Striving, Goldilocks uses Good-Better-Best. It is an intelligent pricing tactic that every firm should consider; it’s an extension of versioning that takes advantage of customers’ psychological make-up. People who are unsure what they want will usually buy the middle, or â€Å"Better† choice out of Good-Better-Best. Go back and read that sentence again: People who are unsure what they want will usually buy the middle or â€Å"Better† choice out of Good-Better-Best. So providing a middle choice is the crux of the good, better, best tactic. It has been shown that customers avoid â€Å"Best† because they are afraid of paying too much; it also shows that they are even more afraid of â€Å"Good† (the lowest choice) because they are afraid to purchase the lowest quality, and it may make them look cheap. So, when uncertain, they buy â€Å"Better†. This means, if company currently have two versions of offering, company should seriously consider adding a third with more features at a higher price (and feature level). This action will likely sway any of customers who were stuck between buying â€Å"Good† (the lowest) and â€Å"Better† (the middle), to choose â€Å"Better†. Companies will also likely sell some â€Å"Best† and at much higher profit than your other offerings. Overall, simply adding a â€Å"Better† option puts more profit dollars in pocket. Strengths Goldilocks has already established its name in the Philippines. It will be one in the options in every Filipinos when choosing cakes and pastries. It is well known and famous. The quality of its products especially the cakes is one of its edges. It has already been in the food industry for a long time; therefore it has the proper know-how and strategies to pursue whenever it can encounter problems and competitions. Weaknesses Health conscious individuals are quite a trend in the food industry. More people are watching their diet and how much calories and sugar they are in taking. Goldilocks uses sugar as its prime ingredient which might lead these individuals to avoid its products. Competition is always in the market. B. MERCO Product Merco offers various kinds and flavors pastries and cakes. It also has coolers like halo-halo and shakes. It also patronizes home-cooked Pinoy dishes and short-orders such as French fries and sandwiches. Place Merco already had 35 branches in Davao Region which are mostly take-out counters and a few are for dining particularly in Quirino branch. Its branches located almost everywhere make its products more visible and available to the market. Promotion Merco promotes its products through social media particularly through Facebook and its own company website. It also advertises through large tarpaulins stating their new offers, promotions, and activities. Word of mouth from the customers also promotes Merco products. Price The prices of Merco’s products are affordable to the market. It has a notion of pangmasa. A whole cake is priced at a minimum of P200, cake rolls at P150, coolers at P40, and the Pinoy meals at P50. Strengths Merco already established well its name in the market especially in Davao Region. It has been reputable because of its credibility in serving quality cakes for more than 60 years that are affordable and reasonable. Its branches are located strategically where the public can see its products. Weaknesses Since Merco is in the business for more than 60 years, customers has a thinking that it is already old and want to try new and fresh branded products. It is not appealing to the higher class because it is pangmasa; and it does not have systematic promotions of serving upper class. Most of its branches are take-out counters so some customers are hesitant to buy its products and will instead go to other bakeshops where they can have stay while eating. Merco is not also expanding its product line outside Davao. C. RED RIBBON Product Cakes, rolls, pastries, and meals are the products of Red Ribbon. Cakes and rolls are of different flavor and variants but mostly of chocolate. Pastries consist of different flavors of mamon, different slices of marble cake, varried numbers of polvoron, empanada, and pastillas de leche. Red Ribbon also serves spaghetti, carbonara, and palabok good for parties. Place Red Ribbon has different branches here in Davao, all inside the malls of Abreeza, Victoria Plaza, Gaisano, SM, and NCCC. It has stalls and stores all over the Philippines. People can recognize its products because it is placed in public places. Promotion Red Ribbon advertises its products in the television where everyone can know and interest its products. It has a promotional activity but 9 butter mamon, get 1 free. This kind of promo is also available in ensaymada, yummy cheese roll, marble slices, and other mamon variants. It also offers customization of cakes. Price The price of Red Ribbon is usually expensive and caters upper class market. Strengths Red Ribbon is easy to locate for its many branches. It is very convenient for the customers because they can locate it anywhere. It also offers not only cakes and pastries but also meals such as pasta, spaghetti, and other rice meals. It lets customers customize their choice of cake. Weaknesses Red Ribbon doesn’t have much promotional activities and offers few flavors of cakes. It is likely limited to chocolate cakes. It has rice meals which are good but quite expensive. D. FUDGE FACTORY Product It offers cupcakes, brownies, chocolate bars, and pies. The box, the factory called it the Medley of Fun has 24 different kinds of brownies from dark to white chocolate, plain to frost topping with an assortment of nuts, liqueur, and even durian (what Davao city is known, for). Other than the brownies, it has an assortment of pastries like cheese sticks, trifle, cookies and biscotti. Place Fudge Factory is located at 2nd floor, Abreeza Mall, Davao. Promotion Fudge Factory has online pages in Facebook. It can promote products to large population of people through online. More people are hook in Facebook; thus more people will be able to know its products. There are also bloggers who promote their products as they posted positive comments about Fudge Factory. Furthermore, people can connect with its website for promotions. Price The price of Fudge Factory is affordable and reasonable. Strengths It has 24 varieties of brownies where the customers can have wide range of choices. Its location can cater different types of market or customers which can be its target marjet or potential customers. Products are good for any occasions and best for gift giving. Weaknesses Health conscious people will not likely patronize its products because they contain fat, calories, and sugar. Fudge factory also focuses on pastry sweets which make the customers thirsty and doesn’t offer any drinks. E. MARGIE’S BAKESHOP Product Margie’s Bakeshop offers cakes, pastries, cupcakes and full meals such as steaks and other Filipino dishes. It also offers sweets such as meringues and chocolate truffles. It offers desserts too like dulce de leche and a lot more. Its products are really top quality. Its food is great and it matches their pricing too. But all in all, customers can’t really judge them at price alone because its food is really good and very good to look at. It passed the two requirements of good food: looks good and tastes good. Place Margie’s Bakeshop has lots of branches all over Davao City at Ecoland, Matina, Fairlanes, Torres, Abreeza Mall of Davao, and at Buhangin. The branches are convenient and visible to the customers. Promotion It has online advertising through Facebook. There was a time Margie’s offered a buy 1 take 1 cake promotion. Price Prices are somewhat in the upper class range. Products prices are expensive. Their most affordable cake goes for P320 and it is only good for 2 persons. There are other cakes which cost for P320 – P700 and only good for 2 persons. Their chocolate truffles cost at P13 each. But of course, with price comes the quality of their product. It is really expensive there but it is worth every centavo customers pay for. Strengths Margie’s Bakeshop has different branches in Davao City making more customers able to see its products. The pastries and cakes are really quality products. Weaknesses Its pricing is expensive; thus there are limited customers who will be able to spend their money to buy its products. The promotional activities are not that evident. I. SERVICES AND BENEFITS HEALTH BENEFITS The fruits made of simple sugars like fructose and sucrose that when eaten replenish energy and revitalize the body instantly. It is rich in dietary fiber, which helps to protect the colon mucous membrane by decreasing exposure time and as well as binding to cancer-causing chemicals in the colon. It is a source of antioxidant vitamin-C. It helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful free radicals. It contains high levels of essential amino acid, tryptophan which in the body metabolizes into serotonin and melatonin in which theyraises serotonin levels that creates an over-all sense of well-being and aids in depression. Durian provides â€Å"more concentrated healthful energy in food form than any other product the world affords. Its high concentration of raw oleic fats (and vitamin E), sulphur compounds, and soft proteins. It increases energy, endurance, mental clarity, and cellular health, good for muscle building and organ function. It has anti-aging benefits including enhancing the appearance of your skin. Jackfruit is a good source of antioxidant vitamin-C, provides about 13.7 mg or 23% of RDA. It is a good source of potassium, magnesium, manganese, and iron. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. It contains minerals like manganese which is needed in the body to build bone and connective tissues; Iron prevents anemia while manganese as well as magnesium are essential for bone health; Magnesium is important in the absorption of calcium and work with calcium to help the bones remain strong and prevent bone related disorders. B-Vitamins like riboflavin, vitamin B6, folic acid and niacin; these are essential to maintain good skin and nervous system. Jackfruit lowers blood pressure levels. Jackfruit is a rich source of potassium for the body as it helps keep the body fluids and electrolyte balance in body cells and helps in regulating blood pressure reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. It strengthens immune system. Jackfruit is a very good source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that can help prevent colds and infections. Also help in the proper functioning of the immune system by supporting the functions of the white blood cells. It ensures better gastrointestinal health. The high fiber present in the fruit prevents constipation and helps in smooth and regular bowel movements. The fiber also offers protection to the mucous membrane of the colon by driving away the carcinogenic chemicals from the colon. Mangosteen is unique for its appearance and flavor. It is very low in calories (63 calories per 100 g) and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. It is rich in dietary fiber (100 g provides about 13% of RDA), which can be very important for individuals who are concerned about putting on excess body weight. Mangosteen is good in vitamin C. Vitamin-C is a powerful water soluble anti-oxidant that helps the body develops resistance against flu-like infectious agents. It helps to combat pain (anti-inflammatory property which may decrease inflammation, pain and joint damage linked with arthritis, or pain caused by sports workout and minor injuries) It maintains intestinal health – relieve diarrhea, constipation, stimulate normal bowel health. Mangosteen may decrease blood sugar in Type II diabetes by making insulin more effective, decrease free radical damage and inflammatory build up – help to maintain the blood vessel health, cholesterol level, protect heart muscle, low er high blood pressure. II. MARKETING MIX Product Cupcake Delight’s feature product is Boucake. Boucake is derived from the combination of bouquet and cake. It is in a form of a bouquet but instead of flowers, it uses cupcakes with different fillings. It has different designs that look like a real flower. This cupcake bouquet is not just unique in its form and design, but also in its fillings. It patronizes Davao’s best fruits fillings such as Durian, Mangosteen, and Jackfruit. Boucake offers two types; one which has 6 cupcakes per bouquet and the other has 12 cupcakes. Both could be personalized in terms of designs as for customer’s request. Boucake is best for gift giving celebrations. It is great alternative for flower bouquet which males can present to their significant other during weeksaries, monthsaries, and anniversaries. It can be a gift during Mother’s and Teacher’s Day. Place Cupcake Delight will be situated in a pastry and cake shop inside a mall. Base on the survey, market would want to purchase it in the mall about 50.5% of them and in the pastry and cake shop about 44% of them. Mall is considered since there is less hassle. The physical place is already there unlike finding or renting a lot then build a store or shop. It is more costly. The rental fee in the mall is also settled and fixed. Mall, as a place Boucake, is also advantageous since there are people constantly visiting there. There will be more potential customers and target market can surely be achieved. Cupcake Delight can put on their minds the physical image of the shop or through the permanent placement in the mall. Promotion Boucake will be promoted through online like Facebook, Twitter, and of course Instagram where the netizens can really see the actual image of the Boucake. Flyers must also be distributed to the customers so that they can have contact information and promotions of Boucake and other Cupcake Delight products. Decorations can be based on customer’s wants and on occasions. Discounts on bundled orders will also be used to create loyalty to the customers. Price Boucake with 6 pieces will be priced at P350 while with the 12 pieces will priced at P650. 63.5% and 71% respectively wanted it to be priced at that range. Pricing is cost based. Cupcake Delight pricing strategy will be based on the totality of all the expenses we had in making our product. We considered how we can put a price on our product in a way that we can cover all the expenses in our operation plus our profit. We come up to a price of Php 350.00 for our cupcake bouquet. With this price, 75% will be going to our expenses and the remaining 25% will serve as our income per bouquet.