“Princess Paradox” by James Poniewozik Essay

In the â€Å"Princess Paradox† James Poniewozik starts out his article by taking a stance against the princess movement, but then throughout the rest of his article he talks about how the movement is good for young girls by showing that they can control their own destiny. Unlike the â€Å"Princess Paradox†, Peggy Orenstein’s article â€Å"Cinderella and Princess Culture† takes a stance against the princess movement by stating that the movement is ruining the minds of young girls. Although both authors have feminist points of view, they have opposite opinions on how the princess movement affect young girls, which they try to prove by using different approaches to prove what their opinion is. In their opening paragraphs both authors take a stance against the princess movement. Poniewozik starts out his article by saying that it is a recurring nightmare of high-minded modern parents of daughters, where the parents give many masculine toys, and then when Halloween rolls around they want to be a princesses; (666) while Orenstein writes her article from the perspective of a parent whose daughter was called a princess and treated as a princess everywhere she went, and Orenstein’s tolerance of this treatment grew shorter until she lost her patience. Though Poniewozik seems to take a stance against the movement in his opening paragraph he ends up leaning towards why it is a good thing for young girls, whereas Orenstein keeps her opinion the same, but she goes on to contradict the point that she was trying to make. Both authors compare todays princess movement with the feminist movement that took place a few years ago. We’ve come a long way, it seems, from the girls-kick-ass culture of just a few years ago in which a 360 [degrees] flying roundhouse kick was a girl’s best friend. (Poniewozik 666) Poniewozik says that today’s Prince Charming has learned the lessons of feminism, or at least learned to pay lip service to them. (666-667) Orenstein on the other hand sees the princess movement as an anti-feminist movement, which she tries to support at first, but then she begins to contradict herself by saying that the princess movement may be a sign of progress, and that at  long last girls can have it all. (671) The approach to the princess movement that both authors take is completely different from the other. Poniewozik uses the princess related movies for his approach, showing how they fit in the theme that the girl can have it all, while at the same time they can keep the feministic way, while Orenstein pulls all her information from the Disney’s Princesses. She takes her approach by claiming that the princess movement was started when Disney put nine of its female characters together and started to sell the princess movement to the public. Poniewozik keeps his claim that the princess movement is good for young girls throughout his article which he tries to prove by using more opinion than fact. Orenstein started her article with the point of view that the princess movement is ruining young girls, but about half way through the article she states that she might be wrong. Where Poniewozik fails to give good facts to support his claim Orenstein seems to make up for when she goes on to give facts and evidence which disproves her own theory, but supports Poniewozik’s. Poniewozik’s proof of his theory is rather hollow, but is more filled if you add in the facts and information from Orenstein’s article. On the other hand Orenstein lacks proof to prove her stand against the princess movement and to prove how she could be right. Most of the information that she tries to use to back up her theory is formed from her opinion, which makes the proof for her theory rather hollow. Poniewozik talks about how the princess movies show what a princess should be like and that there is a strict set of rules and conventions; she should be pretty, but in a class president way, not a head cheerleader way, she should be able to stand up for herself, she must be socially conscious, and above all she should not want to be a princess until she changes her mind that is. (668 Poniewozik) Orenstein says similar things such as girls feel like they have to follow a certain set of rules to be accepted; school-age girls overwhelmingly reported a paralyzing pressure to be â€Å"perfect†: not only to get straight A’s and be the student-body president, editor of the newspaper and captain of the swim team, but also to be â€Å"kind and caring,† â€Å"please  everyone, be very thin and dress right.† (673) Orenstein found that Disney’s secret to selling their princess products was that all they had to do is think like a little girl would about princess items. Such as, what type of bed would they want, what type of alarm clock would they want to wake up to, and what type of TV would they like to watch, and etc. Few girls will completely bedeck their room, but if she ends up with three or four of these items, well you have a healthy business. (673 Orenstein) Poniewozik found a similar occurrence with princess movies. He says that Hollywood is discovering that it still does not pay to fight the royal urge. (Poniewozik 666) Following 2001’s $108 million-grossing _The Princess Diaries,_ Hollywood waved its wand and conjured a set of Cinderella stories for girls, including The Prince and Me and Ella Enchanted, as well as A Cinderella Story and its sequel. (Poniewozik 666) Both authors stated their claims and presented their evidence, they both have opposite views, but yet the evidence is similar in many ways. Although both authors have feminist points of view, they have opposite opinions on how the princess movement affect young girls, which they try to prove by using different approaches to prove what their opinion is. Poniewozik’s argument was proven with some facts he had, while Orenstein did not support her argument very well and only helped make Poniewozik’s argument better, and to disprove her own. Citations: Orenstein, Peggy. â€Å"Cinderella and Princess Culture.† Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Suzanne Phelps Chambers. Upper Saddle River: Longman, 2011. 670-673. Poniewozik, James. â€Å"The Princess Paradox.† Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. Suzanne Phelps Chambers. Upper Saddle River: Longman, 2011. 666-669.

How Google Changed the Internet

How Google Changed the Internet Trying to find something on the internet used to be a challenge many years ago, today Google dominates the search engine world. Google has changed not only the way the United States uses the internet, but also how the world does. The search engine market on the internet is competitive; Google leads the way with the most accurate search results, and other online tools for users to use (Alexa). Google allow users not only to search but to organize their life, find directions, and share content with other users. Google didn’t begin as Google.Founders Larry Page and Sergey met at Stanford University (Stross). Sergey was assigned to show Larry around the school, according to some reports the two disagreed on almost everything. The two reconvened in 1996, and began their first search engine, â€Å"BackRub. † The search engine become very popular and within a year outgrew the servers at Stanford (Stross). The two decided BackRub needed a new nam e, and a new location that could handle the demand. Brainstorming came up with the name Google, a play on the word googol a term for the number represented by the numeral 1 followed by 100 zeros.The word was chosen because it reflects the mission to organize an infinite amount of information on the web (Corporate Information-Google Milestones). In 1998, Andy Bechtolsheim wrote a check for $100,000 to the new company. The new workspace location is set up in the garage of Susan Wojciki’s Melon Park, California home. Later Google filed for incorporation in California and were granted it. They then set up a bank account with the new name and deposited the check. Eventually Google moved to its current location at 1600 Ampatheater parkway.At this point Google has more than 800 employees (Corporate Information-Google Milestones). Google is the most popular search provider in the United States. In 2007 google. com became the most visited website surpassing Microsoft. com (Alexa). Goo gle. com is the most visited site in the U. S. (Alexa). The term â€Å"Google it† has become very popular in the language of an average American (Stross) Google isn’t just the most used search provider in the U. S. but also in the world (Stross) Google. com is available in 28 languages, allowing users from all over the world to search in a language that is comfortable to them(Google Support).Not every country provides all that Google Search has to offer. For example China strictly blocks the regular google. com because they can not control the results of a search done on that website. The only way Chinese people are able to search Google is by visiting Chinese Google google. cn. The Chinese government has the ability to filter search results (Wauters). Other countries have also blocked Google; a popular one that has recently been in the news is Iran (Finkle). Countries block Google so that their citizens won’t have free access to information that is not filtered by the government.Google is most widely popular for their search feature. Their products list is very vast, offering services for the consumer and business. On the consumer side of products Google offers a very long list. The most popular being iGoogle, YouTube, Google Calendar, Google Sync, G-mail, and the list goes on. On the business side of thing Google offers companies AdWords, Google search appliance, and Google custom search. iGoogle allows users to create customized homepages. Users can add gadgets that come in all shapes and sizes.For example a user could add their Gmail, CNN News, and Weather to their page and get all that information at once without having to leave to go to all the individual websites (Google Support). YouTube wasn’t created by Google, it was acquired. On October 9th 2006 Google announced its plans to acquire You Tube for $1. 65 billion (Google Press Center). YouTube is a video sharing website that allows users to upload videos, leave comments, an d create video responses. YouTube is the third most visited website in the U. S. (Alexa). Google Calendar allows users to virtually create a calendar in the format that most people are familiar too.Users are able to invite other users to view their calendar and vies-versa. SMS text messaging can also be set up so that a text message is sent out before an event on the calendar to remind the user (Google Support). Google Sync allows users to sync everything that is Google to their wireless device. This allows users to be able to have make changes on either device and appear on both, without ever having to plug their device into their computer (Google Support). G-mail is Google’s approach at web based e-mail. The layout is very minimalistic, and also allows users to customize their inbox page.The site is ad supported by a small text ad at the top of the page, unlike many other free e-mail providers G-mail does not place a ad at the footers of the users sent e-mail. Each user is given up to one gigabyte of free storage, virtually making it so users do not have to delete anything if they don’t want to (Google Support). Google isn’t just all about marketing to consumers, but also to business of all sizes with a wide variety of products for business customers. The most popular product is Google AdWords(Stross). AdWords allows business to create all sorts of ads for their business.The ads can vary from just text, text and picture, or full sized color ads. The ads are displayed on all sorts of Google services, the most popular is in search results, the ad would appear first if it had something to do with what the user was searching for. AdWords is a very cost effective way for business to promote online because it is pay for click, the business is only charged when their ad is clicked on (Google Business Solutions). The other very popular for business customers from Google is called Google search appliance (Stross).The search appliance is a device that companies can connect to their network, the appliances then searches and indexes all files on the network making them easier to find. Users of the network can then just type in what they are looking for, and get instant results. The search appliance can be customized to fit business on the small to extremely large scale (Google Business Solutions). Google is not just available on the web, but also on the go. Google offers a large variety of products for the mobile users. The most popular are Google mobile, Android mobile operating system and Google Maps for mobile.Google mobile allows users to quickly search for information using their phones. A full range of the Google family of products are available in the mobile addition, users simply point their mobile internet browser to google. com and Google recognizes that the request is coming from a mobile phone and automatically converts into the mobile version of Google (Google Support). If mobile users do not have access to the in ternet on their phone Google provides a short text number that users can send text messages to. Users simply text what they are looking for and Google text them back with the search results (Google Support).Google Android is an operating system for mobile phones. It is more typically referred to just as Android. The operating system allows open development allowing users to fully customize their phones and to create application. Users can also  purchase thousands of applications from the Android market to continue to customize their phone. Basic Google products come pre-installed on the phone (Google Support). Google maps for mobile allows mobile internet users to pull up full colored maps and driving directions (Google Support). Users on the go can quickly pull up directions if they become lost or searching for something along their route.Users can also utilize street view on their mobile phones allowing users to see what something look likes as if they were even there (Google Su pport). The future looks good for Google. As the largest search provider in America what does this company have up its sleeve for the future? Google believes that the United States doesn’t have fast enough internet service compared to other developed countries in the world. Their latest project is to link all of the country together using fiber optic cable to create blazing fast internet. Many people have split views on these issues.Ben Scott says â€Å"Google is showing the government that we can have super-fast opened broadband. † According to Scott Cleland â€Å"this is mainly a P. R. stunt†. Google’s ultimate mission is to link rural areas with the large metropolitan community. Google plans to start testing this service later this year; the specific test markets have not been released (Helft). Overall Google is a vital part of the online community. Finding information on the internet is no longer a chore. Google truly has changed the way America searc hes, but also around the world.In the coming years Google will most likely launch new products that will continue to allow it’s users to organize their life, find information, get directions, and share with other users.Works Cited Alexa. Amazon, 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. â€Å"Corporate Information-Google Milestones. † google. com. N. p. , 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2010. Finkle, Jim, and Ian Sherr. â€Å"Q + A-How can Iran block Google? † Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 11 Feb. 210. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. â€Å"Google Business Solutions. † Google. N. p. , 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2010. Google Support . Google, 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. <http://google. com/? support>. Google To Acquire YouTube for $1. 5 Billion in Stock. N. p. : n. p. , 9 Oct. 2006. N. pag. Google Press Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. Helft, Miguel. â€Å"Google to Offer Superfast Net Service . † New York TImes 10 Feb. 2010: n. pag. The New York Times. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. Jarvis, Jeff. â€Å"The United Sta tes of Google. † Business Week. Business Week, n. d. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. Strickland, Jonathan. â€Å"How Google Works. † How Stuff Works. How Stuff Works, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. Stross, Randall. Planet Google. New York: Free Press, 2008. Print. Wauters, Robin. â€Å"Censorship 2. 0. † Tech Crunch. N. p. , 24 June 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. YouTube. Google, 2010. Web. 23 Feb. 2010.

The Criminal Justice System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Criminal Justice System - Essay Example The study presents Theoretical Criminology that refers to a discipline focusing on the establishment, development, and the advancement of the theoretical, speculative, or notional aspects of criminological knowledge. In other terms, theoretical criminology encompasses the various theories, crimes, and the narratives related to or explaining crime and delinquency. In addition, theoretical criminology entails the study and surveys of criminal/delinquent behaviors, criminal law, social deviance, morality, and social regulation/governance crimes/criminals. Besides the renewal of healthy theoretical debates in the criminal justice systems, theoretical criminology explores the interrelation of criminological theories and empirical data from crime-focused researches, thereby promoting the establishment of linkages between cultural, socio-political theories, and criminological analysis. Although the academic nature of criminal justice became more apparent in the 1950s, a period during the di scipline was mainly characterized by observational researches; recent times have realized the diversification of the discipline, with more complex criminal justice systems, organizations, and agents/personnel. Consequently, the criminological theories have since evolved to become more complex and equally diversified in their elements and areas of applicability. In fact, the contemporary theories of criminology could not be easily identified with the theoretical criminology that existed fifty years ago. ... Theoretical Criminology Theoretical Criminology refers to a discipline focusing on the establishment, development, and the advancement of the theoretical, speculative, or notional aspects of criminological knowledge (Walsh & Ellis, 2007). In other terms, theoretical criminology encompasses the various theories, crimes, and the narratives related to or explaining crime and delinquency (Beccaria & Davies, 1974). In addition, theoretical criminology entails the study and surveys of criminal/delinquent behaviors, criminal law, social deviance, morality, and social regulation/governance crimes/criminals. Besides the renewal of healthy theoretical debates in the criminal justice systems, theoretical criminology explores the interrelation of criminological theories and empirical data from crime-focused researches, thereby promoting the establishment of linkages between cultural, socio-political theories, and criminological analysis. Although the academic nature of criminal justice became mo re apparent in the 1950s, a period during the discipline was mainly characterized by observational researches; recent times have realized the diversification of the discipline, with more complex criminal justice systems, organizations, and agents/personnel. Consequently, the criminological theories have since evolved to become more complex and equally diversified in their elements and areas of applicability. In fact, the contemporary theories of criminology could not be easily identified with the theoretical criminology that existed fifty years ago. With the more complex theoretical researches accumulated in the last sixty years, relatively more specific criminological theories have been postulated. Most of these specific criminological theories explain various types of

Security of our nation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Security of our nation - Essay Example As a direct result of the fact that an increased level of interconnectedness and communication links diverse communities and individuals the world over, the nature and scope of existing threats to national security it might be posed by elements that would wish to do the United States harm has been drastically increased. Yet, in order to more completely understand the issues relating to domestic and international eavesdropping/spying that has been proven to exist by the leaks of whistleblower Edward Snowden and others, the following analysis will focus upon the key issues, the stakeholders involved within the scope of this espionage, and the technology involved. By regarding these issues and focusing on the political and ethical ramifications that these issues entail, the analysis will be able to pinpoint the way in which this issue is currently defined. Firstly, with regards to the key issues, it can be understood that the right and expectation to privacy is the first and most presci ent of all. Whereas constitutional scholars have argued for decades over whether or not the Constitution in and of itself guarantees or somehow implies a right to privacy, the fact of the matter is that this has come to be something of an expected norm within the American society and the way of life. As such, the revelations concerning the fact that millions upon millions of phone calls, emails, instant messages, social networks, chats, texts, and web searches are stored and analyzed by a litany of different computer algorithms and analysts has rekindled the debate and focused many individuals upon the key issue of privacy and the means through which personal information can or should be intercepted in the name of national security (Hill 19). The second key issue that exists within this particular analysis is whether or not a domestic spy agency is allowed to intercept communications of American citizens if these communications are not taking place between the individual and someone outside the country and/or taking place between American citizen and an individual who is a suspect or person of interest with regards to national security. This is the more ignored aspect of the debate. Ultimately, the intelligence agencies within the United States, the CIA, the DIA, the NSA, and a litany of others, are all bound by a central and constraining rubric. This central rubric concerns the fact that these agencies are not allowed to spy on United States is within the United States. However, the revelations of whistleblower Edward Snowden point to the fact that agency such as the NSA have flagrantly been ignoring this rule for years. In seeking to gain a greater deal of understanding with regards to the stakeholders of this particular issue, the reader can come to a simple understanding; that each and every individual within the United States and throughout the world is impacted by the actions that are being taken by the National Security Agency and other intelligence gro ups are tracking, recording, and monitoring the communications of individuals around the globe. This delineation of â€Å"everyone† as a potential stakeholder in this process is underscored by the fact that recent documentation and revelations by Edward Snowden and others have pointed to the fact that the information of

Argument Assignment- why prostitution should be legal in the U.S Essay

Argument Assignment- why prostitution should be legal in the U.S - Essay Example The reasons due to which legalizing prostitution should take place are that legalizing will decrease government spending, will decrease incidences and spread of HIV virus and this will even help in keeping the society safe from severe criminal activities One of the reasons due to which prostitution should be legalized is that legalizing has several economic benefits associated with it for the prostitutes as well as the government of United States. Prostitution is an act in which the prostitute willingly sells themselves and they mostly do so because they are in dire need of financial assistance. Since the government is recognizing prostitution as an illegal act, several prostitutes are arrested day by day for an act that they indulge in out of freewill. The most important point to be noted is that prostitution does not harms the overall society, its benefits and costs are beard by those who are purchasing prostitutes and by those who are selling themselves. Since prostitution is recognized as an illegal act, police is running after the parties involved to imprison them. Several prostitutes are being arrested every day and this is increasing the population of the jail and is even resulting in an increase of the government’s fi nancial expenditure. During the period of 1987, Jacobsen reported that the total cost of putting prostitutes behind bars and brining them to justice experienced by the government is around $2000/arrest (Jacobsen 135). FBI pointed out that the total number of prostitutes booked into correctional centers totaled to 56,560 individuals (FBI 1). Calculating the total cost bared by the government to deal with 56,560 individuals involved in prostitution may end up amounting to $113,120,000. If prostitution is recognized as a legal act, this government spending can be saved and used for other purposes and countering criminal activity

Leadership Analysis Paper (Ray Kroc,Mcdonalds Founder) Essay

Leadership Analysis Paper (Ray Kroc,Mcdonalds Founder) - Essay Example He ensured the growth and consistency of production in the company. Notably, McDonalds is the world's largest chain of restaurants based in San Bernardino, California with its first restaurant starting in 1955. The company continued to open other restaurants all over the world where it sells the same brand and quality of the world’s favorite foods, which include Fries and Chicken, Big Mac sandwich, and Nuggets. Today, McDonalds is the world’s leading foodservice retailer. The leadership case of Ray Kroc relates to me since I also worked for McDonalds and I could use his leadership style in my position. Abstract Leadership is one of the dominant aspects in modern life. There are different forms and levels of leadership and thus it is not easy to define leadership. However, leadership involves the ability to establish a long-term policy and influencing others towards the realization of that policy (Bennis, 2009, p.1-8). Leadership requires leadership skills which are eith er taught or acquired and may have formal powers to exercise their mandate. Notably, leadership is very subtle in any organization and the leaders have unique responsibilities over their followers (Bennis, 2009, 147-149). This paper will analyze the leadership practices of Ray Kroc who was the founder of the McDonalds. In doing this, the paper will rely on theories covered in this course. Chapter 1: Introduction Ray Kroc was an American entrepreneur whose name is very dominant in the restaurants industry because he was synonymous in propelling McDonald’s to international success where it is now the world's largest chain of restaurants. Ray Kroc was born in Oak Park, Illinois, on October 5, 1902 (Mattern, 2011). Ray Kroc grew and spent the greater part of his life in Oak Park, Illinois. He dropped out of school at an early age 15 years to become a Red Cross ambulance driver in World War I after lying about his age to become an ambulance driver at 15 (Mattern, 2011). After the World War 1, Kroc tried various career options, which included selling paper cups, plying piano, and being a DJ on a local Oak Park radio station (Mattern, 2011). At 20 years of age, Kroc got married. He started selling cups during the day for Tulip Cup Company in 1922 and plays the piano on the radio at night. He worked as a sales representative for 17 years where he rose to become the Tulip’s Midwest sales manager (Mattern, 2011). In this position, Kroc acquired the exclusive rights to a new milkshake machine that could make five milkshakes at once and promoted it across the United States (Mattern, 2011). He got big orders for the new milkshake machine and because of the savings he got from the sales, Kroc approached the McDonald brothers to start a number of restaurants. As a result, he opened two restaurants in Illinois when he was fifty-two years old (Mattern, 2011). He consequently bought the McDonald’

Summarize the IRIS Training Module (2) Coursework

Summarize the IRIS Training Module (2) - Coursework Example This paper will discuss the cultural differences existing regarding the involvement of family in Maria’s case and evaluate how cultural influences affect her development. Cultural influences are evident in how students understand verbal messages, body gestures, physical touch and eye contact because different cultures have different expectations of these modes of communication. For example, Maria is a Mexican student in the US and English is not her first language. Further, apart from learning it in the US, she also needs to have enough command over it to use it to learn academic content in school. According to the U.S. Department of Education (2007), the US is known for its historical emphasis on education, which also explains why majority of American parents have always been concerned and involved in their children’s academic affairs. Further, the present-day American education system does not discriminate against gender, as is traditionally seen among some minority cultures that prioritize the education of the boy child. On the contrary, Maria’s parents have not shown interest in what goes on in her school life apart from the fact th at they enrolled her in school. For instance, they have not been returning her teacher’s calls and have also failed to respond to the notes that have been sent to them for a whole week. This acts as a warning sign to the teacher and generates the initial thoughts that the parents are not supportive of their child’s academic endeavor. From the case study, Maria is also shown to be the typical example of English language learners. This is because although she has the conversational skills to chat with friends during break, she lacks the central academic language and vocabulary to succeed in school. A key cultural influence on Maria’s education is what is typically known of Latin American cultures in which children show

Cash flow analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Cash flow analysis - Essay Example The company sells its products online and also through merchants. Other products and services the company provides are; server and storage software, Microsoft Dynamics and video game consoles. It’s also involved in mobile software production; recently they purchased Nokia Handset Business. Without doubt the Microsoft company is one among the leading companies in its industry. A common size financial statement shows all items as percentages; this enables easy analysis over a given time. A common analysis from 2011 to 2014 was made. This analysis illustrated a decrease in the profits made over those three years. On the other hand an increase in the cost of sales over this period was observed. The operating cost remained the same over this period of time. The provision of 7% total sales was constant. The net income as in june 2014 was 25.42% which was a decrease, in 2013 net income was 28%, 2012 was 23%, while 2011 was 33%. A statement for the those three years tells us that cash and cash equivalents ant the current assets have increased slowly over time. On a different observation for the same period, there was a decline in terms of the long term assets of the company related to the decline in goodwill. In 2011 to 2014 the current and long term liabilities have held constant. There has been a decline from 47 to 44% in the total liabilities of the company w hile the stockholders’s equity has increased over that period from 52 to 55%. The financial statement provides information regarding the prospect earnings capacity of a corpoartion’s assets over and above an indication of cash flows which might come from inventories and receivables . the figures in the table is in USD $ in millions and was adopted from Microsoft Corporation, the annual reports Ratio analysis for this period was done to get an indication of the company’s financial performance in

Fire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Fire - Essay Example One of the reasons behind the success of movie was the increased amount of budget which was spent to produce this movie. The major part of the overall film budget was spent on the fire scene which takes the complete toll of the Chicago city (King). It can be seen in the particular scenic representation of the fire accident which spreads all around the neighborhood taking grasp of the closer blocks as well. The directors have shown people to be in the panic situation trying to save their homes despite the entire neighborhood was on fire. In reality, this is far different because the fire extinguishers and the firemen are allotted to the accident site. People are evacuated from the accident site so that there no more fatalities. Most prominently, the movie projects heroes saving human lives stuck in homes that are on fire. In real life, the heroes saving the human live stuck in the homes on fire are rather the firemen

Behavioural Approach Essay Example for Free

Behavioural Approach Essay The behavioural approach suggests that all behaviour is learnt. This includes abnormal behaviours. Behaviours can be learned through classical conditioning, operant conditioning or modelling. Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning, where learning results from the association of stimuli with reflex responses. Classical conditioning can be used to explain the development of many abnormal behaviours, including phobias, anxiety disorders and taste aversions. An example of how classical conditioning might result in a phobia is the case of Little Albert. In an experiment carried out by Watson and Rayner, a 11 month old boy called ‘little Albert’ was taught to fear a white rat through associating it with a loud noise, a symbol behind his head. Each time he played with the rat the symbol would be hit which caused him to cry. Eventually he would do so even without the noise due to the classical conditioning theory. This research however, would not receive approval from an ethics committee today because it would be seen as unethical. Making the baby cry deliberately and teaching him to fear the rat would be seen as wrong because it could cause distress and would go against ‘little Alberts’ human rights. The theory of operant conditioning was proposed by Skinner. Operant conditioning involves learning from the consequences of actions. Actions which have a good outcome through positive reinforcement (reward) or negative reinforcement (removal of something bad) will be repeated. Actions which have a bad outcome (punishment) will not be repeated. Operant conditioning explains how abnormal behaviours might be maintained. This could be through positive reinforcement; behaviours which have a good outcome by bringing some sort of reward are said to be positively reinforced. On the other hand it could be down to negative reinforcement which is behaviours which have a good outcome by removing something unpleasant are said to be negatively reinforced. Finally, abnormal behaviours could also be learnt through modelling or social learning, which is learning through observation of an individual. What happens is simply an individual models the behaviour and the observer imitates the model. A strength of the behavioural approach is that it can be experimentally tested. The principles of learning have been and continue to be tested empirically in a laboratory. The focus on observable behaviour means it can be objectively measured. A further strength is that unlike the psychodynamic approach, it doesn’t require delving into the past, which is problematic because it could unearth traumatic experiences which can produce unreliable data. However, those who support the psychodynamic approach suggests the behavioural model only focuses on symptoms, not on the underlying causes of abnormal behaviour. Freudians claim it treats the symptoms while ignoring the root cause of the problem. Therefore it cannot work as the problem will just represent itself with different symptoms. Whereas, the biological approach cannot explain cultural differences in abnormality such as culture-bound syndromes, a strength of the behavioural approach is that it can account for this because It accounts for cultural differences because it recognises the importance of the environment in shaping behaviour. While behavioural treatments are often effective for certain disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and phobias, they have not been found to be effective for many other disorders and have also often been criticised for being unethical because treatment is often painful and uncomfortable and is sometimes imposed on individuals without their consent. The behavioural approach is accused of being reductionist and simplistic. This is because it’s a simple approach with connections of stimulus. It neglects the influence of cognitions (The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought and experience). A further limitation is that much behaviourist research involves animal studies. While behaviourists argue that humans are fundamentally the same as non-human animals, others would argue that the greater complexity of the human mind makes it difficult to generalise findings from animal studies to humans. Overall the behaviourist approach shows all behaviour to be learnt through our experiences. It states that this learning can either be learnt through classical or operant condition and also the social learning theory. It can be experimentally tested and proven which makes the approach credible however it can be seen just to treat the symptoms of a abnormal behaviour rather than looking at the cause.

Performance Of An Organisation Over A Three Year Period

Performance Of An Organisation Over A Three Year Period Topic Area The topic selected for research programme is The business and financial performance of an organisation over a three year period and the organisation chosen to base on research is Sainsbury Plc. It is not appropriate to measure the performance of a business entity in isolation thats why the research will base on comparison of performance of Sainsbury plc with its market competitors, e.g. Tesco Plc over last three years by using different accounting performance measure techniques e.g. Ratio analysis, SWAT analysis. Reason for Choosing Topic Today in volatile market condition due to economic recession famously branded as Credit Crunch businesses are facing tremendous challenges and many big names from every sector e.g. Northern Rock, HBOS Woolworth completely wipe out from market which make it crucial to have external independent business analysis to save the interest of shareholders who are ultimate owner of the business. Having studied ACCA fundamental paper Performance Measurement (F5), professional paper Business Analysis (P3) and option paper Advance Performance Measurement (P5) has equipped me with competence of examines the financial and business performance of business entity most effectively. This is the reason for choosing the above mention topic out of other given topics because skills and knowledge require for this project under this topic I have already studied in detail. Supermarkets are very dominant member of our society who influences a lot in our daily household needs. In the UK food and grocery retailing accounts for nearly 50p in every pound spent in shops. 12.4% of household spending in the UK is now on food, drink and tobacco, compared to 14.3% twelve years ago (1998) and 17.3% twenty two years ago (1988). (IGD, n.d).People prefers supermarkets because of one stop all shop. Sainsbury Plc is among of biggest supermarkets famously known as Big Four Asda, Tesco, and Morrison. The reason for selecting Sainsbury plc for research project because of employed in company for almost five years and have detail knowledge about the company operational activities as well as its strategic performance. About Sainsbury Sainsbury Plc supermarket founded in 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury, company started to sell own brand product in 1882 under the category of brand ranges Taste the Difference, Be Good to Yourself, Sainsbury Free form Sainsbury Basic etc which became 50 per cent of Sainsbury turnover in 1950. (Sainsbury Plc, nd). The group operate in three business segments, Supermarket chain, Property development and Sainsbury bank. Sainsbury jointly own Sainsbury Bank with Lloyds Tsb Banking Group and it has two property joint ventures with Land Securities Group Plc and The British Land Company Plc. Sainsbury has a heritage of selling quality food at fair prices. The large stores sell 30,000 products and non-food complementary products. The human capital employed by company almost equal to 150,000 and the online channel of Sainsbury plc available to 90 per cent of UK households. (J Sainsbury Plc, 2010) Company sells other companies products as well its own brand products. The other value added services used by company is Nectar Point loyalty card system. Performance measurement system The performance measurement is a process to obtain information to analyse the efficiency and effectiveness of business operation. Different quantitative and qualitative measures use to assess the performance of the organisation. The good performance measurement system should support organization corporate strategy, measure the both financial and business performance, identify the quality and strength of business process and spot the areas where the resources should be allocated to get the competitive advantage. Project Objectives The project objectives for the financial and business performance of the Sainsbury plc are as follow: Analytical review of Financial Performance of Sainsbury plc by comparison with competitor company Tesco Plc over last three years. Identify the key value drivers for any good performance and business issues obstacles the optimal performance. Determine the effect of Economic Recession on the Financial Performance of Sainsbury Plc. Critically evaluate the Strategic Position through analysis of Business Performance of Sainsbury plc and give recommendation based on conclusion How to Make Sainsbury Great Again. Research Questions To meet above mention objectives the following questions will be answered in research analysis. Q1-How competitive Sainsbury Plc performance in last three years in term of Market share and Sale growth compare to its competitor? Q2- What is the effect of economic recession on supermarkets profit and how Sainsbury Plc perform in contrast to its competitors under these circumstances? Q3-Liquidity Does Sainsbury have sufficient resources to meet its current business commitments and what is the change in liquidity in last three years with comparison to competitor? Q4- Gearing-How risky Sainsbury capital structure to justify the assumption of Going Concern Basis and what is change in gearing level in last three years link to its competitor? Q5 -What is strategic position of Sainsbury Plc and what are the critical success factors on which Sainsbury need to focus to get the competitive market advantage? Research Framework PART 2 Information gathering and accounting / business techniques: Primary Data The primary source of data mainly gathers through direct contact with information provider through interviews, meetings and quest nary session. These are very important source of information but there are limitations associate with it e.g. confidentiality issues, timing of available information, and cost to gather these information make them little of use for purpose of research. Secondary Data This is the research already carried out other than user of information which is available publically through different government and private agencies. Secondary data of information is more feasible as compare to primary data because it is not possible to carry out all qualitative and quantitative analysis due to time constraint and the cost associated with collecting that information. Information gathering sources Annual reports The audited annual report of Sainsbury plc and Tesco plc of last three years have been critically analysed and quantitative data collected for various ratio analyses to measure the financial performance of both companies. The director reports and independent auditor reports reviewed to identify the business performance. This is one of the main sources of information regards to both companies performances. Newspapers The newspapers read on daily basis to keep informed myself about any external changes in retail industry and plan of action taken by companies to meet these daily challenges. The newspapers which used in research were Guardian The Financial Times and The Independent. Different articles wrote by financial analysts helped to view the insight of companies and the economic change in the industry. Retail Magazine Various retail magazine also used in research work, the main ones are Sainsbury plc Companys monthly magazine Lets Talk help to gain the monthly up-to-date information about future plans and performance appraisal of different stores. The other magazine which also helped in research were The Student Accountant PQ magazine Sunday Times. Internet The Internet contributed an immense role in research work .Number of websites visited on daily basis for information collecting purpose. This source of information mainly emphasised because of benefits associated with it like, i.e. easy to access to the different kind of information, timely available and cost saving. Kaplan Study Notes Kaplan study notes of different papers e.g. F5 Performance Measurement, F7 Financial Reporting, F9 Financial Management, P3 Business Analysis, and P5 Advance Performance Measurement play vital part for research outcome evaluation and conclusion based on these results. Methods Used to Collect Information Interviews Personally visited the Islington Sainsbury Plc store and spoke to different department managers. Having worked in past in this Sainsbury branch helped a lot in whole process. The permission granted to use the information like company memo and other information which have been given in past in capacity of employee of the company. The personally pre set questions have been asked about the performance of Sainsbury plc, and the feedback of operation managers and HR manager noted. Visited whole premises to get the feel of atmosphere and also directly interviews the customers to know how they perceive the Sainsbury plc and its competitor Tesco Plc. Tesco Plc branch in Leytonstone visited on many occasion to interview the various department managers and the work force at the shop floor to get the information about the company operational structure and their supply chain management. Questions have been asked in changing result in company revenue in each quarter sales and the customer changing attitude affected by economic downturn. Library Regularly visited libraries in Leytonstone and Borough high street to read the books written by different research analysts and the news papers, magazines and many project related research notes on UK retail Grocery. This method of research was very helpful to understand the affects of external factors in the grocery industry. Limitations of information gathering and ethical Issues Many problems faced during information gathering process. The staff members of companies were not willing to share the information because of confidentiality issue; the managers were busy in their daily operational activities which made it difficult to access to the desire people for interview. In addition the interviews with company staffs and customers could be also seen as biased as it was not representing the whole population as people from different geographical ethical background have different perception about subject matter. Furthermore the online research was also a difficult task because of overload and irreverent information came out with different searches. The efforts made to sort out and get the relevant information was time consuming and costly. The authenticity of these information sources also had reservations. How to overcome the above ethical issues? Efforts made to build the confidence of the operational staff of the companies to ensure them that the information provided will only use for research purpose and any information given will only use after the permission of information provider. The previous five years work alliance also played a part to gain the trust of engaged interviewee in Sainsbury plc. The problems faced in relate to authenticity of information sources overcame by only used the information from reliable sources. Accounting and Business techniques and their limitations Ratio Analysis Ratio analysis is a most common tool for quantitative analysis of company financial statement by comparing the current year number to budget, previous years results and comparison with industry. Mostly business analysts and potential investors use the ratio analysis to measure the performance of the business. Its a key to determine the relationship between different variable in financial statement. It is easy to calculate and understood by people from non financial background. Limitation of Ratio Analysis The performance measure based on financial ratio analysis tempted manager to short term decision in expense of long term company objectives if the reward based on short term financial performance e.g., cut-off marketing cost which may improve profit in short term but will affect in long term. The ratios are easy to manipulate by Window Dressing and Massaging the Figures (Weaver, 2009) through different accounting policies used. Every company have different economic condition so it is not appropriate to compare them and the accounting policies used by different companies also influence the accounting results. The ratios calculated at particular time may not represent the whole year performance, e.g. effects of seasonal trades and one off transactions. The ratios calculated in isolation are meaningless so it is important to compare the result with preceding years, budget and industry. SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis is a tool to analyse the strategic position of the company in term of internal (strengths, weaknesses) and external (opportunities, threats) factors. It assists business in strategy development, how to use internal resources, unique capabilities and core competencies to get the competitive advantage. Threats and opportunities arises everyday because of changes in business internal and external environment but with the help of SWOT analysis if the resources allocate on time at right place the threats can be turn into opportunities and weaknesses can be transfer into strengths. (Kaplan Financial- P3, 2009, pp. 78-79) Limitation of SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis oversimplify the situation by categorise the different situational factors into different class. The categorization of different factors as opportunities or threats, strengths or weaknesses also an arbitrary. People have different views, for example a technology change, or an organisation structure can be an opportunity for one group of people and threat for other group. What is more important is that companies should aware of these changes and use them in their strategic planning to meet the long term objectives of the organisation to increase the wealth of shareholders. (NetMBA, n.d) PART 3 Results, analysis, conclusions and recommendations Note: All of the information used in the graphs presentation has been taken from calculation provided in Appendix. Financial Performance Ratio Analysis Sales Growth Sales growth is the most important factor to measure the market competiveness of any business. Figure 1 Source; (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsburys sales grown-up from 3.99 to 6.02 per cent from 2008 to 2009 but it only increased by 5.57 per cent from 2009 to 2010. Tesco sales grown from 10.92 to 13.95 per cent from 2008 to 2009 but there is huge decline in sales growth of 8.37 per cent from (13.95%) 2009 to (5.58%) 2010 where Sainsbury managed very well and only lose 0.45 per cent as presented in graph. The average sale growth rate of Tesco in last three years is 10.15 per cent which is half way above Sainsbury (5.19%) but it should be keep in mind that Tesco market share is two times of Sainsbury and it is multinational group of companies which can offset the loss of the economic down turn of one country against other country whereas Sainsbury operate in only one country. Figure 2 Source: ( J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statment, 2010,2009 2008) The spin from hybrid strategy towards cost leadership through running campaigns Switch Save Cook Save played a vital part to increase the sales and market share of Sainsbury.Mr Justin King chief executive of Sainsbury said that Sainsbury performance in 2009 was impressive and its surprised many analysts by results because it was expected to find the trading condition tough due to changing attitude of shoppers because of economic recession. The Like-for-like sale to the last quarter 21 March 2009 increased by 6.2 per cent and it served more customers (Samuel, 2009).In 2010 Sainsbury total sales (including VAT fuel) increased by 5.1 per cent, Total sales (including VAT, excluding fuel) increased by 4.3 per cent. The Like-for-like sales increase from 4.3 per cent to 24.4 per cent in 5 years time whereas the total sale increases from 6.7 per cent to 33.9 per cent in 5 year time. (J Sainsbury Plc A.R, 2010, p. 5) Profitability: Gross Profit Margin An increase in percentage of gross profit is desirable which can be achieved through well managed production cost and increase in sale price or volume. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 320) Figure 3 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsbury Gross Profit (G.P) margin reduced from 5.60 per cent to 5.41 per cent from 2008 to 2010 whereas Tesco gross profit margin increased from 7.67 per cent to 8.10 per cent from 2008 to 2010 as shown in graph. The continuous decline in G.P margin also due to phantom of adverse differential inflation in supermarkets overheads which direct affecting consumer, retailer and economy as whole. (Lex, 2010). Sainsburys cost of sale increased by 6.18 per cent from 2008 to 2009 and 5.63 per cent from 2009 to 2010 whereas sale growth rate is only 6.02 and 5.57 per cent respectively in each year as mention earlier which is not in line with cost of sale and result in G.P margin declined. In addition Sainsburys market penetration strategy in competition of other low prices stores through multi saving offers although increased the company market share but the G.P margin suffered. Net Profit Margin It is the percentage of net profit to sale. A higher net profit margin desirable which can be achieved through efficient cost saving or increasing sale prices. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 320) Figure 4 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsbury Net Profit Margin increased from 2.69 per cent to 3.67 per cent from 2008 to 2010 the period in which Tesco Net Profit margin reduced from 5.92 per cent to 5.58 per cent as projected above. Sainsbury N.P margin reduced in 2009 but they recovered very well and showed improvement on each areas i.e. underlying operating profit increased by 8.9 per cent, underlying profit before tax increased by 17.5 per cent and profit before tax and after tax increased by 57.3 per cent and 102.4 per respectively from 2009 to 2010. Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) Return on capital employed (ROCE) is a key measure of profitability. It measure the net profit generated through each of $1 invested in the assets. It is the net profit percentage of capital employed. A higher ROCE percentage is desirable which can be achieved through increase net profit margin or decrease capital employed. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 320) Figure 5 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsbury ROCE was not even near to Tesco in 2008 and 2009 but the encouraging factor is that its ROCE continuously improving in this period. It increased from 9.70 per cent to 14.76 per cent from 2008 to 2010 which is excellent performance whereas Tesco suffering a decline in ROCE in this period. Liquidity The liquidity measure the ability of the company to utilize its resources to meet its financial commitments. It is more important to have effective working capital management than profitable business, a profitable business can encounter problem if its run out cash flow. Current Ratio This is the current assets divided by current liabilities which measure the company ability to meet its short term liabilities. A ratio more than $1 is desirable but it varies according to industry type .Continue decline in current ratio or less than industry average indicate the financial difficulties. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 323) Figure 6 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsbury Current Ratio (0.65:1) was better than Tesco (0.61:1) in 2008 but it reduced by 15 per cent (0.55:1) in 2009 whereas Tesco current ratio improved by 18 per cent (0.77:1) in 2009 as stated above. The cause for this downturn in current ratio of Sainsbury because its total current assets reduced by 7.6 per cent due to the disposal of Non current assets held for sale in 2009 relating to properties in retail operations division, reduced by 91 per cent and reduction in cash and cash equivalents. Sainsbury current ratio come back to 2008 position (0.66:1) in 2010 due to the shortfall in cash and cash equivalent resources fulfilled and more non current assets placed for sale. Inventory Holding Period (In Days) It indicate the average number of days the inventory held in stock. The increase in inventory days shows that the company having problem to sell its stock and risk of obsolete stock increase. A decrease in inventory period is desirable but it should be manage effectively to minimise the risk of stock run out. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 323) Figure 7 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsbury inventory holding period reduced from 14.76 days to 13.6 days a reduction of 7.9 per cent from 2008 to 2010 whereas Tesco reduced from 20.31 to 19.04 days a reduction of 6.2 per cent in the same period which is a good performance by Sainsbury but what is the optimal inventory holding period for the industry is arguable which is very much dependent on the external factor like customer demand, company warehouse capacity and supply chain efficiency. Receivable Period (In Days) It represents the number of days companies allow to its customers to pay back for goods and services. The shorter receivable period desirable to maximises the cash inflows and reduce the risk of debt irrecoverable. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 324) Figure 8 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) The results presented above in relation to receivable days shows that Sainsbury have very effective credit management policy and allow only four days on average to their customers where as Tesco average period of twelve days which is two times above Sainsbury. Supermarket businesses normally base on cash transaction and during economic recession where people struggling to meet their utility bills allowing them of 12 days credit period increases the risk of debt irrecoverable Sainsbury aware of this fact and the credit period of four days more tolerable. Payable Period (In Days) This is number of days business take to pay back its trade creditors .The increase in payable days suggest that company struggling to pay its creditors on time however it also suggest that business take advantage to the credit offer to them. The decrease is payable days indicate that company ability to pay its creditor improving however it should not pay too early as it a valuable source of finance. it should be manage carefully so that the relation with suppliers are not hurt and where the discount offered for early payments the opportunities avail. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 324) Figure 9 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsbury on average takes 49 days to payback its trade creditors and Tesco takes 63 days credit which is 22 per cent higher than Sainsbury. It indicate that Tesco struggling to pay its trade creditors on time which also reflected from its gearing position as mention below. Sainsbury payable period increased from 49 days to 51 days from 2008 to 2009 an increase of 2.8 per cent the period in which Tesco increased from 62 days to 64 days an increase of 3.4 per cent. Sainsbury payable period reduced to 48 days in 2010 a decrease of 6.2 per cent from 2009 to 2010 whereas Tesco further increased to 66 days an increase of 3.6 per cent. The reason of this reduction in Sainsbury credit period of 2010 seem to be because of improving cash and cash equivalent resources of Sainsbury as shown in current ratio above but it require further investigation. It could be due to early payment discount opportunity taken or could be suppliers pressure because of economic recession. Risk Assessment Risk can be defined as Opportunity of business to adverse consequences due to uncertain future event. (Kaplan Financial- P3, 2009) Today in volatile market condition it is now even more important that business should have effective risk assessment policy and procedure. Financial Gearing It is percentage of long term debt to equity .If the percentage increases it indicate that business heavily relaying on debt finance to meet its long term needs which increase the level of risk as the interest on debt and capital repayment must be made. The ratio can be improved by using the equity finance for long term investment. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 325) Figure 10 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsburys Financial gearing portfolio much better than competitor Tesco. It only increased from 51 per cent to 62 per cent an increase of 21.7 per cent whereas Tesco increased by 56 per cent from (66.92%) 2008 to (104.4%) 2010which is very risk.It indicate that Sainsbury not much depending on debt finance unlike to Tesco and using retain earning for growth plan which is appropriate risk averse strategy under current financial market conditions where big names like Woolworth already gone from market. Interest Cover It is the operating profit before interest and tax divided by finance cost which indicates the business ability to pay off its finance commitment. If the percentage increase it indicate that the business condition improving but if the percentage decline it indicate it is getting difficult for business to pay off the interest charges. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 326) Figure 11 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsbury is showing signs of progress in interest cover with the percentage of 4.02 per cent to 4.8 per cent from 2008 to 2010 represent growth of 19.4 per cent from 2008 to 2010.The cause of this improvement is because of improvement in operating profit which increase by 34 per cent profit due to effective management of all operating expenses whereas their competitor Tesco facing expected decline of 46.5 per cent (11.6 to 5.97 percent) in interest cover which is in line with its increasing financial gearing of 56 per cent as seen earlier. Dividend Cover It is the net profit divided by dividend amount. A decrease in the dividend cover indicates that company facing difficulty to pay the dividend to shareholders. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 326) Figure 12 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsburys figure in term of dividend cover improving even though it declined from 1.85 to 1.33 from 2008 to 2009 a reduction of 28 percent due to the fact that net profit in 2009 decreased by 12.2 percent as we seen earlier but Sainsbury maintained shareholders expectation and paid off dividend with growth rate of 22 percent result in decline in dividend cover. The results of 2010 are really impressive the net profit increased by 102 percent as we notice above N.P graph, the dividend grown-up by only 10.6 percent which result in dividend cover increased by 82.8 percent from 2009 (1.33) to 2010 (2.43) while Its competitor Tesco facing decline in dividend cover of 10.4 per cent from 2008 (2.68) to 2010 (2.4). Earnings Per Share (EPS) EPS is the fundamental investor ratio which can be calculated by total earning less preference share divided by total number of share. It determine the profitability of company and widely used by investors. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 327) Figure 13 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsbury EPS results are showing outstanding performance although it reduced from 19.1 to 16.6 a reduction of 13 percent but Sainsbury recover very well at 32.1p in 2010 which is 93.3 percent improvement from 2009 (16.6p) and left behind its competitor Tesco (29.33p) by 2.8p who was above Sainsbury in 2008 (26.95p) and 2009 (27.14p) by 7.5p and 10.8p respectively as shown in graph. Dividend per Share (DPS) Dividend per share is very important tool for investor which measures what is the dividend company have given of each share it hold. (Kaplan Financial- F5, 2010, p. 327) Figure 14 Source: (Tesco Plc J Sainsbury Plc Financial Statments, 2008,2009,2010) Sainsbury DPS ahead of its competitor Tesco each year from 2008 to 2010.It increased from 12p to 14.2p from 2008 to 2010 an increase of 18.3 percent whereas Tesco dividend per share grown up from 10.9p to 13.05p an increase of 23.9 per cent but still behind Sainsbury. Business Performance SWOT Analysis Strengths Strong Brand Value Sainsbury Plc has long history of brand since 1869 and customer loyalty toward Sainsbury brand very strong. It has very dominant geographical presence throughout United Kingdom with 872 stores in which 537 are Supermarkets and 335 Convenience stores. Sainsbury serves 19m customers on average each week and enjoyed market share of 16 percent. Sainsbury is the world largest retailer of fair-trade goods by value. According to annual report of 2010 In UK one in every four pounds spent on fair-trade is spent at a Sainsburys store. (J Sainsbury Plc A.R, 2010, p. 5) Retail Awards Sainsbury won Supermarket of the Year Award in 2009 and 2007 in retail industry awards. It awarded A rating in Green to the Core survey carried by consumer group due to their customer engagement, fish policies, and sustainable product availability. It is the biggest retailer of Freedom Food (RSPCAs farm assurance and food labelling scheme) by amount and product range. It won CBI Peoples Organisation award because of their HR and people management excellence. Sainsbury won many retail quality awards in 2010 than any other supermarket which include seven out of fifteen categories for value product quality. (J Sainsbury Plc A.R, 2010, p. 12).In 2010 Sainsbury failed to take the supermarket of the year award run by Talkingretail.com but it secure other three awards of Community Retailer of the Year, Seafood Retailer of the Year and Convenience Chain of the Year for Sainsburys Local. (Dennis, Mike, 2010) Financial Strength Sainsbury Financial position improving as reflected in above analyses which create significant opportunities for future growth. Business created operation cash flow of  £1.2bn in 2010, Net debt reduced by  £122m in 2010 to  £1,549m (2009:  £1,679).Sainsbury Group remain  £3bn funding availability through debt finance which enough to fulfil future ambitions. Sainsburys bank also showed better growth with operating profit increase by  £19m. (J Sainsbury Plc A.R, 2010, p. 6) Opportunities: Nectar Card Sainsbury Nectar card scheme which launched in 2002 with joint venture of Sainsbury Plc, American Express and B.P (Wikipedia, n.d) have been very successful due to its unique character of customer choice to use the loyalty card on multiple brands unlike competitor Tesco club card which dont allow this freedom of choice. Nectar card scheme is a great opportunity for Sainsbury to evaluate the c

Victor Vasarely :: essays research papers

Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) Internationally recognized as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. He is the acknowledged leader of the Op Art movement, and his innovations in color and optical illusion have had a strong influence on many modern artists. In 1947, Vasarely discovered his place in abstract art. Influenced by his experiences at Breton Beach of Belle Isle, he concluded that "internal geometry" could be seen below the surface of the entire world. He conceived that form and color are inseparable. "Every form is a base for color, every color is the attribute of a form." Forms from nature were thus transposed into purely abstract elements in his paintings. Recognizing the inner geometry of nature, Vasarely wrote, "the ellipsoid form...will slowly, but tenaciously, take hold of the surface, and become its raison d'etre. Henceforth, this ovoid form will signify in all my works of this period, the 'oceanic feeling'...I can no longer admit an inner world and another, an outer world, apart. The within and the without communicate by osmosis, or, one might rather say: the spatial-material universe, energetic-living, feeling-thinking, form a whole, indivisible...The languages of the spirit are but the supervibrations of the great ph ysical nature." Vasarely was born in Pecs, Hungary in 1906. After receiving his baccalaureate degree in 1925, he began studying art at the Podolini-Volkmann Academy in Budapest. In 1928, he transferred to the Muhely Academy, also known as the Budapest Bauhaus, where he studied with Alexander Bortnijik. At the Academy, he became familiar with the contemporary research in color and optics by Jaohannes Itten, Josef Albers, and the Constructivists Malevich and Kandinsky. After his first one-man show in 1930, at the Kovacs Akos Gallery in Budapest, Vasarely moved to Paris. For the next thirteen years, he devoted himself to graphic studies. His lifelong fascination with linear patterning led him to draw figurative and abstract patterned subjects, such as his series of harlequins, checkers, tigers, and zebras. During this period, Vasarely also created multi-dimensional works of art by super-imposing patterned layers of cellophane on one another to attain the illusion of depth. In 1943, Vasarely began to work extensively in oils, creating both abstract and figurative canvases. His first Parisian exhibition was the following year at the Galerie Denise Rene which he helped found. Vasarely became the recognized leader of the avant-garde group of artists affiliated with the gallery. In 1955, Galerie Denise Rene hosted a major group exhibition in connection with Vasarely's painting experiments with movement.

Iron Jawed Angels Essay -- essays research papers Iron Jawed Essays

Iron Jawed Angels Iron Jawed Angels is a film which portrays the women's suffrage movement during the 1920's. The film is a documentary and a drama which uses live action and music to deliver the sympathetic and distressful mood the film creates. An example of the distressful mood is when the suffragists refuse to eat when they go to prison. This shows how passionate and distressed the suffragists are to get the 19th amendment passed, which would give women the right to vote. The films message, which is the hardships and adversity women had to withstand to get the 19th amendment passed, is effectively portrayed because the struggle the suffragists faced is accurately and beautifully depicted. As a tool of communication, the strengths of the film Iron Jawed Angels are its accurate portrayal of the 1920s women's suffrage movement and excellent depiction of the main suffragists, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. There are no real weaknesses in the communication of the 1920s women's suffrage movement in the fil m Iron Jawed Angels except for the music used, which is too modern to possibly be from the 1920s era.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Since the film Iron Jawed Angels shows the grief and struggle women suffragists endured, I believe the film maker wanted the audience to respond with sympathy and a greater understanding of the 1920s women?s suffragist movement. The film Iron Jawed Angels appeals to the emotions of the viewer because throughout the movie dark lighting and music create an atmosphere w...

Crisis Intervention

Crisis and Intervention An environmental crisis situation occurred on New Year's A tornado touched down in the area serve in Missouri. I was one of the first on the scene after the first responders Many of the victims had been evacuated and were not being allowed back into the are The few people that did service were In such shock that lust a cup of coffee and help In communicating with their loved ones was all they wanted at the moment. Ell towers, phone lines, power lines, etc were down In the area, so communication was difficult. On a dally basis however I encounter developmental crawls situations; these tuitions are developmental In nature because many have been raised In homes where financial crawls Is a dally event. Many of the clients I serve have been repeat clients for many years. Often times their parent's or grandparent's were also habitual clients.They often times are seeking food assistance as well as assistance In paying utility bills and rental cost. These situations a re all crisis because tot the effect they have on the individual. Whether the crisis is situational, environmental or developmental the basis emotion is the same tort the person in the midst tot the crisis. A crisis is a negative event that is often times unexpected to the individual. Even in the case of the person in need of utility assistance. Ear on a daily basis, â€Å"l thought rd get the money to pay my bill, I never thought I'd be disconnected. Crisis Intervention Crisis and Intervention An environmental crisis situation occurred on New Year's A tornado touched down in the area serve in Missouri. I was one of the first on the scene after the first responders Many of the victims had been evacuated and were not being allowed back into the are The few people that did service were In such shock that lust a cup of coffee and help In communicating with their loved ones was all they wanted at the moment. Ell towers, phone lines, power lines, etc were down In the area, so communication was difficult. On a dally basis however I encounter developmental crawls situations; these tuitions are developmental In nature because many have been raised In homes where financial crawls Is a dally event. Many of the clients I serve have been repeat clients for many years. Often times their parent's or grandparent's were also habitual clients.They often times are seeking food assistance as well as assistance In paying utility bills and rental cost. These situations a re all crisis because tot the effect they have on the individual. Whether the crisis is situational, environmental or developmental the basis emotion is the same tort the person in the midst tot the crisis. A crisis is a negative event that is often times unexpected to the individual. Even in the case of the person in need of utility assistance. Ear on a daily basis, â€Å"l thought rd get the money to pay my bill, I never thought I'd be disconnected.

Othello Act 5, Scene 2 Lines #338-356 Essay

Within Act 5, Scene 2 of the Shakespearian play Othello, Lodovico tells Othello he is to lose command and Cassio will become the governor of Cyrpus instead. Subsequently, Othello is to be held prison and will await trial. It is from this point in the play that Othello protests his great service to Venice. From lines 338 to 356, Othello states his final speech before ultimately taking his own life. Here, Othello expresses his grief over what he has done feeling a strong sense of sin in his actions. His ego is still intact however as he mentions that he has done a great deed to the state despite the overshadowing for his act. Othello reaffirms his position as a figure who is simultaneously included and excluded from Venetian Society. Apparent in his final statement, he uses contradictions to explain his mental state before and after the manipulation of Iago. Another aspect revealed is the extent to which his sins have affected him and how he longs for the battles that helped him woo Desdemona’s love through his heroic stories. Despite having done his services to the state, he reveals his foolishness as someone who existed within and outside Venetian society giving rise to a series of contradictions. In line 342, he asks others to speak of him as he truly is being, â€Å"nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice. † The first contradictory sentence reveals that he does not wish for his guilt to be lessened as suggested by the diction â€Å"extenuate. † Nor does he want be considered evil which he would feel ashamed for as Iago is the real villain in the play. Othello reveals in the next line that he has â€Å"loved not wisely, but too well† indicating that he was unable to convey the same amount of affection back to Desdemona as she had done to him. Othello’s love for Desdemona reveals a sensitive part of Othello despite his military background. It was Othello’s love for Desdemona, however, that acted as a catalyst to which Iago manipulated and used to his advantage. In the next contradictory statement, Othello states that he was â€Å"not easily jealous, but, being wrought. † Othello is referring to his previous assessment of Desdemona’s relation with Cassio where he told Iago that he had nothing to fear and thus would not become jealous. However, the audience knows that this is no longer the situation as the â€Å"honest† Iago made Othello into a pawn of a greater game. Othello comments on his how he won the affection of Desdemona enchanting her through his heroic tales. Othello mentions the â€Å"Arabian trees Their medicinal gum† and â€Å"Aleppo† which were elements in his heroic tale. He cherishes his memories of when he spoke of such places to Desdemona further emphasizing his love for her. It is evident that no medicine in the world can cure him of his agony and torture referring to the medicinal properties of the â€Å"Arabian Trees. † However, the burden of his sins become overwhelming referring to a â€Å"base Judean, threw a pearl away. † This quotation suggests that he has angered the heavens and makes a religious reference to the betrayal of sacrifice of Jesus. Similar to the betrayel of Jesus, he has betrayed Desdemona’s pure qualities and love. There is irony involved because he killed Desdemona who had the qualities of a Saint who was always willing to forgive Othello for his actions. This trait was emphasized previously in the play where Desdemona wished for the heavens to forgive Othello and send him to Purgatory rather than hell so that he may repent for his sins. Despite Othello’s pains and cries, he briefly manages to calm himself thus regaining his dignity that gave rise to his higher state of power in Venice. This indicates that his ego is still intact and has not been completely shattered as he works the persistence reveal his innermost feelings of being an outsider. He mentions â€Å"Aleppo† which is translated as a significant staging post for trade between Europe and the East where it was said that the punishment there should a Christian strike a Turk was immediate death. Othello make this reference because he feels that he has been an outcast of Venetian society despite his title. He feel that he has been struck to death in comparison to Christian who struck a Turk. Considering the severity of the punishment, it is evident that this is not small matter, but rather a serious one with racial discrimination. While in the act of killing himself, he alludes to the metaphor of the killing of a Turk. He acknowledges that he will forever be an outsider. In summation, Othello’s final remark has allowed him to personally reflect his actions and to reveal to the audience his remorseful feelings. While establishing the difference between one who was included and exclude in Venetian society, he makes his final act of martyrdom. The only opponent left for him to conquer becomes himself.

Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligence Essay

Many years ago it was quite common to label someone with a high IQ as a â€Å"genius† or as being more intelligent than others. Albert Einstein is one of those men who were labeled as a genius because of all that he had accomplished at such a young age. Undeniably, Einstein’s smarts were extremely remarkable, but records show that he was not the best student. Although Einstein scored extremely well in areas like Math and Physics, it has been noted that in areas like linguistics, he did not excel (Albert Einstein, 2005). Does this make Einstein, any less of a genius? According to Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences, a person’s intelligence isn’t necessarily measured in standardized testing or school grades. Gardner identifies that each person’s learning style is different, so the intelligence could excel in any of the eight styles: Linguistic, Musical, Logical, Naturalistic, Visual, Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal ( Kowalski & Westen, 2011). This means that someone like Ludwig van Beethoven who may not have been as scholarly as Albert Einstein, can still be considered a genius due to his musical intelligence. The eight different intelligences described by Gardner are what he believed to be the eight strengths in which a person can learn. Gardner believed that because everyone can learn in one of these eight different styles, then they could excel in any of the respective fields. A person who possesses a linguistic intelligence is described as someone who uses words and communication effectively. A person with linguistic intelligence would have excellent auditory skills, and translates everything into words or speech. On the other hand, someone who possesses the learning style of spatial intelligence would be most comfortable with graphics, physical imagery, and visuals (Campbell, 1992). However, someone with a preference to the kinesthetic style of learning would be most comfortable with being hands on. They learn by doing, touching, and anything that involves physical activity, therefore their intelligence might look more like acting out, or role playing. Another learning style of multiple intelligences described by Gardner is naturalistic. Someone who possesses a naturalistic style of learning is more in tune with their surroundings, and focus a lot with what nature is giving them. The naturalistic intelligence was not added to the multiple intelligences until much later. Gardner’s theory was introduced to naturalistic in response to the nature versus nurture debate, in which a person learns from their surroundings, or environment in which they are in (Sulaiman, Hassan, & Yi, 2011). One of the bigger learning styles in Gardner’s theory is that of intrapersonal and interpersonal. Intrapersonal is that in which a person learns from themselves. Someone who keeps to themselves and does not get socially involved (Campbell, 1992). On the complete different spectrum, is the interpersonal learning style. Like a social butterfly, interpersonal refers to someone who works well with others, enjoys working in teams, center of attention, and just like they seek attention of others, others seek their attention as well. I personally identify with the interpersonal school of learning the best out of all of the intelligences in Gardner’s theory. I mostly work well when accompanied by others. I am a team player, and team leader. Others usually seek to me for advice, and I tend to deliver my best results, when working with others. This is the intelligence that is mostly credited with the slang term of â€Å"street smarts† (Sulaiman, Hassan, & Yi, 2011). Having played sports for a big part of my life, I tend to carry my thoughts as a team. I carry the team and make sure to understand everyone on the team. I always think of others first, and having that one on one interaction is most important to me. Throughout my career, I have found myself to be in leadership roles quite frequentl y, because many others who are not strengthen by the interpersonal intelligence feel as if I can lead better due to the emphasis I put on team work, and my adequate level of communication with the entire team. In the work place I have found this quite helpful, and it has helped me become very successful. The two other intelligences outlined in Gardner’s theory are that of musical and logical, or mathematical. Musical intelligence is referred to a person when they can relate everything to a rhythm, or sequence. Someone who possesses musical intelligence is also aware of the sounds and music space in their surroundings. Someone with musical intelligence would be aware of dichotic listening, and understand the importance of noise (Kowalski & Westen, 2011). Music is a very big part of my life, what I do, and how I do it. I can remember growing up and not being able to go to sleep until music was playing in the background. I find myself being almost allergic to quite. I tend to do my best work when either I have music playing in the background, or if the TV is on. While in school, I usually found myself while studying, to be singing. I tend to associate rhyme and rhythm to a lot of the new things that I learn. According to Gardner, someone who possesses a musical intelligence is se nsitive to sound, and could hear music, or find the rhythm to anything, even before the words are spoken (Campbell, 1992). The last intelligence in Gardner’s theory is logical intelligence, or most commonly known as mathematical intelligence (Sulaiman, Hassan, & Yi, 2011). Someone who occupies the logical intelligence are said to think abstractly. They mostly need to learn and form concepts before they can deal with details. They calculate results, enjoy working the mind in the way that really uses the prefrontal vortex more than any other intelligence. Someone with logical thinking is believed to be someone who takes their time to analyze all possible circumstances, and work the problem for an answer. This type of person likes puzzles and word games to stimulate the brain. I identify myself as being a logical thinker due to the fact that one of my strengths is to be analytical. Albert Einstein was believed to belong in this intelligence field, due to his work in mathematics and physics. I find my intelligence to not be at the level of Einstein by any means, but I do relate to his earlier work being proficient in the math field over the linguistic (Albert Einstein, 2005). Since English is not my first language, growing up in the United States, going to school was very difficult for me, but numbers became my safe haven. Having learned numbers at a very young age (according to my teachers, I knew how to add and subtract by the time I was 3) I find myself most attracted to professions in which analytical thinking is required. Having worked as a District Investigator, it was required of me to look at paperwork and identify the fraud, or identify the theft by finding the patterns, or the number sequence. A big part of my job was to analyze transactions, and compare them to video images. Things are always better explained to me if broken down into patterns. Although Gardner divided the intelligences into eight separate categories, his theory believed that a person does not just dominate one intelligence, but rather takes a bit from all of the intelligences collectively. Just like it could be clearly identified that Albert Einstein that dominated the logical intelligence, his work shows that he might have possessed the intrapersonal intelligence as well as the spatial intelligence (Campbell, 1992). Gardner believed that the intelligence of someone could not necessarily be measured, by testing, but mainly by teachings, and learning styles. I feel as if I most identify with musical intelligence, logical intelligence, and interpersonal intelligence. My career thus far would suggest that these fields have brought me much success, but in my recent career change from Criminal Justice to Psychology, I will most likely learn to domain in the linguistic and spatial intelligence.

Relative Rates: Free-Radical Bromination

BroIn this experiment of the relative rates of free-radical chain bromination, we were expected to be able to determine the relative reactivates of the many types of hydrogen atoms involved toward bromine atoms. Bromination is defined to be a regioselective reaction meaning bromine has preference of making or breaking a bond over all other directions that it may have had available.In this case, Markovnikov’s rule is revealed to be the case in this situation that states that adding a protic acid represented as HX to an alkene (sp2 hybridized), the hydrogen from that HX would be attracted to a carbon with the least alkyl groups and the halide (X) would become more attracted and will attach to the carbon containing more alkyl groups. Within the intermediate stage of the bromination reaction, the bromine radical will have already formed and the electronegatively charged radical will have a choice of how to protonate in order to create a stable carbocation.In order to determine the se sp3 hybridized carbons stability, it can be determined by knowing that while comparing, if there are less alkyl groups attached to a carbocation, then there would not be enough electrons to slightly mask over the positive charge on that certain carbocation. Due to this, the more alkyl groups that are attached, the more stable the carbocation would be due to the fact that the electron flow in the electron cloud slightly donates to the carbocation making it almost completely stable.During the experiment, we were expected to organize two groups of tubes with methylene chloride with their respective hydrocarbon (10 drops) as well as the addition of a small amount of bromine. One group of tubes was set in the light and one was set in the dark and when compared, you were already able to see that the ethylbenzene and toluene were the fastest to react in both situations.Due to this fact we can tell since they were the fastest reacting, they can be associated with the fact that they were more than likely secondary and primary benzylic carbons due to their excellent stability and fast reactions. The only other tube that reacted through observation (by eye) by the end of the experiment was the methylcyclohexane; and we could tell that it had slightly reacted by it’s slight orange color, but was not still completely red like the others(sign of bromine).The next most stable carbocation form would be the tertiary aliphatic carbon, so we will infer that this is what has occurred in this case. Due to the fact that methylcyclohexane is sp3 hybridized, we can pin point that our assumption that the bromination is tertiary aliphatic because it is stable with there being three alkyl groups present which means that the electrons within these groups are delocalized and are contained within an orbital that extends over the adjacent atoms involved. The last two tubes to react within the group were cyclohexane and t-butylbenzene in that order.When first added the bromine, the se two were the only ones that seemed to remain red longer and remained the same shade of red even after all of the other tubes had reacted. The reaction of cyclohexane however was expected to react slightly more than the t-butylbenzene due to the fact that the positive charge on the carbocation is delocalized â€Å"better† when there are more alkyl groups involved. This will match up the two with secondary (cyclohexane) and primary aliphatic (t-butylbenzene) bromination.

Moral Relativism Essay

At first glance, moral relativism appears to be an appealing, well though out philosophical view. The truth of moral judgments is relative to the judging subject or community. The basic definition of moral relativism is that all moral points of view are equally valid; no single person’s morals are any more right or wrong than any other person’s. As you look closer at the points that moral relativists use to justify their claims, you can plainly see that there are, more often than not, viable objections that can be made against the moral relativist’s arguments. Moral, or ethical, relativism is made up of two types of relativism: cultural and individual relativism. Cultural relativism says that right and wrong, good and evil, are relative to a culture, to a way of life that is practiced by a whole group of people. Individual relativism says that right and wrong, good and evil, are relative to the preferences of an individual. Cultural and individual relativism support the claim that there are no â€Å"universal moral truths† in the world. Universal moral truths are morals that apply to all societies and cultures. I believe that morality is relative to culture simply since our morals develop from the surroundings in which we are raised. Our parents, culture and societal experiences build our individual views on what is moral and immoral. Perceptions are formed through example, especially when we are children as we learn what is right and wrong through our parents and how they react to situations. The theory behind ethical relativism states that ethical standards are not concrete for all societies and times, but rather are relative to the standards of individual societies and time periods. I disagree with this theory because societies should be judged by their moral beliefs on the foundations that time doesn’t change what is morally right and wrong and their should be more emphasis based on the individual rights as opposed to respecting the morals of that individual’s society. Allowing us, as a society, to say that a time or a location makes any ethical belief or theory practiced by the masses of that time/place right and that should be respected by people of other cultures is ignorant. There are a set of universal rights all human beings should enjoy no matter the location or time period, and those cultures that violate these rights shouldn’t be embraced for being different but rather shunned upon for not recognizing the universal basic rights of the indi vidual, despite the fact that it is hard to say what are ALL of these basic human rights. Ethical relativism places more emphasis on the society and not enough on the individual of that society. For example lets say that in some imaginary culture it is perfectly normal to kill or maim people if they annoy you. Ethical relativism says that being of a culture where this is not an accepted practice I cannot say that this is wrong, rather I must respect their culture thereby placing more emphasis on respecting a culture then the rights of the individuals to life no matter how annoying they happen to be. In a system where everything is relative there can be no set ethical belief because then no one is bound by any universal set code of ethics. Nothing is ever immoral since actions can’t be compared to a standard and thus nothing is immoral and nothing is moral. Societies should be judged by their moral beliefs because time and place doesn’t change what is morally right and wrong and more emphasis should be given to the individual rather than to the society. Ethical relativism contradicts the point of ethical theory in that there is no universal standards therefore n o action is moral, and vice versa no action is immoral. Society defines what is moral at a certain point in time. Morality is adaptive and can change over time, however it is still dependent upon its culture to decide whether it is accepted or not accepted. For example, in the early twentieth century, pre-marital sex was considered a huge sin and looked down upon with disgrace. A person’s entire character was jeopardized if they had participated in pre-marital sex. Today however, although pre-marital sex is not considered virtuous, society does not cast aside those who have sex before marriage. It is considered normal as a matter of fact to have several partners before marriage, that is, if you even decide to get married (another topic that has lost importance over time). Benedicts also gives an example to further prove her point that morality and or normality is culturally relative. She gives the example of a man in a Melanesian society who was referred to as â€Å"silly and simple and definitely crazy† because he liked to share and to help people and do nice things for them. In the United States, these are virtuous qualities. If you are stingy and not helpful you are looked down upon, but in this contrasting society, to share and be helpful is so disgraceful that one is ridiculed for possessing those traits or even condemned for them. One who believes that morality is relative could give further example of traits that are despised in one culture but admired in a different culture. History and evolution provide codes of what is accepted in a culture, things such as sorcery, homosexuality, polygamy, male dominance, euthanasia, these things are completely dependent upon its society to define its morality. Within this world that we live on, there is an enormous amount of people. Each of these people belongs to different cultures and societies. Every society has traits and customs that make it unique. These societies follow different moral codes. This means that they may have different answers to the moral questions asked by our own society. What I am trying to say is that every society has a different way of analyzing and dealing with life’s events, because of their cultural beliefs. This claim is known as Cultural Relativism. Cultural Relativism is the correct view of ethics. (a) Different societies have different moral codes. (b) There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one societal code better than another. (c) The moral code of our own society has no special status; it is merely one among many. (d) There is no â€Å"universal truth† in ethics-that is, there are no moral truths that hold for all peoples at all times (e) The moral code of a society deter mines what is right within that society; that is, if the moral code of a society says that a certain action is right, then that action is right, at least within that society. (f) It is mere arrogance for us to try to judge the conduct of other peoples. We should adopt an attitude of tolerance toward the practices of other cultures (Pojman). Above are six claims that help explain the notion of Cultural Relativism. In Rachel’s article, the Eskimos practice infanticide as well as the killing of elders. The elders are too feeble to contribute to the group but; they still consume precious food, which is scarce. This practice is necessary for the survival of the group. The males within the Eskimo tribes have a higher mortality rate because they are the hunters and food providers. The killing of female infants helps keep the necessary equilibrium for the survival of the group. So, this infanticide and killing of elders does not signal that Eskimos have less compassion for their children, nor less respect for human life; it is merely recognition that murder is sometimes needed to ensure that the Eskimos do not become culturally extinct (Pojman). To continue with the subject of murder, there are many questions about murder that our own society faces. Within our own society there are conflicting views on topics such as abortion, capital punishment and, euthanasia. To some these acts are considered to be murder, to others they are necessary to our society. The point of this conflict is that even within our own society, there is a discrepancy between what is morally right or wrong. There is an exception to every so-called moral absolute. This eliminates the possibility of Moral Absolutism, and proves there is no universal truth (Pojman).Ruth states that homosexuals deal with many conflicts that are culturally based (Pojman). For example, in our western society, the Catholic religion believes that is a sin for individuals to partake in homosexual activity. By this I mean, the tendency toward this trait of homosexuality in our culture exposes these individuals to all the conflicts that coincide with this choice of lifestyle. Some of these conflicts include hate groups that partake in â€Å"gay bashing†, public ridicule and even laws against homosexuals taking wedding vows. This differs from what Ruth explains about how in American Indian tribes there exists the institution of the berdache (Pojman). These are men who, after puberty, take up the dress and occupations of women and even marry other men. These individuals are considered to be good healers and leaders in women’s groups. In other words, they are socially placed and not ridiculed by other members of their society. This is an example of how different societies have different moral codes. Ruth states within her article how every society integrates itself with a chosen basis and disregards itself with behavior deemed uncongenial (Pojman). This means societies will choose their own moral standards and ethical codes and, disregard actions that do not lie within the boundaries of these moral standards and ethical codes. She goes on to say that our moral codes are not formed by our inevitable constitution of human nature. We recognize that morality differs in every society. Our own culture and environment will dictate these codes. This explains why different people have different moral standards, because behavior is culturally institutionalized.