Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. Introduction Contemporary issues in marketing and consumer research provisions are critical in the business contexts. This paper discusses Apple Inc. in the context of the contemporary issues it adopts in its marketing and consumer research provision.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Apple Inc. Contemporary Issues in Marketing and Consumer Research specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Such concepts have helped the company to remain competitive in the market and enhance its competitive advantages in the electronics industry. Precisely, contemporary marketing and consumer research refer to how organisations analyze, understand, and meet the needs of their respective customers in the current business world (Pride Ferrell 2006). Apple Inc. produces and sells commodities that address the market needs with precision. In the contemporary market, Apple Inc. has managed to address the unique demands of its customers with various products including the iPhone 4, iPod, iPad, and other technological tablets demanded in the market. A stringent and appropriate marketing concept is a combination of values and considerations made explicitly to address customers’ needs (Kitchen 1986). Nevertheless, these have conformed to the aspects of market segmentation, targeting markets, marketing strategies, and positioning strategies adopted by Apple Inc. Contemporary Marketing Collectives Apple Inc. has selected its specific target markets in order to serve them exceedingly. Customers demands goods, which satisfy their needs with utmost precision and satisfaction (Lamb, Hair McDaniel 2011). It is from this context that the entire business prospects lie in selecting the target market. Additionally, the need to have efficient production mechanisms has always helped Apple Inc. in delivering its business objectives as it addresses its targeted customers’ demands.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this regard, the company is aware that consumers usually go for products, which are of considerable quality and widely available at affordable costs. By understanding these contemporary provisions (Rohloff 1966), Apple Inc. strives to produce quality and affordable electronic products that address its targeted customers’ demands. It is possible to stay afloat in the market if a company considers the contemporary needs of its clients. This is an important provision in various contexts. Additionally, emerging with contemporary products, which embraces the aspects of technology among other provisions, is a considerable move. It is crucial to consider the production capabilities for such clients in the entire context. Importantly, the products namely iPhone 4, iPod, iPad, and other technological tablets target a wider range of customer segments (Rouwenhorst 2009). In this con text of target markets, Apple has a specific population, which it targets with its products. The aspects of market segmentation, business strategies, and target marketing usually contribute constructively. For example, Apple Inc. has to analyze its target markets in order to produce contemporary products that will address their unique demands. Concurrently, iPhone 4 has various features that meet considerable demands of various customers (Stout Burda1989). It targets customers belonging to some social class and literacy. In this context, it has been possible for the company to analyze its market segments and produce products that are appropriate to them. The need to meet the market demands with novel products usually plays critical roles in this context (Morrison 1997). Another concept in this phenomenon is the pricing and distribution capabilities of the company involved immediately after designing and producing its products (Drummond Ensor 2005). The company needs such pricing c apabilities to address the economic capabilities of the target market. Apple has managed to attain massive business opportunities with its contemporary products due to fair pricing, appropriateness, and extensive distribution.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Apple Inc. Contemporary Issues in Marketing and Consumer Research specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More From this concept, it is evident that companies require massive business opportunities in order to attain their marketing concepts with appropriate production mechanisms (Ward, Oliva Reibstein 1994). Contemporarily, increasing the volume of production will eventually reduce the costs, cut prices, increase sales, enhance revenues, and augment profitability as the company sells its products massively to the target market. Apple Inc. has also managed to structure its target markets and production systems to attain low cost products mentioned earlier (Blanchard 2010) . Contextually, this is an important occurrence in the business realms. It is from this concept that numerous contemporary marketing provisions succeed. Managing to uphold the aspects of business production and capabilities in order to reduce costs and other characterising factors is an important provision in the business realms (Mohammed 2010). Determining the target customers, market segment, and the appropriate market strategy for such customers have enabled the company to enhance its sales and customer focus in various contexts. From this argument, the entire business prospects for Apple Inc. have managed to thrive in the global limelight despite the threatening challenges and stringent competition from other contenders. Sustainable Marketing the Green Consumer Sustainable marketing has been a contemporary marketing provision due to its relevance and viability in capturing and retaining clients. Environmental sustainability and consumer protection have been in the fore front of Apple’s marketing objectives.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The company has managed to attain its contemporary marketing goals through appropriate strategic marketing. This relates to focusing of inadequate resources on identified opportunities in order to increase productivity, sales, and profitability. This has allowed the company to attain considerable competitive advantages. In this context, Apple has managed to embrace the aspects of product concept. Evidently, customers require products that meet their demands with appropriateness. This helps in curbing unnecessary product rejections by the customers (Jin, Suh Donavan 2008). Customers usually demand quality and â€Å"green† products. They are also able to assess the quality and performance provisions of the concerned product. This can massively affect their buying trends. As a marketing concept and a component of strategic marketing, the product provisions must be considered by the concerned company to ensure that it only provides appropriate products that address the demands o f targeted clients. Apple provides products that precisely meet the quality standards desired by the customers. Consequently, it has investigated what the customers demand with regard to quality and other contemporary provisions evident in this context. Additionally, it is important that the company considers the provisions sustainability in its products (Bohm 2009). Additionally, the ability to provide the targeted customers with more than what they expected as evident iPhone 4, iPod, iPad, and other technological tablets is of some sustainability. Additionally, it is important to augment the aspects of quality as witnessed in the Apple Inc.’s products as a component of contemporary and sustainable marketing. The aspects of quality act as promotional agents regardless of countless advertisements. Whenever customers realise that what the concerned company provides is of quality, they will remain loyal (Gupta 2006). This is a crucial provision when considered critically and ev aluated contextually with regard to contemporary marketing. The company has equally managed to position itself favourably in the market hence rendering it quite competitive. It is imperative to consider such aspects with precision. Strategic market positioning helps the concerned company reach its clients promptly and decisively (Vilcox Mohan 2007). From this context, it is apparent that the organisation must observe product concepts as a promotional strategy in the entire context. Managing to address the market demands is a considerable marketing strategy in the global limelight (Brazil Gips 2008). Most products produced by the company have managed to meet the product concepts as argued in this context. Additionally, the need for more elaborated market share and visibility helps the concerned companies to address their market targets upon segmenting their target customers with precision. Evidently, if clients are left to decide on their own, they will not purchase enough products from the concerned company. This might lead to massive losses due to reduced sales. From this concept, it is evident that the concerned companies must promote their products. This allows the targeted market segment to understand the features and benefits of the concerned product. Consequently, they will tend to buy the product with a massive success (Jain 2011). The marketing concepts must consider the aspects of promotion in order to realise any remarkable results. Nonetheless, the concerned companies will find it hard to attain the desired business prospective. Brand Cultures – Recognition and Recall of the Brand Name Apple Inc. recognises the significance of brand name as a contemporary culture in its marketing provisions. The recognition/recall of a brand name is a fundamental aspect that can be used in judging commercials (Hoffman Bateson 2009). They are techniques that search viewers’ memories to trace whether they are aware of an existence of a brand or servic e. Recognition technique is usually direct while recall is an indirect approach to viewers’ memories (Lerman Garbarino 2002). Both are indispensable in television adverts. However, they are not enough, as they are not sufficient in determining the effects of advertisements. Recognition tries to access the memories of the viewers by use of a concept prompted through advertisement. It reminds the viewers that they have seen the product sometimes back. Recall occurs when one prompts with a product name as he looks for reaction on recall of the advert. Contemporarily, recognition is a touching task and is more applicable in judging television commercials. On the other hand, recall involves the use of logic and is more applicable in judging print advertisement. Thus, using recognition in judgment of print advertisement may not be appropriate in the determination of whether a commercial is effective (Krugman 1966). Equally, use of recall in judgment of television adverts may not b e successful in the determination whether a commercial is effective. Therefore, recognition and recall of brand name are not enough measures of determining the effectiveness of adverts (Kevin, Heckler Houston 1998). Other measures are applicable in judging the effectiveness of television commercials. One of the other measures that can be used in determining the effectiveness of commercials is persuasive ability. Recognition and recall are attempts to ensure that the viewers have memory of existence of the brand. On the other hand, persuasion checks the results that the advert has on viewers’ behaviour towards a brand. Persuasion checks the response that individuals have towards commercials (Andrews et al., 1992). It does not check whether individuals recognise or recall the brand, but rather the response that individuals have towards the brand. Apple Inc. has established novel foundations for its contemporary marketing activities. The company has installed marketing campaign s, loyalty programs, and new marketing materials. All these have followed similar positioning and marketing strategies as evident in this context. Evidently, consumers have always shown a normal tendency to resist. This indicates the essence to have aggressive promotional programs and positioning strategies to enhance their tolerability. As a contemporary marketing concept, ability to induce consumers is of a massive consideration. It is important to enhance such aspects as indicated earlier. Apple Inc. has managed to uphold the aspects of selling concepts and positioning strategies in order to capture a considerable market divide, global presence, and market saturation (Ogrady 2009). Evidently, both companies produce quality products; nonetheless, these can only sell if the company enacts appropriate marketing and positioning strategies that will induce customers to buy the concerned products (Shoham 1996). Contextually this is an important provision when considered decisively. It is appropriate to consider such provisions before approaching the market with novel products. Due to emergence of technology and other beneficial product provisions, the company has been introducing fresh product into the market with due appropriateness. Concurrently, it has established appropriate marketing concepts to help it rock the concerned markets with profitability (Rajagopal 2000). This means that the aspects of selling relates to the provisions of advertisements, positioning strategies, and other promotional procedures. Ability to enhance sales depends on how the company has handled its marketing concepts and other promotional provisions relevant to the concerned products. It is important to consider such provisions in various contexts. Consequently, it is apparent that both companies used appropriate promotional vessels to ensure that they remain relevant in their business endeavours and reach numerous potential clients globally (Martin, Vicky-Thuy-Uyen Ji-Yeon 2002). Fr om this context, it is apparent that most business orientations are favoured by appropriate promotional strategies. Contemporarily, in order to allow iPhone to sell in the global market, the company has enacted stringent and appropriate selling concepts and brand cultures to ensure that its products sell in the global market. This relates to the aspects of suggestible mass advertisements and appropriate positioning strategies. Conclusion The contemporary issues in marketing and consumer research provisions are critical in the business contexts as indicated before. The paper discussed Apple Inc. in the context of contemporary issues it embraces in its marketing and consumer research. The contemporary marketing concepts established and ratified by this company have helped the company to remain competitive in the market and enhance its competitive advantages in the electronics industry. , Apple Inc. has managed to enhance its market presence and profitability through establishment of a ppropriate contemporary marketing concepts. Additionally, favourable strategic marketing, macro/micro-environmental forces, market segmentation, targeting markets, marketing strategies, and positioning strategies have equally contributed to its success. It is recommendable to uphold such provisions in the spheres of effectiveness, appropriateness, and prosperity. This is a vital consideration in various contexts. Addressing marketing concepts appropriately augments profits, customer satisfaction, and loyalty. These regard how the organisations analyze, understand, and meet the needs of its respective customers in the current business. In the contemporary market, Apple Inc. produces and sells commodities that address the market needs with precision. This is critical in the context of business management and prompt delivery of services. List of References Andrews, J, Akhter, S, Durvasula, S Muehling, D 1992, The Effects of Advertising Distinctiveness and Message Content Involvement o n Cognitive and Affective Responses to Advertising, Journal Of Current Issues Research In Advertising (CTC Press), vol. 14 no 1, pp. 45-58. Blanchard, D 2010, Supply chain management: best practices, John Wiley, New Jersey, US. Bohm, A 2009, The SWOT Analysis, GRIN Verlag, London, UK. Brazil, A Gips, J 2008, Breaking Through Fast-Forwarding: Brand Information and Visual Attention, Journal of Marketing, vol.72, no. 6, pp. 3. Drummond, G Ensor, J 2005, Introduction to marketing concepts, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK. Ferrell, O Hartline, M 2011, Marketing strategy, South-Western Cengage Learning, Sydney, AUS. Gupta, D 2006, Marketing library and information services international perspectives, K.G. Saur Press, Mà ¼nchen, Germany. Hoffman, K Bateson, J 2009, Services marketing: concepts, strategies cases, Cengage Learning Services, Ohio, US. Jain, S 2011, Handbook of research in international marketing, Edward Elgar, New York, US. Jin, H., Suh, J Donavan, D 2008, â€Å"Sa lient Effects of Publicity in Advertised Brand Recall and Recognition: The List-Strength Paradigm†, Journal of Advertising, Vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 45-57. Kevin, L., Heckler, S Houston, M 1998, The effects of brand name suggestiveness on advertising recall, Journal of Marketing, vol. 62, no. 1, pp. 48-57. Kitchen, P 1986, Zipping, Zapping and Nipping, International Journal Of Advertising, vol. 5, 4, pp. 343-352. Krugman, H 1966, THE MEASUREMENT OF ADVERTISING INVOLVEMENT, Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 583-596. Lamb, C, Hair J McDaniel, C 2011, Essentials of Marketing, Cengage Learning, Ohio, US. Lerman, D Garbarino, E 2002, Recall and recognition of brand names: A comparison of word and nonword name types, Psychology Marketing, vol. 19, no. 7, pp. 621-639. Martin, B., Vicky-Thuy-Uyen, L Ji-Yeon, W 2002, Remote control marketing: How ad fast-forwarding and ad repetition affect consumers, Marketing Intelligence Planning, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 44-48. Mohammed, I. 2010, The Impact Of Advertising Attitudes On The Intensity Of Tv Ads Avoiding Behavior, International Journal of Business and Social Science, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1. Morrison, J 1997, Consumer Behavior, Journal of Education for Business, vol. 72, no. 5, pp. 317-317. Ogrady, J 2009, Apple Inc, Greenwood Press, Connecticut, US. Pride, W Ferrell, O 2006, Marketing: concepts and strategies, Houghton Mifflin Co., Massachusetts, US. Rajagopal, P 2000, Marketing: concepts and cases, New Age International Publishers, New Delhi, India. Rohloff, A 1966, Quantitative analyses of the effectiveness of TV commercials, JMR, Journal of Marketing Research (pre-1986), vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 239-239. Rouwenhorst, R 2009, Zipped commercials, zapped memory? The impact of zipping on attitude and memory for commercials, Cengage Learning, New York, NY. Shoham, A 1996, Effectiveness of standardized and adapted television advertising: An international field study approach, Journal of International Consumer Market ing, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 5-23. Stout, P Burda, B 1989, Zipped Commercials: Are They Effective?† Journal of Advertising, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 23-23. Vilcox, M Mohan, T 2007, Contemporary issues in business ethics, Nova Science Publishers, New York, US. Ward, S., Oliva, T Reibstein, D 1994, Effectiveness of brand-related 15-second commercials, The Journal of Consumer Marketing, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 38-38.

Ideas for Plant and Soil Chemistry Science Projects

Ideas for Plant and Soil Chemistry Science Projects Plant and Soil Chemistry Project Ideas Science fair projects that involve plants or soil chemistry are very popular with students. Its fun to work with living things and the environment that supports them. These projects are great from an educational standpoint because they integrate concepts from different areas of science and the scientific method. However, it isnt always easy to decide what to do with the plants and soil! These science fair project ideas can help you define your project. Some involve botany and chemistry, others have an environmental science slant, and then others are soil chemistry. Botany and Chemistry Components How do different fertilizers affect the way plants grow? There are lots of different types of fertilizers, containing varying amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, in addition to other ingredients. You can test different fertilizers and see how they affect the height of a plant, the number or size of its leaves, the number of flowers, time until blooming, branching of stems, root development, or other factors.Does using colored mulch have an effect on a plant? You can look at its height, fruitfulness, number of flowers, overall plant size, the rate of growth, or other factors.Is a seed affected by its size? Do different size seeds have different germination rates or percentages? Does seed size affect the growth rate or final size of a plant? Environmental Science Aspects How do different factors affect seed germination? Factors that you could test include the intensity, duration, or type of light, the temperature, the amount of water, the presence/absence of certain chemicals, or the presence/absence of soil. You can look at the percentage of seeds that germinate or the rate at which seeds germinate.How are plants affected by the distance between them? Look into the concept of allelopathy. Sweet potatoes are plants that release chemicals (allelochemicals) that can inhibit the growth of plants near them. How close can another plant grow to a sweet potato plant? What effects does an allelochemical have on a plant?How does cold storage affect the germination of seeds? Factors you can control include the type of seeds, the length of storage, the temperature of storage, and other variables, such as light and humidity.What conditions affect the ripening of fruit? Look at ethylene and enclosing a piece of fruit in a sealed bag, temperature, light, or nearne ss to other pieces or fruit. Soil Chemistry Considerations How are different soils affected by erosion? You can make your own wind or water and evaluate the effects on soil. If you have access to a very cold freezer, you can look at the effects of freeze and thaw cycles.How does the pH of soil relate to the pH of the water around the soil? You can make your own pH paper, test the pH of the soil, add water, then test the pH of the water. Are the two values the same? If not, is there a relationship between them?How close does a plant have to be to a pesticide for it to work? How do environmental factors (i.e., light, rain, wind, etc.) influence the effectiveness of a pesticide? How much can you dilute a pesticide while retaining its effectiveness? How effective are natural pest deterrents?What is the effect of a chemical on a plant? You can look at natural pollutants (e.g., motor oil, runoff from a busy street) or unusual substances (e.g., orange juice, baking soda). Factors that you can measure include the rate of plant growth, leaf size, lif e/death of the plant, the color of the plant, and ability to flower/bear fruit.

Assess the importance of International arbitration in international Essay

Assess the importance of International arbitration in international business - Essay Example The decisions of these arbitration tribunals are always binding and final, and it is important to note that in international arbitration of disputes, the parties are allowed to modify the terms of the dispute resolution in line with their needs. The question that then rises is how international arbitration works in international businesses. In most international business agreements, there are dispute resolution clauses that state how all disputes within the agreement can be referred to for arbitration and includes such modalities such as the language of the arbitration and the governing law of contract. Other agreements pertaining to international arbitration may also have a mandatory requirement foe a pre-arbitration mediation and whether the international arbitration will be ad hoc or institutional, the mode of selection of the arbitrators, limitations and whether there is the right of appeal from the arbitration award. International arbitration as used in the solution of internati onal commercial disputes is often a viable method but has a few disadvantages in challenging and enforcement of the award owing to the great influence of local courts in the states. The conventions that govern international arbitrations such as the New York Convention amongst others do not help the situation, as they are mostly silent on challenging and enforcement of awards (Kronke 2010, p.255). This causes hurdles in enforcement of awards that parties may refuse due to arguments based on sovereignty and public policy. International Arbitration in International Businesses It is important to note that arbitration is always adjudicative, binding and consensual in nature (Mann and Roberts 2013, p.60). Adjudicative nature of arbitration infers that the arbitrator must not have a conflict of interest in the matter at hand and must not communicate to any party in the dispute independently. The arbitrator must also treat all the parties to the dispute fairly and equally as well as permit the parties to respond to each other’s case judicially and adhere to the agreement between the parties and the scope of their mandate. The arbitration must be binding in the sense that the courts are able to transform an arbitrator’s award into a valid judgment that is executionable unless an adjudicative principle has been breached, there is a public policy ground not to do so or there is a pending appeal. It should also be consensual in that only parties who have agreed to participate in the arbitration are bound by the arbitrator’s award and third parties cannot be affected, while the agreement to arbitrate must show the location, language and the governing law as well as the rules of arbitration. The arbitration agreement can be in a series of clauses in the commercial agreement between the parties concerned even before a dispute arises, or an agreement as to the scope, rules and other matters such as the presentation of documentary or oral evidence. Interna tional arbitration in international businesses is important as they help in the resolution of businesses across borders or businesses situated in multiple jurisdictions. The degree of risk that is posed on businesses operating internationally require that businesses adopt

Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 3

Marketing - Essay Example With time the bank has been able to establish a good market position in Europe, US and Asia. The products and services offered by the bank range from fund management, stocks and annuities to mutual funds, asset management and health & life insurance schemes. The bank has built its portfolio based on tradition and acquisitions pursued over the years. UBS has successfully entrenched itself in the various business segments and its wide range of customer services are highly valued by the global clients (Thirkell-White, 2004). Strengths Umbrella brand strategy- It has been observed that ‘umbrella brands’ used by the firms, with multi-business operations, foster improved market penetration. An umbrella brand refers to the use of a common brand for various businesses. UBS has also adopted this concept of a single brand across all its businesses by abolishing the local brands in order to form a â€Å"global umbrella brand†. By leveraging the reputation and trust effects a ssociated with a strong brand image a firm can make use of various growth opportunities. To make use of the growth synergies that comes along with it, Swiss based bank UBS recently moved towards an ‘umbrella brand’. ... UBS officials viewed that the adoption of ‘one brand for all its businesses could convey the bank’s core values to the clients more effectively and consistently. The bank seems to be reaping the benefits of this umbrella brand. The brand value of UBS has increased from US$6.5 billion in 2004 to US$8.7 billion in 2006. Besides this the customers increasingly affirm to the key attributes of the bank like â€Å"UBS is a global power-house†; â€Å"UBS takes time to understand us† and â€Å"UBS has superior expertise† (Knoll, 2008, p.164). The strength of UBS is reflected from the rise in its brand value over the years. As per the survey conducted by Business Week in 2007 the bank’s brand value is nearly $9.8 billion and it ranks among the top forty most valuable brands in the world. The brand value of the bank enhanced significantly by nearly 13% in the year 2007. This is very important in making customer recall and leads to improved market penetr ation. UBS has an international clientele base. The global nature of its business operations creates additional value for its customers by integrating the expertise and resources of its various business segments. Competitive advantages of UBS- The strength of a business strategy is based on the competitive advantages that it enjoys as compared to the rival firms. According to Porter competitive advantage lies at the centre of the performance delivered by a firm in a competitive market scenario. This means that competitive advantages imply product differentiation, low costs etc (University of Northern Iowa, n.d.). The present business mix of UBS is a by-product of many years of development, acquisitions and internal growth. UBS has consistently worked towards

Solution to questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Solution to questions - Assignment Example This is because the z-score for 2007 was less than 1.81 while that for 2006 was more than 1.81 but less than 2.675. The calculations shows that the reasonable estimate of the nominal interest rate (nominal yield), rd, for a new issue of Aaa-rated bonds to be offered by Binghamton Truck is 6.27%. This means that the case above requires Binghamton to offer a nominal yield of 6.27% on the Aaa-rated bond to the investors. a) Why might you choose to make the investment in the 1-year security that pays an interest rate of only 6 percent, as opposed to investing in the 2-year security paying 8 percent? Provide a numerical support for your answer. In which case, I only need 3.81% interest rate to reach the savings for the 2 year investment at the end of two years. This is even a lesser rate than the original rate which was 6%. Consequently, I would have more savings when I choose the 6% interest rate. I will choose the 2- year security given the rationale that I am risk averse; in which case, 11% rate is far much more than 6. Since I am afraid of risks, I would not subject myself to a higher required rate of return which usually bears much

Discussing Pregnancy And Motherhood Privileges Social Work Essay

Discussing Pregnancy And Motherhood Privileges Social Work Essay Pregnancy and motherhood is a significant part of womens lives. In fact, motherhood is a privilege that only women can experience. However, not all women feel privileged about becoming a mother. Knowles and Cole (1990) suggest that there is an increasing number of cases wherein soon-to-be mothers are not happy about their pregnancy either because of their current marital relationship, the biological father of the baby is not responsible enough to give emotional and financial support, or simply because they have negative past experiences such as being sexually or physically abused by their own parents, brothers, or relatives (Knowles and Cole 1990). Due to high incidence of unhappy pregnant women and mothers, the number of female perversion also increases. Sexual abuse towards children or the act of inflicting harm towards her own body or the childs body is considered as female perversion in the sense that sexually abusing her own children, inflicting harm towards ones own body or her childs body is totally the opposite of the true concept of motherhood and femininity. Welldon (2008) argues that female perversion is often expressed by inflicting self-destructive harm caused by biological or hormonal disorders that normally affects their reproductive meaning (Welldon 2008). Unlike male perversion, researchers highlight that female perversion aims at causing physical harm against their own body or against the objects that they created, including their babies (Welldon 2008; Springer-Kremser et al. 2003; Richards 1990). Motz (2001) acknowledges that there are many ways in which female perversion could cause physical harm towards her own body. Since perverse women identify their own body as their mothers body, perverse women is capable of a ttacking their own body through self-mutilation or self-starvation (Motz 2001). Other signs of perverse women include, as Balsam (2008) and Somers and Block (2005) note are: the act of exhibitionism wherein the woman shows off her body as a way of showing her active sex life and pleasure they get during procreation and sexual promiscuity ( Balsam 2008; Somers and Block 2005). In the case of perverse mothers, Banning (1989) explains that they attack their own children as a way of expressing their violent revenge (Banning 1989). Various researchers note that perverse mothers are often guilty of infanticide, unlawful abortion, and concealing a birth (Fraser 2008; Spinelli 2004; Tekell 2001; Boswell 1984). Boswell (1984) suggest that infanticide cases normally occurs when the mother abandon their infant in outdoor places in order him or her to die from hypothermia, animal attack, hunger, or dehydration (Boswell 1984). In some cases, as Spinelli (2004) highlights, infanticide can also happen by intentionally suffocating the infant using a pillow or drowning the infant in a bathtub (Spinelli 2004). Spinelli (2004) and Tekell (2001) argue that that regardless of whether maternal infanticide cases happened because of postpartum mental illness or psychosis, schizophrenia, or purely because of neglect on the part of the mother or carer ,infanticide outside the concept of mental illness is clearly a crime under the law (Spinelli 2004; Tekell 2001). Postpartum mental illness or psychosis is a kind of mental illness that can occur because of too much blood flow that passes through the brain (Meyer, Proano and Franz 1999;Cox 1988). In some cases, as Rapaport (2006) highlights, the practice of lactation could become a ground for mental disturbances among mothers who has just given birth to a baby (Rapaport 2006). Fraser (2008) also argues that biological and hormonal imbalances cause significant changes in the mood such as agitation, delirium, and delusions on the part of the mothers (Fraser 2008). Aside from biological or hormonal disorders, other common factors that can trigger female perversion, as researchers suggest, include the early exposure to maternal abuse and neglect, alcoholism, the use of illegal drugs, and stress related to socio-economic problems (Barnett 2006; Motz 2001). Peter (2008) suggests that when a young girl is physically or sexually abused or neglected in the past, the future relationship of the abused might lead to confusion between the appropriate and inappropriate sexual activity, especially if the relationship is an abusive one. Since the negative experience with man could further damage their self-image and psychological functioning, the victims ability to become good mother will also negatively affected (Peter 2008). Barnett (2006) also notes that childhood experiences such as a young girl who failed to receive emotional support from mothers and fathers could grow up feeling devastated about their life. Because of their strong desire to rebel, some women may end up becoming unwed mothers only to prove their femininity or their ability to become more superior than another person in this case, their own children (Barnett 2006). In line with this, other studies, Barnett (2006) and Welldon (1991), highlight that young girls who were sexual ly abused or emotionally deprived by their mothers often end up as prostitutes as a way of revenge. Authors also suggest that such mothers with psychological imbalance will intentionally inflict physical harm on their children (Barnett 2006; Welldon 1991). Welldon (1991) also explains that perverse mothers can either be a facilitator someone who is capable of adapting to the childs needs; or regulator the type of mother who anticipate that their baby is capable of adapting to their own needs , which the second type leading more to physical abuse of children (Welldon 1991). Society in general perceves mothers as a role models to their children, loving, nurturing. As part of being a role model, ideal mothers should refrain from the use of illegal substances,alcohol and smoking addictions. Aside from molding, educating, and nurturing their children to become good citizens, ideal mothers are expected to make their children happy and confident by instilling only good values in their minds. In other words, the role of ideal mothers are not limited in feeding their children but also to make them feel that they are loved by not being selfish. Every woman, on other hand, desires to be accepted socially as a good mother.In line with the strong desire to be accepted in public, the act of idealizing motherhood may lead to denial of female perversion. As it was highlighted previuosly, perverse mothers are capable of sexually abusing or physically harming their own children due of their negative childhood experiences. By strictly idealizing the concept of motherhood in our society, there is a strong possibility for perverse mothers will deny participating in any forms of such actions. As mentioned in the previous statement, various researchers suggest that female perversion can be noted when there is alarmingly disturbed relationship between the mother and her infant, mother and son, or mother and daughter (Peter 2008; Hetherton 1999; Banning 1989). In line with this, women who have been neglected or deprived of love in the past or were sexually abused, could make them capable of sexually abusing their own children. Although the possibility wherein perverse mothers could sexually abuse their children is high, Motz (2001) highlights that these type of cases are often under-reported because of the complex relationship or emotional attachment that is present between the mothers and children. The absence of concrete evidences, it would be difficult to prove that a perverse mother is indeed punishing their children physically or sexually especially when the child is too young to talk and defend themselves against their abusive mothers (Motz 2001). As a part of idealizi ng motherhood and femininity, the idea wherein perverse mothers are abusing their own children physically or sexually is totally not acceptable within our society. As a result of idealizing motherhood and femininity, there is a strong possibility wherein perverse women are more likely to deny their act of perversion in order to protect themselves from being humiliated and judged by the public as irresponsible, immoral, and/or cruel mothers. For this reason, Hetherton (1999) and Banning (1989) argue that idealization of women could result to more under-reported cases especially with regards to criminal issues wherein female perpetrators would sexually abuse a child (Hetherton 1999; Banning 1989). Researchers studies suggest that womens past and unresolved experiences of being sexually abused during her childhood days can make them prone to inferiority complex which makes her an easy victim of abusive men (Balsam 2008; Springer-Kremser et al. 2003). In line with this, a good example is drawn by Motz (2001) where a perverse mother wherein becomes as an accessory of sexually abusing her own children, when the husband coerced the wife to encourage 7 and 10 year-olds, sexually abused victims, to masturbate the husband while the wife was taking pictures (Motz 2001). We can suggest that in case these two children refused to participate in the sexual activity with the father, either the mother or the father would physically harm the children for disobedience. There is also a strong tendency for both parents to threaten these children not to inform other people about the sexual activity that happened between them. Given that the society strictly idealizes the concept of motherhood, pe rverse mothers will continuously deny their willingness to abuse their children physically or sexually as a way of protecting themselves from becoming involved in child abuse cases. Based on the given example, it is possible on the part of the perverse mother to claim that it was the husband who made her encourage children to perform illicit sexual activities with the couple. For this reason, as we may suggest, it is the husband who is more likely to face the legal consequences or punishment for engaging children to participate in illegal sexual activities as compared to the perverse mother. According to Welldon (1991), perversion in motherhood is possible when society denies mothers perversion and idealises being a mother. Author further agrues that due to sexual or social politics, some women are not treated as a complete human beings because they were not born as men. By not allowing women to feel completely as human beings, there is a greater chance wherein of emotional instability leading mother to result in perverse motherhood (Welldon 1991). Considering the cases of maternal infanticide, Rapaport (2006) explained that the law in UK has a distinctive legislation with regards to the act of killing infants and young children by their own mothers. In line with this, women who are proven victims of biological or hormonal disturbance caused by immaturity or unfavorable circumstances such as rape cases are qualified for settled law. For this reason, women who are guilty of maternal infanticide are free from death penalty. Under the Britishs infanticide statute of 1922 and 1938, mothers who are guilty of killing their infant or children because of postpartum mental illnesses or psychosis are exempted from capital punishment related to murder. Author further acknowledge us the legal charges that are most likely to be imposed on the accused mothers will be reduced to manslaughter provided that there are enough biological evidence to prove that the accused mothers are going through postpartum-related mental disorder. Instead of sen ding the accused mothers to prison, perverse mothers who happened to be convicted of killing their infants due to post-partum syndromes are mandated to undergo hospitalization for necessary treatments (Rapaport 2006). In relation to the case of maternal infanticide, Card (2002) explained that evil actions can be classified as either intolerable harm or culpable wrongdoing (Card 2002:4). Since conscience plays a significant factor which enables us to act good deeds and avoid those that are evil, each person should be free from mental illnesses when judging whether a human action is morally good or bad (Card 2002). Card (2002) suggest that those women who are suffering from postpartum mental illness or psychosis, should not be classified as perverse female simply because they are not mentally capable of determining what is right from wrong at the time they had committed a crime. Infanticide caused by postpartum mental illness and psychosis should never be considered as an intentional crime. For this reason, the level of legal punishment imposed on postpartum mothers who are accused of infanticide should be different from perverse mothers who are guilty of intentionally inflicting physical or sexual harm on their children (Card 2002). West and Lichtenstein (2006) also draw a good exaple of criminalization of Andrea Yates case who drowned her five children in the bathtub and was inicially convinced for capital murder, who later on was found guilty of insanity and eventually was moved to state mental hospital. Authors argue that societys myths and perceptions about perfect mothehood plays a great role in womens lives and stigmatizes those whos behavoir is unnatural and deviant. Aside from taboo and stigma, society also dont take into account the role of women;s daily activities, which as authors argue, lead to double shift both at home and at work which often result in emotional and physical stress and therefore could escallate to murder of a child (West and Lichte nstein 2006). Although it is possible that the act of idealizing motherhood could lead to denial of female perversion, it is by no doubt that justice will always prevail. Even though perverse mothers are capable of denying the act of harming their children physically or sexually, the local authorities can still gather concrete evidences from the victims of child abuse in order to convict preserve mothers who are guilty of committing a crime. Perverse mothers may continuously deny their act of female perversion, as in Andrea Yates case due to delusional thoughts about Satan, but they are not free from being legally punished for their socially unacceptable behaviour. Rapaport (2006) suggests that when maternal infanticide is classified by psychiatrists as a form of postpartum mental illness or psychosis, suspected mothers who are positive for postpartum mental illness or psychosis should be given the privilege to receive psychiatric treatment (Rapaport 2006). In line with this, Spinelli (2004) highly recommended the need to make use of formal DSM-IV diagnostic criteria when scrutinizing a suspected mother for killing her infant and deciding for the level of punishment to be imposed on mentally ill person (Spinelli 2004). Considering the fact, as Hetherton (1999) highlights, that idealization of women could result to more under-reported cases particularly with regards to criminal issues wherein female perpetrators would sexually abuse a child, criminologists together with the assistance of social workers and school teachers should continuously educate children concerning ways on how they can protect themselves from abusive parents including issues related to perverse mothers. By teaching the victims of sexually and physically abusive parents on how they can report such cases to the authorities, the number of victimization caused by perverse women is more likely to decrease over time (Hhetherton 1999). Barnett (2006) and Motz (2001) , as noted previously, suggest that the factors which can trigger female perversion include hormonal imbalances causing mental illness, the early exposure to maternal abuse and neglect, alcoholism, the use of illegal drugs, and stress related to socio-economic problems (Barnett 2006; Motz 2001). For this reasons, the kind of punishment imposed on women who are convicted of murdering their children varies on case to case basis. Wilczynski (1997) notes that unlike men, the universal characteristic of ideal women is passive by nature. Since the publics perception of women is characterized by femininity, there is a lesser chance wherein perverse women and mothers will be accused of inflicting physical and emotional harm on their children. This is one of the main reasons why it has been a common legal practice in the United Kingdom that women who are found guilty of killing their own children are most likely to receive lesser punishment as compared to men (W ilczynski 1997). Up to the present time, there is on-going situation wherein perverse women and mothers are sexually abusing both male and female children. Since the cases of female perpetrators are often left unreported and considered by society as rare, there is a risk that the number of perverse female and mothers who are on the loose will continuously abuse children either sexually or physically (Peter 2008). The legal system in the United Kingdom strongly recognizes the possible link between maternal mental illness with maternal infanticide and child homicide. Since there are cases wherein perverse mothers and young women who are convicted of murdering their children are using insanity as a defence for murder or child abuse, criminologists in UK should be able to learn more ways on how they can improve their ability to differentiate perverse mothers from those mothers who are suffering from mental illnesses caused by postpartum. By psychiatrists to strengthen their ability to detect postpartum-related mental disorder and psychosis, there is a higher chance wherein the accused perverse mothers will be able to receive proper medical treatment and free themselves from the punishment of life-time imprisonment. As Raitt and Zeedyk (2004) suggest there is a very thin line that separates innocent women from perverse women who are guilty of murdering or physically harming their own children. Considering the fact that idealization of motherhood can enable perverse women and mothers who has just given birth to a baby to mislead the authorities by acting similar to mothers with postpartum mental disorders, criminologists should take it as a challenge to focus on determining the truth by gathering concrete evidences that will prove whether or not perverse women or perverse mothers are guilty of a crime. To prevent false accusations or wrong judgment, it is important on the part of criminologists to make use of medication intervention such as autopsy in order to determine whether the death of an infant was intention or merely caused by unexplainable infant death syndrome (Raitt and Zeedyk 2004). *** End ***

Barbados :: essays research papers fc

Barbados Barbados is an independent country, formerly a British colony, and the most easterly island of the West Indies. Its capital and only port of entry is Bridgetown. The island is underlain with folded sedimentary deposits, and a surface layer of coral attains 90 m (300 ft) in thickness. In the northeastern parts, erosion has exposed rugged ridges and ravines. The climate is warm and pleasant. The average annual temperature is about 27 ¡ C (80 ¡ F), and little daily or annual variation occurs. A dry season (from December to May) alternates with a wet season. The average annual rainfall is about 1,500 mm (60 in). Barbados is one of the world's most densely populated countries. Nearly 90% of the island's population is black. The production of sugarcane and its by-products, molasses and rum, long a mainstay of the Barbadian economy, has been replaced by tourism as the chief industry. The development of light industry, offshore banking, and fishing and the diversification of agriculture have been encouraged by the government. Barbados was settled by English colonists in 1627. To work the sugarcane plantations, slaves were brought from Africa, a practice abolished throughout the British Empire in 1834. Dominance by a small group of British landowners continued, and a political rights movement began, resulting in the founding of the Barbados Labour party (BLP) in 1938 and an offshoot, the Democratic Labour party (DLP), in 1955. Barbados became independent on Nov. 30, 1966. Errol Barrow of the DLP, the first premier, was succeeded by Tom Adams of the BLP, who held office from 1976 until his death in 1985. The DLP returned to power under Barrow (1986à 87) and Lloyd Erskine Sandiford (1987à 94). Owen Arthur of the BLP became premier after elections in 1994 and was returned to office in a landslide victory in 1999. In 1997, Barbados hosted a regional summit attended by the leaders of the English-speaking Caribbean nations and U.S. president Bill Clinton. Late the fol lowing year, a constitutional commission recommended that Barbados become a republic and replace the British monarch with an elected president as head of state.

American Liberty: From Past to Present

Liberty is a concept that is commonly used by the average American in his daily affairs. A lexical definition of liberty states that it refers to the freedom to believe or act without the restriction of an unnecessary force. As far as the individual is concerned, liberty is the capacity of a person to act according to his will. But do we really know the history of America’s liberty? Do we really understand the historical events that have shaped the liberty that we know of and enjoy in these contemporary times?In this paper, I will be examining the roots of American liberty from the founding era to the modern debates surrounding the concept of liberty. I will also be looking into the proponents of liberty and those who have shared a significant role in defining and upholding liberty as we know it today. The Founding Era Hundreds of years before today, America was an entirely different place. Long before the creation of the Constitution, different European countries have already established their own settlements across America. The Spaniards and the French were among the early colonizers until the time of the British.During the rule of the British Empire, severe shortage in human labor resulted to enslavement and indentured servitude of the natives. In the years that followed, conflicts broke-out between the Native Americans and the English settlers. It should be noted, however, that Virginia already had black indentured servants in 1619 after being settled by Englishmen in 1607 (â€Å"Virginia Records Timeline: 1553-1743,† http://memory. loc. gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/mtjvatm3. html), thereby suggesting that the attainment of genuine liberty from the colonizers is yet to be realized.It is perhaps during the time when the English pilgrims came to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 and established their colonies that the concept of liberty came about, not the least in the context of the pre-Constitution history of America. As Mark Sargent w rites in his article â€Å"The Conservative Covenant: The Rise of the Mayflower Compact in American Myth,† some of the passengers in the Mayflower ship â€Å"who were not travelling to the New World for religious reasons would insist upon complete freedom when they stepped ashore† since the New World is already â€Å"outside the territory covered in their patent from the [British] crown† (Sargent, p.236). After the Seven Years War between the British forces and the alliance of French and American Indian forces in 1763, the British Empire enforced a series of taxes on the Americans so as to cover a portion of the cost for defending the colony. Since the Americans considered themselves as subjects of the King, they understood that they had the same rights to that of the King’s subjects living in Great Britain.However, the Sugar Act, Currency Act—both passed in 1764—the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Act of 1767, to name a few, compelled the Americans to take drastic measures to send the message to the British Empire that they were being treated as though they were less than the King’s subjects in Great Britain (Jensen, p. 186). Moreover, the taxes were enforced despite the lack of representation of the American colonists in the Westminster Parliament.One of the famous protests taken by the Americans is the Boston Tea Party in 1773 where numerous crates containing tea that belonged to the British East India Company were destroyed aboard ships in Boston Harbor. As a result, the British government passed a series of acts popularly known as the Intolerable Acts in 1774, further fanning the growing oppression felt by the American colonists. Eventually, the American Revolution ensued beginning in as early as 1775 when British forces confiscated arms and arrested revolutionaries in Concord, thereby sparking the first hostilities after the Intolerable Acts were passed (Jensen, p.434). From 1775 to 1783, the colonies tha t formed their own independent states fought as one as the Thirteen Colonies of North America. Lasting for roughly eight years, the American Revolutionary War ended in the ratification of the Treaty of Paris which formally recognized the Independence of America from the British Empire. Between these years, the colonies underwent several changes which constitute part of the developments toward the framing of the Constitution (Bobrick, p. 88).One of these changes is the shift towards the acceptance of notable republican ideals, such as liberty and inalienable rights as core values, among several members of the colonies. Moreover, the republican ideals of the time saw corruption as the greatest of all threats to liberty. In essence, the concept of liberty during the founding era revolves around the liberation of the American colonies from the British Empire and the growing oppression it gave to the colonists through taxation burdens and a series of repressive acts.For the American colo nists, liberty meant the severing of its ties from the British government and the creation of its own independent nation recognized by other countries. The writing and ratification of the Constitution On the fourth of July in 1776, the second Continental Congress signed and officially adopted the United States Declaration of Independence which established the separation of the thirteen American colonies—the colonies which were at war with Great Britain from 1775—from the British Empire.Although others say that the founding moment of America is not on July 4 but two days earlier (Groom, http://independent. co. uk/arts-entertainment/books/review/the-fourth-of-july-and-the-founding-of-america-by-peter-de-bolla-455878. html), it remains a fact that there came a point in time when America finally declared its independence. The evolution of American political theory—especially that which is concerned with liberty—can be better understood during the confrontatio n over the writing and the ratification of the Constitution.In fact, the Declaration asserts that people have unalienable rights which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Articles of Confederation served as the constitution which governed the thirteen states as part of its alliance called the â€Å"United States of America†. After being ratified in 1781, the â€Å"United States of America† was brought as a political union under a confederate government in order to defend better the liberties of the people and of each state. Meaning, each state retained its independence and sovereignty despite being politically held together as part of the union.However, the Articles were not without opposition and criticisms from several notable political thinkers of the time. For example, James Madison saw several main flaws in the Articles of Confederation that were alarming, or threatened the very existence and purpose of the Articles first and foremost. For one, Madison was concerned about the dangers posed by the divided republics or â€Å"factions† given that their interest may stand in conflict to the interests of others. Madison argues in The Federalist, specifically in â€Å"Federalist No.10,† that in order to guard the citizens from the dangers posed by these individuals who have contradicting interests, a large republic should be created, a republic that will safeguard the citizens from the possible harms brought by other states. It is likewise important to note that the union is not a homogenous group of citizens with the same political inclinations. Madison also argues that for the government to become effective it needs to be a hybrid of a national and a federal constitution.The government should be balanced in the sense that it should be federal in some aspects and republican in others instead of giving more weight to each separate state over the larger republic. In his â€Å"Federalist No. 39,† Madison prop oses and describes a republic government guided by three fundamental principles: the derivation of the government’s legitimate power through the consent of the people, representatives elected as administrators in the government, and a limitation on the length of the terms of service rendered by the representatives (Kobylka and Carter, p.191). Madison also pointed out in â€Å"Federalist No. 51† that there should be checks and balances in the government, specifically among the judicial, legislative and the executive branches. The judiciary, therefore, is at par with the other two inasmuch as each of the other two are at par with one another. Giving one of the three more powers disables the other two to check if that branch is still functioning within its perimeters.As a result, the more powerful branch becomes a partisan branch which consequently creates dangers to the liberties of the people. Another important part of the evolution of American political theory is the c ontention raised by Patrick Henry. In a letter sent to Robert Pleasants in January 18, 1773, Patrick Henry sees the relationship between the new government and the institution of slavery as a contradiction precisely because while the new government is said to be founded on liberty, there the evil that is slavery persisted under the new government.During those times, slavery was not yet abolished and that the new government was unable to meet the challenge of living up to its roles and foundations by failing to address the institution of slavery and demolishing it altogether. Moreover, Henry understood the efforts of secession from the hands of England were a matter of freedom or slavery, which can also be looked upon as a question of either a freedom from or a continuation of tax slavery from the British.While Madison was part of the â€Å"Federalists† who were supporting the ratification of the Constitution, the â€Å"Anti-Federalists† apparently argued against its ra tification. It was Patrick Henry who led the group in criticizing the contents of the proposed Constitution. For instance, Henry argued that the phrase â€Å"We the People† in the Preamble of the Constitution was misleading primarily because it was not necessarily the people who agreed and created the proposed Constitution but the representatives of each participating state.Thus, Henry argues that the Preamble should instead read as â€Å"We the States† which in turn delegated power to the union. Another argument of the Anti-Federalists is the claim that the central government and, therefore, the central power might result to a revival of the monarchic type of rule reminiscent of the British Empire which the Patriots fought. The fear is that, by delegating a considerable amount of power to the central government, the liberties of the individual states and the people are weakened as a result.Nevertheless, the Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787 and later rati fied in each of the state conventions held. The anti-federalists share a significant role in strengthening some of the points of the Constitution through the succeeding amendments. The first ten amendments to the Constitution are popularly known as the Bill of Rights; it is largely influenced by the arguments of the anti-federalists. For the most part, the Bill of Rights aimed to guarantee that Congress shall not create laws which stand against the rights and liberties of the citizens of the nation.In effect, the Bill of Rights limits the power of the federal government in order to secure the liberties of the people in the United States. In â€Å"Federalist No. 84,† Alexander Hamilton argues against the Bill of Rights for the reason that the American citizens will not have to necessarily surrender their rights as a result of the ratification of the Constitution and, thus, the protection of the rights through the Bill is unnecessary. Moreover, Hamilton also argues that creatin g a Bill of Rights would effectively limit the rights of the people since those that are not listed in the Bill will not be considered as rights.In response to the argument, the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution was introduced and ratified later on. The amendment specifically states that the rights of the people are not to be limited to those which are listed in the Constitution. As it can be observed, the time before and during the ratification of the Constitution and the succeeding amendments made reflect how the people at the time sought to protect the liberties that they have realized and gained after the American Revolution and the defeat of the British Empire.Moreover, the debates at that time revolved around the issue of what to do with the liberties gained and how to secure them for the coming generations. One side—the Anti-Federalists—argues that the central government weakens the independence and sovereignty of the states as well as the rights and liberties of the people. The other side—the Federalists—argues that the Constitution will help preserve and strengthen the Union. Modern debates In the years that followed, debates over the interpretation of the Constitution, the role of the government and the place of the individual in American society have escalated.In his essay â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government† (popularly known as â€Å"Civil Disobedience†) first published in 1849, Henry David Thoreau asserts that the people should not simply remain passive and allow the government to be an agent of injustice. Much of Thoreau’s political beliefs eventually follow that same philosophy. In his work Walden published in 1854, Thoreau attempts to live a life of solitude in a cabin, away from the reaches of the society. In one of his days in Walden, Thoreau was arrested for the charge of not paying his taxes. His defense was that he refuses to pay federal taxes to a government that tolerates slavery.In ess ence, the fact that Thoreau decided to stay in solitude for approximately two years (although the contents of Walden was made to appear as though all the events happened within just a year) signifies his decision not to conform to the dictates of the society. On the contrary, Thoreau lived a life of liberty, free to do anything that he chooses without the institutions of society restraining him. The same sentiment—non-conformity or disobedience to the dictates of the society, especially the government—echoes through in Thoreau’s other work, which is â€Å"Civil Disobedience†.Thoreau asserts that â€Å"the only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think [is] right† (Thoreau, http://sniggle. net/Experiment/index. php? entry=rtcg#p04). That passage, along with the rest of â€Å"Civil Disobedience† and its theme in general, implies that people have an inherent liberty, which is the liberty to do any time what the y think is right. Taken altogether in the context of the concept of liberty, Thoreau seems to suggest that people ought to disobey a government that oppresses other people since each individual has inalienable rights that nobody can take away, not even the government.In the face of oppression such as slavery (which was still very much a part of America within twenty years after the ratification of the original Constitution since the issue of slavery was a very delicate and contentious matter during the Philadelphia Convention), Thoreau even suggested that Abolitionists should not only confine themselves with the mere thought of abolishing slavery but resisting the instructions of the government such as paying taxes.Thus, as a reading of Thoreau’s works would suggest, to have liberty is to act upon crucial issues instead of passively allowing contentious actions of the government to thrive and continue. I cannot help but think that Thoreau’s concept of liberty is someth ing that is absolute, which I also take to mean as confined only within one’s disposition instead of being limited by the government. Moreover, since Thoreau suggests that liberty is doing any time what one thinks is right an individual should first know if what he or she thinks is indeed right instead of being wrong.Charles Madison notes that Thoreau was heavily concerned with the â€Å"ever pressing problem of how one might earn a living and remain free† (Madison, p. 110). I cannot help but begin to think that Thoreau attempts at embodying and enacting his individualistic beliefs. As Leigh Kathryn Jenco argues, â€Å"The theory and practice of democracy fundamentally conflict with Thoreau’s conviction in moral autonomy and conscientious action† (Jenco, p.355); democracy is essentially the rule of the majority which consequently ignores the decisions of the minority. However, I think that much of Thoreau’s thoughts were heavily influenced by the c ircumstances during his time. His aversion towards the imposed taxation policy of the government stems from the fact that the government at that time still tolerates slavery which is directly against an individual’s liberty.Thoreau’s insight on the perceived conflict between the liberties being upheld by the Constitution and the actual state of the government during his time points us to the ideal that the people are sovereign because the people is the ultimate source of power of the government. If it is indeed the case that the Constitution upholds the rights of individuals including the right to liberty, it seems appropriate to consider as well why slavery at that time was not immediately abolished entirely especially at the time when the Constitution was ratified.In fact, it was only in 1865 under the Thirteenth Amendment—about 80 years after the original Constitution was adopted—when slavery was legally abolished and when Congress was given the power to finally enforce abolition. During the time when slavery was not yet abolished and immediately after the original Constitution was ratified, it can be said that not all citizens living in America were given full liberties. Several people were still laboring as slaves to their American masters.That is perhaps an often neglected piece of history that undermines the spirit of creating a Constitution and a government that will uphold the rights of the people. The pre-American Revolutionary war, the founding era, the ratification of the original Constitution, the creation of the Bill of Rights and the other succeeding amendments to the Constitution—all these stand as testimonies to the evolution of American political thought. The concept of liberty has played an important role in the development of the federal government and the Constitution.Although the history of American political thought might reveal that the attainment of liberty through the years has never been a smooth jo urney, contemporary America has reaped a large amount of benefits from the sacrifices and ideas of the Founding Fathers and all the people who lived and died during those times. Some might even argue that liberty is yet to be truly attained in today’s American society. But if liberty is yet to be attained in practice, how is it possible that people are given the right to air their grievances before the government?How is it possible that people have the liberty to do as they please so long as what they do does not conflict with what is legal? In any case, the present American Constitution guarantees the liberty of the people and that there are institutions which seek to promote and guard that important right. Had it been the case that the early Americans swallowed everything that the British Empire throw in their way and that the Founding Fathers abandoned the creation and amendment of the Constitution, the United States of America would not have been the land of the free and the home of the brave.Works Cited Bobrick, Benson. Fight for Freedom: The American Revolutionary War. 1st ed. New York, NY: Atheneum, 2004. Groom, Nick. â€Å"The Fourth of July and the Founding of America, by Peter De Bolla†. 2007. Independent. Co. Uk. October 16 2008. . Hamilton, Alexander, James Madison, and John Jay. The Federalist, on the New Constitution. 1787. October 18, 2008 . Jenco, Leigh Kathryn. â€Å"Thoreau’s Critique of Democracy. † The Review of Politics 65. 3 (2003): 355-81. Jensen, Merrill. The Founding of a Nation: A History of the American Revolution 1763-1776. Indianapolis, IN: Hackett Publishing Company, 2004. Kobylka, Joseph F. , and Bradley Kent Carter. â€Å"Madison, The Federalist, & the Constitutional Order: Human Nature & Institutional Structure. † Polity 20.2 (1987): 190-208. Madison, Charles. â€Å"Henry David Thoreau: Transcendental Individualist. † Ethics 54. 2 (1944): 110-23. Sargent, Mark L. â€Å"The Conservative Covenant: The Rise of the Mayflower Compact in American Myth. † The New England Quarterly 61. 2 (1988): 233-51. Thoreau, Henry David. â€Å"Resistance to Civil Government†. 1849. October 18 2008. . â€Å"Virginia Records Timeline: 1553-1743†. The Library of Congress. October 17 2008. .

Automated Wars Essay Example

Automated Wars Essay Example Automated Wars Essay Automated Wars Essay Automated wars In our world today, wars are being fought openly and discretely. Warfare is becoming more sophisticated and intelligent. The weapons business has become a lucrative means of earning money for the parties involved. These parties sell war as a necessity for our wellbeing. However the promotion of war is not an easy task. War is known to cause destruction, it is the cause of many innocent deaths, more often than none wars do not resolve issues. For these reasons and many more, wars are not welcomed, people donâ„ ¢t want to be killed and for that matter kill others. But what if wars could be fought with precision What if only the bad guys died What if a machine calculated a threat level and made the decision to kill This is the direction the modern warfare is headed towards. The ability for a machine to automatically locate and attack a target, with minimal human intervention is the focus of leading global militaries. Organizations such as United States Air Force (USAF) are focusing o n artificial intelligence to conduct reconnaissance and make decisions based on their findings. However, are these intelligent machines going to work with us Or will we eventually reach a point where we will have to fight the machines for our survival This essay will evaluate this question and prove that a heavy reliance on artificial intelligence may eventually cause us more harm than good. The USAF has released an action plan in which the main focus is to evolve existing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) to include artificial intelligence (AI) to make combat decisions, while acting within legal and policy constraints without necessarily requiring human input (June, 2009). The UAS have been in development for several years and are only recently being relied upon as dependable service machines. This technology, along with the assistance of humans were developed to allow forces to conduct dull, dirty and dangerous missions, like searching tunnels and caves for terrorists, rescuing wounded soldiers, spying on enemies and even killing humans (Lin, 2009). There are more than 7,000 unmanned aircrafts and 12,000 ground robots currently in service in both Afghanistan and Iraq (Lin, 2009). The USAF believes that by 2024 the military will be at a point where the UAS will be able to carry out orders that would otherwise be limited by the lack of precision, and speed of reaction by h uman soldiers. (USAF, 2009, p. 14). The USAF holds an instrumentalist point of view in which they believe that the use of technologies such as the UAS is a solution to our existing problems in warfare. It is believed that the human soldiers are limited to their performance and physiological characteristics. Current manned aircrafts cannot be exposed to certain risks due to the fear of losing human life. Some missions are also assumed to be jeopardized due a soldierâ„ ¢s reaction time to a situation. With the use of UAS, battlefield decision will be made much more rapidly by allowing these machines to perceive a certain situation and act independently without human intervention. (USAF, 2009, p. 14) Although the idea of using AI enabled machines as tools to fight our wars, while saving soldiersâ„ ¢ sounds appealing, should this be accepted as a solution within our society Patrick Lin, raises a good point in his article The Ethical War Machine , by stating that the use of these military machines may make it easier for nations to wage war largely because they reduce risks and friendly casualties which usually bear a heavy political cost (Lin, 2009). With reduced political risks and less fear of losing soldiers, governments may not face the same amount of resistance from activists that they would receive today. As a result starting a war would become a lot easier than it is today. If these wars are waged, what social impacts will these machines have on our society If these machines worked as planned, and did not raise problems of their own, one has to wonder how this will affect the opposing party. Lin believes that since these machines can deliver quicker, more decisive victori es for us (Lin, 2009), the enemy may retaliate by resulting to more desperate strategies and tactics. Enemies may also have their own machines to fight their battles. If this happens, are we safer in the future with these machines than we are now This of course is a dilemma that we would face if the AI machines were to work as proposed. We know from past events in history and according to Murphys Law that not all technological inventions have and will perform exactly as projected. A big believer of this method was Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber. Kaczynski viewed technology from a dystopian point of view, he believed that the design and use of technology would have unintended consequences (Joy, 2000). However, the USAF has a different point of view. They believe that with proper ethical discussions and policy decisions these AI machines can be guided towards a set future. Additionally they believe that the systems for the UAS will be programmed to be based on human intent, with humans monitoring the execution of operations and retaining the ability to override the system at any point during a mission (USAF, 2009). Choosing an ethical perspective to guide the machines seems to raise another issue. In our society people hold varying ethical beliefs and values. How then, will we figure out which ethical theory we sho uld use to guide these machines Lin raises a good ethical question that these machines and the creators of these machines would face. He asks Should we let a robot decide that it is permissible to sacrifice one innocent person (for instance, a child) to save 10 or 100 others This is an interesting question because our soldiers have yet to figure out exactly how to distinguish illegal targets in the battle field with 100% accuracy. If this is a problem we cannot solve our selves, how will we guide these machines to make these decisions for us Maintaining this perspective we can also question the morality of these machines. In his article, Lin questions how these machines would react in certain situations. He explains that as a band of brothers, soldiers trust and support each other which can sometimes lead to abuses and cover-ups (Lin, 2009). He questions how these machines, which will have cameras to monitor action and ensure proper behaviors, will uphold the brother hood. Additionally Lin also suggests that the use of machines to conduct operations may increase distrust among the people living in the country, he questions how effective these machines will be in winning hearts and minds of the other side to achieve a lasting peace (Lin, 2009) The USAF believes that as time passes and as these machines become more sophisticated in the battle field they will learn from their actions. They also imply that if these machines are being found to make errors, humans will retain the ability to change the level of autonomy as appropriate for the type or phase of mission (USAF, 2009, p. 59). Building a sort of Kill switch into these machines is a great idea, but it may not be very practical if the purpose of these machines is to conduct their missions with minimal human intervention. The goal of the USAF is to have fewer human operators flying; instead they would be put in charge of directing swarms of these machines. With one soldier controlling multiple machines, is it possible to have the soldier pay attention to every little detail that the machine sees In the article Can AI fight terrorism, Juval Aviv describes a similar problem that exists with AI today. A person standing a couple of feet from his or her suitcase for more than a few minutes at an airport could set off an alert with an AI-monitored camera system, whereas a human being looking at the same scenario would know that there is not yet a cause for concern. This can result in a boy who cried wolf scenario where too many false alarms cause alarms to be ignored (Aviv, 2009). If the soldiers begin to ignore ce rtain alerts, are we not allowing these machines to think on their own The USAFâ„ ¢s plan is to allow these machines to automatically perform repairs in flight and conduct routine ground maintenance without human touch labor. Some might argue that allowing these machines to think on their own, and giving them the ability to perform repairs may give them a life of their own. However this may not necessarily be the case. Billy Joy explains this in his article Why the future doesnt need us. He states that the human race would never be foolish enough to hand over all the power to the machines (Joy, 2000); this is the same ideology that organizations such as USAF share. However, Joy also suggests that the human race might easily permit itself to drift into a position of such dependence on the machines that it would have no practical choice but to accept all of the machines decisions (Joy, 2000). This is a valid point, as we can look back in history to when the internet was invented. At first the internet was introduced as a mere tool to extend our methods of communication. Today, many people have become heavily reliant on the internet and without it they feel lost and disconnected from the world. The heavy reliance on these machines to fight our wars may bring us to a point in the future where we would begin to trust the judgment of these machines. We may not be able to disconnect ourselves from these machines as they will perform operations at a rate which we will not be able to match. Shutting down these machines in the future may cause us to become overwhelmed with the work that would lie ahead. We can look at this scenario from Neil Postmanâ„ ¢s critical points about technology. Neil suggests that for every advantage that technology offers, there is always a disadvantage. In the case of AI machines, we can see that the obvious advantage to this technology is convenience and efficiency. While the disadvantages are potential overreliance on these machines, as well as the lack of experiences we have in dealing with such technologies. Neilâ„ ¢s second point of view suggests that technology is the enemy of culture and tradition. The use of these machines can certainly harm our current traditions. The bond that soldiers maintain today will be eliminated with the introduction of machines. All future battles would be monitored by surveillance devices and cover-ups and the code of silence will become obsolete. The third point implies that technology has become more important than culture and tradition. Just the fact that our governments are exploring these technologies as poss ible machines to fight our future wars demonstrates that technology is becoming more important than our traditional methods. The fourth point Neil makes is that technology does not empower us. This point is somewhat debatable in the case of AI machines. The party with the most efficient and powerful machines will certainly become empowered, but this does not necessarily mean that their problems will disappear with the increased power. This brings us to Neilâ„ ¢s final point which suggests that technology does not solve our problems. These machines are being created to solve problems such as the loss of soldiers or the lack of precision in our battle fields today. However are these problems really solved With a closer inspection, it can be argued that although soldiers will not be pushed to the front lines, they may still be in danger as enemies will have similar technologies to counter attack. In addition, the militaries will have to worry about the types decisions these machines may make, as they may not resolve issues with the same ethical perspective as a human soldier would. The invention of these machines is inevitable as our governments will continue to develop technologies to stay ahead of their enemies. These AI enabled machines may not solve our problems as organization such as the USAF has planned. Instead they may result in more complex problems that may become much harder to solve. Our increased reliance on these types of machines may lead us to a point of no return. ? Bibliography Aviv, J. (2009, June). Can AI Fight Terrorism Retrieved July 2009, from Forbes: forbes.com/2009/06/18/ai-terrorism-interfor-opinions-contributors-artificial-intelligence-09-juval-aviv.html Joy, B. (2000, April). Why the future doesnt need us. Retrieved July 2009, from Wired.com: wired.com/wired/archive/8.04/joy_pr.html June, L. (2009, July). US Air Force says decision-making attack drones will be here by 2047. Retrieved July 2009, from Engadget: engadget.com/2009/07/28/us-air-force-says-decision-making-attack-drones-will-be-here-by/ Lin, P. (2009, June 22). The Ethical War Machine. Retrieved July 2009, from Forbes: forbes.com/2009/06/18/military-robots-ethics-opinions-contributors-artificial-intelligence-09-patrick-lin.html USAF, U. S. (2009, May 18). Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight Plan. Retrieved July 2009, from Government Executive: govexec.com/pdfs/072309kp1.pdf

Forced sales and house prices essay

Forced sales and house prices essay Forced sales and house prices essay Forced sales and house prices essayIn order to analyze the predictability of real estate prices and the factors shaping these prices, it is necessary to determine the type of competition in real estate market. A model market is a perfectly competitive market such a market which has the maximal level of competition. The characteristics of a perfectly competitive market include perfect knowledge, the absence of time lags or information failures, the absence of entry barriers, homogenous units of output, a large number of firms in the industry, the absence of externalities and the absence of the need for government regulation (Mettling Cusic, 2014).In terms of real estate market, the assumptions of a perfectly competitive market do not hold. In particular, the output of houses significantly differs basing on the presence or absence of people living there; houses significantly vary in characteristics, so products are not homogenous; the barriers to entry are high due to regulations and high building costs (Campbell, Giglio Pathak, 2011). Therefore, the real estate market is rather characterized by monopolistic competition than by perfect competition (Mettling Cusic, 2014).The determinants of supply and demand of real estate properties are diverse. Supply is influenced by the costs of development and the costs of labor, returns on investment, availability of capital, community planning and availability of space, government regulations and policies (Mettling Cusic, 2014). Real estate demand determinants differ basing on the categories of demand. It is possible to identify three key categories of demand: residential, commercial and agricultural (Mettling Cusic, 2014).In the context of this paper, real estate demand is largely viewed as residential demand. It is driven by such factors as quality of neighborhood, availability of infrastructure, access to services, dwelling amenities and their costs. In particular, perception of he neighborhood and the presence of foreclosures might notably impact real estate prices (Campbell, Giglio Pathak, 2011). In general, real estate prices are associated with numerous moderately predictable factors, but the variety of these factors and the subjectivity of some factors reduces the accuracy of predictions.If real estate demand exceeds real estate supply, there emerge conditions for a housing bubble. It takes place when consumers strongly expect housing prices to rise and invest heavily into real estate. The causes of such demand increases are economic revival, demographic boost, low interest rates, easy access to capital, lack of financial literacy among buyers, high-risk mortgage practices and speculative behaviors of real estate market participants (Campbell, Giglio Pathak, 2011).It is also important to consider factors determining the duration of the propertys stay on the market. The key factor is the relation between the average price of such real estate objects and the target object: the more the o bject is overpriced, the longer it will stay on the market. Other microeconomic factors influencing buyer and seller choices are competition (the supply of homes with similar characteristics in the target area), selling costs, selling conditions, urgency of buying and selling (Campbell, Giglio Pathak, 2011). With regard to macroeconomic factors, the key factors are the availability of financing, relevant regulations and the dynamics of real estate market in the considered area. Therefore, it is possible to state that the direction of real estate price change is predictable, but since it depends on a variety of factors including several subjective and demographics-driven factors, the predictions might rather be presented as ranges of values than precise real estate prices.

The Dance Class by Edgar Degas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Dance Class by Edgar Degas - Essay Example Edgar paid more attention to color in the painting The Dance Class by expressing the tutus and motions of the ballet dancers. The picture is well enveloped by the ceiling, and the space of the painting is expanded by using the oblique point of view. The ballet teacher who happens to be a real character is standing in the middle of the class and some of the ballerinas are facing him while practicing. Ballerinas see each other busy with their practice and other activities involved in a ballet class. The painting gives us a striking balance between the inelegancy of the ballet in wait and the glamour of the dancing ballerinas. There is also the floor and wall colors that make the painting complete, more dazzling and suitable for the painting. The painting is The Dance Class, it was made in 1873 by Edgar Degas. The artist has defined the image through the shading of those forms dark to light with the hope that they infuse the scenes with immediacy.Edgar used dazzling colors, which are we ll distributed in the painting. The main colors used include red, white, grey, yellow, blue, green, black and brown. The colors saturation was well painted depending on the color intensity. The red was fire red in all characters of the painting. Each color represents a deep meaning to the painting, they are all symbolic to the painter and the people who appreciate art. The texture of the paint is rough yet very appropriate for this particular work. There are brushstrokes at the edges of the paintings.

Corporate social responsibility focusing on Starbucks Essay

Corporate social responsibility focusing on Starbucks - Essay Example Starbucks is involved in many CSR initiatives ranging from philanthropy to service projects. The company is keen on enhancing ethical sourcing programs and environmental concerns. The organization has various NGOs and CSR programs which follow different ethical and social standards. In order to successfully achieve this, the company has developed an effective communication strategy that fits the needs of the various stakeholders. Organizations are increasingly being pressured by their environment to become social citizens while still being profitable. Rather than being a differentiation strategy, acting ethical and social responsibility has become an expectation. Organizations have to achieve legitimacy through responding to the expectations of the community. The company uses both online and multimedia communication features to address the expectations of the stakeholders. The company has suffered from stakeholder skeptism (Forehand and Grier, 2003). The company was accused of being unrealistic and extremely philanthropic. In order for the stakeholders to develop confidence, the company has increased transparency and decreased the chances of miss communication. The company ensures that there are no self-beneficial motives when carrying out the social responsibility and ethics program. In doing this, the company has stressed the need for engaging in the social issues that counter the skeptics from the stakeholders. Ethical/social issues targeting stakeholders Starbucks is sentient that its stakeholders have diverse prospects and requirements (Morsing and Schultz, 2006). The company has explicitly tailored its CSR program to meet these needs. Starbucks is using transparency and philanthropy to target the stakeholders. This includes supporting coffee farmers in Mexico and Ethiopia. The company has developed programs that emphasize on the long-term commitment to the CRS and ethics initiatives (Forehand and Grier, 2003). The shareholders of the leading organizations have been consistent in their shift from maximizing profits to increasing value. Companies have to balance people, planet and profit in a globalised market (Schwartz and Carroll, 2003). More power relies on the stakeholders to demand increased transparency and organizational communication. The stakeholders expect the companies to document and acknowledge their impact in the environment (Saksson and Jorgensen, 2010). The organizational ethical behaviors have come under sharp focus (Forehand and Grier, 2003). CRS is perceived to be a morally and ethically correct approach in which all the shareholders stand to gain. The modern corporations have a major part of their assets being the intangible parts i.e. the reputation, goodwill and human capita (Morsing and Schultz, 2006). Therefore, CSR approaches are significant for the achievement and legitimization of any successful corporation. Stakeholders perceive an organization based on the reputation and goodwill the company enjoys (Schwar tz and Carroll, 2003). For CSR initiatives in Starbucks to be successful, the corporate communication tools must be interpreted in the right ways (Forehand and Grier, 2003). The process of establishing and maintain the mutual relations between the public and an organization is crucial (Morsing and Schultz, 2006). Many organizations are facing a dilemma on how to handle stakeholders (Preble, 2005). Organizations have to achieve maximum profits and at the same time meet the demands of the stakeholders (Saksson and Jorgensen, 2010). The company has stressed on both economic and ethical motives while executing the CSR program. Analysis on multiple factors The ethical motives are salient and are emphasized through ethical organizations (Preble, 2005). Starbucks has to meet certain standards in its value chain. The strategic team of the company acknowledges that having a bad reputation has negative implications to the stakeholders