Case study - Financial Report on Candescent Partners buying Physician

- Financial Report on Candescent Partners buying Physician practices - Case Study Example Moreover, this investment approach is beneficial for the company to focus more on business expansion and thereby get closer to its long term business goals. Introduction Candescent Partners, LLC is an investment/management company specialized in business expansion activities like buyouts, growth capital, middle market, mezzanine debt investments, and recapitalization. The company was founded by Steve Jenks and Sandy McGrath in 2009 at Boston in the United States. The company is very interested to invest in healthcare, IT sector, software services, consumer products, and business and technology enabled services. Candescent Partners is exploring investment opportunities in US and Canada based companies. As per its investment policy, the company’s investments may range from $2 million to $30 million and the firm tends to invest in companies having a revenue range of $10 million -$50 million, EBITDA between $2million and $10 million, and an enterprise value between $10 million and $75 million (â€Å"Company Overview of Candescent Partners†). Candescent Partners maintains a board seat in companies where it has investments. It is interesting to note that the organization raises funds for investments through personal capital. This paper will focus on the healthcare sector investments of the Candescent Partners by giving specific reference to the financial aspects of buying physician group practices such as Koch Eye in RI. Candescent Partners’ Investments in Healthcare Currently, the organization has managed an amount worth over $600 million of private equity investments in 44 private growing companies (Candescent Partners website). In this, a notable percent of private equity investments is accounted for healthcare technology and services. Some of the major physician practices bought by the firm are described below. 1. Koch Eye Associates Koch Eye Associates, one of the leading providers of comprehensive vision care services in Rhode Island, was a cquired by Candescent Partners in January 2012. Candescent Partners led this business acquisition in association with other co-investors including Pine Street Capital Partners, First New England Capital, Bush O’Donnell Capital Partners, and BCA Mezzanine Fund, LP. The Koch Eye Associates possesses its own surgery center and offers vision care services ranging from basic optometry to LASIK and cataract surgery. In addition, the organization

Hospers' view that the unconsciousness that determines what the Essay

Hospers' view that the unconsciousness that determines what the conscious impulse and conscious acts will be is correct - Essay Example The author takes a position that the unconscious is very instrumental in determining the conscious deeds. Man’s actions may be influenced by various factors depending on the prevailing conditions; some of these conditions are within their control while others are not. Hospers argues that the concept of freewill is an illusion because ‘an act is free if and only if it is a voluntary act’. Using examples, he demonstrates that acting involuntarily dominates over voluntary actions. In many quarters, the debate of whether individuals act on freewill has been demonstrated. The proponents argue that freewill is nonexistent because the influence of the unconscious dominates over an individual (Blatchford 41). Citing the situation at birth where a child learns from the environment and the process continues with further development, the argument says that the influences of all those experiences are the ones that bring out the actions of an individual. The way a person acts is not a factor of their willingness but an inner push by the subconscious. A man is a product of their unconscious since their choices are biased. Humans make choices every day. Choices are not justifiable if they do not incorporate the aspect of freewill based on non-coercion. In a case where a person finds himself or herself torn between giving their money to thieves or otherwise they take away his life, making such a decision cannot be termed as freewill because the person is not willing to do either, only that he is limited to make a choice. Whenever a person makes a choice, there are factors inherent in the person that influences the choice (British Philosophical Association 2). In his article, Hospers gives a very convincing example stating that the paralytic are unable to move their legs while the others can, depicting that the limitations are not reliant on the choice of the individual but the credibility of the choice. What gets into the mind of a person indirectly influen ces their actions. Many are the compulsions that influence the humans without their knowledge. The perception that whatever we do is based on an informed choice may be far from the truth. The influences mould people are beyond our control, it is a wrong perception based on a misplaced attitude that am acting like myself, when the reality is that the factors surrounding an individual create an experience that forms the basis of their judgments and choices (British Philosophical Association 4). The actions we demonstrate are out of our control, character formation is an aspect that is based on a myriad of factors such as environmental and genetic that is far beyond our control. The exact character developed influences what we desire that further translates to what we do. Therefore, our actions are a product of a strong inherent will within us that has no individual control, if there was a possibility an individual could act otherwise. The experiences gained in the course of life creat es a bias on the decisions made, a situation that we are unable to distinguish as unconscious. Considering the parts of the unconscious mind, it is evident that they influence every bit of a person’s being. The id is the section that seeks instant fulfillment; it touches on our instincts and primitivity. Therefore, based on the choice to be made these two factors influences the decisions we make. The choice made by a chief executive of a large corporation is based

Corporate Social Responsibility In Smrt Corporation Management Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility In Smrt Corporation Management Essay This report is written and compound to discuss Corporate Social Responsibility in the worldwide international company. Corporate Social Responsibility is the adoption by a business of a strategic focus for fulfilling the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities expected of it by its stakeholders (Thorne, Ferrell, Ferrell, 2008, p. 5). The key stakeholders of an organization consist of employees, customers, investors, suppliers, stockholders, governments, as well as communities. SMRT Corporation Ltd (SMRT) is one of the company that implements Corporate Social Responsibility in their company. SMRT is Singapores premier multi-modal public transport service provider which established in 1987. Corporate governance is one of the most important aspect in Corporate Social Responsibility. The Board and Management of SMRT are fully committed to continually raising the standard of corporate governance and to build a respected, trusted and transparent organisation which is essential to sustainability of the companys business and performance. Some of the sustained programme that has been made by SMRT to enhance and improve the lives and welfare of the community are corporate philanthropy, environment, community outreach, as well as safety and security. 2. Introduction Corporate Social Responsibility is the adoption by a business of a strategic focus for fulfilling the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities expected of it by its stakeholders (Thorne, Ferrell, Ferrell, 2008, p. 5). The key stakeholders of an organization consist of employees, customers, investors, suppliers, stockholders, governments, as well as communities. Nowadays, the awareness and implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility in Singapore has been increased since the establishment of Singapore Compact in January 2005. Singapore Compact is a national society that functions as multi-stakeholder platform in recognising the role and contributions of all Corporate Social Responsibility stakeholders. SMRT Corporation Ltd (SMRT) is one of the company that implements Corporate Social Responsibility in their company. SMRT is Singapores premier multi-modal public transport service provider which established in 1987. This report is written and compound based on the company background of SMRT, corporate social responsibility by SMRT which includes corporate philanthropy, environment, community outreach, safety and security, as well as current issue in market and media. 3. Company Background SMRT Corporation Ltd (SMRT) is Singapores premier multi-modal public transport service provider offering integrated transport services island-wide. Established in 1987, SMRT provides Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT), bus services, as well as rental of taxis. In addition, SMRT leases the commercial spaces and provides advertising buying service within their network. Singapore MRT Ltd started operating the North-South and East-West lines (NSEWL) of Singapores first Mass Rapid Transit System in the 1987. Singapore LRT Pte Ltd was set up in 1997 and two years later, became the first operator for Singapores pioneer Light Rapid Transit System in Bukit Panjang (BPLRT). SMRT Corporation Ltd has been listed on the mainboard of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX) since 26 July 2000. As a holding company, it wholly owns SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Trains), formerly known as Singapore MRT Ltd, and SMRT Light Rail Pte Ltd (SMRT Light Rail), formerly known as Singapore LRT Pte Ltd. SMRT Trains has commenced operations of Circle Line Stage 3 in May 2009 and Stages 1 and 2 in April 2010. In December 2001, SMRT Corporation Ltd acquired SMRT Road Holdings Ltd (formerly known as TIBS Holdings Ltd) for $198.6 million and became Singapores first multi-modal land transport operator, providing bus and taxi services in addition to its MRT and LRT services. SMRT Buses Ltd (SMRT Buses) and SMRT Taxis Pte Ltd (SMRT Taxis) are wholly-owned subsidiaries of SMRT Road Holdings Ltd. 4. Corporate Governance Corporate governance is the formal system of oversight, accountability, and control for organizational decisions and resources. Oversight relates to a system of checks and balances that limits employees and managers opportunities to deviate from policies and codes of conduct. Accountability relates to how well the content of workplace decisions is aligned with a firms stated strategic direction. Control involves the process of auditing and improving organizational decisions and actions (Thorne, Ferrell, Ferrell, 2008, p. 75). Corporate governance is one of the most important aspect in Corporate Social Responsibility. The Board and Management of SMRT are fully committed to continually raising the standard of corporate governance and to build a respected, trusted and transparent organisation which is essential to sustainability of the companys business and performance. For its efforts to achieve the excellent corporate governance, SMRT received some of the corporate awards such as Best Investor Relations (Silver) and Best Annual Report 2009 (Bronze) at Singapore Corporate Awards 2010, second place in Business Times Governance and Transparency Index 2010, Best Managed Board (Gold) and Best Annual Report 2008 (Bronze) at Singapore Corporate Awards 2009, Board Diversity Award (Co-Winner) at Securities Investors Association of Singapore (SIAS) Investors Choice Awards 2009, first place in Corporate Governance Award in the Mainboard category at Securities Investors Association of Singapore (SIAS) Investors Choice Awards 2008, and more. 5. Corporate Social Responsibility by SMRT Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) means that a corporation should be held accountable for any of its actions that affect people, their communities, and the environment. It implies that harm to people and society should be acknowledged and corrected if at all possible. It may require a company to forgo some profits if its social impacts seriously hurt some of its stakeholders or if its funds can be used to have a positive social impact (Post, Lawrence, Weber, 2001, p. 58). SMRT believes that their success has to be channeled towards the greater good of the community. SMRT Corporate Social Responsibility programme sets out to make a positive impact on the economic, social and environmental well being of the communities that they serve. Some of the sustained programme that has been made by SMRT to enhance and improve the lives and welfare of the community are: 5.1 Corporate Philanthropy Corporate philanthropy has become important as companies are expected to do more than just give back to the community. SMRT corporate philanthropy programme is directed at voluntary welfare organisations, national events, education, sports, arts and the environment. In Financial Year 2006, SMRT made community contributions totalling S$3.18 million in cash contributions and sponsorships such as media space and corporate gifts. Some others of the philanthropic contributions that have done by SMRT are: SMRT Silver Tribute Fund The SMRT Silver Tribute Fund (Fund) is SMRTs biggest corporate social responsibility initiative to-date. SMRT Silver Tribute Fund was launched in December 2006 as a holistic corporate philanthropy and community outreach effort. All money raised by SMRT Silver Tribute Fund will go towards the six beneficiaries such as: Alzheimers Disease Association   Specialised Caregiver Support Service (Dementia), Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centers -Ang Mo Kio Yio Chu Kang Community Carers Scheme, Asian Womens Welfare Association AWWA READYCARE Centre, Geylang East Home for the Aged (GEHA), Singapore Leprosy Relief Association Home, and Tan Tock Seng Hospital Community Charity Fund   Helping Elderly Patients Programme.   Donations and media support for National Day Parade and support of the birthday celebrations in various ways including provision of a SMRT Train for Singapore Express, a community project which brought together 12,000 Primary Five students from 42 schools island-wide to design National Day decorations for public transport and bus stop shelters. Train ride for 200 disabled persons to promote community awareness of the unique needs of the disabled. Sponsorship of three SMRT buses as exhibition space for exhibits on environmental care for the Marine Parade Town Councils Clean, Green and Hygiene Carnival. Donation of a de-registered SMRT taxi to Alexandra Hospital for its Car Transfer Rehabilitation Programme. Partnership with the National Council of Social Services for the Disability Awareness Public Education Campaign. 5.2 Environment SMRT is committed to be an industry leader in environmental stewardship. SMRT prioritize and responsible to contribute to create a cleaner and greener environment. To embrace environmentally-friendly policies and practices in their business, operations and infrastructure, SMRT launched SMRT is Green in April 2008. SMRT make a conscious effort to adopt green practices in their operations in terms of energy, water, air and waste management. With all their concern and hard work to preserve the environment, SMRT received some awards for their contribution such as Most Energy Efficient Metro award at The Metros Award 2010, Top Achiever, Singapore Environmental Achievement Award 08/09 from the Singapore Environmental Council, two awards at the Land Transport Excellence Awards (LTEA) 2010 as the Most Eco-Friendly Transport Partner and the Most Creative Promotion/Campaign, and many others. 5.3 Community Outreach SMRT is active in outreach programmes that add colour and vibrancy to community while promoting the SMRT brand name. These programmes have been done to entertain, educate and inform to the public through their transport network. Some of the programmes are: SMRT Courtesy and Safety Programme This annual programme serves to remind commuters to adopt safe and well-mannered behaviour while in transit. The highlight of the programme is the SMRT Challenge. Courtesy and safety messages were also publicised via action packed road shows at our train stations, publicity posters, as well as through an art competition for children. SMRT and National Library Board (NLB) Read and Ride Programme The magic of books come alive for children of the Internet generation on MRT train. This partnership with NLB is complemented by the annual SMRT Tales on the Trains. These are story-telling sessions on board SMRT trains and are held during the school holidays. Hui Chun at SMRT MRT Stations SMRT transform one of their stations into a place of celebration to spread festive cheer among their commuters every year. SMRT are always joined by calligraphers and artists from the Life Art Society who will give out auspicious couplets and brush paintings, all of which are completed on the spot. 5.4 Safety and Security Safety and security is the top priority and the forefront of SMRT business and operations. To encourage and train the community to play a more active and effective role in enhancing safety and security in the public transport system, SMRT make a programme which is called by SMRT Community Emergency Preparedness (SCEP). The SCEP is the first integrated transport security training programme by a public transport service provider and is develop as a Public-Private-People (3P) partnership, in collaboration with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Ministry of Home Affairs Home Team departments. The registration to join the SCEP programme is free and all the participants will undergo three hours of theory and four hours of practical lessons. 5.5 Current Issue in Market and Media In order to celebrate World Environment Day, SMRT launched its third Go Green with SMRT public transport education campaign on 5 June 2010. The campaign, which runs till 30 September 2010, highlights the benefits of taking the train and bus better air quality, reduction in carbon emissions and lower carbon footprint per passenger kilometre. The campaign which promotes public transport for cleaner air and better health launched with giveaway of 300 limited edition travel passes to commuters who wear special badges and pledge to add public transport into their travel mix. The 300 limited edition travel passes are on top of the monthly draw (3-month free rides for 1 on SMRT trains and buses) and grand draw prizes (1-year free rides for 4 on SMRT trains and buses). 6. Conclusion Nowadays, majority companies implement Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a form of their commitment to take care of the community and environment. SMRT Corporation Ltd is one of the company which implements CSR programme. With the implementation of CSR in their company means that SMRT is the company which is responsible for the welfare of the community and environment. One of the CSR programme that has been done by SMRT is committed to a clean and green environment by using environmental friendly fuel. Other CSR programmes are including corporate philanthropy, community outreach, as well as safety and security.

Leadership in Milton’s Paradise Lost, Cavendish’s Blazing World, and Ot

Leadership in Milton’s Paradise Lost, Cavendish’s Blazing World, and Shakespeare’s Othello and Hamlet Critical thinkers are the strongest people in the world—not only are they able to form their own opinions, but these individuals are also versatile enough to listen to their counsel for the best advice. They have learned when to be flexible and when to be stubborn—and they’ve realized who’s a snake in the grass and who deserves paramount respect. To live happily ever after, or even just to survive, a person must learn from the best. Leaders are no exception to the rule. Whether they come from a royal family, are spontaneously appointed, or are the only ones around and therefore lead by default, leaders must detect and discern the truth, using all of the empirical experience and intuitive senses that mankind has had bestowed upon them. In addition to all their duties, a good leader must be a critical thinker. Simply put, a leader’s ability to listen to another opinion speaks volumes about their character. In John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Margaret Cavendish’s Blazing World, and William Shakespeare’s tragedies of Othello and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, there are a tremendous variety of leaders and counselors who all have different circumstances, yet all may be analyzed through twos common themes: The measures of innocence verses experience and passion verses reason in leadership positions. Some of the leaders that will be in focus don’t always play the part. Some aren’t always so innocent. But if we look at how characters with leadership roles treat their counsel—whether those advisors are family, friends, lovers or superiors—we will not simply learn more about the literature we study, but we may apply what we learn to o... ...25. Knight, G. Wilson. â€Å"The Embassy of Death: An Essay on Hamlet.† The Wheel of Fire: Interpretations of Shakespearean Tragedy. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1930. Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Portable Machiavelli. Eds. Peter Bondanella and Mark Musa. New York: The Viking Press, 1979. McAlpine, Alistair. The New Machiavelli: The Art of Politics in Business. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1998. Milton, John. Paradise Lost. 1674. Ed. Scott Elledge. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. The Tragedies of Shakespeare. Players Illustrated Edition. Chicago: Spencer Press, Inc., 1955. Wood, Tanya Caroline. â€Å"The Fall and Rise of Absolutism: Margaret Cavendish’s Manipulation of Masque Conventions in ‘The Claspe: Fantasmes Masque’ and The Blazing World.† In-between: Essays and Studies in Literary Criticism. 2000.

Retreat Reflection

Last March 4-5, 2011, I had my retreat at the Capuchin Retreat Center at Lipa, Batangas. I treated it as a mini or short vacation from my busy and stressful everyday school life. Well, that was my initial take on my retreat day until I finally came to the realizations the recollection had offered me during my time there. It wasn’t just a vacation. It was a time for me to be able to take a break from my usual life and take a step back to take a look at where I am at the moment and where I want to be in the future. As I am about to finish my college degree with hopefully two terms left, I needed that time to know what God intends for me to do as I begin a new chapter in my life – professional/work life. The retreat was an eye-opener for me. I got to know myself better through the questions asked by the facilitator. Each of which had different intentions. An example would be the question â€Å"What is my passion?†. This made me think of what I would love to do or what I am interested in, disregarding the degree I am taking and what it is about. Honestly, I am not happy with where I am right now and knowing my passion could help me find another path that I could take because doing what I love to do could or might be the best thing. Another question asked was â€Å"What is my biggest or most important question in my life as of the moment?† My answer to it was â€Å"Why is there a need for suffering?† My reason for which was â€Å"I’m just curious to know why because why do we need to suffer if we can all just be happy instead†. I don’t know but my question sounds clichà ©. Maybe we are to suffer for us to remember that God is always there for us. We can always find refuge, security and rest in Him. The retreat also reminded me that in everything that I do, do it for the greater glory of the Lord. There are times when it is hard for me to be productive with God in my mind cause I get caught up with mundane things. The solution I was presented during the two days that I’ve spent in Batangas was to be in love with Christ. If I put God in the center of my life then the things that I’d do would come natural. It’s not forced. I do not need to over analyze the situations I am in because I will have direction. I believe that our paths are shown to us and He unfolds His plans to us when we decide to spend some time with Him.

Industrial growth Essay

Industrial growth was mainly concentrated in the North and East of the United States. According to our text in the year 1890 more than 85 percent of manufactured goods originated from here. The West was not as settled as the Eastern and Midwestern portions of our country, but still played a major role supplying raw materials to the industries to the East. Between 1870 and 1900 settlers took a total of 430 million acres in the West and with this began the economic growth of the western portion of the U. S. The only advance that was technologically available to individuals of the West that connected them to the East was the railway system. This was the single most important innovation that changed America’s economic and social life forever. The railway system linked cities and villages that were in isolated or remote areas. â€Å"It tied people together, brought in outside products, fostered greater interdependence, and encouraged economic specialization† (520). Some of the resources that the West had were gold mining, cattle ranching and land bonanzas. It was these resources that would help in getting settlers from the east and around the world to come out to the western part of the U. S. But with growth due to the bonanza’s there were â€Å"uneven growth, boom and bust economic cycles, and wasted resources† (501). Individuals became migrant because of these cycles and began to followed river bottoms in search of gold, railway tracks and other opportunities. The book discussed â€Å"Instant Cities† that would sprout up because of this migration. The West portrayed a get rich quickly type of lifestyle. Mining was a very influential factor as to why most came to the West and why there was a get rich ideology. But still many came because of opportunities that mining produced such as providing food clothing and services to the miners. Cattle ranching in the west proved to be very profitable. The plains provided grasses and terrain that suited cattle. Mexican helped to create the essentials for cattle ranching with introducing the long horn cattle and such things as â€Å"branding, roundups, and roping† (505). In 1870 millions of farmers followed the miners and ranchers to move out west for the crop bonanzas. Farming was very hard in these early times taking its toll on many families. But as farming techniques got better and new technology was introduced farming became a thriving business in the West. The differences economically for the East and West sections of the United States varied because of industrialization. This happened over three decades after the Civil War. At the beginning of the war the United States was behind industrialized countries in Europe, but by 1900 the U. S. was to exceed many of those countries. Population was a major factor for this industrialization. It was the population of the East that helped to move the East up the economic ladder faster than the West, which of course was a contributor of raw materials for these factories. Labor was gained through immigration that happened to grow by at least eight million between 1870’s and 1880’s and then between 1890 and 1914 another fifteen million arrived (519). The growing population expanded economic growth for the East during the latter part of the 19th century. The growing population helped to expand markets of the East, but when the telegraph and telephone was introduced along with the railways this only helped to exploit and expand these markets into the West.

Sample Page Essays - Crossword, Puzzles, Free Essays, Term Papers

Sample Page Essays - Crossword, Puzzles, Free Essays, Term Papers Sample Page Name___________________________________ Date___________ 1) How well do you know these facts? Write your answers. Practice those you do not know well? 6 48 5 35 8 40 9 54 9 81 12 24 8 64 7 35 5 30 6 24 9 72 6 36 9 45 9 63 6 X 4 = 8 X 6 = 7 X 9 = 8 X 4 = 9 X 3 = 7 X 4 = 7 X 7 = 6 X 7 = 8 X 7 = 8 X 8 = 2) Find each quotient. Then write your answers in the crossword puzzle below. ACROSS DOWN 12 ) 852 2 ) 372 3 ) 987 5 ) 765 3 ) 138 5 ) 95 3) Read and think. Show how you solved each problem. Self check your answers. There were 48 children from classes 5-316 and 5-324 going on a trip to the Childrens Museum. They were going by mini-van. Each van can fit only 8 students. How many mini-vans did they need? Mary worked in the school library. She earned a total of $168.00 for 3 days. She worked the same amount of hours each day. How much did she earn each day? The teacher purchased tickets for the class to go to see Fantasia 2000 at the Sony Imax theatre. The total price she paid for the tickets was $256.00. Each ticket costs $8.00. How many tickets did she purchase? The Pokeman card sets sell for $3.00 a pack. Mary saved up $22.00 from her allowance. How many packs can she buy? 4) Make up a division problem of your own. Write it on the back of this page. Be sure to edit it. Also show how to solve it.

The Wave of New Women essays

The Wave of New Women essays In Ibsen's play A Doll's House today, one may find it hard to imagine how daring it seemed at the time. Its theme, the emancipation of a woman, makes it seem almost contemporary. Written during the Victorian era, the controversial play featuring a woman seeking individuality caused more trouble than any of Ibsen's other works. This play portrayed the role of women as the comforter, helper, and supporter of man, "A Doll's House" introduced woman as having her own purposes and goals in life that they would like to accomplish. Nora Helmer, the helpless wife, slowly changes through the play and eventually realizes that she must stop being her husbands doll and become an individual. Although Nora's relationship with her husband was to be expected during the time it was written, there were many clues that set off at the kind of marriage Nora and Torvald had. Throughout the play it was obvious that Torvald did love Nora, but only how a person would love a prized possession. She relied on him for everything, from movements to thoughts, much like a puppet who is dependent on its puppet master for all of its actions. He enjoyed how everything was perfect, how he could do anything with her and loved having his perfect wife in his perfect house with their perfect children, and he loved her as deeply as he could understand the world. Nora pretended that she needed Torvald to teach her every move in order to relearn the dance. This is obviously an act, and it shows how much of a doll to Torvald she is. After the dance lesson, he states "When I saw you turn and sway in the tarantellamy blood was pounding till I couldn't stand it" showing how he is more interested in Nora physically than emotionally. When Nora responds by saying "Go away, Torvald! Leave me alone. I don't want all this", Torvald asks "Aren't I your husband? In what he said, it demonstrates how he thinks Noras duties a...

Cannes Film Festival and A.k.a Mr. Bean

A. K. A Mr. Bean Youth nowadays focuses on gathering information about some popular celebrities and among those , Bean is the most searched one. This man needs no introduction; rather a smile surprisingly appears on one’s face after a glimpse of him comes in anyone’s mind. The actor behind this hilarious series is Rowan Atkinson  and this person is the writer of a major part of the same Surprised!! , you better be, because it’s the truth. Bean seldom murmurs and the mainly physical humor is educed from his interactions with other people and his astonishing solutions to the situations. Teddy is kind of Mr. Bean’s life partner. The teddy is dark brown, affixed abnormally button eyes and sausage-shaped limbs. Despite of the fact that the teddy is defunct, Mr. Bean pretends it to be alive. Buying him a Christmas present or trying not to wake it in the mornings are some examples of the same. Now talking about Mr. Bean’s car, it was a British Leyland  Mini  1000 of applejack green color. The locking system of the car was immensely innovative and how Mr. Bean parks his car was noticeable. The famous chair incident was a running joke throughout the series. Apart from the television and an animated cartoon series, a couple of movies were also adapted, namely â€Å"Bean: The Ultimate Disaster Movie† in 1997 and â€Å"Mr. Beans Holiday† in 2007. The film follows Bean on a crucial journey across  France  for a holiday which after a number of hardships ends up in a screening of his video diary at the  Cannes Film Festival. Various questions are still unanswered about Rowan Atkinson  death. Hope he is alive and will again make the world rolling on the floor†¦laughing!!

Security for Credit Card Fraud in E-commerce Essay

Security for Credit Card Fraud in E-commerce - Essay Example It has provided the world with innovative modes of communication from one end of the globe to the other [7]. Another area which has witnessed ground-breaking revolution is the conception of e-commerce; an idea which would have seemed unattainable for a man in the past. E-commerce encapsulates the concept of buying and selling products online, which involves money transactions from around the world. Since these transactions are usually done through credit cards, therefore this raises a need to authenticate and verify the customers who are involved in purchasing goods online. Their location, personal information, and account information need to be verified so that the chances of fraud can be minimized [2]. There are over 1.2 billion internet users all over the world [14]; Cheskin Research & Studio Archetype/Sapient concludes some internet users pose threats and some pose opportunities [3]. One of the major threats prevailing in the modern age is the validity of the transactions that take place online [16]. This mistrust in business owners is the product of the thousands of fraud cases witnessed in the past and this has led the companies to deploy extreme security measures to tackle this threat [4]. The goal of e-commerce sites is as follows; one is to reduce the degree of fraudulent activities, try to lower the number of rejections for legitimate orders as much as possible and minimize the number of manual reviews of transactions which prove to be costly for the company [5]. From these three objectives, it can be seen that fraud is their topmost concern and due to this they spend a large part of their resources in overcoming this challenge. The mode of payment in e-commerce transactions is through ‘credit cards’; which have established more opportunities for businessmen but at the same time introduced new problems in the whole process of selling goods [10].  

Race & Modernism in Jean Toomer's Cane Research Paper

Race & Modernism in Jean Toomer's Cane - Research Paper Example The research paper "Race & Modernism in Jean Toomer's Cane" investigates race & modernism in "Cane" of Jean Toomer. Tom suffers a gruesome death at the hands of the white people. Although the story is centered around racial issues, the concept of death provokes emotions within the reader, and the graphic description of the death Tom suffers increases the degree to which emotions are induced within the readers. Toomer uses a racial slur to enhance the scene when a crowd member shouts â€Å"two deaths for a goddamn nigger.† The imagery of the death is magnified by the gruesome nature in which it occurs, as Tom â€Å"could be seen within the flames. Only his head, erect, lean, like a blackened stone. Stench of burning flesh soaked the air. Tom's eyes popped.† Toomer’s graphic imagery evokes a reaction, repelling readers with the gory details of Tom’s murder. The text is embedded in American culture and history. Toomer’s story is set in the state of Geo rgia in an unnamed factory town. In â€Å"Blood-Burning Moon† this is not explicitly men-tioned, though hinted at through the name of one of the characters, Old David Georgia. However, since this text is part of a larger collection, it should be known to the reader who has read the preceding texts. The connotations with Georgia – e.g. Southern, rural – may not be known to every reader in the target culture. However, this is not a real problem since they are made explicit in the text. The author mentions that factory town is in the South.

Distance Selling Regulations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Distance Selling Regulations - Essay Example Under this provision, consumers get a cooling-off period of seven working days. This paper will explore the factors associated with distance selling regulations. It will also examine how consumer electronic sales can be promoted using e-commerce techniques. The term consumer electronics got popularity in the early 20th century. It refers to all electronic devices that are beneficial for everyday use (Consumer electronics). Personal computers, television, and MP3 players are some examples of consumer electronic products. In the modern technological world, consumer electronics sales grow rapidly as people largely depend on electronic equipments in day to day life. In the opinion of analysts from the Consumer Electronics Association (as cited in McGrath, 2011), the consumer electronic sales may approach even top of $1 trillion. The increased market demand for consumer electronic products has led to the emergence of large numbers of multinational companies which deal with consumer electr onics products. At this juncture, strategic changes in production and distribution of these products have become essential so as to govern the market. According to Burnett (n.d.), it is suggestible for the consumer electronics vendors to adopt some innovative sales promotion techniques such as price deals, contests, and sweepstakes.

Not sure it is about media study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Not sure it is about media study - Essay Example 76). Althusser’s then considered that class is never inherent but instead culturally created, and individual desires, attitude, behaviours and choices are creation of ideology. Furthermore, he argued that ideology controls people via despotic state machineries built in ideological state devices, and as such, it is impossible to conceive a structure of images plus objects whose connotations can exist separately of language. Althusser’s observes that ideology interpellates existing individuals as material subjects through pre-existing classes comprising the subject (Montag, 2003, p. 45). Foucault, on the other hand observes ideology as an intolerable concept of universal judiciousness, which are based on subjectivity (Mills, 2012, p. 64). Foucault scepticism on ideology is based on his belief that dissimilar rationalities are composed in historical structures. Thus, he mystifies power due to its emphasis on universal truth. Foucault asserts that, subjectivity is the validation of a progression, and it is rather provisional leading to subject(s) (Ransom, 2008, p. 4). To Foucault subjectivities are rather multiple instead of being unified even as it fluctuates instead of being fixed, per se, subjects are socially constituted. Hence, subjectivity possesses a permanent provocation to the discourse or conversation which defines it (Strozier, 2002, p. 21). On the other hand, Althusser’s defines subjectivity as the roles, characteristics or subject possessed by individuals, and willingly undertake in response to an ideology. Thus, according to Althusser’s, su bjectivity is the hub of initiatives, an author of, along with being responsible for its actions. Therefore, an individual is for all time a subject, even before he or she is born (Ferretter, 2012, p. 88). The aim of this paper is to discuss the statement that language is always already ideological,

Market Opportunity Identification Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Market Opportunity Identification - Lab Report Example The report will also evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) posed by the Chinese market. The potential consumer market in China for the online travel services offered Wotif.com will be analyzed in order to gauge the attractiveness of the market. The Chinese economy has experienced a tremendous growth in the recent past. Before the economic recession set in, the economy of China was growing at two digit levels annually (Ding 5). It is notable that even with the impacts of the global financial crisis negatively affecting many economies in the world, China is still experiencing a significantly higher economic growth rate. The Chinese economy is greatly diversified with categories such as manufacturing, mining, energy, services, real estate among others. This implies that the growth in the economy cuts across all the major economic sectors including tourism and Information Communication Technology (ICT). Thus, China is an attractive international investment destination as its economy offers chances for business growth and expansion. It is notable that China has the highest population in the world currently standing at over two billion people (Tian 2011). The majority of the population comprises of local people. The high population offers a huge domestic market that can be harnessed for business gain. China has a stable political environment with the leadership of the country entrusted on the Communist Party. The transition structures in China are clear and there are no chances of political upheavals or drastic changes in policy. The Communist Party elects the President who is the head of state and the Prime Minister who serves as the head of government. The centralization of power has ensured that there are uniform economic policies in China and minimal chances for political upheavals. The government has also adopted

Distance Selling Regulations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Distance Selling Regulations - Essay Example Under this provision, consumers get a cooling-off period of seven working days. This paper will explore the factors associated with distance selling regulations. It will also examine how consumer electronic sales can be promoted using e-commerce techniques. The term consumer electronics got popularity in the early 20th century. It refers to all electronic devices that are beneficial for everyday use (Consumer electronics). Personal computers, television, and MP3 players are some examples of consumer electronic products. In the modern technological world, consumer electronics sales grow rapidly as people largely depend on electronic equipments in day to day life. In the opinion of analysts from the Consumer Electronics Association (as cited in McGrath, 2011), the consumer electronic sales may approach even top of $1 trillion. The increased market demand for consumer electronic products has led to the emergence of large numbers of multinational companies which deal with consumer electr onics products. At this juncture, strategic changes in production and distribution of these products have become essential so as to govern the market. According to Burnett (n.d.), it is suggestible for the consumer electronics vendors to adopt some innovative sales promotion techniques such as price deals, contests, and sweepstakes.

Market Opportunity Identification Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Market Opportunity Identification - Lab Report Example The report will also evaluate the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) posed by the Chinese market. The potential consumer market in China for the online travel services offered Wotif.com will be analyzed in order to gauge the attractiveness of the market. The Chinese economy has experienced a tremendous growth in the recent past. Before the economic recession set in, the economy of China was growing at two digit levels annually (Ding 5). It is notable that even with the impacts of the global financial crisis negatively affecting many economies in the world, China is still experiencing a significantly higher economic growth rate. The Chinese economy is greatly diversified with categories such as manufacturing, mining, energy, services, real estate among others. This implies that the growth in the economy cuts across all the major economic sectors including tourism and Information Communication Technology (ICT). Thus, China is an attractive international investment destination as its economy offers chances for business growth and expansion. It is notable that China has the highest population in the world currently standing at over two billion people (Tian 2011). The majority of the population comprises of local people. The high population offers a huge domestic market that can be harnessed for business gain. China has a stable political environment with the leadership of the country entrusted on the Communist Party. The transition structures in China are clear and there are no chances of political upheavals or drastic changes in policy. The Communist Party elects the President who is the head of state and the Prime Minister who serves as the head of government. The centralization of power has ensured that there are uniform economic policies in China and minimal chances for political upheavals. The government has also adopted

Coca Cola Essay Example for Free

Coca Cola Essay Historically, many companies and corporations have received recognition for their growth and success over time. However, although praised, discoveries of controversial issues lead consumers to question various companies’ ethics and operations. Coca-Cola, or simple coke, has existed for over a century, originating in Atlanta, Georgia in 1892, and eventually expanding and providing drinks internationally. Today, the company produces concentrate, which then sells to Coke licensed bottlers internationally; and ultimately ending up sold to retail stores and vending machines for consumers to purchase. Along with the regular â€Å"coke†, the company has also been able to produce other cola branded drinks including water, energy drinks and coffee. The most common of all, Diet Coke; others include Caffeine-Free Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Coke Cherry, Coke Zero and Coke Vanilla. All of which could be found in over 200 countries within the year 2013, with consumers drinking at the least 1.8 million servings each day, according to the book, Citizen Coke: An Environmental and Political History of the Coke Company (Elmore p. 717). However, while extremely popular and high in demand, the Coke Company has faced much controversial issues from the public in India throughout its years of growth. Out of every country that Coke operates in, India has the fastest growing market (KillerCoke). From the start of production in 1999 to present day, Coke has spent $2 billion and will continue to spend an addition $5 billion in India. According to the article Coke rejigs bottling arm management, Coke has a plan to pursue expansion for the following few years (until 2020) in India with the plan to double their revenues to $200 billion (TOI). India is among the top seven markets globally for Coke, the CEO of Hindustan Coke stated â€Å"we have made significant investments in the marketplace and as we get ready to further accelerate growth, it is very important to develop a high quality talent pipelines. This team will work closely with Coke India to achieve our 2020 vision.† Part of their expansion was focused on a plan t in Mehdiganj, India. The emerging markets with Coke like India and China will result in about 60% of the incremental sales volume growth (TOI). According to the book Business and its Environment, 80 percent of the world’s population lives in emerging markets countries, and 90 percent of the world’s population growth will be in these countries over the next 30 years (Baron p.477) The start of production for a few of their bottlers in India has raised issues because of  Coke’s use of the water supply of nearby villages. Amit Srivastaba, of the India Resource Center, a center that works to support movements against corporate globalization in India said, Three communities in India — Plachimada in Kerala, Wada in Maharashtra and Mehdiganj in Uttar Pradesh — are experiencing severe water shortages as a result of Cokes mining of the majority of the common groundwater resources around its facilities (KillerCoke).† One of their issues comes from its production in Mehdiganj, near Varanasi, India, that has been in operation since 1999, and has been the center of attention in many surrounding villages since 2003 and especially after Coke announced that they are planning to expand by $25 million. In August of 2012, according to the article Coke Abandons Expansion Plans in India Because of Water, the company halted their plans to expand in Mehdiganj because of a delay in a no-objection certificate and locals becoming concerned about environmental dangers (The Wire). Organizations such as the India Resource Center and others who organize protests increase the awareness of issues, and therefore private regulation have been made an alternative to government regulations. As a result, the strategy Coke had all along failed to see through when the locals did not approve of their actions. If Coke does not have an affective nonmarket strategy in place for their activities in other countries, major opportunities can close when issues of any kind arise. A nonmarket strategy is important to avoid government regulations and to keeping the company’s opportunities open. Aside from the government, the company’s opportunities can also be controlled by private politics such as protests, public criticism, interest groups as well as public sentiment towards the company. (Baron p.31). The other factor that can affect opportunities is moral concerns, which Coke seems to be going through this issue right now. Coke should formulate a policy that oversees the use of water in India, which is the major concern of groups in private politics. Interest groups that are in play from the surrounding villages in India include: anti-coke nongovernmental activist groups, Varanasi-based activist, environmentalist, politicians, farmers and the villagers that have created lives in sur rounding areas. Leading from within these interest groups is The Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board; a statutory organization entrusted to implement Environmental Laws and rules within the jurisdiction of the state  of Uttar Pradesh, India (UPPCB). The Control Board had found that Coke violated a number of conditions of its license that had to do with the use of water. The company had not yet obtained clearance for the extraction of groundwater from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), a government agency that monitors and regulates the process in water-stressed areas (The economic Times). But Coke had some objections to these accusations. According to Coke, a Central Ground Water Authority report from 2012 stated that the reduction of groundwater in the area was not due to their company. According to the article UP pollution board shuts down Cokes Varanasi unit, the maker of sprite said in a statement that the plant in Mehdiganj has complied with regulatory approvals and applicable laws in India (The Economic Times). Despite these statements, according to the Central Ground Water Authority, the groundwater in Mehdiganj has gone from â€Å"safe† back in 1999 when Coke got back into operating in India to â€Å"critical† in 2009. The closure order by the Central Ground Water Authority stated that Coke increased its production capacity from 20,000 cases to 36,000 cases a day without the board’s permission. Similar to this problem was one in 2004, when one of the 68 Coke plant in Plachimada, Kerala was shut down over accusations that the operation led to the reduction of groundwater (see Exhibit #1). The company faces legislation holding it liable for $47 million in damages (The Economic Times). Initially, Coke had looked beneficial for the local economy, but then the regulations and protesters hit the company as a result from the critically low levels of water. Although this may have halted the company’s expansion plan of $25 million into Varanasi, Coke is seeking permission from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to expand into Mehdiganj. With authorization, they will increase productivity by opening a second bottling line. However, the struggle continues as the recent closure has already inspired other protest to start, starting problems down the company’s future operations in their bottling factories. Over 10 years ago, a protest by farmers and anti-globalization activist successfully launched a â€Å"Quit India† campaign in order to stop Coke’s expansion into Varanasi. Many villages are saying big companies like Coke are coming into India and using their drinking water, even when levels are critically low for basic living consumption (see Exhibit #2). According to  the article Coke has a bottler of a headache in India; the level of water for the villagers became even lower as Coke proceeds to operate in India. Amar Signh Rathor, a farmer in the village Mehdiganj, has noticed the continuous decline of water levels by simply observing his own well. Within three years, the water level below his water table has fallen by over 18 meters. Most of the population of Mehdiganj (approximately 10,000 people) blamed Coke for the shocking decrease in their water supply (Sydney Morning Herald P.13). The plant that is to blame is at the edge of the village. A villager named Shakuntala Devi said, â€Å"If the Coke plant isn’t closed it will be impossible to live here (Sydney Morning Herald P.13).† Coke violates human rights for the people of India by taking their water and in the process they damage the environment. According to the article Coke’s Crimes in India, they are draining a vast majority of groundwater from farms and turning farming communities into virtual desserts. These farmers livelihood that have been destroyed have resulted in a increase of suicide, and everyday for many years now, there are protests of some sort, big or small, against Coke’s abuse in India (KillerCoke). On November 24, 2004, a protest outside of the Mehdiganj plant broke out and quickly turned violent. Multiple villagers had attempted to break the barrier of the police in order to reach Coke property, resulting in a defensive attack in return from the police. Organizers stated that there were approximately 2,000 people – mainly woman and youth – who took part in the protest, although Coke reported a much smaller number. This was the first of many protests to start, even though they were at a smaller scale. In this protest alone, two hundred villagers were reportedly arrested during the brawl (Sydney Morning Herald P.13). According to the article Indian villagers want Coke plant shut amid water fears, later in June of 2007, four hundred people marched and rallied at the Varanasi district magistrates (DM) office, demanding that the Coke bottling plant in Mehdiganj be shut down effective immediately. Within the four hundred, included people from twenty different villages, all of who submitted a letter to the district magistrate, Vina Kumari Meena, drawing attention to the water shortage and pollution of groundwater and land caused  by Coke’s operation. The letter demanded that the operation be shut down (Monitoring South Asia). Due to the severity of the situation, the director of The District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) declared the water issues in India as â€Å"dark zoned†. A dark zone category infers that ground water resources are over-exploited, and more than 85 percent of the total recharging of ground water resources is being extracted, which resulted in all new underground installations being approved by the government (BBC Monitoring South Asia). Accusations of unethical acts against the environment can lead to nongovernmental organizations forming, which affect the organization in question by mobilizing people to work for causes. â€Å"These groups have been instrumental in advancing the causes of environmental protection, health and safety protection for consumers, and civil and human rights (Baron p.75).† The lead of the campaign Lok Semiti (People’s Committee), a nongovernmental organization that is against Coke, Nandlal Master, said When people themselves do not have enough water to meet their basic water needs, why should Coke be allowed to siphon hundreds of thousands of liters of water every day (BBC Monitoring South Asia)? But the issues with Coke go beyond the use of water and its reduction impacting a majority of the villages. Coke provides waste product from their operation to farmers as fertilizers for their crops. A BBC study found that the fertilizer contains toxic chemicals, stating, â€Å"Dangerous levels of the known carcinogen cadmium have been found in the sludge produced from the plant in the southern state of Kerala (BBC news).† Face the Facts, an investigative journalism for BBC, sent presenter, John Waite, to further investigate the allegations. Part of the investigation consisted of sending a sludge sample to the University of Exeter in the UK, and the results were very alarming. The test revealed that the sludge was a useless fertilizer that contained the toxic metals cadmium and lead. David Santillo, a senior scientist at the university’s lab, affirmed that the levels of cadmium and lead have not only contaminated that sludge provided to the farmers, but the entire water supply as well. The levels are  way above those approved by the World Health Organization. Britain’s leading poison expert, professor John Henry, said, The results have devastating consequences for those living near the areas where this waste has been dumped and for the thousands who depend on crops produced in these fields (BBC News). The professor is correct to assume these consequences because cadmium is a poison that can accumulate in the kidneys and with repeat exposure it can cause kidney failure. Lead is also dangerous, and more to children than to anyone else. Even at low levels, lead can cause mental retardation and even anemia, a blood deficiency (BBC News). The professor also explains that with the levels of chemicals in the water, pregnant women in the villages in India consuming from the farm’s goods can fall vulnerable to miscarriages, stillbirths and premature births. After these alarming results, more test where conducted on the soft drinks. In the year 2003, the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE), a non-for-profit and nongovernmental organization based in New Delhi, India, tested 12 cold soft drinks (Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Mirinda Orang, Mirinda Lemon, Blue Pepsi, 7-Up, Fanta, Limca, Sprite, Thumbs Up and of course Coke). The article, Pepsi, Coke contain pesticides: CSE, based in India was the one to write about the cold drinks, which included 2 big companies, Pepsi and Coke. Both companies failed health standards when both drinks tested positive for pesticides. The tests from three samples of each of these Pepsi and Coke brand drinks that was conducted by the Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML) of the Centre of Science and Environment showed that the samples contained residues of four very toxic pesticides and insecticides: lindane, DDT, malathion and chlorpyrifos. These four pesticides are known to cause cancer, damage the nervous and reproductive system, and severely damage the immune system (Rediff) . These tests were conducted in the year 2003 from April to August with samples from across the city. The samples from Coke were found to contain pesticides that exceeded global standards by 30 times the limit at 0.0150 mg/l, with the EEC limit of total pesticides being at 0.0005 mg/l. Coke defended its position by saying their plants use a multiple barrier system to remove potential contaminants and unwanted natural substances including  iron, sulfur, heavy metals as well as pesticides, â€Å"Our products in India are safe and are tested regularly to ensure that they meet the same rigorous standards we maintain across the world (Rediff).† But despite these statements the citizens of India seem to believe the Centre of Science and Environment, as sales have been impacted in the so-called safe and high-quality drink and investors from the company in India have lost confidence (Coke India). Looking at the nonmarket issue cycle, Coke is way past the issue identification, interest group formation, legislation, and has now reached the Administration phase in India (see Exhibit #3). The issues were identified soon after they got back into India in 1999. Villagers, farmers and environmentalist noticed the problem, starting many groups interested in the closure of these factories, sparking the many protests stated above. Legislations already started within the Indian Parliament banning Coke drinks from its cafeterias. Amit Srivastaba, of the India Resource Center, stated that the ban came as a result of tests by the Indian government and private laboratories, which found high concentrations of pesticides and insecticides in the cola drinks (Indian Resource Center). If Coke wants to prevent their company from becoming the next Enron in the ethical sense, they need to take the right action now before they sink too low in unethical actions and laws of the government that are way out of their control start to enforce legislations. Enron was a energy company that was found out to be engaging in unethical marketing malpractices including; misrepresentation of reports regarding the financial position of the organization in order to continue from benefiting from the investments provided by the stakeholders, a false energy crisis to gain more money from investors and finally, executives of the company embezzled money from unsuspecting investors which led to the bankruptcy of the company. Coke’s name is a global brand that can definitely work its way out of the unethical characteristics in the communities of the countries it operates in by simply providing the same quality of goods around the world. So far, Coke’s way of handling the issues in India has been very questionable. Their strategy thus far is to globalize their company no  matter the cost, ethically and environmentally. Protesters from many interest groups have eliminated many opportunities for Coke and have been attacking the company for over exploitation and pollution of water that is already dangerously low. Interestingly, Coke responds with public relations scams, deceptive statements and points out awards of how they are corporate socially responsible (KillerCoke). The article Coke’s crimes in India further expands by saying that Coke stated, For four consecutive years, Coke plants in India have won the prestigious Golden Peacock Environment Management Award for environmental practices from the Institute of Directors, which grants the award in association with the World Environment Foundation. Similar remarks were made in late 2005 when the company claimed to be recognized for being a ‘Water Efficient Unit’ by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) (KillerCoke). Coke continued on with their misleading information in 2007 at two Canadian college campuses about their activities in India and Colombia. Coke bragged that The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), described as an Indian-based nonprofit research organization, had begun an assessment of our companys water resource management practices in India (KillerCoke). TERI is a respected Dehli-based nongovernmental organization with deep experience in sustainability issues, and Coke falsely stated they were working closely with them on their water management. However, Coke already began to make social responsibility a top priority by investing in new innovations and plant processes to help make more improvement moving forward. The Coke webpage of the UK indicates that outside of their plants they attempt to replenish more than 100 percent of the water that they use by creating rainwater harvesting structures, restoring ponds, and leading interventions that focus on improving water efficiency, a mong other things. And by 2012 they met their goal and exceeded it to 110 percent of water replenished throughout India (Coke UK). From the article Villagers to Coke: Go away; In India, foes claim company is depleting water supply, a Coke spokesman stated the shortage of monsoons in India from June to October is to blame for water depletion affecting India’s agriculture. Harry Ott, the director of Cokes Global Center for Water Excellence said, If the monsoons are good, these problems dont come up.† Today in mehdiganj â€Å"the land around  Cokes plant looks lush. Fields brim with mustard plants, potatoes, peppers, wheat and rice (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution).† But the struggle continues as people focus more on the bad rather than the good. Coke like many other businesses focuses on the profitable side of their operation, without realizing the environmental damages it can cause to surrounding communities. When Coke is looking into the future of the company, it is looking to double their revenues more than working on a nonmarket strategy that will prevent interest groups from the communities they operate in to question the company’s morals. Doubling their revenues further proves that Coke, being the number one beverage company in the world, has some money to play with. In Kala Dera, protests are starting because of the lack in Coke’s corporate social responsibility, leading back to the use of water and the damage being done to the communities around it. In 2010, shareholders at a meeting taking place in Duluth, Georgia, were told by Amit Srivastaba of the India Resource center, â€Å"It is only a matter of time before the Coke company will be held financially and criminally liable for their operations in water-stressed areas in India.† He continued by stating â€Å"The company management is being seriously derelict in its duties by not acknowledging the real exten t of the liabilities Coke has incurred and continues to incur in India (KillerCoke).† By investing a few million dollars a year of the billions of earnings they have reached ever since the late nineteenth century when the company first got started, they will be showing the shareholders that Coke is doing something to get on the right track. Coke could start with compensation of the crops that farmers lost when they initially started to operate in India, and also assure the farmers that Coke is investing in new innovations to solve the water issue so it will not be a problem in the long-run. Also, Coke could invest into the education in India by opening new schools; increase awareness of diseases through nongovernmental programs, as well as investing in the communities in which their bottling factories reside. With the issues out for the public to read about, it should be an incentive for the company to not continue down this horrific path in developing countries. Other things Coke should considering doing for the sake of their image is stepping up in community service, donations focused to help clean up the streets that their distributors travel in, donations to nongovernment organization, show the public that  they are actually working to stop the shortage and contamination of water without spreading lies of what they are actually doing. One way to do is by continuing their activities so far to stop the shortage of water and further help the environment by planting trees. The article Trees Reduce Air Pollution mentions that trees can help with the gas pollutants from the factories by absorbing them through the pours in the leaf surface (DNR). Furthermore, the company can look to work with the nongovernmental organization TERI in efforts to better sustainability of water resources, instead of just talking about doing it because in the end actions speak louder than words. Bibliography Coke rejigs bottling arm management. The Times of India (TOI). (September 24, 2013 Tuesday ): 425 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15.Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board. June 5, 2014 UP pollution board shuts down Cokes Varanasi unit. The Economic Times. (June 19, 2014 Thursday ): 430 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15. Coke has a bottler of a headache in India. Sydney Morning Herald (Australia). (February 17, 2005 Thursday ): 1181 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15. Indian villagers want Coke plant shut amid water fears. BBC Monitoring South Asia Political Supplied by BBC Worldwide Monitoring. (June 7, 2007 Thursday ): 622 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15. June 7, 2007 Thursday Villagers to Coke: Go away; In India, foes claim company is depleting water supply . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (May 29, 2005 Sunday ): 1908 words. LexisNexis Academic. Web. Date Accessed: 2014/12/15. UP Pollution Control Board, Lucknow (UP Pollution Control Board, Lucknow). Was Accessed http://www.uppcb.com/ â€Å"Indian Resource Center. PRESS: Groundwater Levels Continue Downward Spiral Around Coke Plant.† March 11, 2010. Was Accessed http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2010/1001.html India Resource Center. Coke Mehdiganj The Issues. March 7, 2013. http://www.indiaresource.org/campaigns/coke/2013/mehdiganjfact.html Ray Rogers. â€Å"Coke’s Crimes in India.† Campaign to Stop Killer Coke | Cokes Crimes in India. Killer Coke. Was Accessed http://killercoke.org/crimes_india.php Was Accessed http://www.cseindia.org/ â€Å"Pepsi, Coke contain pesticides: CSE.† Was Accessed. http://www.rediff.com/money/2003/aug/05pepsicoke.htm Coke India. Was Accessed http://www.Cokeindia.com/factsmyths/varanasi.html Coke India. Was Accessed http://www.Cokeindia.com â€Å"Easy Guide to Understanding ENRON Scandal Summary.† (Enron Scandal Summary). 2013 Was Accessed http://finance.laws.com/enron-scandal-summary â€Å"Coca‑Colas water is used responsibly in its operations in India : FAQ (Coke GB).† 2010. Was Accessed http://www.Coke.co.uk/faq/community/responsible-Coke-water-use-in-operations-in-india.html â€Å"Trees Reduce Air Pollution.† Was Accessed http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forests/publications/urban2.html Mosendz, Polly. â€Å"Coke Abandons Expansion Plans in India Because of Water.† August 26, 2014. Was Accessed http://www.thewire.com/business/2014/08/Coke-abandons-india-production-expansion/379128/ Elmore, J Bartow. 2013, Citizen Coke: An Environmental and Political History of the Coke Company. P. 717 Baron, David P. Business and Its Environment. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Education, 2012. 784. Print.

What Influences Teenagers To Smoke?

What Influences Teenagers To Smoke? Why and what influences teenagers to start smoking? This is the topic that no one has the accurate answer. It has been recorded that teenagers smoking is on the rise lately and the exact reason for it, is still unknown. It cannot be denied that everyone dislikes smokers and even the smell of cigarettes can be an unpleasant feeling, but no-one tries to understand why teenagers start smoking in the first place. In this research, it be seen how we tried to find what influences the teenagers to start smoking despite all the warnings, awareness and most importantly the knowledge of knowing that cigarettes smoking are injury to health. Among adults who smoke, 68 percent began smoking regularly at age 18 or younger, and 85 percent started when they were 21 or younger (American Lung Association, 2012). Despite all the millions spent to avoid people to smoke, still the smokers seemed to give very little concern about this matter. As a matter of fact, it cannot be denied that cigarette smoking has been a norm in this 21st century. You can eat five portions of fruit or vegetables a day and exercise regularly but healthy behavior means little if you continue to smoke. (Netdoctor, 2012) Mostly everyone knows that smoking can cause cancer and other sort of illnesses and the most dangerously is lung cancer but despite the warnings, smokers are still addicted to it. For them, they think by smoking cigarettes, it can provide relief and a sort of consolation. As known to all even to the smokers itself, smoking cigarettes bring more harm and cause serious health issues not only to the person smoking but also to those exposed to it. Still, why do people even pick up such a habit even though they are aware of all the health risks related to smoking? So in order to avoid the increase of smokers, I agree that cigarette smoking should be banned just as drug consumption. So the main reason this research has been done is to reveals what influences teenagers to start smoking. What influences teenagers to smoke is proved by the researcher as they have planned to use journals and articles in chapter two. In the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is found that boys and girls alike think smoking may be an effective tool for weight control. Where else, in a study published in Journal of Consumer Research by researcher Cornelia Pechmann, (2011) concluded that adolescent are influenced and affected by the type of tobacco advertising and media they are exposed to. Using both quantitative and qualitative methodology, the researchers have stated the analysis of methodology using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) method. Moreover, in chapter five of this research, the researcher is able to summarize the whole research work and make recommendation to the areas with problems that are identified in the research. Tobacco substance is one of the hazardous substances that is created thousand of years ago. It destroys the smokers health. Once you start smoking, you cannot quit. Cigarettes is something like drugs and very addictive to smokers. As we all know and are aware of, smoking is something hazardous to everyones health. Young people smoke for many reasons. They are not aware of what they would be facing and how it will affect their future. Other than that, when a person smokes, not only that particular person will be affected with the consequences but also the ones surrounding that person who inhale the cigarette smoke. These people are in a higher risk to be diagnosed with the consequences such as lung cancer than the person that smokes those passive smokers have the most dangerous effect. That is the main reason why when the word smoking is mentioned it reminds everyone of cancer. Programs and events that are being handled in order to bring awareness to the public about the effects of sm oking are also not helping. Therefore, this research is primarily done to know what are the actual reasons teenagers nowadays are influenced in the habit of smoking. Chapter 2: Literature Review Our thesis aims to find out what influences teenagers to start smoking. For our purposes we conducted a literature search using journals, books and articles. Our review highlights on the major reason of teenagers smoking. The reasons why teenagers now days are influenced in smoking are difficult to be categorized. In the body of literature examined, it was said that the rise in the rates of teenagers smoking was due to the fact that many teenagers were influenced by friends, advertisements, undergoing peer pressure, influenced by parents or weight control. According to the Youth Smoking Survey(2012), it is concluded that 22% of youth between grades 6 to 9 and 48% of youth between the grades 10 to 12 are reported have tried a tobacco product for at least once. 3% of this youth that has tried the product is reported to be current smokers. Several other studies says that the reasons that causes teenagers to start smoking is low self-esteem and the influence of advertisements that gives them an impression that smoking is sociable and help them get in the in crowd. Research has illustrated that coping with stress is a reason to smoking. Just like adults, teenagers use smoking to relieve stress, where the nicotine in the cigarette quickly activates the pleasure side of the brain which creates positive feelings and sensation. The extensive review by Dr. Sheila Bonas, (2012) a lecturer in health psychology, Coventry states that most smokers first start experimenting with cigarette in their teens. It is said that in UK the percentage of teenagers smoking is increasing as they get older. The reason behind the causes of children start smoking includes parents influence. Children whose parents smoke are in a higher risk of starting when compared to those children whose parents are non-smokers. Moreover, according to the study by the World Health Organization, (2012) it is found that the teenagers who were mostly smokers were lonely, had difficulty talking to parents, and had problems at school and so on. Another interesting point that Dr. Sheila Bonas , (2012) has stated was social learning. Social learning theory describes how we learn by example from others. Normally we are easily influenced by our parents and other people that we look up to, which lead us to copy their behavior and try smoking. According to the writer, Todd Flemming, (2012) smoking is getting more familiar in our society that you will have your friends or family members who smoke. In our society, smoking is getting very addictive for everyone that it is unobjectionable and a new trend for this generation. It is stated that this smoking habits usually comes from the ones early or mid-teenage years. The most common reasons are peer pressure. Those who to start smoking; they are most likely get a lot of pressure from their friends or classmates. Teenagers do have a lot of doubts against smoking. They think that they can only become friends with their peers if they start smoking. Children with low self-confidence in themselves, they tend to start smoking just to hang out with the most popular kid. Furthermore, the environment does take place in which the teenagers grow up. They start following their parents, siblings, or relatives who smoke. Toddy Flemming (2012) wrote saying that some children will start picki ng up the habit its either consciously or unconsciously. Some children have the feelings to become matured, just to be with those who are adults. We do agree with Toddy Flemmings points about the smoking habits. His points really helped our research by pointing out the right causes of smoking habits among teenagers. As said by Todd Flemming, peer pressure is said to be one of the reasons why teenagers are influenced to smoking cigarette. This can be seen in a research done by Neil Smith (2012) who states that most kids respond to peer pressure differently. They are opened to its influences in their early teens. This is where they care more about what are their friends opinion than anything else and will try their very best to stay in their friends good graces. As mentioned by Dr. Sheila Bonas (2012) earlier, unable to cope with stress is also the reason for teenagers to begin smoking. This point has also been elaborated by Neil Smith where he states that teenagers and adults that have poor strategies in solving problem and dealing with stress is in more risk of adopting the smoking habit. The rebellion is also another fascinating point that has been put forward by Neil Smith. As we all know and are aware of, the kids now days has begin to push the envelope in the terms of rules and boundaries. O ne of their ways of doing this is by smoking cigarettes, especially when the appeal comes in the form of demanding. For example when someone warns them not to do a particular matter that is when they would want to do it. The phenomenon of smoking among teenagers has been rising extremely high. This research paper is targeting at youth with the intention to gather what influences them to start smoking. As known to all, there are many reasons why adolescents picking up the smoking habit and one of the most common reasons are peer pressure. It cannot be denied that being a teenager can be extremely difficult in todays world and one of the biggest difficulties is when they face the problem of peer pressure. To us whether we like it or not, we have to admit that friends play a major role in a teenagers life. According to the author, Lindsey Samilian, (2012) states that teens smoke because their friends do and as we all know, teenagers spend most of their time with friends, so this is the evidence on how they get influence by their friends who smokes. Furthermore, another interesting point according to the Child Psychology Research Blog, teenagers with higher exposure to movies and television programs that feature characters smoking are more likely to start themselves. So it can be concluded that the higher the exposure a teenagers to movie star smoking, the higher the possibility that the teenagers will start smoking. These resources have helped us a lot in our research paper. It has given us an extra input regarding of our problem statement. In a nutshell, we do agree with the authors point of views which eventually helped us gain more knowledge on cigarette smoking. Chapter 3: Research Methodology Research is a general term among which basically covers all kinds of studies that used in academic activity which includes investigation of a particular topic using a variety of reliable resources. The main purpose of research is to find out the truth which is hidden and which has not been discovered yet. The Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English, 1952 claims that the meaning of research as a careful investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge. In short it can be explained that research defines as the search for knowledge through objective and systematic method of finding solution to a problem. It can also define in three major ways which is by establishing facts, analysing information, and new conclusions. In a clear perception, research methodology is a way to systematically solve the research problem. It may be understood as a science of studying how research is done scientifically. In it we study the various steps that are generally adopted by a researcher in studying his research problem along with the logic behind them. It is necessary for the researcher to know not only the research methods or techniques but also the methodology. Besides that, researchers also need to understand the assumptions underlying various techniques and the criteria by which they can decide that certain techniques and procedures which will be applicable to certain problems. In a simplest way, it is necessary for the researcher to design his methodology for his problems as the same may differ from problem to problem. Furthermore, research methodology is a set of procedures or methods which used to conduct research. There are two broad approaches of research methodology which is qualitative methods and quantitative methods. Both these methodologies have different functions. As for quantitative research, it is about investigating thing which could be observed and measure in some way. Such observations and measurements can be made objectively and repeated by other researchers. Whereas qualitative research, on the other hand, is an attempt to increase the understanding of why things are the way they are in our social world and why people act the way they do (Marshall Rossman, 1999). In a nutshell, qualitative methods aim to discover the underlying motives of human behaviour. Through such research we can analyse the various factors which motivate people to behave in a particular manner or which make people like or dislike a particular thing. A quantitative methodology test theory concludes from the existing knowledge, through forming hypothesized relationships and suggested outcomes for the study; qualitative researchers are guided by particular ideas, perspectives or hunches regarding the topic to be investigated. The quantitative methods used produced reasonable scientific answers, and as a result of this data, action was developed and changes took place. Quantitative research demands a random selection of sample from the study population and a random assignment of the sample to the various study groups. There are three key factors of quantitative research. The first key factor is control which is the important element because it enables the scientist to identify the causes of his or her observations. The second key factor is operational definition where the terms should be defined by the procedure used in order to avoid any confusion in meaning and communication during the investigation. The final key factor is replic ation where the data obtained from the experiment carried out should be reliable. The weakness of the quantitative approach is that random selection is time-consuming, with the result that many studies use more easily obtained sample. This inhibits the possibilities of generalization, especially if the sample is too small. In quantitative research, the researchers maintain a fixed objective view to understand the facts. The use of some procedure may bring no direct contact with the topics at all as in postal questionnaire surveys (Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, Christina Hughes, 2012). On the other hand, a qualitative research is mainly to describe a particular aspect of the phenomenon, using a view to explain the subject of the study. According to Benoliel, 2012 he described qualitative research as modes of systematic enquiry concerned with understanding human beings and the nature of their transactions with themselves and with their understandings. Methods such as grounded theory and ethnography research can be described as a qualitative approach. In order to adding quality to the data obtained, it helps in subjects to increase issues and topics that researchers would not have included in a structured designed research. When qualitative methods lose on reliability they gain in terms of validity. They provide a more depth and rich description. One weakness of a qualitative methodology is the fact that the process is under-standardized and depends on the insights and the abilities of the observer, thus making the judgment of the theory difficult. Study has examined that this issues can be demonstrated that reliability could be assessed by using independent experts to examine different aspects of the methods of developing grounded theory. However, one must question the feasibility of using such a costly process in terms of time and money in order to check the theory of qualitative study (Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches, Christina Hughes, 2012). In order to help us get more information about our research, we have chosen to use questionnaires as it seems to be a logical and easy option to collect information from people and to find out what are their opinion on teenagers now days smoking. The respondent can decide to use closed or open questions, and is also offered multiple choice questions from which to choose the statement which nearly describes their answer or opinion to a statement. Other techniques such as, case study and interviews was not chosen to be used as our source from the respondent because it takes a longer period and it enables face to face discussion with the respondent which requires a suitable person to be interviewed. The methods or techniques employed to analyze the data collected is through the internet and pubic survey. We did a small survey where we can ask a few people regarding of what they think about smoking and also what they think that influences teenagers to smoke cigarettes now days. A positive outcome from the survey has been done since our respondents were mostly elderly people and young adult. Chapter 4: Analysis of Methodology This study is based on the problem statement that we choose for our research which is What influences teenagers to start smoking? This study took place at Segi College Kuala Lumpur between October 11 and October 12. The questionnaire was given to the Segi students range of the age between 18 to 24 years old. For the results based on the questionnaires, a total number of twenty respondents were chosen for this research. Out of 20 respondents, 60% found under male category and the rest 40% under the female category. A total 95% agreed that the main influence of teenagers to smoke cigarettes are friends and the rest 5% of the respondents answered that parents are the main influence. Based on the questionnaire that was given out, we have researched that 60% of the respondents are smoking and 40% of the students do not smoke. Moreover, 75 % disagreed that they have intend to stop smoking in the next six months whereas 25% agreed that they will stop smoking for the next six months. 25% strongly agreed that their husband, wife or partner will be supportive or helpful to try stopping them from smoking. 50% agreed that their husband, wife or partner will be supportive or helpful to try stopping them from smoking and the rest 25% did not agree any of the people that they think will be supportive or helpful. 66.67% strongly agreed that their family members will be very supportive stopping them from smoking whereas 25% agreed that only their family members will help them to stop smoking and the rest 8.33% did not agree about the statement that was given.16.67 % totally agreed that their friends will be supportive or helpful to try stopping them from smoking.33.33% agreed that their friends will help them to try stopping them from smoking and 50% did not agree that their friends will give motivation or even being supportive to help them stop smoking. Other than that, 8.33 % strongly agreed that their working colleagues will help stopping them from smoking. 50% agreed that their working colleagues will help be supportive to stop them from smoking and the rest 41.67% did not agree about their working colleagues. Furthermore, 25% of the respondents answered that it is difficult for them to stop smoking because they enjoy it.16.67% answered that they are too addicted to smoking until it is difficult for them to stop smoking.25% of the respondents had answered that they do not have enough of will power to stop smoking and the rest of 33.33% cant resist the craving for cigarette. 25% respondents answered that their family will be the prime reason if they have the in tend to stop smoking. While 8.33% respondents answered that their partner is the prime reason if they have the courage to stop smoking whereas 66.67% respondents answered that their health is the prime reason. 58.33 % of the respondents prefer to smoke because influenced by their friends. 16.67% of the teenagers answered that they want to look macho if they smoke and 25% choose to smoke because of their curiosity. 16.67 % of the respondents answered that the reason why they are addicted to smoking is because of their peer pressure.33 .33% choose depression as their answer based on the question on why are they addicted to smoking. The other 50% answered that they are stress and thats why they are addicted to smoking. 100% agreed that society do play an important role in teenagers smoking habit. Other than that, 25% of the respondents answered that they began to smoke regularly age range between 11-15 years old. 58.33% of the respondents answered age range between 16-18 years old was the age they began to smoke cigarettes and while the others 16.67 % start smoking age range 19 and above. As the research of the questionnaire was going on, we found out that 50% agreed that smoking really aids weight loss and the other 50% disagreed with the statement. 40% agreed that they will consider taking up smoking to lose weight and 60% disagreed that they do not consider taking up smoking to lose weight.20% of the respondents agreed that it will affect the relationship or interaction with them if their friends smoke and the rest 80% of the respondents disagreed. Moreover, 30% agreed that cigarettes should be made illegal and 70% strongly disagreed that cigarettes should be made illegal. 40% of the respondents which are the non-smoker agreed that they will consider smoking and 60% of the respondents which are the non-smoker disagreed that they will ever consider smoking.45% agreed that they will feel bothered when people smoke cigarettes around them and the other 55% disagreed with the statement. 85% of the respondents which are non-smoker agreed that they will consider giving ad vice or motivate their friends or family members to stop smoking whereas 15% disagreed that they will consider or give support to their friends or family members to stop smoking. Last but not least, 5% of the respondents feel comfortable when their opposite sex smokes. 80% of the respondents answered uncomfortable and 15% answered I dont mind if their opposite sex smokes. Mean 16.8 Median 20 Chapter 5: Conclusion Recommendation As a conclusion, we would like to say that many people have different prospects on smoking. Being aware of the dangers of smoking and how it can harm a persons health, we still wonder why some people actually even pick up this bad habit. Many still dont realize that they are not only harming themselves but also others by smoking. The government has done its duty by giving a helping hand in reducing the amount of smokers in the country by increasing the price of the cigarettes. There are many answers to why teenagers nowadays are influenced to the smoking habit. According to our research, we have concluded that the main influence is friends. It may be in any form. That is by trying to be in the in group or being forced by their friends to try to smoke and later on being addicted to it or even because of low self-esteem. Eventually one day, our country will be a smoke free where the population of smokers will decrease dramatically. Based on our research, we would like to give some recommendations that we think can help in reducing the amount of smokers in our country. First of all, mass media as we all know is a large influence on teenagers nowadays. The teenagers tend to follow or adopt whatever that is being advertised or shown in the media. Not only advertisements on smoking will affect the teenagers but celebrities also play a big role. Teenagers tend to adopt the characteristics of their favourite celebrity through the media. If a celebrity smokes, so as the fans of the celebrity. Moreover, the media may also lend a helping hand by organizing various anti-smoking campaigns is that associated with the negatives of smoking and how it may affect a persons health and also the people surrounding him. Next is home. Home is the main place where children get their knowledge from. Whatever, they see and hear is doing great effects to the development of their personalities and also their attitudes. The bad habit of smoking depends on how the parents bring up their children. By showing the children good examples, by not smoking or smoking in front of them, may help them to not pick up the habit. Giving them knowledge in order for them to be aware of what are the negatives of smoking and how it can causes cancers at an early age will help them get a clearer picture on smoking. Lack of parents guidance and supervision may cause the children to feel lonely and stressed up. This may lead them to picking up the habit. Finally would be the schools. The school is the place where children and teenagers spend most of their time. It is the place where they develop their personality and characteristics. The schools should set rules and policies that will help to guide the students to have a proper behaviour and form into a good young adult that is able to lead his life in a proper way. By having the Moral subject in school will also help the students realize what is good and what is bad for them. They are able to get a good picture on it and try their best to not fall into the wrong habits.

Erroneus Assumptions in The Trial and Death of Socrates Essay -- Philo

Erroneus Assumptions in The Trial and Death of Socrates In Plato's Crito, Socrates explains to his old friend Crito his reasons for refusing an offer to help him escape execution. One of the tools Socrates uses to convince Crito of the righteousness of his decision is a hypothetical argument concerning the state and laws of Athens. Central to this argument is the congeniality that Socrates had always found in Athens, reflected by the fact that Socrates chose to remain in Athens for most of his life. Such a choice, the laws insist, implies a tacit agreement between Socrates and the state of Athens, stipulating that Socrates either obey the laws or, when he deems the laws unjust, persuade the city to act in a more suitable fashion. It is this "just agreement" that prohibits Socrates from fleeing Athens to avoid execution. Socrates proves to Crito's satisfaction that to break this agreement would be to do wrong to the city of Athens, and as such it cannot be seriously considered. As he discusses his situation with Crito, Socrates refutes some of Crito's basic assumptions. Curiously, however, Socrates does not examine his own assumptions; he never once asks if his agreement with Athens is "just." He correctly assumes that Athens' congeniality to him obligates him to follow the tenets of the agreement, but he does not ask if Athens feels similarly obligated. This question is central, for if Athens fails to uphold its part of the agreement the agreement cannot be just and Socrates is freed from any duty to it. I will argue that Socrates' own reasoning, particularly that used in Crito and Euthyphro, will prove that it is not only not wrong to break the agreement, but also that it is wrong to abide by an unjust agreement, such as... ...nywhere in the text of the Crito or the Euthyphro, unlike most of the other claims, which were derived from actual arguments in one of these Socratic dialogues. Whether or not the agreement is rendered unjust by Athens actions is clearly a debatable point, which affects the rest of the argument. There does not seem to be a way to prove undoubtedly that the agreement itself is made unjust if one of the parties unjustly refuses to acknowledge its obligations. Theoretically, the agreement is still sound, but this argument rests on the idea that, in practice, the agreement can never be more than what the parties make it. Although far from incontrovertible, the claim that the agreement is unjust can at least be reasonably defended against criticism. And if the above argument is correct, Socrates died for the sake of the unjust action of adhering to an impious agreement.

The Rastafarian Belief System Essay -- essays research papers

The Rastafarian Belief system The belief system of the Rastafarians is that Haile Selassie is the living God for the black race. Selassie, whose previous name was Ras Tafari, was the black Emperor of Ethiopia. Rastafarians live a peaceful life, needing little material possessions and devote much time to contemplating the scriptures. They reject the white man's world, as the new age Babylon of greed and dishonesty. Proud and confident "Rastas" even though they are humble will stand up for their rights. Rastas let their hair grow naturally into dreadlocks, in the image of the lion of Judah. The total following is believed to be over a million worldwide. Also the belief system of Rastafarianism is somewhat based on six fundamental principles. These included Hatred for the white race, the complete superiority of the black race, Revenge on whites for their wickedness, the negation, persecution, and humiliation of the government and legal bodies of Jamaica, Preparation to go back to Africa and Acknowledging E mperor Haile Selassie as the Supreme Being and only ruler of black people. However there are several other key concepts to belief system of Rastafarianism. These include Babylon, I and I, Jah, Colours, Ganja, Lion, Diet and Dreadlocks. Babylon is the Rastafarian term for the white political power structure that has been holding the black race down for centuries. Through the past, Rastafarian people claim that blacks were held down physically by the shackles of slave...