Santiago s Respect For The Natural World - 1057 Words

Santiago’s Respect for the Natural World For a fisherman, the natural world is what supplies their livelihood. The relationship between them can take many forms varying on the type of man, or just the luck of a person. This is what causes each man, old or young, to see the natural world in different forms. In Ernest Hemingway’s, The Old Man and the Sea, Santiago, an old fisherman, has had a long relationship with the natural world. Throughout his life, Santiago has endured hardships and fortunes. Unlike younger fishermen, he does not see the natural world as an enemy but rather as an equal. His life experience in fishing helps him to see the natural world differently. Santiago is a fisherman whose connection with the natural world has grown into a relationship of understanding and respect. Santiago’s connection to the natural world is seen through his relation with the animals that live in the sea. For example, Santiago’s connection to the sea animals is f irst seen when he hears the flying fish in the darkness of the night. â€Å"He was very fond of flying fish as they were his principal friends on the ocean†(49). The old man is isolated whilst out at sea, being a fisherman for so much of his life. This isolation has led to a friendship formed between the flying fish and Santiago. He also calls the flying fish his principal friends on the ocean, further establishing the presence of a mutual relation with the fish. Soon after, Santiago encounters the turtles eating theShow MoreRelatedThe Merchant Of The Old Man And The Sea1096 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is the role of the sea in The Old Man and the Sea? The rich waters of the Gulf Stream provides many animals/figures that the old man observes and greets. Through Santiago’s interactions with these figures, his character emerges. In fact, Santiago is so connected to these waters, which he thinks is cheerful as a sometimes fickle lover, that the sea acts almost like a lens through which the reader views his character. Santiago’s interaction with the weary warbler, for instance, shows not onlyRead MoreThe Alchemist By Paulo Coelho1652 Words   |  7 Pages can you tell me how to get to the other side of this river? The teacher ponders for a moment looks up and down the river and yells back My son, you are on the other side . -Takahashi The Alchemist, a novel by Paulo Coelho, about a boy named Santiago who had to go through multiple obstacles to fulfill his Personal Legend. A Personal Legend is the only way one can live their life in satisfaction and happiness. In Buddhism, Enlightenment is the state of inner body peace. In The Alchemist, PauloRead MoreAn Eco Friendly Attitude And Environmental Awareness Essay1767 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction Today man has exploited his home to the extent that there is a greater need to go back to old life. With the emergence of science and technology there is a gradual depletion of environmental resources. It is often taken for granted that natural resources are to be exploited for sound economy. The issues like rampant sand mining, ever increasing greenhouse gases like heavy emission of carbon dioxide, gradual depletion of ozone layer, spread of epidemics, unheard diseases, e-waste dumpingRead MoreThe Old Man And The Sea3663 Words   |  15 Pagesand Plot The novella is organized in chapters and chronological order. It covers a total of five days; the day before Santiago catches the Marlin, the three days of battle, and the day after Santiago returns home with his prize. It also covers the four nights to go along with these days. 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I conclude that analytical philosophy is a fecund point of contact between Maturanas biology and American Pragmatism, and that analyticRead MoreErnest Hemingway Essay6491 Words   |  26 PagesConclusion VII. Bibliography I. Introduction Across more than half a century, the life and work of Ernest Hemingway have been at the center of controversy and intrigue. From the moment he embarked on his career as a writer, he presented himself to the world as a man’s man, a sportsman, a street-wise reporter, a heroic, battle-scared soldier, and an aficionado of the Spanish bullfight, among other talents. 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Energy from waste Killing two birds with one stone...

Energy from waste? Killing two birds with one stone Panacea to Energy crisis and waste treatment Have you imagined that electrical appliances would be useless in one day? Have you ever thought of living in total darkness? Concerns over energy crisis are alarmingly growing. Fossil fuels are estimated to deplete within 100 years at current consumption rate1. Being a member of global village, every cities and countries in the globe are responsible to pay joint effort to remedy the situation. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released the fifth assessment report on 13 April, urging policymakers to put a halt to the use of non-renewable energy sources at once2. â€Å"The high speed mitigation train needs to leave the station very†¦show more content†¦Chemical conversion has two methods to generate electrical energy, i.e. direct and indirect. The direct method is the combustion of MSW6. Since every matter stores energy, a direct burning of MSW generates heat, which in turn provides energy to drive the motors for electricity production6. The indirect method is pyrolysis, followed by gasification7. Pyrolysis is a term describing the segregation of substance after thermal cracking and condensation8; gasification is a process of converting carbon-containing compound into energy-rich fuels under specific condition8. To illustrate these two concepts, you can think of the process of turning paddy to grain, and then to a bowl of rice. To separate grain from paddy, we need tools like paddy separator and husker aspirator. By breaking paddy into smaller pieces, followed by segregation, we can obtain grains, which can be further processed to useful materials, and husks. This procedure echoes with pyrolysis, a process that uses machineries to separate useful and non-useful materials after breaking down the input substances to other materials. At this stage, what we have obtained is grain. To convert it to rice that can be consumed by human, we have to polish it and cook it. This action describes gasification, which turns carbon-containing compounds (grains) to energy-rich fuel (cooked rice) underShow MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesan Urban World †¢ Howard Spodek 53 3 Women in the Twentieth-Century World Bonnie G. Smith 83 4 The Gendering of Human Rights in the International Systems of Law in the Twentieth Century †¢ Jean H. Quataert 116 5 The Impact of the Two World Wars in a Century of Violence †¢ John H. Morrow Jr. 161 6 Locating the United States in Twentieth-Century World History †¢ Carl J. 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Carib Notes Free Essays

TOPIC Dancehall music STATEMENT OF PROBLEM An investigation into the impact of dancehall music on the values and attitudes of teenagers between the ages 14-18years at Manchester High School. RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. What is dancehall music? 2. We will write a custom essay sample on Carib Notes or any similar topic only for you Order Now What effects does dancehall music have on the attitudes and values of youth at Manchester High School? 3. Where dancehall music has a negative effect on the attitudes and values of teenagers, what measures can be implemented to alleviate this problem? 1) Male Female 2) Age: 13- 15 16- 18 19- 21 22- 24 25- 27 28- 30 3) Do you listen to dancehall music? YES NO 4) Which of the following options best describes your reason for listening to dancehall I enjoy it The music speaks about reality I don’t know I grew up hearing it Other ________________________________________†¦ 5) How often do you listen to dancehall music? ________________________________________†¦Ã‚   6) Who is your favourite dancehall artist ________________________________________†¦ 7) What is your favourite dancehall song ________________________________________†¦ 8) Do you have a job? YES NO 9) How would you describe your performance in school? Excellent Good Average Fair Satisfactory Unsatisfactory 10) Are you sexually active? YES NO 11) Do you believe that sexual content of some dancehall songs influence your sexuality   Agree Strongly agree Disagree Strongly Disagree 12) What do you think about homosexuality ________________________________________†¦ 13) Do you think that Dancehall music perpetuates crime and violence within the Jamaican society? YES NO   14) Do you believe that most dancehall songs degrade women? YES NO   15) Do you believe that dancehall music strongly impacts your view of gender roles within the society? YES NO 16) How to cite Carib Notes, Essay examples

Critical Race Theory free essay sample

A case study consisting of the students and the lecturers in the Faculty of Engineering. Gundo . V. Maswime1, Belinda Johnson2 School of Politics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus KEYWORDS: Otherness Critical race theory Binary paradigm Vygotsky’s theory Piaget’s theory Thomas‘s Theorem A B S T R A C T This action research paper explores the perceptions of black Engineering students on the existence of racial bias amongst white lecturers. This enquiry leans on Derrick Bell’s Critical Race Theory adopting that racism is normal and engrained feature in our society and adapting it to being that, rather, it is the belief that racism is a part of our society that is normal, for pedagogical reasons. It was established that the impression black students have is that of the existence of a subtle form of racism manifesting as academic sabotage. Many students also indicated a cynicism towards the efforts of the University authorities in curbing racism as being rhetorical. The paper does not attempt to ascertain if racism exists on the campus or to prove its prevalence. Vygotsky’s theory of race as part of common education and the transmission of knowledge within a society is explored leading to the recommendation of Piaget’s theory that suggests the construction of new knowledge systems to induce a positive transformation in society. 1Gundo Maswime currently working on a Masters in engineering (geotechnics). The initial paper was compiled to meet the requirements for the conference of a B. Social. Science Honours. E-mail: [emailprotected] com 2Belinda Johnson is a Lecturer in the School of Politics (UKZN) and a PhD candidate. She teaches Research Methods amongst other modules. Introduction The University Of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) came into being as a result of the merger between the University of Natal and the University of Durban-Westville. The institutional cultures of these two Universities were very different before the merger. While the University of Durban-Westville was, before the amalgamation, regarded as a Black institution the University of Natal on the other hand was considered a white University in the loose common language accepted in South Africa. The new University had to either straddle these two legacies and traditions or abandon both completely for a completely new identity. In an unpublished study commissioned by an ah hoc committee of the University’s Students Representative Council conducted on causes of low pass rates amongst black students at the former University of Natal, a distinction was drawn between â€Å"old-fashioned† racism and â€Å"modern† racism. It was further elaborated that in instances where the â€Å"old-fashioned† reprobate racist feels that his/her form of racism is socially or politically unacceptable, they may â€Å"upgrade† to the modern form of racism. The Department of Optometry within the former University of Natal in 2003 conducted an inquiry after students suggested that racism was behind their lack of success. Allegations of racism were also expressed by student leaders in the Alternatives to Violence Leadership Conference at the Pietermaritzburg Campus in 2003 organised by the Leadership Office of the University. In the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine (a campus of UKZN), many racially charged episodes, and some confrontational, between Indian staff and Black students were reported in 2002, 2003, and 2004 respectively. A study done in Pietermaritzburg by Ms Marie Odendall of the Leadership Office observed; Taking into account the country’s history of radicalized unequal power relations and the way these shaped individual subjectivities, one could investigate how if at all, the institutions’ social and discursive practices, both curricular and co-curricular, challenge both Black and White students and staff to reshape their subjectivities towards equality and away from inferiority and superiority; away from authoritarianism towards minimal domination, and respect and care for self and others (Odendaal 2001). The learning community in Higher education institutions comprises of students and lecturers in a complex melting pot of cultures. They also reflect the colonial baggage and apartheid debts of our past. There has always been a block of opinion that, despite the former Natal University’s claim of rejecting apartheid, the old University of Natal was seen as discriminatory and neoliberal. There is a need to rebrand the University to counter this stigma. A Perception is an individual’s interpretation of the world which becomes that individual’s reality. A world view or personal philosophy emanates from a perception regardless of whether or not it is based on facts or fallacy. A perception is a process by which people translate sensory impressions into a coherent and unified view of the world around them (Online Business Dictionary). Though necessarily based on incomplete and unverified (or unreliable) information, perception is the reality and guides human behaviour in general. Otherness is the quality or state of being different, especially if exotic or unfamiliar. Anatone Broyard, the celebrated American Literary Critic is quoted to have said, before a trip to Europe, that; â€Å"were going to see in Europe religion, royalty, picturesqueness and otherness. It can be deduced that otherness or the perception thereof is not an inherently retrogressive quality as the tone of this paper may unintentionally insinuate. Since the advent of democracy in South Africa, the student profile in the higher education sector has seen a rapid demographic change. A surge in enrolment of black students was observed across the academic spectrum making black students a majority in almost all institutions of higher learning. UKZN has between the years 2000 and 2004 seen an increase of 42. 6% in enrolment of black African students. Inevitably, some of these students come from rural or township schools were there has been no interracial interaction at any level whatsoever. As universities increase black representation to fulfil morally obliging equity imperatives, the challenges of both staff and students to handle the feeling of otherness and to finally interact closely with what has always been at a distance are beginning to strangle the values of academia and squeezing out stereotypes that would have otherwise remained in oblivion. Various investigations of the existence of racism in higher education institutions have been undertaken in post-apartheid South Africa (Robus, 1999; De la Rey 2001; Duncan 2005). This has been part of a larger net of research efforts that aim to investigate the psychopathology of racism most often by profiling the offender. This applied qualitative research focuses only on the perceived existence or non-existence of racism in the Engineering Faculty of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in the minds of the students. Instead of investigating the existence and psychopathology of racism, it is rather the question of whether African students believe that it does or does not exist and why they believe thus. The frame of reference of the â€Å"could have been† or the â€Å"has been† victim the student- is the subject of interest of this research endeavour. The concern generated by the low out-put of graduates in technical disciplines and the obvious demand for infrastructure development skills in South Africa is a justifiable one. This has resulted in more research being done on where possible bottlenecks and learning impediments that compound the drop-out rate are. Psychological factors have been the subject of much of the transformation debate. The, now annualized, Higher Education Summit (April 2010) has, recognised the need for; â€Å"A re? examination of our understanding of the post? apartheid South African university, 15 years after the advent of our democracy. This is to be done with the objective of†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. addressing the challenges raised in the Report of the Ministerial Committee on Transformation and Social Cohesion and the Elimination of Discrimination in Public Higher Education Institutions† Transforming higher education institutions at staff level is considered a progressive step in the transformation process. The question that is not asked is what attributes of being white, except the student’s perception of the lecturer’s racial attitude as perceived by the student calls for staff transformation? There is a need for an understanding of what the extent of the students’ belief in the existence of lecturer-to-student racism is. Employing the binary paradigm to arrest the scope, the paper investigates perceptions of racism practised by white lecturers towards black students. In mid-February 2005 a group of 3 elected student leaders with the guidance of The Council for Higher Education (CHET) and the Centre for Higher Education and Training (CHET) approached Professor H. P Africa and requested him to conduct an audit of failure amongst black students in UKZN. The operational terms of reference included amongst 5 other items; †¢ To investigate the impact of institutional culture and stereotypes on the relationship between teaching staff and students †¢ To recommend the necessary steps to be taken to improve the situation and to create a new ethos of behaviour and attitude of the academic staff. The Engineering Faculty in UKZN subsequent to the merger has been marred with sporadic acts of demonstrations against racism and demands for changes of attitudes of white lecturers by black students. Part of these acts could indeed be dismissed as an extension of the activism and political volatility that was a characteristic in the so called Black Universities of which the University of Durban Westville was. What cannot be dismissed however are the potential effects of psychology induced academic non-performance. Also, policies that go further than prescribing behaviour to address attitudes will prove more effective in transforming the psychological paralysis that active, imaginary and passive discrimination may afflict on black African students. This particular research puts the student at the centre of the research question. It may be that the students do not feel that they experience any form racial prejudice in which case research into race relations as a learning barrier may become irrelevant and we can thus focus on other factors that may have a bearing on graduate output. The study provides resources to guide bridging programs and enable institutions to better handle the typical scenario of black students interacting with white lecturers. That it is a student-to-student interaction between researcher and respondent gives it a deeper and more honest perspective that can be valuable to the policy maker. It also can potentially reveal the more subtle concepts of the psychology of the student against the back drop of his/her environment. It is also worth noting that a normative discourse is highly fact-sensitive in that adding one new fact can alter perspectives radically. To know a mind-set with an interpretation of its state can thus go a long way in improving interactions. The basic approach of the study is exploratory. The two main areas of inquiry regard classroom encounters students have with the academic faculty. There could be a contestation about the extent of the impact of attitudes and perceptions to the extent that a case may be put forward on whether an investigation of this kind is justifiable. This should be settled by drawing from the mission and vision of higher education in general and UKZN in particular. UKZN’s quest to be a Premier University of African Scholarship that is internationally competitive will require that it espouses democratic values of fairness, vhuthu/ubuntu and justice. It is only logical therefore that any act or purported act that contradicts these values is subjected to investigative testing. This endeavor thus comprises an academic and a social component. The fact that Critical Race Theory has a restorative leaning as opposed to being a pure scholastic endeavor makes it an all the more worthwhile scholarly pursuit in this regard. The study was done by firstly constructing the essential elements of Critical Race Theory and various applications and case studies of the same. The second phase was the compiling and administration of questionnaires overlapping with the initial phase. A copy of the questionnaire is appended. Literature Review Despite the tremendous strides resulting from civil rights legislation, racism remains one of the most pressing social problems in the US (Jackson Solis, 1995). This statement finds resonance in South Africa. According to Rosaddo (1990) racism emerged in the 16th century as a result of European expansionism and has persisted to the present as a socially constructed system of values to justify the evil of human exploitation for socioeconomic advantage. Racism is the outward manifestation of an inward system of values deliberately designed to structure privilege by means of an objective, differential, and unequal treatment of people, for the purpose of social advantage over scarce resources. This values system justifies power of position by placing a negative meaning and value on perceived or actual biological/cultural differences. William. Thomas and Dorothy Swaine Thomas (1928), who are numbered among the founders of American sociology, enunciated a crucial concept, the so called Thomas‘s Theorem-also known as the self-fulfilling prophecy. According to this theorem, If a situation is defined as real, it is real in its consequences. Racism is classified by Mark P Zanna as divided in to two forms. Dominative racism which is the manifest or conspicuous form of racism where the reprobate acts out bigoted beliefs that depicts what Zanna calls â€Å"the open lame of racism†. Aversive racism on the other hand is a more subtle and circumlocutory form associated with more erudite, sophisticated and cultured whites (Zanna 2004). The racially intolerant campus climate has many consequences. As Altbach (1991) notes, White students remain liberal in their attitudes towards race relations, although there seems to be an undercurrent of resentment against affirmative action and other special programs for the h istorically disenfranchised. In a study at a small public university in California, Loo and Rolison (1986) found that black students were significantly more likely than Whites to be socially isolated and less likely to feel that the university reflected their values. These differences were explained by the pressure on black students to acquire the culturally dominant White, middle-class values of the campus, as well as the fact that only a small percentage of the student body was an ethnic black. Suen (1983) found that Black students not only scored higher on alienation scales, but also were more likely to drop out than were White students. Differing perceptions of the same behavior carry over into how racism is defined. In a study of students at Stanford University, White students reported that an irrational attitude of hostility against individuals and groups because of their background or membership in one race constituted racism (Bunzel, 1991). Thus, any group or person could be racist. For Black students, the structural components of racism were more salient and definitions that refer to institutional racism and oppression of one group by the racial group in power were preferred (Bunzel, 1991). However, students reporting a first-hand experience of racism were fairly low. Among Whites, 5% reported a first hand experience of racist behavior, for Blacks, it was just under 30%. The focus of the research will be that of the binary paradigm of racism (Hacker 1992) because it arrests the scope of the research by minimizing the variables. In his eminent volume, â€Å"Two Nations†, Hacker clearly demonstrates that for pedagogical reasons, it is sometimes convenient to assume that racism occurs between blacks and whites only and then infer the findings and theories to other races with necessary adjustments. While considerable research has been done on racism in higher education (Robus, 1999; De la Rey 2001; Duncan 2005), most of it is a quantitative study of the out put of the different races, the question of access by the black subgroups and descriptive research on the status quo and problems of language and the inadequacies of the high school system as a contributor to high drop out rate at tertiary level. This research puts the opinion of the student concerned as its focus. It offers a black scholarship perspective of an issue mostly approached in positivist angles. Pervious research initiatives have, in the main, exhausted the questions of both extent, form (Kawakami, et al. , 2007) and impact (e. g. Crocker and Schwartz 1985) of racial prejudice on the victim and less on the perception. In regards to racism, perceptions and reality may not be reconcilable but the research may provide insight into the impact of perceived discrimination. The fact that people act to â€Å"their† reality, whether or not true, causes people to behave in a manner that makes the original meaning actually come true. T. Hall (1969) and James J. Gibson (1950) submit that the fact that two people looking at the same object do not see the same thing may be a result of two different types of vision ; the visual field in the eye and the visual world in the brain. The visual field is made up of the light, colours and figures recorded by the retina. The visual world is made up of all the sociocultural experiences stored in the mind that define the image in the retina, giving it an interpretive meaning called perception. Though the image is in the eye, perception is in the mind. What people actually see is not the reality of the image, but the reality of the perception. And this perception, the visual world, derives from our worldviews, our operational paradigm, our system of beliefs and values that shape our world and enable us to make sense of the reality we experience. Biasco et al. (2001) surveyed 10% of the student body at the University of West Florida to explore racial discrimination, the differing perceptions of black and non-black students, and possible factors responsible for racial discrimination. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents stated they had experienced discrimination at the university: 15% daily, 18% monthly, and 13% annually (Biasco et al. ). A racial comparison clearly showed that a higher percentage of black students perceived discrimination. Sixty-six percent of Black students and forty-one percent of White students in the study reported experiencing racial discrimination. On a general level, 74% of Whites and 85% of Blacks believed in the existence of racial hostility. Additionally, 34% of Blacks, compared to only 11% of Whites, stated that fraternities and sororities were a factor in discrimination. Similar results were reported for perceived discrimination toward students by professors. Forty percent of Blacks and 11% of Whites indicated a discrimination experience with professors. These racial discrepancies suggest that both the experiences and perceptions of Blacks and Whites vary broadly. Theoretical Framework The Critical Race theory came to the fore in the mid 1970’s with the early work of Derrick Bell and Allan Freeman. It was a consequent of a need to understand the more subtle varieties of racism for application in the legal profession. The theory then was a remarkable detour to mainstream theories of racism to the point that Freeman is quoted to have informally said that â€Å"if you are on a short tree during a flood, you may need to climb down before finding shelter in a taller, safer one†. The point of departure of this theory is to assume that race is normal and engrained feature in our society. This point becomes easier to adopt in this research in that, though the theory has American descent, South Africa can only be worse in terms of being prejudiced because racism was once institutionalized and gazetted as a policy. The theory further acknowledges that legislative efforts against discrimination can only curb the more horrific and extreme forms of injustice. Starting from a premise that each civilization constructs its own social realities to advance its own self interest, it sets out to construct its words with its rules, practices and assignments of power and prestige using words, stories and silence. Within the context of the Critical Race Theory, the Derrick Bell further premised what he calls interest convergence. According to this concept, whites will always find ways of reproducing their privileges to perpetuate their dominance by only allowing transformational advances that also promote their interests. The base of this theory in the research is in that the activities of the research will be conducted with sensitivity towards the identification of avarice forms of prejudice that play into the Critical Race Theory. The Critical Race Theory’ s emphasis on perspectivism rather than eccentricity will enable the research effort to comb out tendencies that are negligible to the lecturers while being major to the students in question. In attempting to formulate an analysis of the responses, there was a need to inquire if the respondents are alleging the existence of race bias that is of a manner consistent with the Marxist Theory of Racism. According to Carl Max, certain advantaged groups will attempt to protect their interest and perpetuate their dominance by acting differently towards different races in a manner that sows division. They may also favour certain individuals in one racial group to better manage and defend their practices. In Vygotsky’s theory of race the emphasis is on education and the transmission of knowledge from older to younger generations. Just like manners, Vygotsky’s believes attitudes towards other races are taught at home. In Piaget’s theory the emphasis is on the construction of new knowledge that has the potential for transforming culture, society, and history. Both theories are lacking in their recognition of and accounting for the emancipatory interest of humans. Authors differ in their views of the extent to which the inequalities in higher education participation of the different race groups are the fault or responsibility of higher education per se or an extension of existing general societal trends. It is also argued, on the other hand, that institutions of higher learning leave the situation to deteriorate before they overrun or compensate for accrued disadvantage (Hale, 2006). Woodrow (2003) presented four myths that are commonly heard within the higher education sector as arguments against promoting equity. These are; 1. It is not the prerogative of higher education to promote equity 2. Equity is the enemy of excellence, it lowers standards 3. Only institutions that are desperate to recruit students should prioritize equity 4. We are in favour of equity and promotion of access; we just do not have the resources to do it. Another way to look at the self-perpetuation of racism is through the lack of acknowledgement on the part of the person who is being discriminated against. Just as the aversive racists are not aware of the racism that they have developed, the people who are discriminated against are in denial, which precludes them from taking steps that may initiate social change. These people try to keep up their own self-esteem by denying the acts against them. This could in turn prevent people from trying to change the way they are treated, prolonging the cyclical nature of aversive racism which is a subliminal and more subtle form of racism that may be elusive to detect even for the perpetrator. Also, the contemporary cognitive approach explains that prejudice creates a negative perception, which will in turn justify the prejudice. This shows the cyclical nature of racism. Generally, there are certain sub-group students that have been known to under perform. Students from advantaged backgrounds were seen to score better academic aggregates than their disadvantaged counter parts. It has been established that students who come from non-English backgrounds performed less well than native English speakers and those that come from educationally deprived systems fared worse than their more privileged colleagues (Gibbs Murphy, 1996). In the South African context, these sub-divisions implicitly insinuate a racial divide. A national policy to drive the process of educational transformation minding he fact that the weaknesses and problems of higher education in this regard are vast and complex need urgent consideration. The absence of national legislation will surely result in some institutions in higher learning choosing not to transform at all. (CHE, 2000; 1). If academic practices imply unity and order, then something has not been said and the same has been suppressed in order for that unity to emerge. The impact of this unity on the student o f colour is alienation (Mann, 2001; 1) | | | Since the advent of democracy in South Africa in 1994, much effort has been expended on overcoming the institutionalised racism that characterised apartheid. The transformation of higher education, particularly with regard to the merging and incorporation of institutions, is such an example. The argument, which relies on Essed’s notion of everyday racism, infused with insights from discursive psychology, is that higher education institutions are racialized through the intricate interweaving of macro-level processes and discourses that recur in everyday talk and practices. In 1991, after a tumultuous period of protest in universities, and after the release of Nelson Mandela, the Universities Amendment Act, in which the first steps towards creating a single education system were taken, was passed (Nicholas, 1994). South African higher education was created as a highly racialized space through deliberate acts of policy during the Apartheid era. Duncan (2005) argues that these spaces continue to be racialized not only though the history of higher education, but also through socialisation, staffing composition and the politics of space. With all the interventions that have been implemented since the new dispensation it might as well be that there is not enough racism to warrant a fast tracked transformational overhaul of the higher education sector. It may be that perceptions of students did not change when real change was taking place in which case the stake holders need to now focus just on perceptions. Research Methods Whereas it is very common to test theories in social research, the research approach used is that of the Grounded theory in that the theory will be formulated based on the data rather than being tentative and abstract. As Glaser and Strauss (1967 pp 1-2) explains it, the Grounded theory begins with entering the field of work without a hypothesis. Then use observations from the field work to elucidate what happens. The last part is to concoct and develop an explanation as to why it happens, based on the interpretation of the observations. Theoretical population Thus the theoretical population is any black middle class to lower class student in an institution of higher learning encountering white lecturers. The theoretical population is from a diverse cultural background within South Africa. The social background of the students was identified with the view to establish if prior exposure to whites may affect their perceptions. The Howard college campus was chosen for accessibility of sampling candidates and to fix the variable of the campus to one so that campus to campus trends are not analysed for comparison. Study population The study population is black students that are students in the engineering faculty. Within the group, the variations are mostly in tribal affiliation whilst the socio-economic status is, for all practical purposes, assumed to be uniform. Sampling frame Through the medium of a questionnaire with a fixed set of questions, and interviews, probing questions were formulated to explore the mind set of the Engineering students that comprise the theoretical population in a public opinion poll running for 2 days. The field work was done on male and female African Engineering students on the Howard College Campus. The unit of analysis, black engineering students was sampled in a probabilistic, systematic and random nature. They were accosted at the main entrances of the three engineering buildings on Howard College Campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. This is systematic in that there is no replacement of units that have been used. The respondents were not helped by the interviewer in answering the questions beyond instructive assistance to provide clarity. The sample that completed the questionnaires had 33 students while 2 interviews were conducted with student representatives from the Student Representative Council. The questions and responses were systematically classified to ensure that quantitative comparisons can be made. Based on the data captured, palpable predispositions were recognized as well as some subtle trends. These were then used to formulate an explanation of why the observations are in the manner in which they are. This qualitative research is a mix between exploratory and explanatory research in that it begins by delineating if African Engineering students believe that racial discrimination exists in their faculty and, if they believe it does, what is the perceived extent of racial discrimination by their lecturers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal which is the exploratory aspect of the enquiry. It is noted that the population size is statistically deficient in capturing the essence of the research question in terms of the number of students that completed the questionnaires. The following precautions were taken in anticipation of the following problems. |Problem |Remedy | |Respondent feeling that the interview is an illegitimate subterfuge |A cover letter was prepared to address such fears | |to advance a certain genda | | |Respondent feeling uncomfortable that information gathered from the |Sensitive questions were omitted where possible and respondents were| |interview will not be kept confidential |assured of confidentiality | |Respondent giving normative answers |Sensitive questions were omitted | |Respondents feeling that their lack of knowledge may make them look |It was emphasized that there are no right or wrong answers | |stupid | | Measurement of variables The opening statement in the questionnaire is intended to reassure the respondent that there are no incorrect answers. It also re affirms confidentiality of the exercise by encouraging anonymity. The questionnaire has 9 questions structured to gradually probe the subject with increasing intensity to avoid â€Å"shocking† the respondents. The first question is meant to stimulate interest and make the student at ease. Question 2 and 3 are meant to gather useful biographical information about the respondent. Students from rural and township schools are postulated to have more belief in the existence of racism that may be encouraged by their lack of understanding of some of the mannerisms of white people due to lack of exposure. Also, as students get to third and forth year, it is expected that they may begin to develop genial relations with their lecturers which may introduce a change of perception. Question 4 is general in that it enquires about the personalities of lecturers without mentioning race. It is meant to contrast question 5 subtly by being a similar question but now with race introduced making it a control of the experimental process. How differently the respondent answers this is noted and the consistency in future questions is also observed. Question 6 and 7 give the respondent an opportunity to remember that there could be better white lecturers than black African lecturers and then requests the respondent to try and remember if there are actual incidents they can remember. This makes them remember to relate what they answer to what they experience and not just what they think. It also is intended to subconsciously remind the respondent to be honest. In question 8 and question 9, the impact of racism on the student’s confidence is probed. If the respondents feel undermined, that then introduces the inferiority complex and lack of confidence. While the mind of the respondent is delving into the psychological impact of the perceptions of racism, question 8 enquires if they believe the system or management has the necessary policies and tools to protect them. This question will delineate if there is a sense of hopelessness and despair about the status quo. Results The results for each question were analysed individually before links and patterns were analysed. This was done to make the process of analysis easier to manage because it is done in steps. The first question was not analysed since its purpose in inconsistent with the core business of the research question. The results are as follows; [pic] | | Fig 1: Many students seem to be convinced that their lecturers are friendly. The higher percentage of unsure students could have something to do with the fact that the respondents want to know what the questionnaire is all about before they disclose their opinions. [pic] Figure 2: This question seems to have given the first indication of the fact that the questionnaire is about race relations or racism. There is a will to engage and express the existence of racism. 16. 7 % could be responding by exaggerating to make their point. [pic] Figure 3: Most of those that agree that there are white lecturers that treat then better than black lecturers are in their 3rd and 4th year of civil engineering. Further enquiry reveals that there is only one black lecturer at this level which raises the question of validity of observation with respect to senior civil engineering students. [pic] Figure 4: The majority (41. 7%) believes that white lecturers underestimate them. While 16. %, the same number that claims in figure 2 that all white lecturers have a negative attitude towards them. Analysis of responses from individual questionnaires show that the responses to this question do not come from the same candidates as in figure 2 [pic] Figure 5: ironically, the resp onse to this question points to the fact that while the majority of students are firm in their belief of the existence of racism, a lesser number has experienced racial discrimination. This is evidence that the study is dealing with a perception rather than reality. [pic] Figure 6: There is a unanimous belief that a racist lecturer could easily practice racism with impunity. While none of the respondents was willing to elaborate on their opinion, there is a possibility that this response is also motivated by fear and an intention to get management to respond decisively. [pic] Figure 7: While only one example was put forward, many students seem to be aware of incidents. There could be urban legend on racism or genuine reports of racial discrimination but the fact that virtually no lecturer has ever been punished for it raises questions of its validity against what could be complacence of the authorities. [pic] Figure 8: That 58. 3% categorise the incident as academic is a concern in that it could have negative psychological consequences on the students. Even in the event of urban legend, a strong belief in the existence of racial sabotage can impact on the academic performance of the student. [pic] Figure 9: It is not surprising that there is a belief that white students are getting racially motivated favours. None of the respondents gave an example or incident of such a case but the trend so far justifies why such belief can be anticipated. [pic] The graph above indicates a weighed average of what percentage of lecturers are perceived to be racist as explained by the students. Students that believe that all lecturers are racist and those believing that none of the lecturers are racist were excluded from the plot. However, 3 students believed that 0% were racist while 2 students believed that 100% were racist. The consequent of this observation is to shift the peak by approximately 4% to the left. This will roughly put the peak at 62%. This is thus adopted as the percentage of white racist lecturers as per the perception of black students. Review of results It is surely impossible to accurately itemise and rationally and appraise the impact of an attitude or a perception in a manner that may not invite academic excommunication. However, beyond these limitations, interactions with respondents that went beyond the formalities of the questionnaire reveal a serious problem with regards to race relations between staff and students. Professor Africa’s report mentions that amongst the causes of student failure are problems he categorises as; †¢ Attitudinal †¢ Racial †¢ Academic The relative weight of each of these factors is the subject of further research. With the liberty that Critical Race Theory accords to storytelling, it is important to cite some of the incidents that linger in the mind of Black students in the Engineering Faculty that were shared during the course of the research. A Professor who had told a class that he knows it for sure that second language speakers do not pass his course in the first instance. This prophesy fulfilled itself when the semester ended. The surprise twist to the black students in class was when one of them, with a rare Zulu surname that happens to be spelt like an English surname managed to pass the course on the first instance. This baffled his classmates more so because he was known to be amongst the weak students in his study group of 8 or so students who had all failed the course. In yet another school, a white Professor had alluded that though he has seen black engineers before, he is yet to meet one good black engineer. This incident was reported to the university authorities more than 4 years ago and has been a sore point for many subsequent students in class. In a recent case, the same professor presided in the disciplinary hearing of a black lecturer who has since been dismissed. In this hearing, the defence enquired if it was true that the professor had a case relating to his comments about black engineers to which he agreed. The professor had announced his intention to retire at the end of 2010, more than 5 years after the disciplinary process was due to commence, to which the university requested that he stays for one more year. At this point, it is crucial to problematize the Critical Race Theory’s tendency to respect urban legend and scientific facts. But should the above tales be sooth then a grave cause of concern should follow the probability that this could be a microcosmic representation of the macrocosm. In the Prof Africa report, students report incidents of intimidation from white lecturers. There are reports of postgraduate students who threatened to deregister their course because of the demeaning comments that a lecturer made against them. When black students receive this type of treatment from white lecturers, with the history of this country in tow, it becomes fodder to the perception of racial stereotyping and bias. There is an attitude in some quotas that black students cannot cope with Engineering. This attitude which borders on racism further argues that because Africans are not good in Mathematics, it is thus impossible that they can handle Engineering. The tragedy in this is that some of these beliefs are held by lecturers teaching the same subjects which makes for a classical case of self fulfilling prophesy. A number of black student feel that white lecturers are unapproachable. The old adage of ‘ who will guard the guardians† is the main question. The findings confirm those of the study conducted in 1999 that there is a perception that some staff look down upon students. The same study further alleged that white students are treated better that black students. Sadly in one school within the engineering cluster, black students interviewed consistently referred to one black lecturer who was completely unapproachable to black students but very â€Å"nice† to white students. This alleged reprobate would be very clear about contents of examinations to white students. One white student is alleged to have assembled a few of his black friends to explain what he was let into as the contents of the examination and made it clear that he was doing this in protest to the Professor’s skewed racial tendencies. The same Professor has been a beneficiary of a major promotion which amongst black students is proof that there is an incentive from the university awaiting those that discriminate against black students. There were a few incidences cited were students received results saying they have failed and in persistent enquiry found that they had passed. One such incident involves a student that was given a mark of 40% which was later changed to 80% in the remark and another in a different school whose mark evolved from 0% to 2% then 18% and finally 50% in 2 weeks. While the former case was dismissed as a transcription error by the lecturer, to the student and his friends it is interpreted as a confirmation that the white lecturers in Engineering believe that a black student has failed unless proven otherwise. There are unreported stories in this paper that were left out because the authenticity was suspect. It is worth noting that none of the 9 first year respondents believe that racism exist. The significance of this observation is that the perceptions of racism are not a continuation of long held beliefs but a reaction to experiences and observation by the students. Also it is only at second year level that modules from the respective engineering schools are taught. First year students are essentially science students. Conclusion Since 1994, South Africa has committed itself to non-racialism. Yet due to an extensive institutionalisation of racism that transpired over more than 3 decades and centuries of racist ideology, de-familiarisation of an entrenched attitude that racism is bay assuming the non-existence of its existent manifestations is suicidal. When a student enrols at a university, the university in principle undertakes to ensure that the student will be provided with an enabling environment in which to exercise determination and invoke mother wit to acquire a qualification. In Professor Africa’s words; ‘An overarching environment for students’ success should be based on the principle that the University is there to ensure that the average student who is admitted to an academic program will succeed. It is counterproductive for the student to be in an environment that is alienating, unfriendly or were he/she feels an outsider. The University must be a place where the student feels affirmed and he/she must feel that the institution is there for him/her. Statements like â€Å"you will fail like flies† or â€Å"this class is too large, next year only 10% of you will be here† have no place in a progressive, student friendly institution. ’ Acrimonious relations between staff and students breed disrespect, suspicion and tension. Unfortunately, the latter seems to be a representation of the status quo in some of the Engineering disciplines at UKZN. The research into the nature and perceptions of race relations on campus indicates that the university is a microcosm of society and faces the same problems as society at large. South African higher education was created as a highly racialized space through deliberate acts of policy during the Apartheid era. Duncan (2005) argues that these spaces continue to be racialized not only though the history of higher education, but also through socialisation, staffing composition and the politics of space. Our analysis suggests that this state of affairs could be contributing towards a widespread perception of the unabated existence racial prejudice at the Faculty of Engineering. Since as early as 1990, measures have been taken and legislation has been passed that were aimed at redressing the disparity created in higher education institutions by the institutional racism of Apartheid. Tertiary education has thus been an area that has faced substantial structural transformation. And yet, it remains a highly racially tense environment Very few students believe that the dominative form of racism exists as theorised by Zanna (2004). Aversive racism on the other hand is a more subtle and circumlocutory form associated with more erudite, sophisticated and cultured whites (Zanna 2004). It seems that the average black student in the Engineering Faculty subscribes to the existence of the avarice form of racism as existent in the faculty amongst white lecturers. There is also an observed belief that as many as 70% of those believed to be racist know that there are racist. While all respondents believe that the consequent is sabotage in academics with impunity from the perpetrator shows that it could be the sophistication and wit of the perpetrator that has made it almost impossible for the lecturers to bear the consequences. The research will against this background managed to unearth perceptions of the existence of aversive forms of racism. It is crucial to also note that the students were interviewed around examination time which is a stressful period. This could also fuel a general sense of negativity and hopelessness amongst any student to the point that it can affect the objectivity of their responses. The interview was rather rushed because the interviewee was going for a meeting in Durban. This however could be the reason why the answers were very much direct which is a positive development. It limited long winding answers that derail the interview. On the question of what changes could be done to improve perceptions and ultimately relations, it seems that the students are not very keen on bridging the gap. It could be that there is a feeling that their white lecturers may not be interested in building good relations with them. It could also be the African mannerism of not expecting to relate to an older person beyond acting on their advice irrespective of what perceptions of them one has. The relationship between white students and white lecturers could be the source of curiosity and allegations of favour by race that black students accuse their white lecturers of. Piaget’s theory that puts emphasis on the construction of new knowledge in order to transform culture, society, and history is recommended as a comprehensive attempt to redress the challenge. At University, this may prove to be too late to achieve. A strategy developed in response to this set-up must be devised to give lecturers an insight into the perceptions that the students of colour have about them and recommend practical activities that lecturers can engage in to deal with this mind set issues. There is a strong perception amongst students that the racist attitude of some white lecturers is the reason behind high failure rates in Engineering. Remarks uttered with a reasonable modicum of â€Å"innocence† or ignorant naivety such as ; â€Å" our black students have difficulties grasping abstract concepts†, our black students have difficulties with Mathematics and hence Engineering are cited by some respondents and also feature in the Professor Africa report. There are many instances where students feel they were given borderline marks to deliberately ensure that they do not meet the requirements for postgraduate studies. Critical Race Theory teaches us that racism is inherent and that there is a need to devise active measures to discourage it and to educate society and de-familiarise the familiar. Recommendations Although the reported perception of racial bias on this campus was generally igh and most often in the form of subtle racism, the problem remains when some students perceive differential treatment based on their race. After careful consideration of this information, it seems advisable for all universi ties and colleges to assess the status of race relations on their campus. The assessment could start with a survey of administrators, faculty, staff, and students to learn about their perceptions of race relations. Selecting student and faculty representatives to serve as mediators in cases of racial or ethnic complaints may help improve the racial environment (Marklein, 1990). Finally, fostering ethnic social networks may help some universities lower high attrition rates (Nagasawa Wong, 1999). Providing workshops on racial sensitivity and diversity for administrators, faculty, and staff (Gordon, 1991) is indicated for our university and may be beneficial to other universities. Developing student organizations to foster ongoing discussions about race relations and to sponsor annual events to celebrate diversity (Kent, 1996) also may help improve race relations. Providing information about racial sensitivity and diversity in student orientation and increasing course content on diverse cultures and ethnic studies also are suggested (Kelly, 1990). Sentiment has it that an ombudsman form of intervention is not ideal. Currently the responsibility is shared between the offices of Organizational Culture and Equity and Transformation. These offices should consult with stakeholders to formulate a Code of Conduct in this regard. The University should resolve that every single case of racism reported must be addressed irrespective of the negative publicity the institution may incur or the impact on the academic enterprise. Canons of fair play and decency must govern the relationships within and without the University. The view that student are at the bottom of the academic food chain and thus do not deserve a modicum of respect should belong to the past together with academic conceit and arrogance that mask racism and other discriminatory tendencies adulterant to the interaction between staff and students. The lines of communication between staff and students across the races must be kept open and reinforced formally and informally. Mutual respect should be the overarching governing principle. Lecturers are hardly ever trained on how to lecture, let alone handle diversity. This intervention is recommended. In some western countries, lecturers are taken through training on how to handle various lecture room scenarios and attitudes. This initiative could ameliorate culture clashes. An open relationship between staff and students will go a long way in creating an atmosphere of trust between staff and students. This will only occur if democratic values that 1994 ushered are embodied in all dealings with â€Å"others†. The Student Representative Council must actively engage the University community and bring them to task about measures to harmonize relationships within the university community in general and between Black students and White lecturers in particular.

The Model Society Essays - Economic Ideologies, Economic Liberalism

The Model Society Lisa Pepper Professor Black CES Final Summary of the Model Society Goals of the Model Society Chart comparing aspects of different countries Comparisons between the Model Society and other major societies and theories Triangle Graph Comparisons Survey Bibliographic Information A Utopian society does not exist in any country in the world. The perfect system has not yet been developed. Certainly the United States and the Soviet Union have been two of the most admired systems OF the past, but they to are far from an ideal model of a just society which has been desired by many persons throughout the ages. This just society, is hard to define, nevertheless, this is what I propose. In the model society, all industry is nationalized and all citizens between the ages of twenty-one and forty-five are required to serve in an industrial army. This industrial army is divided into ten branches of industry, each department being under the control of a lieutenant general. Each lieutenant general is elected by a vote of all the retired members of the department he heads, thus avoiding the undesirable effects of having the workers select their own bosses. The general-in-chief of the army is the President, and all the men in the nation not involved in the industrial army elect him. No wages are paid, but all citizens, be they active or retired, receive an equal share in the national income. At the beginning of each year, every citizen is given a credit card marked off in dollars and cents, and every time he makes a purchase the amount is subtracted from his card. If any surplus is left over at the end of the year, it may be used the following year, or returned to the commo n fund. In this model society education is free and the old are provided for. And if any man who is capable of working refuses to do so, he may find himself in solitary confinement until he sees the light. 1. The provision of employment for all persons who are able and willing to work. 2. An equal distribution of money and real income among all citizens so that economic and social deprivation will not exist. 3. An increase in the level of real gross national product from year to year so that the standard of living for all citizens continues to rise. 4. An emphasis on the quality as well as the quantity of life. Full employment is in itself a desirable economic goal. It is the prime function of economy to enable everybody willing and able to work to earn a living, and only a fully employed economy performs this function. Maximum output is desirable given the communitys willingness to work, and here again full employment is a necessary condition. A more equitable distribution of income is one of the major goals of a model society. The major uncertainties of an industrial society are those of unemployment, premature death or disability, prolonged illness, and old age. These uncertainties can be taken care of through social security programs. It is necessary to provide some minimum standard of living for these families through family allowances, housing subsidies, and free medical care. An increase in the standard of living depends on the per capita income. Economic growth in this situation requires an increase in the actual output of goods as well as an increase in an economys capability to produce goods. That is why this is a fundamental goal of a model society. To an extent there is a contradiction between economic growth and the quality of the environment. Economic growth often results in smoke and fumes from more cars, litter, and pollution. In the model society emphasis would be placed on those things necessary to the environment. Although there is no such thing as a utopian society today, there are countries, which appear to have done well in providing the greatest good for the greatest number of people, and others which have done nothing to accomplish this goal. Following is brief synopsis of several different countries or theories as compared to the Model Society. Sweden is an excellent example of one such country. It displays a willingness and ability to correct problems that arise in its society today. The model society would hope to imitate

Behavioral Science in the Armed Forces

Behavioral Science in the Armed Forces Military sociology is the sociological study of the military. It examines issues such as military recruiting, race and gender representation in the military, combat, military families, military social organization, war and peace, and the military as welfare. Military sociology is a relatively minor subfield within the field of sociology. There are few universities that offer courses on military sociology, and only a handful of academic professionals that conduct research and/or write about military sociology. In recent years, most of the studies that can be classified as military sociology have been done by private research institutes or in military agencies, such as the Rand Corporation, the Brookings Institute, the Human Resources Research Organization, the Army Research Institute, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Furthermore, the research teams that conduct these studies are generally interdisciplinary, with researchers from sociology, psychology, political science, economics, and business. This by no means implies that military sociology is a small field. The military is the largest single government agency in the U.S. and the issues addressed surrounding it can have important ramifications for both military policy and the development of sociology as a discipline. The Basis of Service One of the most significant issues in military sociology in the U.S. post-World War II is the shift from drafting to voluntary service. This was a huge change and one whose impact at the time was unknown. Sociologists were and still are interested in how this change affected society, who the individuals were who entered the military voluntarily and why, and whether this change affected the representativeness of the military (for example, are there more uneducated minorities who enter voluntarily than were selected in the draft)? Social Representation and Access Social representation refers to the degree to which the military represents the population from which it has been drawn. Sociologists are interested in who is being represented, why the misrepresentations exist, and how representativeness has changed throughout history. For example, in the Vietnam War era, some civil rights leaders alleged that African Americans were overrepresented in the armed forces and therefore accounted for an unfair amount of casualties. Gender representation also developed as a major concern during the women’s rights movement, generating major policy changes concerning the participation of women in the military. In more recent years, when President Bill Clinton overturned the military ban on gays and lesbians, sexual orientation became the focus of major military policy debate for the first time. This topic has come into the spotlight once again after President Barack Obama repealed the Don’t ask, don’t tell policy so that gays and lesbia ns can now serve openly in the military. Sociology of Combat The study of the sociology of combat deals with the social processes involved in combat units. For example, researchers often study unit cohesion and morale, leader-troop relations, and motivation for combat. Family Issues The proportion of military personnel who are married has increased greatly over the past fifty years, which means there are also more families and family concerns represented in the military. Sociologists are interested in looking at family policy issues, such as the role and rights of military spouses and the issue of child-care when single-parent military members are deployed. Sociologists are also interested in military benefits related to families, like housing improvements, medical insurance, overseas schools, and child care, and how they impact both the families and the larger society. The Military as Welfare Some people argue that one of the military’s roles is to provide the opportunity for occupational and educational advancement to the less advantaged in society. Sociologists are interested in looking at this role of the military, who takes advantage of the opportunities, and whether the training and experience of the military offer any advantages compared to civilian experiences. Social Organization The organization of the military has changed in many ways over the past several decades – from the draft to voluntary enlistment, from combat-intensive jobs to technical and support jobs, and from leadership to rational management. Some people argue that the military is changing from an institution legitimized by normative values to an occupation legitimized by a market orientation. Sociologists are interested in studying these organizational changes and how they impact both those in the military and the rest of society. War and Peace For some, the military is immediately associated with war, and sociologists are certainly interested in examining different aspects of war. For example, what are the consequences of war for societal change? What are the sociological impacts of war, both at home and abroad? How does war lead to policy changes and shape the peace of a nation?

Consumer product safety Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer product safety - Research Paper Example l injury and defense of negligence Duty of care and breach of duty care This is a legal obligation of a person or organization to avoid omission, which can be, reasonably foreseen consequently causing harm to others. In this context, the duty of care of manufacturers of garlic slicer is fundamental to avoid potential risks to users. In actual sense, manufacturers have a responsibility of care to prevent damage or injury arising from failure or fault of their products (Consumer Product Safety division). It is noteworthy that, the model of the duty of care should be proved before proceeding with an action in negligence. Conversely, an individual who without any element of personal fault sustains an injury caused by a defect in the design or manufacture of a product rendering it unreasonably dangerous to normal use, may recover from the product’s manufacturer without proof of negligence. Standard of care This refers to manufacturer’s obligation of ensuring proper descripti on of product usage. It involves a provision of proper usage guidelines and associated cautions (Consumer Product Safety division). This may include package inserts, which describes all forms of information related to the prescribing data. The package inserts refers to the specific product information, which includes the medication itself. It is worth noting that, the product inserts do not define the standard of care for the use of the prescription medications however, the key concern is how the courts rule on the matter. The fundamental aspects attributed to the insert information include the possibility of establishing the applicable standard of care, which can be used as evidence in the determination of the applicable standard of care. In addition, whether this information can be used to in the... Consumer product safety Consumer protection statute refers to the laws that regulate relationships between individual consumers and manufacturers. This study examines the product liability statute. This statute governs the liability of the manufacturers, wholesalers, distributor and vendors for damages caused by faulty products. The fundamental role of the product liability statute is to enhance consumer protection from dangerous products. This law holds the manufacturers, wholesalers, and vendors responsible for such product faultiness. Manufactures have a fundamental role in ensuring the consumer safety is assured. However, restriction on negligence actions implies that, while damages may be recompensed for individual damages or injuries caused, damages will not be awarded for economic losses. Consumer protection statute refers to the laws that regulate relationships between individual consumers and manufacturers. This study examines the product liability statute. This statute governs the liability of the manufacturers, wholesalers, distributor and vendors for damages caused by faulty products. The fundamental role of the product liability statute is to enhance consumer protection from dangerous products. This law holds the manufacturers, wholesalers and vendors responsible for such product faultiness. In conclusion, manufactures have a fundamental role in ensuring the consumer safety is assured. However, restriction on negligence actions implies that, while damages may be recompensed for individual damages or injuries caused, damages will not be awarded for economic losses.

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

Language and culture - Essay Example It is important to note however, that even with an understanding of the language, if one does not understand the humor embroiled in the language, then one will be missing out on understanding a great part of the native culture of a people. Most of this humor is often reflected in the written work, the literary creations of the writers of the country, where the humor is mixed with the presentation of the culture and life of the people. That is why I have been drawn into the world of literature in my undergraduate studies. It became quite an interesting feat for me to translate English to Arabic and vice versa. I found that I was easily moved by the Arabic poems and only â€Å"interested† in the English poems, which I did not find as strong or compelling as their Arabic counterparts. My professor told me that this was because the strong suit of the Arabic nation was the highly expressive language that the people used. As such, it had developed over time to effectively use words that would influence and compel people to have an interest in learning more about the Arabic way of life and the culture of its

E-mail protocol Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

E-mail protocol - Research Paper Example Anonymity of all the parties together with message security and integrity can be ensured by use of digital signature protocols that make it possible for delivery of electronic mail to be certified. i. Several reasons make it necessary to certify delivery of electronic mail. These include: a. To eliminate the danger of hacking, reverse engineering and eavesdropping. b. To ensure that the parties to an electronic message remain anonymous to each other for security reasons. c. To make it possible to safely transfer information from one party to another or from one sender to multiple recipients while at the same time addressing the issue of repudiation. ii. Certifying delivery of electronic mail has several advantages over conventional mail because: a. It improves efficiency of mail delivery while at the same time taking care of security concerns. b. Either of the parties to the message is barred by the protocol from ever denying having received or sent the message. iii. The protocol ens ures that only the intended message is sent. E-mail Protocol Abstract The issue of security can never be overlooked in this digital age when it comes to corporate emails. A simple leakage of confidential information can create a huge social, economical and political scene that can be costly in terms of money. Therefore, the need to add value to delivery of important data over the internet to safeguard individual and corporate interests cannot be overemphasized. To guarantee delivery of email messages, it would be paramount to consider using certified mail and lay down stringent rules to govern employee conduct towards the use of conventional email. However, there are controversies that surround the use of certified mail in that it deals only with a single sender and a single recipient. So, what happens when there is the need to send an email message to more than one recipient? The answer lies in the use of a multi party certified e-mail protocol with multiple recipient capabilities. It enables the sender to realize his intention of sending similar message to multiple recipients. Any recipient who acknowledges receipt of the sender’s message is guaranteed to have received the email. To appreciate the role of email protocols best, it would suffice to not only consider how security loopholes can be sealed in the current internet infrastructure but also look at possible ways of curtailing weaknesses and optimizing on strengths of email protocol. Introduction Without email protocols, it would not be possible to maintain a consistent and orderly system for transporting, routing, handling, retrieval and storage of email messages. Email protocols provide the rules for governing such activities. There are several protocols that enable a mail server and a mail client to exchange information but this will be dealt with later on in this document. Though these protocols differ in some ways, yet they all follow similar pattern. First, one computer will normally start a conversation with another. Second, as the conversation is taking place, the server acknowledges the command using a certain code. The code informs about the success of the command or if an error occurred and finally the conversation is ended. The email protocol helps eliminate communication barriers in email systems thereby making it unnecessary to rely on proprietary protocols. This has the overall effects of making communication to be efficient by eliminating the need of

Advantages and disadvantages of the oligopoly market system

Advantages and disadvantages of the oligopoly market system This essay will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the oligopoly market system. Supermarket has brought into the service for man for long. The roots of supermarkets are the Co-operative of the nineteenth century. At the beginning of the early 20th century the people come up to an idea for selling goods. After that there become the first Supermarket which was set up in January 12th, 1948 in UK. (Brainy History, 2010) As soon as the first supermarket has been set up, a large number of supermarkets came out such as Tesco and Sainsburys. The supermarket industry is now developing in a very high speed. As the supermarket is one of the great improvements in peoples daily life, it becomes one of the most important places for all the people. Today, the supermarket industry in UK has already been changed into oligopoly market. This essay will discuss the characteristics of oligopoly market, and then discuss the kinked demand curve, non-price competition and the marketing mix in the o ligopoly market. First of all, an oligopoly market means that several relatively interdependent companies which concentrate the supply and compete with each other. Therefore, this become highly competitive and the oligopoly companies sell the homogeneous products which are branded. (Tutor2u, 2010) If the company sells the homogeneous products, the consumers will not get the new and better product in a very short time because of the competitive between the firms. They all sell the same product so that there wont be pressure for them to be survived in the UK Supermarket market. Another characteristic of oligopoly market is that the market has been controlled by a few big firms. As a result, these companies will control the market as they like. That may let another characteristic happened which is called price maker. (Tutor2u, 2010) Price maker is a kind of people or firm who set up the price for the product in the market. These people could easily control the market in a way the oligopoly firms want, s o that the consumers will not get some preferences in this kind of market, such as discount, promotion and so on. Therefore, from the characteristics above, it easily shows that the oligopoly market does huge harmful for the normal consumers. If the UK supermarket keep on being like this, the consumers will not get preferences anymore. The next point which is going to talk about is the kinked demand curve. The blank area is where price stability happens (from figure 1). These oligopoly firms always use the non-price competition to increase their output quantity. According to these two figure, in this case, there are no rising in price so that the consequence is what consumers want to see. Non-price competitions, is a kind of competition which is not focus on the price. That shows there are many other competitions in this market. From the Tesco.com and Asda.co.uk, it shows that the Big Fours official websites are some promotional activities, for example discount and cash back. Although, there are some different methods for non-price competition. Figure 1: Figure 2: Reported by TIMESONLINE 2007, Tesco, Asda, Sainsburys and the former Safeway, and the dairy companies Wiseman, Dairy Crest and Cheese Company are doubt for the dairy product price in 2007. As a result, Tesco possibly get a number of number for about 80 million bill. After that, Tesco is going to get back the money by law. So that the case shows that there are some mistakes in this market system. This may also damage the market system too and the consumer confidence can be lost at the same time. The last and which is the most important that can not be ignored is the marketing mix for the oligopoly market system. First of all, in an oligopoly market, the place for which the consumers can go to buy the products are mainly the Big Four. The consumers can not have many different choices for choosing the place to buy things so that Big Four has already control the market as they want. Then, the price can just set up by the price maker. In an oligopoly market, the price maker is the oligopoly firm which shows that the firms can set up the price as they want. For the product, every oligopoly company produces homogeneous product and service. The Big Four use their selves advantages to build high barrier to entry which is to protect their market share. These will make the consumers own less choices for buying the product. Promotion also doesnt always happened in the oligopoly market. All in all, the oligopoly market do harmful for the consumers. In conclusion, from the discussion above, we know that the characteristics of ver, the maximum competition in the oligopoly market can be advantageous to the improvement in providing various products to meet the needs of consumers. It will be meaningful in their oligopoly market and the marketing mix and kinked demand curve shows that the oligopoly is beneficial to the consumers. And oligopoly is also beneficial for sellers too. What is more, our consumers are able to enjoy a well-developed purchasing environment.

Child Witch Hunts in the Congo :: Informative Essays, human rights, Africa

All in the name of ‘God’ witch hunting has been a justification for many years of the harshest capital punishment of innocent men; children and women. Witch hunts have occurred for more than 200 years and it has been an on going issue of abuse of human rights. Witch hunting dates back to the 14th Century in Europe, the starting point of these witch hunts, and Britain. Thus reaching its peak in America during the 16th Century. The famous of all witch hunting cases was ‘The Salem Witch Trials’. Witch hunting has been a major human rights abuse in The Democratic Republic of Congo. The process of witch hunting and exorcism began during late 2001 and has continued to this current day. Present issues such as this have risen again in early 2009. The witch hunting crisis in Congo has circulated issues of these so called ‘exorcisms’ as being an abuse of human rights as well as child abuse. In order to prevent any further acts of human rights abuse the C ongolese Government has taken a considerate amount of legal and non-legal measures. As the death toll rises to 40,000 due to witchcraft exorcisms, more than 14,000 have been abandoned by their parents. The Congolese Government has used non-legal measures as a means of protecting children’s rights. The non-legal measures were forcefully used by the Congolese Government through rounding up homeless children that were disowned and accused of witchcraft by both their parents and pastors. Abandoned children have been taken into custody by the Congolese authorities, as a use of legal measures, and put into orphanages as a means of protection. Many Congolese authorities have taken use of this opportunity to start addressing the abuse committed against children via the use of non-legal measures. Through the effective use of non-legal measures Congolese authorities have used such measures to re-educate the people of Congo. Using religion as a strong non-legal measure to educate the parents and religious leaders that such abuse on children is unwarranted. In an alarming trend increasing number of children are being accused of witchcraft. This has prompted the government to launch a parliamentary commission of inquiry with a view to toughening the law. Such accusations are specifically prohibited by Congo’s new constitution, which distinctively prohibits accusing children of witchcraft. The Congolese Government has reviewed the constitution through parliament, as a legal measure to prevent child abuse.

Aloha Products Essay

Q1. Evaluate the current control systems for the manufacturing, marketing and purchasing departments of Aloha Products. Solution: From the case we can see that Aloha products is structured on a cost basis; however the control system is attempting to measure each plant on a profit basis. Thus the company have a centralized control system. This means that the main office takes all the main decisions regarding purchases, production, sales, marketing and promotions in order to save costs. However, the plant managers are responsible for their profit and loss and are evaluated on the basis of their performance despite lack of adequate control over the activities by managers of the managed plant. This type of structure is an unfair way of measuring the performance of the individual production plants. Based on the current system evaluating the three major departments of Aloha Products are described below: Evaluation of manufacturing departments: There are three production plants within AP’s manufacturing department; each plant is responsible for their own profits and losses. Unfortunately the managers have no control over any of the major activities in their respective production facilities; the vice president of the manufacturing oversees all of the roasting, grinding, and packaging processes. Production schedules are provided to each plant manager for the current and following month. The plant managers also have no control over the green beans purchase, production schedule, production mix, or the costs of their inputs, as the purchasing departing assigns the costs based on specific contract for that shipment. If the inputs exceeded plant’s requirements, they are sold at the spot rate in the market, and could very well result in a loss. Evaluation of purchasing departments: The purchasing department is responsible for obtaining the required quantities and types of green coffee to be roasted in production plants. The level of sophistication and expertise needed makes this department a necessity; proper staffing is vital based on the complexity of the green coffee market. This department relies on the relationships with growers and brokers; for smaller firms, an important feature of this department is their ability to foresee demand and required inventory and subsequently entered into forward contracts with brokers anywhere between three to twelve months in advance. The costs of each shipment are based on specific contracts for those green coffee beans, which can vary based on the various price drivers as mentioned earlier. This can create diversified and volatile costs of inventory. Required inventory demand is based on communication between marketing (sales) and the purchasing department, any discrepancies at the current date is met by the purchases through the spot market, which incurs significantly higher costs. The costs associated with running this purchasing department are charged to headquarters of AP. Currently there is no communication between purchasing and manufacturing department. Furthermore, purchasing department does not need to report to head office or meet any performance measurement standards. Ultimately power resides with upper management of the purchasing unit. Evaluation of marketing (sales) departments: Under the current structure, this department is centralized. The president of AP and vice president of sales are in charge of advertising and promotion of the final products. The marketing department also determines the budgeted sales, which are then passed onto purchasing department. Q2. Considering the company’s competitive strategy, what changes, if any would you make to the control systems for the three departments? Solution: The changes to the current control systems involves establishing accountability and effective communication among the three departments and providing key measures to evaluate the manager’s performance objectively. Recommendations for the current management control systems are as follows: Recommendations for manufacturing departments The manufacturing department is currently profit centre. However, the plants do not have control over the costs of the green coffee. Thus the main concern of this department as a whole should be efficiency; how well they can control the costs to roast green coffee. As such, here the recommendation would be to make manufacturing department’s plants be accountable for the costs incurred to roast and package the green coffee. The performance measure for the manufacturing department at AP should be evaluated based solely on the roasting, grinding, and packaging of AP’s coffees. It would be unfair to evaluate manufacturing as a profit centre, when in reality it has little to no control over product costs or sales. Since control over purchasing and selling will not be transferred to the manufacturing department in this proposal, it is logical to assess based on controllable factors such as cost/pound only. Thus instead of being assessed for the performance of the purchasing and marketing departments, plant managers will now have the incentive to ensure their costs do not vary from the standard. It will still be possible to evaluate roasting plants based on gross margin as well. However to ensure the plant managers are not penalized for the fluctuations in the costs of green coffee contracts, a standard cost for green coffee would have to established and used in the computation of gross margin. Recommendations for purchasing departments The purchasing department’s costs are being charged to central office. Due to this the purchasing department is not being held accountable for the contracts it is entering into. The purchasing department’s main concern should be actual contract costs. Thus, we recommend that the purchasing department be accountable for the difference between the actual costs per signed contracts and standard costs of green coffee raw materials. The actual costs should be measured in a similar manner to the current practice. Contract costs related to buying and selling in the spot market should not be included in the computed price per bag. A reasonable standard costing for the green coffee contracts will have to be established based on discussions between management and executives in the purchasing department. The standard costs could potentially be based on the average of spot price over past 6 months. Thus, the recommendation here would be that this standard cost be updated every quar ter, in order to provide accurate standard costs of green coffee raw materials. Recommendations for marketing (sales) departments The marketing department focuses its efforts on advertising and promotion, however, it is not held responsible for the costs it incurs or how accurate their sales forecasts/budgets are. There is a large costs associated with differences between the forecasted requirements and actual requirements. The difference results in the purchases or sales at the spot price for the green coffee, which tends to costs more than the forward contract prices. It is not reasonable for the marketing department to perfectly forecasts sales and therefore there should be leniency in developing a method of accountability for this department. The goal here is not only to hold each group accountable but also to make sure managers feel they are being evaluated fairly and motivated to improve performance. In keeping with this actual sales volume should be compared to forecasted sales volume. This will not only help to keep the marketing department accountable for their activities but will also allow the forecasts methodology to be reviewed and continuously improve. Thus on an overall basis, the company needs to establish goal congruence between the three departments. This can be achieved through emphasizing communication between departments; this would encourage the forecasts of purchases/sales to be more accurate. In order to increase the goal congruence and communication, the department should also be evaluated based on the overall measure for the firm. This measure could be Economic Value added (EVA) as when it is applied, managers will not just be focussed on their own departments profitability but also that of company as a whole. The EVA approach promotes the same profit objectives across different departments. Thus by keeping the same structural organizations and only changing the way each department is evaluated, the incentive plan for each department more accurat ely reflects what each department can control.