Schooling vs. Education

Education and Schooling: The Mental Fork In The Road Understanding the difference between schooling and educating is important. Many people use the two terms education and schooling interchangeably. Education refers basically to the education system such as: schools, colleges, Tech centers, universities in public and private. The belief is that these institutions are creating original thinkers. The system of schooling uses discipline and motivation as a method to motivate young people to learn. Within the School system students experience frustration when they attempt to make changes or improve because there is confusion between what is schooling and what is education. This confusion is caused because there is often overlapping and contradictory goals and objectives within each system. The term schooling is use as a way of pointing out the historical, cultural, political and social processes of transforming people into citizens and members of particular social groupings. School is meant to determine each student’s proper social role (Gatto page 157). This is a form of domesticating people, making them â€Å"fit in† to whatever the demands of the social group into which they are born and/or live in. You don’t have to learn anything original. What you really learn in college or any other level of schooling is how to navigate the system. Though you may be exposed to many ideas, theories, and discoveries, they are only side effects if you choose to gain the knowledge. Schooling depends on there being an authority to authorize what is going to be counted as correct and worthy of some certificate or other form of reward for conforming. Emphasis is given to learning information and repeating this information in tests that are marked according to the extent that the repetition is faithful to some original text. Schooling is about following norms of â€Å"behavior and thinking† that have been desired by authorities such as: governments, examination boards, and tradition. Memory therefore is accorded prime place under schooling. This method is commonly use but rarely noticed by the population it controls. Schooling can be compared to animal taming and boarder line brainwash. Schooling should be deemed wrong due to its more recent historical associations with controlling, forming and fashioning the minds of behaviors of American youth. The emphasis upon the meaning of schooling is ‘leading' the individual to engage in the teacher's desired forms of behavior. It sounds like we are a collection of domesticated animals. Without the gift of original thought, students are given the idea that they are now an educated person, they cease to be a force of change and movement in the intellectual universe. They are no longer a threat to the status quo, but another piece of the puzzle of our society. You will get a fine job, a credit card, and work your life to promote the thoughts, ideas, and passions of other people. This may suggest that schooling is necessary, but would you want to become another robot. Education can be described as the antithesis to schooling. Education is the process of exploring alternative ways of thinking, actions, believing, and expressing one's self. It is the process through which one forms one's own judgment independently and using cognitive thought processes. Education depends on dialogue between people on an intellectual level. Education is about freedom of thought and action. It means making judgments about knowledge. Education requires Students to ask why, not just what and how. After the why is answered, it requires students to ask, â€Å"what now?! † We all need ‘information' as a basis for reflection. Becoming educated may seem like the opposite; however the idea of schooling comes back into play. Who you can be and what you can accomplish are not so clear cut. Scholars in political economy and the sociology of knowledge have recently argued that public schools in complex industrial societies like our own make available different types of educational experience and curriculum†¦[for] different social classes (Anyon page 174). This creates a disadvantage for the poorer areas. Even if you absorb all the information you could, you would still fall short to the student being educated somewhere with better resources. Man y people who go to school, building up debt and spending valuable years. It is through the educative process that creativity and spontaneity, innovation possibilities for realization and action. Education is a fundamental process for democracy as schooling is a fundamental process for non democratic forms of political organization. Anyone engaged in a process of improvements would do themselves well by understanding these distinct differences and clarifying their own goals and objectives relative to each system. The completion of school is not the completion of an education; it is simply a point of departure. There are dangers that come when someone completes their schooling and makes the mistake of thinking they’re finished. A degree comes with it a grave responsibility to continue a quest for an education for the rest of your life. Within that phase of your life it is time to evaluate what you know and understand. The truth is†¦we know nothing without experiencing it ourselves. This experience, we should be striving to broaden, with enthusiasm every day. In conclusion, schooling and education are to opposing forces that work together. You can either become a robot with no original thought of your own, or a educated individual with the of cognitive thinking. As stated before school prepares you for the system that we identify as the real world. Through the schooling process many great things are highlighted for the benefit of the student to absorb. The student must be willing to take his education as Malcolm X did when he was in prison. He didn’t have the advantages like others may have been exposed to, but her took his education. Teachers should focus more on inspiring the students to want to absorb an education instead of just attending to be domesticated and looked after. The moral to this story is that schooling is unavoidable, but there is a great chance to take advantage of the knowledge that is available. Will you take your education by the horns or just let it push you by? Works Cited Anyon, Jean. Rereading America Cultural Context for Critical Thinking and Writing: Social Class. Bedford/St. Martin's; 7th edition April 12, 2007 Felder, Richard. â€Å"SCHOOLING VERSUS EDUCATION AND OTHER BALANCING ACTS. Educational Research and Methods Division, June 23, 1999 http://www4. ncsu. edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/ERM_Plenary. htm Gatto, John. Rereading America Cultural Context for Critical Thinking and Writing: Against school. Bedford/St. Martin's; 7th edition April 12, 2007 Moore, Michael. Rereading America Cultural Context for Critical Thinking and Writing: Idiot Nation. Bedford/St. Martin 's; 7th edition April 12, 2007 Rodriguez, Richard. Rereading America Cultural Context for Critical Thinking and Writing: The Achievement of Desire. Bedford/St. Martin's; 7th edition April 12, 2007

Martin Luther King Junior is a giant in American History

Martin Luther King Junior is a giant in American History. He was a famous leader within the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s and helped lead the way for many improvements for African Americans as they sought to realize their human and civil rights which were guaranteed them under the Constitution of the United States. In trying to secure his civil rights and the rights of all peoples of the United States, he succeeded where other factional parties failed.   While the Black Panthers, Marcus Garvey and Malcolm X preached separatism and sometimes hate, Martin Luther King, building upon the teachings of Jesus Christ and his own background as a Baptist minister, taught love and to turn the other cheek, but at the same time, never giving up on what they knew to be right.Martin Luther King’s political life began in 1955 with his leadership in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to comply with the Jim Crow law which prohibited blacks from sitting anywhere on a bus other than in the back. Also, within these Kim Crow laws, an African American would be forced to give up that seat to a white man if there was limited room on the bus.The Montgomery Bus Boycott soon followed. Incidentally, earlier that year, the same thing had happened to a 15 year old girl named Claudette Colvin but King was not prompted to get involved in this case, instead opting to concentrate on the running of his church. But this time, King felt that it was necessary to take a stand. And a stand would be required. The bus system was patronized by African Americans to a great degree. And with there being no set date on when the boycott would end and if it would be successful at all, a great sacrifice was going to have to be made. The boycott ended up lasting 382 days.[1] It was only then that the bus system of Montgomery, almost bankrupt by their sharp decline in revenue, decided to integrate all of their buse s. The boycott had become a success and with it, the name of Martin Luther King had become a household name within the African American community.Dr. King was also instrumental in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference or the SDLC. This group, popular among both white and black college students, harnessed the moral authority and organized black churches to conduct non-violent protests in the service of civil rights reform. The key to this method was the use of non violence. Dr. King was always insistent on this tactic be kept as central to their methods.The main target of these non violent protests was the Jim Crow laws which had attempted to keep African Americans in a quasi state of slavery after the Civil War and which had been very hesitant to yield any power over o the black community within the Southern States. Dr. King also knew that these methods, especially on a large scale, would yield a fair amount of press coverage which would work in their favor within the country as a whole. Newspaper, radio and television accounts of the deprivations and inequalities suffered by African Americans helped to shed light on a subject that a good portion of the white community was not fully aware of and needed to be reminded if they were ever going to get involved themselves or at the very least, be sympathetic about the cause.This involvement hit its peak on an August day in 1963 when it was later estimated at over 250,000 people came to march on Washington.[2] The main speaker of the day was Martin Luther King Junior in what contemporary historians have finally come to recognize as one of the most important speeches in not only American History but also world history as his words that day have been quoted by leaders of any country or group that have sought to secure their civil rights. In that speech, Dr. King spoke on the need for people to be judged on the content of their character and not on the color of their skin. As it was too often the case, African A mericans would be met with a great deal of assumptions about every aspect of their life by white people who had never really known a   black person and therefore, their judgment was based upon ignorance rather than on facts.Dr. King wished to change this impediment into successful race relations and harmony among all of God’s peoples on this earth. The title of the speech was â€Å"I Have a Dream.† It was a theme that he had spoke on before. He never said it better than on that day. It was the realization that proper race relations could be realized in the future if people came to the realization that they could work together, play together, cry together and pray together and that each person had similar wants and dreams within their own life and for the life of their children. It was this speech, along with his efforts to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the most important civil rights bill in a hundred years, since the passage of the 1 3th amendment, ending slavery in the United States.[3] These rights helped to close the gap between what was promised to African Americans and the rights that they actually received. Chief among them: the right to vote which had been greatly curtailed with the implementation of the oppressive Jim Crow laws.Civil rights for any people cannot be discussed when there is a major difference in the amount of monetary compensation that one receives which is much less than is paid out to somebody of another race. The march on Washington in August of 1963 did not just talk about an idealistic hope of the future but also dealt in some hard facts. Within that speech, were a number of specific demands. One of these demands called for the end of racial discrimination in employment.[4]There was no affirmative action and employers were not pressured to hire African Americans, let alone hire African Americans because they felt that the individual was the most qualified. If the hiring was against th e wishes of the employer or if he thought that such a hiring would decreased his business by inciting reprisal from his area, the African American would not be employed. This kept the possibility of African Americans pulling themselves out of poverty and menial jobs, to a minimum and frustration to a maximum. The SDLC was instrumental in setting up protests in the city of New York with signs that read â€Å"Don’t buy where you can’t work.†[5] If there were not laws that helped end employment discrimination, then the next logical step was to his these businesses, King thought, in the pocket book as was done during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.Economic problems for the African American was a source of concern for Dr. King and many of his speeches are concerning this. King had read Karl Marx while at college and while he could not support the link to atheism that communism has, he rejected traditional capitalism and sometimes, spoke of his support for a democratic fo rm of socialism. The distribution of wealth for the African American was definitely an impediment to their success. Dr. King spoke to this problem: You can’t talk about solving the economic problem of the Negro without talking about billions of dollars.You can’t talk about the ending of the slums without first saying profit must be taken out of the slums. You’re really tampering and getting on dangerous ground because you are messing with folk then. You are messing with captains of industry†¦ Now this means that we are treading in difficult water, because it really means that we are saying that something is wrong with capitalism†¦ There must be a better distribution of wealth and maybe America must move toward a democratic socialism.†[6]   Dr. King often said that the United States was on the wrong side of revolution in the world. The United States would support the revolt of â€Å"the shirtless and barefoot people† of the world but seem ed to turn a blind eye towards the problems that a large segment of their own population was enduring right here in America. Economic problems for the African American, Dr. King recognized, was at the center of the frustration that black people felt and the disillusion that they felt in America’s democratic and economic success.This press towards economic equality was part of Dr. King’s passion until the end of his life. Dr. King also pushed for the passage of what was known as the Poor People’s Bill of Rights. This called for a massive increase in government jobs programs which would be designed to rebuild America’s inner cities and to finally do away with the slums of America which were serving as an impediment to the success of the African American as it could only breed more poverty as well as disunion within one’s own country.[7] Dr. King saw the need as well, to confront Congress’ hostility to the poor and the fact that billions of dol lars were being spent to fund the war in Vietnam but only a small percentage of that money was actually being used to rebuild the infrastructure of cities right here in America. King saw a vision for change that engulfed many aspects of life and sources of trouble and pain for the African America. Poverty, racism, the government’s importance on militarism and materialism as well as the need to reconstruct society were all passions of Dr. King which he felt was worthy enough of becoming his life work.Dr. King was a man who became famous and more importantly influential, because of his mind and heart acting as one. There have been smarter people that Dr. King but none have been as affective because they could spark the passions of a country in the way that Dr. King did. Dr. King was the recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Award to which he told his friends and family, he was mot proud of receiving this award. He also won the 1965 American Jewish Committee award for exceptional ad vancement of the principle of human liberty. Dr. King was not the first person to recognize the inequality that was present in the lives of African Americans but there were none that put that pain into the series of effective sentences and themes to which he was able to formulate.This takes a mind that is able to encompass a wide range of ideas and theories. Dr. King took his inspiration from the Bible and the teachings of Jesus as he was a Baptist preacher before he was a civil rights leader. But he also read Marx and was inspired by the non violence tactics of Handy as he led India against British colonist in the 1940’s. This makes an intellectual: â€Å"one who gathers among himself, a wide range of ideals and motivations and through a careful study of a specific problem, learns to use what he will to his advantage and the advantage of his people for the greater good of society.†[8] The Black Panthers certainly didn’t do this and Malcolm X did to a degree but not in the way and not to the degree that Martin Luther King did. And that made all the difference.King also received a long list of other prestigious awards. In 1971, he won a Grammy for the Best Spoken Word in Why I Oppose Vietnam and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He is also the author of a number of important and influential books as well which he wrote during his time as the leader of the American Civil Rights Movement. Some of these were The Stride Toward Freedom (1958) which detailed the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community? (1967) This book answered some his critics, including influential Black Panther leader Hoagie Carmichael, in why violent tactics in the attempt to gain civil rights would only lead to chaos and a step back within the civil rights movement.However, in later years, his intellectual skills within his writings and books have come under scrutiny. Beginning in the 1980’s, questions were being raised as to the authenticity of King’s writings as there was suspicion of plagiarism within some of his speeches. Even his doctrinal dissertation which he wrote while attending Boston University was examined and it was asserted that a sizable portion of his writings (25%) had under them a suspicion of plagiarism.University officials within Boston College came to that conclusion after a lengthy investigation. It was also recognized that Dr. King got his material from a number of black as well as white preachers on the radio and was accused of passing of those words and ideas as his own. But it has also been pointed out that within African American folk preaching and the oral traditions, that often times the ideas of one are fine tuned and changed slightly in order to fit the audience to which Dr. King was speaking. Despite Boston University’s own opinion about these speeches, Dr. King’s degree was not revoked because the officials still believed that the speeches still made an important contribution to the academic world.Dr. King was an intellectual but also a man of the people. Dr. King had a keen understanding of the plight of the African America because he was black, but more importantly he was able to transpose himself into the life and troubles of a garbage worker in Memphis or an elderly lady going home after a hard day at work and simply not wanting to give up her seat to a man simply because he is white. Even with all of the awards that he won and the books that he wrote, this still remained the case until his death in 1968.Dr.   King, by the very nature of his work, was a man that possessed a great social consciousness. Always on the side of the oppressed, Dr. King still continued to recognize the importance of continuing his stance on non violence in order to obtain civil rights for African Americans. This, along with his superior ability as an orator, helped to make him so effective. He knew that he would never be taken seriously and his m essage would never be able to resonate within the white majority of he had preached separatism or the idea that all white people were devils as Malcolm X did for a good portion of his time as the leader of the Nation of Islam.King knew, and genuinely felt, that it was not the race of an individual but rather racism discrimination and inner prejudice which served as the chief impediment towards one being able to love and respect their fellow human being. Setting the civil rights problem as a moral issue, was able to resonate among many more people than if he had listened to the Black Panthers or angry Africa American young people who chided him for what was seen as he weakness of non violence. Due to this, many young people as well as students, professors and others who perhaps had never before been motivated to take a stand for anything before in their lives, flocked to King’s speeches, protests and marches. This is the work of a man who knew how to use the crowd and their un derlining sense of morality, to aid in the securing of civil rights for all peoples within America. The Civil Rights Movement centered on the social injustices that many African Americans were facing in every pocket of the United States.But it would also be Dr. King’s feelings on Vietnam that would prompt him to alienate himself from a large majority, the silent majority† as President Nixon labeled them, that was in support of the War in Vietnam and therefore, against the harsh criticism that Dr. King levied against the government’s role in that conflict. To be socially conscious does not necessarily mean that one is only aware of what is happening within one’s own town, state or country but the injustice that are occurring anywhere in the world. Not since The Civil War has a conflict polarized the country to the degree that The Vietnam War was able to place upon the country. â€Å"And by 1965, Dr. King was vocal in his opposition to the war and Americaâ €™s heavy involvement in that conflict in which he saw thousands of poor African Americans, unable to secure a seat in a college university and escape the draft, be sent to the front lines and fight and die for a country that has treated them often times, as second class citizens.†[9]This at a time when billions of dollars are being spent to fund this war, when Dr. King saw dozens of other more worthy projects in which the money could be spent to better the lives of not only African Americans but poor whites and Latinos within America’s poorest cities. And Dr. King was all to aware of the fact that these poor cities and the lack of opportunities for the above mentioned only breeds frustration which often times lead to crime and a cyclical effect upon the next generation is often times too strong to avoid. It is this level of social consciousness that helped endear Dr. King to the masses of African Americans, not only during his short time as leader of the civil righ ts movement but which continues to this day as well. He often times makes the list of the most important and revered figures in American history. His ability of being consciousness of the social ills that befell many African Americans and being able to put those struggles into words is one of his most enduring qualities.Dr. King was so effective a leader of the civil rights movement because he was a great orator. If the masses, both then and now were not inspired by his speeches and written word, Dr. King would have become as successful at Ralph Abernathy or Jesse Jackson. Anyone in a leadership position at such a crucial time within the civil rights movement would have gained some degree of recognition but Dr. King would never have reaches the level of greatness that he did if we was a poor orator or writer.His Letter from a Birmingham Jail   as well as his I Have a Dream Speech† are seen as masterpieces to be studied in history as well as political science and English clas ses all over America and the world. The success of his academic works comes from the fact that he writes and speaks with such passion, During his I Have a Dream Speech, King knew exactly the right time to increase the volume of his diction and when to speak in a calm yet assertive way. If he had shouted the entire speech or had given a meeker version of the speech, it still would have been regarded as important but it could never have risen to the level of greatness which that speech has enjoyed these past forty years.His text as well as his diction and delivery were all flawless. Great orators are also great writers on many occasions. Both Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill were methodical in the preparation of their speeches and would practice each speech numerous times as they debated over each and every word within their speech.[10] This was the case with Dr. King. Each speech, especially his I Have a Dream Speech as well as his acceptance speech at the Nobel Peace Prize cere mony, had within its pages, every word in its specific order, the way in which Dr. King felt his messages would be most effectively portrayed to his audience.And also, speeches whose contents were not practiced to the same degree and repetition are also wonderful as well because Dr. King spoke from the heart, from his experiences and he knew his crowd. This was never seen better than in the last speech he would ever make. On April 3rd, 1968 at Mason Temple, King have a prophetic speech: it doesn’t really matter to me now†¦.Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place, but I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And he’s allowed me to go to the mountain! And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. And so I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anyth ing. I’m not fearing any man. My eyes have seen the Glory of the coming of the Lord†[11] Such a speech, if anyone has had the pleasure to view it, cannot help but be moved. But the fact that Dr. King was assassinated the very next day, makes the speech that night as well as what makes up the body of his works, that much more important to be saved and remembered.Dr. Martin Luther King Junior was an essential figure in American History and specifically, the Civil Rights Movement. His speeches have been repeated by every leader of every   movement that has sought to secure for its people, equal rights and equal treatment under the law. His importance cannot be underestimated as he took his political, social, economic, intellectual and artistic understandings and molded them together to form a man who was aware of the plight of the poor and oppressed and was able to capture that pain and put it into words in order than the nation as a whole might understand that pain, in a more real, human and affective way than perhaps anyone in American history. And those are the reasons why Dr. Martin Luther King Junior is the great man that he was and which makes him motivate people forty years after his premature death.WORKS CITEDBurns, Ken. New York. Boston: PBS Video 1999.Beltry, Mark . The March on Washington. Chicago: Life Magazine. August 30, 1963   p. 24-28Gordon, Terrance  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Life of Martin Luther King. Chicago: Life Magazine.   April 8, 1968   p. 16-22.McMillian, Joan.   Martin Luther King.: I Have a Dream.   Sacramento: School House Educational Films 197[1] McMillian, Joan.   Martin Luther King.: I Have a Dream.   Sacramento: School House Educational Films 1971.[2] Beltry, Mark . The March on Washington. Chicago: Life Magazine. August 30, 1963   p. 24-28 [3] McMillian, Joan.   Martin Luther King.: I Have a Dream.   Sacramento: School House Educational Films 1971. [4] Beltry, Mark . The March on Washington. Chicago: L ife Magazine. August 30, 1963   p. 24-28 [5] Burns, Ken. New York. Boston: PBS Video 1999. [6] McMillian, Joan.   Martin Luther King.: I Have a Dream.   Sacramento: School House Educational Films 1971 [7] Ibid. [8] Gordon, Terrance  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Life of Martin Luther King. Chicago: Life Magazine.   April 8, 1968   p. 16-22. [9] Gordon, Terrance  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Life of Martin Luther King. Chicago: Life Magazine.   April 8, 1968   p. 16-22. [10] Manchester, William. The Last Lion.   Harper Collins.   New York, 1988. [11] Gordon, Terrance  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Life of Martin Luther King. Chicago: Life Magazine.   April 8, 1968   p. 16-22.

Irony In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson Essay

In â€Å"The Lottery†, Shirley Jackson uses foreshadowing, symbolism, and irony throughout her story to show that death is imminent in the end. Not only do time and place bear important clues as to the allegorical meaning of â€Å"The Lottery† but the very names of the characters are laden with significance. What is more, it will be shown what an important role these literary devices play in this short story, enriching the meaning, transforming the cruel act of stoning, and the whole process leading to it into a depiction of relations between an individual and the community. Outline I) Shirley Jackson uses foreshadowing A) People being late for the lottery, when normally people would rush to want to see if they won, and not one person did. * B)The names Mr. Graves, Mr. Warner have interesting meanings and Shirley Jackson uses them to foreshadow. * C)The children picking up stones: evident that the stones are going to be used in a manner not conducive to continued life. * II) Shirley Jackson uses symbolism A) Black box * B) Boys gathering stones and pebbles: Indoctrination or brainwashing that is passed on from one generation to the next. * C) The meaning behind Mrs. Delacroix and Mr. Summers. Mr. Summers has the appearance of normalcy and cheerfulness hiding evil and corruption. * D) Village: That which appears normal and even benevolent but which harbors inner corruption and evil. * III) Shirley Jackson uses irony A) The word â€Å"lottery† suggests that the villagers are going to draw for a prize. * B) The sunny day suggests that a happy event is about to take place. * C) When Old Man Warner hears that the north village is considering ending the lottery, he says, â€Å"Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves.† (The lottery is as savage and barbaric a ritual as any  practiced by cave dwellers.) *

Project Management Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Project Management Assignment - Coursework Example 60 days are required to finish the project. Theoretical smallest maximum number : 632/60 = 10.53 ~ 11. The critical path is B – D – H – K – L. This number is not practical without the interference of the critical path as all activities on the critical path apart from L on a slight note, are dependent on other activities and some overlap with other activities that demand human resource too. An imbalance would alter the duration of some dependencies thus directly affecting the critical path. However, with the more human resource, the implementation would have been viable and would have been implemented to in fact reduce the duration with a condition that the activities were done only in succession. The practical maximum number could thus be 10 while the practical minimum would be 2 as provided by the initial schedule. The critical path is through B, D, H, K, and L. this totals to 38 days. To maintain a maximum number of 14 humans at a time without interfering with the critical path duration in the schedule, we have to increase the duration of activity B to 10 days and reduce the human resource to 3. We then increase the duration of C to 21 days and reduce humans in the same activity to 2 humans. Finally, we reduce the duration of activity K by increasing human resource by 2 to 8. These changes ensure that at any particular time, including overlapping dependencies, the number of human resources is maintained by 14 humans. The schedule is redrafted in the above-drawn table.

Various Institutions of Social Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Various Institutions of Social Structure - Essay Example The Conflict Paradigm applies in this scenario as the institutions in place in New Orleans were for the protection of the wealthy while the poor were exploited. After the hurricane had passed, the pictures coming out of the city showed the plight of poor, mostly African American, and this further strengthened the Conflict Paradigm. When FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) started giving out help, it required that aid recipients register online or through an 800 number. Once again the social structure favored those with an internet or phone connection and those really needing the aid had no way to ask for it. In the months following the Hurricane, as New Orleans was being resettled, the rich and the wealthy were the first to return while the poor are still struggling and living as refugees all over the country. This, once again, only reinforces the conflict paradigm. 1b) According to the Functionalist Paradigm the â€Å"member of the society see the social structure as legitimate and therefore strive to maintain that social structure.† The Functionalist Paradigm sees the social structure as being stable and in equilibrium and its members striving to maintain the status quo. Post-Katrina was a time of rapid change in New Orleans. The social structure quickly moved to a balanced stable society and the various social institutions chipped in to help rebuild the city. However, once a certain level of stability had been achieved, i.e. once a certain number of citizens had returned and resumed their normal life, the stabilization process slowed down. This resulted in a new equilibrium being set in the post-Katrina New Orleans.

Services Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Services Marketing - Essay Example Besides, the industry continues to grow in leaps and bounds to a point that currently about one and a half of start ups are service oriented. One major stimulant to this growth is the long term economic growth of a majority of these economies which has led to particular emphasis on financial services, travel, entertainment, and personal care. These sectors form the bulk of service industry and the fact that far more businesses are starting on the same levels implying that there is eminent need for improved marketing concepts. These factors, as well as continued lifestyle changes, are coming as continuous pressures on the service industries. These are aspects and elements that Shostack had foreseen in the writing of his article breaking free from product marketing. At the time, product marketing was dominant as most industries and companies were bent on producing tangible products. In fact, any company which bordered on services was forced to adapt product marketing approaches. This w as bound to fail with time as consumers would, with time, adopt preferences and approaches that would clearly differentiate product and service aspects. At the time, marketers considered the difference between products and services as purely bordering on tangibility. However, Shostack sought to disagree with this assertion holding that there were multiple other factors which differentiated service marketing from product marketing. In this study, we implore on Shostack’s view on use of tangibility as the distinguishing factor. Beyond this, the study will look at modern assertions on the differences between product and service marketing. To further understand service marketing as different from product marketing this study will also look at two other contemporary studies and their positions as well assertions. First, we examine the views of Ruskin Brown as detailed in his book titled marketing your service business. Just as Shostack asserts, service marketing cannot be adopted to fit product marketing. Rather, there is need to develop new concepts which consider the various differences between products and services. Brown states that even though it might be possible to consider the marketing mix for a service as detailed under the 4Ps of products, there is great need to expand the mix in a way that it allows a more meticulous analysis of the ingredients essential for successful service marketing. The author further asserts that most businesses fail to attain their goals as they lack understanding of the workings of the various elements of the extended mix. This imminently means that they fail to come up with required action to address these factors. To this end, Brown provides a detailed analysis of the elements of extended mix that would offer businesses an opportunity to redress their failures. Failures are identified by Shostack as emanating from the uninformed treatment of services as products. Brown insists on the extended mix which incorporates such elements as process, people, physical evidence, time, and resource. Process relates to the fact that services are performed and consumed concurrently. They are neither created nor do they posses any shelf life. Rather, service is an experience and, therefore, the core of the process is to handle the

Management of medical equipment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Management of medical equipment - Essay Example The researcher analyzed all the necessary stages involved in the two sub-cycles with the help of diagrams revealing the relevant stages involved in the two sub-cycles. The researcher also included the way utilization link together; thus reducing clinical risks. The researcher revealed the necessary management and legal actions that healthcare professions should take in order to reduce risks in the clinical setting. Lastly, the conclusion provided a brief summary of the managing medical equipment in the hospital. Management of Medical Equipment Introduction The rapid technology advancement has contributed to varied changes on the way health care providers deliver services in the contemporary society. Health care providers depend on the technology in disease mitigation, diagnosis, disease prevention, health promotion and other management care practices. Medical technology has driven the direction of healthcare services, and one is the primary factor for escalating costs in the health c are delivery system. Medical technology is seen as an effective tool for improving life quality of people across the globe. Therefore, managers should employ effective methodologies for managing medical technologies efficiently. ... chnology management requires coordination and organization of hospital activities, managers should manage medical technology across the life cycles in order to minimize risks. Management of Medical Equipment Lifecycle Acquisition Sub-cycle An effective way of managing medical technology in hospitals is through following a systematic procedure in varied stages starting from acquisition to disposal. This is essential because it will help in optimizing technology assessment, reducing costs, increasing utilization and readability in the acquisition process. It also improves the care quality through effective deployment of technology. This is through the use of quality assurance standards; thus reducing hazards by efficiently managing technology risks (Abdel-aleem and Wiley InterScience 2009, p. 112). This process happens once in the medical technology lifecycle until new medical technology is replaced, when it reaches the final stage of its useful life cycle as indicated on figure 1 belo w. Technology Assessment Acquisition Figure 1: Medical Technology Life cycle Phases of Acquisition Sub-Cycle a) Technology Assessment Technology assessment is a significant phase of acquisition, and it involves examining medical devices and the implication they have on the provision of quality services in the health care. It involves assessing the performance and security of medical technologies in the hospital. The main aim of technology assessment is to inform the policy makers in the clinical setup to adopt new technologies for better provision of healthcare services (World Health Organization 2003, p. 93). Medical technology is imperative because it offers valuable information for effective decision making reimbursement and implementation of new medical device. a) Technology Planning

The impact of advertising in our daily life Essay

The impact of advertising in our daily life - Essay Example This essay "The impact of advertising in our daily life" outlines the importance, functions, and advantages of the print advertisement over the ad on the Internet. The print ad of Coca-Cola Company published in 1969 presents the image of the chilled Coca-Cola bottle and a glass filled with coke and ice placed with some fruits and other food stuff. The body copy of the ad written at the top left side of the image conveys the message that coke goes with everything that people eat because it is a real thing that gives them a real taste and real satisfaction. The same message is also written at the bottom of the image that Coke is the real thing. This advertisement has been created with attractive visuals and balanced combination of text and images. This print ad is based upon explicit claim because it directly makes the claim that coke is a real thing just like all the other things people use to have in their lives. The ad places coke with the natural things to make audience believe that coke is not an artificial thing and they could be sure about its real taste and satisfaction. The explicit claim made in the ad is an example of fallacy because it tries to position a carbonated drink like the natural things that is not true. Coke unlike the natural edibles has several health effects and could not be regarded as a real or natural thing like apples, grapes and oranges etc. The ad effectively communicates this idea by making claim about coke as a real thing. There is another print ad published in 2008 by McDonald that promotes McDonald’s Drive. ... The ad conveys implicit meanings because it gives the message indirectly that people can enjoy McDonald’s product alongside all their routine activities by visiting Drive-Thru. The ad claims that in the multitasking world McDonald does not interrupts the activities of the people but it gives people benefit that that they can continue with their activities and can still enjoy McDonalds. The ad makes the implicit claim by showing a real newspaper article coming out along with the fries. The claim could not be regarded as fallacy but it is an intelligently created ad that very well demonstrates the brand benefit and convince people come at McDonald’s drive through even if they have no time to sit and eat the meal at the restaurant. The ads informs about the option of eating out while the other tasks would also be carried out and so separate time would be required to go for meal. There is another very interesting print ad with funny appeal created for EPhone 900 that shows a snake ready to bike a person and the person is searching Google to know how to dodge a snake bite. The ad makes the explicit claim about the fast internet access at any place and time when the user need and for making this claim more interesting and real they have shown a real life problem that any person might face anytime. However, the ad has a fallacy because the tough situation shown in the ad could not really be handled in a way shown in the ad. The ad basically aims to make audience imagine that the EPhone 900 allows them such fast access to internet anywhere and anytime that they can reply upon the EPhone for the solution of their problems. The problem shown in the ad is very serious needs urgent solution. Likewise, the ad claims that the

Leadership Blog Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Leadership Blog - Assignment Example Therefore, the managers need to identify the leadership approaches which can help in integration of activities of the employees and achievement of goals and objectives of the organization. The traditional theorists regarded leadership as an integrated approach which focused on team work. Later, it was regarded as a powerful relationship which had the ability to influence its followers (Evans, 2003). The modern leadership theories proposed that the master servant relationship should be replaced by superior subordinate relationship. The leadership theory occurred in groups which involved the employees working together in unification towards a share goal. As per Author Adair (1984 cited in Mullins and Linehan, 2005) leadership can be expressed as a relationship with other individuals. Leadership can occur in various groups or social context and they should have followers. Leadership theories are concerned with how to convince the employees to attain the goals and objectives in a systema tic method. Leadership can provide direction, guidance and activity for a collective group (Mullins and Linehan, 2005). ... The approaches of the managers need to align with the business goals and objectives. One of the main objectives of the organization is to increase the presence of the organization internationally and create a niche for itself in the market. The Cross - Vergence theory focuses on the economic ideology that believes in integration of cultural values with western influence (Theimann, April and Blass, 2002).The theory identifies the significance of the cultural values and its impact on an organization. Therefore, the theory recognizes the importance of national, sub culture, and the economic ideology influences. For example HSBC is pervasive in more than 88 countries worldwide and follows the Cross Vergence theory for guidance purposes. It is not possible to develop a universal theory of leadership which can be applicable to all organizations and in all situations hence a manager needs to identify the various approaches required at different levels and act accordingly. The difference in the cultural values of the countries may lead to the adoption of different approaches by the managers. It is not possible for every manager to adopt a leadership approach which aligns with the cultural values of the countries. The followership theory proposed by Brown & Thornborn (1998 cited in Evans, 2003) categorized the employees in four types; sheep people, yes people, alienated survivors and exemplary followers. Sheep people are extremely uncritical and passive but yes people are completely dependent on the leaders for opinions. Survivors keep adapting to changes and exemplary followers are able to think creatively and independently. Managers can devote certain portion of their time for in development of their emotional intelligence which can help in understanding the

The god-like Achilles Essay Example for Free

The god-like Achilles Essay In the Iliad, there were many characters that exhibit god-like or superhuman qualities. But one character stood out. He has this god-like strength and superhuman courage to fight and risk his life for his people and allies. He has also been a descendant of the god themselves. And it was no other than Achilles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Achilles was the hero of the famous Trojan War where Helen of Troy is said to be the main reason for that bloody war. Achilles parents were Peleus and Thetis. Peleus, the king of Myrmidons, was a mortal. Thetis was an immortal sea nymph. From Achilles’ parents, it can be seen that Achilles belongs to the line of gods.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout the epic poem, Achilles portrayed anger which resembles the gods. In the first part of the epic poem, Achilles’ anger was described. This shows how much revenge he wants to those who have done wrong to him. â€Å"Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles son of Peleus, that brought countless ills upon the Achaeans. Many a brave soul did it send hurrying down to Hades, and many a hero did it yield a prey to dogs and vultures, for so were the counsels of Jove fulfilled from the day on which the son of Atreus, king of men, and great Achilles, first fell out with one another.†(Book 1 Verse 1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also in Book 1, during the intense argument exchange of Agamemnon and Achilles, Achilles got angry and tried to attack Agamemnon. Achilles’ rage was uncontrolled and this drives him to attack and tried to kill Agamemnon. This show how prone to anger Achilles was. It is a good thing that Minerva was sent to stop the raging Achilles.It is shown through the following lines in Book 1: â€Å"The son of Peleus was furious, and his heart within his shaggy breast was divided whether to draw his sword, push the others aside, and kill the son of Atreus, or to restrain himself and check his anger. While he was thus in two minds, and was drawing his mighty sword from its scabbard, Minerva came down from heaven and seized the son of Peleus by his yellow hair, visible to him alone, for of the others no man could see her.†(Book 1 verse 19) Achilles’ overwhelming strength is also described by Agamemnon when he said that:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"That man (Achilles) is worth an entire army,/ the fighter Zeus holds   dear with all his heart..(Book 9)† Achilles was compared to an entire army which is commonly described when mortals would battle a god. Gods are like an entire army and is very hard to defeat.   His great strength is truly feared by many and so like the gods who are also feared by many mortals. Achilles also showed no mercy when Book 21, Lycaon asked for mercy to spare his life. But the outraged Achilles answered: Idiot, said he, talk not to me of ransom. Until Patroclus fell I preferred to give the Trojans quarter, and sold beyond the sea many of those whom I had taken alive; but now not a man shall live of those whom heaven delivers into my hands before the city of Iliusand of all Trojans it shall fare hardest with the sons of Priam. Therefore, my friend, you too shall die.† (Book 21 verse 6)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Achilles’ rage led him to give no mercy to the devastated Lycaon. This instance shows how fiery Achilles just like the other gods.   During Hector’s death, he asked Achilles that his body shall be returned to the Trojans. But Achilles refused and said to Hector:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Dog, talk not to me neither of knees nor parents;    would   that I could be as sure of being able to cut your flesh into pieces and eat it raw, for the ill you have done me, as I am that nothing shall save you from the dogsit shall not be. (Book 22 Verse 22) Achilles, just like the other gods, showed great pride. Achilles stated that even the wealth of Egypt shall be offered to him, he would no change his decision. This can be seen through the following statements he said:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"he may offer me gifts as the sands of the sea or the dust of the plain in multitude, but even so he shall not move me till I have been revenged in full for the bitter wrong he has done me.† (Book 9 verse 20)    Achilles was also described to be godlike through symbolisms. One is when he wore his armor in Book 1 and was described to be blazing like the sun. His comparison to the sun was just like that of the god Helios. The brightness of the fire would signify great divinity and power. Another is the manner of the creation of Achilles’ armor and shield. They were both created by the smith Hepaesthus, the god of fire. The shield was filled and forged with intricate designs suitable for a god and the armor were made indestructible and were also suitable for a god. These items were made special and deserve only the rightful owner and that was the mortal Achilles. This shows that Achilles has god-like qualities that made Hepaesthus create an armor and a shield for him. From the above examples and citations, we can say that among the characters in The Iliad, one mortal stood-out to possess superhuman and god-like qualities such as selfishness, great rage due to anger, and overwhelming pride, and that was Achilles.    References Homer. The Iliad Trans. Robert Fagles: Penguin Group, 1990.

Effect of CSR on Child Labour

Effect of CSR on Child Labour Abstract Child labour is an issue that is detrimental to sustainable development of any society. The underlying cause of child labour has been identified as poverty. The cocoa sector where this practice has been reported to be widespread is the backbone of most economies in West Africa. Chocolate and other cocoa based products are in high demand and so consumers and manufacturers alike are implicated in fuelling this trade. Corporate Social Responsibility is an important tool which if implemented and monitored properly could eventually lead to the elimination of child labour. This dissertation explores how industry with the support of the governments is engaging in programmes and projects as part of their CSR strategy in tackling child labour. Chapter One â€Å"We are the world’s children. We are victims of exploitation and abuse. We are street children. We are the victims and orphans of HIV/AIDS. We are denied good quality education and health care. We are victims of political, economic, cultural, religious and environmental discrimination. We are children whose voices are not being heard: it is time we are taken into account. We want a world fit for children, because a world fit for us is a world fit for everyone.† (Statement from the Children’s Forum to the United Nations, May 2002). Introduction 1.1 Definitions A: The definition of child labour as derived from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child (CRC) stipulates that â€Å"children should be protected from economic exploitation and any work that is hazardous, interferes with schooling, or is harmful to their health and development†. The International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) defines it as â€Å"as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development†. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 138, minimum age convention in 1973 which sets the minimum age for admission into employment and ILO Convention182 on the worst forms of child labour refers to child labour as: all work that is harmful and hazardous to a childs health, safety and development; taking into account the age of the child, the conditions under which the work takes place, and the time at which the work is done. The Uni ted Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) defines child labour as â€Å"work that exceeds a minimum number of hours, depending on the age of a child and on the type of work†. B: According to the International Cocoa Organisation (ICCO), Cocoa Certification is the process of certifying that the commodity has passed the performance/quality assurance tests/qualification requirements stipulated in the regulations/code: it complies with a set of regulations governing quality and minimum performance requirements: product certified may be endorsed with a quality mark or display a certification mark: it involves auditing, accredited certifying bodies, standards organisation, independent verification bodies and transactions costs. C: The Fairtrade Labelling Organisation defines fair-trade as a trading partnership based on dialogue, transparency and respect that seeks greater equity in International trade 1.2 Background Information The successful elimination of child labour in the world is almost certainly one of the most vital policy objectives of today. It is at the forefront of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) as adopted by all 198 United Nations Member States in September 2000 (Grimsrud, 2003). As part of broader efforts towards a sustainable solution to child labour, the ILO, UNICEF and the World Bank initiated the interagency Understanding Children’s Work (UCW) project in December 2000. This project, which is guided by the Oslo Agenda for Action unanimously adopted at the 1997 International Conference on Child labour, elaborated the priorities for the international community in the war against child labour. Through a variety of data collection, research, and assessment activities, the UCW project is broadly directed towards improving understanding of child labour, its causes and effects, how it can be measured and effective policies coupled with stronger international cooper ation for the elimination of the practice. The issue of the worst forms of child labour in the cocoa sector came into the public glare when a UK media network, Channel 4, in a documentary in September 2000 alleged the massive use of children as the labour force on Ivorian cocoa plantations. The backbone of plantation work is backbreaking labour, done using rudimentary tools under gruelling conditions. At the time it was alleged that 90% of cocoa farms in Cà ´te dIvoire, which is the worlds leading cocoa producer engaged child labour in their operations. The government of Cà ´te d’Ivoire strongly refuted these allegations at the time but eventually admitted there was a problem in the use of child labour but not to the magnitude as alleged in the documentary (Afro News, September 2000). In 2001, following the allegations of child labour in cocoa farms, U.S. Representative Eliot Engel and Senator Tom Harkin decided to adjoin a clause to the Trade and Development Act (TDA) proposing a federal system to certify and label chocolate products as slave free. The cocoa industry successfully lobbied against this on the premise that the supply chain was too complex. A compromise was eventually reached. A protocol entitled Protocol for the growing and processing of cocoa beans and their derivative products in a manner that complies with ILO Convention 182 concerning the prohibition and immediate action for the elimination of the worst forms of child labor, signed in September, 2001. Industry agreed to establish a task force made up of government, non-governmental organisations to work towards its elimination in cocoa plantations. A critical part of this agreement was the commitment to design and implement â€Å"standards of public certification† in all of West Africa by July 1st 2005. All cocoa from this area would be certified as free from child labour. The governments would also be required by the protocol to establish monitoring systems and also issue certificates which describe the current state of child labour and forced labour in the cocoa sub-sector and efforts being employed to improve on the situation where necessary. Given the competing interests and values involved, child labour cannot be eradicated solely through domestic regulatory mechanisms and actions (Garcia and Jun, 2005). The inclusion of social responsibility and in particular avoidance of child labour in corporate strategies became inevitable for chocolate manufacturers to avoid the wrath of the public. A greater commitment to social responsibility on the part of corporations has been one solution put forth by some academics, government agencies, and development institutions to mitigate some of these negative impacts and help companies contribute more to socio-economic development in its broadest sense. Can the industry live up to its CSR commitments in relation to the cocoa industry? The concept of CSR is not new. Steiner Steiner (2006) trace its origins to the philanthropic work of John D. Rockfeller and Andrew Carnegie who gave away millions for social causes. The more contemporary understanding of CSR can be traced to Bowen (1954) who argued that managers have an ethical duty to take into consideration, broader social impacts of their decisions, and those corporations who act differently should not be seen as legitimate. In the elimination of child labour, the concerns include reducing and eliminating the use of persistent toxic pesticides and fungicides, preserving the value of cocoa agro forests, improving the social and economic status of the smallholder and labourers as well as maintaining a fair price for the commodity. These measures would ensure a sustainable production of the commodity and at same time increase household incomes and as a result reduce and eventually eli minate incidence of child labour. 1.3 The dissertation seeks to: Highlight the steps taken by countries involved to tackle child labour; Draw attention to country responses and responsiveness, to the initiatives employed by chocolate manufacturers. Elaborate on the industry response in the wake of child labour allegations within the cocoa industry. Identify CSR initiatives employed by chocolate manufacturers both individually and collectively to combat child labour. The issue of child labour has been alleged in all the five cocoa producing countries of West Africa namely Cà ´te d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Cameroon. However, due to lack of available data, this study will be limited to two countries: Cà ´te d’Ivoire which is the leading world cocoa producer and Ghana whose economy also largely depends on cocoa production and export. The first chapter has provided the background information on child labour and the purpose of this study. The remainder of the dissertation is structured as follows: Chapter two provides information on literature on the causes of child labour, corporate social responsibility as an essential tool to combat child labour, the link between the chocolate industry and child labour and the steps taken to eliminate the practice in the cocoa chain. Chapter three discusses the methods use in carrying out the study. Chapter four provides information on Cà ´te d’Ivoire and Ghana, the two countries involved in the present study. It also outlines their contribution to the elimination of child labour. Chapter five is a case study analysis of three chocolate manufacturing companies to get an insight into their CSR strategies. The case study will show the commitment and the strategy employed to approach the issue of child labour. Chapter six draws upon the case study findings. The final chapter will draw conclusions to support the hypothesis formulated in this study. Recommendations will also be formulated based on the results from the case study analysis. Chapter Two 2.1 Literature Review Introduction In recent years, there has been a surge of empirical work on child labour as well as literature regarding the plight of children working as child labourers in cocoa plantations in West Africa. The issue has attracted considerable policy and public attention over the last decade either due to self recognition or outcry from the public. Public interest in child labour seems to have been motivated by increased theoretical work and publicity by the press. Documentaries exposing the conditions to which the children are subjected aroused public awareness. The rise in interest could also be attributed to increased trade and globalization which have raised awareness about the pervasiveness of child labour and elevated concerns among rich country residents about their role in its perpetuation (Edmonds 2007).The unease about child labour as a human rights issue and its implication for the long term growth and development through its interaction with education is of great concern not just for individual countries but also for the international community. This practice is viewed as a threat to sustainable development in developing countries. Articles published between 2001 and 2002 in the wake of the child labour accusations highlighted the immorality of the practice. The horrors experienced by the children who are sometimes trafficked and even sold off by their families. The treatment meted out to them is inhumane even as they work under unacceptable conditions (Edwards et al, 2001). Some of the children engage in activity that is physically damaging or even morally objectionable (Cigno 2004). It can also be said that objectionable forms of child work have an opportunity cost in terms of forgone education. It can also bring immediate benefit to families who in this case will be the only means of survival. Child labour not only hampers the growth of human resources, it also reduces the individual’s education achievement as well as the effect and quality of the education system thereby continuing the poverty cycle (Rena, 2009). Udry 2003, further buttresses this fact by stating that the primary cost of child labour is the associated reduction in investment in the child’s human capital which occurs primarily because child labour interferes with schooling. With conflicting reports on the extent of the practice, a research â€Å"Child labour in the Cocoa Sector of West Africa† (IITA, August 2002) revealed that the figures of children working was not as high as was initially thought but that the children worked under unacceptable conditions exposed to long work hours, pesticides and other hazardous spraying agents. In addition, the Financial Times, (Circulation 477, 476 of August 7, 2002) and Business Respect (Issue Number 37 of August 20, 2002) agreed with the conclusions. These findings go to buttress the earlier conclusions of a meeting of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Minister of State with representatives of Cà ´te d’Ivoire, Ghana and members of the cocoa and chocolate industry. (Anti-slavery news, May 4th 2001). The successful elimination of this form of labour is one of the most urgent policy objectives of this decade (Busse et al, 2003). It has gradually developed from a matter of regional and national concern to one that would trigger International debates and global persuasion as well as policy intervention (Basu and Tzannatos (2003). Busse et al (2003) carried out an empirical study on the notion that multinationals invest in countries where the incidence of child labour is relatively high and, secondly, the concern that countries may gain an unfair comparative advantage in trade by using child labour. The results indicate that multinationals are highly sensitive with respect to the location of their subsidiaries and prefer countries with lower levels of child labour for fear of aggression from the public and international community. Causes of Child Labour Poverty is the major cause of child labour. In a landmark paper on The Economics of Child Labor published in the American Economic Review (1998), Basu and Van argue that the primary cause of child labour is parental poverty. Grootaert (1998) and Udry (2003) argue that poverty and child labour are mutually reinforcing: given that children of poor parents end up working and not attend school and the cycle of poverty continues. Kruger (2004) concludes that children only work when the family is unable to meet their basic needs and poorer children stand the greater risk of being withdrawn from school during production periods. This is further accentuated by Kruger et al (2007) which states that increased parental wages and household level of income are associated with lower child labour and higher school attendance. Household poverty is a very powerful motive of child labour and working comes at the expense of schooling because the income is essential for survival (Strulik 2008). Edmonds and Schady (2008). Basu et al (2007) provide recent discussions on the extent to which child labour is influenced by the income among poor households to show that the strong causal relationship between poverty and child labour. Increased trade and globalization might have contributed to the awareness of child labour but it could also be a reason as to why child labour is in demand. In trying to link globalization and child labour, Dinopoulous and Zhao (2006) cite Maskus (1997) two-sector specific factors model, in which child labour is modelled as a specific factor employed in the exportable sector and adult labour is modelled as the mobile factor. They conclude that trade liberalization raises the output of the exportable sector and increases the demand for child labour as well as child wage. They also state that trade liberalization raises the price of unskilled-intensive goods as well as guarantees a market for goods produced using child labour and reduces the returns to education. This can clearly lead to an increase in the incidence of child labour. In analyzing the effects of trade openness in a dynamic model of child labour and debt bondage, Basu and Chau (2004) discovered that trade openness increases the short run supply of child labour but this does not affect the long run incidence of child labour. In a 2005 study carried out by Neumayer and DeSoysa in which they used both Foreign Direct Investment and trade openness to explain child labour, they concluded that countries with higher levels of trade and FDI had lower incidences of child labour. Davies and Voy (2007) finds that there is no robust effect of either FDI or International trade on child labour. Using 1995 data for 145 countries, they find that FDI is negatively correlated with child labour but when controlling per capita income, the effect disappears. Even cost benefit analysis by Nielsen (1998), Canagarajah et al (1998), show that annual Gross Domestic Products (GDP) decreases by 1-2% due to the use of child labour. Why then is child labour still being utilized if it is marginally less costly than adult labour? Levison et al 1996 suggest that it might be because children are less aware of their rights and more willing to take orders without complaining. Mehra-Kerpelman (1996), further explains that in households where parents are poor this is regarded as cheap labour that makes it possible to maintain the household budget. Corporate Social Responsibility CSR may be defined, consistent with McWilliams and Siegel (2001), as actions on the part of a firm that appear to advance the promotion of some social good beyond the immediate interests of the firm/shareholders and beyond legal requirements. While some scholars argue that CSR type programs and policies were originally adopted in the mid twentieth century to avoid criticisms of social and environmental misconduct (Gutierrez and Jones, 2005); Micklethwait and Woodridge (2005) argue that many more companies are viewing CSR as a way to reduce the negative social and environmental impacts their businesses have and to maximize the positive impact of their investment, particularly in developing countries (Blowfield, 2005). There is a growing body of evidence which asserts that corporations can be profitable not only by protecting the interest of their shareholders but by also engaging in actions that will be beneficial to their stakeholders (Pohle and Hittner, 2008). Davis et al (2006) state that while CSR came into existence largely out of commitments by companies to their employees and to communities where they were located, all that has changed in that, corporations can now be held accountable for practices within their supply chain. Amaeshi et al (2006) further states that CSR often makes multinationals uncomfortable as they are often challenged by the global reach of their supply chains and the possible irresponsible practices that could occur along these chains. The mere possibility of the existence of irresponsible practices puts firms under pressure to protect their brands even if it means assuming responsibilities for the practices of independent groups along their supply chain. Some studies have shown that socially responsible firms will financially outperform rival firms by attracting socially responsible consumers (Bagnoli and Watts, 2003), and will eliminate any concerns from activists and pressure groups (Baron, 2001). Well-known companies have already proven that they can differentiate their brands and reputations as well as their products and services if they take responsibility for the welfare of the societies and environment in which they operate. These companies are practicing CSR in a manner that generates significant returns to their business. CSR, though a major instrument to tackle child labour could have a limited effect on eliminating child labour if codes are not specific, strictly implemented and monitored, and combined with alternative arrangements (Kolk and Tulder, 2004). In offering an institutional theory of CSR, Campbell (2007) argues that the relationship between basic economic conditions and corporate behaviour is linked by several institutional conditions: public and private regulation, the presence of NGO’s and other organisations that monitor corporate behaviour, institutionalized norms regarding appropriate behaviour, associative behaviour among corporations themselves, and organized dialogues among corporations and their stakeholders. It is therefore not surprising that chocolate producers are encountering extensive pressure from consumers, community groups, government, non-governmental groups and other pressure groups to engage in CSR as a means to eradicating child labour (Morrison et al, 2006). From an economic perspective, companies would be expected to engage in such activities if the perceived benefits could exceed the associated costs which in this case could be a total boycott of their products. Some theories in CSR show that companies engage in â€Å"profit-maximizing† CSR based on anticipated benefits which might include reputation management (Baron, 2001), (McWilliams and Siegel, 2001). Davis et al 2006 argue that â€Å"CSR (understood as actions a company takes that are not legally mandated but are intended to have a positive impact on stakeholders, broadly construed) is challenged by the changing shape of the contemporary multinational corporation†. Should large firms be involved in poverty alleviation instead of simply contributing to output and employment? (Hopkins 2003). The UK’s Department for International Development suggests that businesses have an important role to play in the economic growth of a country which is essential to reduce world poverty. This they can achieve through their own policies and practices. â€Å"By following socially responsible practices, the growth generated by the private sector will be more inclusive, equitable and poverty reducing† (www.csr.gov.uk). CSR by its very nature is development carried out by the private sector, and it perfectly compliments the development efforts of governments and other multilateral development institutions. There is evidence to show that a firm cannot maximize value if it ignores the interest of its stakeholder (Jensen, 2001). This is further buttressed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development publication Making Good Business Sense†, Lord Holmes and Richard Watts, define Corporate Social Responsibility as â€Å"the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. The recent concerns of how profit should be considered in a broader context of productivity and social responsibility and how corporations can better serve both their employees and surrounding society. The European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) at the Round Table Conference on Child Labour and Corporate Social Responsibility in May 2008 remarked that â€Å"recent progress on corporate accountability has been dominated by the development of voluntary initiatives†. These voluntary initiatives have not succeeded in preventing continued abuses of corporate power, because they do not provide strong enough incentives for compliance to offset the financial gains for non-compliance. They also fail to empower citizens and stakeholders to hold the companies accountable for their actions. The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD, 2000) calls for multinationals to â€Å"contribute to the effective abolition of child labour and â€Å"contribute to the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour†. Ignoring these guidelines could lead to damage in reputation (Orlitzky et al., 2003). â€Å"A good reputation enhances the value of everything an organisation does and says. A bad reputation devalues products and services and acts as a magnet that attracts further scorn† (Dowling, 2001). There are a number of challenges faced by states in the implementation of the OECD guidelines, but these are surmountable by strengthening the existing implementation system of the National Contact Points. However, there are positive growing trends movement arguing for more effective regulation of corporations relating to human rights at national and international levels (Cernic 2008). Chocolate Industry Response To Tackle Child Labour A: The link between chocolate and cocoa implicates the consumers in the encouragement of child labour (Raghavan et al 2001 article in the Knight Ridder Newspaper). This is further emphasized by the Ted Case Studies Number 664, 2002 which implicates the entire international economic community, the Ivorian government, farmers, the chocolate manufacturers and consumers who unknowingly buy chocolate in encouraging this practice (Samlanchith Chanthavong, 2002). The cocoa and chocolate industries, in conjunction with the ILO, other non-governmental organisations, the United States (US) government agencies and the affected African governments signed a voluntary and non-legislative protocol. The Harkin-Engel Protocol 2001, signed by the World Cocoa Foundation and Cocoa Manufacturers Association was aimed at developing a â€Å"credible, mutually acceptable system of industry-wide global standards, along with independent monitoring and reporting, to identify and eliminate† the worst forms of child labour as defined by ILO Convention 182 and certification that cocoa used or related products is void of child labour. ILO Press Release (ILO/01/32) of October 1, 2001 lauded this initiative and pledged to work in partnership with the cocoa industry to eliminate this form of labour. In 2001, with the establishment of the International Cocoa Initiative (ICI) whose main objective was to work towards responsible labour standards for cocoa growing, it was clear that the entire cocoa sector was ready to get involved and this proved their committed to the fight against child labour. A general statement by the European Cocoa Association (ECA) on 19th April 2001, affirmed it was fully committed to sustainable development in cocoa producing countries and does not tolerate practices such as slavery and child labour [and that it] remains fully committed to maintain pressure on the relevant authorities, and to pursue all avenues in order to eliminate such practices where they are proven to occur. In a further communiquà © on August 2, 2001 the ECA was concerned about the allegations and the extent of the problem and decided to first update the information they had on the scale of the practice. B: Despite general acceptance that child labour is harmful and in spite of international outcry and Accords aimed at its eradication, progress on lowering the incidence has been very slow. Child labour eradication is at the top of the agenda of the millennium development goals which hopes to achieve this by 2015. Rena 2009, states that the research on child labour represents a new area of knowledge for policymakers especially regarding education and poverty reduction programmes. It further states that increased opportunities and increased welfare reduces child labour. Industry enforcement can only be effective depending on the mode of enforcement. As many labour relationships are in informal settings within family enterprises, enforcement is often very difficult (Basu and Tzannatos (2003). Krueger and Donohue (2002) conclude that an economically active child is less likely to receive education. If income gained by the economically active child is significant for the household, then the policy makers deciding whether or not to adopt child labour legislation would face important trade-offs between distorting private decisions and correcting potential inefficiencies arising from externalities. Doepke and Zilibotti (2005) discuss the introduction of laws from an historic perspective. They suggest that child labour laws can be triggered by skill-biased technological change that induces parents to choose smaller families as occurred in the U.K. in the nineteenth century. Regulations were introduced only after the factory system which was preceded by a period of rising wage inequality, and coincided with rapidly declining fertility rates. On their part, Ceroni et al (2003) present their study as a two-stage game. Firms decide on innovation and households decide on education. In equilibrium the presence of child labour depends on parameters related to technology, parents’ altruism and the diffusion of firm property. When child labour exists, it is as a result of either firms reluctance to innovate or households unwillingness to educate or both. Therefore, the elimination of child labour would largely depend crucially on its underlying cause. They conclude that, in some cases, while compulsory schooling laws or an outright ban on child labour are both welfare-reducing, a subsidy to innovation is the right tool to eliminate child labour and increase welfare. Garcia and Jun (2005) consider that International trade sanctions are a logical avenue to confront child labour, by eliminating the commercial opportunities available for such goods. However, they state that it is not clear if domestic child labour sanctions would survive legal challenges under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) law as currently interpreted. For international trade law to serve as a viable strategy for the elimination of the practice there must first be a clear theoretical and doctrinal case for the WTO-consistency of domestic child labour-based sanctions. Basu and Van (1998), caution against the rush to exercise a legislative ban against child labour. They argue that this should only be put in place when there is clear reason to do so especially if, it would lead to a rise in adult wages which will adequately compensate the household of the poor children. If this is done otherwise, then it will only lead them to more extreme poverty. Conclusion Despite the global initiative, the incidence of child labour shows no sign of decline as it brings immediate benefit to some families buttressing the fact that the root cause is abject poverty (Cigno, 2004). International organisations as well as national development agencies are embracing and encouraging CSR in the hope that the private sector can play a lead role achieving developmental goals which include eradicating poverty, and developing the social infrastructure in the rural communities such as providing education and health improvements. However, in a recent report published by the International Labour Organisation in 2006, it confirms that the challenge in the fight against child labour in the world continues to be daunting but there is evidence that a breakthrough was in the making. The report highlights that there is already evidence of encouraging reduction in child labour, especially its worst forms. The number of child labourers globally fell by 11 percent between 2002 and 2006. They are confident that with the combination of political will, resources and the right policy choices, this evil practice could definitely be put to an end. Exasperating and discouraging for developing countries is the fact that exports remain severely hampered by massive domestic support and export subsidy programs in developed countries through high tariffs and the difficulties in the implementation of the tariff-quota system (Chaudhuri and Kumar, (2005). More damaging for the cocoa export market is the adoption of Directive 2000/36/EC by the European Union which allows chocolate manufacturers to replace cocoa butter with cheaper vegetable fats. This in itself threatens the domestic food security of cocoa producing countries and undermines their export potentials (High beam Research, 2003). This position is further highlighted by a report to the European Union by LMC international on the impact of Directive 2000

A Christmas Carol Essay example -- English Literature

A Christmas Carol Lots of people take great pleasure in listening or telling ghost stories. People enjoy this because it gives them a chance to tell people maybe some of their own experiences, stories or their ideas. Some of these may be very scary and some may only be mildly scary. It is also a good way of socialising as you are talking to people and sharing experiences that people may find extremely interesting, resulting in them thinking you are very intellectual, as telling stories can be more in depth than just having a conversation. The usual setting for a ghost story is an image of darkness and fear, which is intended to bring across the image of fear on the reader and involve them in the story. In the actual ghost stories the image of a ghost is usually something that is scary, dead and wants to bring you harm in any way possible. They usually only appear in the dark as a story tends to be more fearful if the atmosphere and appearance of the story is dark, secluded and dirty. Although as you get older the whole image of a ghost changes it tends to become a more secluded, unknown creature or maybe a memory of a person and sometimes may not be scary, it can be friendly or somebody you may be able to make contact with. Some people actually believe in ghosts, which is maybe why ghost stories sometimes do so well in the world. Now for the actual story, a Christmas carol. The story takes place in London, pre 1914. Charles Dickens is very good at creating a ghostly image by using the power of adjectives and contrasting the light and dark and bright and dull images. An example of this is â€Å"cold, bleak, biting weather, it is the use of these words and techniques that give the reader the sense of... ...eating a very successful ghost story that is effective, scary and interesting for all audiences. Dickens does very well in the way he contrasts all of the ghosts within the story, there are a number of different personalities within the ghosts, he changes from spooky to jolly and then fearful, this is in done by creating stages and builds up to the finale of the ghost of still to come is extremely spooky and intimidating. He has set the atmosphere by describing the setting of the rooms and surroundings and contrasting them with the ghost and mood or essence. I think the best ghost in the story is the last ghost as the story is after all meant to be a ghost story and is meant to be scary; the ghost really does set a scary mood. Overall the story a Christmas carol sets a very spooky mood that draws in the audience in and makes them want to carry on reading.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus Essay

Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man, Batman; these are some examples of the modern day hero. Most call this form of a hero a Super Hero. In the early nineteenth century, the popular hero of the day was the romantic hero. Mary Shelly gives a great picture of this hero in her novel Frankenstein. She uses Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the famous â€Å"Frankenstein’s Monster† as her character which embodies the traits of a romantic hero. The model was relatively new; however, Christopher Marlowe had written a character in the early fifteenth century which embodied the same characteristics. These attributes of romanticism in the form of a hero are seen in both Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein and Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus in very much the same way. The authors use their respective hero to show the flaws in human nature and humankind’s predisposition towards sin using such things as obsession, internal battles and differing moral codes. The romantic hero is obsessed with something, and usually this something is detrimental towards themselves and or their relationship with Christ. Victor is obsessed with two things: one, the creation of his monster and, two, finding his monster after his life is destroyed by it. Victor says that â€Å"so deeply was I engrossed in my occupation† that he â€Å"did not watch the blossom or the expanding leaves† which had previously enamored him(Shelly 34). Victor was so obsessed with the creation of his monster that he did not even leave his â€Å"lair†. This obsession led to health problems, seclusion from the world and his family, and ultimately to the deaths of several people because of the monster he completed. Towards the end of the novel, we see a Victor consumed with finding and killing the beast. He swears â€Å"to purs... ...arated by about three hundred years and different types of literature; however, Shelly and Marlowe use the qualities of a romantic hero to show that human nature is flawed and that man is prone to sin. They use the â€Å"qualities† of obsession, internal battles and differing moral codes to convey their message that â€Å"Bad company corrupts good character† so to speak, the â€Å"bad company† being humans and their sinful nature, and the â€Å"good company† being seemingly harmless qualities of a hero(1 Corinthians 15:33). Humankind should take their stories as an example and learn from it, by turning to God instead of those things. Works Cited Barker, Kenneth L., ed. Holy Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2010. Print. Marlowe, Christopher. Dr. Faustus. New York: Dover, 1994. Print. Shelley, Mary W. Frankenstein. New York, New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.

The Federal Reserve :: Essays Papers

The Federal Reserve President Clinton appointed Alan Greenspan, a well-known chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, to his fourth term as the chairman of the nation's central bank. Alan Greenspan accepted the chance to lead the Federal Reserve Board for another four-year term beginning June of 2000. President Clinton praised Greenspan for starting a "New Era", an era with high technologies and productivity to advance. He is expected to push the level of prosperity to a higher stage. Alan Greenspan is known as a man of his profession to realize the power and impact of new technologies for the 21st century. The Fed's job of stabilizing output in the short run and promoting price stability in the long run is made more difficut by two main factors: the long and variable lags in policy, and the uncertain influences of factors other than monetary policy on the economy. This raised an important question, what problems are caused by other influences on the economy? Output, employment, and inflation are influenced not only by monetary policy, but also by such factors as our government's taxing and spending policies, and the introduction of new technologies etc. As we step into the 21st century, the wide spreads of computer industries and advance technologies have enhanced the productivity. When workers and capitals are more productive, the economy can expand more rapidly without creating inflationary pressure. U.S. today has experienced a capability surge brought on by the utilization of computer and hi-tech developments. The issue of monetary policy maker is how much faster productivity is increasing and whether those increase are temporary or permanent. With all these uncertainties, the board has to know how and when Fed.'s policies will affect the economy? Fed looks at a wide range of indicators of the future course of employment, output and inflation. Indicators induces the measure of money supply, unemployment rate, real interest rate, nominal and real GDP growth, etc†¦ With so much variation of possibilities, policymakers basically have to rely on their own judgement about the directionality of these indictors. They based on these foreshadowing to formulate strategies to maintain the economy at its top condition. In order to have a desire effect on the economy, the Fed must take into account of the influence of these indication, either offset them or reinforce them as needed.

Crime Fiction Notes Essay

Study: – read over your essay and familiarise yourself with your wording – have discussions – Figure out the arguments in your head – practise exams – don’t just Know the material REALLY UNDERSTAND it The Big Sleep Observation: – conventions that are constant throughout generations of crime fiction genre (passion, detachment, love, hope, justice) are a reflection on the timeless and universal human needs – conventions that are subverted are a reflection of changing values and context Context: – 1950’s post WW2 – Economic depression – Desire for hope, justice, escapism Theorists: Schwartz: â€Å"crime fiction serves to explicate the dangers and pleasures of life.† – There is human emotion with which the audience can empathise – Gives the illusion that they have entered the world of crime Miller: â€Å"A rhetorically sound definition of genre must be centred not on the substance or form of discourse, but on the action it is used to accomplish,† – manipulate audiences empathy to engage them in the text – typical of TRADITIONAL crime fiction GENRE Techniques: (Remember these techniques interchangeably and only use the appropriate ones) Context specific 1. Subvert Context: Desire for hope Convention: film noir subgenre traditionally seek to realistically portray the inescapable broken nature of society – subverted – Happy Ending Observation & Theorist: – Imperative of genre to allow for subversion to become relevant to socio-economic or political context – Chandler, â€Å"the cycles and transformations of genre can be seen as a response to the changing political, social and economic conditions† 2. Context: – socio-economic context of 1940’s World War 2 America – midst of an economic depression – employment was low and consequently crime was on the rise – yearning for justice and heroism to correct the broken nature of society Convention: – Characterisation of Marlowe as determined and relentless – Ironic and self-depreciating dialogue â€Å"I’m just a guy whose paid to do other peoples laundry† embodies disposition of lone ranger – Heroic connotations, â€Å"why did you have to keep going?†, â€Å"too many people told me to stop.† Observation and Theorist: – Crime fiction gives the audience what it NEEDS 3. Context: 1950’s audience can critique broken society and judge morality of characters Convention: – Conforms to traditional structure of c/f: red herrings, witnesses, investigation, unveiling of mystery – Lack of narration; no point of view; audience critique characters – E.G. Marlowe, womanizer, heavy drinker, blatant disrespect for authority and the law, â€Å"I don’t know what I am going to tell them- but it will be pretty close to the truth† retain a degree of morality, reproach toward reprehensible behaviour, â€Å"my, my, my, so many guns for so few brains.† Reflects ambivalent noir concept that everything good is tainted with evil Observation and theorist: – Convoluted plotline makes the audience â€Å"objective viewer† – Critique the broken society and the morality of characters – Livingston, â€Å"different genres are concerned with different world views†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Universal 1. Conform Context: common timeless human desires transcend context and audience and hence are constant throughout generations of crime fiction Convention: – human fascination with romantic love interest – foregrounded interaction between ‘hardboiled detective’ Marlowe and ‘femme fatal’ Vivien Rutledge – Verbal sparring soaked in double-entendres indicative of sexual tension; â€Å"do you always think you can handle people like trained seals?† â€Å"uh-huh and I usually get away with it too† Theorist: – Colette, â€Å"romance pervades oral and written story-telling as far back as can be traced† Anil’s Ghost Observations 1. Post-colonial text; exposure to different culture; challenges Western perspective of crime fiction genre – Barthes, â€Å"it is in relation to other texts within a genre rather then in relation to lived experiences that we make sense of certain events within a text.† – Cohen, â€Å"Genres are open categories. Each member alters the genre by adding, contradicting or changing constituents, especially those members most closely related to it.† 2. Challenges not only our understanding of the genre, but also our perception of the world around us – Berger: â€Å"Never again will a single story be told as though it were only the one†. 3. Crime fiction can be a means of contextual political and philosophical discussion – The subjectivity of truth – Nihilism and post-modernism Techniques 1. Context: – socio-political context 1980’s Sri Lanka – multifaceted civil war – unimaginable for a western audience – but can relate to universal themes Convention: – Mystery as a medium for Anil’s quest for her identity – Ambiguous characterisation forces reader to share in her frustration and confusion – Refuses to be defined or typecast, religious allusion, â€Å"The return of the prodigal†, â€Å"I am not a prodigal† – Symbolised through an aggressive campaign to chose her own name Observation and theorist: – international audience relate to a common quest – multifaceted nature of identity – Ambiguity and struggle within an individual, reflective of wider post modern society 2. Observation, context and theorist: – Fister; â€Å"crime fiction deliberately exploits anxiety within the reader through reflecting and magnifying societies fear du jour.† – Terror of those living within civil war Convention: – explored through specific victims, personalise pain; agonising imagery Gunesena’s crucifixion, â€Å"prized the nails from the tarmac, freeing his hands† – fear impregnates every facet of society; personification of Sri Lankan national fear through simile used to warn against the dangers of truth, â€Å"truth is like a flame against a lake of petrol† 3. Observation: – aware of the horrendous acts of violence but absent from the actual event – never presume to understand the degree of suffering – novel seeks to extrapolate sympathy NOT empathy Convention: – Subversion: post-modern style, not one single perspective, intrusive narration to explore a variety of characters perspectives. (Berger: â€Å"Never again will a single story be told as though it were only the one†.) – Foregrounds the differences; â€Å"the darkest Greek tragedies were innocent compared to what was happening here† compares European mythology with Eastern reality, highlights vast discrepancies between crime fiction Theorist: – Texts challenge audience’s worldly perceptions; Cole: â€Å"This can function as a form of social protest and reform†¦ giving crime writers the status symbol of social activists.† More on VALUES