What Makes an Act Sexually Perverse

UWI Maurice Layne 620008086LecturerSimeon Mohansingh. CoursePhilosophy of sex and Love. | What makes an act sexually perverse? | | In a recent discussion, the subject of perversion was raised; the question was asked what makes an individual a pervert, or what kinds of acts could be considered perverted? The answers received were numerous to say the least. My first response was paedophilia which I still hold firm to; what follows are a few of the other answers; Bestiality; Homosexuality; Necrophilia; Oral sex (which was hotly debated); and Sexual sado-masochism.The list could continue but let us use this list and ask the question in another way; what makes these acts sexually perverse? What do we mean when we say something is sexually perverse? Is it divergence from what is sexually natural or a departing from what is considered standard morality? If so, what is natural? Who defines morality? The question of sexual perversion is of no little importance, for a start the question raises a number of interesting philosophical issues. Moreover, the issue is not solely of academic interest.Many have been, and many still are, stigmatised by the label ‘sexual pervert'. For them the issue of whether their actions justify this epithet may have a profound effect on their lives. Our purposes here are to simply attempt an answer to the question. We should note, at the start, that the notion of sexual perversion is not a simple descriptive concept. To call someone a pervert is not like calling them a Doctor or a Teacher. It is to denigrate their moral status in some way. Sexual perversion, therefore, is a concept, part of whose content is to carry a negative moral evaluation.The Oxford Dictionaries defines the verb pervert as to alter (something) from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended; or to lead (someone) away from what is considered right, natural, or acceptable; and it defines the noun pervert as a person whose sexual behaviour is regarded as abnormal and unacceptable. (â€Å"pervert†. Oxford Dictionaries. 2010) Since sexual perversion is a morally negative concept, it might be thought that one could define it simply as a ‘morally wrong sexual act'.In a similar way, one might attempt a definition of ‘murder’ as a morally wrong human killing. This, however, will not do. The simple reason is that there are many morally wrong sexual acts of a very ‘straight’ kind which, all can agree, are not perversions. For example, an ordinary sexual act may be done by one of the partners in a way that is unkind, deceitful, inconsiderate or cruel, and so morally wrong. Rape and adultery may be examples of this. One would not, on this account, want to call such acts perversions. Though there are some persons who do view rape as a perversion. ) One of the things that makes it hard to get a grip on the concept of perversion (its intension) is that there is strong d isagreement even over its extension. People disagree, for example, over whether homosexuality and masturbation are perversions. Still, let us start with a look at the extension of the concept. Genital sexual activity is of many kinds. The following is a list of categories; these are not necessarily exclusive; no doubt they are not exhaustive either.I give the acts in what seems (to me) to be roughly decreasing in order of ‘naturalness’ (in traditional terms). Heterosexual intercourse in the missionary position (straight sex). Heterosexual intercourse in other positions. Oral sex (cunnilingus, fellatio). Masturbation. Homosexuality. Group sex. Anal sex (buggery, sodomy), heterosexual or homosexual. Voyeurism. Exhibitionism. Frotteurism. Sexual sadism and/or masochism. Paedophilia. Fetishism. Transvestism. Zoophilia (bestiality). Urophilia Necrophilia. Coprophilia.We can be safe in saying that it is highly unlikely that any two people would produce exactly the same orderi ng, my assumption is that there would be general agreement on the rough ordering, at least as to whether something was near the top, middle or end. Where perversion begins on the list is much more contentious, however. Sexual conservatives often draw the line after the first instance. More ‘open minded’ people might draw the line after say group sex. The items listed after group sex may get in on nearly everyone’s list.So what should count as a perversion, and why? Let us start with what is perhaps the best known account of perversion in the contemporary philosophical literature, that of Nagel. I start with it, not because it is close to the truth (I think that it is a long way from this), but because it illustrates clearly a central shortcoming that will keep recurring. â€Å"Nagel proposes that sexual interactions in which each person responds with sexual arousal to noticing the sexual arousal of the other person exhibit the psychology that is natural to human sexuality.In such an encounter, each person becomes aware of himself or herself and the other person as both the subject and the object of their joint sexual experiences. Perverted sexual encounters or events would be those in which this mutual recognition of arousal is absent, and in which a person remains fully a subject of the sexual experience or fully an object. Perversion, then, is a departure from or a truncation of a psychologically â€Å"complete† pattern of arousal and consciousness. † (Soble and Power 2008, 13) It is difficult to do full justice to Nagel’s account in a few words.But for present purposes, let’s hope the following will suffice. According to Nagel, a sexual act is not perverted when it involves two (or maybe more) people; each is sexually aroused by [the other]; each is sexually aroused by [the other's being sexually aroused]; each is sexually aroused by [the other's being sexually aroused by the other's being sexually aroused]; a nd maybe so on ad infinitum. Any other sexual act is perverted. Now, one problem with Nagel's account is that it draws the line in a very strange place.Homosexuality, sadomasochism and paedophilia may all be non-perverted if done in the right way; whilst masturbation, rape and even straight sex of a very bored kind – e. g. , by a prostitute, or an uptown wife who during the act of coitus is thinking of travelling to Manhattan for ‘black Friday’ as perverted. Granted, any division is going to be contentious, but this classification is just too counter-intuitive: no one (unless in the grip of Nagel’s account) would divide things up in this way?The more important failing of Nagel's account is that if this is what sexual perversion is, there is absolutely no reason why perversion should be a morally loaded concept. There is nothing in itself immoral about being aroused by someone who is not them self aroused. Maybe it is more exciting, more complete, or fulfil ling, if they are; but it is hardly wrong if they are not. A more plausible and, in fact, more common account of perversion is that perverted acts are those that are unnatural. This is not a bad start, but it does not get us very far until we have said what ‘natural’ is to be taken to mean here.For the notion of naturalness is a very slippery one indeed. What, then, is the natural in this context? â€Å"Natural sexual acts, to provide merely a broad definition, are those acts that either flow naturally from human sexual nature, or at least do not frustrate or counteract sexual tendencies that flow naturally from human sexual desire. † (Soble and Power 2008, 11) An obvious suggestion is that what is natural is what happens in nature. But such a suggestion would rob the notion of perversion of all content. People are, after all, part of nature. Hence, nothing they do is unnatural in this sense.A fortiori there would be no perversions. It makes a bit more sense to s uppose that the natural is what happens in non human nature. This would draw the line in a very odd place, however. It makes paedophilia, masturbation, homosexuality, and bestiality (or at least intercourse with a different species) natural, while at the same time making straight sex unnatural. Given that then one might want to redefine what straight sex equates to in non human animals. Another suggestion as to what ‘unnatural’ means here is simply unusual (abnormal) in the statistical sense. Goldman 1977) It should be noted that the frequencies of various sexual practices like, homosexuality and paedophilia vary from society to society. Hence, perversion, on this account, becomes a socially relative concept. With ‘natural’ interpreted in this way, the definition of perversion has two major problems. Perversion does not seem to be linked to statistics in the way it requires. If bestiality became very common, for example, it would not cease to be a perversio n. There would just be more perverts around.More importantly, there is no reason why something that is unusual statistically should be morally bad; merely consider heroism, having an IQ of 200 or higher or being able to make love for 3. 5 hours without a break. In the context of the definition of perversion, Donald Levy takes an unnatural act to be one that denies someone a basic human good, such as life, health, control of mind or body, or the capacity to know or love (without providing some other basic human good in compensation). (Velasquez 2010, 454) This account at least has the advantage that it becomes clear why perversion is morally wrong.Its failings are rather different. According to this, virtually nothing that is traditionally counted as perversion is a perversion. None of homosexuality, buggery, sadomasochism would seem to fall into this category. Moreover, those sexual acts that involve the individual alone (masturbation, fetishism, transvestism, bestiality and necroph ilia) would not seem to require the actor to deny anyone including him or herself anything. We noted a certain amount of flexibility as to what one might classify as a perversion, but this flexibility hardly extends to ruling out paradigm cases wholesale.It would seem that for Levy Paedophilia and Rape would be the only activities that could or would count as sexual perversion. Another suggestion, as to what ‘natural' means in the context of perversion is this. It is often said that biological processes have some well-defined goal or function. What is natural is using the process for that function; what is unnatural is using it for something else. That this suggestion is on the right lines is supported by the following considerations. We speak of things other than sexual acts as being perverted.For example, we speak of someone perverting the course of justice. In such a case, it is clear that what this amounts to is the person using the judicial process for something other tha n its proper end. Thus, perversion in general is using something for other than its proper end as a matter of fact, as stated earlier this is how the Oxford English Dictionary defines the verb ‘to pervert' and sexual perversion, in particular, is using sex for something other than its proper end. Were doing well so far right? But what exactly is the proper end of sex?A common view, most strongly represented in traditional Catholic pronouncements, has it that the function of sex is reproduction. â€Å"Based upon a comparison of the sexuality of humans and the sexuality of lower animals (mammals, in particular), Aquinas concludes that what is natural in human sexuality is the impulse to engage in heterosexual coitus. Heterosexual coitus is the mechanism designed by the Christian God to insure the preservation of animal species, including humans, and hence engaging in this activity is the primary natural expression of human sexual nature.Further, this God designed each of the pa rts of the human body to carry out specific functions, and on Aquinas’s view God designed the male penis to implant sperm into the female’s vagina for the purpose of effecting procreation. It follows, for Aquinas that depositing the sperm elsewhere than inside a human female’s vagina is unnatural: it is a violation of God’s design, contrary to the nature of things as established by God. For this reason alone, on Aquinas’s view, such activities are immoral, a grave offense to the sagacious plan of the Almighty. (Soble and Power 2008, 12) Reproduction here is interpreted as conception. Therefore, any sexual act that cannot result in conception is a perversion which clearly draws the line very high up on the list. † If this view is right, the orthodox Catholic Church has drawn the correct conclusions concerning masturbation and homosexuality; contraception, too, makes sex perverted. But the definition also makes many sorts of straight sex perver ted: sex for an infertile male known to be infertile; sex for a woman after menopause or a hysterectomy; sex during the so called ‘safe period' of a woman’s menstrual cycle.It would appear that orthodox Catholic thinking has not been consistent in these areas, since it does not condemn such acts; though some of the church fathers such as Augustine did in a roundabout way. â€Å"Sexual intercourse with lower animals (bestiality), sexual activity with members of one’s own sex (homosexuality), and masturbation, for Aquinas, are unnatural sexual acts and are immoral exactly for that reason. If they are committed intentionally, according to one’s will, they deliberately disrupt the natural order of the world as created by God and which God commanded to be respected†¦In none of these activities is there any possibility of procreation, and the sexual and other organs are used, or misused, for purposes other than that for which they were designed. Although A quinas does not say so explicitly, but only hints in this direction, it follows from his philosophy of sexuality that fellatio, even when engaged in by heterosexuals, is also perverted and morally wrong. At least in those cases in which orgasm occurs by means of this act, the sperm is not being placed where it should be placed and procreation is therefore not possible.If the penis entering the vagina is the paradigmatic natural act, then any other combination of anatomical connections will be unnatural and hence immoral; for example, the penis, mouth, or fingers entering the anus. Note that Aquinas’s criterion of the natural that the sexual act must be procreative in form, and hence must involve a penis inserted into a vagina, makes no mention of human psychology. Aquinas’s line of thought yields an anatomical criterion of natural and perverted sex that refers only to bodily organs and what they might accomplish physiologically and to where they are, or are not, put in relation to each other. (Soble and Power 2008, 12-13) If this is the case what is the rationale for the clitoris being positioned the way it is? At any rate, any account of perversion according to which straight sex between a loving couple at the tender age of 60 years, who have been happily married for over 40 years, is a perversion, in my humble opinion must be wrong. It is plausible to suppose that what makes this account of perversion wrong is its identification of reproduction with conception. There is, after all, a lot more to reproduction than conception. In particular, there is gestation, birth, the rearing and education of children, and so on.And sex may have important biological functions in these areas too. To begin with, a secure family is usually reckoned to be important in the upbringing of children. And one factor making for a secure family is a happy and fulfilling sexual life between the adult partners. Hence, a function of sex could be for two people each to give the other pleasure. In this case, only those forms of sexual activity that involve just one person could be perverted. More generally, a stable and functioning society is necessary for the reproduction of people. An important role of sex might be to help people to live together and cooperate.And who knows what sexual practices might serve that end? Without a lot more socio-biological research, it is highly unlikely near an impossibility to say what constitutes a perversion on this account probably very little.

What Ethical Issues Does Ethnography Raise How Might We Deal with These?

Ethics can be defined as a â€Å"set of moral principles and beliefs that govern a person’s behaviour or the conducting of an activity† with its main principle of doing ‘good’ and preventing harm (Oxford Dictionaries: 2011). However Orb et al (2002:93) states that Ethical issues can best be described or expressed as the â€Å"tension between the aims of research to make generalizations for the good of others, and the rights of participants to maintain privacy. Ethical issues and moral dilemmas are seen to arise in almost any type of research concerning human participants; in quantitative, biomedical, psychological, anthropological and sociological research. The infringement of some ethical issues which arise are considered to be more serious than others; however in order to minimise these ethical dilemmas, researchers must follow and obey a strict set of ethical guidelines in order to protect and minimise harm caused to participants or research subjects.Ur ie Bronfenbrenner suggests that there is no way of conducting research without breaching the principles of professional ethics, and that the only way of avoiding such dilemmas is to cease the conduct of any research (Fine 1993:267). Clearly there a variety of differing ethical dilemmas which occur in research, however those which arise in ethnographic research are in complete contrast to those ethical dilemmas raised in biomedical or quantitative research, where some might suggest that ethical problems are greater (Alder et al 1986).Punch (1994) goes further in suggesting that qualitative studies such as ethnography rarely, if ever, raise ethical issues (Orb 2000:93); however this statement is heavily debated. This essay aspires to discuss and analyse the ethical issues which arise in ethnography and discuss how valid and harmful these issues really are. The paper will also seek to discuss how researchers may overcome these ethical dilemmas and as to whether they are really effectiv e means to dealing with the issue.However, firstly this essay will commence by giving a brief history of ethics, draw upon problems concerning the ethical review board guidelines and outline two contrasting dimensions of ethics. Today ethics are seen to be used as a tool to guide and direct research studies, however it seems that before the mid 1950’s research studies gave little regard to ethical guidelines or their research subjects causing a great deal of harm and distress to individuals and cultures (Akeroyd 008:133). An extreme example of this happened in America, from 1932 to 1972, many African American people where deliberately left untreated for syphilis as researchers wanted to find out what would happen if the illness was left (Orb 2002:93). Questions are today raised as to whether these studies should be disregarded as so many ethical issues and dilemmas were raised in pioneering research.However, today research studies are under strict regulation and scrutiny from ethical review boards, that have developed guidelines and controls which must be obeyed during any type of research. In the US, the Institutional review board (IRB) review all federally funded projects and require the researchers to follow a strict set of rules whilst conducting their studies, such as informing their participants of the objectives of research, obtaining consent from participants, protecting them from harm and so forth (Murphy and Dingwall 2007:340).However the ethical guidelines set by Institutional Review Boards have been criticized greatly by many social scientists claiming that the codes set have been designed around biological or quantitative models of research which are totally inapplicable nor relevant to social research and in particular ethnographic studies (Akeroyd 2008:147). Social scientists argue that the ethical guidelines set are not sensitive to ethnographic research and due to this may cause harm to individuals or groups studied; further they argue that the guidelines are liable to constrict research unnecessarily (Murphy and Dingwall 2007).In ethnographic research it would seem that ethical dilemmas are strongly correlated to the ontological and epistemological foundations of the research. However there seem to be two differing dimensions in explaining ethical issues, firstly is the concequentialist approaches and secondly there is the deontological approaches and in order to accomplish good quality research both approaches must be regarded. The consequentialist approaches are primarily concerned with the outcomes of the research and as too whether the participant is harmed during the study, and if they were, did the ends justified the means?The deontological approaches are on the other hand concerned with the participant’s rights, such as were they treated with respect, informed consent and did were their rights to privacy and autonomy attained (Murphy and Dingwall 2007:340). Many presume that these approaches are in competition however they are not because in actual fact these two contrasting approaches work in sync in order to protect participants from harm whilst also respecting the rights of participants.Beaucamp et al (1982) were one of the first to consider the consequentialist and deontological approaches and devised a list of ethical principles to be complied with when conducting research (Murphy and Dingwall 2007:340). In their list of principles BeauChamp et al noted Non-maleficience, Beneficence, self-determination and justice. They noted that Non-maleficience, requires the researcher to protect participant from harm and Beneficence suggests that the research must discover and obtain something of significance from the research for it to be ethical; these two approaches fall under the consequentialist approach.The deontological approaches outlined by Beaucamp et al are Self-determination, where the researcher must respect participant’s views and beliefs and Justice where the res earcher is required to treat participants as an equal to themselves. Here firstly the consequentialist approaches to ethics will be discussed. Unlike in biomedical research, if harm occurs within ethnographic fieldwork it is likely to be indirect rather than direct.When biological scientists are testing new drugs or surgery they directly put the research participant under risk of harm and the harm will occur during the procedure; however in ethnography the harm which occurs is not so obvious, visible or direct. It would be foolish to think that ethnographic field work was free from the problem of endangering participants; as it can harm individuals, but just not in the same way as biomedical research. In ethnographic field work if harm has taken place, then the participant will most probably not feel the effects until after the study has ended.In ethnography, if participants are ever harmed, they are usually harmed when the research studies they have participated in have been publis hed or publicized (Murphy and Dingwall 2007:341). The reasons which lie behind this are due to the fact that once the work of an ethnographer has been published they have no control over how individuals read or interpret their work and how other people will use their work in the future (Akeroyd 2008). Through the publication of the researchers work research subjects can be put under a great deal of stress, apprehension and embarrassment and through this their confidence and self-worth can become damaged.Participants may become embarrassed about views they hold if they sense that the researcher disagrees with their outlook or if the researcher makes it apparent that they are surprised that they hold such views. Furthermore this embarrassment and anxiousness caused by research may be likely to increase if the media hype the publication of the study, even in cases where the participant’s identity remains anonymous (Murphy and Dingwall 2007:347). An example of a study where the r esearch subject was embarrassed and harmed through the publication of research is ‘Whyte’s Street corner society study’.Richardson (1992:114) writes about ‘Docs’ reaction after reading what was said about him in the study, he suggests that Doc was embarrassed about what was said about him and his sense of pride and self respect was damaged. After the publication of the study ‘Doc’ pleaded with Whyte never to reveal to anyone who he was and to keep his identity anonymous. Boelen writes how ‘Docs’ sons believed that the Street Corner study ruined their father’s life (Richardson 1992:115).In response to this criticism some social scientists have suggested that ethnographers and their participants should work in partnership when producing reports (Murphy and Dingwall 2007). Others have suggested that too deal with such problem, all studies should present their participants with the right to reply. Some research subjects h ave sent letters to their local papers in response to publications they have taken part in. (Slack 2011) Another way in which ethnography is seen to cause harm is through offering ‘tools’ to those in power.Governments and army’s have been seen to use ethnographers in order to manipulate communities and cultures for both economic and political gains. These bodies of power have used ethnography to control those who are weak and powerless. Burgess (1985) suggests that â€Å"ethnographic studies increase knowledge of the adaptive behaviours that actors use of their feelings† (Murphy and Dingwall 2007:341), and we see examples of this happening today. The American department of defence have invested $40 million into a programme they consider to be a â€Å"Crucial new weapon† in their war against the Taliban in Afghanistan. They have hired ocial scientists and anthropologists so that they can grasp an understanding of tribal relations; and as this is seen to be working they are now looking to expand this ‘human terrain team’ (Rohde 2007). The head of the human terrain team see’s the work conducted as vital and defines it as a â€Å"scholar warrior† and as â€Å"rare work of applied scholarship† (Times Higher education 2010). However although it would seem that many anthropologists are happy for their work to play a vital role in shaping military and foreign policy a great number are in firm opposition and are against the militarization of anthropology.Some believe this program is unethical, dangerous and ineffective. They believe it to be unethical as it breaches many ethical codes of practice such as no informed consent and can cause great harm to the research subjects (Network of concerned anthropologists). As previously noted, ethical guidelines state that research should only be authorized and carried out, and is only deemed as ethical if the study has some significant anticipated benefits. Howe ver in ethnography this is a problem. Predicting and anticipating the outcomes and potential benefits prior to research studies is proven to be extremely difficult.In biomedical studies these are much easier to predict and more obvious. However in favour of ethnographic research the risks are not as likely to be as damaging as those displayed in biomedical research (Arskey 2008). It would seem that many would consider that the emotional harm as a result of ethnographic research is far less damaging that that of physical harm such as the testing of new surgery seen in biomedical research; however ultimately the researcher has less control over the participant (Thorne 1980).Harm could also be said to occur in ethnography due to the difficulty in preserving anonymity, as it is clear that no ethnographer can guarantee this. This is due to the fact there is a possibility that field notes transcripts might be read (Murphy and Dingwall 2007). However a suggestion to counteract this problem would be that once researchers have finished with such documents they should destroy them at the earliest possible point they can so that no prying eyes see the information.Furthermore it would seem that there is only ever a small number of qualitative ethnographic research studies ever carried out, and when research is conducted in an overt manner participants will know that the study has taken place and therefore when the work is published will be able to easily identify themselves or their society in the published work. It could also be argued that the close emotional relationships which are formed during ethnographic studies are harmful to research subjects.Unlike in quantitative and biological research, qualitative ethnographic research offers the opportunity for participants and researchers to form close relationships during the period of the study (Richardson 1992). However, when the study finishes and is completed, usually more often than not, the relationship and friendshi p between the participant and the observer also end. This in turn is harming the participant as they are experiencing a loss. Again an example of this can be drawn from the Street Corner Society study conducted by Whyte. Many wonder how ‘Doc’ must have felt after Whyte left, after spending so much time with him.Did ‘Doc’ feel hurt? Because we know that one of the most important thing in ‘Docs’ life was friendships (Richardson 1992:116). Researchers must be careful of the cathartic effects of ethnographic research as the process of legitimise deviant behaviour can be damaging to society, as people may begin to think it is okay to act in such a way. Fine (1993) states that the research conducted on the extremely racist group of the Ku Klux Klan were guilty in doing this. He suggests that the researcher in this study â€Å"dehumanized their informants placing them outside our moral community in the guise of justice† (Fine 1993:272).The rese archer adopted a sympathetic stance to the views of group, and this is clearly not always a positive characteristic, and can be considered to be unethical. In contrast to biological and statistical research, ethnographic work is based on observations and interpretations of what they see. Clearly the researchers own beliefs and values may influence what they write, and what they chose not to write about in their reports. There is much evidence supporting this notion. Fine (1993:227) suggests that readers who believe what they see in quotations marks are foolish because how do they know that is what actually was said or happened.He suggests that maybe what we sometimes see put in quotation marks are lies and misunderstood interpretations. This can be damaging to research subjects or communities under study as they may be portrayed as people they’re not e. g. racist. A programme on Channel 4 called â€Å"Love thy neighbour† is a prime example. In this reality TV show, the village people partake in choosing who gets to live in their village, and as a black family were voted out, these individuals are now portrayed as being racist.However in response to this criticism it could be said that this type of research is ‘conscious raising’, and may get individuals to think twice about their actions and behaviour (Hammersley and Atkinson 1995). The Deontological approaches and dimensions of looking at ethics usually take in to consideration the participant’s rights to privacy respect and self determination that may be infringed. The discussion about privacy and rights within research has been bought to the fore front after the antagonistic response from some previously studied communities, participants and native anthropologists (Murphy and Dingwall 2007:343).Some make the assertion that the rights of the participants are not always regarded just because they have signed a consent form (Akeroyd 2008). Others go further in saying that cons ent forms don’t really protect participants; they are devised primarily to protect the researcher in an event of law action, and in many cases after signing consent forms participants will still be unaware of what the research is about and what their rights are. It is suggested that these consent forms will just reinforce the unequal relationship between the research and their subjects (Homan 1980).Furthermore Price (1996) believes that â€Å"consent forms risk jeopardizing anonymity making people more identifiable† (Murphy and Dingwall 2008:343). Ultimately consent don’t guarantee the total protection of participants identities (Akeroyd 2008). However Bulmer (1980) is a great believer in informed consent, and believes it to be an essential part of any research. Bulmer (1980) is a critic of covert research and argues that this method of research can cause a great deal of harm to participants whilst also violating their rights and autonomy; he sees this type of r esearch as a betrayal of trust.Edward Shills goes further and suggests that this invasion of privacy is a nuisance as it interferes with individual’s lives and cultures (Homan 1980:52). Furthermore critics argue that those who carry out covert research are reinforcing the idea that all social scientists are devious and untrustworthy. However although ethical review boards guidelines and some critics believe that covert research is unethical and breaching the rights of participants, Homan and other supporters of covert research believe that in some cases this research method is acceptable to use, for example a study on secretive communities.Several researchers have adopted the covert role and Laud Humphreys and his ‘Tea Room’ study is one of the most notable; however this study was subject to much scrutiny once it was published as it was seen to be breaching a tremendous amount of ethical guidelines. Questions are raised as to whether it is ethically right to dece ive participants’ but also is it ethically right that research subjects don’t get to know anything about their researchers background as they know so much about theirs. Researchers rarely disclose personal information and if they do some lie.Diane Wolf (1996) claims that many ethnographers have lied about marital status, national identities or religious beliefs; and she is one of those, as during research she lied about her marital status to her research subjects (Denzin & Lincoln 2003). Moral and ethical questions are raised asking whether it is right and proper for the researchers to have all the power in shaping, designing and undertaking studies; researchers are portrayed to be more competent due to this. It is queried whether this is really appropriate? (Denzin & Lincoln 2003).However feminist argue that to evade such a problem the research subjects should be involved in the planning stages of research and have a say in the types of questions asked. However the pr acticality and sensibility of this idea is questioned, is this really an appropriate way of dealing with the problem? Many argue not. Some suggest that this would be impractical and some participants might not want to contribute. It has further been suggested that this is an obscene idea because at the end of the day it is the researcher who has the final word on what is going to be researched (Murphy and Dingwall 2007).Although it would seem the power status between the researcher and research subjects is less reinforced and not so clear within ethnographic research in comparison to other kinds of research; there are some concerns raised about the way that ethnographers can objectify, manipulate and take advantage of research subjects either during the period of the study or in published work. However some argue that the researcher controls are not in fact a breach of the research subjects’ independence and rights, and is not manipulative in anyway (Hammersley & Atkinson 199 5).On the other hand Fine (1993:284) proposes that it is sometimes the case where female ethnographers are objectified rather than the research subjects, due to the fact we live in a sexist world. Moreover Murphy and Dingwall (2007) argue that in some cases it would seem that the research subjects manipulate and exert power over the researchers conducting ethnographic studies. They propose that this happens through refuting the researcher the privilege of conducting research on themselves or their community or through manipulating what they study and not allowing the researcher to have full responsibility and say over the research.However, although it is questionable whether there is a problem of power imbalance between the research and their research subjects, feminists have suggested ways of dealing with this. They attempt to readdress power imbalances in relationships between the researched and researcher, by not enforcing the power the researcher has and balancing relationship s tatuses, making relationships more intimate and authentic (Murphy and Dingwall 2007).However, other critics have replied to this suggesting that the development of closer, sympathetic relationships are far more unethical and dangerous as manipulation on the researchers behalf becomes far easier as participants are more likely disclose thoughts and feeling to whom they feel close to. Furthermore participants may not wish for a relationship with an individual who is researching them (Akeroyd 2008) Once the researcher has published their research findings they usually gain scholarly recognition and financial benefits, whereas the studied groups or individuals gain nothing on this level.As Richardson (1992: 116) points out Whyte is recognised as the single author to the Street Corner Society and â€Å"received all the fame and fortune†, but questions are raised queering if the publication of the study would have been possible at all without ‘Docs’ help . The fortune made in the Street Corner study could have improved ‘Docs’ life a great deal, and a small percentage of the financial could have changed his life. However once the study ended ‘Docs’ fortune did not change, as he remained jobless for practically the rest of his life and living on the bread line.However it would seem that some researchers believe that through giving participants feedback and insight to the research moral dilemma of their financial and scholarly gains are resolved. On the other hand other ethnographic researchers may not feel that this enough and share the royalties from their published work (Slack 2011). Finally a further ethical dilemma concerning ethnographic research methods is that all the data and publications are based primarily on the interpretations made by the researcher, but it is queried whether the researcher has the right to do so (Hammersley & Atkinson 1995).As Calvino (1998:257) states, communities or subjects can become †˜confrontational’ if they feel that the interpretations made of them are inaccurate and mistaken. Murphy and Dingwall (2007) claim that for research to be ethical they must produce accounts that convey the research subjects standpoints and views. However it is argued that ethnographers can and do sometimes take advantage of their empowered roles and construct their own versions of events and interpret data in ways they wish to display such groups.However in order to overcome this dilemma, it has been recommended that researchers should back their analysis and understanding with proof and verification that what was said and done did really happen (Akeroyd 2008). Therefore in conclusion, it is evident that ethnography can and does raise some ethical dilemmas causing harm and infringes the rights of many participants; however it is the duty and obligation of researchers to minimise these effects, even if they hold negative views and dislike the research subjects.Furthermore it is somewhat clear that ethnography can give valuable insights in to unexplored cultures and individuals, however on the negative side it is also seen as a damaging ‘tool’ used by those in power . It is obvious that today, unlike in the past, practically all research abides by ethical guidelines, set by ethical review boards and if they don’t researchers are held liable. Nevertheless, in the near future it is imperative that ethical guidelines should be amended so that they are specific to the issues surrounding ethnography. It is clear that this is the only way that ethnography will be almost fully ethical.

Project Management for Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Project Management for Business - Essay Example Measures need to be enacted to evaluate the achievement and progress of the objectives. Project managers are therefore tasked to liaise with all the stakeholders to set up objectives which are commonly agreed on. Products in which a project engages are varied and can be classified as new, processes or services. Any kind of product that is dealt with need to be developed to meet the company objectives and also to add value to the organization. Articulation of the project benefits is vital at the initiation. This will provide a clear roadmap to the success and benefits of the project. Communication is vital element of the project. Clear information need to be relayed to those who are likely to be affected by the project. The end users should also be made to comprehend the potential benefits that are likely to accrue from the introduction of a given product. Proper communication mechanisms will help to battle the possible human reluctance to change in cases of new or totally improved products (KLOPPENBORG, 1900, np). Resources that are needed to implement the objectives should be identified and put in place to ensure smooth running of the project. These are in terms of time, technical, financial as well as human resources. People are the last major element that is required for the success of a project. They are the stakeholders and people who have other roles and vested interest which are geared toward the success of the project (KLOPPENBORG, 1900, np). The most crucial people in a project are the sponsors, the project manager, the team members and the potential customers. The principles of project management revolve around five pillars: initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and control then lastly closure. They are like the processes through which a project has to pass, right from its inception to winding up. The initiating process involves the procedures which are put in place in order to jumpstart a project. At this stage, new projects may require to

International Human Resources Management Strategies Essay

International Human Resources Management Strategies - Essay Example Some companies tend to lack the knowledge that globalization is closing the gap on how we relate to others. This paper on International HRM aims to assess various key issues associated with the management of human resources in a global environment, such as the key strategies or challenges faced by companies operating in international locations; the most effective approach recommended for global companies to operate successfully in an international environment; etc. For the purpose of this study, Nike Inc., is chosen for discussion and analysis. International HRM strategies: Nike Inc. Nike Inc., is an international footwear, sportswear and equipment supplier headquartered in Washington, U.S.A, and having branches all over the globe. The company truly reflects the characteristics of a truly global multinational brand, due to its successful operations in international markets. Nike’s international HRM strategies involve introduction of market driven policies aimed at profit maxim ization. Led by visionary Phil Knight, Nike Inc.'s phenomenal success in international markets was achieved by outsourcing majority of its manufacturing operations to low-wage countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and China. The company received flak for its outrageous HRM policies whereby young children and other workers in the Nike factories were made to work for long durations in unsafe work environments, raising alarm in the international community (Aswathappa & Dash, 2007). However, ever since the company has focused on improving its working conditions and rewired its approach to human resource management by introducing polices focusing on an integrated and multi-disciplinary team to support and monitor its outsourcing operations. The company today focuses on worker safety and sustainable business as its core business strategy and vision (Nike Inc., 2012). Global challenges of IHRM: A significant number of organizations have internationalized their operations over the past coupl e of decades. This new trend has given rise to global challenges with regard to the management of human resources across international borders. The key challenges faced by managers today, with regard to International HRM include aligning its resources and work practices with those of the host nations; increasing risk of global terrorism; change in patterns of hiring and staffing; ethical and CSR challenges; strategic challenges etc (Dowling, Festing, and Engle, 2008). However one of the most pressing issues faced by multinational companies today is to monitor and supervise the code of conduct and HRM practices in the host countries. Various multinational companies such as Nike, Benetton, Levi Strauss, Reebok, Adidas etc., among many others have faced severe criticism in their home country for their unethical work practices. These companies have been accused of child labor and violation of human rights thus resulting in a serious negative impact on its brand image. Similar challenges were faced by companies like Google for its questionable ethical practices in China; Coca Cola for its CSR practices; Allure Cruise Lines' strategic challenges etc (Dowling, Festing and Engle, 2008; Deresky, 2007). Some of the other key challenges faced by the multinational related to international HRM include those associated with ethnocentric, polycentric, geocentric and/ or region centric approaches. Ethnocentricity refers to

Decision Making paper research Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Decision Making research - Term Paper Example Furthermore, the researcher investigates how skill is developed and what are the types of skills every individual has. 1.1 Statement of the problem The researcher wishes to resolve the issue whether a skill is learned or not. Based on the testimonies of many individuals, a skill is not learned because it is something that is being acquired during birth. On the contrary, many believe that, like other talents (e.g singing, dancing, playing musical instrument), skill needs to be enhanced to become an ability, and in the long run would form part as a habit. 1.2 Scope of the Problem In this paper, the researcher limits the investigation to the cliff of the data gathered, analyzed and used. However, since the researcher seeks to resolve the issue aforementioned, there would be series of comparison and analysis to test the validity of the hypothesis. 1.3 Hypothesis A skill is learned through time. The ability of an individual to use his knowledge on, for example, painting, and circus exhibi tion, writing and speaking becomes a skill once mastered, or least, familiarized, and eventually becomes a habit. Types of Skill The combination of ability and knowledge that enables a man to do a task and take it to higher level is called skill; while ability refers to skills and qualities that allow a man to perform a work or task (â€Å"Abilities and Skills†). There are types of skills namely: Cognitive, Perceptual and Motor skills. A. Cognitive Skill This type of skill involves the thought processes. It is often referred as intellectual skills. According to Vanlehn, an individual is said to have acquired cognitive skill if he solve problems in intellectual tasks relying on his knowledge rather than entirely depending on his physical prowess (n.p.). In addition, commonly performed task like dealing with algebraic equations, word problems, electronic troubleshooting, computer programming, working on medical diagnosis and even simple college physics and chemistry solving cou ld enhance the skill. Basically, Cognitive skill acquisition could be traced on the path of history by which problem solving has been the study of many researchers. Moreover, Vanlehn states that in the midst of 1960, researchers studied how an individual would use his knowledge and respond to a problem-solving task; the subjects were tasked to move a pyramidal stack of disks from one peg to another by moving one disk at a time according to certain restrictions. In the course of their research, they have found out that when it comes to strategies and ways in dealing the task, an individual would tend to turn from one intermediate state to another until he gets the solution. In the example above, the subject was able to solve the puzzle by moving disks until it appeared correct. Hence, the subject has learned that in order to solve small and great problems, it takes proper analysis of the problem, comprehensive gathering of information needed as an alternative, judgment and critical t hinking. It has become a skill. B. Perceptual Skill Unlike other skills, perceptual skill carries with its name the word perception--means the ability to interpret and know certain information (Walkley 18). It is the conscious recognition and interpretation of sensory stimuli that serve as a basis for understanding, learning, and knowing or for motivating a particular action or reaction (â€Å"

Does Type A behaviour actually exist Assignment

Does Type A behaviour actually exist - Assignment Example It has also been asserted that subjects carrying the Type A behavior are hyperactive in their daily tasks. They are more aggressive, impatient, and competitive than Type B, if assigned with complicated or difficult tasks. Actually, Type As are ambitious or over ambitious than Type B in the psychological understanding. Looking forward to the Type A behavior, which is a cause of abnormalities (high impulse, aggression, hypertension), the researchers have tried to understand this behavior in the holistic manner. Comprehensive studies have been brought to understand of how Type A behavior affects a person’s life carrying it as a condition of psychological tension. Relevant research discussed (Empirical Evidence) The contemporary literature depicts that people with Type A behavior are undergone with both mental and physical health problems. Rosenman (1975) along with continued investigators assert that Type A behavior leads to catecholamine, cholesterol and high blood pressure (Gre gory, 2004, p.515). It is the environmental challenge and demand that results in larger reactions of the Type A people. On further, the empirical studies detail that ischemic heart disease in which there is low supply of blood to heart is caused by the Type A stress behavior. The study by David (2011) claims that persons with Type A are sensitive and they are partially instable than Type B when brought to life’s challenging situations (David, 2011). The study assessed the behavior of industrial employees working in an equivalent stress environment. It found that Type A employees are more emotionally strained than Type B who are calmed and relaxed at the time of work (David, 2011). The quantitative research by Chesney and Rosenman (1981) depicted that psychological behaviors of aggression, extroversion, or high impulsiveness are associated to Type A behavior which is the cause of all such behaviors (Chesney & Rosenman, 1981). Similarly, a meta-analysis review by Hinshaw (1987) associated anxiety, anger, depression and hostility to Type A behavior respectively (Hinshaw, 1987). Friedman and Rosenman (1974) categorized the 3000 healthy men in two groups; Type A and Type B. The investigators who were the starters of the research in the continuum of Type A depicted that Type A persons are vulnerable to stress, as where Type B are more easy going and relaxed people (Plotnik & Kouyoumdjian, 2010, p.496). The investigators’ study found that out of 3000 healthy men 257 died due to stress and CHA (Coronary Heart Disease) and they were specifically from the Type A group which associated to such stress function. This research by Friedman and Rosenman became the basis of research for behavioral specialists analyzing the continuum of Type A and its effects (Meyer & Rosenman, 1974). Background linked to the aims with reasons & some detail of method The literature analyzed so far has unfolded the fact that Type A persons are vulnerable to stress. They easily get stressed when brought to life’s challenging experience i.e. a critical task or an assessment. In the behavioral research it is asserted that there is a significant difference between Type A and Type B adaptations, actions and performances. Type As are aggressive, explosive and indulgent to stress as compare to Type B who are calmed and creative to complete their task or objective. This report is an investigation on how Type A behavior

Fordism and Post-Fordism as Theories of Work Organisation Essay

Fordism and Post-Fordism as Theories of Work Organisation - Essay Example 54-55), it was not until over twenty years later that the term Fordism came into being. Antonio Gramsci, an Italian Communist imprisoned by Mussolini from 1926 to 1937 (Slattery, 1991, p. 125), authored the article 'Americanism and Fordism' in 1931. In this stinging critique of capitalism, he breaks down the fundamental changes occurring to the characteristics of labour. For 'the purpose of American society-developing in the worker to the highest degree automatic and mechanical attitudes, breaking up the old psycho-nexus of qualified professional work and reducing productive operations exclusively to the mechanical, physical aspect' (Gramsci, 1931, p. 290). Generally, Fordism is defined by standardisation of labour and components, usage of the assembly line, strict specialisation of semi-skilled labour and high production levels. This mass manufacturing depended on a stable economy and a predictable mass consumerism, for 'without the mass consumption of mass-produced products, companies would quickly go bankrupt' (O'Donnell, 1997, p. 252). The fundamental need for so many consumers led to the development of widespread advertising (Kirby et al, 2000, p. 340). Yet what distinguishes this paradigm shift is, as Gramsci noted above, the removal of decision-making power from the worker. A relative contemporary of Ford, Frederick Taylor, proposed that all mental activity should be removed from the factory floor so workers could almost become machines, with their pay tied to personal productivity (O'Donnell, 1997, p. 288). Fordism meant great homogeny, efficiency and output, which in turn meant greater prosperity. However, the strict division of labour created an unmotivated work force increasingly alienated from management. Competitive pay was not sufficient to stop the rapid turnover, and the growth of unions such as Industrial Workers of the World during this period attests to this dissatisfaction (Grint, 1998, p. 284). Additionally, Fordism needed a reliable economy and consumer base-this is illustrated by the number of companies, such as Ford, which only survived the American Great Depression due to large scale government intervention (O'Donnell, 1997, p. 252). Another factor is that drastic increases in productivity of the first stage of Fordism were unique-subsequent changes were less effective, for 'there was a finite limit to, or at least declining return from, the extent to which time and motion studies etc. could increase productivity' (Grint, 1998, p. 284). Once an entire industry converted, it became difficult to continue finding significant ways to heighten productivity and furt her decrease costs. Eventually these disadvantages, along with the rise of a new type of mass consumerism, would set the stage for the conditions the next theory of work organisation is based upon-Post-Fordism. As technological advances and consumer wants became more varied, a new theory of work organisation was proposed in The Second Industrial Divide by Michael Piore and Charles Sabel in 1984. Responding to the economic downturn of the 1970's and the limitations of mass production (Kirby et al, 2000, p. 340), they held that a new system was coming into being, motivated by increasing consumer demand for specialised

Oil Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Oil Markets - Essay Example The most important and active exchanges where such transactions take place are the New York Mercantile Exchange and the International Petroleum Exchange, London. Spot and futures prices are transparent, and are available on the internet and a host of other media sources. All Physical trade in oil is through 'contract arrangements' that are formal contracts drawn up between the buyer and the seller for a specified quantity and quality of oil delivered at a fixed place and time and at a fixed price. Usually the spot and futures prices benchmark the contract price, to explain, the delivered price of the oil depends upon the spot market at the agreed time of delivery plus or minus an agreed amount depending upon the other conditions of the contract, such as credit terms, quantity and quality. In the US, some sale of the domestic production of oil is at a 'Posted Price', a different method of pricing of the indigenous product (Transactions). Futures prices of crude are $ 69.59 per barrel for May 2006 delivery and $ 70.22 per barrel, for June delivery. These are the closing prices of May 8th trading on the NYMEX for Brent crude (Trading Quotes). 2. Some oil producing nations have formed a cartel to control the production, shipments and prices of crude. This organisation called the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Appendix-1 shows the countries that form part of OPEC and their average production over the past three years (2003-05). Appendix-2 provides details of countries that produce significant quantities of crude but who are no a part of the OPEC and their average production over the past three years (2003-05). Appendix 3 gives details of the major Exporters, Consumers and Importers of Oil (International Petroleum Monthly). Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iran and North Sea operations are the major producers of oil. The US is the largest consumer and importer of oil followed by China and Japan. 3. The world oil market is a Homogenous Co-operative Oligopoly. A broad definition of an oligopoly is a 'monopoly of many'. "The distinguishing characteristic of an oligopoly is that there are a few mutually interdependent firms that produce either identical products (homogeneous oligopoly) or heterogeneous products (differentiated oligopoly)" (Bookrags). Oil has no substitute. The consumer, has no alternative for the product, has no way of increasing total utility and with the supply and prices being controlled by a handful of suppliers has absolutely no way of influencing prices. This is a classic case of a monopolistic market. As is evident from the figure presented in Appendix 3, the largest exporters in the world, other than Russia, Norway, Mexico, Kazakhstan, and Qatar, are a part of the OPEC. The OPEC decides upon the levels of production and exports all with a view to control prices by maintaining a scarcity in the market. The non-availability of natural resources restricts e ntry of new players into the market. Since the product of all the players is essentially the same - crude petroleum oil, with only small variations in quality, the term Homogenous Oligopoly applies perfectly to this

The Count of Monte-Cristo Essay Example for Free

The Count of Monte-Cristo Essay Alexandre Dumas was born in 1802; his parents were Thomas Alexandre Dumas and Marie-Louis-Elizabeth-Laboret. His father died when he was about 3 years of age, leaving the family to suffer financially. Dumas was raised by his mother in a town called Villers-Cotterets. He was educated at a parochial school. He worked as a clerk when he was younger. He decided to move to Paris in 1822, at the age of 20 due to his growing interest in theatre. Dumas permanently moved to Paris a year later. After becoming g a clerk for the Duc dOrlà ©ans, he collaborated with Adolphe du Leuven and Pierre-Joseph Rousseau on his first staged play titled â€Å"LaChassse Et L’amour† in 1825. Dumas started writing plays and then he turned all of his plays into novels. He rewrote one of is plays to create his first serial novels titled â€Å"Le Capitaine Paul† which lead to his forming a production studio that had turned out hundreds of stories. From 1839 to 1841, Dumas and friends complied celebrated crimes, and eight volume collection of essays on famous criminals and their crimes in European history.  He then wrote a book called â€Å"The Fencing Master†. It took place in Russia, Russia banned the book from their country, and this caused Dumas to be banned from Russia until Czar Nicholas died.  In 1840, he married an actress named Ida Ferrier, and continued, supposedly, having affairs with other women. He had four illegitimate children. He had one son, named after him that would follow in his footsteps in becoming a successful novelist and playwright. Dumas’ writing made him very rich, but he kept spending lavishly on women and sumptuous living. He built the Chateau de Monte Cristo, two years later; he had to sell the beautiful property because he was short on money. Dumas died in 1870 and was buried where he was born. On November 30, 2002, Dumas’ body was exhumed and put in a brand new coffin, draped in blue. That event was televised.  Onto the Count of Monte-Cristo, it was Dumas’ best-known novel after â€Å"The Three Musketeers†. Its based on a true story, improbable as that may seem. Dumas employed collaborators to search through published memoirs for suitably existing plots. A volume called â€Å"Memoires Tires des Archives de la Police de Paris† by Jaques Peuchet, and it caught Dumas’ attention. In Peuchet’s memoires, was a case of wrongful imprisonment and avengence that appealed to Peuchet strongly. In 1807, a shoemaker, residing in Paris, named Francis Picaud, was engaged to marry Marguerite Vigoroux, a beautiful, rich orphan. Four of Picaud’s friends, jealous of his new fortune, accused him of being an English agent. Picaud was taken away by police, who were worried about insurrectionary movements, at the time. In 1814, with the fall of the empire, Picaud was released from the castle Fenestrelle, where he had been imprisoned. While he was held captive, he looked after an Italian prelate who was in prison for a political charge. The man informed Picaud about a treasure he had hidden in Milan. When Picaud was released from imprisonment, he went to Milan to go and get the treasure and returned to the place that he was staying before he went to prison to plot against the people that did this to him. Dumas liked the idea of creating a character who had a fortune and avenges. The Count of Monte-Cristo was a great success. Dumas had great senses of narrative and dialogue. He had a creative imagination but a very limited sum of critical sense and a vague concern for historical accuracy. Characters are described as one-dimensional, and stranded in the molds Dumas had set for them. Despite many problems, the book is still intriguing on many, many levels.  The Count of Monte-Cristo satisfies the dreams of anyone who has strived to win the lottery or whoever has wanted to get revenge on someone who deserved it. Monte-Cristo is classified as a â€Å"nineteenth century Superman† (Jennifer Smith). His Houdini-like escape from prison was miraculous. He even escaped  his planned death! Everything goes right for the Count. During the party of the book that is set in Rome, Dumas portrays Monte-Cristo as a Byronic hero, after the romantic poet, Lord Byron. He was the most talked about man of the age. Women were drawn to him like magnets! Despite the references to Byron, the resemblances of him and Monte-Cristo are superficial. The Byronic hero seems to be more complex than Monte-Cristo. He’s usually guilty of something against society’s rules or something and searches for meaning. But, this isn’t Monte-Cristo†¦ Monte-Cristo is confident of the moral order of the world. Dumas threw in the Byronic allusions only to add some spice into his literary pot, just to give it flavor. It also applies to the Venetian lady. She thinks that Monte-Cristo was a vampire because of his pale skin. Vampire lore was often associated with Byron, who also resembled a vampire figure with his obsession to darkness and destructive characteristics of love. There is a great similarity to the vampire myth and Monte-Cristo that this allusion would work. Monte-Cristo has returned many times from the Chà ¢teau dIf to ruin living people’s lives. Dumas uses another one of his favorite authors to get some help with some plot devices. William Shakespeare. When Valentine drinks the potion given to her by Monte-Cristo, she falls into a deep sleep, resembling death. Her family then buries her and soon after, she is awaken and is reunited with her love, Maximilien. This is basically what happened in Romeo and Juliet. Hamlet, another Shakespearean play, shares many similarities to The Count of Monte-Cristo. Hamlet believes he has a mission from God to complete by avenging someone who had done wrong. But he doesn’t go along with the task. Monte-Cristo, on the other hand, goes along with his task, and accomplishes his revenge. Innocent suffering doesn’t trouble Monte-Cristo, not until the death of Edourard. His revenge wreaks devastation on all the families. He doesn’t question his own actions because he bleives he’s suffering a punishment by  God for his sins. He uses that argument upon the death of Caderousse. He cleared his guilt for not preventing his murder by stating that he refuses to get in between justice. Dumas uses the same argument for inaction with Madame de Villefort went and poisoned four people. Everyone who suffers deserves their own misery. Those who die untimely deaths are recipients of the justice of God. That’s not an argument that can take much scrutiny. If Monte-Cristo were consistent, he would have to acknowledge that according to his beliefs, the injustice of seeking revenge must also have to have been a part of the judgment of God. His own sufferings during his fourteen year imprisonment, the same argument could be applied to that. It’s a weak argument for a person to hold that someone else’s death or mourning is sent by God. Monte-Cristo eventually comes to his senses and sees that God is the only source of supreme power. If he had taken more notice to his enemy, Villefort, who had commented at their first meeting, he may have learned what he had learned a lot sooner. In his final words to Maximilien, the sum of all human wisdom is summed up into two words, â€Å"wait and hope† (The Count of Monte-Cristo). In the book, a nineteen year old, Edmund Dantà ¨s, a future ship captain, a future husband. He has the perfect life. Or so you think. His perfect life ends up getting a little dangerous when his so-called friends step in. Fernand Mondego is the one in love with Dantà ¨s’ fiancà ©e. He and a couple others make up a letter accusing Dantà ¨s of treason and on the day of his wedding, he’s arrested for the false crime. The deputy sees through the false accusation, and sets Dantà ¨s free, but he isn’t set free because he reveals the name of the man to whom he is supposed to deliver the letter from Napoleon. Dantà ¨s ends up getting sent to the Chà ¢teau d’If , where all the most dangerous political prisoners are held. While he was in prison, he meets a priest, Abbà ¨ Faria, who was imprisoned because of his political views. Faria taught Dantà ¨s history, science,  languages, and philosophy, turning Dantà ¨s into a very well educated man. Faria tells Dantà ¨s of a treasure hidden on Monte-Cristo, and tells him how to find it. Dantà ¨s digs himself a tunnel and throws himself into the sea and swims for freedom.  Dantà ¨s arrives at Monte-Cristo finds Faria’s treasure. He considers this fortune a gift from God, given to him for the purpose of people helping him out, and punishing those who have not helped him out. He disguised himself as an Italian priest named Abbà © Busoni and travels back to Marseilles and visits Caderousse, who is struggling to make a living as an innkeeper. Caderousse tells Dantà ¨s more of the plot that his friends used to frame him, and that his father had died of the grief of his absence, and his fiancà ©e, married Fernand. He also found out that Fernand and another one of his old friends who betrayed him, had become rich and powerful and reside in Paris. Dantà ¨s gives Caderousse a very valuable diamond as a reward for giving him the information. Ten years later, Dantà ¨s is in Rome, he now goes by the name, The Count of Monte-Cristo, an all-knowing and unstoppable man. Dantà ¨s meets the son of Fernand and Mercedes, Albert. He saved him from bandits. In return for the favor, Albert introduces Dantà ¨s to Parisian society. Dantà ¨s then starts to plot his revenge. Fernand is the first one to be punished. Dantà ¨s revealed his darkest secret. Frenand got rich by betraying his former patron and sold Ali Pacha’s wife into slavery.  Villefort’s punishment comes at a slow, steady pace, and in many stages. He tutors Madame Villefort in the use of potion, he then has her killing people of the household. He then publicly exposes Villefort’s charge of infanticide. For Danglar’s revenge, Dantà ¨s just drains him of money. He spares his life but leaves him with no money, not a cent.  Dantà ¨s does one act of goodness though. He helps out Maximilian by saving his fiancee, Valentine from her stepmother. He gives Valentine a pill that simulates death, but really she’s asleep, and carries her off to  Monte-Cristo. Maximilian thinks that she’s dead, which makes him want to die too, but Dantà ¨s reveals that Valentine is actually alive. Maximilian and Valentine live happily together. Dantà ¨s also finds happiness with Haydà ©e

Contempory Management Functions Essay Example for Free

Contempory Management Functions Essay How do the theories proposed in your chosen reading inform your understanding of contemporary management functions and the employer-employee relationship? The Purpose of this essay is to determine how scientific management impacts contemporary management functions and the employer-employee relationship. This essay is based on the journal article [Locke,E (1982)The Ideas of Fredrick W Taylor: An Evaluation, Academy Management review,7(11),pp.14-24] and is regarding scientific management started by Fredrick Winslow Taylor which was a theory developed regarding management which analysed workflows. It was one of the earliest attempts to apply science to management. Scientific management’s main objective was to improve economic efficiency and productivity in the workforce. In most simple terms some of the many concepts were having a standardised method for doing a job, providing increased compensation to the worker as reward for being efficient and hiring the right person for the right job. Many of these theories are very commonly used in management today. Contemporary is a word meaning existing or occurring at the same time (Robbins,2012) . Management functions refer to the way somebody manages a business (Robbins,2012). Therefore contemporary management functions are how we typically manage today. Employer- employee relationship is the relationship in which a manager has with their employee’s and how they complete their work day together and if they are efficient together (Robbins,2012). The four contemporary management functions are Planning, Organising, leading and controlling. Planning is defined as a management function that involves defining goals, establishing strategies for achieving those goals and developing plans to integrate and coordinate activities (Robbins,2012). Organising is a management function that involves arranging and structuring work to accomplish the organisations goals (Robbins,2012). Leading is working with and through people to accomplish organisational goals and controlling involves monitoring, comp aring and correcting work performance (Robbins,2012). Scientific management theories proposed in this reading do apply to  contemporary management functions. Although many of these theories could be argued as common knowledge today, when Fredrick Taylor established them they were prehistoric terms. He wanted to find out ‘one best way’ for everything in the workplace. Taylor’s most well known experiment was the pig-iron experiment (Locke, 1982 ). The experiment involved workers loading ‘pigs’ of iron on to rail cars. He knew their current daily output, but believed more was possible using scientific management. This was done due to many things. First of all putting the right person on the job with the right tools and equipment. In today’s management people hire the best person they can for the job. Secondly he had the worker follow his instructions exactly. This is also normal in today’s management functions, because people do things the way the employer wants them to. Taylor also motivated successful and productive workers with higher pay (Locke, 1982). This is also very common in today, with higher salary packages for good workers and pay increases for productivity fairly common. This improves employer and employee relationships by making the employee feel valued. Although many people believe in Taylors scientific management functions Lawerence (2010), Green (1986) both argue that that this is not the case and that scientific management is the problem in today’s management. Although there arguments are well presented there seems to be no evidence suggesting that Taylor’s theories do not work. Chung(2013) Agrees with Taylors contemporary management theories but argues the point that people could be to caught up on contemporary management functions and forgetting some key aspects of general managing. Taylor’s scientific management theories help the understanding of the employer-employee relationship by making it easier to understand what the relationship is actually for. This relationship is primarily about productivity .Many things Taylor did such as relaying messages from the employer to the employee to improve productivity) are also widely used in today’s management(locke,1982) . He also discovered that giving feedback to your employees will increase there skills and there productivity ( Locke,1982). This method is also very commonly used today with weekly meetings in many companies between employee and employer. Many large companies today use contemporary management functions in the work place. Companies Such as subway, burger king and McDonald’s are all very structured from top to bottom of the company and people are constantly striving to think of ways to improve productivity thus maximising profits. Yang (2012), Talks about all the hugely complex mathematical equations that now go into various parts decision making in Burger King and McDonald’s. Although the equations are to complex to understand to the average person it is clear that management is a lot more planned and structured in today’s workplace. Williams (2008) statesâ€Å"Consistency is a priority at McDonald’s† (p.15). This is true because anytime you walk into a McDonalds anywhere in the world you know what to expect. This is due to the contemporary management functions of a large scale to plan and organise and regulate what every individual McDonalds can do to ensure people know what they are getting and what to expect every time they walk through that door. Williams (2008) also discusses the change between old management styles and new management styles that have produced positive results for the company. The new management styles are all very similar to what Locke (1982) says about Taylor’s theories. For example Williams (2008) speaks about all the new rewards McDonalds have brought in for successful franchises and employees ranging from bonus’s to promotions to higher positions which like Taylor suggests encourages people to work harder hence greater profits (Locke, 1982 ) . Williams (2008) also talks about the extensive process in training managers and staff and the new expectations of every employee within the company that has increased greatly over the years to insure everythi ng runs according to contemporary management functions. Taylor’s theories of scientific management are helpful in informing you of contemporary management functions and employer-employee relationships. The way the workplace is shaped today seems very relevant to Taylor’s theories. Many of his theories are normal in today’s management functions. Although he has had many critics of his work It is shown in the articles that not many have been able to prove there arguments. Using evidence such as Williams (2008) journal on the change in managing McDonalds makes it clear that Taylor has had a big influence on typical management functions in today’s  workplace. Chung, C. (2013) The Road Not Taken: Putting ‘Management’ Back to Taylor’s Scientific Management, Journal of multidisciplinary research, 5(1), pp. 45-56. Green, M. (1986) A Kantian Evaluation of Taylorism in the Workplace, Journal of Business Ethics, 7 (2), pp. 165-169. Lawrence, P. (2010)The key job design problem is still Taylorism, Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 31 (2), pp. 412-421. Locke, E. (1982) The Ideas of Fredrick W .Taylor: An Evaluation, Academy of Management Review, 7 (1), pp. 14-24. Robbins,S.R., Bergman, Stagg, Coulter. (2012). Management (6th ed.). Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd. Williams, E. (2008) Accelerated leadership development tops the talent management menu at Mcdonald’s ,27(4),pp. 15-31. Yang,N. (2012) Burger King and McDonald’s: Where’s the Spillover?, 19(2),pp.255-281

Assessing The Ethnic Inequality In Canada Sociology Essay

Assessing The Ethnic Inequality In Canada Sociology Essay Inequality, whether racial, ethnic, economic, political or social is a great concern everywhere in the world. This is because research has shown that inequality can lead to poverty and creation of social classes within a society. This theory was expounded by Karl Max in his Communist Manifesto in which he argued that the owners of the means of production, capitalists, exploit the poor or proletariats and accumulate wealth often leading to a class society. This paper summarizes the findings of a 2007 study, titled Ethnic Inequality in Canada: Economic and Health Dimensions, which was done by Ellen M. Gee, Karen M.Kobayashi and Steven G. Prus, and is available in the Canadian Journal of sociology. Other works will also be reviewed to secure a satisfactory understanding of the subject. Introduction Immigration into Canada totally changed the racial diversity of the Canadian population. In their study, Gee et al. (2007) noted that since the beginning of European immigration and settlements, the Canadian society has been ordered based on racial and ethnic dimensions. Ethnicity has occupied a central position in Canadians rising inequality (p.3). John Porter first studied this subject in 1965 and found that entry into the Canadian elite class was racially ranked and determined by income, ethnic prestige, and occupations. His findings found that, British-Canadians topped the group, French-Canadians took second position, and other European-Canadians were third while Blacks and Aboriginals-visible minorities occupied the bottom strata. Despite rapid changes in policy, regarding ethnic and racial discrimination and Canadas economic progress, aspects of ethnic inequality exist in Canada. Gee et al. (2007) examined ethnic inequalities in Canada now (their time of study being 2007). I summarize their findings on four key issues, namely; Economic Inequalities (income and occupations), Employment and home ownership, Health Inequality and the aspect of perceptions on discrimination and prejudice. Economic Inequalities Empirical examples show that, substantial and convincing studies have been done on ethnically or racially based economic inequalities in Canada. Well-studied areas on this subject include income disparities and inequality in occupations. Gee et al. (2007) summarized the various studies done on this subject. (Reitz and Banerjee 2007) concluded that visible minorities in Canada have higher poverty rates and lower comparable incomes than ethnic Canadians of European origin. Gee et al. (2007) noted that recent studies on ethnic/racial orientations of income inequalities show that, household incomes of Aboriginals and visible minorities are usually low than those of Canadians with a European Origin. This is despite the fact that such studies have been conducted by different researchers at different times and applying different racial classifications and control variables. They further noted that racial disparities in the household incomes of European-Canadians have nearly minimized. Additionally, they also found indications showing that Canadians of southern European origin earn lower incomes than Canadians of British origin, while Canadians of French Origin earned much far better (p.14). On occupations, (Nakhaie 1997 as quoted in Gee et al. 2007: 16) found that British-Canadians continue leading the class of Canadian elites, despite the fact that Canadians of other origins have made efforts to join the elite class over the years. Gee et al. (2007) also noted that the correlation between ethnicity/racism and occupation could be studied in two different ways. One way is by establishing whether certain ethnic groups are concentrated in specific occupations (based on division of labor). The other alternative is evaluating the position of racial groups in the Hierarchy or strata of prestigious occupations (p.17). Applying the first dimension, and using the male gender, studies showed that Aboriginals dominate the construction and building industries representing more than double of the Canadian male populations. They are extremely underrepresented in administrative and management occupations. Their women counterparts are represented in service jobs. They therefore conclud ed that, the Canadian labor force is more gendered than ethnically based. In terms of prestige of occupations, Jewish, British and Chinese Canadians top the hierarchy. Blacks, Greeks, Aboriginals and Portuguese Canadians occupy the lower strata in that order. In the case of the female gender, the picture does not change. In this case, ethnicity and racism outweighs gender (p.17). Employment and Home Ownership Li 2000 as quoted in Reitz and Banerjee (2007: 6) noted that the main economic problem that ethnic minority immigrants face in Canada is securing sufficient employment. This is associated with amicable reasons like, the entry effect-related to immigration problems and adjusting to the new environment (urban settlement), academic qualifications and racism. Ethnic minority immigrants experience more impediments than immigrants of European-origin (Reitz and Banerjee 2007: 6) Gee et al. (2007) asserted that findings show that in terms of home ownership, the picture is no different. It reflects the same strata as it is observed in household income levels and occupations. Osberg (2008: 33) noted that, despite the fact that much literature has ignored the role of interest rates, wealth distribution, and household incomes of the wealthy and focused on earning trends, Canada now has much information on economic and other social inequalities and broad conclusions are apparent. He concludes that data shows an increase in economic inequality in Canada today. Health Inequalities Better health care is one of the basic needs that all human beings aspire to get any ware in the world. Low household incomes are frequently linked with poor health. Despite intensified research and studies on health inequality in Canada, little attention has been directed at ethno-cultural disparities on health. Gee et al (2007) looked at both heath care access and health status. However much of the literature that they examined did not show a direct correlation between ethnicity and health status. In some instances data showed that, some recent immigrants, irregardless of race or ethnic group had better health than their Canadian-born counterparts. This healthy immigrant effect was however associated with the health requirements in the Canadian immigration act that locked out immigrants with chronic health conditions. Their studies concluded that Canadians whose mother tongue is non-English or non-French are economically disadvantaged. Recent visible immigrants are typically disadvantaged. Their analysis also found significant disparities in health status and utilization depending on country of immigrant and language. The health status of recent Immigrants declines as their years of stay in Canada increase. This is because they hardly report for medical checkups, due to the fear discriminat ion, prejudice, and low household incomes. Perceptions of Discrimination and Prejudice: A Barrier to Social Cohesion Ethnic and racial inequality might be less decisive if it is because of circumstances amicable to the visible minority, such as status of new immigrants, language differences, or academic and technical training not compliant with Canadian requirements. In other words, inequality would not be a threat to social cohesion if it were viewed as legitimate. The feeling of discrimination, prejudice and racism is another issue all together (Reitz and Banerjee 2007: 8). A 2002 Ethnic Diversity Survey, which sought to get views of individual experiences of ethnic and racial discrimination, showed that 35.9% of all the respondents consisting visible minorities reported cases of discrimination and prejudice compared with 10.6% of all Whites who responded to the Survey, of the visible minorities, blacks recorded the highest rate at 49.6%. (p. 8:9). The Visible minorities also reported incidences of perceived discrimination of their ethnic group. Despite improving economic status of immigrants as they cope up with Canadian environment and society an ethnic divide in perceptions of racial discrimination is eminent among immigrants with longer stay and experience in Canada. (p.9), this is even persistence among children. Cases of non-recognition of immigrant qualifications also abound, despite in some cases being equivalent to those of native Canadians. Failure to recognize foreign qualifications and experience are some of the barriers that visible minorities come across as they seek employment. Racial discrimination is viewed with skepticism in Canada, but the mutual covenant is that it exists and cannot be ignored. It is true that one of the effects of racial discrimination of minorities is its impact on the social cohesion of the Canadian society. Social cohesion generally means the capacity of a society to formulate, implement and adhere to policies that guide it. Lack of it may lead to conflicts and civil disorders as it happened in France and the United Kingdom. Other effects may be failure of a group to participate in making decisions and sometimes withdrawing its support for certain decisions or societal policies. Integrating ethnic minorities is an important issue in Canada. Social integration and social cohesion are mutually exclusive and cannot be separated. Proper social integration of minority ethnic groups in Canada is a sine qua non for a peaceful and prosperous society that is viewed by its occupants as a means to the achievement of their needs. This will strengthen the Canadian society; raise the spirit of inclusiveness, civic and voluntary participation in activities concerning human life. Conclusion Inequality is a social evil; no society is a friend to it. The above revelations reveal that forms of inequality based on ethnic considerations exist in Canada irregardless of how minute they are. This is a big concern to racial minorities. It is not only a challenge to the racial group that experience it, but also to the completely Canadian society in terms of forging a peaceful and an all inclusive society acceptable to all. The process of socially integrating ethnic minorities into Canadian society is often slower than that of European immigrants. This is often associated with their feeling of exclusion and perceived discrimination. Of emphasis is that economic integration should match social integration, none should supersede the other. Existing Canadian policies and legal structures are laudable against racial discrimination and economic inequality. This is possibly due to international conventions and pressure to eliminate global racism and ethnicity, but it is not clear whether they are sufficient in addressing the issues that affect minority ethnic groups in Canada. However, may consent is that ethnic prejudice and discrimination is a social construction that can only be changed by the subconscious minds of individuals-the way we think and see others. We should all join hands and fight ethnic inequality. We should judge others by their competence and content of their minds rather than the pigmentation of their skin. There shall be no solution to this race problem until, you yourselves, strike the blow for liberty-Marcus Garvey

Niagara Falls :: essays research papers

There are many great wonders of the worlds, among them is the Niagara Falls located in Ontario. Niagara Falls is the jewel of geological history in the Niagara District. Did you ever wonder; how old is Niagara Falls? How did the Falls begin? What is the Niagara Escarpment? Niagara Falls is a major attraction site for tourists. This 12,000-year-old natural wonder attracts some 12 million tourists a year. Also, you can go behind the falls for a tour. Honeymooning couples have made their way to Niagara Falls for nearly 200 years. The Niagara Falls to offers some unique charms such as the water, that's the draw. Crashing, plunging, thundering without cease. (It did freeze once.) Although there are taller Falls, there are none wider. Here you also get three for the price of one: The raging rapids of Rainbow and Bridal Veil Falls (American) tumble over massive rock formations in a nearly perfect straight line; amazing Horseshoe Falls (Canadian) form a natural curve. Niagara Falls was formed as the glacier retreated. The upper Lakes began draining into the lower lakes at five to six locations across the Niagara Escarpment (like water pouring from a tap). Twelve thousand years ago, the Niagara River ultimately became the main water outlet over the Niagara Escarpment. The waters of a much larger Lake Erie began to flow over the escarpment into a larger Lake Iroquois (Lake Ontario). The water fell over the escarpment and Niagara Falls was born. The first humans arrived in Niagara Falls Region almost 12,000 years ago, just in time to witness the birth of the Falls. The land was different then, consisting of tundra and spruce forest. During this time Niagara Falls was inhabited by the Clovis people. A man by the name of Dr. Roy Spencer first discovered the birthsite of Niagara Falls in early December 1678 The first person to go over the Niagara Falls and survive was a 63 year old woman named Anne Taylor.

Professional Sports - NBA Should Enforce a Hard Salary Cap Essay exampl

The NBA Should Enforce a Hard Salary Cap      Ã‚   How many of you sports fans out there are sick of paying twenty-five dollars for a lousy seat at an NBA game? How many of you are sick of seeing the same teams in the finals every year? I'm sure there are thousands of you out there that feel this way, as do I. The way we can fix these problems is to demand that the NBA enforce a hard salary cap. A hard salary cap would lower ticket prices, allow for more teams to be more competitive and eliminate the possibility of any future lockouts. If the three things listed above aren't met, it's hard to say if the NBA will survive at all. I want to see the NBA survive, but not in the way things are being run now. A hard salary cap is the only way the fans and the players can coexist.    A hard salary cap will lower ticket prices. I, among many of friends am a die-hard NBA fan, but we can only afford to attend one or two games a year. The average ticket price in the NBA is twenty-five dollars and that doesn't include a pair of binoculars, which you'll need if you're sitting in a twenty-five-dollar seat. That can give you an idea of how much a court side seat might cost you. Some people wonder why tickets are so much. Maybe Mike Kahn, who is the CBS Sportsline Executive Editor, can tell us why ticket prices are so high. In one of his articles he notes. Players' salaries are escalating faster than revenue and it would be foolish not to throw a lid on it. Tickets are already out of sight for a middle class family. ( 2 ) That means to me that players are demanding more and more money and ticket prices have to go up to compensate for higher salaries. I n the Tampa Tribune, Bill Fay, a sports writer for the paper noted. Most of the teams h... ...salary cap will provide an answer for some of the most serious problems facing the NBA. It will lower ticket prices, allow more teams to be more competitive and eliminate the any future lockouts. If these problems can be fixed by enforcing a hard salary cap, I don't see why it shouldn't be done. The NBA should enforce a hard salary cap.    Works Cited Fay, Bill " Owners Need To Be Restrained", Tampa Tribune 5 July 1998, 1-2 Kahn, Mike," Latest News Could Stall Negotiations", October, 1998, n. pag. Online. World Wide Web <wysiwyg://71/http://cbs.sportsline.../page/cyberspy/oct98/spy101998.htm> Nov. 14, 98 Anonymous." Labor Issues", The Salt Lake Tribune 30 June 1998,1 MacMullan, Jackie," Lockout Limbo", July 1998, n. pag. Online. World Wide Web <http:www.cnnsi.com/features/1998/weekly/980720/nbalock_intro.html> Nov. 14,1998 Professional Sports - NBA Should Enforce a Hard Salary Cap Essay exampl The NBA Should Enforce a Hard Salary Cap      Ã‚   How many of you sports fans out there are sick of paying twenty-five dollars for a lousy seat at an NBA game? How many of you are sick of seeing the same teams in the finals every year? I'm sure there are thousands of you out there that feel this way, as do I. The way we can fix these problems is to demand that the NBA enforce a hard salary cap. A hard salary cap would lower ticket prices, allow for more teams to be more competitive and eliminate the possibility of any future lockouts. If the three things listed above aren't met, it's hard to say if the NBA will survive at all. I want to see the NBA survive, but not in the way things are being run now. A hard salary cap is the only way the fans and the players can coexist.    A hard salary cap will lower ticket prices. I, among many of friends am a die-hard NBA fan, but we can only afford to attend one or two games a year. The average ticket price in the NBA is twenty-five dollars and that doesn't include a pair of binoculars, which you'll need if you're sitting in a twenty-five-dollar seat. That can give you an idea of how much a court side seat might cost you. Some people wonder why tickets are so much. Maybe Mike Kahn, who is the CBS Sportsline Executive Editor, can tell us why ticket prices are so high. In one of his articles he notes. Players' salaries are escalating faster than revenue and it would be foolish not to throw a lid on it. Tickets are already out of sight for a middle class family. ( 2 ) That means to me that players are demanding more and more money and ticket prices have to go up to compensate for higher salaries. I n the Tampa Tribune, Bill Fay, a sports writer for the paper noted. Most of the teams h... ...salary cap will provide an answer for some of the most serious problems facing the NBA. It will lower ticket prices, allow more teams to be more competitive and eliminate the any future lockouts. If these problems can be fixed by enforcing a hard salary cap, I don't see why it shouldn't be done. The NBA should enforce a hard salary cap.    Works Cited Fay, Bill " Owners Need To Be Restrained", Tampa Tribune 5 July 1998, 1-2 Kahn, Mike," Latest News Could Stall Negotiations", October, 1998, n. pag. Online. World Wide Web <wysiwyg://71/http://cbs.sportsline.../page/cyberspy/oct98/spy101998.htm> Nov. 14, 98 Anonymous." Labor Issues", The Salt Lake Tribune 30 June 1998,1 MacMullan, Jackie," Lockout Limbo", July 1998, n. pag. Online. World Wide Web <http:www.cnnsi.com/features/1998/weekly/980720/nbalock_intro.html> Nov. 14,1998

Best Practice Cases in Branding Essay

Kevin Lane Keller (born 23 June 1956) is the E. B. Osborn Professor of Marketing at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He is most notable for having authored Strategic Brand Management (Prentice Hall, 1998, 2002 & 2008), a widely-used text on brand management. The book is focused on the â€Å"how to† and â€Å"why† of brand management, this strategy guide provides specific tactical guidelines for planning, building, measuring, and managing brand equity. He has published his research in the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, and Journal of Consumer Research. In addition, Philip Kotler selected Keller to be his co-author on the most recent edition of Kotler’s market-leading text Marketing Management. Keller was formerly on the faculty at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has served as a visiting professor at Duke University and the Australian Graduate School of Management. He is an alumnus of Cornell University, Carnegie-Mellon University and Duke University. In the private sector, Keller often acts as a consultant on branding, speaks at industry conferences, and helps to manage the rock band The Church. Keller currently resides in Etna, New Hampshire. Books by Kevin Lane Keller (chronological order) Kotler, Philip/Keller, Kevin Lane: Marketing Management, 13th edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall 2009. Keller, Kevin Lane: Strategic Brand Management, 3rd edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall 2008. Keller, Kevin Lane: Best Practice Cases in Branding, 3rd ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall 2008.

‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ by Edgar Allan Poe and ‘An Encounter’ by James Joyce Essay

An analytical study of ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’, ‘An Encounter’ and ‘The Pedestrian’, focusing on the themes of paralysis, entrapment and isolation The texts chosen for this study are: ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ by Edgar Allan Poe and ‘An Encounter’ by James Joyce which, I feel, are appropriate as they provide comprehensive coverage of the themes analysed whilst managing to cover a historical period of some seventy years1. Poe’s piece is a dark, Gothic work which deals, in great depth, with the notion of both mental and physical paralysis encompassed in an entrapping and isolated atmosphere. Joyce, on the other hand, takes a characteristically more diverse and subtle approach to the concept of paralysis, cunningly concealing the theme within the stagnant surroundings of his Dublin. Verbal ‘entrapment’ is furthermore offered in the form of a dubious elderly man. The story ‘An Encounter’ by James Joyce amply exhibits many stylistic features associated with the modernist author – for example the use of epiphany or writing through first person narrative, with inner monologue to highlight the consciousness of the protagonist and also subtly divulge the feelings of others to the perhaps more ‘aware’ readership. However, Poe, on the contrary, chooses to play the cards of shock and terror in a style which is far more explicit and gruesome in comparison with Joyce’s incorporation of ambiguity. The theme of paralysis is key to Joyce’s work – the notion is implicit throughout Dubliners as a whole. With this idea comes its antithesis – escape – or with respect to ‘An Encounter’ and many of the other stories, thwarted escape. It is because of the character’s desire to achieve this freedom, that when the day fails to reach its high expectations, the stagnation and restrictiveness of the surroundings are powerfully reinforced – perhaps even confirmed. From the outset of the tale, Joyce ponders the notion of escape. Characters searching for such an escape, often describe how they would wish to travel afar to achieve it. So important, it seems, is this idea that the protagonist of the initial story of Dubliners, can be quoted of aspiring to exotic, foreign fantasy: ‘I felt that I had been very far away, in some land where the customs were strange – in Persia, I thought.’ This feeling is openly exhibited in ‘An Encounter’, as Joyce’s first person narrator states; ‘Real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad.’ In the story, Joyce develops the theme in the form of an inner monologue – the thoughts of the protagonist dictating how his ‘Wild West’ adventures ‘opened doors of escape’. The method used is quite customary of the author- the thought processes of the boy (relating to escape) are ultimately what drive the tale, yet Joyce quietly conveys them through subtle, nondescript details. Joyce’s relationship with his hometown appears, like his works, slightly ambiguous. He may often be quoted of his distaste for the stagnant city2, succeeding in displaying it with an absence of enthusiasm, as a moribund, non-eventful hive. However, one feels that on reflection, after reading his work a subtle affection is undoubtedly apparent – perhaps Joyce’s time spent in exile3 incubated an innate longing for the city – Dublin’s entrapment being, perhaps, what fuelled this fascination with the petty happening of the city? Joyce’s relationship with the theme of entrapment in Dubliners is essential to the text: at times he appears intent, at others repelled. ‘An Encounter’ deals with methods of escape other than exotic foreign adventure, focusing on the attempt of two boys to ‘break out of the weariness’ of their everyday environment. Although, at first the prospect of adventure excites the young boys, there is constant undertone of anti-climax carefully intertwined into the story. Joyce writes from the first person point view, often through analepsis. It is perhaps because of this that a frequent air of frustration pursues the young schoolboys – it is as if the story is being recalled by a man embittered by the ‘restraining’ and ultimately paralysed city of Dublin. Quite often Joyce refuses to commit any fervent emotion to events, preferring to use lacklustre qualifying adverbs or adjectives; ‘†¦ We were all vaguely excited†¦ it was a mild sunny morning’ Joyce intently chooses to focus in on the most insipid details, usually choosing to focus on empirical sense experience – such as Mahoney’s grey suit or the ‘brown4 fishing fleet’- which works to suppress the buoyant atmosphere. This notion is also relative to the descriptive mood, which the author quite purposely generates through negative evocation of certain aspects: ‘†¦ The docile horses†¦ the drivers of groaning carts.’ This process of qualification through modifiers generates a subdued atmosphere parallel to that of the jaded inner-consciousness of the protagonists. The negativity which is now apparent in almost everything encountered appears to be an entrapping agent over the boys, who sulk into a resigned and somewhat resentful state, a state which is furthermore reiterated by the repetition of the adverb ‘too’: ‘It was too late and we were too tired to carry out our project of visiting the Pigeon House.’ Joyce has succeeded in presenting Dublin as an impotent city of circularity and entrapment. He is now anxious to erase the protagonist’s claim; ‘I was very happy’, from the audience’s memories, introducing words such as ‘solemn’, ‘sedulous’ and eventually even denotes the character’s thoughts as ‘jaded’. There is constant, yet suitable repetition of the adjective ‘tired’ – the day has become tedious, adventure and escape have proved elusive, and the encounter of a less than legendary sea-farer has confirmed that the protagonist will not find merriment in Dublin, forever doomed to live in the fantasies of comic book and literature. However, despite its lack of event, the day does provide the boys with one notable incident. Aspirations of escape having been superseded, Joyce begins a new paragraph focusing primarily on the silence and ‘stillness’ of the eventual situation: ‘There was nobody but ourselves in the field. [We had] lain on the bank for some time without speaking’. Through creating such an ominous, yet ‘dying’ atmosphere – sentences slowly becoming shorter, more concise (defeating imaginative possibility as displayed by the boys hitherto) and less picturesque use of vocabulary – Joyce signals the need for new themes to be introduced. He achieves this through the introduction of a curious elderly antagonist. The old man introduces the possibility of in-depth monologue and direct speech. In the conversation with the boys, he seemingly manages to entrap the young protagonist with his reference to literature – a topic of known interest to the boy – and also through cunningly incorporating a sinister ‘circular’ approach. Joyce is very keen to exploit the idea of circularity in his work and in this piece, the ‘monotonous’ voice of the antagonist and the way his voice ‘slowly circles round and round in the same orbit’, help to achieve the spellbinding quality of the man. This technique paralyses the narrator, who seemingly allows the man to give a discourse in the form of a monologue – mainly due to his apparent inability to interrupt. The politeness evident in the boy’s character is in hindsight, far from being useful. Joyce implicitly airs his personal views on the expensive Jesuit schooling that the protagonist has been subject to by placing the boy in a situation of danger. The resultant irony – learnt social skills being a hindrance – also helps highlight Joyce’s disregard for the church and its establishments. The worrying feature of the man’s discourse is the implicitly perverse way in which he speaks. He frequently refers to the ‘whipping’ of young boys, with one feels, over-excitable ardour. Joyce establishes the man’s odd approach through primarily using such adjectives as ‘magnetised’ and ‘circle’ in reference to his thought process. This creates the impression that he is intent on the subject. Secondly, a section of reported speech is introduced; ‘When a boy was rough and unruly there was nothing would do him any good but a good sound whipping†¦ what he wanted was to get a nice warm whipping.’ Joyce emphasises the mans positive outlook on the subject through the use of a positive lexical range; there is repetition of the word ‘good’ – firstly as a noun, secondly as an adjective – and also use of the adjective ‘nice’, which appears somewhat misplaced when used in conjunction with the concept of whipping. The protagonist’s isolation from sympathetic intellectuals due to young age means he is quick to warm to the old man when he talks of literature. In the epiphany, he even appears isolated from his closest friend, Mahoney, and it appears to me that the epiphany of the piece (from the young boy’s perspective) confirms that the older man has had a profound influence on his views – both intellectually and sexually. It appears that after entrapment, the isolation of the naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve child has left him susceptible to corruption and the ‘encounter’ has left the boy and the audience with the idea (with undoubted authorial intent) that the world is not such an innocent place. Such mental metamorphosis is more openly explicit in Edgar Allen Poe’s work, no epiphanies are evident, yet a first person narrative works to convey the progressively tortured thoughts of the protagonist to the reader. ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ is a piece typical of the nineteenth century ‘gothic horror’ genre. The main area of focus is that of psychological terror and mental torture of the protagonist, brought about through natural agents and physical entrapment and isolation. The style is typical of Poe, aesthetic – as opposed to scientific – and wholly grotesque. The piece is, in its simplest form, an account of the destruction of the protagonist’s psyche. Poe begins ‘in medias res’ by describing the trial of the man, the narrator intently focusing upon his gloomy and confused mental state. Syntax used is complex and verbose, helpfully describing the characters inner consciousness and displaying his tangled, entrapping thought processes. The lexical field and imagery employed is especially exotic and indulgent – Poe uses metaphorical language peppered with adverbs and adjectives as the candles before the man alter from ‘white slender angels’ to ‘meaningless spectres, with heads of flame’. Another technique which is commonly employed by Poe is that of repetition, in this particular story, Poe often relies on the syntactical position of verbs to gradually heighten tension, and prompt his audience. A good example of repetition may be found when the protagonist is awaiting his doom at the hands of the pendulum – each new paragraph commences with the preposition ‘down’: ‘Down – steadily down it crept†¦ Down – certainly relentlessly down!.. Down – still increasingly – still inevitably down!’ This repetition works to give extra strength to the nemesis and increase the tense, anxious and bleak atmosphere. The notion of ‘down’ is the most important in the authors mind, and the layout of the word on the page vividly reflects the terrifying motion of the blades descent and, more importantly, the ever more dejected mental state of the protagonist. A technique used by Poe – and also exhibited by Joyce- is that of prolepsis. The fact that the protagonist is often left thinking of what ‘may be’ suggests a certain degree of isolation – the surrounding atmosphere offering no apparent subjects for the character to focus on in the present. In ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’, Poe incorporates a feeling of perpetual unease into the thought processes of his protagonist. There are frequent examples of this which often come about directly before the ‘ghastly’ prospects of the character are realised; as in the heightened, almost hysterical language and excited syntax of: ‘The result of the slightest struggle, how deadly! Was it likely, moreover, that the minions of the torturer had not foreseen and provided for this probability? It is characteristic of Poe to use hyperbole, a technique which creates a melancholy, theatrical feeling – often seemingly increasing the grandeur. Hyperbole also escalates the terror and entrapment suffered by the protagonist, the indulgent language used portrays a somewhat exaggerated experience to the audience. This technique is supported by extensive use of adjective and adverb, commonly negative in effect, as when the protagonist is close to death by the pendulum; ‘The odour of the sharp steel forced itself into my nostrils. I prayed – I wearied heaven with my prayer for its more speedy descent. I grew frantically mad, and struggled to force myself upward against the sweep of the fearful scimitar. And then I fell suddenly calm, and lay smiling at the glittering death†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Psychological entrapment in the story is offered in the form of ‘The Pit’. To accomplish the desired atmosphere for such a tortured fate, Poe begins to describe the physical surroundings of the protagonist in some detail. The ‘subterranean world of darkness’ to which the man is instantly subject to is stereotypically associated with Poe’s genre of writing, the gloom becoming a perfect vehicle to carry an unnerving, mystifying atmosphere. Further concern for the antagonist is drawn from the constant reference to his ‘fatigued’ state and also the dangerously ‘moist and slippery’ characteristics of the chamber. The tension generated relies heavily on Poe’s use of syntax – the protagonist encounters ‘The Pit’ through a sequence of brief sentences: ‘I proceeded for many paces; but still all was blackness and vacancy. I breathed more freely.’ The length of the sentences and the fact that Poe does not feel it necessary to justify or convolute the thoughts of the protagonist – who currently sees his punishment as ‘[not] the most hideous of fates’ – represents relatively calm and clear thought processes. As the narrator becomes evermore aware of the horrific situation, Poe mirrors his mounting terror through increasingly complex syntax: ‘The difficulty, nevertheless, was but trivial; although, in the disorder of my fancy, it seemed at first insuperable.’ Poe’s evidently excessive accentuation of punctuation, creating furthermore verbose sentences, achieves a faster movement of thought and a growing sensation of confusion. Eventually, as the protagonist gradually uncovers the secrets of his confinement, a greater fear of entrapment and danger being incubated inside him is realised. Poe displays this through every quickening pace in complex sentences which are supported with dashes – giving the effect of total bemusement and terror in the protagonist, feelings which almost lead to the making of treacherous mistakes. Quite suddenly, with a simple sentence – perceptibly out of step with the ever-increasing complexity of the syntax – the climax of the character’s investigation is revealed; ‘I stepped on it, and fell violently on my face.’ With the inclusion of this short, astute sentence, Poe signals that complex syntax hitherto has given sufficient insight to the audience and that the tensi on has peaked. The fact that the piece is written in the form of a first person narrative always suggests – in a similar style to James Joyce’s reflective, possibly older narrator – that the protagonist is reminiscing about his exploits, and that ultimately the piece will not end in his death. This is, of course, the case when General Lasalle of the French army comes to the rescue. The ending is extremely interesting as Poe chooses, unlike the other events of the story, to dramatically reduce proceedings – deciding to summarise the rescue in a short paragraph. The said paragraph uses more restrained syntax – exclamation is succeeded by a simple statement which, in the context, appears almost bathetic. ‘The fiery walls rushed back!.. The French army had entered Toledo.’ It is not entirely clear why Poe has chosen to end the piece in an almost anticlimactic manner. Perhaps he chooses to condense the singular joyful occurrence of the narrative thus maintaining its stance as a work of horror. Many sources, however, maintain that the story’s closure was dictated by demanding time restrictions implemented by Poe’s publishers5. Another reason for Poe choosing a first person narrator is perhaps that this perspective gives us a stronger feeling of entrapment due to our constant awareness of the innermost feelings of the protagonist. The narrative does not, unlike a third person perspective, allow the audience to transcend the situation, providing direct access to the horror which is occurring on the page. There is also no direct speech in the story. This fact reinforces the idea of isolation in the way that the protagonist has no need to speak due to absolute solitude. The grotesque element of Poe’s work, which quite frequently works as a perversely aesthetic or romantic catalyst for the mental entrapment of the protagonist, is usually evident in the form of a tormentor drawn from nature.6 In ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’, psychological suffering is brought on by a swarm of rats. These animals bring negative connotation, as they are associated with such horror as The Plague. They are definitely an effective device which works to supplement the physical entrapment already being suffered by the protagonist at this time. At one point, Poe also uses ‘fearful images’ of skeleton forms and such, which ‘disfigure’ the surrounding walls. It is stated that these figures have been created by monks, suggesting that this environment is some kind of medieval building – not designed specifically for torture. It is therefore interesting to observe how Poe manages to alter these innocent images into emotionally petrifying fiends – working as the author will have wished, to terrify the protagonist and therefore, the readership. By introducing entrapment in the form of the wooden framework and hideous vermin, Poe has realised the importance of including both physical and metaphysical entrapment a work of the Gothic horror genre of which he is undeniably a master.    1 ‘The Pit and The Pendulum’ was first published in 1843 for a collection named The Gift, later (revised) for the Broadway Journal in 1985. ‘An Encounter’ – taken from Dubliners – was written in 1904 yet published 1914. 2 In a letter to his English publisher, Grant Richards, he claimed that his intention was ‘to write a chapter of the moral history of my country and I chose Dublin for the scene because that city seemed to me the centre of paralysis.’ (Letters, II, 134). 3 During the summer of 1904, Joyce and his new-found love Nora Barnacle left Ireland for Europe. At ‘An Encounter’s’ time of writing, it is most likely that Joyce was living in Pola – Croatia. 4 The use of the adverb ‘brown’ is also evident to the same effect in the story ‘Araby’. Entrapment is projected through the ‘brown imperturbable faces’ of the housing. 5 SEE NOTE