Textual Integrity in Hamlet Essay Example

Textual Integrity in Hamlet Essay In order to decide if the textual integrity is essential to the play, one would examine whether the character motivations remain constant with the rest of the other characters present within the play. Their imagery, motives, word choice, and whether the speech seems to fit with Hamlets overall character. Due to the different contexts of the play (one being the Elizabethan era whilst the other being the present) it is easily arguable from a Elizabethan era viewpoint that the character of Hamlet has done the morally correct thing to society as he has waited to the right moment (when he is aware of Claudius true actions) to act upon his vengeance for his father. Hamlet has maintained his duty to family and God by not killing himself due to loathing but evening the scores in order to regain his fathers worth. On the other hand from a modern day approach the audience feels as though Hamlet should react straight away and kill Claudius. The idea of duty to God/religion has become mildly ethereal and is not as apparent as it was during the Elizabethan era. One interpretation of Hamlet is the play is about suicide. The play heart is an concentrated psychodrama that is about a prince gone mad from external pressures. He longs for the ultimate release of killing himself for several different motives depending on the situation. We will write a custom essay sample on Textual Integrity in Hamlet specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Textual Integrity in Hamlet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Textual Integrity in Hamlet specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer When Hamlet has the opportunity to kill himself he is seen as a coward, lacking the internal drive to go through with his deed: O, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,/Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,/Or that the Everlasting had not fixed/His canon gainst self-slaughter! Hamlets reason for suicide is due to the death of his father which is clear in his first soliloquy. Later on in the play he gives evidence that there are other reasons for his decided suicide. In his third soliloquy he states: For who would bear the pangs of despised love when he himself might his quietus make/with a bare bodkin? The word despised is put as unrequited and thus we are led to believe that Ophelia is the reason behind his suicidal thoughts, not the late King. The mourning of his father is a pseudo veil because he feels as though he cannot sink so low as to kill himself due to a woman. Textual integrity is the notion that the text can stand alone as a piece of work, regardless of the texts paradigms, its social and theoretical practice and its ability to be understood without reference. It exists and is understood and although other texts may add meaning to it, they themselves do not make the text. As to whether it means its ability to be received in a variety of contexts if you can say its great because its a whole thing that would work but it seems pretty vacuous. I think you can look at how another reading of Hamlet fails to maintain the textual integrity of the original i. e. if a feminist reading transforms it into something quite different say but otherwise I dont think its that helpful as a concept. There is no such thing as literature, or even Shakespeare. All these have been constructed by particular groups at particular times to serve particular interests. There is no such thing as a straightforward, objective or disinterested reading. Shakespeare is NOT timeless. Shakespeare does not transcend time, or place, or human understanding. He is to be understood in the context of the social, political and ideological and material practices and social relationships of the ideological production, and the reception of his work. For most of the new perspectives, therefore, the study of Shakespeare is a political enterprise. It was stressed by my teacher that when Shakespeare was studied, say in 1895, the assumption of traditional studies could be summarized in a short list and it was done the same by everyone. Not allowing for different perspectives or interpretations. E. g. , a feminist viewpoint, a Marxian viewpoint a Freudian psychoanalytical reading etc. ) A text is not produced by an author, but by readers, who themselves are produced by social and political forces. New perspectives frequently attempt to establish their authority by specialized vocabulary (remember this term! ) and extensive appeal to theory. As with all literature we are unable to separate ourselves from our personal interpretation and that of the writers. Works of literature usually lead to various interpretations differing from era to context to experience. Each interpretation of Hamlet brings different elements to the forefront. Without these interpretations of Hamlet one may not be able to feel as though they receive a full understanding of the play and a lack of connection may become a dislike of the play rather than a love for the tragic tale. Shakespeare possibly has his own interpretation of the play. The writer merely sets words to the page; it is our job to make them our own.

Social Environment Accounting Essays

Social Environment Accounting Essays Social Environment Accounting Paper Social Environment Accounting Paper In particular, contributions have attempted to explore the notion that counting discourse is a medium through which relationships between business and society can be created, nurtured and developed. In our 2000 issue, we expressed our guiding aim through the lens provided by the late Professor Ray Chambers. We repeat it for this issue: What accounting needs is its own Copernican revolution. Too long have accountants been enamored of the products of undisciplined imagination and umbilical contemplation. Too long have they failed to lift their sights to the observables of real world affairs the substance of which it is their business to capture. Accounting is ideal depicted as essentially historical. Hence the use of past prices, in presenting presently dated financial statements. More recently attention has shifted to future, hypothetical, prices. But what about present prices in presently dated statements? Accountants seem to have settled for the rule of the White Queen in Through the Looking Glass: The rule is jam tomorrow and jam yesterday-but never jam today. (Chambers, 1 Bibb: 250-251 Recent research in the area of environmental, financial and management accounting shows that accounting and accountants can participate in these areas of search. This issue attempts to explore these research questions some of which are. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; What do key organizational decision-makers understand by environmental sustainability? To what extent, if any, do senior managers in a corporatio n address environmental issues? Why are these issues addressed and how do they relate to democratic accountability? How are environmental issues integrated into organizational strategy? What environmental strategies are developed and implemented? What are the driving forces behind corporate policies toward environmental issues? What do key members of stakeholder groups understand by environmental sustainability? How do companies and their stakeholders assess environmental performance? 0155-9982/$ see front matter 0 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 0. 1 016/j. Cofactor. 004. 04. 004 2 Introduction / Accounting Forum 28 (2004) 1-5 A starting point was that provided by Gray, Jar, Power and Sinclair (2001) who observed that they were unable to find, during an 8 year sample, any unique and/or stable relationship between any measure of disclosure and any corporate characteristic (Gray et al. , 2001 , p. 349). In this issue, extending the Dundee Perspective, Lorraine, Collision and Power add to the growing body of statistical work on the relationship between environmental performance and disclosure characteristics. Their research begins to appraise the bottom line and explores the extent to which corporations are acting in the public interest. Specifically, they analyses publicity surrounding fines for environmental pollution and the commendations related to good environmental achievements to determine whether these information events influence share prices (Lorraine et al. , 2004). In this article, they explore whether good or bad publicity about environmental performance affects companies share prices. To date, they explain that a lot Of the research in this area has been conducted in a US setting and has arrived at inconclusive results. This investigation examines the topic in a UK context to consider publicity about fines for environmental pollution as well as commendations about good environmental achievements to see whether such information influences share prices. The results indicate that there is a stock market response to such news especially for details on fines-?typically up to 1 week after news is published. A cross-sectional analysis indicates that the share price response is mainly a function of the relative fine imposed on the firm; other explanatory variables such as environmental performance news or sector membership were unsuccessful in explaining variations in the market responses they observed. Equally, Accounting Forum has been interested in the interdependencies between social and environmental accounting which extend to the nexus between accounting and information to employees and other relevant parties. In this issue of Accounting Forum, R. G. Day presents evidence concerning the evolution of reporting about employees in the last entry and its relationship with mandatory disclosure rules (Day, 2004). This is an interesting phenomenon, given that the current conceptual framework for corporate environmental reporting has only recently begun to analyses the relationship between voluntary and regulated disclosure. For example, accounting research is only just beginning to examine the relationships between the role that International Standards such as ISO 14001 have had on the reporting function. In Days article, however, he focuses on evidence from the ELK and finds that there is an apparent disregard for Statutory disclosures. Implicit in much of the Corporate Environmental and Social Reporting (CE) literature is the supposition that the existing CUFF framework offers a pragmatic justification for the wider implementation of CE making the task easier and cost-effective. These studies point toward a need for a better understanding of the relationships between reporting practice, democratic theory and the common goods that bring societies together. From another United Kingdom perspective, Hammond and Miles (2004) examine different evaluation systems of UK corporate environmental and social reporting systems. They add to the literature by adopting a qualitative perspective on CSS through an examination of the Kiss Environmental Reporting Assessment (ERA), Business in the Environment (Bib), Oxford Economic Research Associates (EXERT), and Environmental Limited. One research theme that emerges from this strand of the literature is a hypothesis that the voluntary nature of social reporting is a strategic force designed to legitimate corporate activities in the eyes of the community. Consequently, it might be argued that 3 management considers annual reports to be a publicity device to reduce the adverse perceptions that some sections of the community have toward modern corporation (Nee et al. , 1998). From a US perspective, Marty Freedman and Dennis Patten examine the Toxins Release Inventory (TRIG) which was passed into law in 1986 (Freedman Patten, 2004). The Act, they explain, focused on using information as a tool for reducing pollution. They develop the argument of Sonar and Cohen (1997, p. 09) that if investors cared enough about the pollution performance information required under the enactment to punish bad performers, firms would have a market-based incentive to reduce toxic emissions. They then argue that legitimacy theorists suggest that corporations may use largely voluntary financial report environmental disclosures to offset or mitigate the negative aspects of other information or actions. Accordingly, these disclosures could reduce the market eff ect of the TRIG program. In the light of President George Bushs unexpected June 1989 proposal to revise the Clean Air Act, Freedman and Patten identify whether TRIG information and 10-K report environmental disclosures had an impact. Using a sample of 112 firms they offer the conclusion that companies with worse pollution performance (higher levels of size-adjusted toxic releases into the air) suffered more negative market reactions than companies with better performance. However, companies with less extensive environmental disclosures in their 10-K reports suffered more negative market reactions than companies with more extensive disclosure. These results suggest that, while the TRIG information may be inducing market effects that could in turn work as a quasi-regulatory device, financial report environmental disclosure actually reduces its impact. The conclusion is that if concern about the environment is important then environmental disclosure ender the auspices of voluntary regime is clearly inadequate. This issue, then, examines and provides evidence concerning the efficacy of voluntary environmental regimes, further evidence that limitations exist within liberal paradigms is examined in terms of current business and corporate environmental regimes. Juxtaposing the liberal justifications for environmental protection with different conceptions of democratic discourse begins a re-alignment of humanitys attitude toward the natural environment; namely, to begin a discourse through which natures intrinsic value might be revealed. A broader social and environmental audit, arguably, can be developed in conjunction with a theory of language that reconnects humanity with the natural environment. Thus, an aim of this issue has been to consider the democratic role of environmental and social accounting in a transnational age. Another am of the journal has been to explore how humanity might re- connect with nature and how this might be reported to relevant publics. In the communitarian tradition Of Rousseau, who is not fully credited with this insight, a face-to-face community is characterized by greater transparency Han is the typical liberal state, allowing members of communities to be informed about wasteful and damaging resource consumption and the ecological burdens to be borne by all. Recent environmental and social accounting literature suggests that accounting can contribute to environmental discourse through a critical framework committed to investigating the truthfulness and authenticity of the data reported. One area of particular interest that emerges from critical accounting discourse involves the processes through which peoples attitudes are changed and how reform is created. Toward this end, the authors in this volume contribute to an exploration that more governmental 4 regulation might be needed to counter the hegemonic forces of global capitalism. Moreover, recent work on social and environmental accounting exposes future trends which are now becoming evident through globalization. It poses new dilemmas for management and increases pressure on accountants to report to communities on corporate social and environmental issues. The globalization of the commons is never seen is zero-sum terms, but always as unambiguous improvements in the efficiency Of the economic system. Future research must explore the structural and social causes of environmental problems which the current selection of articles have begun to address. In addition, we are concerned with social and environmental impacts on the relationship between management accounting and management information systems. Future directions for social and environmental accounting must explore the links between accounting and information systems as a means to report to relevant publics. Some future directions might take: ; The future role for managers in a changing accounting world where communication to relevant publics becomes more important. Explorations into the communicative relationships between accounting and the moral and physical structures which govern modern advanced communities. ; Critical explorations into the processes of globalization and transnational capitalism as they impact local and regional communities and environments. ; The relationships between critical accounting and reform accounting proposals in a deregulated and internationally harmonious world business environment. Differentiating and exploring the motivations for corporate performance in terms of environmental saints and others environmental sinner (Chain Milne, 1999). Moreover, we canvas the ecological consequences of the dominant accounting framework, which is based on procedural liberal principles and has a tendency to displace investigation into more substantive relationships between humanity and nature. Yet, these developments in accounting, however welcome, have been slow in coming and may reflect a diminished role of accounting with other disciplines areas like law taking over these areas. Further, the failure to keep pace with overseas developments may mean that the information used by policy makers will not express the same intelligence as that used by our mediators further eroding competition. Through a consideration of humanitys anthropocentric stance it is possible to rethink the maxim that nature has intrinsic value, which should be respected. Our guiding theme has been to argue that the natural environment is a necessary condition for humanitys being in the world.

Media and Teen's Body Image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Media and Teen's Body Image - Essay Example Media creates a negative body image of young girls portraying and popularizing 'very thin" models and distorted bodies. Such displays undo associations of femininity with excess, over-indulgence and lack of control. Women with eating disorders are merely the extreme version of the widespread desire for 'a slender body' prompted by the opposition in consumer culture between discipline and excess. Bordo (1989), one of the most popular feminist writers and critics, suggests that eating disorders characterize the modern western 'self'. In this case, media becomes the most influential source of information which forms tastes and preferences of young girls. Following Holmstrom (2004): Research has shown that a discrepancy between the "actual" self (attributes you and others believe you possess) and the "ideal" self (attributes you or others believe you should possess) can produce negative emotional states such as sadness, discouragement, and depression. An average [girl] may be discouraged by the discrepancy between her body and that of the media ideal" (196). Statistical results vividly portrays that the incidence of bulimia nervosa (one to two per 100 women) and anorexia nervosa (one per 1,000 women) of western women suggests a social pathology (Gauntlett 78). Also, a survey of readers of the popular magazine, Vogue, suggested that almost 15 % of 25- to 24-year-old respondents were anorexic or bulimic. These results correlated with respondents' extreme concern about their body images, self esteem and ability to cope with stress (Gauntlett 80). Young girls over-estimated their own body size and identified over-thin models as their ideal body shape. Increasingly, analysis of anorexia has been linked to feelings of powerlessness. Critics (Snow 187) underline that what begins as a refusal to be part of the power structure becomes a form of power and control in the behavior itself. For many girls, 'ideal' body images represent adulthood and independence. Bordo (1989) argues that media practices produce self-regulating 'female subjects' through the demonstration of control over the physical body (29). Through processes of self-monitoring and self-regulation of the body, multiple demands and conflicts placed upon it could be accommodated. Bordo states that the 'preoccupation with the "internal" management of the body is produced by instabilities in the "macroregulation" of desire within the system of the social body (Bordo 1989, 96). Media depicts and popularizes an ideal body image which becomes standards for many girls. Femininity is constructed as a process of selecting an ideal image and adapting available clothing and cosmetics to realize an approximation to that ideal (Gauntlett 28). Attributes of femininity are also shaped by the

Portfolio Brief (product chosen is the new X-Box 360) Essay

Portfolio Brief (product chosen is the new X-Box 360) - Essay Example onale – to capture the mind share (if not effect sales right away) of the maximum population, before Sony’s next Playstation hits the stores later in 2006. The promotional strategy largely focused on the integration of the new gaming console with other media – X-BOX 360 can play music from your CDs, iPod or your PC. You can watch movies, TV or Video through it. It integrates with all digital cameras so you can view pictures and slide shows. And of course – it lets you play your choice of games. (Darren Waters, 2005) With this product, Microsoft has suddenly short-circuited the life of current generation of gaming hardware – by launching its X-BOX 360, it has ushered in a new era of entertainment. The X-BOX 360 is all set to provide a media hub as opposed to pure gaming. Microsoft’s website, TV and print ads, as well as the PR speeches by company officials, are all directed towards highlighting the multi-tasking aspect of X-BOX 360. The promotional activities are targeted towards a rational positioning of the product – as a complete home entertainment system. (Microsoft’s website). While reaching out to a majority of early and new starters, this approach might not appeal to the hard-core gamers, especially since there are still numerous OS glitches and hardware breakdowns reported by those who have made the purchase. (Peter Cohen, 2005) With 1.5 million units of its next-generation video game console already sold in the December quarter, Microsoft now expects to sell 2.5 million by February end. (Todd Bishop, 2006). The market looks receptive and Microsoft’s promotional stance has apparently paid off. However, the marketing communication efforts were not complemented by delivery and supply, thus leading to some discontent and aversion towards the company if not the product. The following pages will present the description and analysis of the Promotional Activities undertaken by Microsoft, the effectiveness of the efforts, and the impact that

Corporate Social Responsibilities in Kuwait

Corporate Social Responsibilities in Kuwait Corporate social responsibilities (CSR) are a form of corporate self regulation inducted into business models. The term Corporate Social Responsibilities was coined in the early 1970s that is after many multinational companies were born. CSR policies of corporate organizations are aimed at providing a positive impact of their actions on customers, employees and shareholders. In other words, its goal is to improve the social environment of communities, it is an organizations means of giving back to the community. This improvement is channeled through nurturing growth and development of communities, including elimination of detrimental practices that affect the public sphere. When a company is said to take part in corporate social responsibility, it means that they have ethical, social and moral responsibilities towards the community and society in which they are operating. Another important responsibility include in the CSR is the return given to investors and abiding by the national rules in the business dealings and functions. According to the traditional view of corporate social responsibility, it was related to the key stakeholders of the company only, which are its stockholders or owners. However today the corporate social responsibility of the business is required in every aspect of the business whether they are the suppliers, customers, investors, employees, government, social groups or owners etc (RFB, 2010). 2. Concepts related to Corporate Social Responsibility: There are several concepts and issues that have emerged today related to the corporate social responsibility. The CSR should now be addressed by the companies in various contexts and some of them are illustrated as follows: 2.1 SOCIAL ISSUES Due to the operation of the businesses having different internal environment and different cultural values, several social issues can emerge. Some of the social issues that emerge are mainly because of the operations of the business. The social issues would include all type of problems that can arise in a society because of the business. These can be environmental e.g pollution because of business operations, the cultural issues, ethical issues or technological issues etc. 2.2 CSR related to Stakeholders: Any individuals, organization, societies or elements of the environment that have a stake in the company and is affected by as well as affects the business is known as its stakeholder. Businesses have a number of stakeholders and it must ensure that the rights of all the stakeholders are delivered to them. For example the workforce of the company has some legal rights as well ethically and morally the company should give the workforce some rights related to the operations of the business. For example In a firm, the health and safety of the employee is the legal responsibility as well as the ethical responsibility of the organizations. The companies have various stakeholders as mentioned before. The stakeholders can be further categorized as the primary stakeholders and the secondary stakeholders. The primary stakeholders of the company are the ones that can impact the organizations business operations. While the secondary stakeholders are the one that can have both direct and indirect impact on the operations of a business. The primary ones are said to have a direct stake and these include the employees, the suppliers, communities, the customers, regulatory bodies, future generations, shareholders, government and business partners etc. even the nature and the environment that a company can have an effect on are a part of its primary stakeholders. The secondary stakeholders even if do not have a direct stake but can be positively or negatively affect by the decisions or operations of the company. These include the interest groups, social groups, political groups etc. The rights of the primary stakeholders of a company are often protected by the laws because they often have a legal link and have a direct connection with each other. on the other hand, the secondary stakeholders might not have legal rights and privileges but the Equity holders are the main stakeholders of any concern. Every organization has to fulfill some is a moral and legal duties and rights of their respective owners. Some of these include, seeking to make sure that the prime stakeholders receive an adequate return on what they have invested in the firm. This is not the only right but the basic right. Besides, the owner, employees are also major players in the business, they also have both moral and legal requirements that the firm must meet. The businesses also have a special obligation to its customers in connection with the marketing, advertising, production and quality of products. The products are also expect to offer functionality, safety and value of local communities. All these duties listed for the firm to follow can significantly affect the activities of national organizations and therefore a direct participation in their activities and other enterprises to do business with. Many social commentators also suggest that companies are directly responsible for future generations and wildlife. 2.3 Environmental Issues. Companies have long been criticized for their negative impact on the natural environment in which they operate. The negative impact of the firm on the environment can be related to terms natural resources and pollution and global warming. In many of the organizations there are no proper systems for waste management. Many firms use fossil fuels that release high quantity of carbon dioxide that is said to be one of the bigger contributors of global warming, and there are social pressure on government and businesses to meet strict standards for environmental and be volunteers in the change process of production which would be less damaging to the environment. Other issues related to the natural environment include acid rain, waste disposal, deforestation, and soil degradation. (Environmental leader, 2010).If an organization does not comply with the standards of environmental responsibility then they not just lose their respect in the eyes of the customers but also face opposition from g overnment, NGOs and various pressure groups. 2.4 Global Issues. More and more organizations today operate in a global environment. The globalization of trade seems to be an irreversible trend, but there are many opponents to it. Critics point out that globalization leads to exploitation in developing countries and workers, environmental degradation and increasing human rights violations. They also argue that globalization benefits mainly the wealthy, widening the gap between rich and poor. Proponents of globalization argue that open markets lead to an increased standard of living for all, higher wages for workers worldwide, and economic development in poor countries. Many large multinational companies are in scope and will continue to face legal, social and ethical issues posed by the increasing globalization of trade. 2.5 Technology Issues Another contemporary social problems relating to technology and its impact on society. For example, the Internet has opened up many new opportunities for marketing goods and services, but also opened up new opportunities for abuse of the companies. Issues of privacy and security of confidential information is handled. Biotechnology companies face issues regarding the use of embryonic stem cells, genetic engineering and cloning. All these things are ethical and social implications. As technological capabilities continue to advance, it is likely that the liability of companies in this sector will increase significantly. Research shows that companies are developing a reputation for being socially responsive and ethical enjoy better performance. But the final motivation for companies to engage in corporate social responsibility should not be an economic motive, but the moral and ethical. (RFB, 2010). 3. Corporate Social Responsibility in Kuwait: CSR is a tool that aids the organization on its mission and serves as dynamic guide as to the organizations principles. There is no formal act of legislation pertaining to CSR; however ISO 26000 is considered as an International Standard for CSR. Public sector organizations adopt the triple bottom line policy; People, Planet, Profit. Along with the mushrooming of multinational companies the scrutiny of their business activities have also increased. This means that organizations who adopt CSR policies have a greater chance of survival. Adoption of corporate responsibility supports business objectives; it results in increase in compliance, reputation and relationships which in turn increase shareholder value and profitability of the company. The International Business Report (IBR) 2008 states the three major reasons for incorporation of CSR in businesses are; Recruitment/Retention of Staff at 65%, Cost Management at 63% and Public attitudes/building brand at 56%. Other reasons perceived to promote CSR are tax reliefs that are provided by the government and investor relations. Tax reliefs are a tool that governments possess by which it may force a change in the attitudes of companies. This tool can be used to force companies to incorporate a CSR policy in their business models. Investors of the company have an impor tant say within company matters. Multinational companies are on the look for local and foreign investors. This provides Investor an edge to influence companies to adopt CSR plans. The Kuwait CSR conference, which is held annually, promotes incorporation of CSR within businesses and also discusses the performance enhancement that CSR offers. A CSR award ceremony held annually in Kuwait to appreciate the contributions made by organizations to Kuwaiti communities. This awards event honors companies for their achievements on the CSR front. Both the conference and award ceremony encourage organizations to adopt a CSR policy. A report by International Business Machines (IBM) Institute for Business Value voiced that companies are viewing CSR as a growth opportunity rather than a policy concerning regulatory-compliance or philanthropic issue. The report further states that 68% of the companies that were surveyed had interest in generating revenue through CSR based activities. Customer concern is considered to be the chief driver of CSR actions however 76% of companies state that they dont completely understand the customers CSR concerns while 16% of organizations claimed that they are able to engage with customers regarding CSR activities. The three major domains which have received contributions from organizations are health care, education and financing aid and charitable trusts. Within the health care domain, organizations sponsor construction of hospitals, medical centers as well as purchasing of equipment. Corporations also design programs that increase awareness of diseases and disorders among the population. In 1999, a telecommunications company; Zain, sponsored and supervised the construction of Sabah Ear-Nose-Throat Hospital. The Kuwaiti Projects Company (KIPCO) initiated a dyslexia campaign. The goal of the campaign was to increase awareness of dyslexia among students and professional alike. For this deed, KIPCO was honored with CSR award. The Annual report of Kuwait Finance House (KFH) 2007 highlighted that the organization provided KD 1.250 million to Bait Al-Zakat (Kuwait Zakat House), increases the provisions allocated for the construction of 15 ambulance centers on the motorways worth KD 1.450 million. The second major domain covered by organizations is education. Organizations aim to educate the local communities not only in traditional educational settings but also in educating in awareness of pollution of the environment, development of discipline and personal skills in young individuals, providing training to young professionals through internships. A Kuwait based multinational petrochemical company; EQUATE, sponsors educational programs, research programs and provides scholarships and awards for higher education. The company not only reaches out to students and educational institutes but also believes in knowledge transfer to regional companies. EQUATE also initiated the pollution free Kuwait campaign whose aims were to decrease the level of pollution in Kuwait and to create awareness of the effects of pollution within the masses (KMPG, 2010). The third area is that of financing relief efforts and charitable trust. Organizations donate allocated funds to trusts from their own accounts. Companies also allot a fixed portion of a sale towards charity. For Example, on the sale of a cell phone a company may forward 5% of its profit to chosen charity .Kuwait airways coupled with Kuwait Red Crescent to provide relief for the less privileged. This association resulted in the launch of a relief project Balsam, whose goals were to provide remedial measures for the needy. The collection of donations for this project is unique in its manner. Kuwait airways collected foreign currency donations from its passengers. These currencies were then forwarded to Kuwait Red Crescent where they were utilized as needed. Even though the report published by IBM Institute of for Business Value highlights that CSR is not focusing on compliance but on generation of revenue streams. The incorporation of CSR in local and multinational companies in Kuwait has provided a positive outlook to social activities. This not only has increased faith of the consumers within the companies but also has proven a source of proper ethical behavior for the companies themselves. 4. Example of Corporate social Responsibility in Kuwait: The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) long been a leader in addressing environmental sustainability issues. In early 1990, Kuwait in front of the worst environmental disaster in recent history, in the wake of the late Iraqi government on the country. Oil wells and gathering centers were in flames, and the uncontrolled flow of oil was filled with hundreds of huge oil lakes and miles and miles of shoreline contamination. It was imperative that the countrys oil infrastructure can be restored and its environment. Today, Kuwait has the worlds seventh largest oil exporter and holds approximately 10% of global oil reserves. KOC is the effective management of oil and gas upstream, acting in Kuwait and the storage of crude oil and deliver it to the tank for export. Significantly, KOC has also helped to clean and protect the environment, embracing corporate social responsibility and the launch of a series of bold initiatives on sustainability, using the latest technologies and industry best practices. Emissions monitoring for regulatory compliance and CSR Kuwait KOC EPA Data from multiple sources while minimizing the Rolling risk of errors or omissions Provide an accurate analysis in real time which translates into better decisions faster Overall 90% reduction in time spent on emissions data collection, processing and reporting from various systems Saved weeks of work and improved accuracy by automating the deployment analysis of corporate sustainability reporting in Gift HSE staff to focus on higher value tasks and increase productivity Koc Health, Safety and Environment Group uses essential result in multiple production facilities, with an unlimited number of users accessing the system via a software-as-a-Service or SaaS implementation is supported by BP Consultancy (PCB ). KOC and the PCB has started using the essential Air module to collect and manage air emissions data Standardization of data, coding data, models, process flows, data models and other functions to generate a wide range of reports and update system dashboards KOC. In the process, KOC not only fulfill its commitments to corporate responsibility, he also streamline the critical operations of the company.

French Revolution Human Nature

What is human nature? Are humans self-interested and savage or are we socially conscious and kind? The people of the French Revolution give us an answer to these questions. The French Revolution was a time of rebellion and revolution and provided an immense change to the country of France. The revolt was started by drought, rising prices, and increasing frustration with the government by the citizens of France. The rebelliousness followed the previous age of Enlightenment. Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes searched and discovered new ideas about the nature of people and the role of government. Locke believed that every man was born with natural rights and will behave well as long as they have these. Hobbes on the contrary believed that we are all savage creatures who use violence to get our own way. Through events such as The Declaration of the Rights of Man and The Tennis Court Oath, John Locke’s understanding of human nature can be judged as more accurate than that of Thomas Hobbes. The actions that the French people took during the Tennis Court Oath mirror Locke’s beliefs about humanity. In the Tennis Court Oath, the Third Estate challenged the awful monarchy of King Louis XVI by a pledge that they would not leave the tennis courts of Versailles until a new constitution that would meet the peoples needs was written. The Oath states, â€Å"that all members of this assembly immediately take a solemn oath never to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the realm is established and fixed upon solid foundations† (Tennis Court Oath). This event is completely related to Locke’s beliefs that every man should have the right to revolt to acquire natural rights and freedoms. In his Second Treatise on Government, John Locke wrote, â€Å"upon the forfeiture of their rulers†¦the people have a right to act as supreme, and continue the legislative in themselves†¦as they think good† (Locke). Locke supported and encouraged people to understand that if a government was not treating them fairly or reasonably then the people have the right to form a new government that they like. The measures taken by the Third Estate supported the beliefs of Locke by taking over to get their natural rights. Locke was correct by predicting that people would do what they had to get their natural rights. Locke’s beliefs that people only want their natural rights are supported in The Declaration of Rights of Man. The National assembly finalized the Declaration on August 26, 1789. The Declaration’s basis comes from Locke’s idea of individualism. In John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government, he states, â€Å"Men being by nature all free, equal, and independent, no one can be put out of this condition and subjected to the power of another without his own consent†¦ these laws ought to be designed for no other reason than for the good of the people† (Locke). John Locke believed that all people are born worthy and deserved natural rights. In the Declaration of Rights of Man, the initial article says, â€Å"Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good† (Declaration of the rights of Man). The two documents are extremely similar. The intention of the Declaration of the Rights of Man was to make everybody happy with freedom and equality. Locke believed that all men are born free and equal, and the National Assembly therefore included that thought it into the Declaration of the Rights of Man. It is obvious from the text and spirit of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, that John Locke has the best understanding of human nature. The French Revolution was a time of rebellion and revolution that brought immense change to the country of France. When looking at the Tennis Court Oath and The Declaration of the Rights of Man, John Locke’s thoughts and ideas are obvious. He believed that people should be free and shouldn’t tolerate anything less. Locke was correct about people wanting their freedoms, as this was both the action and intent of the French, we can see that his beliefs of human nature were correct. Government should be for the people and should never be unjust; but if a government is unfair to the people than Thomas Hobbes is correct that people reserve the right to revolt. This does not make them savage or self-interested it is just the people using their natural rights. Works Cited â€Å"Declaration of the Rights of Man – 1789 . † The Avalon Project. Yale Law School, n. d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010 . â€Å"The Tennis Court Oath. † Revolution. N. p. , n. d. Web. 28 Feb. 2010 . Locke, John. â€Å"The Second Treatise of Government. † 1689. The Potowmack Institute .

Google Case “Don’t be evil” Essay

Google in 2000 developed a Chinese language version that the Chinese could use freely. Two years later, the government blocked the search engine because this latter did not change the findings. In 2004 the government decided to release the site but users could no longer access sites such as political movements. Google has complied with its own accord to remove all sites that should be censored according to the laws imposed by the Communist Party of China. Many words have been banned also in research, such as Hypocrite, Human Rights, Democracy†¦ Google mission tells that â€Å"Google mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful†. But also â€Å"being a Googler means holding yourself to the highest possible standard of ethical business conduct.† The information is readily available for everyone who has access to Internet, without find useless information and the product must be universally accessible. While many companies have ethical codes to govern their conduct, Google claims to have made â€Å"Don’t Be Evil† a central pillar of their identity, and part of their self-proclaimed core values. In 2006, when Google declared their self-censorship move into China, their â€Å"Don’t be evil† motto was questioned. Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt explained that sometimes it might need to allow smaller evils for a greater good. However, Google has since challenged China’s censorship policies on various occasions. DO YOU THINK GOOGLE SHOULD CENSOR SEARCHES IN CHINA? WHY? Google was criticized a lot by international newspapers about ethics codes. _The Financial Times_ asked to the company if they don’t feel guilty about the situation and if they aren’t becoming evil with censoring researches within China. The same year, Google opened offices in China because from a financial perspective, this country represents for the company a dynamic, fast-growing and increasingly competitive market. The decisions of the Chinese Government may be compared to the newspapers in the United States because both decide if they would edit or hide any article wrote and thought inappropriate for the public. In fact, the Government takes decisions if Google has to censor web sites and researches; Google consequently stood on accommodating the demands of the Chinese Government. I think there is not a question of being evil or not. Google is maybe a leader in the world (it ranked in 2005 the third position behind Johnson & Johnson and Coca-Cola), but it cannot take decisions in a country which is not its. The research motor has no power in that country controlled by a Communist Government which is very strong. It is more a problem of coherence from Google, because after reading its mission statement and understanding â€Å"Don’t be Evil useless†, we don’t understand the reason why they change their culture when they operate in another country. According to that mission statement and because some governments make the mission difficult to achieve, Google added to the balance a third fundamental commitment after having penetrated Chinese market: â€Å"be responsive to local conditions.† People thought that Google will follow its mission perfectly, doesn’t matter the situation or the location, and they were very surprised when they discover that Google made some censure by its own. After the censure decision of Chinese Government in 2002, Google was not any more efficient, and every search had to pass though the â€Å"Great Firewall of China† software. That means Google News was never available, as also Google Images which worked just 50% of the time. A good point of Google is the importance of users’ privacy and it is related to users’ interests. But entering in China, Google’s decisions had to be monitored by the government; this changing of filtering all researches compromised Google’s missions. It doesn’t matter to the company to be criticized, or if it lose people trust around the world, because the only thing they believed is to try to give to users the access to Google.com from within China. But Google had to face some more problems, others than the criticism. I mean, the censoring would really have affected the company search results, because if a user tries to search an ensured term, he would be re-directed to a non-censored site or the browser would stop. But Google risks a brand value damage. To summarize, I understood that Google had no choice to become censured. It told it was its own decision because it didn’t want to argue with the Government, and it knew that it had no chance to win the fight. It is too important for the company to expand until China, that’s why the company accepted all the country restrictions and try to have a place in that market. WHY DO YOU THINK GOOGLE DIDN’T WANT TO SUPPLY INFORMATION REQUESTED BY THE US GOVERNMENT IN RELATION TO THE CHILD ONLINE PROTECTION ACT? *  « Would be willing to reveal information pertaining to its users  » — this means that Google does not want to give any information which can harm in any way the users of Google or violate their privacy. Furthermore, Google thought that this request was to get too deep into people lives and this was unacceptable because they needed to protect their users. This is one of a reason why Google does not want to supply information. * In addition, Google does not want to lose its advantage over its competitors by revealing information which could harm them directly:  « threaten Google’s competitive advantage by exposing its proprietary secrets  ». * Last but not least, I think Google didn’t want to supply information requested by the US government in relation to the Child Online Protection Act because they know it would be a huge loss of money for them, the industry of pornography is huge, and therefore if some kids are watching it, Google cannot be too involved in it compared to the money they are making with the industry of pornography. http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/don’t+be+evil http://www.duke.edu/web/kenanethics/CaseStudies/GoogleInChina.pdf