Mount Pleasant Essay

Louise Buxton’s Mount Pleasant is a very uniquely written short story, where we experience a normal day from a child perspective. It’s a modern story from 2005. The story is told in first person singular, where the narrator is a young girl whose name is Elizabeth. †(†¦) like the glue wee peel off our hands after arts and crafts hour at school with Mrs Kelly.† (p.2, l.16-17) Based on the information we know that Elizabeth goes to school, but also that she cannot be more than 6 to 8 years old. When she finds the old photograph of a boy which is a 9-10 year in a costume, we are told that she is not quite as old as he is. We know that she is a young girl, judging by her verbal skill and behavior. â€Å"With the sun in my eyes, I couldn’t see my mammy’s face, not even squinting with both arms above my head and my head tilted†. (p.2, l.22-23) The language is very descriptive and it seems as if one were looking through the eyes of a child. The short story varies from other traditional first person stories by putting the focus on a child and what a child does. Elizabeth’s focus is on everyday play, and those days are to her full of adventure and close friendships: †Lena, Little Fran, Wilf and me – playing for hours at house or working at some theatrics†. (p.5, l.152-153) Or where there is a break with everyday routines. For example, when Lena and Elizabeth discovers a business with unlimited possibilities in the form of candy and ice, until the mother puts an end to the adventure: †(†¦) raspberry ruffles and chewing nuts and chocolate raisins and liq-uorice sticks and ice cups and strawberry boot lace. We put them on Mammy’s account at first but Mammy found out after she got given a bill (†¦).† (p.4, l.92-94) The children also play ghost games, where they attempt to frighten one another by dressing up in linens and pursue one another. In several cases reveals the narrator herself as a child by acting irationaly. When Lena and Elizabeth lie in their beds and think they can hear ghosts, they pull the sheet over their heads and lie still. The reaction shows a childish logic. If they cannot see the ghost, then the ghosts cannot see them: †If I don’t move, they can’t get me.† (p.5, l.147-149) Since the perspective is a child’s, it is particularly interesting to see where the child’s perception of situations and episodes differs from that of an adult. For example, when Elizabeth thinks that the mother reknits the nuns clothes, because the  mother is good at knitting and can do it better: †(†¦) and mammy isn’t proud, she always takes them – and unravels them and knits them again, better, because she’s a good knitter, my mam†. (p.4, l.87-89) The reason is more likely that the mother does not want people to know that they have gotten the clothes from the nuns. The narrator being a child has the effect that we as readers several times pause to think about what it means. At several places in the story where Elizabeth tells about an episode where the reader has to interpret the situation, to determine whether it’s a ghosts or just the narrator’s childish imagination. It’s for example unclear in Elizabeth’s depiction of how the photograph ends up on the mantelpiece again and again: †But somehow it found its way back on top of the mantelpiece.† (p.4, l.102) Or where she feels like there is somebody sitting on the bed and watching them. The fact that the narrator is a child is very easy to see by analyzing the language. She mentions her parents with expressions such as â€Å"mammy and â€Å"daddy†. The little brother, George William she calls â€Å"babby†. The language is characterized by an absence of literary language. An example of this is where she says that their hands are â€Å"(†¦) lickity-stickity†. (p.5, l. 121-122) She invents her own expressions, which results in the story being poor in traditional imagery like comparisons and metaphors. The imagery used is mainly related to the child’s imagination. For example when she feels uncomfortable in her clothes she says: † I’m all blowed up like an old frog.† (p.2, l.12) Another interesting thing is how the sounds in the house are described. Elizabeth perceives the sounds caused by the wind to be scary, and describes it with the use of personification. The short story takes place in an environment that Elizabeth knows well, which is at their house, Mount Pleasant. We don’t hear much about the world outside the neighborhood, or thoughts that exceed it. This is of course because she is a child who is not involved in it. â€Å"We know the roads around Mount Pleasant pretty well now. And everybody knows me and Lena.† (p.4, l.83-84) The tittle of the short story Mount Pleasant, which is the name of their house, indicates how safe and merry their life is, and stands as a stark contrast to the spookiness. Mount Pleasant can be seen as a symbol of childhood joys and play. Her childhood eventually gives in to a more mature and realistic  perception of reality. When Elizabeth throws the photograph in the fireplace, it seems as if she actively tries to fight her fear. She might think that the deceased boy had something to do with the ghost. She goes to bed, and the tension builds up and gets stronger and stronger until she finds out that there is nobody there at all. Elizabeth takes a small step towards becoming an adult; she finds out that there are no connections between the photo, the scary sounds and the deceased boy.

The Effecrs Of Employee Satisfaction Essay

This week’s reading covered regression and inferences about differences. Regression is a statistical measure that attempts to determine the strength of the relationship between one dependent variable and a series of other changing variables. This information helps determine what factors affect certain outcomes and which do not. This article was really interesting as it explored a very realistic question of whether positive employee attitudes and behaviors influence business outcomes or whether positive business outcomes influence positive employee attitudes and behaviors. At its core concept, regression takes a group of random variables, thought to be predicting an outcome, and tries to find a mathematical relationship between them. This relationship is typically linear and takes into account all the individual data points. The hypothesis in this study by Daniel Koys was that employee satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, and employee turnover influence profitabil ity and customer satisfaction. Data was gathered from a restaurant chain using employee surveys, manager surveys, customer surveys, and organizational records. Regression analyses showed that employee attitudes and behaviors at a given ‘Time 1’ were related to organizational effectiveness at given ‘Time 2’ however additional regression analyses show no significant relationship between organizational effectiveness at Time 1 and the employee attitudes and behaviors at Time 2. Overall it was determined that employee behaviors have a more direct impact on organizational effectiveness than do employee attitudes, especially when the concept of organizational effectiveness includes profitability as well as customer attitudes towards the restuarant. Further research was conducted in a restaurant chain to determine the relationship between employee satisfaction on organizational citizenship. Employee satisfaction was measured using a survey of hourly employees. Organizational citizenship behavior was measured via a survey of the employees’ managers. Results from the study showed in Year 1, 774 hourly employees (average of 28 per unit)Â  and 64 managers (average of 2 per unit) responded to the surveys. In Year 2, 693 hourly employees (average of 25) and 79 managers (average of 3) responded. Customer satisfaction was measured by a survey conducted in 24 units. Surveys were distributed in the restaurants at predetermined times by the restaurant host/hostess and they collected 5,565 customer responses for Year 1 (an average of 232 per unit) and 4,338 responses for Year 2 (an average of 182 per unit). Based on results of the study it was determined that data supported the idea that human resource factors such as positive employee attitudes influence organizational effectiveness. The results showed that Year l’s outcomes account for 14% to 31% of the variance in Year 2’s organizational effectiveness. The results showed some support for the hypothesis that Year l’s unit-level employee satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, and turnover predict Year 2’s unit-level profitability but there was a stronger support for the hypothesis that Year l’s unit-level employee satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, and turnover predict Year 2’s unit-level customer satisfaction. In the reading it was noted that employee satisfaction had the only significant beta weight. Although this implies that employee satisfaction influences customer satisfaction, customer satisfaction may still affect employee satisfaction. There may be a reciprocal relationship between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction but like all statistical results one can only conclude that data judging the relationship between employee satisfaction and organizational effectiveness is still an open question needing continued research.

Critical Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical Analysis - Essay Example However, in this case it appears that the church has developed a political arm, which has a firm grip amongst the legislators. Secondly, what is the purpose of the writer? The author tries to shed light on gross violations in the Bahamian society which are going on unabated yet, the very agencies designed to safeguard against this take to shifting responsibilities and sometimes taking part in perpetuating these violations themselves e.g. the police, specifically in-charge of security, differ it’s duty by pegging it’s performance on the church’s intervention. Secondly, he condemns the church over its abuse of public trust by getting swayed into primarily pubic-related issues as opposed to their divine calling to administer matters of faith. Thirdly, he serves to open the eyes of members of the society to the realization that the overall change as desired by the state-to free Bahamas of the previous year mishaps-lies ultimately in themselves as citizens. He accomplishes this by showing failures of the legislatures, the security agents, and the custodians of the society such as the church. Thirdly, we examine the writer’s tone and feelings. The author is disapproving-even critical-about the ability of realizing the objectives of state for the New Year. He begins with much hope following the declaration by Bahamas Christian Council that calls on a change of people’s attitudes. This hope gradually ebbs away into despair, and he appears disillusioned in lieu of the rot within the very council empowered to oversee the transition. He appears enraged at one point when the BCB makes submissions to the local cable network and the URCA on suitable time to air adult-rated programming. To him, it seems the council is being hypocritical by at one point rightly condemning airing of pornography due to its impact on children, yet in the very same breathe appears to approve its viewing by the adult population (White field 3, paragraph 5). Shouldn’t the council

Nevada week in Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nevada week in Review - Essay Example There has been a rising concern on the amount of money and contributions that these particular groups are raising towards campaigns. The contribution caps may have to be limited to enable greater influence of various groups in the political arena. The current period is important since majority of the politicians are going to their grass roots to seek for voter support and confidence. The existing campaign finance reforms stipulate that the government provide a specified amount of money to aid in the campaign process. It is always important for the special interest groups to contribute to a certain specified limit to give the relevant reform various grounds for debate (VegasPBS). When the special interest groups through their contributions are able to compensate the money channeled towards campaigns, the topic will always remain pending. It is because the money will be though t to be enough. The United States of America is a country that is marked with diverse races. Majority of the people belonging to a different race are in the United States for various reasons. Some are there because they are seeking permanent citizenship while others are there because of work related activities. It is always a basic fact that the voice of such individuals heard since it creates a diversity and opinion about what the diaspora things about the political leaders in the United St ates. Politics in the United States is governed by various acts and clauses found in the constitution of the United States. The existence of peace in the region promotes the development of a good political environment where performance charts and indexes accessibility and previews are available. These presentations are useful components that the citizens adopt to give them the freedom to choose whom they prefer their leaders should be. In my opinion, the voting and election process should be a free and fair exercise.

Obama Administration Budget Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Obama Administration Budget - Essay Example that America has witnessed over the last several years." President Obama also reiterated his pledge to cut the deficit in half over the next five years. (Keck, et. al., 2009). The economic recession that America is presently experiencing is being suffered from coast to coast.   Families, small businesses, and family farmers are struggling to make ends meet.   People are tightening their belts and making difficult budget decisions In order to survive,.  Likewise, Americans expect their government to do the same.   Sadly, the recent budget plan released by the Obama administration failed to meet the citizens’ expectations.   In this time of widespread unemployment and the budgets of families and small businesses are tight, Obama’s outrageous budget outlines a $1.4 trillion tax raise in order to pay for enormous new government spending.   Some Americans believe that this budget is not the answer.   The tax increases it calls for would hurt small businesses, kill jobs, and further prolong our economic downturn (Wicker, 2009). Universal Tax Hike: Obama’s budget plan aims to expand the size and scope of the federal government in every phase of our economy.   Under this plan, spending would be maximized.   Before the country entered this recession, our national debt was about 40 percent of our gross domestic product (GDP).   Drastic increase in government spending and nationalizing things like healthcare and student loans, this budget blueprint would deliver the biggest European-style Socialism that we have ever seen in the country. Instead of guiding our country out of this recession by outlining a plan that would put more money into the hands of taxpayers and job creators, Obama’s budget would increase taxes on every American, stifling investment and job creation at a time when our country greatly needs both.  The budget asserts to increase taxes only on â€Å"the rich,† but in reality the burden would fall on the small businesses that create 70 percent of

Effect of Pesticide on Lake Erie Research Proposal

Effect of Pesticide on Lake Erie - Research Proposal Example Pesticides are sprayed aerially on crops and water to protect them from pests that chew up the crops and contaminate the water. However, the aerial spraying also causes chemicals used in the pesticides to spread in the atmosphere and water bodies thus contaminating the environment (G. Chesters and J.G. Konrad). Spraying of pesticides temperature-specific and there are certain conditions when they must be done. Ideally, pesticides are sprayed when there are little or no wind and when a temperature inversion exists between 3 and 10 meters above the ground. The lack of wind movement prevents the pesticides from spreading around. However, such conditions rarely exist and pesticides are spread around inside and beyond the region pesticides are sprayed (G. Chesters and J.G. Konrad). Lake Erie is affected by "five most heavily applied agricultural pesticides. They are metolachlor, atrazine, cyanazine, acetochlor and alachlor." The lake water has heavy concentration of these chemicals.

Coca Cola and IT Logistics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Coca Cola and IT Logistics - Assignment Example Supply Chain forms the backbone of logistics. Automation makes the supply chain extremely efficient. All kinds of transportation delays are removed. Transportation delays occur due to the presence of manual system in the different stages of supply chain. They cause delay due to the inherent limitations of physical labor. The positive consequence of automation in supply chain is that the concerned parties can get their supply on time. Moreover, companies can also reduce their cost of holding and carriage cost. Up to date inventory data can help prevent conditions of stock completion. The stocks can always be available on time. It will reduce customer waiting time. A customer can easily find out the product of his necessity. It also facilitates reduction of overhead costs like cost of labor, and inventory (McFarlene, n.d.). In this context a very appropriate automation technology used is the RFID Technology. The RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology plays a very important role in the supply chain distribution of Coca Cola. The primary application of this technology is in bar code reading. Bar codes have to be read to ascertain accurate information regarding the product such as price, manufacturing date, and date of expiry. This information’s are very important for the customers. Another sphere of application of this technology is in the form of what is called smart shelves in the retail stores.

Reflecting upon the different models of the criminal justice system we Essay

Reflecting upon the different models of the criminal justice system we have studied, critically assess which you would most like - Essay Example Later on, the Judicature Act of 1873 was passed and the Criminal Appeal Act of 1907. Due process model According to Sanders, Young and Burton the English criminal system just like the American one, emphasizes on adversarial procedures and due process safeguards. The relevance of the due process in the English law is advised by the fact witnesses could be biased or the police force may interfere with the whole process. By insisting on a formal adjudicative process, the accused are able to get justice and beside, the entire process prevents the miscarriage of justice as an end to itself. In addition the due process discourages the law enforcement agencies from abusing power and breaking rules, while encouraging the primacy of the individual citizen. The role of the police in the criminal justice system is very constrained. As Wells and Quick (2010) observe in Wales and England, police can go as far taking an inquisitorial role but cannot force citizens to produce testimony against thei r will. The due process starts once an adversarial relationship has been formed or after becomes a suspect. In all fairness once can see that the role of the police is very limited in English and Wales criminal system. ... k (2010) the due process model as practiced in England and Wales, involves the use of procedural and evidentiary rules in order to avoid to prevent miscarriages of justice to the accused. Wells and Quick (2010) liken the due process model to an assembly line or an obstacle course designed to prevent the accused from progressing through the criminal process. The need for incorporation of the due process in the English and Wales criminal system is characterized by the elements of miscarriage of justice and observance of human rights. Another core element of the system is presumption of innocence doctrine, which is prescribed to by many other judicial systems all over the world. Presumption of innocence doctrine This is a core tenet in the criminal justice system, and is equally appreciated in the European Convention on Human Rights. The presumption of the innocence doctrine further suggests that the onus lies on the prosecution to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond reasonable do ubt. According to Wells and Quick (2010) by forcing the prosecution to prove its case against the accused in an adjudicative context, the accused acquires an enhanced opportunity to secure a favourable outcome. Shift from the due process system to the control system However, in the face of the increasing terrorist activities, and transnational crimes, the English government is under increasing pressure to adopt the crime control approach. At the same time, the English system is under pressure to initiate an appropriate legal framework to support the law enforcement agencies to control the levels of crime being experienced. The crime control model as suggested by Sanders, Young and Burton (2010) is based on the proposition that the repression of the criminal conduct is the main role of the

Discussions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Discussions - Essay Example This is because the power of choices is in their versatility, and it enables the investor to adjust their position as per the prevailing situation or circumstances. However, this versatility has its cost and, therefore, the investors should assess this extra cost based on their knowledge and skills. Options also involve a risk which is not suitable for all investors. One should, therefore, be in a position to evaluate the risk associated and develop measures for managing such risks. Being ignorant of such risks will place the investor in a weak position. Stock options are the agreement between two parties to sell or buy an asset. It is the contract that gives one party the right. It does not give the responsibility to buy or sell an asset in the future at a pre-set price known as the strike price or exercise price (Fabozzi, 2008). There are two types of options; call option and put option. Call option is the financial contract that gives the buyer the right but, not the obligation to acquire a given number of assets in the future at a predetermined price. On the other hand, put option gives the right but not obligation to sell a specific number of underlying securities at some future date (Fabozzi, 2008). It is essential to review the proforma quantification in the footnotes periodically in order to access more information concerning the options. Even though the expense is expected not to persist, it changes as the situation changes and as investors, one should continually assess the information to be able to adjust the value or the cost of the option. Consumer spending theory states that, people spend their money at a level that is consistent with their expected average income. The steady average income which is long term is referred to as permanent income. Any individual will only save if his or her current income is higher than the expected permanent income (Thaller, 1981). This implies that people will only

Branches of Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Branches of Philosophy Essay In order to narrow the aims of discussion philosophy was broken into branches. Traditionally philosophy has been broken into four main branches; however we would like to add a fifth branch in our text -Epistemology Epistemology, from the Greek words episteme (knowledge) and logos (word/speech) is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature, origin, and scope of knowledge and love. -Metaphysics Metaphysics (derived from the Greek words ta meta ta physika biblia) meaning the book that follows the physics book. It was the way students referred to a specific book in the works of Aristotle, and it was a book on First Philosophy. (The assumption that the word means beyond physics is misleading) Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the study of first principles and being (ontology). In other words, Metaphysics is the study of the most general aspects of reality, such as substance, identity, the nature of the mind, and free will. In other way is a study of nature and the nature of the world in which man lives -Logic Logic (from Classical Greek (logos), originally meaning the word, or what is spoken, but coming to mean thought or reason) is most often said to be the study of arguments, although the exact definition of logic is a matter of controversy amongst philosophers (see below). However the subject is grounded, the task of the logician is the same: to advance an account of valid and fallacious inference to allow one to distinguish good from bad arguments. -Ethics Ethics is a general term for what is often described as the science (study) of morality. In philosophy, ethical behavior is that which is good or right. The Western tradition of ethics is sometimes called moral philosophy. Other Branches Philosophy of Education: Fairly self-explanatory. A minor branch, mainly concerned with what is the correct way to educate a person. Classic works include Platos Republic, Lockes Thoughts Concerning Education, and Rousseaus Emile. Philosophy of History: Fairly minor branch (not as minor as education), although highly important to Hegel and those who followed him, most notably Marx. It is the philosophical study of history, particularly concerned with the question whether history (i. e.the universe and/or humankind) is progressing towards a specific end? Hegel argued that it was, as did Marx. Classic works include Vicos New Science, and Hegel and Marxs works. Philosophy of Language: Ancient branch of philosophy which gained prominence in the last century under Wittgenstein. Basically concerned with how our languages affect our thought. Wittgenstein famously asserted that the limits of our languages mark the limits of our thought. Classic works include Platos Cratylus, Lockes Essay, and Wittgensteins Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. Philosophy of Law: Also called Jurisprudence. Study of law attempting to discern what the best laws might be, how laws came into being in the first place, attempting to delimit human laws from natural laws, whether we should always obey the law, and so on. Law isnt often directly dealt with by philosophers, but much of political philosophy obviously has a bearing on it. Philosophy of Mathematics: Concerned with issues such as, the nature of the axioms and symbols (numbers, triangle, operands) of mathematics that we use to understand the world, do perfect mathematical forms exist in the real world, and so on. Principia Mathematica is almost certainly the most important work in this field. Philosophy of Mind: Study of the mind, attempting to ascertain exactly what the mind is, how it interacts with our body, do other minds exist, how does it work, and so on. Probably the most popular branch of philosophy right now, it has expanded to include issues of AI. Classic works include Platos Republic and Wittgensteins Philosophical Investigations, although every major philosopher has had some opinion at least on what the mind is and how it works. Philosophy of Politics: Closely related to ethics, this is a study of government and nations, particularly how they came about, what makes good governments, what obligations citizens have towards their government, and so on. Classic works include Platos Republic, Hobbes Leviathan, Lockes Two Treatises, and J. S. Mills On Liberty. Philosophy of Religion: Theology is concerned with the study of God, recommending the best religious practises, how our religion should shape our life, and so on. Philosophy of religion is concerned with much the same issues, but where Theology uses religious works, like the Bible, as its authority, philosophy likes to use reason as the ultimate authority. Philosophy of Science: Study of science concerned with whether scientific knowledge can be said to be certain, how we obtain it, can science really explain everything, does causation really exist, can every event in the universe be described in terms of physics and so on. Also popular in recent times, classic works include Humes Treatise on Human Nature, Kripkes Naming and Necessity, Kuhns Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Empiricism is a philosophical idea based on the idea that all reliable knowledge about the world is gained in the process of experience. Famous empiricists were Hume, Locke and Berkley, basing themselves on ideas already postulated by Aristotle, that we are born with the Tabula Rasa which receives throughout our lives information on which it can base all thinking and knowing. The movement of empiricism was in part a countermovement to what Descartes and Spinoza had proposed as rationalism. Knowledge derived from experience is called a posteriori. - Doing Philosophy Many fields can be studied and learned without ever actually working with the tools in the field. For instance, chemistry can be learned in depth without ever picking up a test tube or mixing ionic compounds. Philosophy, however, is more about the methodology behind deriving answers than it is about the answers themselves. As such, students studying philosophy must use the methodology of philosophy on the philosophy they are learning as they are learning it. Doing philosophy involves asking the right questions, critically examining the work of previous philosophers, truly understanding the works and the reasoning behind the works, and possibly building on the works of previous philosophers by expanding or testing this methodology.

Merton’s Theory of Scientific Ethos

Merton’s Theory of Scientific Ethos Robert Merton and the institutional imperatives of organised science. Do you think that the normative structure of science is working today? Why? Robert Merton has been hailed as the most important American sociologist of the 20th century[1]. His oeuvre includes works on the theory of knowledge, the sociology of science as well as functional and structural analysis. This essay will examine one of the most significant claims of Merton, that is that science is regulated by four distinct norms. While his work has arguably to the foundation of a whole academic discipline[2], the normative notion of science itself unites various strands of enquiry that are testament to the diverse personal and scientific interests of Merton. In nuce, Merton’s claim that science is essentially a normative endeavour conducted to the tune of shared ethical rules, straddles the fields of the philosophy of science and theories of knowledge just as it draws on assumptions located in the domain of moral philosophy and the theory of truth. The essay will approach this complex in the following way. First, Merton’s claims will be outlined in as much detail as possible. Second, the essay will sketch the main lines of criticism that Merton’s theory of scientific ethos has attracted. Finally, an example of scientific debate will be examined in view of Merton’s claim that will allow us to assess the validity and usefulness of Merton’s theory. Merton’s thesis about the normative structure of science goes back to an article he published originally in 1942, early on in his career[3]. The essay is short and, with the exception of mentioning two works by Talcott Parsons, makes no references to its immediate philosophical context, the emerging sociology of science. Furthermore, Max Weber is not mentioned at all throughout the piece. Nevertheless the article has become one of the most celebrated and debated publications in the theory of science. Merton contends that science is characterised by four interconnected but distinct organisational principles. These principles are ethical in nature and function as structural imperatives for science. First, science is universal insofar as contributions to it are ‘assessed on merit and significance’[4]. Second, scientists judge scientific theses against empirical material that is available, and ‘suspend judgement’ until all the facts are known. Merton calls this ‘a methodological and institutional mandate’[5]. Third, Merton maintains that scientists are committed to disinterestedness, and do not regard self-interest as a viable motivation for scientific work. The objective for scientists is to advance scientific knowledge rather than personal interests. Fourth, scientific knowledge that has proven to be reliable and accurate is to be readily available to every member of the scientific community, a phenomenon that Merton calls ‘communismâ₠¬â„¢. [6] Merton’s sketch of all four principles in the article is brief. Organised scepticism receives especially short shrift with just about two paragraphs[7]. In these two paragraphs Merton conspicuously fails to provide a definition of it altogether and instead discusses the wider context of this ‘methodological and institutional mandate’[8] for scientists. The question is whether Merton has presented a picture of science that is accurate today. The problem is that it is not quite clear what Merton actually says. He has been praised for his eloquence, but his admirable articulacy sometimes obscures the meaning of his thesis. The essay will now examine some of the more obvious criticisms. The first difficulty concerns the main thrust of Merton’s argument. In arguing that four normative principles organise scientific endeavour, is he making a normative or descriptive point? Are these observations of empirical nature or do they outline prescriptive ideals that ought to guide scientists in their work? We may take Merton’s thesis to articulate some more general prescriptive standards of science, which ideally ought to be applied in the scientist’s work in order to facilitate scientific progress. [9] Merton makes a point then which requires empirical verification. He has to show that science conducted in this way promotes scientific advancement which scientific work conducted contrary to these norms would not. Understandably this is hard to prove. It requires a historical argument, a narrative of successful scientific development, which to a certain degree he attempts to provide in his article.[10] So what does Merton try to say with his four criteria? The list of norms does not allow us to differentiate between valid and invalid science. It also fails to provide us with guidance as to what good and bad science is in a more general context. Perhaps at some time in the future, science requires secrecy and the exclusion of some parts of the scientific community from the results of scientific work. In fact, critics pointed out that Merton’s thesis works on the peculiar assumption that only academic science is science. Industrial research must by nature fail to comply with his standards of enquiry and hence cannot aspire to be science[11]. A nonsensical conclusion since much of sciences progress is owed to research in an economic and entrepreneurial environment, conducted for reasons of profit and the furtherance of self-interest. Yet, perhaps all these interpretations of Merton’s argument overlook the obvious. Possibly, his four standards of scientific discovery only make an observation on the nature of science in general. In this way Merton must be understood to make a simply descriptive point that scientific conduct is regulated by norms that may not always be explicit and unarticulated. If we would take him to argue this, his argument then all of a sudden fits into the wider functional theory of science that he was keen to advocate[12]. Merton argues that the adherence to the four norms produces a system of knowledge that has features that we associate with science, and which have subsequently have come to be synonymous with science. The scientific ethos is then only a historical by-product and Merton’s succinct formulation of this ethos in four principles of scientific behaviour simply describes the way in which science is done. Research that does not comply with these standards may still be science but does not contribute to science as a coherent system of human behaviour. Merton’s normative structure of science thus tells us something about the way in which science has come to sustain itself as a system of knowledge[13]. The four standards of scientific enquiry fulfil a function in generating systematic knowledge that contributes to the advancement of science as a coherent system of human interaction within a (academic) community. Critics have pointed out that this vision of science is not less problematic than the ones we have sketches above. Two general accusations have been levelled against this Mertonian notion of science. The first criticism argues that Merton is simply stating the obvious or, even worse, that his argument is tautological[14]. The second criticism is of different calibre and claims that Merton’s normative vision of science advocates one particular type of scientific endeavour that de-legitimises other forms of research[15]. Both criticisms warrant some closer examination. The first criticism is easily outlined and echoes some points made earlier. If Merton believes that the normative principles structure scientific knowledge then he can be taken to make either of two points which are different in scope and nature. First, he may simply be stating the obvious, describing the way in which science is being conducted. Any future changes to this may result in the end of science as we know it and as a coherent sub-system of human conduct but may give rise to the development of a new system of science, along different, yet unknown lines. Norms and standards, in this scheme of things, are contingent yet critical for the type of science that is currently institutionalised universally. Unless Merton attaches some value to this current form of science, his observation is bordering on the tautological, since it fails to tell us anything about the way in which we ought to do things in science. If he does associate the current state of science with a particular valu e, he needs to tell us what is so valuable about this specific type of science, an issue that philosophers of science discuss through the lens of scientific innovation[16]. Philosophically, this requires some wider justification, something that Merton fails to do. In fact, there is a plethora of criticism that targets exactly the kind of (modern) science that Merton seems to find commendable. Feminist and environmentalist criticism abounds. So there is evidence to the contrary that he would have to confront. The second criticism draws on radical theory and maintains that Merton’s normative notion of science acts as a gatekeeper to exclude other, conflicting visions of science. His theory of scientific endeavour thus fulfils a political function that translates into the suppression of deviant forms of scientific conduct. Bourdieu makes this claim forcefully in an article on Merton’s sociology of science in 1990 when in an unflattering way he calls Merton’s work ‘a hagiographic vision’[17]. Further on he writes: †¦ if Merton takes note of the existence of the work of scientific production, he continues to apply to it analytical categories which hare imposed on him by this very world itself, so that what he present as a description of its positive laws of functioning is often little more than a record of the normative rules which are officially professed by its members. He therefore departs only in appearance from the ‘internal’ reading†¦[18] This is a damning observation since the critical content of Merton’s theory of normative science resides in its ability to provide an external as well as internal picture of what scientists do[19]. If Merton, as Bourdieu claims, only replicates in his vision of science the self-understanding of scientists, his theory is little more than self-congratulatory contribution to identity formation in the scientific community. On a more sinister note, propagating these standards of scientific enquiry would deny other scientifically orientated behaviour the badge of honour. Merton’s theory of normative science would then become the main vehicle for defending a particular version of science, resting on values and principles that are far from universal. This is the point where theory spills over into institutional practice and may result in exclusion of scientists that fail to conform to a particular type of scientific behaviour. A brief example may demonstrate this problem. In 1994 two American professors published ‘The Bell Curve’, a sociological investigation into the link between race and intelligence[20]. Their work presented ample empirical material while their conclusions were particularly repugnant. The book included an argument for and against various social policies and therefore the authors deliberately placed their work in a political context. Although they adhered to all obvious scientific standards critics labelled the book as a political treatise with a foul set of conclusions. One of these conclusions was the authors maintained that there was evidence that African Americans were of inferior intelligence to White Americans. There can be no doubt that this repulsive claim strikes everyone who does not harbour racist attitudes as demonstrably false. Academic critics consequently slated the books’ premises and conclusions and pointed to a whole array of either ethical or method ological inconsistencies in the work[21]. What does this mean in the context of Mertonian imperatives for scientific discovery? First of all, Merton’s vision of science claims that disinterestedness is a norm of scientific enquiry, hence however abhorrent the conclusions are scientists must pay no heed to the social or political ramifications of their endeavours if they wanted to preserve science as a coherent system of human activity. Given the social context of race studies this is a plea for unethical behaviour while salvaging an internal code of practice that may have repellent consequences. To contend that scientists can conduct their enquiries in a bubble of self-contained norms is nonsensical. It is far more likely that scientists constantly re-negotiate the standards and norms of their work[22]. Science is a social endeavour, yet the social norms that apply to scientific conduct are drawn from wider society not from the reclusive community of academics only. Secondly, however, it is exactly the violation of the proclaimed standards of scientific behaviour which allows scientists to re-assert and re-evaluate the boundaries of science as a particular type of human conduct. Adherence to the self-professed norms thus does not advance science as a body of knowledge but produces a sterile and eventually inert body of knowledge that lost its connection with the purpose of scientific enquiry, to better the human condition. Thus science is in a constant process of boundary revision and definition, interacting with society and its needs. Merton’s internalist functionalist vision of science cannot accommodate this aspect of scientific endeavour and hence fails to acknowledge the actual purpose of science in the wider context as well as its resources for constructive change and transformation. References Pierre Bourdieu. Animadversiones in Mertonem. In Robert K. Merton. Consensus and Controversy, edited by Jon Clark, Celia Modgil, and Sohan Modgil. London New York Philadelphia: Falmer Press 1990, pp.297-301. Cynthia Fuchs Epstein. Seredipitous Science and The Prepared Mind: Merton on the Microenvironments of Discoveries. In Contemporary Sociology. A Journal of Reviews, September 2005, Vol.34, No.5, pp.477-453. Steven Fraser (ed.). The Bell Curve Wars. Race, Intelligence and the Future of America. New York: Basic Books 1995. Lowell L. Hargens. What is Mertonian Sociology of Science? In Scientometrics, Vol. 60 (2004), No.1, pp.63-70. R. Herrnstein and C. Murray. The Bell Curve. New York: Free Press 1994. John Law and David French. Normative and Interpretive Sociologies of Science. In The Sociological Review, 22 (1974), pp.581-595. Robert K. Merton. The Normative Structure of Science [1942]. In Robert K. Merton. The Sociology of Science. Theoretical and Empirical Investigations. Edited and with an Introduction by Norman W. Storer. Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, pp.267-278. Nico Stehr. Robert K. Merton’s Sociology of Science. In Robert K. Merton. Consensus and Controversy, edited by Jon Clark, Celia Modgil, and Sohan Modgil. London New York Philadelphia: Falmer Press 1990, pp.285-294. Nina Toren. The Scientific Ethos Debate: A Meta-Theoretical View. In Sic. Sci. Med., Vol. 17, No. 21 (1983), pp.1665-1672. Jonathan H. Turner. The Structure of Sociological Theory. Homewood: The Dorsey Press 1978. 1 Footnotes [1] Epstein, Serendipitous Science, p.447 [2] On the background of the sociology of science cf. Hargens, Mertonian sociology. [3] Merton, Normative Structure. [4] Toren, Scientific Ethos Debate, p.1666 [5] Merton, Normative Structure, p.277 [6] Merton, Normative Structure, p.273-275 [7] Merton, Normative Structure, p.277-278 [8] Merton, Normative Structure, p.277 [9] Toren, Scientific Ethos Debate, p.1667 [10] Merton calls for a ‘comparative study of the institutional structure of science’. Merton, Normative Structure, p.269 [11] Stehr, Merton’s Sociology of Science, p.286 [12] For his contribution to functionalism cf. Turner, Structure of Sociological Theory, pp.69-76 [13] Law and French, Normative and Interpretive Sociologies, p.584-585 [14] Toren, Scientific Ethos Debate, p.1666; Bourdieu, Animadversiones, p.299 [15] Law and French, Normative and Interpretive Sociologies, p.585 [16] Law and French, Normative and Interpretive Sociologies, p.581-585; Toren, Scientific Ethos Debate, p.1668 [17] Bourdieu, Animadversiones, p.298 [18] Bourdieu, Animadversiones, p.298 [19] Stehr, Robert K. Merton’s Sociology, p.289 and Law and French, Normative and Interpretive Sociologies, p.582 [20] R. Herrnstein and C. Murray. The Bell Curve. New York: Free Press 1994 [21] cf. Steven Fraser (ed.). The Bell Curve Wars. New York: Basic Book 1995 [22] Law and French, Normative and Interpretive Sociologies, p.586

Adventures of Huck in Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn :: Adventures Huckleberry Huck Finn Essays

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is based on a young boy's coming of age in Missouri of the mid-1800s. This story depicts many serious issues that occur on the "dry land of civilization" better known as society. As these somber events following the Civil War are told through the young eyes of Huckleberry Finn, he unknowingly develops morally from both the conforming and non-conforming influences surrounding him on his journey to freedom. Huck's moral evolution begins before he ever sets foot on the raft down the Mississippi. His mother has died, and his father is constantly in a drunken state. Huck grows up following his own rules until he moves in with the Widow Douglas and her sister, Miss Watson. Together, the women attempt to civilize Huck by making him attend school, study religion, and act in a way the women find socially acceptable. However, Huck's free-spirited soul keeps him from joining the constraining and lonely life the two women have in store for him. The freedom Huck seeks in Tom Sawyer's gang is nothing more than romantic child's-play. Raiding a caravan of Arabs really means terrorizing young children on a Sunday school picnic, and the stolen "joolry" is nothing more than turnips or rocks. Huck is disappointed that the adventures Tom promises are not real and so, along with the other members, he resigns from the gang. Still, he ignorantly assumes that Tom is superior to him because of his more suitable family background and fascination with Romantic literature (Twain). Pap and "the kidnapping" play another big role in Huck's moral development. Pap is completely antisocial and wishes to undo all of the civilizing effects that the Widow and Miss Watson have attempted to instill in him. However, Pap does not symbolize freedom; he promotes drunkenness, prejudice, and abuse. Huck escapes the cabin to search for the freedom he yearns for. It is after he escapes to Jackson Island that he meets the most i nfluential character of the novel, Jim. After conversing, Huck learns things about the runaway slave that he had never been aware of. Jim has a family, dreams, and talents such as knowing "all kinds of signs about the future," people's personalities, and weather forecasting (Twain 69).

Smut, Erotic Reality/obscene Ideology Essay -- Murray Davis Human Sexu

Smut, Erotic Reality/Obscene Ideology In the book Smut, Erotic Reality/ Obscene Ideology , by Murray Davis (1983), the author expresses the idea that the best source for studying human sexuality objectively is "soft core", rather than â€Å"hard core† pornography. (Davis p. xix). The purpose of this paper is to critique Davis's claim and to study what understanding of human sexuality someone might have if they used some other resource that is available today, in this case the Internet. Davis argues that , "hard core pornography is usually more abstract and less explicit than soft-core pornography". (Davis, p. xix, 1983). Davis doesn't go on to explain how hard-core pornography can be less explicit than soft-core. However he does explain that hard-core pornography is more abstract in that, it depicts the sex act only and not the emotional or personal characteristics of the people involved in the act. (Davis, p. xx) He believes soft-core pornography is describing "a sexual experience", which conveys characteristics of the participants that are not described by hard-core pornography. Hard-core pornography describes "sexual behaviour" which involves more of the act of sex rather than the characteristics and feelings involved with sex. (Davis, p. xix) Although Davis admits that the vocabulary of sex is changing (Davis, p. xxv), he also states that hard-core pornography uses considerably more vulgar terms that are associated with lower-class activity, such as, "prick, fuck, and suck" (Davis, p. xxiii). Davis believes that hard-core pornography, induces imaginative behaviours by using these lower-class, four-letter words. The stories use phrases such as "First we sucked, then we fucked."(Davis p. xix, 1983), to allow the reader the tools to imagine the scene actually taking place. The reader is lead by the author through the story by using words that may be more understood or common in the readers' everyday life. He also accuses hard- core films of being "behavioristic" and "abstract" because they often fail to "fully inform the audience about the characters personality types and social categories."(Davis, p. xx, 1983) Soft-core pornography, on the other hand, often depicts "the subtle phenomenological effects that result when a character's sexual behaviour clashes with his or her personal and social characteristics." (Davis, p. x... ... to the search. For example, love plays a role in our sexuality. If someone did not know this they would enter â€Å"human sexuality† into the search engine and again may be distracted by flashy, hard-core, sex-sites and may not find anything on love. The over-all understanding of human sexuality would be limited according to which sites were looked at. Although I agree somewhat with Advisee's claim that soft-core , rather than hard-core pornography, may be a better resource for studying human sexuality. I feel that using only one resource for information can limit the view and even sometimes distort an individuals ideas of human sexuality. When using a resource such as the Internet, one may be overwhelmed with information and marketing tactics may win the attention of information seekers and take away from the sites that actually offer factual information regarding human sexuality. Therefore, I believe that an individual should use all resources available to them when studying any topic, especially a topic as complex as human sexuality. References Davis, S. Murray. (1983). Smut erotic reality obscene ideology. University of Chicago Press: Chicago.

Helping the Children :: Personal Narrative Essay

Helping the Children in My Community    My younger brother has proven himself to be a mastermind with Play-Doh. I've only recently noticed that he puts more work into a simple fish than I ever considered necessary when I was his age. I watched him as he developed a plan for a school project, a diorama of a scene from Charlotte's Web. He first thought about what he should do and decided on a depiction of Wilbur gazing up at Charlotte in her web. He gathered his materials and molded a pink pig and a black spider out of Play-Doh. The next day he presented his work to his teacher and his class for their praise or disapproval. I've devised a plan, will soon be on my way to gathering my materials and molding them into shape, and will later present my work to my community.    My plan is tentative, generalized and far from detailed, but I know where my heart is and what concerns me most as far as community issues. I am very interested in working with children. With a college degree in child psychology, I hope to help many children because I think a happy and healthy childhood is crucial to one's success as an adult. I am also concerned about education in Mississippi. As a student of the Mississippi School of Mathematics and Science, I have seen many of my fellow students laugh at the idea of attending college in Mississippi. I do not believe that out of state colleges are better than Mississippi colleges, but the reputations of those out of state are sometimes better, and I believe that can be changed. Many Mississippi residents feel they have no choice other than to leave home and attend college out of the state, but I disagree entirely and hope to one day be a part of the groups trying to better education in Mississippi.    During my years in college, I will obtain the tools necessary for a successful life of community service. I want to be a part of community service clubs as I have been in high school and meet the people who will later be involved in community programs as college graduates. My college years will be a vital part of my plan to work with children and improve the reputation of Mississippi colleges. My work for a college degree is the most important part of this plan in that it will be my education to be a professional.

First Impressions

First impressions In this essay we will examine how our eye contact, and body language can have a dramatic effect on the way that people see us. More often than not it's what we say, or the fact that we don't fully engage that leaves people with a lasting Impression about the kind of person we are. These pre-concelved notions that people make about us are sometimes difficult, or even Impossible to overcome. we will discuss how an unconscious behavior on our part can manifest itself into what can quickly become a very effective repellant to anyone, and everyone we come into contact with.In our society we all must behave in a certain way, a list of unwritten rules is always in play about the way we â€Å"should† act, falling outside of the acceptable norm and we are labeled as weird or even rude. Also we will review a short story from two different angles that is about the same man but stand In stark contrast to one another. The protagonist in this story Is a man named John. As the day went on at work and it became necessary John went to the store to buy stationary.Just the simple act ot getting up and going out demonstrates that John had an interest in his job and anted to get it done, Along the way John took every opportunity to enjoy the day. and interact with people he knew. John made sure that he was walking on the sunny side of the street and any passerby could see that John was a very content and self- assured Individual. Even as John made his way into store he kept a positive and friendly attitude, so much so that when he saw a familiar face he made time to stop and say hello.Immediately leaving the store he met another acquaintance and didn't miss the chance to exchange pleasantries, and after this he returned to work. John as exuding such a positive vibration that people who knew him couldnt help but want to be around a person like him, John was displaying an Incredible attitude, and everything was pointing towards John being completely â€Å"no rmal†. Even in the Bible it's Paul phrasing of â€Å"putting on the armor of God† that tells us it's a choice.It's a decision that we make at any given time about how we must act on our own situation, because If we don't act then all we have left to do Is react and when that Is the only option we are truly powerless. As said before, the first impression that people torm f us Is most of the time the one that sticks to us, and none of us get a second chance to make that lasting impression again. On the other side of the spectrum, in the other short story we see John in a very different light.First of all he decided to wait until after work to go and get what he needed, a very good example of a person who isnt very involved with his work. If he Is Involved In his work Its only the bare minimum. While walking to the store John made every attempt to stay where he couldn't be seen, and when he nouced someone he knew he made the decision to cross the street and stay away from any ind of contact whatsoever. After a little bit more antisocial bravado John decided to go home and hide until tomorrow.These are stories about the same man, trying to accomplish the same task and the two stories don't sound like the same man at all. In the second telling of the same story John seemed like a scared child or some other ‘ Of2 equally vulneraDle llttle vlctlm. Now people tnat saw nlm were looking at a completely different individual, one that could only re-act to his life instead of acting on the world. This is a perfect example of how important first impressions are, and hy it's so important to leave people with a lasting impression of the kind of person we really are.IVe been told that you never know what kind of person someone is until after you see them when they think no one is looking. After the first story I felt like John had the world by the horns, and knew what he needed to do so he could excel and lead any pack he was in. After reading the second sto ry John's image to me was that of a complete coward, and the kind of person who went through his life dealing with what was given to him. The kind of person that is so used to being told what to do and with absolutely no back bone. The second John was a man that had some kind of vested interest in being the weaker of the species.If I were to reverse the stories and read the second one first, I don't think that things would look any better for John. My mind would have been made up, I would have Just thought â€Å"he's still a wuss†. Like I said, first impressions. No do overs. His stock was already low and that's why I feel it's very important to instill in people when theyre young that they have self-worth. Because once you have it you don't look for reassurance in anyone else, and no one can take it from you because you earned it for yourself from yourself. First Impressions In this essay we will examine how our eye contact, and body language can have a dramatic effect on the way that people see us. More often than not it’s what we say, or the fact that we don’t fully engage that leaves people with a lasting impression about the kind of person we are. These pre-conceived notions that people make about us are sometimes difficult, or even impossible to overcome. We will discuss how an unconscious behavior on our part can manifest itself into what can quickly become a very effective repellant to anyone, and everyone we come into contact with.In our society we all must behave in a certain way, a list of unwritten rules is always in play about the way we â€Å"should† act, falling outside of the acceptable norm and we are labeled as weird or even rude. Also we will review a short story from two different angles that is about the same man but stand in stark contrast to one another. The protagonist in this story is a man named John. As the day went on at work and it became necessary John went to the store to buy stationary. Just the simple act of getting up and going out demonstrates that John had an interest in his job and wanted to get it done.Along the way John took every opportunity to enjoy the day, and interact with people he knew. John made sure that he was walking on the sunny side of the street and any passerby could see that John was a very content and self-assured individual. Even as John made his way into store he kept a positive and friendly attitude, so much so that when he saw a familiar face he made time to stop and say hello. Immediately leaving the store he met another acquaintance and didn’t miss the chance to exchange pleasantries, and after this he returned to work.John was exuding such a positive vibration that people who knew him couldn’t help but want to be around a person like him. John was displaying an incredible attitude, and everything was pointing towards John being complete ly â€Å"normal†. Even in the Bible it’s Paul phrasing of â€Å"putting on the armor of God† that tells us it’s a choice. It’s a decision that we make at any given time about how we must act on our own situation, because if we don’t act then all we have left to do is re-act and when that is the only option we are truly powerless.As I said before, the first impression that people form of us is most of the time the one that sticks to us, and none of us get a second chance to make that lasting impression again. On the other side of the spectrum, in the other short story we see John in a very different light. First of all he decided to wait until after work to go and get what he needed, a very good example of a person who isn’t very involved with his work. If he is involved in his work it’s only the bare minimum.While walking to the store John made every attempt to stay where he couldn’t be seen, and when he noticed someone he knew he made the decision to cross the street and stay away from any kind of contact whatsoever. After a little bit more antisocial bravado John decided to go home and hide until tomorrow. These are stories about the same man, trying to accomplish the same task and the two stories don’t sound like the same man at all. In the second telling of the same story John seemed like a scared child or some other equally vulnerable little victim.Now people that saw him were looking at a completely different individual, one that could only re-act to his life instead of acting on the world. This is a perfect example of how important first impressions are, and why it’s so important to leave people with a lasting impression of the kind of person we really are. I’ve been told that you never know what kind of person someone is until after you see them when they think no one is looking.After the first story I felt like John had the world by the horns, and knew what he needed t o do so he could excel and lead any pack he was in. After reading the second story John’s image to me was that of a complete coward, and the kind of person who went through his life dealing with what was given to him. The kind of person that is so used to being told what to do and with absolutely no back bone. The second John was a man that had some kind of vested interest in being the weaker of the species.If I were to reverse the stories and read the second one first, I don’t think that things would look any better for John. My mind would have been made up, I would have just thought â€Å"he’s still a wuss†. Like I said, first impressions. No do overs. His stock was already low and that’s why I feel it’s very important to instill in people when they’re young that they have self-worth. Because once you have it you don’t look for reassurance in anyone else, and no one can take it from you because you earned it for yourself from yourself.

Philippine Taxation System Essay

I. Introduction On hearing the word tax, what usually springs to mind are images of infrastructures, businesses and projects beneficial to the general welfare of the people, or more negatively, the idea of corruption and dirty tricks especially nowadays when numerous issues are colouring the taxation system of the country. With these, today, its importance seems to be overlooked and is viewed more negatively as a burden to the people. Currently, the individual income tax rate in the Philippines stands at 32 percent, which is third highest in the entire Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) region, next to Thailand and Vietnam. A number of the country’s lawmakers already have their hands on this matter and encourages the government to take actions in lowering it down. This matter has become especially important now that the Asean integration free-for-all market in 2015 is nearing. It is important to understand taxation and to determine how well it fits the economy of a country for it is a key factor on its growth. The taxation system has been a hot economic issue and has been causing rage and fury among the people. Clearly, it is a national issue that needs immediate attention and action as it affects the whole of the nation. It will be an agonizing thought if what is known to be the â€Å"lifeblood of the government† will be the very one thing that sucks â€Å"life† out of its people. What’s supposed to be used to finance the basic services such as education and health care as well as infrastructure–which are all vital to the economy’s growth and the improvement of the lives of the people– could be the very same thing that seem to limit the capability of the people to improve their own lives and unforgivingly take away the food in the Filipinos tables. Or is it not? Objectives of the Study The study is aimed to determine the following: 1. The fiscal adequacy 2. Administrative feasibility 3. Equity 4. And the consistency and compatibility of the Philippine taxation system with the Nation’s Economic Direction. Significance of the Study The study is intended to increase the awareness of the readers on the Philippine taxation system. It is specifically addressed to: taxpayers, students and educators. Scope and Limitation of the study The study involves 7 participants who pay taxes for at least 3 years. The participants are selected to represent different social and industry classes. II. Review of Related Literature Nature and Purpose of Taxation Taxation may be defined as the inherent right of the state to levy and collect a portion of each individual and entity’s income from productive endeavors within the states’ political boundaries. Since taxation is inherent right of the state, meaning, absolute right, taxation laws were enacted to limit this right. That is the reason why taxation is graduated, and in most countries, it is progressive. Graduated, meaning, that taxes to be paid are divided into several brackets of income; and progressive, meaning, that the higher the income, the higher will be the tax rate to be paid, and vice-versa. Taxation is very important for the government to exist. Without it, no government can ever exist, as taxes are the lifeblood of the government. Citizens pay taxes in the expectation that the government will protect them with the necessary environment to enable them to live in safety and perform them with the necessary environment to enable them to live in safety and perform their productive activities without fear or hesitation. The Bureau of Internal Revenue is the tax-collecting arm of the government for individual and corporate income taxes. The Bureau of Customs is the government-collecting arm for import taxation. (Cuevas et al., 2012) Procedure of Taxation Taxation is legislative in character. As such, all tax measures emanate from the Congress. The House of Representatives enact taxation bills. Then it goes to the Senate. Then to the joint conference committee and finally, to the Malacaà ±ang Palace for the President’s approval or in few instances, veto. Once the tax measure is approved and published in the official gazette, it becomes a law. It is then forwarded to the tax collection agency concerned for implementation. Normally, the concerned agency drafts an implementing guideline for the guidance of the line personnel whol will actually implement the law to avoid any possible misinterpretation of its implementation. The tax measure normally provides for sanctions and penalties for violators. Principal violations include tax evasion and tax avoidance. (Cuevas et al. 2012) ` Sound Taxation System A sound taxation system should have Fiscal Adequacy, Administrative Feasibility, Equity and consistent and compatible with the nation’s economic direction. The level of taxes collected should be sufficient enough to fund government operations and projects. A tax collection that is less than sufficient will cause fiscal deficit that can stoke inflation. Taxation laws should be easy to understand; that the existing personnel and other administrative resources of the tax collecting office are sufficient and capable of implementing existing taxation laws. Taxation should be progressive and fair. For example, those individual some should pay higher tax rates, and those with low income should either be exempted from taxes or pay negligible amounts of taxes. The government’s tax collection efforts should be supportive of the economy’s short- and long-term plans. (Cuevas et al., 2012) Equity Recently, the public officials have been confronted with allegations of corruptions and inefficient populist schemes. To name a few, the PDAF scam, DAP scam, political grandstanding to bring down 2016 election potential rivals, the alleged overpricing of Makati City parking lot and the 700 million Iloilo convention center. These facts combined with unforgiving tax collection campaign has resulted to negative sentiments about the equitability of taxation in the country. â€Å"The tax being imposed by the government is too much. They even want to tax us my sari-sari store. The mere payment of business requirements already hurts my store. I am working for my family not for the government. The government wants to take all our earnings.† said by a sari-sari store owner in Del Pilar, Castillejos. â€Å"My take home pay is cut into half because of the deductions and tax imposed to us. My gross salary, to be honest is not enough, then they will deduct us (tax and contributions) and y ou will find out from the media that our taxes were corrupted by a syndicate in the government† said by a college instructor in Gordon College. People Respond to Incentives An incentive is something that induces a person to act, such as the prospect of a punishment or a reward. Because rational people make decisions by comparing costs and benefits, they respond to incentives. Incentives are crucial to analyzing how market work. For example, when the price of an apple rises, people decide to eat fewer apples. At the same, time, apple orchards decide to hire more workers and harvest more apples. In other words, a higher price in a market provides and incentive to buyers to consume less and an incentive for sellers to produce more. (Mankiw, 2013) Public policymakers should never forget about incentives: Many policies change the costs or benefits that people face and, therefore, alter their behaviour. A tax on gasoline, for instance, encourages people to drive smaller, more fuel efficient cars. (Mankiw, 2013) Fiscal Drag Fiscal drag happens when the government’s net fiscal position (spending minus taxation) fails to cover the net savings desires of the private economy, also called the private economy’s spending gap (earnings minus spending and private investment). The resulting lack of aggregate demand leads to deflationary pressure, or drag, on the economy, essentially due to lack of state spending or to excess taxation. One cause of fiscal drag may be bracket creep, where progressive taxation increases automatically as taxpayers move into higher tax brackets due to inflation. This tends to moderate inflation, and can be characterized as an automatic stabilizer to the economy. Fiscal drag can also be a result of a hawkish stance towards government finances. (www.wikipedia.org) Bracket creep describes the process by which inflation pushes nominal wages and salaries into higher tax brackets. Many progressive tax systems are not adjusted for inflation. As wages and salaries rise in nominal terms under the influence of inflation they become more highly taxed, even though in real terms the value of the wages and salaries has not increased at all. The net effect is that in real terms taxes rise unless the tax rates or brackets are adjusted to compensate. (www.wikipedia.org) Supply-Side Effects of Fiscal Policy The changes in tax rates, particularly marginal tax rates, affect aggregate supply through their impact on the relative attractiveness of productive activity in comparison to leisure and tax avoidance. Supply –side tax cuts are a long-term growth-oriented strategy that will eventually increase both SRAS and LRAS. Keynesian Model Keynesian economics was developed by the British economist John Maynard Keynes during the 1930s in an attempt to understand the Great Depression.  Keynes advocated increased government expenditures and lower taxes to stimulate demand and pull the global economy out of tGrohe Depression. Subsequently, the term â€Å"Keynesian economics† was used to refer to the concept that optimal economic performance could be achieved – and economic slumps prevented – by influencing aggregate demand through activist stabilization and economic intervention policies by the government. Keynesian economics is considered to be a â€Å"demand-side† theory that focuses on changes in the economy over the short run. (www.investopedia.com) Crowding-out Model Crowding out is a kind of expansionary fiscal policy, reduces investment spending. The increased borrowing ‘crowds out’ private investing. Originally, crowding out was related to an increase in interest rates from the borrowing, but that was broadened to multiple channels that might leave total output little changed or smaller. (Blanchard, 2008) One channel of crowding out is a reduction in private investment that occurs because of an increase in government borrowing. If an increase in government spending and/or a decrease in tax revenues leads to a deficit that is financed by increased borrowing, then the borrowing can increase interest rates, leading to a reduction in private investment. There is some controversy in modern macroeconomics on the subject, as different schools of economic thought differ on how households and financial markets would react to more government borrowing under various circumstances. (Tyson, 2012) The Benefits Principle The benefits principle states that people should pay taxes based on the benefits they receive from government services. This principle tries to make public goods similar to private goods. It seems fair that a person who often goes to the movies pays more in total for movie tickets than a person who rarely goes. Similarly, a person who gets great benefit from a public good should pay more for it than a person who gets little benefit. The benefits principle can also be used to argue that wealthy citizens should pay higher  taxes than poorer ones simply because the wealthy benefit more from public services. For example, the benefits of police protection from theft. Citizens with much to protect benefit more from police than do those with less to protect. Therefore, according to benefits principle, the wealthy should contribute more than the poor to the cost of maintaining the police force. The same argument can be used for many other punlic services, such as fire protection, national defense, and the court system. It is even possible to use the benefits principle to argue for antipoverty programs funded by taxes on the wealthy. (Mankiw, 2013) The Ability-to-Pay Principle The ability-to-pay principle states that taxes should be levied on a person according to how well that person can shoulder the burden. This principle is sometimes justified by the claim that all citizens should make and â€Å"equal sacrifice† to support the government. 1. What is tax? A – B – â€Å"yan yung pahirap satin lahat. Ayaw ko nga magbayad nyan kasi hindi naman sa maganda mapupunta yang tax na yan. Sobra na nga yung paniningil ng gobyerno. Kahit sa sari-sari store gusto nilang kuhanan ng tax. Yung simpleng pambayad nga lang ng business permit ang hirap na eh. Gusto ata nila para sa kanila magtrabaho. C – â€Å"it is the life blood of the government†Ã‚  D – â€Å"The money extorted from productive people to fill the gov’t bank accounts.† F – â€Å"Kaltas sa sahod. 336 na lang babawasan pa nila†Ã‚  G – It is the money collected by the government from its citizens 2. What do you think is the purpose of taxation? A – Para may pondo ang gobyerno pampagawa ng project B – pampagawa ng mga daan at sweldo ng mga emplyado sa gobyerno C – â€Å"It is used to fund different government projects. Some economists say that taxation reallocates wealth from the rich to the poor because of the progressive taxation system that we have.† D – The purpose of tax is to fund public necessities, services and improvements needed by all citizens with no bias to their status in society. F – â€Å"para sa mga projects ng gobyerno† G – For the general welfare and protection of the country’s citizens and for the development of the economy. 3. For you what is equitable taxation? A – â€Å"wala ako idea† B – â€Å"dapat yung mayayaman mas malaki babayaran na tax kasi kaya nila magbayad di ba? Sila pa nga nandadaya pagdating sa bayaran ng tax tapos kaming mahihirap yung gigipitin ng BIR dyan sa pagbabayad ng tax.† C – â€Å"Progressive taxation because this type of taxation uses the paying capability of the taxpayer as a basis on how much he or she will be taxed.† D – Equitable tax will depend on how much good public services are and how much improvement to be done. F – â€Å"basta pantay-pantay† G – it’s when taxes are collected depending on the social class or income bracket. 4. How much is your annual income? C – â€Å"My take home pay is cut into half because of the deductions and tax imposed to us. My gross salary, to be honest is not enough, then they will deduct us (tax and contributions) and you will find out from the media that our taxes were corrupted by a syndicate in the government† 5. How much do you pay for taxes annually? D – â€Å"32% of my annual income. Which I would not want to disclose as per q#4. Hehe† 6. Do hire an accountant to deal with tax payments? A – â€Å"Nope. Bookkeeper lang.† B – â€Å"Hindi† C – â€Å"Nope† D – â€Å"No. My employer hires accountants to do our taxes† F – â€Å"Hindi.† 7. What do you feel about our country’s economic outlook? A – â€Å"Sabi nila tumataas daw economic growth ng pilipinas pero di ko masyadong ramdam†. D – †Asean economic is on hype right now and will eventually peak after 15 or 20years if no war will occur. Philippine econ is growing by single digit but the market per industry per capita is growing double digits faster than national econs totality. It is safe to say that now is the best time to invest in ph market.† 8. Are you satisfied on how the government provide its services to the public? Why? A – â€Å"di masyado satisfied, wala pa ding nakikitang improvement.† D – â€Å"Yes. There are many improvements on public services. The only problem is the public is not well aware of those improvements and how they can utilize it.† G – â€Å"No, I think priorities are not being properly set and attended to.† 9. For you what is the most efficient tax rate? A – Dahil medyo nag hihirap pa ang pilipinas, ok na siguro ang tax rate ngayon, basta wag lang makurakot, pag konti konti umaangat yung economy dapat baba din yung tax rate. B – 5 % C – 20% D – 9.3% E – â€Å"I don’t give interviews this way. But I’ll answer question 9. As other questions can be answered through interment and books. The most efficient tax system is the flat tax. I propose a 10 % flat rate across the board. This most fair and efficient of all. Done in more than 43 countries and by the most successful ones. Please research on my interviews. Just google my name and flat tax. You’ll find all you need for this issue. Thanks† F – 10% G – less than 30% V. Discussion Most of the respondents agree that an equitable tax system should ask the taxpayers to contribute to the cost of public services based on ability to pay. Tax payments are indeed the lifeblood of the government, any government will not stand without funding from its people. Taxes are also used to create societal order. It is used to protect its citizens. Taxes are used to pay for the salaries of the police and armies. A farmer will not plant his crops if he knows that it will be stolen in the morning, then economic productivity would be impossible. In our current system, the top tax bracket are those earning at least P500,000 or those earning at least P41,667. Those earning P41,667 per month pays the same taxes as to those earning P1,000,000. Everyone will agree that the situation is already inequitable. The tax bracket thus should be adjusted according to the salaries of the taxpayers. All of the respondents does not directly uses accounting  services for the fact that it may be co stly for the since they are in the middle class. Value for your money, the government must make their taxpayers feel that they get value from the money (tax) that they pay. A customer who felt that he/she did not get the value for his money will not return to that restaurant, store or any other business establishment. The same goes with taxpayers they will avoid paying taxes if they feel that it will only be corrupted by public officials. The computation for the most efficient tax rate would be very difficult since it entails factors such as inflation, purchasing power, income, consistency with economic direction and a lot more, which are varying from a day-to-day or weekly basis. If the tax rate was set too low, administrative feasibility would be impossible and if the tax rate was set too high it would be consficatory which is unconstitutional and will lead to tax evasion. VI. Conclusion A good taxation system should provide an appropriate level of revenue on a timely basis, distribute the cost of taxation fairly, promote economic growth and efficiency, be easily administered and ensure accountability. People will avoid paying taxes if they feel that the taxes imposed are confiscatory in nature and this in turn reduces the tax base. The inequity of the tax system negates the command of the Constitution. The endless complains of the middle class towards the strict tax collection drive of the BIR may be lessened if they feel that there equity, or the rich is paying more taxes than them. The middle class should not be burdened more than the higher class. The BIR collected 1.2 trillion for 2012 however the government budget deficit still bloated from 197.8 billion in 2011 to P235 B. The Philippines, with the current taxation system, is always on budget deficit. And these year after year deficits includes huge amount of money thus resulting to higher public debt that the taxpayers also pay, with interest. It is time to change on how the government tax its people. Lowering the tax rate will not necessarily mean that it will lessen the budget of the government. Lowering tax will increase the tax base of the government and it will increase the cash flow in the economy, let the people decide where to put their money. Whichever way they use it, it will be productive to the economy since they are spending, when someone is spending another one is profiting and through profits is where the government gets its taxes. Unlike  if taxes are corrupted and stored into secret bank accounts. VII. Recommendation The recommends that more respondents be included in the study. The taxation system of the country needs a lot of reforms. The taxation system should be based on the taxpayer’s ability to pay and should not be confiscatory in nature. Lowering the tax rate and increasing the tax bracket ceiling will initially lower tax collection but will increase it by the next year or two because the tax base will enlarge. Bibliography Books Abola, Victor, Villegas, Bernardo, (2001). Economics An Introduction. Pasig City, Philippines: Inkwell Publishing Company, Inc. Cuevas, R.C., Paraiso O.C., Larano, L.C., (2011). Macroeconomics. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, Inc. Mankiw G.N., (2013). Principles of Economics. Pasig City, Philippines: Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd (Philippine Branch). McCaCandless, G.T. (1991). Macroeconomics theory. New Jersey: Harper and Row. Internet Fiscal drag. (2014, April 16). Retrieved from Wikipedia.org. October 10, 2014. Fiscal Drag Definition | Investopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2014.

Chick Fil a – Performance Management

MGT 760 Chick-fil-A – Performance Management and Key Business Factors Performance Management is a process for establishing a shared understanding about what is to be achieved and how it is to be achieved. It is an approach to managing people that increases the probability of achieving success. In regards to the definition, Chick-Fil-A has a consistent and calibrated performance management process. They have been focusing on how to develop enough leaders, fast enough to create healthy growth. Leadership is the main part of the company’s success formula.They have a do-it-yourself leadership development culture. First of all they defined leadership at Chick-fil-A. They interviewed leaders within the company. After discussions they realized they needed more information. They decided to supplement their internal interviews with a survey of global best practices. As final part of process they read 200 books on leadership. They had a picture of leadership definition which is s imilar to iceberg. According to this model, like iceberg’s 90 percent is underwater, leadership character is hard to see. 0 percent is represents the skills of leaders. And they want to combine leadership and characteristic skills. They have seen character is 90 percent of what makes a leader. They want to do their best to select men and women of character and focus on helping them develop their skills as leaders. After that, they identified best leader skills. These are; 1- See the future: It is the vision skill, ability to improve business for future. 2- Engage and developed others: They want managers reach and develop their employee’s potential. – Reinvent continuously: It means that the leader is the catalyst for continuous improvement and innovation. It involves the leader’s continued growth and development. 4- Value result and relationship: They agree the idea that results are critical. But also they believe that results alone not sufficient. They w ant to maintain tension between results and relationship. 5- Embody the values: The leaders that know their values, share their values and live their values earn the trust of people. Their actions become an important shaping tool in the culture.As a result of definition of leadership and defining the skills that a leader should has, their goal is to select the right people, provide them the skills they need, and challenge them to guard their motives. In addition to performance management process, Chick-fil-A has successful business practices. They escaped the effects of recession well. One of the key factors that they were not affected by recession is the ability to absorb and pollinate great ideas. They could find very useful but cost nothing ideas. They have been always trying new things and experiments.As an example, he mentions the idea of inviting the first 100 customers who come in when they opened a new store to eat at Chick-fil-A for a year. That created millions and million s of dollars worth of publicity for Chick-fil-A. Besides that, they have a very rigorous hiring process. They are looking for competence, character, and chemistry. Competence is the knowledge and skills to do the job. As mentioned before, in the evaluation of character, moral choices and decisions are very important. In chemistry, they are looking for the ability to inspire, excite, and motivate other people.The company has a 97 percent retention rate. They have free food, free fitness center with hot showers, towels and child care center. When an employee has a problem, they try to help and got him or her into a rehab program. They influence on people’s life. They do a review annually with their executives committee. Everyone has a performance assessment. They look at fast trackers and people who need extra mentoring to be sure that they are developing them at the right rate. They change with changes. They saw a big shift in 1990s and they simulated what the whole operation would be like. It helps them to be ready for changes.Innovation is a very important topic for them. They are getting ready to open an innovation laboratory. They want everyone to be a part of the innovation process. To improve customer service, they had conversations with people outside their industry. When customers pay them $6, they get what they really want and they feel good about the transaction. And relationship follows the service. Also they see social media as leveraging influence. In conclusion, their corporate purpose is glorifying God by being a faithful steward. The long view and the purpose of this whole enterprise is to positively impact people’s lives.

Christianity in the Philippines

The Philippines proudly boasts to be the only Christian nation in Asia. More than 86% of the population is Roman Catholic, 6% belong to various nationalized Christian cults, and another 2% belong to well over 100 Protestant denominations. In addition to the Christian majority, there is a vigorous 4% Muslim minority, concentrated on the southern islands of Mindanao, Sulu, and Palawan. Scattered in isolated mountainous regions, the remaining 2% follow non-Western, indigenous beliefs and practices. The Chinese minority, although statistically insignificant, has been culturally influential in influencing Filipino Catholicism with many of the beliefs and practices of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism (Miller, Religion in the Philippines) Politically speaking, laws in the country give all Filipinos the right to choose their own religion based to what their faith believes accordingly. Filipinos choose Christianity as their religion. Why is it so? Christianity is the name given to that definite system of religious belief and practice which was taught by Jesus Christ in the country of Palestine, during the reign of the Roman Emperor, Tiberius, and was promulgated, after its Founder's death, for the acceptance of the whole world, by certain chosen men among His followers. At present, it is the largest religion not only in the Philippines but also in the world with approximately almost two billion people believing. It is difficult to trace the origin of such religion especially when we know that it has already given a great impact to many Filipinos all over the country. Many are devoted doing unbelievable things just to prove their faith. Even our politics is having such controversy with the Church at some points in our lives. The aim of this research paper is to find out how Christianity spread in the Philippines knowing how great its impact is to us. As you go further reading, you will know the effects it had brought and their results to the Filipino race.

The Meaning of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Meaning of Life - Essay Example This paper will analyze the views which were articulated by Richard Taylor and Susan Wolf. To begin with, it may be particularly important to examine the ideas of each of the above mentioned scholars. Thus, the former is known for developing the concept of meaning of life that is based on the principle of fulfillment (Taylor 24). In order to illustrate it, the author used the ancient myth of Sisyphus, pointing out that while the majority thinks that life of the latter is pointless, certain alterations of the point of view might actually make it quite full of meaning. According to this kind of thinking, a person is able to live a meaningful life as long as it fulfills one’s desires, expectations as well as idea of what live should look life. Returning to the articulated example, if Sisyphus had a strong desire to roll up large stone, then his life would be rather meaningful and enjoyable. Contrary to that, Susan Wolf developed a different understanding of what people should take into account while considering the meaning of one’s life. According to her, the principle of fulfillment is an essential one; however, the objective reality should be taken into account as well which results in the fitting-fulfillment principle (Wolf 25). The author argues that life of a person can be found to be full of meaning as long as it fulfills one’s desires, expectations as well as ideas, but also fits into a general context of the social environment. For example, life of Sisyphus can hardly be called a meaningful since despite the fact that it fulfilled his possible desire to roll up stone, it did not help the society in any way. A brief examination of the above mentioned views was able to highlight one fundamental difference in the approaches that were developed by the thinkers. Thus, on the one hand, the position of Taylor is purely subjective. In other words, he argues

Expository writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expository writing - Essay Example The book also challenges our values and the social system which labels people and does precious little to help them to rise above their tragedy of life. The author has sensitively explored the delicate but extremely important issues of drug addiction and prostitution that affect our youngsters today. Set against Australian background, this global issue is successfully exposed through this story. The opening paragraph deliberately, describes in detail the role of each of his television crew so as to maximise the impact of the subject. The empathetic attitude of various crew members adds to the seriousness of the problems that has infiltrated our society. The inclusion of women crew members has provided a sensitivity that has been able to win the confidence and trust of the affected people who have willingly talked about their circumstance that has driven them towards this. The information and the facts of the real life situation have successfully drawn the seedy atmosphere that can be found within our well organized society. The author has exposed the galleries in the busy market place that provide safe way of taking the heroin or drug or even facilitating prostitution for the addicts. The rooms behind and above the shops of the market seem to serve the dual purpose of safe haven for addicts while at the same time sex provides a quick way of earning more money for the drug. The irony of the situation is that though the gallery owner denies providing the drugs, he accepts providing the needles (for injection) and a place where they can safely take it at a price! The price goes up if the prostitution or sex is involved. The simple words used by the author to describe the scene where girls and boys come just for this purpose and then leave the place normally, jolts the reader with much more impact. ‘The rest of Australia might be shocked by what went on

Problem Solving Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Problem Solving - Essay Example The problem could not be detected for three working days, and the off-days added two more days making the disappearance of five-day record in total. The main objective appears at here includes introducing of the complete security system with the help of anti-virus and other related programmes for escaping the attack of any computer virus in the software programmes for the future days to come. Additionally, there is a certain need for introducing the keeping and monitoring of some manual record of the arrival, departure and other activities of the staff members and students as well to avoid any unpleasant state of affairs in future appears due to the loss of important data. Despite the fact that maintenance of record as well as other staff-related activities is unconditionally attributed to the management of an organisation (Griffin 2010, p. 64); nevertheless, being the IT technician as well as a part of school staff, I also find myself to be responsible for the preserving of the entire school records by protecting them from getting destroyed in any manner on the one side, and taking active role in the school and IT affairs on th e other. Furthermore, since the contemporary age is frequently viewed to be the era of technological advancement (Gates 1999, p. 3); as a result, almost all activities are preserved and supervised with the help of electronic and technical equipment. As a result, guaranteeing the monitoring of the arrival and departure of the staff members, students and outsiders also serves as the moral and professional obligation of the personnel rendering services in the management and IT departments of an organisation. By taking the above stated situation into consideration, there appears an urgent need for solving this critical issue on priority basis, so that such incidents could not be repeated again altogether. First of all, the company preparing and offering the anti-virus software in use should be

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) - Essay Example CSR benefits the society through responsible business. In the contemporary society, global warming and sustainable living are the biggest issues that have grabbed the attention of scientists and educationalists everywhere in the world. Need is being felt of a collective effort to combat the conditions emerging as a result of global warming and excessive use of extinguishing natural resources. In these circumstances, businesses need to be very responsible and considerate about several things that are not in their individualistic interest but are of great interest to the society as a whole. CSR makes the businessmen amend their business practices in such a way that they cause maximum benefit to the society and cause minimal harm. Thus, it makes them comply with the standards of ethics and makes them display good moral conduct. In an attempt to fulfill the requirements of CSR, businessmen are trying to do everything that would make their business