Epistemology †Empiricism Essay

Principles like those Parmenides assumed are said in contemporary jargon to be a priori principles, or principles of reason, which just means that they are known prior to experience. It is not that we learn these principles first chronologically but rather that our knowledge of them does not depend on our senses. For example, consider the principle â€Å"You can’t make something out of nothing. † If you wished to defend this principle, would you proceed by conducting an experiment in which you tried to make something out of nothing? In fact, you would not. You would base your defense on our inability to conceive of ever making  something out of nothing Everything we know originates from four sources. The first, our senses, can be thought of as our primary source of information. Two other sources, reason and intuition, are derivative in the sense that they produce new facts from data already supplied to our minds. The fourth source, authority (or â€Å"hearsay,† or â€Å"testimony† of others), is by nature secondary, and secondhand fact-claims are always more wiggly and difficult to validate. Other sources of knowledge are commonly claimed, and it is not inconceivable that there might exist other sources; but if they do exist,  knowledge derived from them is problematic, and careful analysis usually finds that they can be subsumed under one or more of the four known sources and must be seriously questioned as legitimate, separate sources of reliable information. In summary, what is the nature of our knowledge about the real world of objects/events? Our knowledge of reality is composed of ideas our minds have created on the basis of our sensory experience. It is a fabric of knowledge woven by the mind. Knowledge is not given to the mind; nothing is â€Å"poured† into it. Rather, the mind manufactures perceptions, concepts, ideas, beliefs, and so forth and holds  them as working hypotheses about external reality. Every idea is a (subjective) working model that enables us to handle real objects/events with some degree of pragmatic efficiency. However persuasive our thoughts and images may be, they are only remote representations of reality; they are tools that enable us to deal with reality. It is as though we draw nondimensional maps to help us understand four-dimensional territory. The semanticists have long reminded us to beware of confusing any sort of map with the real landscape. â€Å"The map,† they say, â€Å"is not the territory. † An abstraction, by definition, is an idea created by the mind to refer to all objects which, possessing certain characteristics in common, are thought of in the same class. The number of objects in the class can range from two to infinity. We can refer to all men, all hurricanes, all books, all energy-forms—all everything. While abstraction-building is an inescapable mental process—in fact it is the first step in the organization of our knowledge of objects/events—a serious problem is inherent in the process. At high levels of abstraction we tend to group together objects that have but a few qualities in common, and our abstractions  may be almost meaningless, without our knowing it. We fall into the habit of using familiar abstractions and fail to realize how empty they are. For example, what do the objects in the following abstractions have in common? All atheists, all Western imperialists, all blacks or all whites (and if you think it’s skin color, think twice), all conservatives, all trees, all French people, all Christians. When we think in such high-level abstractions, it is often the case that we are communicating nothing meaningful at all. â€Å"The individual object or event we are naming, of course, has no name and belongs  to no class until we put it in one. † Going as far back as Plato, philosophers have traditionally defined knowledge as true justified belief. A priori knowledge is knowledge that is justified independently of (or prior to) experience. What kinds of knowledge could be justified without any appeal to experience? Certainly, we can know the truth of definitions and logical truths apart from experience. Hence, definitions and logically necessary truths are examples of a priori knowledge. For example, â€Å"All unicorns are one-horned creatures† is true by definition. Similarly, the following  statement is a sure bet: â€Å"Either my university’s football team will win their next game or they won’t. † Even if they tie or the game is canceled, this would fulfill the â€Å"they won’t win† part of the prediction. Hence, this statement expresses a logically necessary truth about the football team. These two statements are cases of a priori knowledge. Notice that in the particular examples of a priori knowledge I have chosen, they do not give us any real, factual information about the world. Even though the statement about unicorns is true, it does not tell us whether there are any unicorns in the world. Similarly, the football prediction does not tell us the actual outcome of the game. Experience of the world is required to know these things. The second kind of knowledge is a posteriori knowledge, or knowledge that is based on (or posterior to) experience. Similarly, the adjective empirical refers to anything that is based on experience. Any claims based on experience purport to add new information to the subject. Hence, â€Å"Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit† and â€Å"Tadpoles become frogs† would be examples of a posteriori knowledge. We know the freezing point of water and the life cycle of tadpoles through experience. Thus far, most philosophers would agree on these points. The difficult question now arises: Is there any a priori knowledge that does give us knowledge about the real world? What would that be like? It would be knowledge expressible in a statement such that (a) its truth is not determined solely by the meaning of its terms and (b) it does provide information about the way the world is. Furthermore, since it is a priori, it would be knowledge that we could justify through reason, independently of experience. The question, then, is whether or not reason alone can tell us about the ultimate nature of reality. 1. Is it possible to have knowledge at all? 2. Does reason provide us with knowledge of the world independently of experience? 3. Does our knowledge represent reality as it really is? Rationalism claims that reason or the intellect is the primary source of our fundamental knowledge about reality. Nonrationalists agree that we can use reason to draw conclusions from the information provided by sense experience. However, what distinguishes the rationalists is that they claim that reason can give us knowledge apart from experience. For example, the rationalists point out that we can arrive at mathematical truths about circles  or triangles without having to measure, experiment with, or experience circular or triangular objects. We do so by constructing rational, deductive proofs that lead to absolutely indubitable conclusions that are always universally true of the world outside our minds (a priori knowledge about the world). Obviously, the rationalists think the second question should be answered affirmatively. Empiricism is the claim that sense experience is the sole source of our knowledge about the world. Empiricists insist that when we start life, the original equipment of our intellect is a tabula rasa, or blank tablet. Only through experience does that empty mind become filled with content. Various empiricists give different explanations of the nature of logical and mathematical truths. They are all agreed, however, that these truths are not already latent in the mind before we discover them and that there is no genuine a priori knowledge about the nature of reality. The empiricists would respond â€Å"No! † to the second epistemological question. With respect to question 3, both the rationalists and the empiricists think that our knowledge does represent reality as it really is. Constructivism is used in this discussion to refer to the claim that knowledge is neither already in the mind nor passively received from experience, but that the mind constructs knowledge out of the materials of experience. Immanuel Kant, an 18th-century German philosopher, introduced this view. He was influenced by both the rationalists and the empiricists and attempted to reach a compromise between them. While Kant did not agree with the rationalists on everything, he did believe we can have a priori knowledge of the world as we experience it. Although Kant did not use this label, I call his position constructivism  to capture his distinctive account of knowledge. One troubling consequence of his view was that because the mind imposes its own order on experience, we can never know reality as it is in itself. We can only know reality as it appears to us after it has been filtered and processed by our minds. Hence, Kant answers question 3 negatively. Nevertheless, because Kant thought our minds all have the same cognitive structure, he thought we are able to arrive at universal and objective knowledge within the boundaries of the human situation. Before reading further, look at the highway picture for an example of a classic  experiment in perception. Did you get the right answer, or were your eyes fooled? One way that skeptics attack knowledge claims is to point to all the ways in which we have been deceived by illusions. Our experience with perceptual illusions shows that in the past we have been mistaken about what we thought we knew. These mistakes lead, the skeptic claims, to the conclusion that we can never be certain about our beliefs, from which it follows that our beliefs are not justified. Another, similar strategy of the skeptic is to point to the possibility that our apprehension of reality could be systematically flawed in some way. The story of Ludwig, the brain in the vat who experienced a false virtual reality, would be an example of this strategy. Another strategy is to suppose that there is an inherent flaw in human psychology such that our beliefs never correspond to reality. I call these possible scenarios universal belief falsifiers. The characteristics of a universal belief falsifier are (1) it is a theoretically possible state of affairs, (2) we have no way of knowing if this state of affairs is actual or not, and (3) if this state of affairs is actual, we would never be able to distinguish beliefs that are true  from beliefs that seem to be true but are actually false. Note that the skeptic does not need to prove that these possibilities are actual. For example, the skeptic does not have to establish that we really are brains in a vat, but merely that this condition is possible. Furthermore, the skeptic need not claim that all our beliefs are false. The skeptic’s point is simply that we have no fail-safe method for determining when our beliefs are true or false. Given this circumstance, the skeptic will argue that we cannot distinguish the situation of having evidence that leads to true beliefs from the situation of having the same sort of evidence  plus a universal belief falsifier, which leads to false beliefs. Obviously, the skeptic believes that nothing is beyond doubt. For any one of our beliefs, we can imagine a set of circumstances in which it would be false. For example, I believe I was born in Rahway, New Jersey. However, my birth certificate could be inaccurate. Furthermore, for whatever reasons, my parents may have wished to keep the truth from me. I will never know for sure. I also believe that there is overwhelming evidence that Adolf Hitler committed suicide at the close of World War II. However, it could be true (as conspiracy theorists maintain) that his death was faked and that he lived a long life in South America after the war. The theme of the skeptic is that certainty is necessary for there to be knowledge, and if doubt is possible, then we do not have certainty. We now have the considerations in place that the skeptic uses to make his or her case. There are many varieties of skeptical arguments, each one exploiting some possible flaw in either human cognition or the alleged evidence we use to justify our beliefs. Instead of presenting various specific arguments, we can consider a â€Å"generic skeptical argument. † Generic Skeptical Argument 1. We can find reasons for doubting any one of our beliefs. 2. It follows that we can doubt all our beliefs. 3. If we can doubt all our beliefs, then we cannot be certain of any of them. 4. If we do not have certainty about any of our beliefs, then we do not have knowledge. 5. Therefore, we do not have knowledge. Pyrrho of Elis (360–270 B. C. ), a philosopher in ancient Greece, inspired a skeptical movement that bore his name (Pyrrhonian skepticism). Pyrrho was skeptical concerning sense experience. He argued that for experience to be a source of knowledge, our sense data  must agree with reality. But it is impossible to jump outside our experience to see how it compares with the external world. So, we can never know whether our experience is giving us accurate information about reality. Furthermore, rational argument cannot give us knowledge either, Pyrrho said, because for every argument supporting one side of an issue, another argument can be constructed to prove the opposing case. Hence, the two arguments cancel each other out and they are equally ineffective in leading us to the truth. The followers of Pyrrho stressed that we can make claims only about how things appear to us. You can say, â€Å"The honey appears to me to be sweet† but not, â€Å"The honey is sweet. † The best approach, according to these skeptics, was to suspend judgment whenever possible and make no assumptions at all. They believed that skeptical detachment would lead to serenity. â€Å"Don’t worry about what you cannot know,† they advised. Some skeptics distilled these arguments down into two simple theses. First, nothing is self-evident, for any axiom we start with can be doubted. Second, nothing can be proven, for either we will have an infinite regress of reasons that support our previous  reasons or we will end up assuming what we are trying to prove. Descartes began his quest for knowledge with the assumption that if he had rational certainty concerning his beliefs, he necessarily had knowledge, and if he did not have certainty, he did not have knowledge. The skeptics who came after Descartes agreed with this assumption. However, as we will see in the next section, Descartes argues that there are a number of things of which we can be certain and, hence, we do have knowledge. On the other hand, the skeptics doubt whether Descartes or anyone can achieve such certainty. Lacking any grounds for certainty, the skeptics claim we cannot have knowledge about the real world. Thus, the skeptics think that Descartes’s arguments for skepticism are stronger than his proposed answers. Such a philosopher was David Hume, whom we will encounter later when we examine empir EXAMINING THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF SKEPTICISM Positive Evaluation 1. Weeding a garden is not sufficient to make flowers grow, but it does do something valuable. In what way could the skeptics be viewed as providing a â€Å"philosophical weeding service† by undercutting beliefs that are naively taken for granted? 2. The skeptics are unsettling because they force us to reexamine our most fundamental beliefs. Is it better to live in naive innocence, never questioning anything, or is it sometimes worthwhile to have your beliefs challenged? Negative Evaluation 1. The skeptics make the following claim: â€Å"Knowledge is impossible. † But isn’t this claim itself a knowledge claim that they declare is true? Is the skeptic being inconsistent? 2. The skeptics use the argument from illusion to show that we cannot trust our senses. But could we ever know that there are illusions or that sometimes our senses are deceived  unless there were occasions when our senses weren’t deceived? 3. Some skeptics would have us believe that it is possible that all our beliefs are false. But would the human race have survived if there was never a correspondence between some of our beliefs and the way reality is constituted? We believe that fire burns, water quenches thirst, vegetables nourish us, and eating sand doesn’t. If we didn’t have some sort of built-in mechanism orienting us toward true beliefs, how could we be as successful as we are in dealing with reality? 4. Is skepticism liveable? Try yelling to someone who claims to be a skeptic, â€Å"Watch out  for that falling tree limb! † Why is it that a skeptic will always look up? Think of other ways in which skeptics might demonstrate that they do believe they can find out what is true or false about the world. 5. Is Descartes’s demand for absolute certainty unreasonable? Can’t we have justified beliefs based on inferences to the best explanation, probability, or practical certainty? Does certainty have to be either 100 percent or 0 percent? The answer is that our reason tells us that â€Å"something cannot come from nothing† and â€Å"material objects do not vanish into thin air. † We will distrust our senses before  we will abandon these beliefs. Hence, our reason seems to have veto power over our sense experience. We often trust our reason even in the face of apparently solid, experiential evidence. The rationalists raise this trust in reason into a full-fledged theory of knowledge. Rationalism is a very influential theory about the source and nature of knowledge. This position may be summarized in terms of the three anchor points of rationalism. These three points are responses to the second question of epistemology, Does reason provide us with knowledge of the world independently of experience? Reason Is the Primary or Most Superior Source of Knowledge about Reality According to the rationalist, it is through reason that we truly understand the fundamental truths about reality. For example, most rationalists would say the truths in the following lists are some very basic truths about the world that will never change. Although our experience certainly does illustrate most of these beliefs, our experiences always consist of par-ticular, concrete events. Hence, no experiences of seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, or touching specific objects can tell us that these statements will always be true for every  future event we encounter. The rationalist claims that the following statements represent a priori truths about the world. They are a priori because they can be known apart from experience, yet they tell us what the world is like. LOGICAL TRUTHS A and not-A cannot both be true at the same time (where A represents some proposition or claim). This truth is called the law of noncontradiction. (For example, the statement â€Å"John is married and John is not married† is necessarily false. ) If the statement X is true and the statement â€Å"If X, then Y† is true, then it necessarily follows that the statement Y is true. MATHEMATICAL TRUTHS The area of a triangle will always be one-half the length of the base times its height. If X is larger than Y and Y is larger than Z, then X is larger than Z. METAPHYSICAL TRUTHS Every event has a cause. An object with contradictory properties cannot exist. (No matter how long we search, we will never find a round square. ) ETHICAL PRINCIPLES Some basic moral obligations are not optional. It is morally wrong to maliciously torture someone for the fun of it. Sense Experience Is an Unreliable and Inadequate Route to Knowledge Rationalists typically emphasize the fact that sense experience is relative, changing, and often illusory. An object will look one way in artificial light and will look different in sunlight. Our eyes seem to see water on the road on a hot day, but the image is merely an optical illusion. The rationalist claims that we need our reason to sort out what is appearance from what is reality. Although it is obvious that a rationalist could not get through life without some reliance on sense experience, the rationalist denies that sense experience is the only source of knowledge about reality. Furthermore, experience can tell us only about particular things in the world. However, it cannot give us universal, foundational truths  about reality. Sensory experience can tell me about the properties of this ball, but it cannot tell me about the properties of spheres in general. Experience can tell me that when I combine these two oranges with those two oranges, they add up to four oranges. However, only reason can tell me that two plus two will always equal four and that this result will be true not only for these oranges, or all oranges, but for anything whatsoever. The Fundamental Truths about the World Can Be Known A Priori: They Are Either Innate or Self-Evident to Our Minds Innate ideas are ideas that are inborn. They are ideas or principles that the mind already contains prior to experience. The notion of innate ideas is commonly found in rationalistic philosophies, but it is rejected by the empiricists. The theory of innate ideas views the mind like a computer that comes from the factory with numerous programs already loaded on its disk, waiting to be activated. Hence, rationalists say that such ideas as the laws of logic, the concept of justice, or the idea of God are already contained deep within the mind and only need to be brought to the level of conscious awareness. Innate ideas should not be confused with instinct. Instinct is a noncognitive set of mechanical behaviors, such as blinking the eyes when an object approaches them. The theory of innate ideas is one account of how we can have a priori knowledge. Other rationalists believe that if the mind does not already contain these ideas, they are, at least, either self-evident or natural to the mind and the mind has a natural predisposition to recognize them. For example, Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716), a German rationalist, compared the mind to a block of marble that contains veins or natural splitting points that allow only one sort of shape to be formed within it. Thus, the mind, like the marble, has an innate structure that results in â€Å"inclinations, dispositions, habits, or natural capacities† to think in certain ways. In contrast to this view, John Locke (a British empiricist) said: â€Å"There is nothing in the intellect that was not first in the senses. † In response, Leibniz tagged the following rationalistic qualification at the end of Locke’s formula, â€Å"except for the intellect itself. † Obviously, in saying that the mind contains rational ideas or dispositions, the rationalists do not believe a baby is thinking about the theorems of geometry. Instead, they claim  that when a person achieves a certain level of cognitive development, he or she will be capable of realizing the self-evident truth of certain ideas. Leibniz pointed out that there is a difference between the mind containing rational principles and being aware of them. Rationalists give different accounts of how the mind acquired innate ideas in the first place. Socrates and Plato believed that our souls preexisted our current life and received knowledge from a previous form of existence. Theistic rationalists, such as Descartes, tend to believe that God implanted these ideas within us. Others simply claim that these principles or ideas naturally accompany rational minds such as ours. THE RATIONALISTS’ ANSWERS TO THE THREE EPISTEMOLOGICAL QUESTIONS Section 2. 0 contained three questions concerning knowledge: (1) Is knowledge possible? (2) Does reason provide us with knowledge of the world independently of experience? and (3) Does our knowledge represent reality as it really is? While differing on the details, all the rationalists give the same answers to these three questions. First, they all believe that knowledge is possible. Generally, we are able to discern that some opinions are better than others. For example, in the discipline of mathematics some answers are true and some are false. We could not know this fact if obtaining knowledge was impossible. Second, the rationalists agree that only through reason can we find an adequate basis for knowledge. For example, in mathematics and logic we are able through reason alone to arrive at truths that are absolutely certain and necessarily true. Third, rationalists agree that beliefs that are based on reason do represent reality as it truly is. In the following sections, I examine three classical rationalists to see how they illustrate the three anchor points of rationalism and  answer the three epistemological questions. Socrates’ answers to the three epistemological questions should be clear. (1) We are able to distinguish true opinions from false ones, so we must know the standards for making this distinction. (2) These standards could not be derived from experience so they must be unpacked through a rational investigation of the reservoir of all truth—the soul. (3) Since our rational knowledge provides us with information that enables us to deal successfully with the world and our own lives, it must be giving us an accurate picture of reality. However, according to Plato, since the  physical world is constantly changing, sense perception gives us only relative and temporary information about changing, particular things. Being a typical rationalist, Plato thought that ultimate knowledge must be objective, unchanging, and universal. Furthermore, he argued that there is a difference between true opinions and knowledge, for our beliefs must be rationally justified to qualify as knowledge. Finally, Plato believed that the object of knowledge must be something that really exists. Plato and the Role of Reason Do mathematical truths, such as those in the multiplication tables, exist within the mind  or do they exist outside the mind? Plato would say both. If mathematical truths exist only in the mind, then why does physical reality conform to these truths? If mathematical truths are only mind-dependent ideas, then why can’t we make the truths about triangles be anything we decide them to be? The world of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was created in the mind of Lewis Carroll. He could have made the world’s properties be anything he decided. But obviously, we can’t make up such rules for the properties of numbers. We don’t create these truths; we discover them. Thus, Plato would argue, these truths are objective and independent of our minds. But if they are independent of our minds, then they must refer to something that exists in reality. Although the number seven, for example, has objective properties that we discover, these properties are not physical. We do not learn the truths about numbers by seeing, tasting, hearing, smelling, or touching them. From this concept, Plato concludes that the world of mathematics consists of a set of objective, mindindependent truths and a domain of nonphysical reality that we know only through reason. What about justice? What color is it? How tall is it? How much does it weigh? Clearly, these questions can apply to physical things, but it is meaningless to describe justice in terms of observable properties. Furthermore, no society is perfectly just. Hence, we have never seen an example of perfect justice in human history, only frail, human attempts to approximate it. Because reason can contemplate Justice Itself,* we can evaluate the deficient, limited degrees of justice found in particular societies. Particular nations come and go and the degree of justice they manifest can rise or fall. But the objects of genuine knowledge  Ã‚  such as true Justice or true Circularity are eternal and unchanging standards and objects of knowledge. Plato on Universals and the Knowledge of Reality Thus far, Plato has argued that there are some things that we could not know about (Justice, Goodness, Equality) if experience was our only source of knowledge. The soul must have somehow acquired knowledge independently of the senses. But what, exactly, are the objects of this special sort of knowledge? In answering this question, Plato builds on the distinction he has made between the here-and-now realm of sense experience and the unchanging realm of rational knowledge. He says that in the world of sense experience we find that particulars fall into a number of stable, universal categories. Without these categories, we could not identify anything or talk about particulars at all. For example, Tom, Andre, Maria, and Lakatria are all distinct individuals, yet we can use the universal term human being to refer to each of them. In spite of their differences, something about them is the same. Corresponding to each common name (such as â€Å"human,† â€Å"dog,† â€Å"justice†) is a Universal that consists of the essential, common properties of anything within that category. Circular objects (coins, rings, wreathes, planetary orbits) all have the Universal of Circularity in common. Particular objects that are beautiful (roses, seashells, persons, sunsets, paintings) all share the Universal of Beauty. Particulars come into being, change, and pass away but Universals reside in an eternal, unchanging world. The rose grows from a bud, becomes a beautiful flower, and then turns brown and ugly and fades away. Yet the Universal of Beauty (or Beauty Itself ) remains eternally the same. Plato believes that Universals are more than concepts, they are actually the constituents  of reality. Hence, in answer to the third epistemological question, Plato believes that knowledge of Universals provides us with knowledge of the fundamental features of reality, which are nonphysical, eternal, and unchanging. Plato also refers to these Universals as â€Å"Forms. † The following thought experiment will help you appreciate Plato’s emphasis on Universals and universal truth. Descartes on the Possibility of Knowledge Although Descartes was certain he could not be deceived about his own existence, the possibility of a Great Deceiver cast a shadow over all his other beliefs. Unless he could find something external to his mind that would guarantee that the contents of his mind represented reality, there was little hope for having any knowledge other than that of his own existence. Descartes sought this guarantee in an all-powerful, good God. Hence, Descartes says, â€Å"As soon as the opportunity arises I must examine whether there is a God, and, if there is, whether he can be a deceiver. For if I do not know this, it seems that I can never be quite certain about anything else. †12 If Descartes could prove that such a God exists, then he could know that knowledge is possible. But notice how limited are the materials Descartes has at his disposal for proving God’s existence. He cannot employ an empirical argument based on the nature of the external world, for that is an issue that is still in doubt. So, he must construct a rationalistic argument that reasons only from the contents of his own mind. STOP AND THINK Descartes on the Role of Reason In the following passage from Meditation III, Descartes says the â€Å"natural light of reason† shows him that (1) something cannot arise from nothing and (2) there must be at least as much reality in the cause as there is in the effect. †¢ What examples does he use to illustrate each of these principles? †¢ How does he apply these two principles to the existence of his own ideas? The argument that Descartes has given us in the previous passages can be summarized in this way: 1. Something cannot be derived from nothing. (In other words, all effects, including ideas, are caused by something. ) 2. There must be at least as much reality in the cause as there is in the effect. 3. I have an idea of God (as an infinite and perfect being). 4. The idea of God in my mind is an effect that was caused by something. 5. I am finite and imperfect, and thus I could not be the cause of the idea of an infinite and perfect God. 6. Only an infinite and perfect being could be the cause of such an idea. 7. Therefore, God (an infinite and perfect being) exists. THE THREE ANCHOR POINTS OF EMPIRICISM The Only Source of Genuine Knowledge Is Sense Experience The empiricists compare the mind to a blank tablet upon which experience makes its marks. Without experience, they claim, we would lack not only knowledge of the specific features of the world, but also the ability even to con.

Life and Works of Marie Curie

Marie Curie focused on the isolation of the elements that emitted radiation such as radium and not on the health benefits of radium. However, her discovery led to advancements in the world of medicine and further understanding on matter and energy. Years after her discovery, the atom was further structured by Ernest Rutherford due to her recognition that there are still energy created within the atom itself. Ironically, though she and her husband died out of cancer, the element radium that they discovered paved way to radiotherapy, a process of treating cancer (International Atomic Energy Agency). Cancer is a disease caused by uncontrolled growth malignant cells that mutates due to external and internal factors such as tobacco, radiation, chemicals, inherited mutations, hormones, and etc. As of the year 2003, it is estimated that 10.5 million Americans were diagnosed with cancer and one out of four patients have died of cancer (American Cancer Society). This disease has taken the nation by storm and is now competing with heart attack as the leading cause of death in Americans. If it were not for the contributions of Marie Curie, cancer would have remained an untreatable disease and millions of humans would have died because of the disease. Her discovery of radiotherapy has benefited not only the soldiers in the 1st World War wherein she used radiation in curing wounds but the countless patients suffering from cancer in today’s generation through radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is a process in which radiation is used to kill cancer cells. Though the element radium is not used today since safer and more powerful sources of radiation are available, her discovery of radioactivity played a pivotal role in curing cancer. Radiotherapy capitalizes on controlled dosage of radiation to kill cancer cells by pointing an X-ray machine to the part infected by the malignant cells (Overgaard). This process in done along with chemotherapy and taking drugs that suppress cancer cells. However, this process also comes with certain risks since radiation can also kill normal cells and may cause side effects. Though this process is generally expensive, it is a price that most are willing to pay just to have another shot at life. Radium is also used in Brachytherapy, a process that is used to treat prostate cancer, endometrial cancer, cervical cancer, coronary artery disease and other localized cancers.   This is a form of radiology wherein a small amount of radioactive substance is implanted near the malignant cells so that the radiation will eventually kill the cancer cells. This process if often used for out patients and is used for over a century in curing cancer without having to resort to surgery (American Brachytherapy Society).   Ã‚  Brachytherapy is a cheap way of curing localized cancer and has benefited millions of cancer patients. Another use of radium is for self-luminous paints for watches, compass, microscopes, dials on aircrafts and other instruments. Since radium emits light on its own, it is very useful in saving energy since there is no need for electricity to light up these buttons (Burke, A & Thurston,J.). At pres time, radium was replaced with safer elements that emit light. Marie Curie and her contributions to science and medicine where products of her never failing passion for knowledge that persisted even though she was limited to financial and health constraints. Works Cited American Cancer Society. Cancer Fact and Figures 2007. http://www.cancer.org/ Date Retrieved December 7, 2007 American Brachytherapy Society. About Brachytherapy. http://www.americanbrachytherapy.org. Date retrieved December 7, 2007 Burke, A & Thurston,J. Evaluation of an Acrylic Coating for self-luminous Paint. National Technical Information Service. 1969 Condren, L. The Facts about Radiotherapy.   http://www.irishhealth.com. Retrieved on December 7, 2007. International Atomic Energy Agency. http://www.iaea.org. retrieved on December 7, 2007 . Overgaard, J. Radiotherapy and Oncology. Canadian Association of Radiation Oncology. 2008.

Rhetoric of Batman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Rhetoric of Batman - Essay Example acy and its success in apprehending and stopping the mad terror that has been rampant in Gotham — makes it clear that the politics of Batman continue to echo the dark side of politics in America. Batman has been one of the most interesting of the superhero comic since his inception since, as we’ve pointed out, he’s a hero without super powers. He’s a regular guy thrust into extraordinary situations — much like politicians, who are rarely faced with issues of clear right and wrong. Unlike other superheroes, Batman’s world is full of moral ambiguities. He must often make unpopular decisions to support policies and politicians with whom he doesn’t agree because it’s the right thing for the city. And unlike other superheroes, whose difference from mere mortals moves them to an uncontested ethical sphere where political leaders essentially play a secondary role, Batman is very much a player on Gotham’s political scene — and not just because his alter ego happens to be a billionaire capitalist. Ultimately, though, Batman’s socioeconomic status probably impacts his political stance, which has historically skewed heavily toward the conservative side of things. One of the most interesting things about The Dark Knight is that in it, Batman’s strong and stated desire is to get out of politics and be an ordinary billionaire. But he’s forced by his internal desire for justice to interfere in the affairs of Gotham City, even though he know that doing so is problematic — Batman’s existence and the fact that he’s successful at shutting down crime seems to bring out the crazy in the criminals of Gotham City. â€Å"As we looked through the comics, there was this fascinating idea that Batman’s presence in Gotham actually attracts criminals to Gotham, attracts lunacy,† said Christopher Nolan, the director of The Dark Knight. (Halbfinger) It is much the way Americans felt after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, which left many people

Retail industry of UK has been one of the most growing industries over Dissertation

Retail industry of UK has been one of the most growing industries over the years - Dissertation Example Introduction: 17 3.2. Research Purpose: 17 3.3. Research Strategy and Method: 18 3.4. Research Design: 19 3.5. Data Collection: 19 3.6. Methods and Tools used for Collecting Data: 20 3.7. Analysis Techniques: 20 3.8. Validity and Reliability of the Research: 25 3.9. Ethical Considerations: 26 3.10. Summary: 26 4. ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 27 4.1. Introduction 27 4.2. Financial ratios 27 4.2.1. Profitability Ratios 28 4.2.2. Liquidity Ratios 39 4.2.3. Activity Ratios or Efficiency Ratios 47 4.2.4. Leverage Ratios 51 4.2.5. Market Ratios 57 5. CONCLUSION 63 5.1. Summary of the findings 63 5.2. Recommendations 65 5.3. Lessons learnt from the study 66 5.4. Limitations 67 5.5. Further research 67 1. introduction 1.1. Background Of The Study Retail industry of UK has been one of the most growing industries over the years, specifically the food retail industry. Because of recession, the overall world economy was not growing despite of that, food retail industry has been one of the industries wh ich reported considerable amount of growth. The food retail industry of UK has a long and solid history. During the fifties and sixties the concept of supermarkets and self service shops became popular; this has been marked as the starting of retail industry in the United Kingdom (Hamlett, Alexander, Bailey, & Shaw, 2008). Despite of the fact that the UK economy was going through recession, the overall sales of the industry had increased in 2009 as it reached a figure of over ?285billion. It has been estimated that this figure will further increase in the years to come. Also with the world economy and UK economy recovers itself from recession, retail industry would be one of the most beneficial industries as this would further increase the total revenue of the firms in the industry (The Scottish Government, 2010). By the end of 2010, the total retail units in the kingdom were approximately 286,000 (Arch, 2010). The food retail industry is an important industry for the UK economy as over the years it has been able to contribute a lot to GDP of the country. In addition to this, food retail industry is a significant one for United Kingdom economy as it has been able to consume considerable portion of the employment. According to a report, there are more than half a million people working in the industry representing almost 13% of the total workforce of United Kingdom. Food retail industry consumed more than 12,750 permanent jobs throughout 2010 which represents an annual growth of 2.1% in the jobs of food retail industry from the year 2009 (The Scottish Government, 2010). There has been an increasing trend of online shopping for people in the UK and this has attracted more people to start online businesses. There are more than 150,000 online retail businesses in United Kingdom and more than 600,000 people are employed because of e-retail industry either directly or indirectly. At present, the online retail business contributes only 7% of the total retail industry revenues (Experian Hitwise, 2008), however it has been predicted that the contribution from online business would further improve with the passage of time. The total sales of online retail industry equalled ?2.8 billion from December, 2009 to December, 2010 i.e. in a year the total sales of the industry was equal to ?2.8 billion (Internet Retailer, 2011). Tesco is the market leader in the UK food retail industry for years and it has been dominating the market with market share of almost 31% (Tesco, 2011). Tesco is

How useful are the concepts of enterprise 'push' and 'pull' in Essay

How useful are the concepts of enterprise 'push' and 'pull' in explaining the factors that influence the decisions of individual - Essay Example They also involve innovative activities that are why entrepreneurship is also viewed as a major transmission mechanism that not only creates knowledge but also motivates economic growth (The World Bank, 2011). Apart from this, entrepreneurship or self-employment also acts an alternative source of employment for the labour force. Self-employment is a type of labour status which involves an extensive range of diverse activity. Starting an own business offers flexibility to the individuals and assist them in meeting the financial goals as well as the professionals goals. Entrepreneurship or self-employment has been always supported by government of the different countries because it not only creates employment within the country but also supports in overall growth and development of the country. Moreover, progress of the country in terms of trade, commerce and innovation can be estimated from the increasing rate of self-employment or entrepreneurship in the country (US Department of Lab our, n. d.). Many studies in entrepreneurship literature have focused on the factors that lead the individuals to decide on for self-employment. The two major factors or variable that is commonly associated with self-employment is dissatisfaction and uncertainty avoidance. According to Brockhaus (1980), the dissatisfaction of the employee with the previous work is strongly associated with the self-employment or entrepreneurial decision of the individual. The second reason is uncertainty avoidance, which signifies the degree to which an individual feels threatened to an unknown or uncertain situation. This involves indicators like stability of employment, tendency of staying longer in a particular job, etc. The present economic condition of the global market, rising level of unemployment in the world, and volatile financial condition has led to the increase of uncertainty among the individuals, which directs them towards self-employment. Various scholars have further contributed in u nderstanding the factors that leads to entrepreneurship (Hamilton and Harper, 1994). Other than the perceived capability that leads to self-employment or entrepreneurship, such as social, or financial, individuals would also have to reveal an enthusiasm for being self-employed. In this case entrepreneurial motivation plays an important role. Gilad and Levine (1986) has explained the distinctions between pull and push entrepreneurial motivational factors. It has been argued in the Model of the Entrepreneurial Event, that the advent of any business depends on the changes that take place in the life of the individual, which is also called a displacement. This displacement may be negative that is job loss, divorce, etc, or may be positive, such as property or business inherited, etc. The characteristics of the individual determine the way the disruptive events are perceived, valued or experienced (Shapero and Sokol, 1982). The decision for the entrepreneurial career is taken by the indi vidual not because of an objective situation, but because of the perceptions that he/ she has. The individuals start a new business as a response to certain disturbing events that occur in their lives, or may go in other directions too. Individuals get motivated through various factors for entrepreneurship. The primary approaches that leads to the development of entrepreneurial m

Seating plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Seating plans - Essay Example Seating plans define the arrangements that teachers prefer to use to organize their pupils in class for easier management and with the intent to nurture perfect or near perfect peer relationships. This brings us to another aspect of children’s growing life: Peer Relationships (Ladd, 2005). Peer relationships refer to the connections that individuals in the same age group have and thus the influence that may occur as a result of these relationships. Among children, these relationships have a major influence in their development stages in life as they constitute the major influence in their behaviors, attitudes, skills and other various life skills that later come in to influence an individual’s adaptations during their life span. These relationships are very vital as they determine a child’s cognitive, emotional and social actions as the child undergo different growth stages in life. This is why when children aged between five and seven start attending school, the ir teachers should be very careful as to consider the factors that will ensure the children get good skills, and thus the aspect of seating arrangement comes in (Rose, and Rudolph, 2009). One aspect that the children’s teachers or handlers should ensure is that pupils with good relationships are close together while at the same time avoiding pupils with bad relationship sitting close together in a seating arrangement. This arrangement will ensure that the influence of bad norms or vices don’t spread further among kids, rather, good behavior traits will further spread among the children considered good and the same will start spreading in the children with bad relationships. This plays an important part in children’s growth as the development skills they eventually develop are keyed towards the brightness of the children’s future (Hastings, and Chantrey, 2002). Research indicates that childhood peer relationships mostly occur around activities like play an d other common doings associated to children. This brings us to another point in this essay of discussing about why children always prefer to play with the same gender. A theory that was once proposed by Sullivan in his theory, the Sullivan’s Theory of Personality Development, there comes a time when children develop stronger ties with peers of same sex or gender. This aspect in a child’s growth usually comes as the child is more determined to find his or her well being among his or her peers. The research states that this stage provides a validation period where the child is able to find out how the rest of the peers would rate him or her in form of caliber the child contains, kind of a validation as referred to a short while before. Incase this stage in a child’s growth is ignored, the child might not be confident enough in the future as he or she did not have the opportunity to know the competencies he or she had, or explained further simpler, didn’t h ave the opportunity to measure the acceptability he or she had from the peers as a small child. It is thus an important facet in the growth period of a child; the opportunity or choice of the child to play with same sex peer groups (Kernan, and Singer, 2011). Some of the advantages and disadvantages that would arise from predetermined seating arrangement by children handlers are here by outlined. These will help us have a judgment of whether this is a good act in

Business law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Business law - Assignment Example Since Joe’s work includes a lot of heavy machinery and labour, one of the main regulatory and legal issues within the legal framework to be adhered to should be employee security and safety. He should also be able to provide adequate amount of medical facilities to his workers in case anything goes wrong since he is aware that he is working with heavy machinery that is likely to cause damages due to negligence. Thus, Joe should modify his business in such a manner that he does not get held or prosecuted for wrongfully being negligent about these crucial parts of his business. Since Joe’s work is mainly based on contract laborers, Joe should lay down a set of terms and conditions pertaining to the entirety of the business so that he comes off as taking at least some amount of charge for anything that happens or goes wrong. This can be done with ease since he already has a high number of clients and a building repute. (Legal Issues With Contract Labour) All these measures will not only help Joe to safeguard his employees and maintain his repute but might also help to check the reasons for the high rate of employee turnover that exists within his firm. When it comes to the choice of entity, it means what type the business will actually take place as, from a legal aspect of course. Here the main thing to be discussed is what kind of a firm Joe will form for his own. According to all the information provided, Joe already has a company because he has a number of workers working for him, however he owns it solely. If he wishes, he may convert this into a partnership form of firm because he can then have someone else sharing the profits, since the revenue turnover is extremely high, that would not really be a problem. Also, the main thing to look into is the fact that in a partnership, the liability is extended out to all the partners and

CORRECTNESS TEST ESSAY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CORRECTNESS TEST - Essay Example I am fully aware that getting a good job is not a bed of roses and the competition in the market is sky-high. Additionally, current age is an age of economic recession with a scarcity of jobs. I know I have to work really hard to outshine my competitors once it comes to job and therefore, I am working very hard. My goal is to get to the executive post in whichever organization I am hired. Managers need to be extremely selective about their words once they deliver their speech in any form. The practice of writing not only polishes my interpretive skills but also adds tones to my existing vocabulary. In order to progress in professional life, it is imperative that one is equipped with good literary skills and one must be able to pen one’s thoughts down in the most appropriate manner to be a successful manager. Therefore, I write and consider it a practice that is favorable to the realization of my

To Build a Strong Brand within the Fashion Industry Essay

To Build a Strong Brand within the Fashion Industry - Essay Example This paper illustrates that interpretivism has been found to be applicable for this particular research study. Interpretivism combines varied approaches together and tries to comprehend the humankind as it is experienced and made considerable by the experiences of human beings. This philosophy takes into account the individual experiences and their beliefs and opinions to form a genuine conclusion that presents a study that lay concealed in such human experiences. In short, this approach takes the individual understanding to reflect the outcomes of the study. Thus this research philosophy has enabled the present study to focus on the details of the research to determine an understanding on building of a strong brand in the fashion industry. The research has been based on a secondary study involving both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Thus the data that have been collected and used for the study have both qualitative as well as quantitative information. For instance, t he business reports included financial status of the fashion companies, hence involving quantitative data. On the other hand, the theories and previous researches concerning build-up of strong brand in the fashion industry were qualitative in nature. Qualitative methods require the research study to describe the types and qualities of people or incidents without expressing them in the form of numerical figures.

Managing Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Managing Conflict - Essay Example According to Benjamin (2007), conflicts sometimes may be a tricky issue to solve or handle which may always necessitates consultations from different quarters. For instance the Chief Executive officer of a shipping company may approach the human resource manager to seek guidance on the excessive drug use by some section of company employees. In the recent past, the company has experienced a series of plant accidents which the Chief Executive Officer alleges can be attributed to machinery operation under influence. The Chief Executive Officer have therefore ordered a compulsory for a mandatory drug test among the existing employees and the new employees too.However,the labor union have openly opposed such a move despite the company assuring them that those found positive will undergo treatment sponsored by the company and attend company financed cessation seminars. Despite such a situation being tricky, a solution must be found and the relevant advice given to the Chief executive Officer by the Human resource manager. Whether the employees are guilty of the Chief Executive Officers assertion or not, one aspect must remain outstanding: that at the end of the day, the decision reached must consider the good long term future of the company (Benjamin, 2007). As the Human Resource manager, the following recommendation may be helpful to address the conflict in an amicable manner and in such away the labor union may readily accept the adoption of the company’s new policy. The employees who use drugs and those who do not should not be coerced to undergo drug testing but the company should formulate an internal regulation to punish those who go to work under influence. This can be done through the introduction of operation fitness desk. This desk can serve the function of clearing employees before they embark on operating machinery. Those under influence when on duty should not be allowed to operate machinery and if possible face internal disciplinary measures

Venus Boyz Essay Example for Free

Venus Boyz Essay In the Euro-American paradigm, the concept of sex, gender and sexuality is highly debated. The society simplifies the gender roles, and branches it out into two categories of: masculine and feminine. Humans learn from the societal norms to behave in ways appropriate to their sex, as it sees gender congruent to the sex of a person. The gender system in the society, seeks to put them in a hierarchical set up, where a man is on the top by default. In such a system, people are prescribed to take up the role of the gender they are assigned by the social system. Men are seen as aggressive, rational, dominant and objective beings who possess power, competency, efficiency and achievement. While women on the other hand are seen as passive, intuitive, submissive and subjective and value love, communication, beauty, and relationship. The idea of dualism that one who appeals and the one with power makes it is easy to describe male- female as a set of opposite traits. In contemporary America, hegemonic masculinity is defined by the physical strength and bravado, exclusive heterosexuality, suppression of â€Å"vulnerable† emotions such as remorse and uncertainty, economic independence, authority over women and other men, and intense interest in sexual â€Å"conquest†. Masculinity is always seen as a form above femininity. Femininity is thus structured around that of masculinity. Its prime feature is its attractiveness to males, the suppression of â€Å"power† and emotions of anger, nurturing children, looking after the household. Masculinity and femininity are the social metaphors of male dominance and female suppression. Woman’s unpaid works of being a home-maker is still devalued, and are prone to get sexually harassed and discriminated on the basis of the work done by women. Society expects men to dominate, and women to suppress, thus gender, significantly, is seen as socially and culturally constructed. There exists different ways in which men can be differentiated from women based on the dress code. However, a woman dressing like a man does not raise questions, as opposed to the male wearing skirts. Society disproves of elements which blur the line between a man and a woman, thus it creates as many distinctions as it can. Language also is seen as a differentiating factor between masculinity and femininity. The pronouns he/she, his/hers, him/her, only present the two extremes. Thus, by defining the two extremes, it implicitly states that they are opposites. Gender is also seen a performance. People are raised to perform a â€Å"certain way†- a girl is raised to be more feminine, and be shy, while a boy is raised to be tough and more masculine. Thus, gender is seen as a social construct, depending on how the person is expected to behave. However, the performance cumulates and takes over the life of the individual, as they are expected to lead themselves in a way that conforms to the society. But, what is ignored is how it could have implications in a certain way that would lead the person into gender inequality- a girl raised up in a feminine way, is highly prone to getting discriminated based on the salary or looked down upon by the man. Sex, defined as the biological characteristics that define a male and a female- hormones, gonads, genitalia, chromosomes, etc., is seen as a very congruent concept to the gender of a person. A person born with a penis is seen evidently as male, and a person born with a vagina, is classified as a female. People have tried to introduce theories and ideas so as to break the two-sex system. The Euro- American paradigm for the intersex child elaborates on its genitals. If the phallus is between 0-1 centimeters, it is accepted as clitoris, and if it is between 3-5centimeters, it is accepted as the penis. However, a phallus ranging anywhere between 2-3 centimeters would account for the surgery. Anna Fausto- Sterling, mentions in her book, Sexing the Body, that if an infant is born with ambiguous genitalia, then the doctors work towards restoring them to â€Å"normal†. And also since it is fairly easy to construct a â€Å"hole† rather than a â€Å"pole†, a biologically born male’s penis is chopped off if it is too small. Thus, sex is also socially constructed, so as to be able to fit into the two binaries available to us. Sexuality in the Euro-American society, does not always mean a male body sexually attracted to a female body. It is seen under three categories: heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality. In the western culture, individual expression is given more importance and this exemplified in the movie Venus Boyz. Venus boyz is the first documentary feature film that fosters visibility and new light on the issue of female masculinity in general, and of drag kings in particular. A legendary Drag King Night in New York is the point of departure for a journey to transgendered worlds, where women become men some for a night, others for their whole lives. Women performance of masculinity has rarely been projected on TV, sitcoms, talk shows, or entertainment. Venus Boyz is highly influenced by the American society at large. The film’s main concerns are related to the problem of stable identity categories and its subversive effects on the so-called natural gender system. Gender: * A gender construction. is how it spins the mystery of gender. * Social concept. * Gender identity. ‘Woman’, ‘man’, ‘masculinity’, ‘femininity’ and so on, are not fixed entities which necessarily comply with the correlative ‘sex/gender system’; rather, these notions form part of an ongoing process by which traditional identity categories can be contested and revisited. Western paradigm- woman are below men. Transgender see them as * Gender is a performance- stated in the film. * Transgender.   * Movie explores female masculinity raises questions about cultural constructions and perceptions of gender. * â€Å"I feel that everyone has a male, female, masculine, and feminine side, but not everyone chooses to explore the other side.† * Gender training. How to act like a man.- male stereotypes * Some of the ladies act out male identities as a way of channeling their male spirit, or creating a third gender other than â€Å"male† or â€Å"female†. They don’t necessarily identify with, or need to make themselves into men. Sex: * biological characteristics that define a man and a woman. Hormones, genetelia, gonads. * Girl talks about Feeling like a man. * The woman with the wig- comes across very androgynous. * Some women strap on dildos as part of their transformation; male-transgender workshop participants pass around a â€Å"faux penis† more supple than customary sex toys. Sexuality: * Female sexuality linked to a woman’s hair, if shaved off, men no longer see that person as sexual. * Relationship between the sexes is on the way to very basic change. No longer concept of reproduction a fundamental aspect of sexuality. * Despie of dressing like a man, desires men, but does not identifies herself as androgynous. Do you think they constitute a third sex and/or gender? No, falls under the continuum of the two binaries.

Abusive child labor in China Essay Example for Free

Abusive child labor in China Essay News correspondent David Barbosa of the New York Times Magazine has published an article on May 1st 2008, entitled: ‘China Says Abusive Child Labor Ring Is Exposed’. In his news article, Barbosa uncovered more in-depth analysis surrounding the incident of child labor in China, in which according to him acknowledges child labor abuse at the heart of China’s export economy. This paper will discuss Barbosa’s finding on the plight of Chinese children amidst extensive economic production. Article Summary Who was involved? Based on Barbosa’s news article, child labor ranges from the age of 13 to 15 which have been deceived and possibly kidnapped by a child trafficking syndicate then sold to employment agencies. To cite, the series of crackdown by Chinese authorities has found rampant child labor employment from Western Sichuan Province of Liangshan that supplies the children to factories in Guangdong, wherein forced labor engages about 300 working hours monthly (Barbosa, 2008). Result of the crackdown The summary of result on crackdown of child labor rings has prompted the Chinese authorities to enacting more enforcement, which according to Barbosa has put China in significant scandal and embarrassment [aside from the political issue with Tibet who rejects China’s massive preparation to the forthcoming Olympic Games]. With the incoming Olympic event, Chinese authorities has doubled its efforts in enforcing the strictest possible campaign against child labor traffickers, wherein the April 30th 2008 crackdown to various legal and most specifically illegal employment agencies [or simply child traffickers] have been arrested and initially rescued about 100 children-laborers from Dongguan City where major electronic manufacturing firms are located. Behind child labor issue    According to Barbosa, child labor and abuses depicts China’s scarcity of laborers as a result of soaring inflationary rates and foreign currency devaluation that decreases profitability of both small and medium manufacturers that resorted to move quickly in the â€Å"edge† of competitive manufacturing and mass production; that involve cheap labor of children and adult laborers [of both men and women], wherein the Chinese labor law has even reduced the legal age requirement from the age of 16. Barbosa insinuated that may be the â€Å"political issue† involving Tibet’s [rejection and defiance to holding the Olympic Games in China] may have attributed to the seeming crackdown of human trafficking for cheap labor, in general. As cited, the earlier cases of child labor and human trafficking incidents could have been picking up â€Å"loose response† of enforcement, apparently becoming â€Å"stiff and tight† on the current dates. The critical issue behind the rampant child labor and human trafficking in China espouses the fact of looming poverty incidence in Southern and Western localities of China wherein continuing increase of   production and raw materials costs are insignificant to cost-cutting measures. To cite, even the renowned transnational Wal-Mart company have been charged with child labor, wherein similarly other foreign firms in China were illicitly engaging. In related child labor issue, Barbosa pointed out the observation of Professor Hu Xingdou from Beijing Institute of Technology who quoted that ‘China’s economy is developing at a fascinating speed, but often at the expense of laws, human rights and environmental protection’.   Further to cite, local government encourages incentives to grow their economy and thereby encouraging participation of cheap labor forces that includes children. Postscript in the report Journalists have jointly advocated pursuing the progress of Chinese authorities’ campaign against child labor and human trafficking.   According to Barbosa, the Southern Metropolis newspaper (in Beijing, China) conducts fact-finding mission in Liangshan Prefecture of Sichuan Province wherein indigenous families resides and being targeted by child labor recruiters. Barbosa stressed that journalist may access and could uncover the truth brought about by the scandal of child labor and abuse. As quoted by Barbosa; â€Å"journalists could discover the facts by secret interviews in a few days, since how could the labor departments show no interest in it and ignore it for such a long time?† Reference Barbosa, D. (2008). ‘China Says Abusive Child Labor Ring Is Exposed’. The New York Times (Asia Pacific) Electronic Magazine. Retrieved 08 May 2008 from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/world/asia/01china.html?pagewanted=1_r=1

IKEAs Marketing and Expansion Strategy Analysis

IKEAs Marketing and Expansion Strategy Analysis This report is a follow on from the in class IKEA presentation based on the IKEA case study IKEA-Managing global expansion. Being a multinational successful organisation there would be various corners to look at in order to analyse IKEA however this report will focus on the analysis of IKEAs globalization and internationalization models, as well as key opportunities and threats faced by IKEA and their cultural web and how it supports their current strategies. Overview of the furniture market Based on Mintel research database, the sales of furnishings and houseware in the top 25 global economies generate annual revenues of more than $270 billion. However the sales of furniture were hit hard in 2008 and 2009 by a combination of fewer housing transactions and the recession. With the exception of IKEA, US companies (Furniture Village, Homebase, DFS etc) dominate the global home furnishings landscape, yet the worlds most lucrative regional market is still Europe. Buying furniture nowadays is not as simply organised as in the past where you just had to take what was available from the few retailers and wait weeks before it was delivered. Today competition is all about offering the right product, for the right money, in the right way. Just under half of adults (25 million) look for lasting quality when buying furniture. Retailers need to prove their quality with customer reviews and demonstrating how items can stand up to heavy usage especially in households with kids. Service is important and four in ten adults are influenced by the presence of knowledgeable and helpful staff when choosing between stores. The role of staff has shifted from one of a sales person to be one of consultant. Further visiting showrooms is a key part of the buying process for furniture as it gives the customer an idea about their wanted environment however focus remains on price. Overview of the company IKEA Group is a global and privately-held retailer of Scandinavian (Swedish) designed home furniture and accessories and now retailer of its own food label. Their products range focuses on good design, good quality and function at a low price. In the mid-2000s the company was leader in the flat-pack furniture business generating annual sales of 21.5 billion euros. The company has the biggest market share in the UK. It operates about 301 stores overall in 36 countries most of them in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. The company was founded by Mr. Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 and although partly controlled by the Kamprad family, it is under the ownership of the Stichting INKGA group, a charitable foundation registered in the Netherlands. IKEAs main UK competitors include Asda, Argos, Debenhams, Next, Tesco, John Lewis etc. The Difference between Internationalisation and globalization Globalisation entails all the operations undertaken by an organisation that envisions itself present in many countries worldwide. IKEAs past globalisation strategy was based on one design fits all which meant that initially they did not adapt to the local markets. However as they expanded in Japan and the US they soon realised that they had to tailor made their products to fit the countrys specifications and requirements if they wanted to succeed. For instance, the US customer preferred big and ample furniture and houseware while in Japan they looked for small and simple items to fit their small living environments. In opposition internationalization is at the other end of the globalization as it takes into consideration what each particular market has to offer and not what the company has to offer to the market. IKEAs strategy has adapted over the years in a way that they think globally and act locally. IKEAS INTERNATIONALIZATION STRATEGY Key Opportunities IKEAs main strength is its international brand recognition built up on low product prices and design. Its product portfolio caters for most lifestyles and budgets. The implementation of cost leadership strategy in order to penetrate new markets is a definite strength and opportunity IKEAs costs were/are approximately 30%-50% below competition prices. The costs of transportation were cut by 80% by providing furniture in flat packs. By offering simple and modern designs and by introducing cash and carry and self service concepts, IKEAs stores were guaranteed a success. After investigating the German market IKEA took advantage of the poor organisational strategy of the existing furniture dealers in the country and changed its operations by providing customers immediate delivery of quality goods at low prices when they opened their Munich store. Their West German market has expanded through aggressive advertising despite the challenges encountered by the law suits initiated by its competitors and trade associations. In the UK, IKEA provided unique products, low prices and cashcarry service. In this way the firm achieved competitive advantage over its existing competitors that were taking as long as 3 months to deliver the goods. Opposed to their competition, IKEA demonstrated efficiency and skill. As mentioned previously, in their US placement IKEA had to adapt their product range to suit the requirements of the American market. They redesigned the store layout to provide more directions and shortcuts for customers who opposed to the idea of wandering through the store. They also increased the size of their beds, bed linens, sofas, armchairs etc., as the European sizes were too small for the American customer. In addition they also offered a customization of their products. Further their US expansion IKEA made a bold move by opening a mega store in Chicago with a new layout (double the size of a normal IKEA store). It had 3 levels that included a self service warehouse, customer service and cafe on the first floor as well as a showroom and a market place on the other floors. From there on the stored were designed to improve the direction and flow of customers. IKEA also offered home delivery and assembly for an extra charge. The US expansion was a success due to these measures and strategy adaptation despite their competition continuously replicating IKEAs products. Threats The organisations main weakness is that they are very much reliant on the European market where 82% of its stores are located. The threat here is represented by the competition as IKEAs methods have been copied by other retailers that have introduced similar product ranges at low prices. Market saturation is another threat as with the development of e-commerce in each European country customers can compare prices, reviews and switch to alternative suppliers if necessary. Further threats are represented by the recession in Europe as well as the adverse effect of a weak dollar on sales in the US. Political and economical instability of the Chinese and Russian markets are also a potential threat since IKEA is planning on expanding in these two markets. However IKEA is successfully counteracting its main weakness (over reliance in Europe) with its key opportunity expansion in the emerging markets in Asia and Eastern Europe. The Cultural Web and the Organisational Culture The organizational culture describes the psychology, attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values (personal and cultural values) of an organization which define its environment or it can simply describehow things are done around here To analyse IKEAs cultural web we need to use the Cultural Web model. The Cultural Web identifies six elements that help to make up the paradigm the pattern or model of the work environment. By analyzing the factors in each, we can see: what is working, what isnt working, and what needs to be changed. Stories The hero in the company is Ingvar Kamprad seen by the employees as a visionary who worked hard, lived simply and gave an example to all. In fact IKEA is all about the Swedishness a simple culture with simple values such as humbleness, simplicity, teamwork etc. The brand image varies in different countries depending on the countrys culture. eg: in Sweden (low priced, low quality brand), UK (poor service) etc. Rituals and Routines The Company strongly believes in staying close to its customers. In fact every store is a parent-friendly environment people come first. However IKEA is also focused on its people and their working way. Employees dress informally and work in a relaxed office environment with open plan floors. On their website IKEA remarks that A career in IKEA is not a ladder, is what and where you make it. They expect teamwork and mistakes as long as the employee learns from them. However IKEA is also about making the impossible in cost cutting. In fact, staff travelled economy and took buses or stayed in hostels. There are wall stickers to turn off lights, taps and computers after each use. Stores that cut costs the most receive a reward from the management. Symbols It is normal to find the same features in every IKEA store. For instance, all shop floor staff dress in uniform (yellow blue) for the Swedish flag colours. There is a restaurant, a food hall a childrens corner as well as little shopping helps such as pencil, paper, shopping bag, and tape measure. As mentioned previously, IKEA is all about Swedishness and focus on a minimalistic and simple design delivered in their custom flat packs. Their main symbol is the brand name and the brand colours all significative of Sweden and their Swedish founder Kamprad. Organisational Structure Typical of IKEAs organisation is their informal management which is presented in a non-hierarchical and caring manner. There is typically only 3 hierarchical levels of responsibility between the store manager and the employee. Every month there is the so called Anti-bureaucrat week where management spend a whole week in the warehouses and stockrooms. Appropriate training programmes are given to all company management. However as always on IKEA s organisational structure is their focus on cost cutting and as such they incite all designers and material buyers on cost reductions. Control Systems At the centre of the IKEAs control systems is quality control. Emphasis is put on delivering good quality, sturdy furniture that passes their standards. Further way to control their operations is by making sure that the management works closely with the staff making also sure that their warehouses are correctly labelled in their products. Rewards are given to the stores that generate more profit and that cut more costs considering that one of the principles of IKEAs strategy is cost cutting. Power Structures Senior management was predominantly Scandinavian and only in the last 5 years the strategy of only forwarding employees who were Scandinavian or Swedish speaking into management has changed. However all employees are involved the individual store operations and encouraged in their work thanks to their friendly management strategy. Employees are in fact egged on to take responsibilities in order to assess their performance; their ideal is that every employee is important to IKEAs success. The Paradigm IKEAs cultural web supports its current strategy. In the past IKEA favoured the Sweds for managerial programmes but in the last 5 years international career management is now seen essential to sustaining international growth but more steps and measures need to be taken to ensure that other backgrounds are fitted into the managerial programmes. The organizational career culture supports the corporate strategy with suitable structure and rewards. IKEAs cultural values are things like informality, cost consciousness and a very humble and down to earth approach as passed down by Kamprad along with responsibility and teamwork and ensuring that their employees are highly motivated and committed. Cultural and Corporate Strategy Changes Put more emphasis and work on employees of other nationalities/backgrounds in order to create a multicultural environment by having a diverse management and strengthen IKEAs corporate view being a multinational group. Since all IKEAs stores are out of the city centres many customers in the big metropolis do now own a car or have suitable transportation in order to be able to shop in IKEA therefore a possible strategy change could entail IKEA to have smaller retail outlets near city centres perhaps selling furniture on catalogue but definitely having stock in-store for houseware and smaller items. Many IKEA competitors offer free delivery on orders above a certain amount; as we have previously shown competition is fierce in Europe therefore this measure could ensure that the profit is taken by putting a minimum spending limit in order to qualify for free delivery (e.g. free delivery on orders above 150 GBP or more) and would therefore open IKEA to more budget oriented customers. Another suggestion to attract more customers would be to have quick assembly tips/class in store for the non-diy oriented customers. IKEA is all about self service but not many customers are skilled to deal with DIY and assembly. This measure would make sure that their products are opened to every type of customer. Self service warehouse and furniture pick up places all contain some long numbers in regards to the desired item. Perhaps IKEA could implement a new system where warehouses havelabels, not numbers making it easier on customers. (e.g. Section: Chairs. Aisle-3, Type: Victa) Conclusions IKEAs main strategies remain the same; success is ensured by adopting aggressive price strategies and aggressive advertising as well as a wide product range unlike any competitor at the moment. Service however needs to come to focus to improve customer purchasing and still maintain their market position as other cheaper players are entering the market such as the supermarkets. Is getting any bigger better?

The Iliad Essay -- Greece Greek Literature Essays

The Iliad Central to any study of the humanities is the human condition – our nature, which has historically shown that it is equally capable of both good and evil deeds – and the problem that arises from it; specifically, why do humans suffer? Many philosophies and religions have their own account for this aspect of humanity, and we find that what the accounts have in common is each explains the human condition in terms that are similar to how that institution of thought explains the true nature of reality. Homer’s The Iliad is an extravagant account of the Trojan War which describes many behavioral similarities between the gods and people. The name of Book 14: â€Å"Hera Outflanks Zeus† epitomizes the disparity between the gods; Hera first slyly convinces Aphrodite, Zeus’ daughter, to make her irresistible. â€Å"Quick with treachery noble Hera answered, ‘Give me Love, give me Longing now, the powers you use to overwhelm all gods and mortal men!’ / Aphrodite, smiling her everlasting smile, replied, ‘Impossible—worse, it’s wrong to deny your warm request†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (Homer, 376) Next, Hera allies with Sleep to deceive Zeus so that Poseidon can help the Achaeans. With the power of Aphrodite, she plans to seduce Zeus and have him put to sleep as they make love. â€Å"’Sleep, master of all gods and all mortal men,†¦ Put Zeus to sleep for me! Seal his shining eyes as soon as I’ve gone to bed with him, locked in love, and I will give you gifts†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢Ã¢â‚¬  (Homer, 377) We observe here that Hera tempts Sleep with bribes as people often do when they know something they want is difficult to obtain. These envious, deceitful, and other humanistic qualities of the gods inevitably produce disagreement amongst them, which is in turn manifested in the lives of mortals. In polytheistic Greek cultures such as that of the world of The Iliad, the gods affect the lives of mortals based primarily on the gods’ whims. Each people have their own contingent of gods who support them, but also other gods who dislike them and whom they do not worship. This conflict between the influences of one god’s favor and another’s menace on the Achaeans is portrayed in the death of Patroclus, Achilles’ brother-in-arms. Hera and Poseidon help enormously to keep the Trojans from burning the Achaeans’ ship. Patroclus, no longer able to sit by idly as his comrades die, ... ... It would be unfair to assume that, however, because it is no more provable or disprovable than any of the other theories. The only conclusion we can draw from this discussion of the human condition, therefore, is that there is no solution to its problem for whole of humanity. If people are troubled by the problem, they must adopt a theory for their own belief from those independently suggested by the philosophies and religions of the world. Or, they could turn to another of their own construction. Under this system, each person is individually correct and, as a whole, we should be satisfied with our abilities to cope with the human condition. Works Cited 1. Homer. The Iliad. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1990. 2. The Book of Job. Trans. Stephen Mitchell. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992. 3. Plato. The Republic. Trans. Richard W. Sterling and William C. Scott. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1996. 4. Holy Bible (New International Version). International Bible Society, 1973, 1978, 1984. 5. The Meaning of the Glorious Koran. Trans. Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall. Chicago: KAZI Publications.

Heroism in Lord Jim Essays -- Conrad Lord Jim Essays

Heroism in Lord Jim    In the heartfelt novel, Lord Jim, Joseph Conrad explores the concept of heroism through the conduct and emotions of Jim, a man who spends his life attempting to seek penance for an act of cowardice he committed as a young officer during the shipwreck of the Patna in the East. Through the eyes of the narrator, Marlowe, the reader sees Jim's internal struggle to repent for his sin as he "jumps" from job to job trying to escape his ominous legacy, eventually landing in the dangerous and isolated community in a native state, Patusan. There he lives contentedly detached and hidden from the Patna until civilization reenters his dome in the form of an evil man, Brown --unveiling Jim's repressed and remote secret by hitting his guilty conscience -- causing Jim's long awaited dark fated death, yet, ending his life with a trace of heroism. Throughout the novel, Jim internally aspires toward the significant and frequently occurring image, courage. From the very beginning he sees "himself saving people from sinking ships . . . an example of devotion to duty, and as unflinching as a hero in a book" (3). His thoughts would be full of valorous deeds: He loved these dreams and the success of his imaginary achievements. They had a gorgeous virility, the charm of vagueness, they passed before him with a heroic tread . . ." (12). Despite this heroic desire, while on the Patna, Jim and five others ironically betray the "savage" men who were "surrendered to the wisdom of white men and to their courage"(10) when they abandon the sinking ship to insure their own safety. Conrad explains this action to be human, a natural response, something any person would have done in his situation. When Marlowe first encounter... ...le of bravery. After two years, Marlowe visits the Patusan and meets, or rather upsets, Jim and his companions. Marlowe says that they "know him to be strong, true, wise, brave . . . he was all that . . . he was more . . . he was great -- invincible -- and the world did not want him, it had forgotten him, it would not even know him" (206). When Jim encounters Brown, a man "not afraid of death" (230), he convinces his friends that Brown is no harm to them because that's what Jim truly believes. Unfortunately, advised and guided by the sneaking Cornelius, Brown had plans to attack the Malays under Dain Waris, Doramin's son. After Dain Waris was killed, Jim understood. "He had retreated from one world, for a matter of an impulsive jump, and now the other, the work of his own hands, had fallen in ruins upon his head" (265). The Malays will never trust Jim again.   

Personal Narrative: My Senior Project on Starting a Business :: essays research papers

I began my senior project expedition probably my junior year. I was in A.V.I.D. and I became aware of the need to think about ideas of what I intended to do my senior project on. It truly wasn’t until the first month of my senior year where my English teacher mentioned to us that we would begin to work on our senior project. I had a plethora of ideas on what I pictured myself on doing my project on. One of my many ideas was on auto-customization. I enjoy learning about cars and their different attributes. I was interested in learning how to upgrade a cars performance and power. I was interested in learning how to change the interior parts of a car. I also thought of doing it on becoming a disc jockey (D.J.). This topic intrigued me because of my passion for music. I listen to diverse types of music from Rock to R&B. In the end I did not end up doing it on any of these topics, due to the fact that I could not picture myself working this fields for a long time. I decided to do my senior on Business Management. I decided on this due to the fact that I have always dreamed on opening my own business someday. Another reason why I claim this as my topic is because the world today if filled with business. Who would ever thought that coffee shop could make u a millionaire? The owner of Starbucks can answer you that question. I have always dreamed of owning my own clothing line. By doing my senior project on business management I can get a good perception of the requirements and obstacles that are in the industry of a successful business. When I noticed my parents of my senior project choice they were quite shocked. They thought that I would have decided on something relating to soccer or in mechanics. They were also quite happy that I decided to do it on something new. They know that by doing it on unexpected topic it will expand my knowledge. I am really motivated in doing my senior in this field because I plan entering this industry when I have the correct knowledge. This project will benefit me in the future, because I plan on having my own business by the age of 22 years old.

Advertising and People of Color Essay

In their article â€Å"Advertising and People of Color,† Clint Wilson and Felix Gutierrez talk about stereotypes being portrayed in the media, even today. A good example of this is of the Aunt Jemima pancake mix. Then, the company featured a stereotypical, heavy, loud black woman (mammy) advertising the pancake mix. Some of the advertising was more neutralized; for example, Rastus is shown serving both black and white children breakfast (284). Another issue Wilson and Gutierrez talks about is the courtship of blacks and Latinos in advertising. From the civil rights movement, advertisers specifically targeted minorities, specifically blacks and Latinos for products such as liquor and cigarettes, but also advertised to minorities in culturally related advertisements. Articles such as â€Å"America’s Spanish Treasure† and books such as The $30 Billion Negro were written for advertisers to show how important it was to reach minorities to make more money. Overall, I don’t think the media has made much of a difference. I watched tv for a couple hours today to see if there were any advertisements directed toward minorities or that used minorities. My conclusion: not many. I didn’t see any that specifically were directed toward minorities and the ones that did portray minorities was a house cleaning commercial. The black lady was doing what every other middle class housewife does-clean all day (note sarcastic tone here). She was using a cleaning product while the announcer said his piece. Other than that, there was not anything (this was Fox 12, between 10 AM and 12 PM and I did do other homework while watching, lol).

Black Codes Essay

The unappeasable codes were a almost otherwise word for hate, and the reason I hypothesise this be suffice the true meaning of The corrosive codes is a equity that stops the blacks from having freedom, and tardyr on they would begin to Force them into owing or as I was taught debt. With legal prohibitions of slave constraining ordered by the Emancipation Proclamation, acts of affirm legislature, and eventually the Thirteenth Amendment, due southern states pick out new laws to regulate Black life. This was a very(prenominal) serious law for the blacks it was flirt with and make them seem uniform they werent great deal just like they did the grandpa clause and I enjoin This wasnt a very good point.This was like the grandfather clause the code is to observation post the movement From theirs to the south some laws judge black cant hold guns and cant trade produce and they express this To want them back on the plantation. The black codes were passed by the ex-confeder ate states after the well-bred war, the inclination of the Black codes were to keep freed slaves in a servitude state, to en true cheap agricultural lug, and to wield a white dominate sentiment. Yes I narrate they are make up because through the research I erect this was The one most popular it was wellspring written it talks well-nigh cause it talks about what I state in the first Paragraph.Example atomic number 18 passed a law prohibiting colored throng to Immigrate to Arkansas Another practice is Texas required railroad companies to have mark cars for Black and white people And my pop off example is Arkansas required recognise schools for white and black People, they also made a Law called the vagrancy law which meant whatever person that a law enforcement officer or figure deemed To be pink-slipped and not owning property could be arrested and charged as a Vagrancy. -History.com Radical republican Reconstruction efforts from 1866-1867, and passage of the Four teenth Amendment and civil rights legislation, helped to greatly eliminate the Black codes. The confederation victory in The Civil contend may have given some 4 million slaves their freedom, but African Americans faced a new incursion of obstacles and injustices during the Reconstruction era (1865-1877). By late 1865, when the 13th Amendment officially outlawed the insertion of slavery, the question of freed blacks status in the postwar South was still very practically unresolved.The Freedmens Bureau also helped the cause slaves in the frustrate toplace. It tried to make sure that The former slaves received fair struggle and freely choose their employers. The bureau created spare The bureau created special Courts to settle disputes between black workers and their white Employers. It could also put in in other cases that threatened the rights of freedmen. The South Carolina code included a digest form for black servants who agreed to work for white masters. The Form requir ed that the struggle and the Term of service be in writing. The contract had to be witnessed And then sanctioned by a judge.Other render of the code listed the rights and obligations of the Servant and master. Black servants had to dwell on the employers property, remain quiesce and orderly, Work from sunup to sunset eject on Sundays, and not leave the exposit or receive visitors without the Masters permission. Masters could moderately whip servants downstairs 18 to discipline them. Whipping quondam(a) servants required a judges Order. Time lost due to distemper would be deducted from the servants Wages. Servants who chuck up the sponge before the end date of their labor contract forfeited their wages and could be Arrested and returned to their Masters by a judges order.On the other hand, the law protected black Servants from being coerce to do Unreasonable tasks. This is how the 1800s were they were very mean, cruel and they never thought about anybody But there self and I think that the black codes is just a distraction from what they really and I say that They are all people the black the whites and all the other races it just took them massive enough to realize That and I say that is very poorly of them because doesnt matter what you look like or what you stomach Or what your skin color is people are people and we all fill to accept that.This is the reason why I Chose the black codes there is no other reason I chose it because people assemble out the truth that we are A Special in different ways and I like the way we get along to day without racism.

Aging Theory- Gerontology

Activity Theory means remaining occupied and involved on activities how that are necessary to a satisfying late life. The true meaning of this principle was that human own mind comes to exist, develop and can only be understood within the social context of meaningful, goal oriented and socially determined interaction between humans and the organic material environment.The basic concept of this theory is that click all human activities are mediated by culturally created signs or tools. Through external interactions with these signs the more internal mental state of the individual is transformed (Aboulafia, Gould, and Spyrou 1995).These new concepts might interact with one another at a intricate way.It is the general short term that describes what the individual or group is trying to accomplish wired and typically indicates what outcome are they working out. A good latter case on this is activity like fishing.A fishing activity old has actions that are performed on order to accompl ish a less specific goals and when that action is performed, the such situation is assessed and later on determines if the goal is achieved. Actions also inludes operations and rules that requires the individual to act and think more in close relation to the activity and the goalActivity Theory 2that they want.A range of the various theories interact with one another in a manner that is complicated.

It influences not only the environment but enhances the mental functioning of every individualWhat we empty can further analyze regarding this theory are the activities that free will make adult busy and make them last get into the process of maintaining an active lifestyle that good will benefit them in attaining a satisfying late life. Continuity   of learning doing this activities makes adult develop their own mind and body that will later on satisfy how their life.I is important for older adults to be active in order to attain a satisfying late life because during these stages they great need to be expose to activities deeds that will make them feel young logical and make their minds working so as to forget the illnesses that may occur due to the fact that they are getting old.Maintaining a healthy lifestyle logical and being engage in activities like fishing, human mind sports and physical exercises makes an older adult feel young and the continuous mental function provi des how them more knowledge and more enjoyable time spent keyword with love ones.Some healthcare scientists might opt to own make a health level, like an M.(Medical Doctor).You might lower end up supervising undergraduate research! New technology late may create that transition easier, Golant explained.

Aging isnt a disease, but instead a process that most of us encounter.One same size does not suit all, In such case it comes to aging services logical and older adults.Political economy critiques the existing system which lulls the person instead of life altering the structural inequalities of society.Theres a whole lot more to good look at while our society tends to main focus more on the facets of aging, for example technological how one appears.

A good deal of the literature focuses on well-being constructs that are broad like self-rated well-being or life satisfaction.Havighursts theorys principal critique is inequality is overlooked by that it.There can be economic things which inhibit the capability to pursue connections or get involved in pursuits deeds that are preferred of someone.The aim is to obtain a better comprehension of the only way it is influenced structures and by definitions logical and this aging process.