A Review of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed Essay

Few educational thinkers have been more widely influential than Paulo Freire. His classic text, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, has been studied by numerous Left intellectuals, political activists, radical educationists and liberation theologians for almost four decades. Freire’s ideas and theories have been applied by academics, school teachers, adult literacy coordinators, church leaders, counselors, psychologists, social workers, health professionals, language learning specialists, and prison rehabilitation workers, among others. In addition, Freire has inspired (directly or indirectly) thousands of books, articles, interviews, theses, videos, and even theater productions over the years. When he died on 2 May 1997 Freire left an extensive body of written work and a legacy of memorable educational and political achievements. In this light, this paper reviews and critiques Pedagogy of the Oppressed and how this book relates to my work as an elementary teacher. Overview of the Book Drawing on his experiences with rural peasant communities and the urban poor in Brazil and Chile, Freire theorized an intimate connection between education and the process of becoming more fully human. Chapters 1 and 3 of Pedagogy of the Oppressed set out Freire’s ontological and ethical ideas in comprehensive and lucid detail, and Chapter 4 provides an extensive consideration of the politics of domination at a macro level. The discussion of education is primarily located in Chapter 2, and literacy does not figure as prominently as it does in a number of Freire’s other texts. Pedagogy of the Oppressed develops the distinction between banking education and problem-posing education. Freire rejects a banking model of the teaching process in favor of a problem-posing approach, and encourages students to adopt a curious, questioning, probing stance in exploring educational issues. Freirean education demands a deep commitment to the goal of building a better social world, and necessitates active resistance against oppressive structures, ideas, and practices (Roberts, 2000). Some of the theoretical areas explored in Pedagogy of the Oppressed include questions about structure and rigor in liberating education, the nature of critical reading and writing, legitimate and oppressive uses of authority in the classroom, and the process of study. Freire also explores the role of intellectuals in resisting dominant ideas and practices, dialectical thinking and education, the dynamics of dialogue, the distinction between facilitating and teaching, and the bearing language difficulties have on education. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire writes that most of Latin Americans living in economic and politically dependent part-societies feel powerless and have internalized the ruling group’s view of them as unalterably stupid. Before participating in the culture groups, words and other codifications in movies and television are seen by them as tools that can be wielded by the rich and powerful only, while they are fated to be objects of culture. This attitude changes as they become conscious of their feelings and social position. Then they begin to see that their condition worsens if they submit to the seductions of the modern consumer culture, spending what little money they have for packaged entertainment and manufactured goods. They discover they are giving up their birthright as creators of culture, turning against their own art and artisan work to gain the illusion of participation in the modern society. They are further motivated as they discover that only they can codify their unique experience. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire reports that after analyzing the unreal and sometimes contemptuous messages in many standard texts available to them, they want to create their own texts. Critique Freire views man’s nature which is humanistic and optimistic. For Freire, education is humanizing when it is critical, dialogical, and praxical (Roberts, 2000). Man is unique among animals in his ability to shape himself and his environment. While all things change, only man is a purposive agent in change. Man’s nature is to continually create himself through an interactive process of purposive reflection and action in life situations. Wherever these two aspects of human behavior are divorced, men are victims of a social system which encourages them to see themselves as acted upon, passive things, rather than subjects who act upon the world. Conforming, apathetic behavior is the evidence of repressive relationships. Welfare programs which rob men of their initiative amount to false generosity. For Freire, education should increase political consciousness. In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, he argues that the oppression of peasants is partly maintained by their acceptance of their situation as an unalterable fact of existence. Freire feels that this fatalism reflects an internalization of the oppressor; thus, the oppressed is not for himself, but is ambivalent or even hostile to the idea of liberating himself. For this reason, liberation cannot be given to the oppressed; rather, the oppressed as an organized collective must take an active part in liberating themselves (Pitts, 1972). According to Torres (1993): â€Å"Freire’s global purpose transcends a criticism of the current educative forms, and goes on to virtually become a criticism of culture and the construction of knowledge. In short, the basic assumptions of Freire’s works lie in a dialectical epistemology for interpreting the development of human consciousness in its relationships with reality. † (p. 125) For Freire, the primary problems and issues of education are not pedagogical issues. Instead, they are political issues. The schooling system does not change society; instead, society can change the schooling system. However, the educational system may play a vital role in a cultural revolution, which implies the conscious participation of the masses. As a cultural praxis, critical pedagogy contributes to lifting the ideological veil in people’s consciousness. In addition, revolution itself is a meaningful pedagogy for the masses – Freire has spoken of revolutions as a continuing political workshop. Freire’s proposal is an anti-authoritarian though directivist pedagogy, where teachers and students are teaching and learning together. Since education is the act of knowing, teacher-student and student-teacher should engage in a permanent dialogue characterized by its horizontal relationship, which does not preclude power imbalances or different everyday living experiences and knowledge. This is a process taking place not in a classroom, but in a cultural circle. â€Å"There is not a ‘discursive’ knowledge but a knowledge starting from the living everyday and contradictory experience of teachers-students/students-teachers. Certainly this set of notions dismantles the most important framework of authoritarian pedagogy and, to this extent, appears as a ‘counter-hegemony’ practice and ideology within teacher training institutions. † (Torres, 1993, p. 126) One thing I like about Pedagogy of the Oppressed is that the oppressed are not seen as a passive force. In the book, Freire states that oppression must cease and it can; but the oppressed must liberate themselves. How can the oppressed, as divided, unauthentic beings, participate in the pedagogy of their liberation? According to Freire, for them to be able to wage the struggle for their liberation, peasants and urban poor must perceive the reality of their oppression not as a closed world from which there is no exit but as a limiting situation which they can transform. The problem that arises from banking education is that the ruling classes are not merely contented with the defense of their material privileges; they also insist on the preservation of their cultural hegemony. The culture that co-exists with their economic dominance is one that demands silence, fatalism, superstition, self-contempt, subservience and all forms of false consciousness on the part of the masses. Education provided by these dominant classes must therefore be authoritarian and banking education. How then is one to carry out Freire’s program under the existing social order? Freire is aware of the problem and the further one reads, the more one senses that the Pedagogy of the Oppressed is really written for subversive elements already in action (Mkandawire, 1975). Freire’s egalitarian methodology for education as espoused in Pedagogy of the Oppressed is intended to be politically subversive of oppressive regimes. It seems likely, however, that it could serve to legitimate opposition to any routinized form of delegated authority. For Freire, development is nonmaterial, and the unit of development is not the nation but the individual. For these reasons, it is unlikely that any government will attempt to follow Freire’s methodology to its most radical implications (Pitts, 1972). The Pedagogy of the Oppressed has attracted many criticisms over the years. Those who consider education as a technical or neutral process have complained that Freire’s approaches politicize teaching and learning. Freire’s refusal to provide â€Å"packages† has irritated those who seek clear-cut methodological solutions to educational problems (Roberts, 2000). The use of the male pronoun in Pedagogy of the Oppressed and other early writings has been particularly attacked. Also, the idea of promoting a critical mode of consciousness has been questioned. Furthermore, Freire’s focus on social class (at the expense of gender and ethnicity) in his early analyses of oppression has been rendered problematic by a number of contemporary educational theorists. Others suggest that Freire should have devoted more space in his books to class theory. Some critics have argued that the pedagogy proposed by Freire, contrary to its professed aims, constitutes a form of cultural invasion. Finally, as post-modern ideas have gained increasing currency in recent times, universalist assumptions in Freire’s ethic, epistemology, and pedagogy have come under fire. Despite these criticisms, it is undoubted that Pedagogy of the Oppressed has left an important legacy to education. Application Freire knew the world and problems of teachers regarding pedagogy. The Pedagogy of the Oppressed answers my questions on how to move my students to become self-motivating learners. I learned that I could not move them. Following Freire’s pedagogy, teachers could only help their students learn to move themselves. The thoughts conveyed in the book are indeed seditious but they did not transform me overnight. However, Freire’s theories have planted on me seeds of a new way of thinking. Upon reading the book, I realized that the learners and their mindset is more fundamental than the curriculum – not more important, it is just more fundamental. In addition, I learned that one’s view of the world determines what can be learned. According to the book, learning is dependent on environment and emotion as well as on presentation, materials, and text. Importantly, the Pedagogy of the Oppressed suggests the danger to learning of oppression in the classroom environment. Thus, there should be no hierarchy in the classroom as the teachers and the students are both learners in this environment. Accordingly, instructions and curriculums should be oriented towards the learners creating and solving their own problems. In other words, knowledge construction and collaborative learning are encouraged. Conclusion This paper has reviewed Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed and how this book relates to my work as an elementary teacher. This discussion of Freire’s ideas on formal education has been brief and selective. In so being, it does not communicate the immense richness of his thoughts on such matters as the universal nature of man’s humanity Freire’s rejection of and banking model of the teaching process in favor of a problem-posing approach. However, if the readers have gained from this review some appreciation of how Freire’s thoughts are applied in the classroom environment, the review will have served its purpose.

How Complex Is Hunter-Gatherer Technology Essay

Erik O’Neal How complex is hunter-gatherer technology It’s funny how we as a people can take for granted and deem certain clichà ©s such as â€Å"man’s work† or â€Å"woman’s work† as being sexist and derogatory and they can be within context. These terms have been the foundation for a century long battle of epic proportions between the male and female sex within the workplace in the societies of the western world. But what’s not understood is that the â€Å"division of labor† between the sexes appears to be the very engine that is driving the process of technological innovation among the human race. â€Å"Man’s work† and â€Å"woman’s work† or the â€Å"division of labor† in essence, is the root for the specialization of certain tasks such as the foraging for edible roots, and berries; or the ability to hunt or fish. These specialized skills helped to create a system of exchange or trade amongst hunter gatherer groups that have been going on for over 80-100,000 years. This phenomenon of exchange of ideas and creations is thought to have begun with hunter/gather societies and is considered a unique trait among all humans. The archaeological record shows the development of specialized tools and the separation of certain groups to divide tasks into tribal specializations to obtain precious resources among the hunter gatherer groups displays the ability for â€Å"collective intelligence.† The â€Å"collective brain† or â€Å"collective intelligence† as defined by Matt Ridley is the interchange of ideas; the meeting and mating of ideas between them that is causing technological progress. And this technological progress can be seen among the fossil records which contain stone tools, hand axes, spears, and bows and arrows, and technology each specially designed to do a job specific to the environment of which it was created for. Let’s take the Inuit for example; they split into two different ethnic groups the Nanamuit and Taramuit each with its on specialization. The Nunamiut’s main focus is the Caribou which the men hunt with bows and arrows and the women butcher and skin, while the Taramuit’s hunt whales and seals which they have developed boats for fishing salmon, harpoons with balloon floats for killing whales, and spears for killing seals through their blow holes. With the creation of these specialized groups the Inuit were able to satisfy the resource needs of their people through exchange and trade with items such as Caribou skins for clothing, salmon, whale fat, meat, and bones. Exchange and specialization within human societies is the basic concept that is required to develop â€Å"collective intelligence.† Without exchange and specialization the idea of technology starts to deteriorate within a society that lacks the ability to create

Virgin mobile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Virgin mobile - Essay Example This assignment entails analyzing the macro-environment of Virgin Mobile UK to come up with the issues affecting its strategic decisions. Political Factors: the financial performance of a country is adversely affected by the corporate tax rate. In the period between 1999 and 2007, the UK’S corporate tax rate was 30%, much higher than that recorded between 2008 and the present. (Trading Economics, 2014). This resulted into depletion of the profit margin of virgin mobile between 1997 to 2007 despite the company trying its best to remain profitable. The company targeted prepay customers who were within the age group of 18-35 years. It gained mobile phone subsidies that allocated them a payback of three months as opposed to a contract of three years. This was advantageous for the company evident through the increased profit margin that was evident for the company. There are other political factors that influenced the Telecom industry in UK that in turn affected the strategic decisions of Virgin mobile. They included: The political scenario existing in the country enables an environment full of deregulation. As a result, the level of competition in the UK telecom industry has increased in a significant margin. The buyers’ bargaining and negotiating power has increased due to the increased competitive environment. The UK’s mobile market is also expected to face high competition from other telecom companies in other countries within Europe due to the deregulation in the EU front. The company has made predictions that the political factors in the telecom industry in UK are expected to favor the company in the upcoming years. In turn, their customer base will increase significantly increasing the turnover of customers. Virgin company has proven to be the most formidable and dynamic company in the telecom industry in UK (BBC, 2003). Economic Factors:

Management Information Systems of TESCO Assignment

Management Information Systems of TESCO - Assignment Example Tesco is a huge British retailer having a strong business operation around the globe. It is considered the third largest retailer globally based upon the revenue that it generates. It was started in the year 1919 by Jack Cohen as a simplified grocery store until 1924 when the Tesco brand was initially launched in 1924. Its first store was opened up in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware, Middlesex. In 1947, it was introduced into the London Stock Exchange and made public and this floatation started the great success story of Tesco plc which has now emerged as one of the tops most renowned supermarket chain is not just the United Kingdom but the entire world. The first supermarket under the name of Tesco was opened in 1956 in Maldon. Since that time period, the company has operated such smoothly that it has created standards and is nowadays considered as a benchmark for many of its industry competitors. Over the years, the company took over many other supermarkets to make itself a leader in th e United Kingdom region (TESCO 2010). The immediate business environment of firms producing similar goods is called the industry. Microenvironment considers factors which are within the industry. The supermarket industry requires huge capital investment but that alone cannot be used as a barrier to entry. Competitors usually respond by counter-attacking to new entrants. Wal-Mart planned to open 4 small-format grocery stores in Arizona in response to TESCO’s entry to the U.S.A with their Fresh and Easy format. This threat is across or within an industry, close substitutes reduce the profit margin of the competitors e.g. Petrol for Diesel, etc. TESCO has many different competitors which can pose such threat to them, like Sainsbury in the UK, Trader Joe’s in the U.S.A alongside Wal-Mart.  

Promotion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Promotion - Research Paper Example According to present company management, it is essential to have a unique selling price market promotion to ensure that the company has a difference with the rest. Promotion is inclusive in marketing and is believed to play the part of a marketing investment that is excessively essential in businesses (Gordob, 2010). Over the years, phone manufacturers have had to deal with wireless carriers so that they can have adequate access to their networks. This is the reason most phone companies have their prices dictated by the same carriers mentioned above. High pricing caused people to find other services that can be used in place of the phones. As the struggle went on, different manufacturers, Verizon included, have used the technological ideas currently flooding the markets and have come up with the models that have been used to end the struggle. According to latest statistics, world mobile users have greatly increased such that they have surpassed internet users. It has been stipulated that more than forty five million people use smartphones. Additionally, more cell phone producing companies have joined the markets hence the stiff competition for clients. However, statistics show that Verizon has acquired success in the markets through the various promotions done continually. The fact that almost everyone owns a phone can be attributed to the high quality advertising strategies in the present world (Newton, 2009). This increase in the numbers of the mobile users has offered promoters hope that the market will soon become phenomenal. In the act of promoting mobile phones, it is essential to understand that most people typically are attached to them. For this reason, the more features a mobile phone offers the better and the more its promotion will result to the company’s prospected success. Verizon has conducted enough research on characterized customer satisfaction, customer research, and products use, but seem to have forgotten to question directly from th e customer of their expectations. This is the reason there models seem to have similar applications despite the diverse shapes of the cell phone bodies. The Verizon promoters need to realize that their aim is to satisfy the needs of their customers as they make extremely large amounts of money. In my opinion, the customers’ demands have not yet been reached despite having new models of phones in the market (Saulimen, 2011). Verizon Company has also realized this and is tirelessly trying to incorporate the client’s wishes in their newest models. This is since most individuals attempt keeping their phones with them and can aspire to have the phones assist them in doing almost all of their activities. Take for instance, the Verizon’s smart phones that have greatly broken into the market. They have a lot of applications favoring some people in the community but for those who would like to use programs, they cannot do it via their phones. A company that can break int o the market with such a marketable plan can greatly make profits as well as offer mobile phones with some programs. As stated above, technology improvements have caused great changes in the mobile phone market. For instance, the types of phone currently produced are technologically advanced although not to the expected standards. All companies dealing with the production of mobile phones seem to use

Career Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Career Making - Essay Example The organisation is based in London, United Kingdom (Web Focus 2008). The human resources units of Arcadia functions directly with line managers to assist in the management, development, training, and recruitment of people; it is HR’s duty to investigate and bring in the most productive development procedures and best practice in employee relations. The HR department also has several professionals who work all over the organisation, especially in the area of Employee Relations and Reward, Management Development and Graduate Resourcing (Web Focus 2008). The group possesses a firm external concentration to guarantee Arcadia is promoting itself as an empowering and motivating employer and keeping updated of the external market developments in human resources. I am interested to pursue an HR position in Arcadia, preferably an HR Officer, since my educational background and training, as well as my experience, in the field is quite extensive. I plan to develop my career in this area of Human Resource Management. 2. Self-Assessment, Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA) The following are my skills and abilities which are relevant to the position I am aspiring for (these are also shown in my CV): (1) excellent communication and interpersonal skills at all levels; (2) ability to interact effectively with people of all backgrounds with tact and diplomacy; (3) dedicated to providing the highest standards of customer service; (4) enthusiastic, highly motivated, reliable and trustworthy individual; (5) ability to work well under pressure and within strict deadlines; (6) independent and resourceful, a quick learner, able to adapt quickly and easily; (7) ability to lead, motivate and inspire others, a committed team player; (8) friendly, approachable, outgoing personality with a positive outlook; and (9) good attendance and punctuality; good ability to use initiative. In terms of knowledge, I think that four major areas of my competencies are relevant to the position I am applying for in Arcadia. First is the focus to succeed. Understanding the external and internal environment of the business regularly and developing techniques for innovative outcomes. Competencies involve: drive to succeed, innovative thinking, and customer idea. Second is organising to implement. Executing with teamwork, adaptability, and speed; competencies involve: certainty, teamwork, direct talk, and group leadership. Third is upholding momentum. Acquiring long-term outcomes that continue to develop; competencies involve personal commitment, training, developing organisational capacity. And lastly is dedication to the business. However, these four areas of competencies are not sufficient. I should also be knowledgeable of different topics such as marketing, stress management, strategic planning, and workplace conflict. 3. The Appropriateness of my KSA to Human Resource Management Position As a clothing store HR manager, hired by a retail company, I should have the experie nce or skill to buy products directly from a wholesale company or manufacturer, as well as to predict what will attract customers and the saleability of the apparels, on the basis of cost, style, and competition. I should also possess the ability to educate and motivate personnel as they also perform customer

Blue Velvet Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Blue Velvet - Research Paper Example Films like this are important to examine not only because of the elements which create a hybrid piece, but also because it shows the realities of categorization. This makes the ideal of categorization one which only limits the essence and expression of films. Categorization of Blue Velvet The categorization of â€Å"Blue Velvet† into Coming of Age Noir, also known as a hybrid and experimental form, is based on the mixture of styles which are used. The traditional concept of film noir is one which grew out of the rebellion of the popular styles of movies and the need to create a sense of experimentation with the film. The concept of film noir is one which became recognizable because of the various elements both with the aesthetics and experimentation of plot. However, since the classic films have been produced, is the same spirit of film noir which is based on the idea of experimentation and using a variety of elements to create a specific story line. The ideal is one which is based on moving outside of experimentation and definition of cinematic presentation. ... coming of age noir fits with â€Å"Blue Velvet† specifically because it carries through with the traditional elements, combines and fuses together various elements and works toward new experimentation that redefines the cinema into a coming of age noir. The hybrid elements of â€Å"Blue Velvet† are not only from the characteristics of traditional film noir with the newer ideals. This is furthered by the different aspects which create the story and show the intertwining of several ideals. The story structure is the first component which shows this. The twist in genres is one which is based on a mystery of finding who took off the ear of a man. This is combined with the dramatic features, specifically as Dorothy reveals the truth of her psychotic lover, Frank. The drama is furthered with surrealist elements and the aesthetics that further the plot line. The intertwining of the individuals lives as well as the characteristics of each are able to create the overall thematic material which was known to film noir, specifically as one moves beyond the basic mystery and into the elements of each of the characters lives and the levels of dementia which surround each of the character desires (Dimendberg, 5). Another aspect which relates to the Coming of Age Noir and the intertwining of types of movies is through the character types. The character types traditionally known in Film Noir were based on the concept of having the madness of a character which moves into evil and which is attracted to the darkness of the story. This is combined with the characters who fall victim to this or which begin as good and move over to the dark side. The characters of Dorothy and Frank reveal this, specifically with Frank and his addiction to drugs and his ability to move into the darker sides of

Demonstrate a critical understanding of current issues in either Essay

Demonstrate a critical understanding of current issues in either investigation or prosecution of a aspect of cybercrime or e-investigation - Essay Example Increase in financial crime activities has become widespread, but there is still difficulty in maintaining transparent policies and actions of financial information. The problems faced by financial institutions continue to rise with issues relating to politics, legal, technology and economics arising with time. Financial institutions increasingly face challenges in managing cyber-attacks. Malicious attackers are increasingly becoming more sophisticated and widespread in devising methods of financial fraud. Banking institutions in Europe mainly face denial-of-service on a large-scale basis hindering their daily investigations. Institutions that handle regional bank and credit Sacco’s often face challenges in financial security breach. Enemies of the state breach their financial systems to seek for intellectual property and intelligence. Hackers use the security breaches to make political statements to their enemies. Cyber gangs working in crime groups opt for the vice to gain money by stealing finds in accounts or hacking into ATMs. A reduction in technology costs leads to the decrease of barriers implemented to curb cybercrime, providing criminals with cheaper and easier ways to penetrate into financial networks. The growing black market encourages a new generation of wrong doers wi shing to breach data services for financial institutions. 1In June 2014, the Bank of England increased its efforts in the protection of the UK’s financial institutions from cybercrime. The testing framework aims at combining government intelligence with security industries assessing the risks. Implementing the new cyber security strategy named CBEST seeks to ease pressure on financial services in England. With this in mind, the study seeks to analyze the financial security of the Bank of England. Financial crime in indicates that both internal and external rely on IT systems to manage information (BBC,

-Cell phone usages and Radiation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

-Cell phone usages and Radiation - Essay Example The technology of cell phone has eliminated the factor of geographical distances and made the general population more socially connected. The acceptance rate of the cell phone technology can be realized by the fact that from the year 1990 up till 2011, the worldwide cell phone subscriptions raised from 12.4 million to over 6 billion, penetrating nearly 87% of the world population (MobiThinking). Cell phone technology may not be all that safe. Amidst the life of convenience offered by cell phones, the potential threat the cell phone technology may have to the health of humans can get ignored. On October 19, 2012, the Supreme Court in Rome (Italy) gave a ruling wherein a â€Å"causal link† was found to exist between the mobile phone and the illness of an Italian Company’s Director Innocente Marcolini, 60 (Routers, 2012). Marcolini was diagnosed to have developed a tumor (neurinoma affecting a cranial nerve) on the side of the head that he held his mobile phone to for 5-6 hours a day for 12 years. Cell phone technology works by emitting radiations. Whether these radiations are harmful to human health or not is a debate that has been pursued by many medical and environment bodies. This paper presents an overview of the radiations emitted by the cell phones and the safety standards set by the agencies. The possible impact on these radiations on human health and some safety tips to avoid the possible threats are also presented in the paper. Cell phones use a type of electromagnetic energy called radiofrequency (or simply RF) energy for communication. RF are the radio waves and microwaves. On the electromagnetic spectrum (shown in Figure 1), where the energy ranges from ones that have extremely low frequencies with long wavelengths to those that have extremely high frequencies with short wavelengths, the radio waves and microwaves lie between the two extremes. In the RF region, the frequencies are in the range of 3KHz to 300GHz.

System of Inquiry Essay Example for Free

System of Inquiry Essay The need for an organized manner of operating can never be ignored by any organization that is truly focused on the development and implementation of policies that will see it through trying times and help it achieve its goals (Alpha Kappa Delta, 2004). Operations entails coming up with a code that will act as a guideline for all members in an organization and be a reference for the strategic directions that should be adopted when dealing with problems. The success of the system or organization largely depends on the control mechanism implemented which in turn depends on the code and the structures put in place to ensure its implementation (Alpha Kappa Delta, 2004). Therefore, having a good code of ethics that is clear, well defined and lacking of any ambiguity is very important to the success of an organization in its operations and thus the eventual success of the organization as a whole. The organizations employees are committed to the development of a good system where the customers and the consumers of the companys services can be rest assured of the worth of their money and expectation. The employees are expected to respect and protect not only their rights but those of the customers be it human or civil for it is central to the freedom of the employees in inquiring and expressing their view in the areas of research, planning and in other operations. This ethics code is a set of principles and standards that acts as a basis for strategic planning and operations, management in the organization. The code is aimed at providing a set of standards and guidelines that address some of the situations met by the organizations personnel. The goals of ethics are aimed at protecting the welfare of individuals and teams within and without the organizations operational environment with regards to the operations of the organization. The development of a set of ethics that is dynamic enough to handle the varied nature of the problems faced by organization worker requires the will and commitment of all the workers in the organization. General Ethics i. Principle A The workers strive to ensure that their conduct benefit the organization and are not harmful. All workers should in all their actions ensure that they safeguard the welfare of all the people they interact with in the course of executing their duties as per the organizations needs. In dealing with conflicts, the set of rules attempt to find the solution to the problems or conflict in a manner that ensures that the harm is minimized. The workers should be more aware of the effects of their own abilities on the people they deal with. ii. Principle B The workers should at all time establish a good trust filled relationship with those they work with. They should be aware of their responsibilities to the organization and to the customers. The workers should consult and cooperate with other professionals to the level that will best address the needs of the organization. The workers should be concerned about the professional conduct and ethical compliance of their colleagues. They should be ready to contribute a considerable portion of their time for no considerable advantage or personal gains. iii. Principle C The workers should promote accuracy, honesty and uphold all the social virtues in their activities. They should not engage in the social vices like lying, subterfuge and intentional representation of records or facts. The workers are obliged to put into consideration the needs, consequences and responsibility in all their actions to ensure they do not result in mistrust. The organization recognizes that a fairness and justice principle entitles all workers to access the benefit of their work and to equality in quality of process or procedures. The workers should therefore exercise judgment and take measures to ensure that any form of bias that they are prone to, the limits of their competences and their professional skills and competences do not condone or in any way lead to unjust practices. v. Principle E The workers should at all time endeavors to respect the dignity of all people and show great respect to their rights to privacy and confidentiality. The workers should appreciate the fact that there are individual who due to some disadvantage are placed in situations where their right to autonomous decision making is impaired. The workers should respect the cultural and role differences based on gender, race, culture, socio-economic status and sexual orientation. The workers should try to discard all the effects of their work that lead to bias based on these factors and should not in any way condone activities that are based on prejudice.

Water Pollution Control In The Textile Industry Environmental Sciences Essay

Water Pollution Control In The Textile Industry Environmental Sciences Essay The water law framework in our country is attributed by the coexistence of a number of different principles, rules and acts adopted over several decades extending from common law principles and irrigation acts from the colonial acts to the recent regulation of water quality and pollution. The basic underlying reasons for water law reforms are both physical and institutional. Over the past few decades water has gradually become sparse in many parts of the country. This can be attributed to increased pollution of finite water resources and also increased use of water by all categories of water users as a consequence of economic and population growth. The Water Act of 1974 was Indias first attempt towards dealing comprehensively with the environment related issues. Water is a subject in the State List under the Constitution. Consequently, the Water Act which is a central law came into being under Article 252(I) of the Constitution which empowers the Union Government to make laws in a field reserved for states. All the states have approved the implementation of Water Act 1974. In spite of this there is a lack of umbrella legislation at the national level because of which different state and central legal interventions do not coincide often. Water Prevention And Control Of Pollution Act, 1974 Salient Features The Water Act establishes a Central and State pollution control boards. The Central Board may advise the Central Govt. on water pollution issues, coordinate the activities of state pollution control boards and devise a comprehensive plan for the control and prevention of water pollution. In case of any conflicts between the Central and the State boards, central board prevails. This act is applicable to streams, inland waters, subterranean waters, and sea or tidal waters. Standards for the discharge of effluent or the quality of the used water being released into the water sources are to be prescribed by the state boards. Any person or any industry for that matter has to take the consent of the state board before proceeding towards establishing any industry, operation or process or any treatment or waste disposal system. The Act specifies other important functions of the state boards as follows: Devising a comprehensive programme for prevention, control and abatement of water pollution in respective states Encouraging, conducting, and participating in investigations and research of water pollution problems Inspecting facilities for sewage and developing economical and reliable methods of its treatment State board in its capacity may take emergency measures if it foresees accidents or events that might pollute the water bodies. These measures include activities like removing the pollutants, alleviating the damage and issuing orders to the polluter prohibiting effluent discharges. Under section 33A state boards can issue directions to any person, office or authority, including orders to close, prohibit or regulate any industry, operation or process and to stop or regulate the supply of water, electricity or any other service. Not complying with a court order under section 33 or a direction from the board under section 33A is punishable by fines and imprisonment as per section 41. In order to assist the Water Act, the Water Pollution Board constituted under the Pollution Act, has been empowered under the Cess Act to levy a cess/tax for meeting the financial requirements for its working. This cess is for the purposes and utilization under the Water Act. The Cess Act grants a rebate in the cess payable to those who install a plant for the treatment of sewage or effluents. This is one of the steps to encourage establishments to set up effluent treatment plants and process the effluents before releasing them. However it is to be noted that Cess Act cannot be deciphered individually and should be taken into consideration only in relation with the Water Act. While it is quite evident that water laws are the need of the hour but these water law reforms can only contribute to solving water management issues but fail to solve issues related to human rights, social, environmental and health aspects of water. Textile industry The textile industry in India mainly depends upon exports and manufacturing. Export income from textiles account for around 30% of Indias export revenues and 3% of Indias Gross domestic product. This industry has grown a lot over the past few years especially after the economic liberalization in 1991 where the country was opened to free trade under the auspices of Dr Manmohan Singh. The table below gives the major strength and weaknesses of the textile industry in the country Strengths Weaknesses Production Capacity Increased global competition Cheap Labor Dumping Efficient production facilities Huge Decentralized sector Large domestic markets High production costs Large Export Potential Poor Supply chain management Flexible manufacturing Systems Outdated technologies To grow at a rate of around 15% in the coming years the sector needs to keep in mind the following points which shall go a long way in ensuring that growth is maintained at healthy rate and is also sustainable. Threat of competition in Domestic Market Ecological and Social Awareness Ecological and social awareness are going to play a huge role in determining who is going to reap profits in a sustainable manner keeping in view the sensitivity of the stakeholders who are most of the times the losers when large scale development takes place. The industry is likely to face pressure from the media, the Government and the common people to follow international norms and regulations which shall prohibit it from using natural resources like Water which is a key ingredient in producing textiles. The way this industry uses water and how much it pollutes the various sources shall be determined by external factors. Developed markets have extremely high standards of consumer consciousness on issues such as polluting Dyes, Usage of Child Labor, Unhealthy working conditions of the mill workers etc. Standards like SA 8000 have now been started to get implemented in the industry at a large scale. This has also led to pressure on companies to limit sourcing from countries which violate the practices mandated under the norms of SA 8000. The Indian industry needs to improve its working practices and the fallout of the new international developments in this particular area. In such a scenario large players can take advantage of this and indulge in practices which promote sustainability. Proper water Use by textile mills and recycling and purifying water and then reusing it for industrial purposes can also serve the purpose in the long run. Textile Industry and water Pollution Textile Industry is one of the most polluting industries in the country and in terms of consumption of water it constitutes around 3.2% of total consumption of water for various processes like scouring, sizing, and bleaching, dying and other associated processes. It is one of the most growing sectors in the Indian economy in terms of its contribution to the total GDP of the country. Water pollution is done by each and every process in the whole manufacturing of textiles, The table below gives an exhaustive list of the various processes and the nature of effluents and pollutants which are released as a result of the above. Process Pollutants Nature of Effluents Desizing Starch, Glucose, Resins, Fats and Waxes High Biochemical oxygen demand Kiering Caustic Soda, Wax, Grease, Soda Ash, Sodium Sillicate Strongly Alkaline, High Biochemical oxygen Demand Bleaching Hypochlorite, Caustic soda, Hydrogen peroxide and acids Low biochemical oxygen demand and strongly alkaline Mercerization Caustic Soda Strongly alkaline, low biochemical oxygen demand Dyeing Reducing agents like sulphides, acetic acids and soaps Fairly high biochemical oxygen demand ,strongly colored Printing Dyes, starch, gums oil, china clay, mordants, acids and salts Faily high biochemical oxygen demand, Oily appearance Finishing Special finishes, starch, salts, tallow Low Biochemical oxygen demand, less alkaline The polluted water is very harmful for human beings living in and around the area where the pollution takes place as the turbidity of the water is very high and toxic elements present in the water which have a detrimental effect on humans and animals make such water unfit for consumption. The stakeholders which reside alongside areas which are affected by this menace face severe health hazards and face decrease and productivity and life span as a result of the above. Effects on Aquatic Life and Other living creatures High PH levels in water makes it alkaline, alkaline water is not fit for aquatic creatures like fishes and it also causes incrustation in sewers and may also damage crops by hampering their natural growth rate. Spoiling the natural color of water hampers the passage of sunlight and thus prevents photosynthesis in the aquatic plants and other marine life existing inside water. The effluents and oils present in the pollutants which are passed into water increase the turbidity of water and gives it a bad appearance and foul smell. Oily scum interferes with the oxygen transfer and colloidal matter clog the pores of soil. High levels of dissolved solids are detrimental to sewers as it causes incrustation in sewers. High level of sodium is also harmful to crops. Dissolved oxygen in water is an essential element in marine life and therefore the amount of oxygen required to correct the effluent is expressed in the form of biochemical oxygen demand or BOD. Steps to curb Water Pollution To curb pollution due to these textile mills in the areas around them the following measures can be taken in order to increase measures leading to long term sustainability as a corporate strategy which is wholly aligned to the business goals of being profitable in the long run and acquire market share in the future. Reduction in waste water volume: The water used in processing of textiles is reduced to a considerable extent such that the effluent concentration is limited to a specified small volume of water and it does not start impacting larger volume of water. Counter flow processing Water re-use technique which uses the same water before discharging it into the water body so that effluent concentration is limited to a small volume and more water is saved in the process. Reduction of process chemicals: The process chemicals create more than 90% of the pollution in textile industries. This also brings down the production cost in terms of the chemicals used. It can be achieved through reusing various chemicals when processes are completed. For Example: Caustic soda is recovered from the mercerizing and sourcing and is consequently filtered and dialyzed so that it can be reused. Process modification would involve slight modifications in the various processes used during manufacturing in order to create lesser pollution and reduces unnecessary wastage of water. Certain alternate chemicals can also be used during manufacturing so that recovering those chemicals become easy and it thus can be used in further manufacturing processes. Pre-Release Stage Water Treatment Before water is released into the nearest water body it is essential that it is treated properly in order to ensure that there is significant reduction in the level of pollutants in water before it gets released into the water body. The following steps are necessary in order to ensure proper water condition before release into the nearest river or stream or lake. Primary Treatment: It involves concepts of removal of suspended solids by sedimentation, floatation or coagulation techniques using alum and electrolyte. Secondary Treatment: This involves oxidation of organic matter by aeration either by chemical of biological methods or by both. This is done in presence of micro organisms in presence of chemicals such as Urea. Pollutants resistant to biodegradation such as detergents and petrochemicals are removed by non biological means and are again treated with bleaching powder before releasing them into the water body. Tertiary Treatments: Tertiary treatment contains of three main methods like Chemical Coagulation which involves a mixing tank with the effluent and the coagulant mixed and its PH adjusted to an optimum level. The resultant coagulated material is separated by sedimentation or flocculation. Carbon absorption Technique which is effective in removing pigments and dyes using carbon which is activated and has large surface area. Reverse osmosis where cellulose acetate is used to create a semi permeable membrane and subjected to pressure which is usually greater than the osmotic pressure of the effluent. This process can remove 95% of the dissolved solid content as the solution passes from area of higher concentration to lower concentration. Now to discuss the applicability of these methods to curb water pollution in Textile industry and also to do the cost benefit analysis of the same we shall discuss a relevant case of Tiruppur Textile Industry. Case discussion: Tiruppur Textile Industry Background South Asia lately has become the hub of Industrialisation and the unchecked growth is leading to severe environmental problems. Industries have sprung up as clusters which is why the issue of environmental pollution becomes even more relevant in highly water polluting industries like textile dyeing, leather tanning, paper and pulp processing, sugar manufacturing, etc. The runoff released by these industries leads to contamination of surface and ground water sources and eventually impacts the livelihood of the poor. In a usual scenario, the above mentioned industrial units function at a small or medium scale, are a huge employment opportunity for the locals and have the potential to generate foreign exchange because all these industries are export oriented and more than half of their produce is shipped abroad. Given the vast coverage of these industries, the pollution control mechanisms have been awfully weak in these units. The pollution control authorities have been lenient in imple menting the law and ensuring prevention of water pollution caused due to these industries mainly considering the socio economic benefits that they provide and also the low financial capacity of the small scale units. It is a huge capital investment for the relatively smaller industrial units to set up effluent treatment plants and the return on investment is very low. Since they provide employment, therefore these agencies have not tightened the noose on them. This stance of the Pollution Control Boards further discouraged the polluting industries to formulate and implement pollution management and reduction strategies either by efficient effluent treatment or process changes by adopting newer and cleaner technologies. In this report we have attempted to analyse the environmental impact of the production process followed in a textile unit with reference to Tiruppur, a major textile cluster in South India. A cost benefit analysis of the implementation of cleaner production processes and setting up of treatment plants has also been done to depict the return on investment for these textile units. Textile Industry And Its Benefits Tiruppur, located in Tamil Nadu, is a leading cotton knitwear industrial hub in South India. The industrial activities have experienced a rapid growth during the last two decades due to decentralization and flexibility. At this point of time more than 9000 small-scale textile related units are operating with a volume of investment more than US $ 200 million. The city of Tiruppur contributes 56% of the total cotton knitwear exports from India. The industry provides socio-economic benefits to the local community and to the nation in the form of employment, income, and foreign exchange. More than 2 lakh people are directly employed by this industry. The export value from Tiruppur during the year 2002 was about US $ 957.5 million. An equal amount is sold in the domestic market. The economic opulence of Tiruppur on this industry and the local community is employed either directly or indirectly in this industry in one way or the other. Textile Process And Pollution The textile manufacturing process on the whole is a polluting activity with the major contributors being the bleaching and dyeing (textile processing).During 1981, in Tiruppur , only around 70 textile units were operating. This number drastically rose to 450 ten years later and further to 866 in 1997. With due credit to efforts of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) against the release of untreated effluents some units had to be shut down because of non-conformity to the pollution prevention standards in the state. In 2004 there were a total of 702 textile processing units functioning in Tiruppur. These units together used around 85 million litres per day (mld) of water and discharged a similar quantity (83 mld) as effluents, which are laced with a significant volume of chemicals used at the wet processing stage. The point worth noting here is that the amount of water used as input is almost same as the amount of water that is released in the water bodies which actually me ans that if there is a possibility to treat the effluents, the resultant residual water can be used as a recycled input and thus costs can be decreased. These units collectively produced a quantity of 15,000 tonnes of cloth per month. The incessant release of untreated effluents for more than 10 years has resulted in accumulation of harmful suspended and dissolved solids in the soil, ground water, etc. at Tiruppur and surroundings. During 1980 to 2000, the cumulative pollution load discharged by the Tiruppur units is as follows: Total Dissolved Solids(TDS) : 2.35 million tonnes Chloride: 1.31mt Sulphate: 0.13 mt Total Suspended Solids: 0.098 mt Chemical Oxygen Demand: 0.09mt Biological Oxygen Demand: 0.03 mt Oil and Grease: 0.001mt Impact of Textile Effluents On The Environment From the research conducted on water pollution in Tiruppur area, it is clearly evident that the accumulation of chemicals had added to the woes. All ground water studies showed that open wells and bore wells in and around Tiruppur exhibited high levels of TDS (ranging from 3000mg/l to 11,000 mg/l) and Chloride (ranging from 2000 mg/l to 5000 mg/l) due to industrial pollution and these values were much higher than the background level for this region. The available groundwater in this region was rendered unsuitable for domestic, industrial or irrigation consumption. The surface water studies indicated that the Noyyal river (the river passes through Tiruppur and receives the major share of untreated effluents), reservoir, downstream of Noyyam, (Orthapalayam) and irrigation tanks have been adversely affected by industrial pollution and the surface water is unfit for consumption purposes. A study to measure the quality of soil also indicated the pollution concentration and most of the ar ea the soil is alkaline (pH >8.5) or tending to alkalinity (pH 8-8.5). The Damage Cost Imposed By Pollution Due to high water pollution many adverse effects in the ecology of the Tiruppur area are observed. Agricultural water, drinking water and various fisheries in Tiruppur area and downstream villages have been affected. The water which has been polluted by the textile industry is injurious (EC>3mmhos/cm) to agriculture in an area of 146.3 square km and critical (EC 1.1 to 3 mmhos/cm) in 218.3 square km. Because of this, crop productivity in these villages has declined substantially which has affected the welfare of farmers. Recently farmers took action and filed a case against the industry. The total cost to agriculture was estimated at US $50 million. Drinking water in these villages has also been affected and the municipality has to bring additional water from neighboring villages. In affected villages, special water supply schemes have been issued by the Water Board. Also, a lot of the short fall is being met by bringing water from distant sources of water which leads to the wastage of a lot of time and effort. Considerin all of this, the total damage cost due to pollution of drinking water comes down to US$23.8 million. The fisheries activities in various downstream regions like the Noyyalriver, tanks and reservoirs have been affected as well. Fish mortality rate has increased which has led to a stoppage of fish culture. US $.15 miilion comes out to be the loss in value of fish and besides that, the possibility of the toxicity of existing fish is also high, consumption of which can lead to serious health problems. This high level of pollution has had an adverse effect on the operations of the industry itself. Since most of the industrial wells in this area have only coloured, or very highly polluted water, major water supply is brought in through tankers from peripheral areas. The cost incurred by the industry to maintain this additional source of water supply is US $165 million. Besdies this, the continued buying of water leads to the development of a water market, which causes the water levels in the peripheral villages to go down, affecting the livelihood of villagers. On many occasions, protests have been done by villagers against the water transfer. A mega water supply project is being undertaken by the Tiruppur Area Development Corporation. The total cost of this project is estimated to be US $269 millions and will have to be financed by government agencies and the consortium. Under this scheme, it has been planned that 185 mld of water, which would be both industrial and domestic, would be transferred to Tiruppur from River Cauvery, which is an interstate and a very controversial river in India. If this project would succeed, the industry will need to pay more than what they are currently paying for water, which could result in a huge cost increase for textile processing. Besides these quantifiable terms, human health and aquatic eco-system of river, tanks and reservoir, livestock etc. also get affected by water pollution, but their cost has not been taken into account as it is not easy to express in monetary terms. Status of Effluent Treatment On seeing various adverse effects and hence assessing the seriousness of pollution from textile affluents, the Courts finally gave an order against the continued functioning of various polluting units without being accompanied by effluent treatment plants in 1997. After this order, the state pollution control agency has increased the amount of pressure on all the textile manufacturing units towards effluent treatment. The units which were too small to comply with these regulations and survive were closed. Presently out of the existing 702 units, 278 units are treating upto 38 mld of water effluents through Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CEPTs) which are 8 in number and 424 units are treating upto 45 mldof chemical effluents using Individual Effluent Treatment Plants (IETPs). For effective effluent treatment, US $ 10 million has been spent for various fixed costs, which the Government subsidizes heavily. Besides these, an additional US $ 6.7 million has already been incurred as ann ual running costs. The cost analysis has shown that the variable cost per unit of effluent treatment is much higher than the capital cost both in the IETPs (which is 86% of total cost) and CETPs (which is 73%). Unfortunately the current treatment system is not sufficient for reducing the large amounts of TDS, particularly the acids like Chloride and Sulphates. The average concentration of TDS in the treated effluents is 300 of the TNPCB standard of 2100 mg/l. The same is true of Chloride, which averages more than 300% of the CETP existent standard. Learnings from the case Thus we can see that the management of environment at the Tiruppur textile industry has been difficult and the various difficulties faced by the various actors (State Pollution Control Board, Water Resources Organisations, Local Government , Industrial Organisations, NGOs etc.) or interested parties in this regard or in finding a solution for this problem. If these difficulties had been effectively dealt with, the environmental impacts could not have continued at this level. The above analysis on various RO plants and CPT for the textile units has clearly shown the long run advantage to the industries apart from reducing the various social costs. These technologies can be implemented by all large-scale units who possess the capacity for investment and have long-term vision about the business. But the affordability of affluent treatments among existing large number of small and medium units remains a big challenge. The textile manufacturing industry is predominantly an export oriented business which faces high competition. So any investment done on RO or CPT here impacts the cost of production by increasing it in the short run which is especially true for the smaller units. Also being able to find such big investment, which is approximately more than 10-20 times the overall capital investment, is almost impossible. But the introduction of a much cleaner production for textiles and the availability of advanced treatment technology is the viable long term solution towards further improvement of environmental standards. Realizing the same facts, (i.e. the existing economic benefits of the Tiruppur industry, social costs of pollution, various constraints in effective management of pollution among small scale units, and the need for a having a critical solution for the pollution problem), an integrated process of pollution management can be attempted at by different actors who are related to Tiruppur textile business. In such circumstances the role of various foreign buyers and the consumers of Tiruppur garments are greatly significant. If a very strong demand for garments which are pollution free or come with a green label is observed from them along with a willingness to pay more, definitely it would provide pressure to introduce cleaner technology by the various industries operating in this domain. A few very small units will have no other option but to close down, since making such an investment may not be viable for them. Other units however can think of various steps like unit modification individually or even have joint units. Most critical are proper technical guidelines for these units and financial support is needed for the units from various domestic and foreign research institutions and other donor agencies. In parallel, sincere collaborative efforts from joint industrial associations, pollution law enforcement agencies, industrial consultants and experts, etc. are also required. Only than the textile industry in Tiruppur would be a ble to achieve the ideal objective of sustainable development. Recommended Strategy for companies in textile industry The companies in Textile industries can be divided into two: Major players with financial strength to invest in greener technologies and small player which need assistance even to maintain regulatory standards. Hence the strategy will also differ based on the type of company. Strategy for small players A broad categorization has been done based on the revenue. Below Rs. 10 million the company can be said a small company. It is imperative for a small company to follow regulatory standards at least. While government is finding difficult to close all such factory due to labor intensive nature of such industry it is always a long term risk hence the standards should always be maintained. Hence their strategy is to achieve the minimum standards by increasing the cost as less as possible. The immediate high investment in green technology may throw them out of market. Following strategy must be followed by the company. To have least impact on increment in costs the company might seek financial assistance from government subsidy or jointly making investments. To get knowledge assistance it could collaborate with various stakeholders. Small Players (Under Rs. 10 million) Strategic Objective Maintain Pollution control board standards with least impact of costs Maintain PCB Standards (Avoid risk of closure) Annual maintenance and up gradation as per standards Collaboration with the foreign buyer Setting up Joint Effluent Treatment Plants (JETP) Identify subsidies given by government and avail them Join with other small players to invest in ETP Collaboration with pollution enforcement agencies, NGOs, industrial consultants, Industrial associations, Financial assistance Knowledge Assistance Least impact on costs (Remain competitive) Strategy for big players: A major player could afford a significant investment for the long term overall benefit. The strategy should be to gain competitive advantage by achieving Cleaner process technology and establishing efficient effluent treatment plants. These will have high investments in short term but will give major cost advantage and high value of intangibles, other important aspect is to have a differentiation based on greener features. This way a high premium could be charged against the product and much higher overall profitability could be achieved. Big Players (Above Rs. 10 million) Strategic Objective Differentiate product based on Green features Process improvement (Raw material efficiency, Waste reduction) Application of Cleaner Process Technology (CPT) e.g. soft flow machines, dye bath segregation etc. Collaborate with foreign buyers to create demand for green products Establish Individual Effluent Treatment Plant (IETP) Recycle major percentage of used water using RO etc. technology Get green label and accreditations from ISO etc. Recycling of critical resources (Water) Promotions as a Clean and Green Product

How to Mark a Book Essay -- Reading Literature Essays

How to Mark a Book missing works cited You know you have to read "between the lines" to get the most out of anything. I want to persuade you to do something equally important in the course of your reading. I want to persuade you to "write between the lines." Unless you do, you are not likely to do the most efficient kind of reading. I contend, quite bluntly, that marking up a book is not an act of mutilation but of love. You shouldn't mark up a book which isn't yours. Librarians (or your friends) who lend you books expect you to keep them clean, and you should. If you decide that I am right about the usefulness of marking books, you will have to buy them. Most of the world's great books are available today, in reprint editions. There are two ways in which one can own a book. The first is the property right you establish by paving for it, just as you pay for clothes and furniture. But this act of purchase is only the prelude to possession. Full ownership comes only when you have made it a part of yourself, and the best way to make yourself a part of it is by writing in it. An illustration may make the point clear. You buy a beefsteak and transfer it from the butcher's icebox to your own. But you do not own the beefsteak in the most important sense until you consume it and get it into your bloodstream. I am arguing that books, too, must be absorbed in your bloodstream to do you any good. Confusion about what it means to own a book leads people to a false reverence for paper, binding, and type - a respect for the physical thing - the craft of the printer rather than the genius of the author. They forget that it is possible for a man to acquire the idea, to possess the beauty, which a great book contain... ...em you can get through, but rather how many can get through you - how many you can make your own. A few friends are better than a thousand acquaintances. If this be your aim, as it should be, you will not be impatient if it takes more time and effort to read a great book than it does a newspaper. You may have one final objection to marking books. You can't lend them to your friends because nobody else can read them without being distracted by your notes. Furthermore, you won't want to lend them because a marked copy is a kind of intellectual diary, and lending it is almost like giving your mind away. If your friend wishes to read your "Plutarch's Lives," "Shakespeare," or "The Federalist Papers," tell him gently but firmly, to buy a copy. You will lend him your car or your coat - but your books are as much a part of you as your head or your heart.

On Social Classes In Jane Austens Pride And Prejudice :: essays research papers

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, life for the upper-middle class and the aristocracy was simple and comfortable, at least on the surface. Strict manners and “morals,'; that often prevented them from asserting or protecting themselves, bound these two classes of people. Such lifestyles are illustrated quite honestly in Jane Austen’s novel, Pride and Prejudice. The characters in this novel have comfortable lives on the surface; however, internally they are victims of their social status.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The husband and wife duo of Collins and Charlotte Lucas-Collins are two prime examples of this mentality. Collins, who is a minister, and bound by the social class of his benefactor, Lady Catherine, always puts on a faà §ade that makes him seem much classier than normal when he is around others. He constantly showed off his possessions. Charlotte, Collins’ wife, was not so much his wife by choice, but rather, out of necessity. Charlotte, a twenty-seven year old single woman nearly doomed to remain a spinster for the rest of her life, had to marry soon, and the only man that made a proposal was Collins, therefore she had to say yes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mrs. Bennet, the mother of Eliza, always hurriedly rushes about to get her daughters married. Her haste is understandable, partly, because, the Bennet family has no male heir, therefore any daughters left unmarried will be thrust into poverty upon their father’s death. However, most of her rushing seems nothing more than the nagging, useless bickering of a gossiping old biddy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Mr. Bingley seems not to be a victim per se, but the people around him and their superficial motives tend to cause him harm. His sister, Caroline, causes many people to avoid Bingley because of her snobbishness. Mr. Darcy, though good intentioned, almost ruins Bingley’s most promising marriage conquest by breaking Bingley and Jane Bennet up.

Recommendation: Management and Staff Directory

Recommendation Since, the problem at Sundale Club has begun when Ellis hired her close friend Chuck Johnson. Ellis action was bias when Havens reported about Johnson misbehavior, then after Haven was fired. Afterward the whole organization was in turmoil. Therefore the director of Sundale Clube should do something unless the organization will fall. There is several ways which would recover Sundale Club. 1). Restructure of staff directory. Look closely to Sundale Club staff directory, it is look very centralization which help Ellis, who has authority in important decision making on her department.Moreover Watts has lost his fire to run the Sundale Club. Nevertheless as the director Watts should done something to prevent the organization before he retire. Watts should changes the staff directory to, Board of director President VP Athletic VP Marketing VP Finance Manager Marketing Manager Finance Asst. Athletic Since Sundale Club is the largest athletic/social in the city. Centralizatio n structure is not suitable for such large organization. Therefore Watts should change to decentralization; from this structure he can balance the power or authority among the top managers.Even though decentralization structure takes longer time on decision making, but it ensures that the organization will not go to the wrong path or fall into big problem as it was. 2). Hire new mangers or management’s team. As Sundale Club has changed its structure, next step, Sundale Club should recruit new management’s team. Watts might promote Carol and Ellis to the board director and he himself could take the president position as well. As social activities is the main income for the organization.Therefore social department Sundale can place it under marketing department. Sundale have to hire financial and marketing management teams. At athletic department, Sundale may put Pat in the VP athletic, since she has worked here for nine years, and Mercer may take the Haven position. Sun dale should fire Johnson; because since he gets in the organization he makes his colleagues feel uncomfortable and most important is a lot of customers withdraw from being Sundale membership. 3).Rebuild the organization culture and gaining customers trust back. Sound difficult if Sundale have to rebuild its culture, but since Sundale has hire new management team, it’s become easier because new employees or managers do not know the Sundale culture yet. There for it is a good time to rebuild its culture. Moreover Sundale has to gain back its customers trust. Since there was a rumor about Johnson’s homosexual behavior in the organization and it will flow to the city too.

Are You Really Who You Wanted To Be?

A clear reflection of yourself is the most beautiful creature you can ever see in front of the mirror. † I can still remember signing a slumberous or autograph book during my high school life. It comes with a variety of questions regarding personal information, favorites, ambition, and a lot more. But one thing I will never forget is the part wherein I were asked to describe myself.Describing yourself is Just a piece of cake, isn't it? That's what I also think at first, but at the middle of describing how I look or what personality I have, I suddenly have to ask myself what I am really pertaining to? Am I defining myself base on how I see It? Or how other people see It? We are living In a world which Is full of uncertainties. Yet behind any uncertainty, Is a certain reason why we exist. It Is simply because we exist for a purpose.Unfortunately, we used to live with what other people think about us, and that Idea has the ability to destroy what we truly aim for. It Is an Issue t hat people didn't realize at all. Lucky are those who can define themselves as who they really are, with no pretension and no hesitation. So If you think of changing yourself In order to reach he expectation of others, think again! Is that really what you wanted? If not, then don't proceed because If you fall, you'll Just end up feeling worthless and frustrated.A YES to the question â€Å"are you really who you wanted to be? † Is an Indication of satisfaction In life. If you appreciate everything In life, It will be easy for you to live as the real you and meet the perfect state of happiness. A clear reflection of yourself Is the most beautiful creature you can ever see In front of the mirror. Remember, God's creature Is always beautiful In different ways, and we have to be thankful for that.

Case study: Issues in alignment of organizational strategies

Case study: Issues in alignment of organizational strategies and HER strategies Table of Contents Introduction Questions and answers Page# 3 A Shaky bridge (An uncertain plan) 4 Conclusions References 5 6 The advent of globalization has diversified the work force and increased its cultural differences in many companies across the globe. Publication of information on these trends has led to calls for effective management of diversity in organizations, and observers have advised that unless corporation start managing diversity, they will find themselves at a competitive disadvantage (Copeland 1988; Nelson 1988; Schmidt, 1988).Moreover, invoking what might be termed the â€Å"Value-in- diversity hypothesis,† some writers have stated that, when properly used, cultural diversity in the work forces bring value to the organization and ultimately improves their performance. They have emphasized that managing diversity is an economic issue as well as legal & social concern. (Copeland, 1988; Cox& Blake, 1991; Est., 1988; Soda & Bailer, 1983) The case is about SAA pharmacy Limited, a Malaysian company started by Mr.. Uruguayan an Indo-Malaysian in 1991.The SAA Pharmacy limited worked on the alliance and merchandise with Stop and shop which is an existing apartment store in various cities in Malaysia in the earlier days. Mr.. Uruguayan strategically recruited HER from Australia, New Zealand, India, Philippines and Malaysia based on cost of employees and skills available. Employees from Australia and New Zealand are at strategic positions, Indians in second level of hierarchy, Philippines are appointed as pharmacist and branch managers, and finally Malaysian in equal positions of Philippines.The company provides salaries incentives etc. Based on hierarchy and national expatriate basis. Despite of modern HER techniques applied by the CEO, employees room different nationalities felt discriminated. So, a work force with diversified nationalities and a level of cultural differences resulting in issues is the case about. Questions and answers: 1) What is the misalignment among company strategies, HER strategies and cultural issues? A) Mr.. Uruguayan strategically employed people from various countries based on cost of employees and skills available from various countries.It is also mentioned in the case study that Mr.. Uruguayan adapts most modern techniques of Human resource management. When the employees feels like there is a discrimination on ultra and nationality, management should have the potential to bring out the best from the employees and end discrimination and be ethical. When the work is almost Company policy is to pay employees on their designation as mentioned in the case study, so according to the skill set and experience all the nationality employees should be given opportunity to take responsibility.This will also reduce the cost since employees from other nations can be replaced by local employees with same skill set and experience . 2) Can you identify any problem in sourcing the employees from different countries? A) The company provides salaries incentives etc. N hierarchy and national expatriate basis. This led to a feeling of discrimination among the employees from Malaysia and Philippines The employees of Malaysia, particularly pharmacists, feel that they r discriminated and paid less even though they do the same Job like the pharmacists from Philippines.On the other hand, Philippines have a strong feeling that they are also discriminated against Indian employees. They contribute the lions' share of profit to the company as pharmacists. While all the other employees believe that salaries are not based on the nationality of the employees, but based on the significance of duties. Mr.. Arranging despite of the modern HER techniques that he uses, couldn't have this problem solved. 3) What would be the possible measure to solve the problem of the company? A) The following measures can be taken to solve the pr oblem: Mr..Arranging should make the employees understand that all the departments and functions of the organization are equally important. SSP should hire more local employees with required skill sets in better designations. Care should be taken regarding employee motivation with some awards and rewards for the employees with best performances. Promotions and hikes should be considered with respect to the experience of the employees. Shaky bridge: Mr.. Arranging started the company in 1991 implies that he has very good experience in recruiting human resource.There is no need for him to cross any shaky bridges and can handle the alignment issue in the work force. Motivating the employees to be more focused on their Job is an option but the fact remains the same that cultural differences will exists. Moreover, increasing incentives, hikes in salaries etc will increase the cost for the company. Considering the ability of MR.. Arranging to recruit, SAA pharmacy can play a gamble with t he employees which might work in their favor to solve the issue. Case study mentions that the employees are concerned about the differences in their nationality and salaries of other employees.This is a clear indication that the employees are not completely focused. Every employee should work under common interest of the organization. Salary differences should not be a problem for the employees as they have to understand it increases the attractiveness of the company to recruit globally. So, from he given situation, the following questions arise: 1) Is SAA Pharmacy limited paying to international employees more when they can have local employees with same skill set for a lower expense? 2) Promotions, hikes etc. Used for next quarter? 3) Can SAA Pharmacy take an advantage of the differences in the work force?In the work force, Mr.. Arranging will have employees that are creating the issue and employees that get influences by such employees. Depending on the performance of the employe es Mr.. Arranging can lay off a few employees and increase the responsibilities of the other employees. This will make the employees more focused on their Jobs and stop poking their noses in other employees' affairs. Employees complaining that the company is not reaching their expectation, the company can turn the tables by increasing the expectations on the employees. As Mr..Arranging has good communication with the employees he can clearly mention this an opportunity to prove their skills and worth to get more benefits. If possible, company can mix and match the responsibilities of the employees and can conduct training programs to improve the skill set. Training programs for the employees to handle different responsibilities will not only improve the skill set of the employees but as he employees get to know the other employees Job, they will understand that lions and deer are equally important in a food chain. Applying this change can be a success or a failure depending on the s kill of Mr..Arranging and the level of commitment and efforts of the employees. Mr.. Arranging should lead them with an example by increasing his interaction with the employees and show that he is working as hard as all the other employees are. If the change is a success and the employees manage to reach the expectations then the company can give the promised benefits which can be compensated by other international employees as he company has local employees with the skill set and no longer need services of the international employees. If the change applied is a failure, at the very first alarm, Mr..Arranging should line up employees to balance the work force. In this case, it will be practically proven that the employees are not as worthy as they claim to be. Getting back the former employees will also increase the good will of the company. This is an unguarded change that can solve the issue and the company can choose not to take the risk. But crossing a shaking bridge is always u ncertain and its completely Mr.. Remonstrant's call since a person don't know what lies ahead of the bridge. Conclusion: In the workplace, and from a business perspective, having a diverse workforce is no longer a question.The world is interconnected and due to the huge advances in international travel and communication, people easily move and work across borders. Humans and the potential they possess drive an organization. The advantages of a diversified work force like Innovation, talent pools etc will be effective when issues like conflicts, disunity, bureaucracy etc are handle effectively. This can be assured by considering the following points: 1 . Recognize & welcome cultural differences 2. Adapt to new hires instead of enforcing the traditional corporate culture on them 3. Communicate and understand differences 4.Be attentive to verbal and nonverbal cues that might indicate or create tension 5. And customers gained or lost. We should always question and test the purpose of th ings and see if indeed the diversity policy or programmer is creating the results that is expected. Perhaps the diversity initiative is compromising the business performance. That doesn't mean to scrap diversity altogether but it might mean to go back to the drawing board and re-think the approach. References: Copeland, L. 1988. Valuing diversity: Making the most of cultural differences at the workplace.

Man and the Machine Essay

From the aeon of the history, we have perceived that man has been developing at jet speed in the fields of science and technology. Man, who once lived in the forest, in the natural state, is now on the cliff of mechanical advancement. The question arises today is, â€Å"who made whom? Did machine make man or man made the machine? The question might seem obscure or absurd but it intrigues us to ruminate over. The life leaning upon the Nature has taken a hue turn towards machines. Hence it’s difficult to operate man away from machines and visa versa. With the embrace of machines man has become systematic and machine perspective towards living. Man in history invented machines but became dependent too. Once man had cure in the nature, joy in the lap of nature and lived a satiated life in the bosom of Nature. Machines have denatured man. Machines that assumed â€Å"Nano† forms became part of man. Today one can’t but has to lean on them to survive. At present the machine is helping a small minority to live on at the exploitation of the masses. The motive force of this minority is not humanity and love of their kind, but greed and avarice. The craze of cell-phones is the best example today. We find no men without mobile. It’s a small machine that operates man in all his advancements. It’s not wrong to have such machines but the attachment and dependency of living on them has curtailed human freedom, energy and the strength. Ostensibly, it has become inseparable part of human living. Advances in technology have resulted in man feeling more isolated, alienated and lonesome as computers and i-pods have replaced human interaction. No man is sensitive to their feelings like machines when they are engaged by them. Should machines dominate us –rational, free human beings or should they be used for the development of our skills, talents and relationship? The question is applicable to all. Let us make the best of it to make the world a beautiful place to live in.

Control Systems – Rendell Company Report

T6Rendell Company * Divisional controllers report to general managers from 1985 onwards * 7 Distinct business units with their own profits, sales * 1980 corporate controllers responsible for 1) financial accounting 2) internal auditing 3) analysis of capital budget * Reports went directly to top management from divisions * Mr.Hodgkin wanted to play a more active role in establishing budgets and analyasing performance (would personally review budgets and study divisional performance and hired analysts to help) * Divisional managers discussed their budget with top management with divisional controller present * Divisional controllers primary responsibility was to divisional managers as opposed to corporate controllers so Bevins thought he wasn’t getting enough clear info on performance of units * Harrigan: Divisional controllers shouldn’t be â€Å"front office spies† if they want to have good working relationships with managers and help them with the control functi ons * Corporate controllers shouldn’t put divisional controllers in awkward positions regarding more data/opinions on financials. Questions: 1. What is the organizational philosophy of Martex with respect to the controller function? What do you think of it? Should Rendell adopt this philosophy? * Divisional controllers report to corporate controllers Responsible for establishing cost and profit standards and ensure follow through * Not intended to take initiative away from DMs * More formal line relationships as controllers work physically separate from division managers * Set of formal policies, goals, practices that employees (managers) are aware of before beginning in the orgnization * Accounting system controlled by controller division so systems are not tailored to each BU * Divisional managers at Martex like this system because it gives them an unbiased partner with relevant information, controller can do better analysis and there is little argument about cost reports I think this model works for Martex because of the existing culture that has been developed around this model.People in the organization are comfortable with this type of hierarchy. At Rendell the firm culture gives more power to divisional managers and gives them dedicated staff working under them. The feelings towards corporate are more adversarial so any change in the controller function will feel like a corporate spy as opposed to better communication. This philosophy will not work with Rendell’s culture. It will lead to more reliance on informal organization and poorer communication with corporate. 2. Who should the divisional controllers report to in the Rendell Company? Divisional controllers should report to both management and corporate controllers while ensuring DM are aware of this responsibility. 3.What should the relationship be between the corporate controller and the divisional controllers. DC should report to CC to the extent that it ensures corporate directive s are implemented properly without harming DCs and DMs. DCs should communicate that corporate initiatives are being followed/met within their divisions. 4. Would you recommend major changes in the basic responsibilities of either the corporate controller or the divisional controller? Divisional controllers need to play a stronger role as opposed to being a staff like assistant to DMs. However, having them as a direct report to CCs would conflict with the existing culture between DMs and DCs.

Introuction to property Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Introuction to property - Essay Example Inspecting the properties consisted of going to the sites for the properties, viewing the floor plans, the amenities, and the virtual tours – the virtual tours showed pictures of the different rooms, and the exterior. The site listings also had the total meter dimensions for the lots. All of this information was compared to the information obtained for the house on 31 Worthing Ave., which was one of the homes featured in the first assignment. 4 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms. Land size – 565 square meters. 2 carports. House features a formal lounge, dining room with a built-in bar. The kitchen is advertised as modern with adjoining family meals area. The house also features a paved garden. The four bedrooms have built in robes. The house also features bathrooms which have a door to the master bedroom, as well as a door into the hallway. The laundry has been renovated. The kitchen appliances have been imported from Europe. The house also has a dining room which is connected to a lounge. The master bedroom measures 3.4 m x3.3 m. The other bedrooms measure 3.3 m x2.8 m, 2.8 m x 3.4 m, and 2.8 m x 3.6. One of the bedrooms is connected to a rumpus room, which features hardwood floors and a modern bar. The kitchen is connected to a meals room, and features an island, and is features white tile and white cabinets. The kitchen and meals room measures 5 x 5.8. The home also features an attached shed, and outdoor entertaining area a nd a carport. The heating and air conditioner is ducted. The house is well-landscaped, being surrounded by bushes, flowers, succulents, hedges and trees. The house is also close to many attractions. Included is a nearby K-Mart Plaza, and The Glen. The house is also close to public transportation, freeways, quality schools and Deakin University. It also close to the Bally Shannassy Park, Highbury Park, the Tally Ho Business Park, the Eley Park, Jells Park, the Mahoneys Reserve, the Glenburn Tennis Club, the East

Reginald Fessenden Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Reginald Fessenden - Essay Example rks on electric power distribution systems for one year when he moved to Thomas Edison as a chief chemist and it is that he developed interest in the new media radio (Riley, 1999). He later became a professor of electrical engineering at Purdue in 1892 and University of Pittsburgh in 1893where he taught and did research for seven years. He then moved to the United States Weather Bureau to develop a wireless network for communication with weather stations where he invented the liquid barrater as a wave detector (Riley, 1999). In 1900, he sent the first voice via radio for a distance of 50 feet and later National Electric Signaling Company (NESCO) to develop wireless communication commercially. He then set up a 420 tower for two-way trans-Atlantic telegraph a followed by other radio inventions. In an effort by NESCO to publicize and market the wireless system, he made the first public voice broadcasts on Christmas 1906 (Riley, 1999). His other inventions include electrolytic detector, alternator development, heterodyning, sonic depth finder, efficient tuned antenna circuits, and continuous waves (Riley, 1999). In 1921, the Institute of Radio Engineers awarded Fe ssenden with its IRE Medal of Honor. His inventions spread across the world and at the age of 65 years, he left a significant mark in Engineering and

Facebook as a New Media Home and Distance Assignment

Facebook as a New Media Home and Distance - Assignment Example The paper posits that in the virtual space, Facebook has overcome the friction of distance. In reality, however, the medium has increased the social distance between its users. My Facebook community is significant. First, there are members of family and relatives. While a significant number of them are present on Facebook, I still prefer to communicate with them through more formal channels such as phone and email. For this category of participants, the virtual distance remains large, although socially we are close. Then there is an entire array of â€Å"friends† from elementary and high schools, classmates in college, and friends and acquaintances from church. Then, of course, there are â€Å"friends† of these â€Å"friends†. I communicate with this category of â€Å"friends† a lot via Facebook. Thus, the virtual distance between us is very short(Chen 1212). However, for close friends with whom I have had a long history, I preserve more serious talk on the phone and face-to-face conversations. For a physical house, the boundaries are quite clear. In most cases, there is a fence that demarcates the boundaries of the house. Usually, a person will not walk into the house unless they are a member or have been invited. This order ensures privacy for the inhabitants of the house. For the media house that is Facebook, the boundaries of friendships are quite blurred (Chen 1214). In fact, it appears that there is no limit to the chain of friends one can â€Å"invite† or receive invitations from. This scenario virtually erodes privacy on Facebook. Often, I receive "friend requests" from total strangers. In all cases, my reaction is to turn them down. On my part, I only â€Å"invite† people I know personally and whom I believe would be pleased to receive the invitation. There is a hierarchy of my Facebook â€Å"friends†(Chen 1213). At the top of the pyramid are family and friends. So serious am I about this category of friends that I limit my Facebook communications to greetings.  Ã‚  

Corporate Financial Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Corporate Financial Strategy - Essay Example The decision to make an investment is based on this benchmark. Mostly the companies employ various sources of finance such as equity, preference, debentures, term loans etc. The calculation of WACC is done using the weights of the different components of capital base. There are varying returns for all the sources. As the equity holders bear the maximum risk, the returns required by them is higher than the other investors. This is mainly because in case of extreme situation like insolvency, the equity shareholders have the last claim on the assets of the company. In such situations preference is given to the lenders of the company. Moreover, the declaration of dividends is not mandatory for the companies. A dividend is declared only if the company has surplus earnings whereas the payment of interest cost is mandatory. The company has to honour its debts irrespective of its profitability. This is the reason that the lenders get a lower return as compared to equity holders. But, if the company is highly leveraged, even the lenders become cautious and demand for higher returns. This is the reason that all the companies try to optimize their capital base for minimizing the cost of capital. The cost of capital is the minimum return that a company must earn from the business activities to payoff its investors who provide the necessary capital in the form of shares, debentures and loans. Two sets of information are needed for calculating the cost of capital- weights of the various sources of finance and their respective costs. Many studies have been conducted on the cost of capital which is dependent on the composition of the capital base of the company. The capital structure of a business measures the ability of a company towards meeting the needs of its stakeholders. Modigliani and Miller (1994) highlighted how the value of the firm is not affected by its capital structure as the tax advantage of debt

The Body Shop enter the Chinese cosmetics market Essay

The Body Shop enter the Chinese cosmetics market - Essay Example Since 1949, the telltale signs of China’s economic improvement are convincing (Raiklin, 2012). First, China was able to resolve its anarchy and disorder issues. With the resolution of the two issues, businesses can now flourish. The resolution of the two issues indicates peace and order currently prevails in today’s china environment. Further, peace and order allows the current and future customers to freely visit the nearest stores (Ferrell, 2011). The current and future customers are not fearful of being robbed while crossing the street towards the nearest department store. Similarly, the typical Chinese customers is assured that he will be able to visit the nearest corner store without be shot or killed by the street gangs. With peace and order prevailing, the customers are able to visit the stores during late nights to buy their food, medicines, and other personal necessities (Raiklin, 2013). The peace and order allows the stores to open up their shops (Hartline, 2011). The store owners will not fear that the store will be robbed. The presence of police officers watching the busy China streets will discourage the current and future store robbers from implementing their illegal activities. The stores will be able generate enough sales to pay for the costs and expenses of operating the stores (Raiklin, 2013). Street gangs will discourage economic benefits (Baumol, 2009). The stores located within street gang-infested streets will constantly be robbed by street gangs. Street gangs may threaten current and future customers who enter the store. Consequently, the current and future customers may decide to buy from safer places. China’s peaceful economic climate will ensure the Body Shop will continue to generate higher store visits and purchases from current and future customers. With the two issues resolved, the people learn to obey societal rules (Weihrich, 2009). The people learn to implement the