West Jest vs Air Canada Essay - 1203 Words

How serious is the threat from conventional airlines that want to imitate the westjet culture? What does it take to imitate organizational culture? Can Air Canada compete against westjet’s employee productivity and its relationship with its employees? Ever since its establishment in 1996, WestJet has aimed to operate as a low-cost carrier while employing non-unionized members in a unique organizational culture. In its simplest form this unique organizational culture can be labeled as a labor managed firm. In a labor managed firm employees are owners, and they are affected by the company’s performance through profit sharing. Then it should not be surprising that in labor managed firms, the employees can voice their opinions and actually†¦show more content†¦A labor force in its most basic form, through profit maximizing practices, must be minimized, due to the cost associated with it, in order to drive up profit. And it is because of this outlook that WestJet has managed to outperform their competition, for example Air Canada. This theory is in sync with the findings of Jeffery Pfeffer in his 1995 paper â€Å"Producing sustainable competitive advantage through the effective management of people.† As described above, the organizational culture, the foundation of WestJet’s success, is heavily weighted on its people. Where as the competition, sees the workforce as a cost and aims to minimize it, WestJet looks at their work force as an asset and an investment. Conventional airlines run their business as any other company. They look out for the shareholder’s best interest and do not pay the slightest attention to their workforce. In WestJet’s culture, the workforce consists of the shareholders due to profit-sharing and co-operative environment. By nature capital managed firms will have a hard time converting to labor managed firm. They will have to change a lot of rules and regulations that governs their everyday operations. They will face a large number of opposition by their shareholders. According to Fernandez Guadano (2009) even if they do manage to adopt similar practices as labor managed firms, they will never be able to achieve the same rate of employe e ownership and profit-sharing as their counterparts,Show MoreRelatedOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesand the impact of human endeavors on the environment in previous epochs, Tucker focuses on how the exponential increase in human reliance on fossil fuel energy sources over the course of the long twentieth century has degraded the land, water, and air of the planetary environment. From multinational corporations to impoverished peasants burning away the rain forest for land to plant their crops or pasture their cattle, he seeks to identify the specific agents responsible for both pollution and

Significance of the Conch in Lord of the Flies - 860 Words

A conch he called it. He used to blow it and his mum would come. It s ever so valuable Ââ€" Piggy, Lord of the Flies. The conch is a sea creature, its shell is revered in many cultures such as Hinduism and Buddhism for its beauty and the sound it makes. The conch is also that shell in Lord of the Flies which is blown into to gather the boys. The author, William Golding, uses the conch to show that democracy will succumb to rule by force in the face of serious trouble or need. In the book, it is a symbol of democratic power but it is not without its enemies who eventually overrule it. The conch is a symbol of democratic power at the beginning of the story. First, it is used to gather the boys. Ralph blows the conch to assemble them†¦show more content†¦Moreover, Jack uses torture to make people do his bidding. We see this when he tortures Sam with a spear, What do you mean by not joining my tribe? The prodding became rhythmic. Sam yelled.(202) We can therefore see that Jack uses pain and fear to rule, another characteristic of dictators such as Sadaam Hussein. Lastly, rocks of all shapes and sizes are used by Jack and his tribe for aggression, another tool of rule by force. One example of this is the use of a boulder to smash anyone who approaches Castle Rock, this is shown in chapter 10 Robert leaned lightly of the lever and the rock groaned. A full effort would send the rock thundering down to the neck of land. Roger admired.(176) Thus, rocks are tools of Jack s dictatorship and symbols of rule by force. Since Jack opposes democracy, torture s to rule and uses tools such as rocks for aggression; he, his tribe and rocks are symbols of rule by force. The conch loses its power to Jack and all that symbolises rule by force. As mentioned before, Jack openly disregards the conch and the power it gives. Because of this event, we can see that the conch is starting to lose its power. In addition, Jack does not care for the conch even if he can have it. We see this when Jack raids Ralph s camp for fire; afterwards Piggy says I thought they wanted the conch. Ralph responds They didn t take [it].(186). As a result, we can see that the conch no longer has meaning or value to Jack. In the end, theShow MoreRelatedSignificance Of The Conch In Lord Of The Flies Essay861 Words   |  4 PagesA conch he called it. He used to blow it and his mum would come. Its ever so valuable Ââ€" Piggy, Lord of the Flies. The conch is a sea creature, its shell is revered in many cultures such as Hinduism and Buddhism for its beauty and the sound it makes. The conch is also that shell in Lord of the Flies which is blown into to gather the boys. The aut hor, William Golding, uses the conch to show that democracy will succumb to rule by force in the face of serious trouble or need. In the book, it isRead MoreMichelle Duan Mrs. MJ English 10 H, per. 3 13 February 2014 A Symbol’s Worth a Thousand1500 Words   |  6 PagesSuch is the nature of the symbols found in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies. As a group of boys stranded on an island struggle to survive without adult supervision to maintain order, Golding uses a variety of objects to convey their descent from civilization into brutality, violence, and savagery. Of these objects, three hold particular significance. In Lord of the Flies, Golding uses the conch, the signal fire, and the Lord of the Flies to symbolize civilization, hope for rescue, and inner evilRead MoreLord Of The Flies By William Golding821 Words   |  4 Pagesand seen a conch shell and wondered if someone in time used this for civilization? Or even to show leadership? Well if you haven’t, then for sure you will be amazed! In the novel Lord of the Flies, the author William Golding specifically focuses on how a group of children ends up on an unknown island without rules and order in which they become sa vages and nearly act similarly to animals in one way or another. One symbol in this novel is the conch shell. The conch shell in Lord of the Flies representsRead MoreLord Of The Flies : Symbolism1012 Words   |  5 PagesBabatunde Carter (Jnr) English 102-0501 Mrs. Geneva Cannon 16th, November , 2015 Lord of the flies : The Symbolism of the Conch For Centuries philosophers and scholars have bantered about the topic of whether man is naturally fiendish. William Golding offers this conversation starter in his sensible novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies†. Set on a tropical island amid World War II, the novel starts when school boys from Incredible England are being traveled to well being and their plane is shotRead MoreUnderstood Objects of Symbolism in the Novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding716 Words   |  3 Pagesnovel, an object may represent something other than what it actually is. Lord of the Flies of by William Golding has several of these objects in it. An explanation for what objects hold symbolic meaning is would be like how snow may represent delight and happiness for a child. These objects also add side stories and add detail to the novel. Three objects that hold immense symbolic meaning in Lord of the Flies are the beast, the conch, and the signal fire. To begin with, one object that holds greatRead MoreThe Symbolism Of The Conch958 Words   |  4 PagesPeriod 1 1 May 2017 The Symbolism of the Conch For centuries philosophers, have debated the question of whether man is naturally evil. William Golding poses this question in his novel Lord of the Flies. Set on a tropical island during World War II, the novel begins when schoolboys from Great Britain are being flown to safety and their plane is shot down. No adults survive, and the boys are left to control themselves and get rescued. The boys find a conch, which is a symbol of power and authorityRead MoreLord Of The Flies, By William Golding1346 Words   |  6 Pagescould be many meaning if the reader discovers the symbolism in a piece of literature. In Lord of the Flies, there are many characters and objects that hold a symbolic value. Characters such as Ralph, the protagonist, and Jack, the antagonist, represent many things such as good and evil. But, there are also symbols that are within the title of the book and the name of the chapters. In Golding s Lord of the Flies, the narrator highlights that the story is more than just boys on an island, suggestingRead MoreThe Symbolism of the Conch Shell in Lord of the Flies by William Golding1086 Words   |  5 PagesThe Symbolism of the Conch In Lord of the Flies, several symbols are used to illustrate important ideas that are crucial to the plot and meaning of the book. One of these symbols is the conch: this rare shell is not only a precious and expensive in the world of merchandise; it also holds a dark and mysterious power over a group of English boys, lost on an island with no adults, clues, or means of escape. The boys set up a civilization and try to live in the society they have set up. This systemRead MoreLord Of The Flies Symbolism Analysis968 Words   |  4 Pages Lord of the Flies In William Goldings novel Lord of the Flies, he demonstrates the struggle of being trapped on an island containing no civilization and the attempt to remain safe. As the conflict starts to occur on the island, the battle to stay alive and hope to be rescued becomes more challenging for the boys. Throughout the novel, many symbolic elements become significant and are prominently used to get the reader to interpret things differently and see things in other perspectives. In theRead MoreAnalysis Of Lord Of The Flies And Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins1208 Words   |  5 Pagesit. The novels, Lord of The Flies by William Golding and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, demonstrate this prospect as through the narrative techniques of characterisation, plot, setting and style, they exemplify the moral decline of man under pressure to survive, ultimately resulting in savagery. Characterisation plays a major role in both texts as each character serves as a representation humanity and the faults within it. Throughout Lord of the Flies there is a developing

Strategic Managements Activities of Mc Donald-Samples for Students

Question: Analyze the strategic management activities that have been performed by McDonalds restaurant in the entire economy. Answer: Introduction The report helps in analysis of the current state of the marketing activities of the company named McDonalds that is based in USA. The current marketing strategy has to be analysed effectively with the proposed marketing strategy that will be applied by the company in the future. Proper frameworks have to be analysed in an effectual manner wherein this will help in synthesizing the leadership strategies and policies that can be used by McDonalds. The main aim and purpose of the report is to understand the strategic marketing concept in McDonalds as this will help in solving the different kind of difficulties in an effectual and appropriate manner. The proposed kind of marketing strategy is essential in nature to be adopted by McDonalds in order to enhance their activities to provide the different kind of products and services to the customers in an effectual manner. The structure of the report includes the analysis of the strategic management concepts along with other analysis that will help in analysing the marketing strategy that is helpful in attaining the proposed marketing strategy in an effectual manner. The different kind of leadership styles has to be discussed along with application of one of the concepts that will provide proper view on the marketing strategies that is used by McDonalds. About the company McDonalds is the American fast food Company that was founded in the year 1940 as the kind of restaurant that was operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald in United States of America("McDonald's: Burgers, Fries More. Quality Ingredients.", 2018). It is one of the fast food restaurants that was founded 77 years ago and the company is located in more than more than 36,900 locations till December 2016 and the revenues that has been earned by the company is more than US$24.622 billion (2016). McDonalds is the worlds largest chain of restaurant in terms of the revenue and profit and this is helping them in gaining huge competitive advantage in the market as well. The number of employees who are being employed under McDonalds is 375,000 and the operating income of the company is US$31.024 billion. McDonalds is known as for the different kind of hamburgers along with cheeseburgers as this is making them more effective and there has been introduction of different kind of salad, smoothies along with fish items in their menu that has been able to attract different kind of customers in the market as well. Furthermore, it has been seen that McDonalds revenues has been increased to a great extent and this is making them the second largest private employer in the entire market. Marketing of the company McDonalds strategic marketing plays a major role in developing the business as without proper kind of marketing strategy this will not be possible to attract the clients and this is inefficient in nature (Jrvinen Karjaluoto, 2015). It was seen that greatest achievement of McDonalds was the proper opening of Happy Meal to attract the children up-to the age of fourteen years. In the year 1970, McDonalds was searching the new techniques to catch the attention of the different customers in the market. The study indicated that the little ones are the different kind of great influencers in the decision-making technique (Taiminen Karjaluoto, 2014). The efficient SIPOC (supplier-Input-Process-Outputs-customer) model helps McDonalds in integrating the supplier, customer and organization to improve the quality level of the service is the strategic kind of advantage that will help in improving their business in an effectual manner (Rowley, 2016). The segmentation, positioning and targeting strategy that has been used by McDonalds helped the company in increasing the profitability of the company as well (Baker Saren, 2016). It has been seen that McDonalds uses the mix of demographics, psychographic and geographic variables that helps in segmenting the market and considering the different tastes and preferences of the customers. Due to the change in the pattern of the customers tastes and preferences, this will help them in increasing their profitability among the different age groups of the customers (Krajewski, Malhotra Ritzman, 2015). The present marketing mix of the Mac Donald company is as follows: Product: The company is a leading fast food company in the globe. Mc Donalds primarily sells chicken products, hamburgers, cheese burgers, breakfast, soft drink and desserts. In lieu of taking up the healthy aspect of the target market, the company has also started marketing salads, smoothies, fish wraps and fruits. Although Mc Donalds has tried to market various products and include wider menu options, the company is primarily famous for its burgers and French fries (Bhattacharya et al., 2017). The company customizes its products in various parts of the world according to the local taste. Price Mc Donalds uses various pricing strategies to attract the crowds and offer them a good meal at affordable prices. Mc Donalds makes use of price bundling strategy which offers bundling products with a happy meal offer for its customers. In order to ensure, that McDonalds is able to attract larger market, it has reduced its pricing offerings in various countries so as to ensure popularity; the company also gives additional offers and discounts to cater to the middle income group. The primary customers of Mc Donald are the group of people who want to enjoy a good meal at a genuine price. Promotion Mc Donalds spends a large amount of money on its various advertisement campaigns and takes the medium of various newspaper ads, billboards and sponsorship events like FIFA world cup, Little League and others to promote its products. The promotion style of Mc Donalds can be described as an aggressive one. It engages in various Television advertisements on channels whose viewers are the younger crowd. It wants to promote itself as an adaptable brand which sells a wide variety of goods and changes its taste as per the requirement of the given country (Emeana, 2013). The `I`m lovin it` campaign is very famous and popular. Place Mc Donalds restaurants are found in more than 110 countries in the globe with more than 36000 outlets worldwide. The company operates in various formats like Mc Drive, Mc Caf, Next and Mc Express as well. The restaurant functions in a self service format whereby the customers are allowed to make their own meals and facilities (Deng, Kang Low, 2013). The restaurants are located in various parts of the globe. Recently, Mc Donalds has started mobile based application and ordering in order to access the e-commerce market. IMC Strategy The IMC strategy of Mc Donalds involves Advertising using print media, TV Ads and others. It also uses various sales promotion activities like catering to the younger generation by aims of making their products even more popular. The restaurant has a well defined public relations plan which tends to offer help to the company in order to market its products. Proposed Marketing Strategy: The 12- month marketing strategy which has been proposed for the company has been given as follows: Product Mc Donalds has been back slashed very often for making use of various unhealthy ingredients in its products. For this reason, it has been suggested that Mc Donalds needs to revamp its market offering and indulge in a healthier meal option for the different customers. It can offer more vegetarian options for the various individuals as a majority of people all around have been planning to adopt a vegan way of life (Flammer, 2013). Price The company can also apply other pricing techniques apart from the present psychology pricing of using 9 in its price denominators (Saeidi et al., 2015). There are various online foods ordering applications available company can actually increase the prices of the products by observing the price of its competitors. This will ensure that the company is able to earn higher revenues. Place Although McDonalds has been successfully able to extend its operations in various parts of the globe, it is still not available widely on the digital platform. There is various online food ordering applications available like Zomato and UberEats where the customers tend to enjoy the experience at the comfort of their homes (Crane, Matten Spence, 2013). Becoming more prominent on the online domain will go a long way in helping the company to ensure that it is successfully able to capture the larger market. Promotion The company needs to revamp its promotional activities. In order to attract a larger crowd, the company can aim to improve its promotion strategies and make use of social media marketing in making its products very popular among the larger audience. The Gap existence As it can be observed that there exists a gap amongst the proposed plan for the next 12 months and the current market of the organization. The gap areas which need to fulfilled are as follows: The product offering- McDonalds needs to offer better vegetarian products for its markets as more and more customers are adopting for the vegan way of life. Place: The Company needs to be made available on the online food delivery applications to ensure it is able to cater to the needs of a larger crowd (Carroll, 2015). The company also needs to engage in social media marketing so that it is able to attract a larger audience. Social media marketing is one of the most used ways of promoting its products and it should be applied by the firm in order to ensure sustainable success. Leadership Proper leadership is essential in the organizations as this helped them in providing high morale to the employees in the organizations. The leadership is essential and it plays a major role in motivating the employees to perform better in the organization as well. McDonalds is one such companies that helps in looking into the different kind of principles that follows individualized store goals along with motivation to the employees who are performing in the organization (Baker Saren, 2016). McDonalds treat all the employees in an equal manner wherein this helps them in providing them the morale to perform the different activities in the organization in an appropriate manner (Chaffey, 2016). Presently, in the current scenario, it has been seen that McDonalds is using the creative problem-solving strategy in solving the different kind of issues with organizational resources and this helps them in accomplishing the different objectives of the organization as well. In McDonalds, it has been seen that all the employees know the way they are heading to and the contribution of the individuals in the organization as well (Tiago Verssimo, 2014). One of the most essential aspects of McDonalds planning strategy is that proper effectiveness is required in the supply chain management strategies. Proper timely delivery and quality raw materials helps in establishment of good relations with supply chain partners of McDonalds. Proper value-based leadership has been used by McDonalds restaurant wherein it is seen that all the employees are valued in performing the different kind of activities that is helping them in reducing the communication gap between the higher and lower level officials. The mission, vision along with representation of the ethics and values of the leaders and employees are valued in an effectual manner and this is increasing in maintaining similar kind of culture effectively. In McDonalds, the different kind of values of the different employees are being valued in an effectual and appropriate manner wherein this will help them in connecting with the personal values of the employees and this focuses more on the flexible kind of organizational culture as well. The flexible kind of work schedule is provided to the employees who are working in McDonalds and this has helped the entire organization in working in flexible working hours and this is helping them in performing in an effectual manner in the organization as well (Holliman Rowley, 2014). Furthermore, it has been seen that there are different kind of motivational tools that are used by the leaders of the organization wherein the employees work is motivated with the usage of such non-monetary and monetary rewards and this is helping the entire organization in solving the different kind of grievances of the employees in the organization in an appropriate manner (Spiller Tuten, 2015). Different kind of training programs are performed and adopted by McDonalds restaurant wherein it helps the company in making them effectual in nature to perform the different kind of tasks effectively (Charlesworth, 2018). Lastly, it was seen that there are different kind of appraisal systems wherein this helps the employees in the organization to provide them motivated and this helped the employees in satisfying the requirements of the customers effectually as well (Kannan, 2017). the turnover rate of the employees at McDonalds has been reduced to a great extent wherein it is seen that the employees are awarded for the best performance and this is increasing the morale of the employees as well (Shankar et al., 2016). Corporate Social Responsibility The Corporate Social Responsibility can be described as a form of self regulation program which is integrated into a business model. The Corporate social responsibility functions as a regulatory mechanism where the business has to ensure that it ensures that the company is able to monitor and act in compliance with the ethical standards (Ruggie, 2017). Apart from regulatory activities and statutory requirements, the company also needs to ensure that its actions are contributing to the success of the organization and contributes in making something good and valuable for the society at large (Schwartz, 2017). The various Corporate Social Responsibility strategies encourages a given company to make a positive impact on its stakeholders as well as the environment which comprises of various parties to the business like the employees, investors, communities and other related people in a business organization. Corporate Social Responsibility is considered to be important because: Better overall market performance- The companies who are able to portray a better corporate social responsibility practice are generally able to perform better overall performance. This enables the firm to increase its profits and perform better. Better stock price recovery- The companies who have an extensive corporate social responsibility practice at work, tend to observe a considerable rise in their stock prices in the stock prices. This is because companies like to associate themselves with firms with a better corporate social responsibility as it reflects that the company cares for its users (Tai Chuang, 2014). Better access to policy making and makers-The government is also supportive of those members who have a well defined corporate social responsibility plan at work (Clapp Rowlands, 2014). This helps them to divide their duty and serve the society at large in a better manner. This is reflected by the fact at those companies who have a better corporate social responsibility plan tend to gain help from the government in form of grants and gains. Improved employee talent-The employees want to associate themselves with firms that are engaged in a proper corporate social responsibility system. This is because the corporate social responsibility adapted by the companies reflects their attitude towards the welfare of the society at large. Higher employee engagement-The employees tend to perform even better if they are generally made a part of these activities which involve the betterment of the society at large (Cheng, Ioannou Serafeim, 2014). If the employees are involved in the development of the society it has proven to have increased their contribution towards productivity. The Corporate Social Responsibility of Mc Donalds The CSR at Mc Donalds involves ensuring that the company behaves in a socially ethical manner and deals ethically with the other parties who have been involved in the same. It involves activities like spreading public awareness and planning for future business operations (Takkar, 2015). According to the company`s corporate social website, the company takes into account serious responsibilities and maintains an open lines of communication with the various stakeholders and customers (Khan, Muttakin Siddiqui, 2013). The company has its own code of conduct for the different suppliers which set down various regulation acts for its relationship maintenance with the suppliers. The company is also working towards a sustainability project which aims to improve the conditions of the various farm workers in various underdeveloped nations. Mc Donalds is also engaged in various community base projects which are driven at becoming an important assistance among various companies. The company has made various contributions to the Flagship Farms Initiative which helps the farmers in showcasing various innovative farming techniques (Servaes Tamayo, 2013). The company is also engaged in a Sustainable Fisheries program for collaboration with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (Kilkenny, 2014). The company also donates a portion of its profits to the Ronald McDonald Housing Charities in particular to the care mobile attempts which aim to ensure that the various children in vulnerable communities to receive efficient medical health care facilities. Conclusion Therefore, it can be concluded that McDonalds is one of the largest food chains in the entire market and this has been able to attract the different customer base in the economy. It has been seen that there are different kind of positive approaches in the marketing strategy that has been used by the company, however there are different kind of issues in the organizational strategy wherein this is causing huge loss of profit in their business. The effective marketing strategy will help in embarking sustainability projects in an effectual manner and this created huge scope for them to promoting good environmental practices. Furthermore, it has been seen that the current marketing strategy is essential and helpful in nature, however there can be different kind of technological advancements in the strategies of marketing 4Ps wherein they can introduce the different kind of effective strategic management activities wherein this includes inclusion of the food delivery applications along with inclusion of different other variety of the food items for the vegetarian individuals. It has been seen that the corporate social responsibility that has been performed by McDonalds is huge in nature wherein they are performing different social activities that has helped the environment in overcoming the different challenges in an effectual manner. It has been seen that the corporate social responsibility activities policy of McDonalds is related to different kind of campaigns that has helped them in obtaining a competitive gain and advantage in the entire competitive market as well. The marketing strategy of McDonalds has helped the company in including different age group of individuals who has helped the company in becoming the largest restaurants in the entire market. Lastly, it has been seen that there are different CSR activities with sustainable supply chain strategy and this will help the company in providing wider framework to them effectually. References Baker, M.J. Saren, M. eds., (2016).Marketing theory: a student text. Sage. Bhattacharya, C. B., Korschun, D., Sen, S., Routledge, H. (2017). Corporate social responsibility.Journal of International Law,26(2). Carroll, A. B. (2015). Corporate social responsibility.Organizational dynamics,44(2), 87-96. Chaffey, D., (2016). Global social media research summary 2016.Smart Insights: Social Media Marketing. Charlesworth, A., (2018).Digital marketing: A practical approach. Routledge. Cheng, B., Ioannou, I., Serafeim, G. (2014). Corporate social responsibility and access to finance.Strategic Management Journal,35(1), 1-23. Clapp, J., Rowlands, I. H. (2014). Corporate social responsibility.The Essential Guide to Global Environmental Governance. Routledge: London, 42-44. Crane, A., Matten, D., Spence, L. (2013). Corporate social responsibility in a global context. Deng, X., Kang, J. K., Low, B. S. (2013). Corporate social responsibility and stakeholder value maximization: Evidence from mergers.Journal of financial Economics,110(1), 87-109. Emeana, N. (2013). corporate social responsibility. Flammer, C. (2013). Corporate social responsibility and shareholder reaction: The environmental awareness of investors.Academy of Management Journal,56(3), 758-781. Holliman, G. Rowley, J., (2014). Business to business digital content marketing: marketers perceptions of best practice.Journal of research in interactive marketing,8(4), pp.269-293. Jrvinen, J. Karjaluoto, H., (2015). The use of Web analytics for digital marketing performance measurement.Industrial Marketing Management,50, pp.117-127. Kannan, P.K., (2017). Digital marketing: A framework, review research agenda.International Journal of Research in Marketing,34(1), pp.22-45. Khan, A., Muttakin, M. B., Siddiqui, J. (2013). Corporate governance and corporate social responsibility disclosures: Evidence from an emerging economy.Journal of business ethics,114(2), 207-223. Kilkenny, S. (2014). Corporate Social Responsibility.Network Journal,21(3), 24. Krajewski, L.J., Malhotra, M.K. Ritzman, L.P., (2015).Operations management: processes supply chains. Pearson. McDonald's: Burgers, Fries More. Quality Ingredients.. (2018). Mcdonalds.com. Retrieved 22 April 2018, from https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us.html Rowley, J., (2016).Information marketing. Routledge. Ruggie, J. G. (2017). The theory and practice of learning networks: Corporate social responsibility and the Global Compact. InLearning To Talk(pp. 32-42). Routledge. Saeidi, S. P., Sofian, S., Saeidi, P., Saeidi, S. P., Saaeidi, S. A. (2015). How does corporate social responsibility contribute to firm financial performance? The mediating role of competitive advantage, reputation, and customer satisfaction.Journal of Business Research,68(2), 341-350. Schwartz, M. S. (2017).Corporate social responsibility. Routledge. Servaes, H., Tamayo, A. (2013). The impact of corporate social responsibility on firm value: The role of customer awareness.Management science,59(5), 1045-1061. Shankar, V., Kleijnen, M., Ramanathan, S., Rizley, R., Holl, S. Morrissey, S., (2016). Mobile shopper marketing: Key issues, current insights, future research avenues.Journal of Interactive Marketing,34, pp.37-48. Spiller, L. Tuten, T., (2015). Integrating metrics across the marketing curriculum: The digital social media opportunity.Journal of Marketing Education,37(2), pp.114-126. Tai, F. M., Chuang, S. H. (2014). Corporate social responsibility.Ibusiness,6(03), 117. Taiminen, H.M. Karjaluoto, H., (2015). The usage of digital marketing channels in SMEs.Journal of Small Business Enterprise Development,22(4), pp.633-651. Takkar, K. (2015). Corporate social responsibility.International Journal of Research in Economics and Social Sciences,5(8), 297-302. Tiago, M.T.P.M.B. Verssimo, J.M.C., (2014). Digital marketing social media: Why bother?Business Horizons,57(6), pp.703-708

Socratic Conversation Essay Example

Socratic Conversation Essay Socratic conversation—discussing this in the style of philosophers with hypothetical conversations and monologues. As we drive away from the Jacque Fresco lecture that I made my father, an evolutionary scientist, attend, he frowns and squints through the rain, preparing to say something but never saying it. Q) I’m sorry. He mutters finnally. Q) It’s just when they start talking about no money, that’s when they’ve lost me. I decide to take the approach that works. It’s going to be a long commute. A) You’ve seen the film Dad, we’ve talked before. Q) *grunt* A) Now†¦ Pretend you’re already in a global resource based economy, all that this entails, and remember this means we’ve done away with money and a system based upon this: a monetary system. Q) Who’s going to build my house? A) It isn’t who, but how. This sentence is the true question, your question is a very timely one that is completely limited to the state of technology and knowledge it came from. We don’t pay the ice man to come to our homes anymore, we don’t do this because we freeze water ourselves. ‘Who’s going to freeze my ice? ’ No-one. Q) Well yes, through a freezer that you have to buy. We will write a custom essay sample on Socratic Conversation specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Socratic Conversation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Socratic Conversation specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer So how? You can’t pay the builder, so how? A) We do this via systems engineering. Pre-fab living spaces are built in half an hour with extrusion technology in a home that’s built as a single unit. Gone are the days of bricks and mortar. You could always build it out of choice. Ultimately when you study this particular aspect of Fresco’s ideas, it becomes quite clear that when it comes to living in such an environment, homes would be built with minimum of risk, maximization of efficiency of materials, easily, quickly, and very much personalized. Q) Fine, but who pays for this process? A) The premise of this exercise was first to assume we live in a non-monetary, Resource Based Economy, but if you want to discuss how we evolved towards this we can discuss that. Needless to say, this is a very different world from the one you and I inhabit now. We live in a world where the primary mechanism is the mechanism of profit. This drives our society now, it won’t in the future. The profit motive actually retards the progress f technology, as well as other aspects of human social wellbeing, creates endless waste, inefficiency, planned obsolescence, and compromises individuals and aggregate institutions (corporations, etc) to pursue profit without regard to the human and environmental consequences, without regard to its relevance to the actual operations and processes of the planet, its relevance to enhancing the lives of men, and gears the true innovative powers of humans towards exactly that: turning a profit. This is where the majority of current ‘innovations’ occur at present. It is an abhorrent system, mechanism, and state that we live in. The profit motive as a driving mechanism of society, rather than the scientific method, will eventually be the end of us. You know this. This is the problem, this is the pivotal cause—the cause of wars, indifference to certain catastrophes and genocides, to mass pollution, mass over population in tiny spaces when we have ample room, planned obsolescence, plundering the planet, destroying natural habitats irrevocably, leeching off of entire ecosystems until we have sucked them dry like a virus, which we have done with Mediterranean fisheries, homelessness, people being denied healthcare, loosing their livelihoods, terrible standards of living, 1 billion starving, people forced to work in mindless, stressful, endless jobs, and on, and on. It compromises science, technology, medicine, people, the environment, as well as things that will one day be irrelevant, such as traditional politics. Let me say the previous point again, and really try to make it as apparent to you as it should be: our current driving mechanism in global society is the mechanism of profit, not the scientific method. We will discuss that later, needless to say, very few people have ever stopped to consider this. You are a scientist. Really stop and think about that when you have some time. Q) Fine, can you tell me how we get to this, though? I don’t hear a lot of that. A) Here we go. It’s both simple and complicated, and, if one is a pessimist, we may not get there. As technology evolves, as with our understanding, goods and services will continually be automated and cybernated. This process is ongoing and the trend will continue whether you like it or not. Goods and services will continually be made more efficient, more productive, and available at lower and lower costs: through the work of engineers and technicians, and essentially the application of the scientific method toward particular problem solving (the problems in this context are framed within the monetary ystem—the problems of increasing productivity, and lowering costs). At our current state, this process was born solely in order to provide goods and services at a cheaper, faster rate for the producer. He could now build 10 toy horses in the time it took to make 1, with half the employees. Two things give a product or service value: the labor involved, and the scarcity of the resources employed. Where is the value in a letter I write to you? The limited trees, processed into paper are the resource, and the man carrying it to you is the labor. What about an email? There is no resource, it is binary code in ones and zeros, and is no longer relevant within this very framework. There is no labor, lest we decide to anthropomorphize the digital process and pay the code for arranging itself on your screen. Incidentally, this email I sent you was free. No scarce, withheld resource, no labor. It is free. Please understand this relationship. As this occurs with more and more things, the economic meltdown of this system is kept on a constant heat. You once had the majority of the labor force in agriculture, but this was phased out with high degrees of automation and more efficient farming: cotton was once entirely picked by people, now, in industrialized countries, it is entirely automated. In western countries, the labor force flocked to the industrial production centre. This ended when mass, more productive and efficient and cheaper mechanical automation took over in all aspects. Machines making machines. Would have sounded too fanciful 100 years ago, but this is the case ubiquitously. The population in countries like the US and Britain were forced to find new work, and what occurred was a mass flock to the service sector. Without this the masses would have been jobless, and the economy would have completely foundered. Now, this sector represents the overwhelming majority of the labor force. And this sector is falling prey to technological unemployment dramatically. The invention of automated bank tellers, which we call ATMs, has phased out the majority’s use of tellers as a means of banking, combined with its cybernation on the internet, where internet banking and phone banking, conducted with automated phone-banking systems, sees next to zero need for human employees. The phone service aspect of the sector is dancing in its own grave. It is all automated at this point. There are no needs for secretaries to do this anymore, and the entire industry is getting rid of them one by one. The internet has redefined retail. It is systematically putting many ace-to-face businesses out of business and on shaky grounds. Digitized media have crippled the music, film and software industries irrevocably. Not many children now, who you have to understand are more tuned into this than you and I, pay for their music, movies, games or software. It is all stored on binary code, which is totally abundant, should be free, and is infinitely copy-able and dist ributed and even altered. I could give many examples, as a last one I will say that my local supermarket is automated. I don’t buy from checkout counter girls, I go to an automated checkout and do it myself. Q) It’ll put the people behind it out of work. A) That’s my overall point. This is a process of phasing out human labor, so absolutely, yes. This is the highest form of efficiency available and possible—technology and what we can make of it. It is not good for the monetary system. But it is the most efficient, productive, and faster moving. Can you understand and appreciate this relationship? Our own social evolution has birthed this, and it is now taking the baton and running with it, exponentially faster, eventually leaving outmoded institutions in the dust. It is already in direct competition with human labor, jobs, and the less efficient market system itself. Future generations will understand this fact, it will be abundantly clear to them. The monetary system is reaching a cancerous stage, is structurally paralyzing at this point, and is a hindrance to social and technological progress. Q) And this process will lead to a resource based, non-money based economy? A) It is part of the process, a very important part. Q) Don’t you think the solution is just to improve the structure of the system? Go back to the gold standard, reign in the bankers, have more transparency, and so on? A) Let’s nip this in the bud. If you assassinated Rockefeller, disbanded the secret societies people fear, reintroduced the gold standard, hanged the bankers and danced with the Ewoks at the end of Return of the Jedi, this thing of ours would continue, unabated, on its trajectory of strategic dominance, acquisition, and conquering, and following that single powerful driving mechanism of profit. All of the problems discussed and that we will continue to discuss in this conversation will be inherent and will continue unabated. It will not solve the problems to, for instance, bring back the gold standard. This will be a very temporary measure to help in certain aspects, a band aid. It is not about patching holes in a box that is inherently flawed, it is not about placing some ointment on a cancerous growth and handing the patient back his pack of cigarettes, it is about realizing the entire system is built on foundations of clay. We will still have a totally flawed, unsustainable, self-destructive, exploitative, maladaptive, socially and technologically retarding system that creates incentives for corruption, wars, inefficiency, denying key goods and services, that plunders the planet with no reference to natural processes, laws, and what is available. It is still an infinite growth paradigm, on a finite world. It is still monumentally stupid, and primitive. Our arguments are far more sophisticated and fundamental than saying ‘if only we could return to the gold standard’, or ‘if only we could stick the bankers with harsher laws’. Monopolies, oligarchs, corruption, domination of resources, exploitation of labor, massive-scale corprotocracy projects—these things are all products of socio-economic evolution within the monetary paradigm. They are born from this. Any such measure as the gold standard or particular auditing laws, and so on, will not stop this inherent nature of this system. Q) Moving on, because you have not yet satisfactorily answered this. How can something be made for free? A) It is possible to produce something with such efficiency that its monetary value is next to nothing, undermining the monetary economy and the incentive to charge and even do it: it requires the automated process to have no forced human labor, no scarce resources, and to be designed in such a way that breakdown, rather than being inherent as it is in our current cheap shoddy, planned obsolescence products that are built to be bought and sold for profit, would have a truly maximized lifespan, truly efficient function and use of power, and eventually self-repairing, just as our own bodies are. Q) Self-repairing machines? Hmm†¦ A) And this is an important point actually: such a society is holistically designed and built on the same premise as an organism like the human body: it does not compete with itself, undercut itself and it is connected through a central nervous system. This is what is meant by a ‘systems approach’ and that’s complex so no need to delve into that right now. Cities and societies of the future, as technical creations, will resemble something closer to an organism, or a cell, than the inefficient, entropic entities we exist in today. What we have now, forget these terms we’ve all been brainwashed with—Capitalism, freedom, democracy, ‘free trade’—this is what it is. Ready? It is conquering. It is a big, grand system based on conquering, not freedom: conquering. We do it on main street, Wall Street, between companies, corporations, countries, everywhere and everyday. We compete for wealth, conquer, and take it. And we convince ourselves and other that we are somehow ‘free’ that we think it’s the right way to be, and that we are civilized. To recap and emphasize my previous point, which I want you to internalize, through automation and cybernation, goods and services will continually be made more and more productively with increasingly lower costs, and its value goes down in correlation. In fact, true peak efficiency in the creation of something renders it valueless in a monetary system, such as communication (this has already occurred). With this constant march of technology, the phenomenon of technological unemployment and the decreasing cost and hence value of production and services, we will be left with a social dilemma of enormous proportions. Technological evolution is in direct competition with the monetary system, and hence this current system of allocating goods and services is in competition with progress itself. It will implode in this fashion. It will only be able to maintain itself, as it has done, through cyclical consumption and hence will require the steady employment of most of the population. However, technological unemployment will continually phase out the latter, which will in turn drastically undercut the former. And hence, an economic and social breakdown will commence, as it has been doing. Not only can the planet not sustain such a system, but the system cannot even maintain itself. This is what happens in reality, things change and move on into new paradigms. Once the system’s integrity is really compromised like this, a necessary shift to something like a Resource Based Economy will be needed. Or we can do to ourselves what the Easter Islanders did. And finally on this note, the process of the global monetary system is set up in such a way, and evolves as such, that it pulls wealth and ownership and hence power into the hands of the few. But make no mistake, it isn’t an evil cabal of devil worshiping bankers, or that Rockefeller sold his soul or a ‘New World Order’ elite who plan secretly from a castle in Bulgaria to dominate the planet. The existence and persistence of a very small sector of society having most of the wealth and hence power is an end result of the way the very system operates. It is a system of dominance and conquering, the bigger shark swallowing the smaller shark. Monopoly is the success story and end result of ‘capitalism’ and money invariably ends in the hands of the few who own most of the world’s land, wealth, and resources. This is a sinister system, and the issues raised by people like John Perkins, are people and organizations simply following the profit motive. Q) Fair enough, I’m aware of that. But right now people still need jobs. A) Please ask yourself this question, should the focus of society be to create and maintain jobs, or to maximize productivity and create abundance? I hope it becomes increasingly clear to you that we cannot and will not have both. The more automation occurs, the more productivity and unemployment occurs. Why has this occurred? Q) Why has automation and that kind of stuff occurred, to build things faster, more efficiently, and cheaper? A) To make more money. Yes. This is the reason it was done in a monetary, profit incentive-based system. But, ironically, it has and will put so many people out of work, and birth higher forms of technology, which it will undercut the very system it emerged from. Please appreciate that with this fact, we belong to a system that is in direct competition with higher productivity and efficiency. That we are in competition, as humans, with machines. But, wait a minute, how ridiculous can you get? We shouldn’t be in competition with machines. That’s preposterous and the more I think about it, the more irritated I am that I was born now and not, say, 300 years from now. Automation is the emancipation proclamation for the human species. Gone are the days of having to march miles to fetch dirty water, toiling in a cotton field, and any other form of servitude for subsistence or money. Q) Yes but it is a problem, because we don’t have that job as an opportunity to make money anymore once it is automated. A) Yes, it is a problem in this system. But it isn’t a problem if it is freeing humans up from monotonous labor. That task is now done by a more productive, faster, drone. And you are not a drone. You should never be knee high in filth in a sewer, your whole damn life, you should never be leaning into an iron ore furnace, supplying it with raw materials, you should never be doing such a thing when we have the technology for an actual drone to do it. When you have an elevator man, who used to crank those levers to make the elevator go up and down, and technology saw to it that all you needed to do was walk in and press a button, the ‘elevator man’ as a job was phased out. Now that’s a problem for him, because he still needs monetary units to survive. When a dangerous British industrial cloth-making factory fazes out the (many missing digits) children from the factory floor with machines, they should be better off, yet what the fuck do they leave it for? They need and don’t have money, and hence are left hungry, homeless, and desperate. When a machine processes cotton with zero human labor, the cotton pickers have a problem, because they need money to have a dignified life. But what is the real problem here? Have you spotted it yet? You cannot stop technology. We are doing our best, to limit it’s use in all sectors, to maintain energy infrastructures that are retarding progress and are dangerous and outmoded, God knows we are trying, but we cannot stop it. And why would anyone want to? Why? Why stop a machine from cleaning disgusting sewers? Why stop an automated factory from producing the pipes for that sewer? Why stop a drone from harvesting cotton all its long life? Because we exist in something called a monetary system. This will be studied by future generations with interest. You believe, and so does the majority of this planet, that automation and cybernation is a bad thing in a major way. Q) I don’t, really. A) In so many words you’ve admitted that you do, though I’m convinced not with complete conviction. The monetary system is the real problem, because when you’ve been freed up from picking cotton, standing at a checkout, working in a factory, you aren’t actually free—you need to pool what we call money from the circulating supply. Without this, you won’t have electricity, food, water, or a shelter. We’ve invented electricity scientifically, but you won’t have it without first having money. We’ve invented clean, abundant tap water, but you won’t have it easily without first getting money for a shelter. Fewer and fewer jobs exist as more and more and more of them are phased out and automated. Q) So you’re saying the system will collapse, essentially? A) I’m saying that’s very possible, and also I want to drill this point in that it isn’t automation that’s the problem, it’s the economic system. It’s very simple. How much unemployment can a place have and absorb efore the integrity of the system is undermined? 40%? 50%? 60%? Q) I agree that the system will self-destruct in many ways. But I don’t really see this other option as working. A) Well, that’s because you haven’t lived in it. I think you would like it. Q) But something will always have some kind of monetary value, no matter how efficient. A) From the perspective of the producer (though they do not likely understand this consciously), true efficiency—true peak efficiency—of the production of something will render it valueless in a monetary system, as I said. The digitized medium birthed by computers is so efficient that it cannot be priced without first forcing artificial barriers and limits on the movie, music, software or website. Youtube and Wikipedia are totally free, as is the PDF of any given paper, but to make it have a monetary value now we will have to restrict the technology, introduce passwords we only give to ‘paying customers’, and create laws and imprison people for breaking them. What would this be? What would this action, this turn of events, really be? Except the un-knowing participation in the self-preservation of the current monetary paradigm, and the current status quo. You have to understand that, ultimately, change is the only constant: mountains rise and fall, the Universe ever expands, organisms live and die, organisms evolve, societies change and evolve, technology is exponentially moving on, etc. And eventually, come what may, the monetary system, and by this I mean the use of money in the creation and distribution of goods and services, is ultimately in direct competition with technological progress. This is because it is ultimately a false institution—one that will seek to preserve itself to no end. It was a necessary aspect of human social evolution, but to assume it is the apex of human achievement, and will always be here, is nothing less than utopian. Q) As I said, not everything can be free though because not everything is actually abundant. A) To move into a resource based global economy would require declaring the world’s resources the common heritage of all of humanity. We would need to do a global resource survey, which has never been done. There are some things that are comparatively scarce, maybe some kind of mineral that we extract an element from to make touch screens. The aim is to use science and technology to create abundance, not target scarcity for money. This does not mean going without. This is what occurs right now. So, imagine we only had enough of a resource to create 100 state of the art touch screens. This isn’t true by the way, but imagine. Our aim is what? To hoard that resource, like a squirrel, and make those 100 touch screens, and sell them to the highest bidder? No. What a petty, primitive solution to that problem. The challenge is to produce touch screens and hence we will seek solutions that do not use this resource, or that artificially recreates this resource. This is not an incentive now. The incentive is to maintain scarcity. It’s why OPEC exists, why we burn and hoard diamonds, and create the notion that something is scarce. That will be the challenge of the future, how to create abundance, not maintain scarcity—we’ve got it the wrong way around. Q) So we will all be wallowing in 7 acre mansions, with golden limousines and leer jets, having everything in abundance and for free?! A) Of course not. Q) So it would not really be possible to have this society then would it? A) Let me make this very clear. It absolutely would not be possible, desirable, or anything less than disgusting to have such an attempted world. Ironically, this is what we are aspiring towards collectively now, and this premise is so far removed from the tenets and ideas of a resource based economy that you may as well ask if we’ll all be Paris Hilton in such a society. Q) But you said everything would be free, and in abundance. A) Bear with me. The system we live under now is built upon the premise of infinite growth. This occurs under a finite planet. It is in direct empirical contention with the way things actually work, the resources of the planet, and its symbiotic processes that we are wholly reliant upon. It cannot work. It is doomed to fail, fail us, or transition to a different paradigm eventually. We cannot plunder the planet for corporate profit endlessly. This is the model our emerging modern human society has built itself upon, and it cannot continue indefinitely. Do you appreciate the starkness of this fact? If you were an Easter Islander, would you eschew these comments? If you were on the Titanic, would you search for lifeboats, tell me to piss off, or fall on your knees and start praying? The paradigm of infinite growth is not possible. It is in conflict with natural law. Constant, endless consumption for profit is doomed to fail. It will be subordinated by the prevailing laws I am referencing. It is a false system, this is what is meant by that statement. No we cannot all have the Donald Trump existence. This is a profoundly ego driven value to aspire towards, and is the product of human ignorance, not inspiration, not innovation, nor knowledge, nor education, nor any insight or understanding. It is point blank the end result of the embarrassing kind of vane, consumerist, artificial and selfish ideology of success imposed upon us by this rather sick system and the values that coevolved alongside it. It is literally impossible to do so. Ted Turner owns more than 2 million acres of land. Of course we cannot have this: this is a preposterous result of paid acquisition of land for private ownership, and ownership itself is an outgrowth of scarcity: a state that we have lived under since our evolution. The only way for this setup to exist, whereby one man owns as much land as a third of a continent, another has 7 leers jets, and the latest rapper has golden toilet seats, 5 mansions, and 60 rooms, is for it to exist where the overwhelming majority suffer with far less, creating a repulsive and socially offensive system of severe comparative advantage in mobility, property, access to goods and services, and overall dignity and quality of life. This existence will never occur for the rest of us. It is rather like having Mr. Creosote eating all the food in a restaurant. Of course if he does this, there will have to be far less consumed and enjoyed by the other patrons, for his gluttony to be possible. And the patrons, raised and groomed in this gross system, either bow down to Creosote, saying they are not worthy to be as he is, or as in the West they have a phony ideology of empowerment and think that everyone in the restaurant should be Mr. Creosote. In fact it will even be the undoing of those very limited few who have the majority of the world’s wealth, because it is the culmination and result of a highly flawed system that is not integrally linked to the actual processes of the planet and its resources: it is so disconnected from this that, speaking with optimism, future generations will see it with the same privileged perspective you and I consider the religious governments attempted upon this world. But of course you and I are not indoctrinated into this. Then consider the difficulty of how indoctrinated a conservative Muslim is when I need so much time and effort to introduce the possibility to you, a highly educated, traveled, liberal scientist that you and I are also indoctrinated into a false arrangement. Entertain this notion for one moment. If you cannot even do this, than please sympathize with the majority of humanity. Q) I get it, we can’t all live like Paris Hilton. So would the standard of life be as good as we can hope to achieve now? A) It would be an order of magnitude better. Free housing, with the best materials we can attain, free water, food, free access to emergent technology that races forward unhindered by the crippling monetary paradigm, free travel to see and experience the world†¦ Q) Stop, this sounds like a fantasy utopia. A) There is no such thing. As Fresco explains, there is no perfect laptop. Of course, if the original computer could have spoken (it was the size of a house and required hundreds to operate), it would have laughed at your projection that one day its current computing power would be housed in something the size of a grain of rice, held in a portable communication and ‘internet’ device by a five year old. It would have called this nothing less than a fanciful computer utopia. Now imagine you go back in time and meet your great, great, great+ grandfather. You see him as a far younger man than you, ill under a tree, teeth rotted out, watching his mate climb the horizon with a makeshift container of water to quench his thirst. She has walked 4 hours to find it. You turn to him and tell him that you are over twice his age, with all your teeth, that you move at speeds he cannot fathom in a man-made creature that also sings your favorite songs to you, and that your wife, rather than risking health, life and limb, and using most of her day to go and get water, presses a magic button and it comes out, fast and cool as the freshest stream. And the other button, it sends it out hot, just for kicks. He will deem you a liar, a madman, a utopian wizard. The point is, you see, that what we consider ‘utopia’ is culturally and historically relative. An Inuit has no use for the latest stainless steel refrigerator. He wants a fine hunting season. If you told him about a giant building called a ‘supermarket’ with every form of meat in abundance, and all you need to do is go and pick it up, he would call you a utopian madman. So what do you and I live under? What system, what arrangement? We have to submit to employment to pool monetary credits from the general circulation, and guard it jealously, and use it to attain food, living spaces, items we desire, and leisure time. We have ‘buying power’ from it. The more we have, the more choices, more freedom. So to you and I, in this existence, we perceive a lack of this striving as utopian, just as the Savannah hunter gatherer did with the lack of striving you experience. We lack the frame of reference, just as he did. I will end by telling you that a utopia is a fixed state, and this goes against our very premise: one of change, constant change. ‘Utopia’ can slot alongside other primitive human imaginings, like heaven. Q) Okay, but to be honest, the more I listen, the more it just sounds like Communism. A) Okay? Dad, you’re an evolutionary scientist. Q) Uhuh? A) What you think if you started explaining evolution to me, and I said â€Å"Gosh, that sounds a lot like Social Darwinism. † Q) I’d say that’s besides the point. A) You see, you can find overlaps in certain idea, but that doesn’t make them synonymous, you know that. The fact is, the philosophy of ‘Capitalism’, which is economic survival of the fittest through competition and everyone for themselves, sounds an awful like ‘socio-economic’ Darwinism, does it not. Q) *chuckle* A) This is a very reoccurring argument that comes up and, you not being indoctrinated into a generation of Communism witch hunts, are not truly sincere in some kind of fear that leads you to label something like this Communism, surely? Q) Well†¦ A) Supposing you were. Here’s the deal. It isn’t Communism. The argument is quite funny actually, in that it makes the claim that what we are proposing has been tried before, it was called Communism, and it doesn’t work. Having a global Resource Based Economy, utilizing the scientific method for the driving mechanism of society rather than the profit motive, has never been tried before. Karl Marx did not for see the technological and scientific innovations and capabilities that are the foundations of our arguments. His arguments were not even in the same cosmos. He did not understand, as it didn’t exist, the insight of replacing drudgery of forced servitude with automation, and was not advocating the intelligent management of the earth’s resources and applying the scientific method to society. When have we done this before? Never. How can you call it Communism? There are certain broad concepts that overlap, others that are similar, while others that incongruent with one another. This being addressed, The Venus Project and Communism, as you brought up, are no more the same thing as a rectangle is the same thing as a triangle. Look at the US Constitution†¦ All men created equal†¦ That’s Communism! What about Jesus†¦ Love thy neighbor? Give away possessions? He’s a Communist! Here’s the thing, people are taking certain broad ideas, labeling them Communist, and thereby boxing them into a corner, painting them with a broad brush, and negatively stigmatizing them. It’s called ad homonym, and it is entirely unhelpful, and not the product of hi

In His Steps Analysis Essays - Investigative Journalism, Muckraker

In His Steps Analysis The turn of the century was marked by a movement known as the Progressive Era, during which many groups sought to reshape the nations government and society in response to the pressure of urbanization and industrialization. Progressives were mainly members of the Post-Civil War generation that made an attempt to master a world much different then that of their parents. With the rise of big business and industrialization came several problems associated with the economic boom. The rich were getting richer. The poor were getting poorer. The gap between the haves and the have nots was widening. Working conditions were not regulated, and at the turn of the century, the United States had a terrible record of workplace safety. During the Progressive Era, many steps were taken in order to correct the mounting problems facing an industrial America. The National Consumers League, for example, formed in 1898 sought to monitor businesses and ensure decent working conditions. There were also problems associated with the rising rates of urbanization. Due in part to the increasing number of immigrants and the trend to move toward the cities, many sanitation and safety issues came into question. Members of the working class made their homes in ghettoes and tenements where they faced overcrowding, lack of sanitation and general safety concerns. Laws such as the New York Tenement House Law of 1901 came into existence with the purpose of establishing a regulated housing code for safety and sanitation. The Progressive Era also brought up social issues. Muckrakers, journalists who exposed social, economic and political evils, controlled media and therefore had profound influence over the thoughts and opinions of readers. For example, Upton Sinclairs novel, The Jungle depicted in great detail the poor conditions existent in Americas meatpacking industry. The novel and subsequent investigations led to the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. This is just a glimpse as to the key role that muckrakers had in the Progressive society. Another key element of the Progressive Era was the Social Gospel. The Social Gospel sought to bring religious ethics into industrial relations and everyday life. Several followers of the Social Gospel questioned the accuracy of the bible and instead focused more on the basic moral and ethical lessons it entailed. As a result of the Social Gospel and the feelings that were engulfing the nation, Charles Sheldon, a Kansas minister wrote a book entitled In His Steps. The novel tells the story of upper class minister who challenges the members of his congregation to live their lives according to what Jesus would do. Throughout the novel, many inferences are made and several parallels exist between the novel and the actual time period in which it was set. The most obvious link between In His Steps and the actual Progressive Era is that the entire plot of the novel is based on the theory of the Social Gospel. The small town minister challenges a handful of willing congregates to base their every decision on what they feel Jesus would do in the situation. As a result, those who pledged to abide by the idea were then placed in the predicament of taking old fashion stances on modern issues, for Jesus was never confronted with such issues, which therefore diminished any possible guidelines. Their lives became consumed by the actions that Jesus would take, and as a result changed forever. Another parallel existent in the novel is the idea of the tenements or ghettoes. Those who accepted the ministers challenge were of strong backgrounds-both financially and morally. They were each citizens of the well to do town of Raymond, and few of them had ever taken the time to see exactly what existed beyond their safety blanket. Once Rachel Wilson accepted the offer to sing to people whom lived near the Rectangle, those from the parish were opened up to a whole new world- one they were shocked to realize existed! In his list of Things that Jesus Would Probably Do In This Parish, Henry Maxwell noted that he wanted to befriend the people of rectangle. He felt that he and his teachings had something to offer the people. In terms of the Progressive Era, this potion of the

Free Essays on Child Psych

Over the past five days everyone around the world has done a great deal of thinking about family. Living close to the city, I have been greatly affected by the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. As I sat in my dorm room on that dreaded day I thought about what life would be like without my father who is a New York City police officer as well as my uncles and cousin that work within a block of the buildings. Unable to get in touch with anyone I know, because of the brought down phone lines, I sat and wondered. I wondered about where they were and what they saw. I thought about how scared they were and if they got out in time. The thoughts that ran through my head on September 11, 2001 are unexplainable. Only two days before, I saw my family in a totally different way. I described my family as being my mother, father, and two brothers. Now, when I begin to tell about my family, I gain a picture of everyone ranging from my mother and father to my second and third cousins. I realize that each and every one of these people has touched my life in one-way or another. Even if it was only a phone call or a Christmas card to the family once a year, they still are my family. After finding out that everything was good and well with the people I was most concerned about I felt a sigh of relief. Next, I imagined life without them once again. And I could not imagine it. What would I do? Where would I be? What would I do without my uncle who has made it a point my entire life to let me know that I am special? Where would I be without my cousin who was always so cool to me? Who would remember my birthday if my uncle was not here? These questions now make me understand how much and how often I take loved ones for granted. I have never considered the idea that they may not be here one day. Now, this thought takes over my life. When I first completed my autobiography I stated that I would not change anything a... Free Essays on Child Psych Free Essays on Child Psych Over the past five days everyone around the world has done a great deal of thinking about family. Living close to the city, I have been greatly affected by the events that occurred on September 11, 2001. As I sat in my dorm room on that dreaded day I thought about what life would be like without my father who is a New York City police officer as well as my uncles and cousin that work within a block of the buildings. Unable to get in touch with anyone I know, because of the brought down phone lines, I sat and wondered. I wondered about where they were and what they saw. I thought about how scared they were and if they got out in time. The thoughts that ran through my head on September 11, 2001 are unexplainable. Only two days before, I saw my family in a totally different way. I described my family as being my mother, father, and two brothers. Now, when I begin to tell about my family, I gain a picture of everyone ranging from my mother and father to my second and third cousins. I realize that each and every one of these people has touched my life in one-way or another. Even if it was only a phone call or a Christmas card to the family once a year, they still are my family. After finding out that everything was good and well with the people I was most concerned about I felt a sigh of relief. Next, I imagined life without them once again. And I could not imagine it. What would I do? Where would I be? What would I do without my uncle who has made it a point my entire life to let me know that I am special? Where would I be without my cousin who was always so cool to me? Who would remember my birthday if my uncle was not here? These questions now make me understand how much and how often I take loved ones for granted. I have never considered the idea that they may not be here one day. Now, this thought takes over my life. When I first completed my autobiography I stated that I would not change anything a... Free Essays on Child Psych Abstract An important question for child care researchers today is how characteristics of the home and the child care setting together affect children’s development. There is mixed opinion on how differences and similarities between professionals’ beliefs, values and practices for raising children impact their development. There is strong theoretical support for the idea that continuity in children’s experiences from home and child care settings promote optimal development, and that major differences pose developmental challenges, especially for children in very early childhood. However, research that is available suggests that children from families with lower educational and economic resources can benefit from different environments if the care setting is more advantageous than that provided by the family. This paper examines early child care settings and the effects, whether they are good or bad, on the developing child. Also, different factors and variables will be presented in relation to the quality and promotion of congruence across care settings. This paper details different studies done on early child care from accredited literature and institutions, as well as magazines that focus on the topic of children and their development. Early Child Care and Effects on the Developing Child Recently there have been different viewpoints concerning the child care question, with assertions that non-parental care of young children is detrimental to their development. However, despite these assertions, research suggests that, given high quality care, the experience of child care is not harmful and can be beneficial to children. The simple question, â€Å"Is child care good or bad?† can be thrown out the window. In order to ensure that all children receive good quality care one must ask questions that revolve around what makes up good quality care, and how it meets the requirements of the children involv...

Evaluate the differences in social relationships on the Internet and Essay

Evaluate the differences in social relationships on the Internet and conventional, face to face relationships - Essay Example ome of interested observers on the same influential nature of internet on the social life of the society have noted that the influential, and the heavy use of the internet may be alienated from the usual social contact. Additionally, they claimed that the internet use may as well predominant the society’s social lives. Although there are numerous, yet partially unknown, negative effects of the internet relationships, there are two main factors for consideration. Considerably, the internet relationship has adversely displaced some of the vital social activities, especially among the communities and individuals who have intensively indulged into the internet as their sure means of communication. In most cases, persons spend a lot of time online interacting that incapacitates them from face to face interaction or activities. Moreover, the internet is an effective venture of displacing the ever known strong ties that had ever been built by face-to-face interactions. It worth notin g that the relationship that has been built out of the internet interactions are of low quality compared to the quality of face to face relationships. Therefore, intensively concentration on the online or the internet relationships weakens or replaces the strength of the face-to-face relationship. Some scholars have proposed that proper use of the internet is actually associated with deterioration of an individual. The use of the internet is blamed of diminishing of an individuals’ social circle; thus, leading to such individuals to depression and high rate of loneliness (Gross et al 75). In the case, of one on one or face to face relationship, an individual may as well get engaged by the other party present in his or her life; thus, breaking any kind of loneliness in either poor or acceptable ways. However, the internet relationship or interactions may be as well beneficial and productive only if such interactions and relationships are kept at their normal navels. Nonetheless, the