DuPont Case Analysis Essay

INTRODUCTION: DuPont was established in the year 1802 by French Chemist, E.I DuPont de Nemours in USA. DuPont became successful by the end of third year and it started exporting back to its continent, Europe. In the span of these 200 years, it had shaped into a global company with variety of enterprises like Chemical, Energy, Science Based and High Technology. It maximized its manufacturing or processing operations in 40 countries and its products were sold in 150 places by the end of 1990. The company’s one third revenue comes from the European market from 1960. There are 50 companies, which employed more than 19,000 people in 14 countries of Europe. The scientists of DuPont developed the synthetic fibres industry by introducing nylon. They were the leading manufacturer of manmade fibres in the world. The most important product of DuPont is â€Å"Carpet Fibre†. This division was setup in Geneva, Switzerland which holds the R&D, marketing and production areas. Products were produced in the UK and the sales offices are in Germany, the UK, France, Belgium, Spain, Scandinavia, and Holland. CASE CONTEXT: DuPont’s product nylon carpet fibre is not different from other fibres available in the market; however they were the top players in fibre industry. The parameters like color and texture are the factors that differ in the carpets. The fibre industry has nothing to do with these things. The carpet industry is concerned with these directly and they in turn led to the wholesalers, retailers and in turn to the customers. From the consumers point of view the carpet should be colorful, its texture is important and it should be easily maintained. DuPont has done extensive research on the customers third interest i.e. maintenance and founded the â€Å"Stain Master† that would allow to remove the stains permanently. With this invention, DuPont’s market share increased by 5%. This was first introduced in USA, later on with minor changes it has been launched in Europe. It gave mixed results for the company. DuPont’s decision is that the mills should have certain quality to use the process of stain master. In Germany, many mills felt that they don’t have these standards set by them; hence they didn’t show interest in the product. The UK market and France market reacted positively. Many companied executed the same formulae by giving low quality material at lower prices. This led to the stake of DuPont’s position in the market by 1980. FACTS: DuPont conducted research in the European Industry after the decline of its position in the market. They came to know some important facts: Flow of DuPont’s Fibres: DuPont’s Fibres Carpet Mills Wholesalers Retailers End Users The carpet mills are concentrated in only three countries the UK, France and Belgium. 80-20 rule is applied in European market; 80% of the business is carried but top 20% manufacturers. To stimulate the market, they used the help of Style Books to the wholesalers and retailers. They were not loyal customers to the fibre industry. They focused on the company that provides material at the best price. Retail and Wholesale operations are very different in these countries. In Germany  wholesalers dominated in the UK and Belgium retailers dominated the supply chain. PROBLEM: DuPont concentrated only on the carpet mills and they didn’t make any effort in knowing the end users. They invested money in R&D for making innovations in fibres that is to be supplied to the carpet mills. They are least bothered to know about the customers. ALTERNATIVES: DuPont need to concentrate on the techniques that value the customers without affecting the supply chain. As carpet mills are the important customers to DuPont, they need to retain them. â€Å"Creating loyal customers is at the heart of every business†-Don Peppers and Martha Rogers. Identify the â€Å"Customer Benefit† and â€Å"Customer Cost† of the users and provide the product at â€Å"Customer-perceived value† (CPV). Monitor the satisfaction of the customer by conducting surveys. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVES: In Europe, there are 60 carpet mills that can level DuPont’s standards; however only 50% of them are using their fibres. Rest of them wandering around for best price. The mills using DuPont’s fibres should be retained and they need to analyze the CPV value and set the â€Å"price† accordingly. The â€Å"place† is also very important for setting the price as European market is fragmented unlike USA market which is having only four players. The customers give least preference to carpets when they are buying house- hold equipments. They are not enjoying or admiring to shop for carpeting as it is just a blanket to protect the floor. Customers spend at least 10 weeks in buying the carpets.52% Customers buy carpets if the existing one is worn out. Repurchase cycle for carpets is 12 years. Customers are not satisfied with the product information. The retailers and wholesalers are not providing full information. They are not providing information on price, color, fitting rooms and quality. If â€Å"product† and â€Å"service† quality is maintained, customers would retain with them only. They didn’t â€Å"promote† their products. RECOMMENDATIONS: Retain the customers by giving them offers that attracts them easily. Provide sample fibres to 50% carpet mills that are not using DuPont’s material and offer a price that satisfy their needs. Provide a portal for the customers to choose their own color and design according to their choices by collaborating with mills. Provide better customer care services by training the retailers and wholesalers. Provide catalogues to the customers for better awareness of the product, whether it is retailer, wholesaler or final end user. PLAN OF ACTION: Identify the customers who are loyal to the company, give them incentives and promote the product brand. Select the location where sales of the company are not up to the mark and apply the alternatives to them i.e. setting price and giving offers to the carpet mills. Later on collaborate with the mills in that location and train the wholesalers and retailers about the product and give them the full information along with the catalogues. Provide better services to the customers by setting a portal where they can choose their own designs and place order to the carpet mills. Implement the above mentioned steps for three months and find the sales growth. Spread the plan if it worked in the selected location, by making minute changes to it according to the location. CONTINGENCY PLAN: Since DuPont is an expert and leading manufacturer in the manmade fibres, it can go for â€Å"VERTICAL INTEGRATION†. Instead of supplying fibres to carpet mills, it can set up a mill and manufacture carpets. It can directly deal with the customers. The above mentioned plan can be executed without the intervention of the mills. The Customer Satisfaction can be monitored and it can get to know the loopholes in the process and thus leading to correction of the mistakes and increasing the sales growth of the company.

”I am Australian” by Bruce Woodley Essay

Poem Analysis – I am Australian by Bruce Woodley and My Country by Dorothea Mackellar The two poems that I have chosen to analyse are â€Å"I am Australian Written by Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton and â€Å"My country† written by Dorothea Mackellar. Both poems portray the love for the country and the sense of belonging as both of these writers are Australian born bush poets. The poem â€Å"I am Australian† relates to the concept of belonging to and national identity. Repetition of ‘I Am Australian’ reinforces this, imagery of the environment and creates a link between the nation and the self, and thus the person is intimately connected to the country. The Poem is about celebrating diversity in Australia, between the people and the land. The second poem â€Å"My Country† by Dorothea Mackellar portrays the beauty of the Australian outback landscape and she declares her love of the country. It was written in order to inform people about the beauty and the wilderness of this country. Both of these poems relate to the theme of belonging t o the country Australia. The techniques I will be using for analysis are rhyme, language, imagery and form. In the ‘I am Australian’ song which goes – â€Å"we are one, but we are many† it can be seen as an expression of cultural inclusion. It tells us the story of a nation of immigrants .The first stanza is like an extended metaphor for example, I came from the dreamtime From the dusty red-soil plains I am the ancient Heart All of these create a visual representation in the readers mind about the country. Repetition of â€Å"I am Australian† reinforces this, imagery of the environment and creates a link between the nation and the person thus one feels connected to the country. I believe the song is about celebrating diversity in Australia, between the people and the land. It describes the people as being an aborigine, a digger’s daughter, a battler, a bushy and so on. It describes the land as being as diverse as the people, but one common thing they all have in common is they are Australian. The verses of the song speak with pride of the values, traditions and accomplishments of the Australia, including our proud indigenous history. In the second poem ‘My Country’, Dorothea Mackellar portrays the beauty of her country; Australia. Dorothea Mackellar uses imagery technique like alliteration, for example, â€Å"for flood and fire and famine to characterise rural Australian Life and  repetition of words or phrases like â€Å"core of my heart, my country!† to show a sense of belonging. The poem is full of metaphors, for example â€Å"an opal-hearted country†. Some metaphors include personification. For instance, she uses â€Å"her† for nature and regards nature as a mother or woman. Moreover, this illustrates her love of Australia. Australia is not just a piece of land to this poet; she has a relationship with this land, and that is why she refers to it as if it were a person. In her poem Dorothea personifies Australia.† She portrays Australia as beautiful because of this wildness. This is conveyed in the phrase â€Å"my love is otherwise† that concludes the stanza on England, and the phrase â€Å"I love a sunburnt country† that introduces the following stanza on Australia. This illustrates her love of Australia. Australia is not just a piece of land to this poet; she has a relationship with this land, and that is why she refers to it as if it were a person. Dorothea’s poem uses language in a way that differs from our ordinary expression whereas Woodley and Newton use free verse and there is chorus. In â€Å"I am Australian, there is more focus on outback whereas â€Å"my country† is more about Mother Nature. Dorothy uses more personification than Woodley and Newton. Moreover, Woodley and Newton have made reference to real life Australian life identity such as Ned Kelly, Matilda, Clancy and Albert Namajera which alludes to Australian Identity Whereas Dorothea mostly uses personification. In conclusion, I have found that both of these poems refer to typical Australian lifestyles such as, being free, living around native Australian icons and having an Australian Identity and have a sense of belonging to Australia. This key point is to be proud of being an Australian which will help to have a positive Australian identity. Both writers show their pride of belonging to Australian.

Asian Philosophies of Critical Thinking

Asian Philosophies of Critical Thinking Essay EXTENDED ESSAYAsian Philosophies of Critical Thinking: divergent or convergent to westernestablishments?MAY 2003 AbstractThe research question of this extended essay came across at a very earlystage in my life. Having been born and developed from a family with all itsmembers being University instructors and professors, I was often involvedin arguments related to the lack of critical thinking in Asian cultures. AsI got older, having had the chance to emerge in different cultures, Istarted to develop my own viewpoints and answers. I started to wonder aboutthe truth between the real differences of Asian and Western philosophies ofcritical thinking. This extended essay, intended to be a research andinvestigation, bearing the title Asian Philosophies of Critical Thinking:divergent or convergent to Western establishments? is in fact howevermerely just a summary of my viewpoints and answers which I have developedthroughout the years. In the first section of the essay, Logical Tradition in India and China Iwill attempt to give evidence of critical thinking in two Asian culturesthat I have chosen; namely India and China. In India, I will argue thatcritical thinking is clearly visible in historical texts such as the Carakaand Nyayasutra. This is presented as the well-known five-membered argument,a system of logical deduction, similar to the Aristotelian syllogism foundin the west. In China I would focus mainly on the two schools of logicalthought, the Mohists and the Logicians. For the Mohists I would argue thatcritical thinking is a vital element in the building of what they callmental models. For the Logicians, I would study deeply the writings ofHui Shih and Kungsun Lung, I would show that in fact both of them developedsystems of logical and paradoxical thinking that could well serve as thefoundations of modern science. If critical thinking is clearly presentable in these Asian cultures thenwhy are there still concerns for introducing it to them? This is thequestion I intend to answer in the latter section Needhams Grand Questionand Fullers Interpretation. During this section, I would also show thatdiscussions of modern science seem to enable us to see how the tradition ofcritical thinking arose and how they were promoted or discouraged. I wouldcover how Asian historical, economic, social and cultural factors have abig influence on their development of critical thinking. Lastly I wouldshow how the prioritization of a civilization has a devastating effect ondeciding the future road they intend to walk. In conclusion, I would argue that since the philosophy of a culture is butan abstract and theoretical expression and justification of the culturesdecision to choose one set of priorities over another, Asian philosophy andcritical thinking are neither necessarily divergentnornecessarilyconvergent to western establishments. Contents|Introduction|4|||||Logical Tradition in India and|4||China||||||Needhams Grand Question and|7||Fullers Interpretation||||||Asian Philosophy and Critical|8||Thinking: Divergence or|||Convergence?||||||Conclusion|9|||||Bibliography|10 |||||References|11 ||||Asian Philosophies of Critical Thinking: divergent or convergent to westernestablishments?By Clement NgIntroductionIt is widely recognized nowadays that critical thinking has become anecessary ingredient in all levels of education. Educators and educationalpolicy makers agree that one of the desirable goals of education is thatstudents are able to think critically. Throughout the past few years, manyhave felt the need to consider critical thinking more seriously ineducational programs. At the moment several different acts are beingconsidered around the world by various factors and agencies. The core ofthese proposed acts is the idea that the students are able to thinkcritically and independently. Although there are widespr ead disagreementson what critical thinking actually is,1 there is an agreement that it hasbecome very important in the world overwhelmed by huge amountsofinformation. Some Western educators who teach at schools or universities in a number ofAsian countries have voiced their difficulties and problems they encounterwhile trying to teach critical thinking and other related skills to Asianstudents. Bruce Davidson (1998) argues that a set of Japanese culturalfactors act as a kind of barrier against teaching critical thinking tostudents. Atkinson (1999) goes so far as to argue that critical thinking isculturally specific, and is a part of the social practices of the Westhaving no place within Asian cultures, which do not adopt such practices. What these educators have in common is the feeling that some elements inAsian cultures do prevent the full realization of critical thinking skillsin the students. Most of these elements perceived by Western educators inAsia are quite well knownthe beliefs that teachers are superior andalways right, that knowledge is not to be made here and now, but existseternally, so to speak, to be handed down by teachers, that social harmonyis to be preferred rather than asking probing questionsto mention just afew. Is critical thinking really culture specific? Can the traditional beliefsystems of Asia respond to the challenge of the modern world while stillretaining their distinctive identities? Are Asian philosophy and criticalthinking necessary divergent or possibly convergent? These areverysignificant question not just for Asian cultures, but for understanding howcultures of the world respond to globalization. In addition the questionalso has a bearing on the problematic relation between critical thinkingand the cultural environment in which it happens to be embedded. In this essay, I attempt to argue that critical thinking is not necessarilyincompatible with Asian traditional belief systems. In fact I will showthat both India and China do have their own indigenous traditions oflogical and argumentative thinking; it is just because of certain barriersthat prevent them from further developing such establishments. I willfurther try to show that these traditions can and should be reexamined,reinterpreted and adapted to the contemporary situation. By doing this Iwould seek acknowledgement to the essay question and would provide ananswer to the Western educators who have found no such critical traditionsin the East. Logical Tradition in India and ChinaIt is widely known that India had a highly advanced logical tradition,spanning more than two thousandyears.ThesuccessesofIndianmathematicians and computer programmers are perhaps due to the fact thatlogic and critical thinking have been integral to the Indian way ofthinking since time immemorial. Such integration can also be witnessed inthe fondness of Indians for talking and debating. Tscherbatsky (1962: 31-34) tells us that in the times of Dignaga and Dharmakirti, two of thegreatest Buddhist logicians, the fate of entire monasteries depended onpublic debates. According to Tscherbatsky, Dignaga won his fame and royalsupport through his defeat of the brahmin Sudurjaya at Nalanda Monastery(31-34). In another vein, Matilal (1990: 1-8) argues that the Indian logicaltradition is entirely home grown, since there is no evidence of India beinginfluenced by Aristotelian ideas. Matilal also shows that many topics,which are of interest by contemporary logicians and philosophers today,were discussed and researched into with sophistication by Indian scholars. Such topics include theory of inference, empty names, reference andexistence, perception, knowledge of theexternalworld,substance,causality, and many others (Matilal 1990). Moreover, Tscherbatskys (1962)work, dealing mainly with the works of Dignaga and Dharmakirti illustratesthat India is one of the great logical and philosophical civilizations ofthe world. There are a number of topics that both traditions discovered independentlyof each other. For example, Matilal notes that the counterpart of theAristotelian syllogism is the five-membered argument found in such textsas Caraka and Nyayasutra. Instead of the three propositions found inAristotelian syllogism, the five-membered argument consistsoffivepropositions, the first of which is the conclusion, and the last repeatingwhat is already stated in the first. The remaining three propositions inbetween are the premises. Here is one example of the five-membered argumentcited by Matilal (1990: 5):1. There is fire on this mountain. 2. For, there is smoke there. 3. Smoke goes with fire always (or, in all cases, or in all places):witness, kitchen. 4. This is also a case of smoke. 5. Therefore, there is fire there (on the mountain). Logicians will immediately be able to reconstruct this argument in thefamiliar Aristotelian form as follows:The place on the mountain is a place where there is smoke. A place where there is smoke is a place where there is fire. Therefore, the place on the mountain is a place where there is fire. Matilal, however, notes that there is at least some dissimilarity betweenthe Indian and the Aristotelian argument forms presented here.Forinstance, he says that the conclusion of the Indian argument form is in theform of singular proposition, (i.e., modified by demonstratives likethis or that) whereas that of the Aristotelian syllogism is eitheruniversal or particular (i.e., modified by quantifiers like all orsome). But the dissimilarity here could be amended, as indexicals (termslike this or that which relies on the context of utterance for theirfull meaning) could be dispensed with by supplying the required informationon the context in which they are uttered. Thus it could be safely statedthat the Indian logical tradition fully comprehended the essence, so tospeak, of logic, which is the concept of validity and the basic validargument form. Another of the worlds great civilizations, China, also had its ownindigenous and independent logical tradition. Two of Chinas logicalschools of thought are the Mohists and the Logicians. The former wasfounded by Mo Ti, who lived between 479 to 381 B.C., during the WarringStates period of Chinese history (Ronan 1978: 114). Among the typicalChinese scholars the Mohists are better known for their doctrine ofuniversal love and the condemnation of offensive war rather than theirinterests and achievements in the physical sciences. In the latter Needhamreports that the Mohists went very far towards realizing that the thoughtsystem was in fact a prerequisite for modern science. Most significantly,the Mohists appeared to be in grasp of the concepts of deduction andinduction. They viewed the former as a way of thinking which follows amental model, which guarantees that whoever follows it will never fail tobe right in their thinking. Here is an example of reasoning based onfollowing such mental model:Model thinking consists in following the methods of Nature. What are followed in model-thinking are the methods. Therefore if the methods are truly followed by the model-thinkingliterally: hit in the middle, the reasoning will be correct. But if the methods are not truly followed by the model-thinking, thereasoning will be wrong (Ronan 1978: 119). On the other hand, the Mohists also recognized the value of extensionwhich is a kind of reasoning from the known examples and extend it tounknown cases similar to them:Extension is considering that that which one has not yet receivedi.e. a new phenomenon is identical from the point of view ofclassification with those which one has already received, andadmitting it (Ronan 1978: 119). READ: Teen Suicide EssayIt is clear then that the former is an instance of deductive thinking,while the latter represents the basic idea of inductive thinking. The two most well known representatives of the Logicians are Hui Shih andKungsun Lung. The former is known for his paradoxes resembling that ofZeno, and his writings were designed to shock and to illustrate deeplogical point. For example, Hui Shihs writing that The Heavens are as lowas the Earth; mountains are on the same level as marshes (Ronan 1978: 122)could be regarded as a way of illustrating the fact that, viewed from thecosmic perspective, the sentence written by Hui Shih here is actually true. Other pieces of his writings concern what and how we perceive:Fire is not hot. Eyes do not see (Ronan 1978: 122). These are designed to lead one to think that what is hot in fire may wellnot be in the fire at all, but is located within our tactile perception ofit. And the factor that actually does the seeing is not the eyesthemselves, but the consciousness or whatever that gives rise to theperception. Similarly, according to Needham, Kungsun Lung had a system of logical andparadoxical thinking that could well serve as the foundation of modernscience. The following excerpts show that Kungsun Lung grasped suchconcepts as the universality and unlocalizability of number and universalsand their contrasts with particulars that are their instances. Mostinterestingly, Kungsun Lungs discussion of changes in Nature could wellpoint to modern scientific way of thought:Q: Is it permissible to say that a change is not a change?A: It is. Q: Can right associating itself with something be called change?A: It can. Q: What is it that changes?A: It is right. Q: If right has changed, how can you still call it right? And ifit has not changed, how can you speak of a change?A: Two would have no right if there were no left. Two contains `left-and-right. A ram added to an ox is not a horse. An ox added to a ramis not a fowl (Ronan 1978: 121-122). Here one finds a discussion of the unchangeability of universals and theirdistinction from particulars. One thing, A, located to the right of anotherthing, B, would form two things, A-and-B. This thing, A-and-B would undergoa change if A happens to move to the left of B. What are changed here arethe relation between A and B. However, the Right itself is changeless, eventhough the particulars forming right or left relation to each other do. Thus, a ram added to an ox would still be two animals, and wont becomeeither a horse or a fowl. The changelessness of universals is a differentmatter altogether from the mutability of particular things. Kungsun Lungswriting here reminds us of Western medieval treatises on logic and theproblem of universals, such as those of Abelard or Duns Scotus. No matter how similar or different these Asian writings on logic andphilosophy are from those of Europe, it is certain that both India andChina do indeed have rigorous and profound systems of logic and criticalthinking, systems which could well form a launching pad for advancedscientific research and innovation that actually took place in the West. Thus Atkinsons argument that critical thinking is culturally specific tothe West is clearly not borne out by historical facts and thus is mistaken. However, when we look at the situations in the Asian countries today,especially in Thailand whose cultural tradition is mostly influenced byBuddhism, which originated within the Indian philosophical and religiousmilieu, Atkinson seems to be right in that there is a felt need forteaching Thai students to be able to think critically. McGuire (2000)argues that there is a need to teach critical thinking and that criticalthinking can be taught to Asian students because it does not necessarily goagainst the grain of local cultures and contains universal elements thatany local culture can find acceptable. If critical thinking is alreadythere in these cultural traditions, then why are there concerns forintroducing it to them? Something must have happened to these culturaltraditions so that there feels a need to bring in the skills and practicesof critical thinking from outside. Or is it really the need to reintroduceand to reestablish these traditions with something which is clearly theirown , but is somehow lost?1901Needhams Grand Question and Fullers InterpretationAn adequate investigation into what actually may have caused the decline ofthe logical traditions in India or China would comprise one thick book. However, I believe that a glimpse toward an answer could be found if wecompare the dominant positions in the two civilizations with the logicaltraditions. In India, the logical schools, Nyaya, Mimamsa, together withthe Buddhist logic and dialectic schools of Dignaga, Dharmakirti andNagarjuna never gained the supreme control when compared to the othertraditions such as the Vedanta. Personally, I think that this may be due tothe fact that the teachings of the logical schools were limited to themonks or brahmins who practiced them. And when the logical tradition had tocompete with other traditions that could garner more popular appeal, it isquite conceivable that the remote logical schools would lose support. Perhaps in India the tradition of logical and critical thinking was limitedto the highly educated class in such a way that the general population knewnothing of it, and this could be one explanation, as to why modernscientific thinking did not develop in India. For science to develop, theremust be a tendency toward a full understanding of all of Nature through afew general laws that could be learned and understood by anyone. The methodof learning such laws must be such that no one is excluded from studyingexcept through his own intellectual capabilities. In China, Needham suggests that the reasons for modern sciences lack ofdevelopment are due to historical, economic, social and cultural factors(Needham 1969: 190-217). Needham rightly dismisses the interpretation ofEuropes eventual mastery of modern scientific techniques in geographicalor racial beliefs. The scientific and mathematical achievements in bothIndia and China during the ancient and medieval periods is so great that itis hardly conceivable at all to think of Europes success in terms of herdestiny or superior level of advancement as propagated by the Hegeliantradition. On the other hand, Needham seems to believe that it is more amatter of luck that Europe could eventually mastered the arts of modernscience and became dominant. Needham writes:The further I penetrate into the detailed history of the achievementsof Chinese science and technology before the time when, like all otherethnic cultural rivers, they flowed into the river of modern science,the more convinced I become that the cause for the break-throughoccurring only in Europe was connected with the special social,intellectual and economic conditions prevailingthereattheRenaissance, and can never be explained by any deficiencies either ofthe Chinese mind or of the Chinese intellectual and philosophicaltradition. In many ways this was much more congruent with modernscience than was the world-outlook of Christendom (Needham 1969: 191). The special social, intellectual and economic conditions that explainEuropes success are nowhere necessarily attached to thehistoricaldevelopment of Europe. They seem only to be those that Europeans adopted,consciously or not, in response to their historical, social, and mercantileneeds. Those needs apparently were not in the minds of Indians or Chinese,whose priorities for their civilization as a whole seemed to be somethingelse. Thus, instead of looking for a unifying theory capable of explainingand predicting natural phenomenon so that men could harness the power ofNature to their own material needs as well as feel a sense of mastery whenNature is thus comprehended, Indians and Chinese chose to put the ideals oftheir civilizations in another way. The summum bonum of the Indian philosophical tradition, attainment ofMoksha or Liberation, is quite contrary to the ideals and assumptions ofmodern scientific thinking. Instead of looking for the way to free oneselffrom the endless cycle of rebirths throughstrictself-discipline,Europeans sought to advance their own self-interests that are more inclinedto the ordinary. In China, the rapid transformation from feudalism to statebureaucratism, coupled with the influence of the Confucian ethos, whilehugely successful in preserving Chinas cultural identity amidst the greatvariety of people and localities, nonetheless made it the case thatmaterial innovations and proto-scientific and logical theories would begiven little attention. Writings on such matters are referred to the`Miscellaneous category by the mandarin scholars who put the highestpriority to moralistic, ethical, or historical writings (Ronan 1978: 19)This interpretation, which is focused on the contingent character of therise of modern science in Europe, is regarded by Steve Fuller as the underdeterminist one. According to Fuller, the reason why China did not developmodern science was that it was not specifically promoted (Fuller 1997: 80-88). He contrasts this with the over determinist modethe kind ofexplanation that seeks to explain the lack of progress of modern sciencethrough the idea that it was specifically prevented from occurring. Thus,according to the former outlook, the reason science did not develop inChina was because historical, social, economic conditions were such thatthey were simply incompatible with its rise. I think this could be due tothe Chinese not putting a high priority on things scientific. On the otherhand, the over determinist would assume that science is part of a culturesdestiny which would materialize anyway if the circumstances were favorable. However, in the case of China these circumstances were not favorable,blocking sciences potential development. To viewthehistoryanddevelopment of science in the latter mode would mean that science is anecessary part of a cultures path of development, which is the same forall cultures. A culture in which science successfully develops is thusviewed as more advanced than another where the development of science issomehow stinted. On the other hand, the under determinist would argue thatsuch a picture of each cultural entity racing along the same path smellstoo much of teleology and Gods design to be tenable. Instead of soviewing, each culture should be regarded as having its own path notnecessarily shared with others. Since critical thinking and modern scientific thinking are closely related,discussions of the historical rise of science in various cultures aredirectly related to our investigation of whether critical thinking iscompatible with the major Asian cultural traditions. Discussions on therise of modern science seem to enable us to see how the tradition ofcritical thinking arose and how they were promoted or discouraged. If theunder determinist mode of interpretation is accepted, then the lack ofcritical thinking tradition in Asia could be explained by the fact thatsomehow members of these traditions decided not to go put critical thinkinghigh on their list of priorities, despite the fact that critical thinkingskills could be found deep within the traditions themselves. READ: Ambition in Macbeth examples Essay1034Asian Philosophy and Critical Thinking: Divergence or Convergence?Hence, the values typically associated with Asian culture such as socialharmony and deference to the elders and teachers are thus seen asconsequences of the cultures deciding to put a certain set of prioritiesabove others. Social harmony was instrumental in bringing about thecultural unity that is the most distinctive characteristic of Chineseculture. It is valued above most other types of values because it goes handin hand with social stability, whose alternative is perceived as chaos andgeneral burden of social structure. The prioritization of social harmonycan also be seen in other Asian cultures such as the Thai one, and resultsin Thais trying as far as they possibly can to avoid open conflicts anddisagreements. In the case of China, since all the elements that couldbring about the rise of modern science were in place, it is quite clearthat the Chinese culture actually chose not to go along the path taken bythe Europeans. The decision made by a culture to adopt a particular systemof beliefs and practices certainly did not happen suddenly, as if at oneparticular moment of history, members of a culture had a meeting anddeclared their cultures adoption of this or that set. The decisionoccurred gradually throughout the historical development of a culture, andcan be seen in China adopting Confucianism ratherthanthemorematerialistic and scientifically inclined Taoism and Mohism, and in Indiaadopting the more mystical doctrine emphasizing the role of meditation andprivate insights rather than publicly demonstrable methods of knowing. Ithink that reasons for such decision are enormously complicated, but it ishardly conceivable that China was somehow destined to lag behind Europe inthe science race due to factors they could not control. This may be taken to show that critical thinking and Asian thought aredivergent. If the Asian cultures chose not to go along the path wherecritical thinking is one milestone, then both do not seem to go with eachother, and Atkinson may be vindicated when he argues that critical thinkingis a part of Western culture only. If the Asian cultures prioritize sets ofvalues which are incompatible with critical thinking, and if they freelychose those sets over the set adopted by Europeans for whatever reasons,then it appears that critical thinking would belong to European cultureonly, and to adopt it to Asian cultures would be the same as to importingforeign ideas and practices to alien lands. Thus, Atkinsons argument seemsto fit well with the under determinist position. This line of reasoning, however, would be valid only if a culture decidedas its own set of priorities at one time will always remain so for allother times. If the Thai culture, for example, once decided that socialharmony should take precedence over critical argumentation andopendebates, then critical thinking practices would be forever alien to them. But that is surely a very unreasonable position to take. Cultures, likehumans, often make decisions that later are amended or revoked with newdecisions made; when things are not the same any longer. Decisions toprioritize one set of values over another are not etched in stone, but evenso the stone can be broken down or else taken to a museum or a pedestalwhere it loses its real meaning. Decisions at one time reflect thecircumstances normal at that particular time, and to stick onto pastdecisions with no plan of adapting or making new decisions in response tochanging circumstances would make the culture frozen and unabletoparticipate. Opting not to correct their past decisions, a culture would ineffect be telling the world that it is constructing a wall around itself,giving nothing to the world and receiving nothing. However, sociologicaland economic conditions of the current world do not permit such a scenariofrom happening. Cultures need to change themselves, not merely to survive,b ut to prosper and to permit better lives for their members. Consequently, Asian cultures and critical thinking are divergent only ifthe former opt not to correct their decisions. But since we are talkingonly about decisions, then it is not difficult at all to suggest thatcultures would make new decisions in response to changing times. Doing sowould make the two more convergent. Hence, the divergence and convergence,after all, depend on what decisions a culture makes. There is nothingnecessarily attached to a cultures path along history that makes itessentially divergent or convergent from the modern critical thinkingtradition, or from any tradition for that matter. Since the philosophy of aculture is but an abstract and theoretical expression and justification ofthe cultures decision to choose one set of priorities over another, Asianphilosophy and critical thinking are neither necessarily divergent nornecessarily convergent. ConclusionAny attempt to introduce, or we should say to bring back critical thinkingpractices to the cultures of Asia would, therefore, begin within thecultures themselves. This is in line with the under determinist idea thateach culture has its own peculiar development path which is not necessarilyshared with others. The mission of spreading the truth of one culture toanother is a misplaced. One that apart from sounding patronizing, issomething the current morality cannot accept. Thus the first step in suchan attempt must consist of a series of arguments designed to show to mostmembers of the culture where critical thinking is to be introduced, thatcritical thinking is really good. However to do that would at least requirelarge amounts of explanations, something that is definitely out of scope ofthis present essay. Besides, to argue that critical thinking is actually agood thing to have is difficult, because it may run counter to the deeplyestablished belief that critical thinking i s just a label fortheconfrontational mode of life that the culture finds unpleasantanddifficult to accept. Though the task is difficult, I believe that it is unavoidable. As aninsider of my own Chinese cultural tradition, I am trying to convince themembers of my culture of the value of critical thinking and its importantrole in educating citizens for the increasingly globalized world of todayand tomorrow. An important part of my argument for combining criticalthinking and its belief systems to the Chinese culture is the idea thatpeople should view the elements of their culture which could present themost serious obstacles to critical thinking as benign fiction. That is,elements such as respect of the elders and the belief in social ranking andso on should be viewed in the same way as a modern person views his or herown traditional customs and ceremonies. One is in a sense a part of theculture where the ceremonies happen, but in another sense detached from it. This is because he knows himself only to serve a certain function in theculture, and in addition, knowledge of other cultures enables furtherdetachment from his own customs and ceremonies. Such an argument would naturally require a lot more space and time than isavailable here. What I hope to have accomplished in this essay, however, ismuch more modest. It is, as we have seen, an argument that Asian philosophyand Asian thought in general do not necessarily conflict with criticalthinking and its presuppositions. Furthermore, it is the influential makingof decisions throughout the history of each culture itself, which, Ibelieve, is flexible and adaptive enough to effect important changes forthe future. 1065BibliographyAtkinson, D. 1997. A Critical Approach to Critical Thinking. TESOLQuarterly 31, 71-94. Blair, J. Anthony and Ralph H. Johnson. 1991. Misconceptions of InformalLogic: A Reply to McPeck. Teaching Philosophy 14.1, 35-52. Davidson, Bruce. 1995. Critical Thinking Education Faces the Challenge ofJapan. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines, 14.3, 31 pars.,http://www.shss.montclair.edu/inquiry/spr95/davidson.html. Fuller, Steve. 1997. Science. Birmingham: Open UP. Hatcher, Donald. 1995a. Critical Thinking and Epistemic Obligations. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 14.3, 38 pars.,http://www.shss.montclair.edu/inquiry/spr95/hatcher2.html. Hatcher, Donald. 1995b. Should Anti-Realists Teach Critical Thinking?. Inquiry: Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines 14.4, 21 pars.,http://www.shss.montclair.edu/inquiry/summ95/hatcher.html. Hongladarom, Soraj. 1998a. Critical Thinking and the Realism/Anti-RealismDebate, http://pioneer.chula.ac.th/~hsoraj/web/CT.html. Hongladarom, Soraj. 1998b. Humanistic Education in Todays and TomorrowsWorld. Manusya: Journal of Humanities, 1 (forthcoming). Hostetler, Karl. 1991. Community and Neutrality in Critical Thought: ANonobjectivist View on the Conduct and Teaching of Critical Thinking. Educational Theory, 41.1, 1-12. Matilal, Bimal Krishna. 1990. Logic, Language and Reality: IndianPhilosophy and Contemporary Issues. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. McGuire, John. 1998. Is Critical Thinking Cultural Thinking?. Unpublishedms. McPeck, John E. 1991. What is Learned in Informal Logic?, TeachingPhilosophy, 14.1, 25-34. Needham, Joseph. 1969. The Grand Titration: Science and Society in East andWest. London: Allen Unwin. Paul, Richard. 1993. Critical Thinking: What Every Person Needs to Survivein a Rapidly Changing World. Santa Rosa, CA: Foundation for CriticalThinking. Ronan, Colin A. 1978. The Shorter Science and Civilization in China: AnAbridgement of Needhams Original Text. Cambridge: Cambridge UP. Sutton, Robert. 1995. Realism and Other Philosophical Mantras. Inquiry:Critical Thinking Across the Disciplines, 14.4, 18 pars.,http://www.shss.montclair.edu/inquiry/summ95/sutton.html. Tscherbatsky, F. Th. 1962. Buddhist Logic. New York: Dover. References1 The literature on the nature and definitions of critical thinking areenormous. Probably the most intense debate among critical thinking expertscenters on the question whether critical thinking can be a separateautonomous academic disciplines dealing with the general form of thinkingto be applied by students in all of their academic areas. Or whether it isnot autonomous at all, but should always be part of important academicdisciplines. However, I believe that these debates giveuslittleunderstanding of what critical thinking should be. For critical thinkingwould be nothing if not applied to real cases, and the study of it wouldnot be totally effective if the skills and theories unique to it were notabstracted and studied on their own. The other debates focuses on thenature of critical thinking, or the meaning of critical thinking itself. Richard Paul (1993) provides a definition that no one can gainsay: Criticalthinking is the kind of thinking one thinks of ones thinking in order tomake ones thinking better. Hatcher (1995a; 1995b) calls for the kind ofcritical thinking that is based on the so-called epistemological realistposition this is contrasted by Sutton (1995) and Hostetler (1991), whoargue that critical thinking is more amenable to the anti-realist position. Whatever it is, there is still no correct definition concerning the truemeaning of critical thinking.

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Problem gambling Essay Example for Free

Problem gambling Essay She took one last look out the window as they drove away, the tears streaming down her face. At the age of four, her world had fallen apart. Karina’s life started out as a perfect middle-class family, and soon turned into a broken mess. They had everything, a perfect house in a really nice part of the city, a nice car; everything was wonderful. As Karina got older, she began to notice things weren’t perfect. Her dad was never there. He was always out gambling in one way or another. â€Å"As time progressed we lost the car, and other possessions due to my dad’s gambling problem. It’s not only about gambling and the money. When people gamble, they do other stupid things, he had an affair. My parents decided to get a divorce. My dad didn’t argue, in fact he said that for the safety of our family it would probably be better because a lot of people were angry at him for what he owed them. It was all because of gambling and snowballed into a mess that could have been really dangerous for my mom and me had we stayed around. I’m sad that my life played out in that way at such a young age, and it’s very unfortunate. I know that if he wouldn’t have had gambling around none of those things would have taken place and we would probably still be the family that we were, but unfortunately that’s not how it played out. † Although many people think that legalizing gambling will have a great effect on the economy, I think the negative effects are much more evident. People’s views on subjects often have to do with their ethics. Ethics, as defined by Seiler and Beall, are an individual’s system of moral principles. My ethics lead me to believe that gambling is wrong because I was raised to believe that my family is more important than economic wealth. As it is evident in the story above, gambling can have a major negative effect on someone’s life, and so it is too much of a risk to legalize this dangerous game. Three main reasons that gambling should be kept illegal are that gambling creates tension among the family members, gambling increases crime in the society, and the addiction to gambling is too great for many to overcome. The first reason that gambling should be kept illegal is that gambling creates tension among the family members as the money that should be used for the family is being spent on gambling. Even though gambling might, in some cases, bring money into the state and local economies, there are side effects to having a casino down the street. Forshey (1998) states, â€Å"The gambling jobs, taxes, and recreational values provided by the industry cannot compensate for the social pain-in the form of bankruptcies, white-collar crime, divorce, a compromised political process, an increase in alcoholism-it inflicts. † The drain of a working person’s money that wager’s his or her paycheck and loses is not compensated with the amount of jobs a casino brings to a community. Gambling is a greedy industry that produces nothing more than empty hopes, empty dreams and empty wallets. Anderson states, â€Å"Proponents argue that state lotteries are an effective way to raise taxes painlessly. But the evidence shows that legalized gambling often hurts those who are poor and disadvantaged. † Without casino gambling, many local citizens would spend their money on groceries or clothes, instead of reducing their savings on gambling. As William Thompson states in his article â€Å"Gambling: A Controlling Substance,† It [gambling] is a pleasure, like other entertainment, but in that regard, it is an expensive pleasure. † Thompson then continues with this thought: â€Å"Politicians must recognize that the benefits of gambling are bounded by market structures. Gambling money does not grow on trees. It comes out of the pockets or real people, who otherwise would have spent it on something else. † All of this evidence shoes that gambling should be kept illegal because it creates tension among the family members as the money that should be used for the family is being spent on gambling. A second reason that gambling should be kept illegal is that gambling increases the amount of crime within a society. Gambling often becomes associated with crime, a relationship that seems quite understandable. Not only does gambling continue to be illegal in some forms which makes it a crime to participate in, but also the second half of the issue occurs when gambling increases the amount of street crime in a surrounding area. Crime rates have been significantly higher in places that allow gambling. Kindt states, â€Å"Atlantic City showed a jump in crime when gambling was legalized. The city went from 50th in the nation in per capita crime to first. Problem gamblers may also become more likely to have financial troubles and use illegal activities as a way to pay off their debts and keep up their unhealthy habit. † This graphic shows a report done by the U. S. Department of Justice studied people that were arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines, Iowa. The results show many connections between gambling and crime. â€Å"More than 30 percent of pathological gamblers who had been arrested in Las Vegas and Des Moines reported having committed a robbery within the past year, nearly double the percentage for low-risk gamblers. Nearly one-third admitted that they had committed the robbery to pay for gambling or to pay gambling debts. In addition, about 13 perfect said they had assaulted someone to get money. † As is evident, gambling should be kept illegal because it increases the amount of crime within a society. We will now look at the last reason why gambling should be kept illegal. Finally, a third reason that gambling should be kept illegal is that the addiction to gambling is too great for many to overcome, resulting in psychological problems for the gambler. Some people argue that if a person wants to gamble badly enough they will do it. They say that one will be able to control his or herself and only gamble when it’s appropriate, but gambling is an addiction that some people can’t escape. The addiction is a nationwide problem, and as much a part of gambling as the dice. As an article in the Omaha World Herald states, â€Å"Problem gambling is the urge to gamble despite harmful negative consequence or the desire to stop, and pathological gambling involves wagering to such excess that it has a severe negative effect on the gambler’s life. † Getting hooked on gambling comes mainly from the action and thrill, an experience chemically the same as those with inhaled substances. They fall under the spell of action. Action is an aroused, joyous state involving excitement, tension, and anticipation of the outcome of a gambling event. It is the thrill of living on the edge. Gambling has little to do with money and everything to do with the feelings of a gambler. William Thompson states, â€Å"People will lie to themselves, also in calculating the money because they don’t want to tell themselves that they were foolish about gambling. † Problem gamblers describe gambling as â€Å"highs† similar to that experienced from many drug substances. Some experience these sensations when just thinking about gambling. How is a person supposed to avoid gambling if he or she is constantly being surrounded with opportunities to place bets and be involved in the â€Å"action†? As Frey suggests casinos increase the number of problem gamblers, and make it that much more difficult to stop for those already addicted. In order to stop the number of pathological gamblers from increasing, the amount of gambling in the United States must decrease as a whole. Pathological gamblers were twice as likely to describe their general health as fair to poor over the past two years and were more likely to acknowledge mental or emotional problems. Rates of alcohol and drug dependence, job loss, and bankruptcy were also significantly higher for pathological gamblers relative to non-gamblers. According to Weinstock and Meyers, â€Å" Almost 20 percent of the people diagnosed as pathological gamblers file for bankruptcy compared to the less than 5 percent of those in the general population. † Percentage of Population with Gambling Problems In order to stop the number of pathological gamblers from increasing, the amount of gambling in the United States must decrease as a whole. As is evident in this bar graph the amount of people with gambling disorders has greatly increased. According to Weinstock and Meyers, â€Å"Recent studies have found that approximately 2 percent of Americans have had severe levels of disordered gambling at some point in their lifetime. Alarmingly, the rate in the Mid-South is even higher. Studies with Mississippi and Louisiana reveal that about 5 percent of the residents in Mississippi have a gambling problem, while in New Orleans, Louisiana 8 percent of the population reported significant problems because of their gambling. † Gambling should be kept illegal because the addiction to gambling is too great for many, even adolescents to overcome. According to Welte, Barnes, Tidwell, and Hoffman, â€Å"Over 2% of U. S. adolescents have experienced problem gambling (i. e. , sub-clinical pathological gambling) in the past year. Females have a . 1% problem gambling rate, and males a 4. 2% problem gambling rate within the past year. † If we don’t put a stop to this now the future of pathological gambling will continue. Regrettably, these pathological gamblers will most likely have to deal with many adverse life events because of their addiction. Many problem gamblers are under so much stress, they commit domestic violence or suicide. There are other, less dangerous ways to find entertainment. So many people suffer every day from their addiction to gambling. The United States should put a stop by banning the gambling industry, and therefore eliminating the harmful side effects of legalized gambling. All of this evidence shows that gambling should be kept illegal because the addiction to gambling is far too great for some people to overcome, resulting in psychological problems for the gambler. The negative effects of gambling out-weigh the positive. The tension created among family members, increased crime in society, and the addiction resulting in psychological problems are just too great of a risk for the people of our society to undergo. So the next time you walk into a casino, remember Karina’s story and how the gambling may affect your life, because even if you’re willing to take the chance, odds are the negative effects of gambling will leave you unlucky in life. It is important for all of you to take note of the consequences and refrain from gambling. Staying away from the dangers of gambling, and setting an example to others is extremely important. No matter what type of personality you have, you can be an influence to others and help stop the spread of gambling all over the nation. I want to challenge you that if you know someone that gambles or you yourself gamble share what you know about gambling and try to put a stop to the habit! References: * Anderson, K. Gambling. Gambling Probe Ministries.Retrieved October 31, 2001 from http://www. probe. org/site/c. fdKEIMNsEoG/b. 4219137/k. C8BD/Gambling. htm * Brandt, K. (Personal communication, October 21, 2011) * Forshey, G. E. (1998). Lonely crusade: Fighting the Gambling Industry. The Christian Century. Retrieved October 31, 2011 from http://vnweb. hwwilsonweb. com/hww/results/getResults. jhtml? _DARGS=/hww/results/results_common. jhtml. 35 * Kindt, J. (1994). The Economic Impacts of Legalized Gambling Activities. Drake Law Review, 40 (1), 50-87. Retrieved October 26, 2011 from https://www.ideals. illinois. edu/handle/2142/16297 * Meyers, A. Whelan, J. Weinstock. (June 1998). Gambling: When it is not a Game Anymore. Business Perspectives, 16-22. Retrieved October 27, 2011 from http://www. allbusiness. com/specialty-businesses/291076-1. html * Problem Gambling: Be aware of warning signs. Omaha World Herald. (March, 19, 2010). Retrieved October 23, 2011 from Library. * Seiler, W. J. and Beall, M. L. (2009). Communication and Ethical Behavior. In Communication: Making Connections (8th Ed) (pp. 8-9). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Allyn.

Cross Cultural Management Report On Nandos Cultural Studies Essay

Cross Cultural Management Report On Nandos Cultural Studies Essay The operation of business on a global scale requires that firms should cultivate their international business by respecting the national differences in the countries where they expand to. This is what Nandos had failed to observe. It has rigidly and excessively stuck to its corporate culture exhibited in South Africa. It failed to note that South African s national culture is not the same thing as what applies in countries in European and Asian states . Also , the Nando s management in the South African headquarter had given no room for the management of its firms in other countries to operate freely this has given them no room for innovative strategic marketing planning in observance to the environment in which they operate in . The national culture of South Africa has greatly influenced the corporate culture of the Nando s organization and it thus constituted a negative impact when its adherence and transfer to other national culture that is not compatible , led to the unprofitable business operations in these countries . The level of competition in the fast food industry in contemporary times is getting tense, with expansion in big firms and new entrants to the business. Issue#2 Advertisement issue in Australia and South Africa Nandos is known in South Africa for its humorous but often controversial adverts. One such television advert from 2000, involved a blind woman being led into a pole intentionally and knocked unconscious by her guide dog, which then proceeded to eat the chicken that the woman had just purchased. This caused uproar from people who were concerned that the blind would be offended. The South African Advertising Standards Authority  called for the withdrawal of the advert. Several blind people were quoted in the media as finding the advert amusing In Australia, Nandos ran an advertising campaign based around the 2002 political controversy regarding the mandatory detention of illegal immigrants. The detainees had been waging a hunger strike campaign, even resorting to physically sewing their lips closed. Nandos adverts proclaimed that the strikers decided to unsew their lips after hearing the news that with every Nandos quarter chicken combo, Nandos are giving away an extra quarter chicken free. Melbournes Sphere Advertising, said that the ad was designed to spark controversy, saying that they knew that theres a section of our audience thats going to be uncomfortablebut we want to evoke a response. In 2007, there was further controversy in Australia when Nandos aired a sexually explicit advertisement; centered around a family whose mother figure was also a pole dancer. Despite complaints to have it removed, the Advertising Standards Bureau ruled that it did not contain excessive nudity for its M rating. Currently, this advert is still causing a heated debate. It ranges from virulent opposition to Nandos on various blogs to modest reviews in some Australian online directories. Most recently they have created a cheeky campaign for their new Tropico Burger with the former football star  Warick Capper  as the face of the new promotion. Capper asks the question, Whose buns does the sun shine out of the most? Mine or the Tropico Burger? They have developed a catalogue of commercials on the  Nandos Australia Advertising  website. During the South African national elections of 2009, Nandos made an advert lampooning  ANC  Youth League president  Julius Malema  by using a puppet that resembled him. Malemas lawyers sued Nandos and the original advert was removed. However, an altered version was released, with the puppets face pixelated and the voice altered. The puppet used in the advert was later sold at auction for R100,000 which was donated to an educational charity. Issue#3 How to retain cultures and values while expanding abroad One of the biggest challenges for Nandos was seen as how to retain their culture and values while expanding abroad. As Jane Hume related: My key task is to keep our culture burning within the expanding South African and global context. We want to be global but local, big but small, and decentralized with central reporting andcontrol. Above all, we must retain our close family centred culture, our core values, in the process of globalization, yet adapt to very different cultures. A second challenge for Nandos lay in how to build critical mass in foreign markets. Stores overseas had to begin with simple store marketing, just as South African stores did when Nandos began. In most countries, people were not familiar with Portuguese food, and their advertising had to be a lot more educational than was the case in South Africa. Nandos wanted this education to be done with the same tone, fun and irreverence that was typical for the brand at home. Recognizing the potential pitfall, however, McKenzie noted that no attempt was made to translate humour from South Africa to other countries.They have to find their own level of humour. It is very much a cultural thing. Their advertising should be topical. Only they know the burning issues in their country, the areas that would attract most attention. But it must be packaged in the Nandos way. It was assumed that humour and irreverence were sound positioning strategies worldwide. Issue#4 Is Nandos haram or halalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.Issue arises in Pakistan and Malaysia A mail from a customer who confidently state with some evidence that nandos is not halal Dear Friends,   AOA I am posting an email(un-edited)received from a relative.Comments of brothers will help.To me besideNOT HALAL the acts are CRUAL in a society which claims to be flag bearer of humanity.Commercialization (for cost saving,profits)to save some money cannot be used to induce ZULAM on livings.Here is the text received. Councillor Salim Mulla   Chair Regeneration   Town Hall, Blackburn   BB1 7DY   01254 585321 01254 260208 Email:  [emailprotected] Asalaamualaikum Brother and Sisters, After a recent meeting with HMC (Halal monitoring committee) I can confirm that the chicken served by Halal Nandos outlets still is NOTHALAL. HMC personally inspected the slaughterhouse of Freemans and came up with this conclusion. My point of contact is Haroon Rashid. Their chickens are all electrocuted, the power is that much that some of the brains explode and so do nerve endings. They dont do ziba as the chickens flap around too much and it leads to their wings getting damaged. This is definitely not Halal and not the way that Allah says to treat these animals. An extract taken from the Guardian (astaghfirullah) website on the issue of fast-food taking the case of Freemans who is the supplier of Nandos. Newent sits in folds of lush countryside at the far western reach of the Cotswolds hidden from view, is Freemans of Newent. Clifford Freeman and his cousin own this poultry abattoir. It is the largest Halal plant in Britain , employing more than 250 people, slaughtering 300,000 chickens a week, and after considerable   persuasion and hesitation Freeman has agreed to show me how it is done. The birds are collected from farms at night, transported to the site in the early hours of the morning, and kept in darkness until   they are ready to be killed. Workers hang them upside down by their feet in shackles, suspended from a conveyor belt, or line, which then dangles them through an electrified bath. Their heads are submerged, and a high-frequency current in the water stuns them. The line keeps moving,  taking the birds on to the slaughter area, where three men are standing ready to cut their throats. Issue#5 Issue in U.A .E where people are highly responsible and human oriented Dear All, here some informations i got today. I m a regular customer of Nando`s in the Greens. I like the food and (till this day) the concept of Nando`s. Even the home delivery service it was always good. BUTwhat i heard today made me very angry!! The staff of Nando`s in the Greens have to work daily minimum 12 hours, without to get any payment for the overtime (btw..it is against the rules of U.A.E to do so) furthermore almost all of the staff would like to leave the company asap, because of the Manager there and his behavior. Actually there`s one case, where a Lady from the Philippines after 3 years worked as a waiter, wants to leave Nando`s to start a new job in a other company. I saw her crying and asked her what`s wrong with her. She explained me her problem. Her previous contract (incl. labor card, viza and so on) with Nando`s in the Greens is expired and as per the rules of U.A.E, she can leave Nando`s and start to work somewhere else where ever she wants. The problem is the Manager of that branch in the Greens. He is trying to force her to stay there and to renew the contract. They signed already the letter of resignation (both the Lady and the Manager), but still the Manager is forcing her and telling her lies so that she have to stay there and work. His problem is the lack of staff, that is why he wants her to stay there. That behavior of the Manager is inacceptable!! I gave the Lady my phone number and will support her in that case. I have some powerful relatives here in the U.A.E. and until now (Thanks God) i never needed their help, but in that case i will call them and will ask them to help me/us. Anywayi wont visit any Nando`s anymore. Such a concept of modern slavery i wont support!! I will inform all of my friends and relatives about and tell them not to go there anymore! Regards H.Resad Issue#6 Controversies in India regarding their taste Nandos has opened its branch in India recently in 2010. Only one branch of Nandos is operating in India though India is a very large country and highly populated. The main issue which Nandos has to come across is that majority of the Indians are vegetarian and they dont eat chicken because of their customs and religion. Where as Nandos is a restaurant for chicken lover and that is the main biggest draw back to Nandos. Once it happens with Mc donalds that they open their branch in a very wrong area where majority of the people were vegetarian and because of which they face the loss and it all leads to bad publicity that is why Nandos open their one branch and they couldnt have the advantage over the large population because Nandos wanted to play safe Issue#7 Cultural discrimination in Saudi Arabia Nandos is also operating in Saudi Arabia but they arent that successful due to some reasons. As we all know that Arabs are known not be efficient and unproductive people. Thus, less people are hired from Saudi Nationals as employee and waiters and more are hired on international basis as they are considered to be more efficient and more productive. Therefore, there is a cultural discrimination problems leading to cultural issues. As it has been disliked by Saudis as more international are hired rather than locals. Through a survey it was been found out that among Nandos employees only 30 percent Saudi were hired and the majority were internationals. The consequences of this discrimination were really bad as it led to a very bad publicity for Nandos. Lessons and the reasons of their growth A global brand talks about growing the right way http://www.monkeydish.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/article_main_photo/articles/Nandos-Chicken.jpg How do you build a global restaurant chain? Robbie Brozin, the founder of $1-billion-a-year Nandos Chicken, ended the educational component of the Restaurant Leadership Conference with some specific tips for attendees. Nandos specializes in Portuguese-style chicken at its 1,000 stores, only four of which are located in the United States. The chicken is grilled and spiced with peri peri, a hot sauce widely known in Nandos home base of South Africa. Brozin said hell open three more stores this year in his New World foothold of Washington, D.C., guided by what hes learned from operating on four continents. Here are some of the lessons he shared with the 1,400 executives in attendance: You cant build great brands with advertising. At the end of the day, its the people. Nandos looks for hires that are a little different. We spend an inordinate amount of money to motivate our staff. We have a saying: Happy staff equals happy customer equals happy bank manager. How Nandos motivates its employees can vary greatly from market to market (its strongholds are Australia, with about 300 stores; the United Kingdom, 300 stores; and South Africa, also with 300). The constants are an emphasis on having fun and making a difference to the people who please customers one quarter chicken at a time. Partying is encouraged. Design can change a culture. [But] everything you design has to be about the people. He cited such people-pleasing possibilities as the look of the uniforms. You have to be profitable in America, and you have to have it profitable in Australia. The means are often very different, Brozin noted. Yet the brand has to have a common thread. Programmed into the DNA of every Nandos is the focus on chicken and the staff that serves it. Indeed, the absolute key to Nandos success, especially in the early days, was focus, Brozin stressed. He never forgot the objective, or the means to that end: At the end of the day, you have to have an amount of passion. But you also have to have an amount of commitment to making money. Recommendations Thus for organization like Nandos the need to observe people s custom, taste , national culture in carrying out its strategic marketing this is germane for their effective and successful operations as they expand the business . To overcome the issue in India, Nandos should open their outlet in the area where there are less vegetarian and they should introduce more new food stuff which doesnt contain chicken in it and should go fir more vegetables item. And while doing advertisement they should focus on stuff which doesnt contain chicken so that Nandos dont conflict with their custom and religion. To overcome the issue in Saudia, they should hire more Saudis rather than foreigners. In order to increase the efficiency and productivity of Saudis they should arrange more training programs and should give them more and better training in that way they can increase their productivity and they dont have to hire the people from outside and this how they can overcome this problem. To overcome the problems regarding Halal and Haram which is mostly concerned by the Muslim countries such as Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Bangladesh? Nando should spent more on advertising so as to ensure people that the chicken food provided by Nandos is Halal and not Haram. As many people consider their chicken as Haram due to which they have stopped eating it. Therefore, in order to avoid such bad publicity nandos should make people aware of the fact and should provide fool proof reasons that the chicken offered to them is Halal and not Haram Nandos had failed to observe. It has rigidly and excessively stuck to its corporate culture exhibited in South Africa. It failed to note that South African s national culture is not the same thing as what applies in countries in European and Asian states . To overcome this issue they should cultivate their international business by respecting the national differences in the countries where they expand to Nandos is known in South Africa for its humorous but often controversial adverts. This controversies create a lot of problems in South Africa and Australia to overcome this problem they should make different ads in different countries and all those ads should be within the limitation of their culture and should be that much decent that it is acceptable by everyone. They can solve the issue in U.A.E by chaging their manger because the mangaer behavior with the employees were not good and he was not being fair with them and they were nt evn paid for the over time because of which people were running away from Nandos and no one was ready to work over there. This was even affecting their sales because when customer came to know about the unfair with the employees they were so human oriented that they went on protest against nandos which resulted in bad publicity

Barn Burning :: Literary Analysis, William Faulkner

Sarty's betrayal of his father in William Faulkner's story "Barn Burning" is justified. The reader is introduced to Sarty's father as he is being tried for burning the barn of Mr. Harris. Lacking evidence, the Justice of the Peace drops the charges against Abner Snopes, Sarty's father, and he is ordered to leave the country. A harsh image of Sarty's father is presented in the line, "he [Sarty] followed the stiff black coat, the wiry figure walking a little stiffly from where a Confederate provost's man's musket ball had taken him in the heel on a stolen horse thirty years ago" (2177). The reader is given insight into Snopes' shady past and learns he has never been a law-abiding citizen. Sarty's inner turmoil centers around his sense of loyalty to his father and his own conflict with knowing his father's actions are wrong. Through Faulkner's use of stream-of-consciousness narration, the reader is aware of Sarty's thoughts. In one instance, Sarty alludes to Mr. Harris as "his father's enemy (our enemy he thought in that despair, ourn, mine and hisn both! He's my father!)" (2176). Upon hearing the hiss of someone accusing his father of burning barns, Sarty feels "the old fierce pull of blood" and is blindly thrust into a fight, only to be physically jerked back by his father's hand and his cold voice ordering him to get in the wagon. As the Snopes' family leaves town, Sarty consoles himself with the hope that this will be the last time his father commits the act that he cannot bring himself to even think of : "Maybe he's done satisfied now, now that he has" (2177). Deep down, Sarty knows his father is not going to end his destructive rampage. Ten-year-old Sarty cannot understand the true reasons for his father's actions: "that the element of fire spoke to some deep mainspring of his father's being," and, even more importantly, the fire served as "the one weapon for the preservation of [his] integrity" (2178). Sarty's thoughts when he realizes he might be questioned regarding the barn burning reflect the fear and despair he experiences: "He aims for me to lie. And I will have to do hit" (2176). Later, Sarty's father violently reminds him that blood is thicker than water when he accuses Sarty of being ready to betray him.

True Human Nature Exposed in Lord of the Flies Essay -- Lord of the Fl

True Human Nature Exposed in Lord of the Flies       The island in Lord of the Flies represents "a microcosm of human society." Stranded on an island where no definite authority is to be obeyed, the boys quickly forget the social standards that their parents have impressed on them. Eventually, the wildness of their ids cannot be suppressed. They lose their pride as "British boys" and choose their leaders, their social groups, and their lifestyles with their basic instincts rather than with practicality. Fear and superstition rule the island instead of the laws of science. Without the constant pressure of society's expectations, the boys display the fundamental elements of human nature in the way that they choose to live.    In society, a constant struggle exists between what people want to do and what they need to do. If Freud's ideas about the human mind are correct, those who stress the former are more strongly controlled by their ids. Those whose lean more towards the latter are controlled by their ego. The government tries to enforce rules while the people struggle for more freedom. This is plainly displayed in how Ralph and Jack fight for the loyalty of the other boys. Ralph promises rescue, which works for a time. However, Jack promises them fun. People would rather have pleasure than security. The boys cannot see the importance of following the rules. In society, people have a similar problem. Everyone desires to be "liberated from shame and self-consciousness." Unfortunately, this inclination is not always in their best interest.    Humans will always separate themselves into groups based on appearance and similarities. The boy automatically separate themselves into "biguns" and "littluns." The older c... ...s in self-defense, Jack tells them "I told you- he's dangerous." This type of manipulation is common in human society, particularly when a fight for power is involved.    In human society, people will do what comes easiest. They will be manipulated and mistreated before they start to think for themselves or to act as individuals. This is shown well by the boys in The Lord of the Flies because boys have not yet suppressed their basic natures as completely as adults have. The thoughtless attitudes that the boys have is common in human society, even if adults pretend otherwise.    Works Cited Baker, James R.   William Golding, A Critical Study.   New York: St. Martin's Press, 1985. Golding, William.   Lord of the Flies.   New York: Harcourt, 1962. Riley, Carolyn, ed.   Vol. 1 of Contemporary Literary Criticism. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1993.

Blood Brain Barrier Essay -- Biology

The brain is permeated by a vast network of tiny blood vessels called capillaries- so tiny and thin that blood cells have to pass through in single file. In the brain alone there are enough capillaries that if you laid them all out end to end they would stretch from Tucson to Tijuana. These capillaries are surrounded by a single layer of cells. That layer of cells forms a barrier between the capillaries and the cells and fluid of the brain. These barrier-forming cells are called "endothelial cells". You can think of "endothelial" as a synonym for "lining" or even just "barrier". When we use the phrase Blood Brain Barrier, (which for obvious reasons we'll refer to as BBB from here on out!), we're talking about all of these endothelial ("barrier") cells collectively. Function of the BBB The cell membranes of the BBB contain transport proteins. If the brain is a nightclub, the transport proteins are bouncers. They decide who gets in, and who gets kicked out. On this website we'll be introducing you to the most important transport proteins- OATP, MDR1, and MDR2. Don't let all the acronyms intimidate you- read carefully and you'll be fine. If the nightclub/bouncer analogy doesn't work for you, you could also think of them as little vacuum pumps and blowers. An extremely detailed view of their actual mechanisms is beyond current knowledge. Importance of the BBB Without the BBB, undesirable molecules could freely diffuse from the capillaries to the fluid that surrounds the brain cells. These undesirable molecules include: TOXINS- poisons taken in from the environment. IONS- that might upset the delicate electrochemical gradients of the cerebral fluid. ACIDS and BASES- that might upset the cerebral ... ...aks down the BBB, so the mice infected with GBS lacking this toxin developed less bacterial meningitis than those infected with the normal GBS. -Doran says: Ââ€Å"These findings demonstrate a novel function of the blood-brain barrier, to act as a sentry that detects the threat of a bacterial pathogen and responds by triggering an immune response to clear the infection. 3. Neuwalt- Researches treatment of brain tumors with chemotherapy, hard because of the BBB (natural defense against chemical transport into the brain) introduction of chemicals to the brain by shrinking endothelial cells that make up the BBB with a concentrated sugar solution that creates gaps in the BBB allowing chemicals to enter (called Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption Therapy) project tenfold to a hundredfold more successful than normal chemotherapy and intra-arterial chemotherapy (Neuwalt, 1998)

Divine command theory

The most basic difference in divine command theory and Immanuel Kant’s moral theory is where the founding principle comes from. Kant argues that as rational creatures with the ability for autonomous thought and action, we can rationally determine the morality of any situation. Divine command theory requires that humans ascertain the will of God to know the difference between right and wrong. In large part the two theories overlap and many who promote divine command theory would argue that Kant simply did not take his explanation far enough.They would argue that had he determined the source of rationality, i.e. the theory that God endowed His creation will freewill and autonomy, then he would see that even the rational choice theory of morality leads back to divine intervention. However, Kant argued that it is impossible using rational arguments to determine if God exists or not. We can, however, argue rationally that humans are rational beings and capable of autonomous action. Therefore, we can argue that autonomous beings have the rational capability of determining a guiding moral principle.Kant’s theory argues that the moral principle which guides life should be determined in a vacuum, absent of the facts. This was his way of arguing against situational ethics. A guiding principle, the basics of morality, should be determined based solely on rational thought and then, once the principle is established, the facts of the situation may be applied to the moral principle and the appropriate action, the answer to the question, †What ought I to do?†,   can be determined. Kant’s theory requires the identification of the categorical imperative that is essential to living a moral life. Morality is determined by the one rationally determined categorical imperative.If then an action seems within the situation as though it will not be compatible with the categorical imperative, then it is morally wrong and there is no justifying it or ch anging things around to make it okay.   For example, if the rationally determined categorical imperative is that murder is wrong, then it is wrong. This is actually a form of the argument many people use in opposing the death penalty. They argue that it cannot be morally justified to kill someone even if it is being done because he killed someone else. Their categorical imperative is that it is irrational to kill another person. This person should also then be a conscientious objector as there is no circumstance under which killing is not morally wrong.Under diving command theory, the order of God that â€Å"thou shalt not kill† would be an equally definitive moral compass, except that the God’s commands are rarely that direct. One of the biggest criticisms of divine command theory is that it does not indicate how one is to determine what God’s command is. Many point to the scriptures, but those vary, sometimes greatly among translations and faiths. In centuri es past, many believed in the divine rule of kings as God’s voice on earth.Therefore, if the King commanded it, it was the word of God as well and since many of these kings sent men into battle in direct opposition to the commandment against killing, the theory of divine command is weakened by the need to identify God or His commands. Even extending into the modern day, the Pope is considered by Catholics to be the voice of God. Is the word of the Pope then the moral guide for the divine command theory? And, the seemingly contradictory messages of the Bible (or other scriptures) become a much greater problem. If we are basing our morality on God’s command, but His words are unclear, how can morality become clear?Ultimately, the difference between right and wrong in the two theories is potentially huge. Under the divine command theory, anything that God commands can be considered right and anything contrary to God’s command is wrong.   With Kant’s theory , wrong is defined as being immoral and immorality is irrational. Therefore, any act which is irrational could be considered morally wrong.   Thus the two theories can lead to very different conclusions in the exact same case.Essentially, the difference between the two is that though Kant argued that moral theory should be determined in the absence of facts, it is not hard and fast and allows for some circumstantial ethics. The simple problem with divine command theory is that if it relies on scriptures as God’s command, it is clear cut with no room for interpretation. Why then would man be capable of rational thought if there were no rationality needed? With divine command theory any creature that can understand simple commands could be taught to obey the law and the creation of a species capable of rational thought would be unnecessary.Likewise, the problem with moral theory is that it does not have clear cut right and wrong. By arguing that the requisite is rational acti on, Kant has made it possible for anything to be rationally justified even perhaps the greatest of moral wrongs including murder or even genocide, if the reasoning were sound. Because of the difference in their application, the two theories can be applied with completely different outcomes.For instance, assume that a man is walking through the woods late in the evening and sees a man attacking a woman whom he knows to be virtuous (just to make it clear she is the victim here). Because the attacker is in such a rage, the only manner that the observer has to prevent him from killing the innocent is to kill the attacker. If we use the divine command theory to determine our course of action, harkening back to the Ten Commandments and â€Å"Thou Shalt Not Kill†, the observer is left with no action that he can take to prevent the death of an innocent woman.Under Kant’s moral theory, it is completely irrational for the observer to allow an innocent to be killed simply because a Divine Being ordained that killing is wrong. Therefore, under the Kant theory, the observer would be wholly justified in killing the attacker. He would be doing the right thing. While clearly not all moral obligations and decisions would ever be this clear cut, this example illustrates where the two theories diverge drastically.It is precisely this type of scenario which leads me to support Kant’s moral theory over the theory of divine command. The theory of divine command relies on the existence of a Supreme Being and the knowledge of His will in personal action. Like Kant, I am not certain that we can determine if God exists, much less what His divine command would be. In a different age, divine command theory as method of determining morality made perfect sense.The king, ruling with diving right, could ordain the divine commands of his nation and the law would therefore be good, but as we have entered the age of reason and science, the theory of divine command falls sho rt. It does not offer any guidance on issues that were not conceived of when the Bible or other scriptures were written. Unless one accepts that the Pope is the direct conduit to God’s will left on earth, how could on determine what the divine command theory would be on an issue like cloning and therefore what the morality might be.Some religious people might say that cloning is wrong because it attempts to subvert God’s role in creation, but where in the Scripture does it say ‘thou shalt not clone’?   And, if we accept the argument that God did not intend for man to interfere in the creation process, should we not then find in vitro fertilization and even breeding controls on animals to be contrary to God’s law?   The simple failing of the divine command theory is that it does not reach into the modern age and allow moral decisions appropriate to the times in which we live.Kant’s theory on the other hand is perfect for the age of reason, probably based on the time frame in which it was being developed.   When the means test of rationality is applied, virtually any decision can be made, often in the style of Kant’s writings about common sense.For example, the rational mind can identify the moral ambiguity of cloning, especially cloning of a rational being. With all consciousness of thought, we can determine that creating that which we do not understand may be wrong. We can also rationally determine that choosing to mate specific animals in hopes of getting a particular set of genetic traits or implanting an embryo into a uterus is not an evil act simply because it involves creation. Even those who believe in the existence of a Supreme Being cannot argue why a God that is â€Å"good† and benevolent would object to the use of scientific advances to prolong life and to assist the natural process of procreation.As a further example of this, consider the use of nuclear weapons. Though we can default to th e idea that thou shalt not kill as divine command argument against the use of the weapon, the argument falls short when we realize that man has been commanded to kill hundreds of times throughout history in God’s name. However, when we consider the discussion of nuclear weapons using Kant’s theory, we can determine that the use of nuclear weapons on any widespread basis is irrational and therefore immoral and therefore wrong.The rational arguments against the weapons are plentiful: they destroy every living creature for miles, they destroy the land making it uninhabitable for years, and the radiation spread cannot be controlled, leading to countless additional injuries, illnesses and deaths. Ultimately, both theories come to the same conclusion, but Kant’s theory provides a better argument supporting the cause.Objectors will say that the problem with Kant’s theory is that humans have the capacity to act irrationally and therefore immorally. That irrationa lity negates the concept of a rational test of morality. This argument is flawed in that it is based on a premise which we call mental illness. In American society at least, when a person has lost the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong, we determine that they are mentally ill. This means even our system of psychology is based loosely on Kant’s premise that we are rational creatures, capable of autonomous action.Furthermore, nothing in theory would ever preclude a person from acting in a manner contrary to their moral theory. It is completely possible for a person to know an action is morally wrong and do it anyway. Sometimes, they will make attempts to justify the actions in their own minds or to others, but even the great majority of criminals can acknowledge that there is a significant difference between right and wrong even while they are choosing the wrong option. This is the reason that the American legal system recognizes mitigating factors, those ex cuses for why it was okay to do the wrong thing. We understand that the rational mind can also try to reason out doing what it desires.Critics of Kant’s theory would also argue that there are no simple clear cut definitions of right and wrong. That is correct. There aren’t. Ethics and morality are situational, no matter what people want to say or believe. It can be as simple as believing that a little white lie is occasionally okay (Do you really want to tell your mother her new dress looks hideous?) or as extreme as a blatant attempt to manipulate society and yourself that murder is justifiable. Regardless, Kant would argue that the theory holds true. Rational beings know that these actions are wrong and society, which is not a rational being, has dictated that we are allowed to act otherwise.