Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 122

Assignment Example Firstly, I would like to express my satisfaction with the writing of this play. Indeed, by composing it, Euripides was out to demonstrate his literary prowess. In his writing, the author effectively used the element of characterization. He made a good choice of characters that would make it much easier for him to deliver his intended message to the audience. Each of the characters was given a name and role that perfectly suits them. They include Medea, Jason, Children, Glauce, Creon, Aegeus, Messenger, Nurse and the Tutor. Each of these played a very significant role in promoting the continuity of the play and developing its themes. The interaction between the protagonist and other characters was quite impressive. The role played by characters like Medea and Jason helped in demonstrating how the Ancient Greek society was discriminative and bias towards the womenfolk. All these were clearly brought out by the manner in which the author empowered his characters. If it were not for them , the play would not have enjoyed an uninterrupted continuity. Besides, the play has adequately utilized the aspect of theme. In his composition, the author was very much concerned about a particular message he was intending to pass to his target audience. Apart from using appropriate characters to help in doing this, he chose a good setting that suits the play. Essentially, Corinth is one of the historical Greek cities that can be used to understand the Ancient Greek history by shedding more light on how the Greeks interacted amongst themselves and with their gods on the day to day basis. With characters like Medea as a protagonist, the author would not struggle to explore the themes of position of women in the society, love, pride and revenge. The theme of love was produced as a result of the love affair between Medea and Jason and later Jason and

Data protection in online banking

Data protection in online banking Introduction Online banking is the practice of performing bank transactions over the internet. Due to the advanced nature of technology, most people use the internet to fulfil most of their personal needs, for instance; e-mails, internet calls, and video conferencing. Information technology is now being used to develop more supple and easy to use banking services (Nadim and Noorjahan, 2007). Online banking which can also be called internet banking is now being used and adopted by most people. Online banking can be useful in so many ways to both the customer and the banking institution, although the degree of its usefulness varies depending on whose point of view you look at it from. Online banking activities involves not only banks and customers but includes third parties too (Guptar, 2006). This essay would be looking at the privacy issues relating to the use of customers data and transactions in online banking. This essay would also be looking at the privacy concerns about how the customers per sonal data is used by the bank and what amount of control a customer has over the use of his/her data, how the bank shares customers personal data with third party or affiliated businesses and the rights and control customers have over the distribution of their data. And also what rights the government have over the monitoring of customers bank details and information, the ethical, social, professional and legal issues related to online banking services and the application of ethical/professional principles in the use of online banking services. Privacy issues in Online Banking Internationally, customers of several organisations can now pay their bills, transfer money to multiple accounts, make deposits, withdrawals or payments with online checks, view transactions on their account, trade bonds and securities, and all this can be done conveniently with just the click of the mouse and in the comfort of the customers home. The physical presence of customers are no longer needed for most transactions in the bank, as long queues witnessed in crowded banking halls can now be avoided which saves the bank the overhead cost of managing a crowded bank hall. But still, so many customers are concerned about the security of their personal information while operating the online banking service. According to Duquenoy et al (2005, p. 1), privacy is one of the main concerns associated with the use of online banking. I believe privacy is the most fundamental and relevant issue in online banking. Although there is not a specific privacy law in respect to online banking, ther e is an abundance of privacy laws that exist and this essay would be looking at a few of them as they are too many to write on all of them here. As noted by a few authors, Nadim and Noorjahan (2007) believed that privacy is one of the key factors amongst other issues which have an effect on a customers adoption of online banking technology. Most customers are concerned about how their personal data would be used when registering for an online banking account. What happens to their data after giving out their personal information? They are not sure and convinced about how secure and safe their data would be and how the data would be stored, manipulated, retrieved and updated. Mason (1986) stated that privacy concerns in online banking where raised by a few questions like; what information do customers require to reveal about themselves?; on what conditions?; what information can the customer can keep to themselves? According to Earp and Payton (2006) some major privacy concerns about the use of online banking technology are collection (enormous amount of personal information data collected and stored in databases), unauthorize d secondary use of data (personal data used for purposes other than they were primarily collected for), improper access (personal information viewed by unauthorized personnel), errors (unintended or intentional), and what level of protection could be put in place against them in personal information data. For example, there was a breach of information in which there was an identity theft of 3.3 million people with student loans in the weekend of March 20 21, 2010. Information such as name, addresses and social security numbers were stolen from a portable media device from the headquarters of Educational Credit Management Corporation, although the company claims it was a simple old-fashioned theft and not a hacker incident (WSJ, 2010). Howcroft et al (2003) noted that customers have confidence in their banks but their trust in the technology infrastructure of online banking was frail. Therefore privacy issues have proved to be an obstacle to the adoption of online banking technology (Nadim and Noorjahan, 2007). Most customers are worried about their personal data and financial information being revealed online. According to a study by Paul (2005), 94% of the banks customers express their concern about their personal information being exposed online. Privacy in online banking can be said to be the protection of the customers personal and financial information. It is the duty of IT professionals to secure and protect all customers personal information, they should conform to privacy legislation, professional codes of conduct and ethical principles to gain customers confidence in the technology and guard their reputation. Although Dewan and Seidmann (2001) argue that the success of online banking is expected to come w ith a growing price to personal privacy. They also stated that All online interactions leave detailed audit trails that continually depict a larger portion of our lives. Furthermore, privacy standards associated with the use of online banking technology in the banking industry (industry principles) currently exist. For example the American Bankers Association, Bankers Roundtable, Consumers Bank Association to name a few, have all approved equally to a set of privacy principles to portray a wide and united industry. They all have obligations to the similar set of guiding principles like; recognizing an individuals expectation of privacy; using, collecting and retaining personal information only if it produces the greatest benefit to such person; maintaining an up-to-date and accurate information; making individuals aware of the privacy policies; confine exposure of customers personal information; established security measures to protect information and maintaining an individuals privacy in business relationships with third parties (Earp and Payton, 2006). How can personal data be protected? Technological solutions that can give customers direct control over their personal information on their computer like cookie manager, encryption software, ad blocker to mention a few, give customers an amount of control over intrusions by hackers, spam and cookies. Also customer activism creating a policy taking direct action in online or offline environments to achieve desired enhancements in privacy policy, for example the American civil liberties Unions Take Back Your Data Campaign (Ashworth Free, 2006). Also privacy codes of practice like the BCS and ACM guide professionals on how to create and implement systems that protects the privacy of third parties. Privacy laws have been mostly controversial when viewing the laws relating to how much control customers have in the sharing of their personal information with third party organisations or affiliated business. Personal information in the control of banks about their customers data and transactions passes through different hands numerous times (Gupta, 2006).It is almost not possible for banks to retain customer data within their computer network let alone their jurisdiction. The risks of tampering of information, blockage and leakage are high and therefore needs an adequate legal and technical protection (Gupta, 2006). Most banks tend to use the personal data of their customers while advertising some of their other products and services. Third parties could use this data for marketing purposes, advertisements and customers usually view this as spam or unwanted information or some could also use it for illegitimate reasons like identity theft. The sale and distribution of customer pers onal data to third parties is a very lucrative business and generates a lot of revenue for companies. Duquenoy (2005) found out that the industry was valued at two billion pounds as at 2003. But how ethical is the sale or distribution of customer data to third parties? How does the third party make use of this information? These are some of the questions most banks have failed to look into in the use of personal data to make other products in online banking. Most customers find it a bit complicated controlling their personal information given out and collected by the bank, and its other businesses or government agencies that they could be shared with or sold to. It is required by the law that customers have to be given an option in order to decide what personal data can be collected and given out to third party or affiliated businesses, such options include the opt-in and opt-out methods. The UK follows the opt-in scheme under the provisions of the privacy and Electronics Communications Regulations 2003. The provision of an opt-out method gives the customer the choice of preventing personal information being disclosed to affiliated or non-affiliated businesses and third parties, while providing an opt-in option is the reverse which allows for the sharing of information for purposes specified by the bank (Giglio, 2005). Further, research discovered that customers must clearly inform companies of their wishes to opt-in or opt-out when registering or filling out online forms for the use of online banking or other internet services provided by the bank. In that case customers are to be told what, which and how their data can or may be used, they should also be given an explanation or description about what circumstances or situations by which personal information may be disclosed to third parties. The principles of rights based ethics (contractrianism) states that the cus tomer also has the right to know, the right to privacy and the right to property. Although, some customers might not mind having their personal data being shared, others might mind and tend to mind a lot. A major challenge being faced in the IT industry today is ensuring that sharing of data is secure and safe guarded (Raab, 2008). An IT professional should ensure that customer personal data is protected and is only shared with trustworthy third parties. And it is also the responsibility of the IT professional to ensure that personal data is used only for its primary or intended purpose or that which has been specified by the customer. One of the ethical principles in the BCS (British Computer Society) code of conduct states that You shall have regard to the legitimate right of third parties Third parties being referred to here could be viewed as the customer, and it is expected of an IT professional to know, understand and abide by the law and are also expected to regard and respect the rights of individuals, third parties and the society at large (Duquenoy et al 2005, p. 2). There have been a lot of cases whereby personal data is used for purposes other than which they have been collected for and this is ethically wrong. It is also called the secondary use of personal information which is the use of such information other than the purpose it was supplied for (Duquenoy et al 2005, p. 5). According to a research conducted through the distribution of questioners to a few people who make the use of online banking services with their banks in the UAE, 75% of customers get unsolicited mails about the banks new products and offers which they never requested for or signed up for, 8% view this as an intrusion of their privacy and specify not to be mailed about such future produ cts. The remaining 17% seem not to have been educated and informed properly about how to opt-out from the use of their personal data for distribution and marketing purposes or opt-in if they require being aware of promotions and offers the bank makes. It is essential for the bank to foster trust between itself and the customer as this is good for business and it is a known fact that it is harder to regain trust than initially gaining it. This is why it is essential that much more effort be put in place to secure customer data sharing (Raab, 2008). While conducting an interview with Suhail bin Taraff, an IT staff of Emirates NBD which is the largest bank in the UAE, it was noted that the customers that make use of the internet banking services of the bank would require to opt-in by ticking a check box in their personal online banking account if they require to be notified of products the bank offers and if they would also require their personal data passed on to third parties and affiliates of the bank producing similar or specific products or services.Online banking has two types of risk: maintaining integrity of customer information and preventing unauthorised use of such data (Gupta, 2006). The indiscriminate use of personal data is viewed as a violation of an individuals privacy right and in the UK the right to privacy is covered by the Data Protection Act. The second principle of the Data Protection Act 1998 states that the customer has the right of information about the processing of their personal data, including the rig ht to be informed either at the time the data is first processed or when that data is first disclosed to a third party, and also the right of access to their personal data (Duquenoy et al 2005, p. 20). Although the law cannot keep pace with technology, under the Data Protection Act a person has to demonstrate if they have been subjected to unwarranted distress/damages through their datas exposure in order to claim any sort of compensation (Raab, 2008). Does the government have the right to monitor online banking transactions? Businesses view the use of information as a means to making more money while the government tend to view information as a means to protect security. However, in both cases individuals or groups have limited control on how their personal data is used. It is found to be known that knowledge is power and the more information the government gathers about customers bank transactions the more power they have over them and the less power the customers have. And there could be abuse of such power by the government or whoever is in charge to use such power, for selfish means or politically motivated aims. The government claims that they use the capabilities offered by IT to get the intelligence that enables them to meet their responsibilities to protect citizens. But most individuals have little confidence in the governments handling of their data and fear that there could be a misuse or misinterpretation which could lead to persecution and prosecution of innocent people in the application of law and order and also while protecting national security. There is also found to be a lack of confidence in the governments ability to protect personal data and keep it secure, most online banking customers fear that this could give the government too much power and control over them. Most customers tend to mind if the government or law enforcement agencies read their communications or view their bank transactions, even if they have not done anything wrong or have nothing to hide. Part two of article eight of the Human Rights Act, 1998 states thus: There shall be no interference by a public authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in the interest of national security, public safety or the economic well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime, for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the rights and freedom of others (Duquenoy et al 2005, pg. 11). In the United States of America, the government created a secret programme to monitor bank transactions of suspected terrorists or people having ties with them that routes through the Belgian based financial company SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), since the terrorist attack that occurred on the 11th of September 2001. The proprietary electronic network, SWIFT, then gives the US government access to financial data from institutions worldwide (Jacobs, 2007). Banks tend to view privacy matters almost completely in conditions of regulatory conformity. But the same government that claims to protect the rights and freedom of individuals seem to invade it also. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and the USA Patriot Act 2001 are legislations that tend to serve the interest of the state related to issues of counter terrorism and crime detection and support the monitoring and surveillance of individuals. Professor Charles Raab (2008) said that there is a need to question the sharing of personal data to cater the needs of society other than the protection of privacy. Some may argue that the monitoring of an individuals bank account transactions without their consent violates the rights of confidentiality and anonymity of such customer. Any country that signs up to the UN Declaration of Human Rights must make sure they take steps to protect privacy. In Europe the EU includes privacy in its convention on Human Rights while the UK includes it in the Data Protection Act. In the UK the monitoring of a customers bank transactions and data can be viewed as an invasion of the customers privacy by the government and violates the privacy rights of the customer and goes against the data protection act which states that personal data can only be processed when consent has been given or necessary to contract and must be only for specified purposes, adequate, relevant and not excessive, not kept longer than necessary and processed in ac cordance with rights of data subject (ICO, 2010). According to a research conducted by the BCS, 61% of members believe that there is an inequality between the data rights of the individual and the state while only 17% believe that the present legal regulations on data are sufficient (BCS, 2010). The secure handling of a customers personal information is a legal, ethical and social requirement in online banking (Duquenoy et al, 2005). The potential for abuse is great in online banking therefore ethics plays a vital role. Ethical issues that arise in online banking gives a cause for concern, for example more than 24,000 HSBC customers were affected by a breach in the storage of their personal information in the banks data centre on the 15th of March 2010, this was as a result of data theft by one of the IT employee (BCS, 2010). This shows a disregard of the ethical principle which implies respect for other people. Unauthorised use of an individuals personal computer without their permission or knowledge could be termed as an invasion of that individuals privacy. Unauthorised access of personal information or poor security measures in Information Systems put customers (society) at risk and this could result in a loss of confidence by the general public and could have a negative effect on the use of online banking services. It is also viewed as a social issue due to the effect it has on the general public and prospective customers. This could lead to hacking or installation of spyware in the individuals computer and puts the owners personal data at risk. There are many legal issues that affect online banking like identity theft, protecting privacy, online crime and misuse of data. Using the internet has its own risk and most customers expect laws to be in place that will protect them while banking online. In the banking industry, the Gramm-Leach-Biley Act of 1999 (GLBA) was passed to augment the protection of privacy while the Data Protection Act (1998) covers the right to privacy in the UK. The law is in place to protect digitally stored personal information from being widely distributed and mismanaged. Organisations are required by the act to make sure that personal information is kept secure. Professional issues could imply how a professional should act and also their role in the design, implementation of data systems and in the manipulation, modification of data and the important role they play. The BCS is the professional body for those employed in the IT industry in the UK. One of the aims of the BCS is to maintain standards in the industry and in most cases these are translated into principles set out in a code of conduct (Duquenoy et al 2005, p. 5). IT professionals are expected to know the law and abide by it. They are also expected to ensure public safety and respect the rights of third parties like the general public. Conclusion Online banking technology seems to be slowly adopted by majority of prospective customers despite being aware about the usefulness of this technology and this is due to the fact that customers are seriously concerned about the privacy of their data and do not really feel secure giving out their personal data digitally. A number of privacy issues have been analysed and discussed in this essay and the rights and control customers have of the use of their personal data, the measures and steps they can use to protect their personal information and the degree to which government agencies have access to the customers bank transactions and personal data. The professional, legal, ethical and social requirement in online banking technology and how an IT professional should apply ethical principles in the use and handling of a customers personal data. Reference List Ashworth, L. Free, C. (2006), Marketing Dataveillance and Digital Privacy: Using Theories of Justice to Understand Consumers Online Privacy Concerns, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 67, pp. 107-123. Duquenoy, P, Jones, S, Rahanu, H, Diaper, D, (2005) Social, Legal and Professional Issues of Computing. Middlesex University Press 2005 Stamatellos, G. (2007), Computer Ethics: A Global Perspective, Jones and Bartlett Publishers Mason, R, 0, (1986) Four Ethical Issues of the Information Age, Issues and opinions, MIS quarterly Earp, J. B. Payton, F. C. (2006), Information Privacy in the Service Sector: An Exploratory Study of Health Care and Banking Professionals, Journal of organizational computing and electronic commerce, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 105 122. Giglio, V. (2005), Privacy in the world of cyberbanking: Emerging legal issues and How You Are Protected. Ng, P. (2010), What is online banking? viewed 20 February 2010, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-online-banking.htm Roundtree, D. (2001), Taking Care of Customer Privacy, Bank Technology News, Vol.14 Issue 11, p.20. European Parliament Blocks US powers to monitor EU bank transactions, viewed 21 February 2010, http://www.out-law.com/page-10748 Nadim, J and Noorjahan, B. (2007), Effect of Perceived Usefulness, Ease of Use, Security and Privacy on Customer Attitude and Adaptation in the Context of E-Banking, Journal of Management Research, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 147 157 Howcroft, B, Hamilton, R. and Hewer, P. (2002), Consumer Attitude and the Usage and Adoption of Home-based Banking in the United Kingdom, The International Journal of Bank Marketing, 20(3): 111-121. Jamieson, P (2005), Consumers and Online Banking, Point for Credit Union Research Advice Dewan, R and Seidmann, A. (2001), Current Issues in E-BANKING, Communications of the ACM; Vol.44 Issue 6, p. 31-32 Raab, C. (2008), The privacy conundrum, viewed 13 March 2010, http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.17577 The office of the Information Commisioner, viewed 13 March 2010, http://www.ico.gov.uk British Computer Society (2010). Code of Conduct, viewed 10 March 2010, http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=nav.6030 Gupta, A, (2006), Data Protection in Consumer E-banking, Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, vol. 11, no. 1 State has more data on citizens than necessary, say BCS members, viewed 26th March 2010, http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.34817 Jacobs, E, (2007), SWIFT Privacy: Data Processor Becomes Data Controller, Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, vol. 12, no. 1 The basics, in Information Commisioners office, viewed 9th March 2010, http://www.ico.gov.uk/what we cover/freedom of information/the basics.aspx Freedom of Information Act (2000), viewed 15th March 2010, http://www.opsi.gov.uk/Acts/acts2000/ukpga 20000036 en 1 Pilon, M, (2010), Data Theft Hits 3.3 Million Borrowers, The Wall Street Journal, viewed 29th March 2010, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304434404575150024174102954.html?KEYWORDS=data+theft+hits+33+million+borrowers

The Beach Boys :: Art

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys formed in 1961. The band members are; Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson who are all brothers, Al Jardine and Mike Love. All but Al Jardine lived in Los Angelas. They were first called the Pendletones which was a shirt brand , but a record label executive named them the Beach Boys. One of their first big hits was ‘Surfin’ that was credited for starting the ‘surfing craze.’ 1962 they released the album Surfin Safari with the song ‘Surfin Safari’ hitting the U.S Top 40. 1963 ‘Surfin U.S.A’ reached #3 on the charts. ‘Surfer Girl’ ended the the albums surfer cycle. Both the album and single made U.S top 10. Their next two albums, ‘Little Deuce Coupe,’ and ‘Shut Down’, went high on the U.S album charts. Mid 1964 the song ‘I Get Around’ off of the album ‘All Summer Long’ became their first U.S No.1 and their first UK top 10 hit. The year closed with album ‘Beach Boys Concert’ which became their first Us chart topping LP. Brian underwent the first of several nervous breakdowns and withdrew from regular touring for twelve years. He was first replaced by Glenn Campell and then later permanently replaced by Bruce Johnson. A re-recording of ‘Help Me Rhonda’ became the group’s second No.1 hit. ‘California Girls’ almost became a No.1 but never did. Free from touring Brian began to take more time writing and recording a attitude found in the album ‘Beach Boys Party.’ 1966 ‘Pet Sounds’ was one of the finest recorded by the Beach Boys. Off that album the songs: ‘Sloop John B’, ‘God Only Knows’, ‘Wouldn’t it be Nice’, and ‘Caroline, No’ all reached U.S top 40. Then they released their most famous song ‘Good Vibrations’ costing them $50,000. Mid 1967 an abandoned album ‘Smile’ was produced put was still bootlegged. Then produced ‘Smiley Smile’ which was an album which was almost identical as ‘Smile’. Off of ‘Smiley Smile’ the song ‘Heroes & Villains’ made top 20 Their Popularity was declining with the albums ‘Wild Honey’, ‘Friends’ and ‘20/20’ selling fewer and fewer copies and concert crowds thinned. 1968’s ‘Do it again’ was their last U.S Top 20 single for eight more years. 1970 their contract with Capitol Records expired and they then were offered their own record label ‘ Brother Records’ through Warner-Reprise. They produced their first album with the new management called ‘Sunflower’ it was a critical success but a commercial disaster.

Aquinas Epistemology and God Essay

Introduction:The scientific developments of the renaissance were powerful and they stimulate new ways of thought that one can be tempted to disregard any role medieval thinking plays in the general development of both renaissance and post renaissance philosophy up till today. It would be a mistake to take it that Descartes, Locke achieved a total radical break from the past and inaugurated a completely new philosophical era. One cannot understand scholars like Descartes or Locke without having some real knowledge of medieval thinking. Thus, in this essay, I wish to show that Aquinas, a thinker of the middle ages, thought on knowledge is of permanent value and that it deserves respect and due consideration for today’s discourse of philosophy. Aquinas Theory on Knowledge: His philosophy is based on the premise that knowledge and being are correlates. â€Å"In so far a thing is, it is knowable and in this resides its ontological truth. † Thus, the Thomistic theory of knowledge is a realist theory. It plays an integral part in his metaphysics and philosophy of being. Aquinas is not interested in the problem of objective as we have it in modern thinking and today rather, he is much more interested in how we acquire our knowledge and put them to use. Simply put, he investigates the process of knowledge. He identified three levels of acquiring knowledge namely: sense-experience, imaginations or ideations and intellection. Aquinas thus made an important contribution to epistemology, recognising the central part played by sense perception in human cognition. It is through the senses that we first become acquainted with existent, material things. Sense experience is contact with material things through the senses which supplies materials for the formation of ideas in imagination upon which understanding climbs to contemplate. It is thus a misconception to suppose that the fundamental role of sense perception was a discovery of the classical British empiricist. It is a synthesis of Aquinas’ Aristotelian view of knowledge. As a matter of fact, Aquinas laid more stress on sense perception as the first and unique source of knowledge than the British empiricist because he identified sense perception as the initial source of knowledge than reflection and introspection. â€Å"For a man perceives that he has a soul, and lives and exists by the fact that he perceives by the senses†. This source of knowledge for Aquinas is responsible for his five ways that he uses to prove God’s existence from the material world. He did not accept Anselm’s ontological proof because, he argues that self evident truths, such as God’s existence in which its attributes belong necessarily to the subject , may not be fruits of experience but experience makes man to be conscious of them. That is another reason where he differs from radical British empiricist. He argues based on his arguments for God that â€Å"in as far as God is manifested in and through the beings of the sensible world, as the necessary source,†¦ the embodied human intellect is capable of proceeding beyond sense to know the source of a non-dependent, non-conditioned absolute being called God. † He sees the intellect as capable of penetrating through the unanalysed superficiality of sensation. Agreeing with Aristotle, he admits that knowledge is obtained through two stages of operation, sensitive and intellective, which are intimately related to one another. The intellect does attain ideas from the material that is presented to it by the senses to extend beyond the world of the senses. The two cognitive faculties, the sense and intellect, are naturally capable of acquiring knowledge proper to them. Thus, for Aquinas, it is man’s initiative to know through his makeup although such make up is sustained by God. This sustenance by God makes him to make the proper distinction between faith and reason as sources of knowledge. Truths of faith are revealed truth such as trinity and truths of the scripture. But truths of reason must be perceived and abstracted upon. St. Thomas insistently repeats â€Å"reason gathers truth on the ground of intrinsic evidence, while faith accepts truths based on the authority of the word of God. Therefore, there are two types of wisdom namely philosophical –highest activity of man’s intellect and theological- super science or revealed truth. This distinction is essential to today’s view or tension between science and religion. According to Paul Tillich, â€Å"neither scientific nor historical truth can affirm or negate the truth of faith. The truth of faith can not negate nor affirm scientific or historical truth too†. This is because, their objects are different. Truths of faith are revealed and not available to the senses while that of science is purely experiential based. Thus, they do not contradict each other. Nonetheless, both faith and reason can assist each other. According to Aquinas, faith can act as organ which helps reason to reach its final direction, the supreme truth which is God, â€Å"because God is in the highest degree of immateriality, he occupies the highest place in knowledge†. This led him to explain the value of knowledge and its truth, which is the ultimate goal of the intellect in perceiving and abstracting ideas. He noted that the intellect through a vigilant control of the senses can guarantee the formation of the sense representations. The intellect acquires truth when it gives value to the representations and ideas it forms in phantasm. â€Å"For Aquinas all the data of sense knowledge and all intelligible things are essentially true. † Truth consists in the equality of the intellect with its object, and such concordance is always found, both in sensitive cognition and in the idea. Error may exist in the judgment, since it can happen that a predicate may be attributed to a subject to which it does not really belong. Besides the faculty of judgment, Aquinas also admits the faculty of discursive reasoning, which consists in the derivation of the knowledge of particulars from the universal. Deductive, syllogistic demonstration must be carried out according to the logical relationships which exist between two judgments. In this process consists the science which the human intellect can construct by itself, without recourse either to innate ideas or to any particular illumination. This error free judgment for Aquinas, is proper to the being which is the supreme fundamental and greatest perfection permeating all things and giving them consistency and reality. Thus, each thing exists in its participation in Being. The true representation is received when the intellect gathers the Being of beings. Meanwhile, some truth can be received although not perfect, when the data is abstracted by the intellect. The dilemma of knowledge search today is explained by Thomistic epistemology recourse to revealed truth. Thomas claimed that human reason is naturally led to knowledge – from sense experience through phantasm to intellection- to knowing truth and know all truths, whether it is the material world, spiritual world, speculative, practical, political, moral or educational truth etc. But it meets with difficulties which include passions, sentiments, complexity of objects etc. This obstacle is more serious in terms of religious or moral truths because of their abstract nature. Nonetheless, reason has the ability to reach higher grounds to know God – the supreme truth- his attributes, existence but these obstacles are removed by God’s assistance or intervention to furnish human reason with a clearer manifestation of his being. The ultimate threshold of knowledge alone can give light to the mind to reach him. Thus, he introduces faith in his epistemology though at the end. The ordinary organ of knowledge is reason enabled through immediate evidence of experience but faith comes in when there are obstacles to assist reason to reach quickly as possible its final threshold, supreme truth. â€Å"Faith will tell us Christ is present when our human senses fail†. Conclusion: The limitation Aquinas placed on reason due to obstacles in which it needs to be helped by God makes the whole idea of his epistemology a movement to faith. It seems to many that Aquinas argues to God and not for truth in its own sake. Hegel for instance argues that he treated philosophy according to the categories of theology. Bertrand Russell. A Thomism which limits itself to the consideration of material substance as the start of all knowledge proves itself inadequate in age where everything seems beyond our sensual grasp. Again, Thomism didn’t relinquish heritage of truth for the sake of new sides but a one way drive of reason Nonetheless, Aquinas’ epistemology is vital for us because it has consequences for philosophy generally especially in relation to theology. ——————————————– [ 2 ]. Aquinas copplestton [ 4 ]. Aquinas copleston [ 6 ]. Age of belif p 150 [ 7 ]. Baptissta mondin p. 306 [ 8 ]. Yeager Hudson p. 12 [ 9 ]. P. 73 yeager hudson [ 11 ]. Benediction hymn composed by Aquinas for the feast of corpus Christi {cf. [ 12 ]. Marin j. walsh.

Irrational Beliefs Essay

Report on some of your own irrational beliefs that have gotten you off course and lowered your self-esteem. Offer rational beliefs that you can take on to dispute your stinkin’ thinkin’. How will changing your irrational beliefs help you to achieve your academic goals? Our upsets are caused not so much by our problems as by what we think about our problems. When our thinking is full of irrational beliefs, what Ellis calls â€Å"stinkin’ thinkin'†, we feel awful even when the circumstances don’t warrant it, and how we think about the issue in our lives is the real issue. I have a few irrational beliefs myself. These include my fear of public speaking, my fear of how people perceive me, and my personal appearance. In high school I enrolled in a speech class that was required for my diploma. My problem wasn’t remembering what to say but being able to speak in front of a classroom full of people. I shouldn’t have had a problem with it at a ll, considering the classroom was full of people I’ve known my whole life, people I’ve grown up with. I got up in front of the class ready to go, I managed to spit out two sentences then my mind went blank. I was embarrassed, scared of what they would think about me if I were to mess up. Would they call me names? Would they think I wasn’t prepared? Would they think I was dumb, powerless, uncreative, and weak? The only thing I could think to do was run to the nearest exit, so out I went. My teacher had followed me but at that point I had tears in my eyes, I was shaking with sweaty palms. She managed to calm me down, she gave me the rational beliefs that I needed, and she believed in me exactly how I should have believed in myself. It all tied into how I am obsessive over what others think of me, my clothes, my hair, and my shoes. I have the irrational belief that everyone needs to look at me and think that I have everything together. In reality my life is usually a mess but I have those materialist things to hide behind. My weight has always been another irrational belief of mine, constantly calling myself fat, not wearing the clothes I want, looking in a mirror and talking myself down. I gained forty pounds in almost two years. I wasn’t the small delicate girl I used to be and I didn’t think I would ever get back to the point of being happy with my body. In order to change these irrational beliefs I need to fill my mind with rational beliefs, such as I am a great public speaker when I am prepared, I am beautiful and smart with or without materialist things, and lastly if I am unhappy with my body then  I have every right to change it. According to psychologist Ellis, a key to correcting irrational thinking is changing a â€Å"must† into a preference. I can always distract myself from negative, judgmental thoughts by simply telling myself, â€Å"STOP!† Then replace my blaming, complaining, or excusing with something positive. Wisely choosing the thoughts that occupy my mind, as well as avoiding automatic, negative thoughts that undermine my self-esteem will also help. Changing my irrational beliefs will help me achieve my academic goals by giving me the confidence to organize my schedule, and be able to speak in front of people as well as with others.

The Psychology of Attitudes essays

The Psychology of Attitudes essays Attitudes in a psychological context are defined as "the tendency to respond in a certain way toward certain issues, products, objects, or events" (Seamon attitudes impact on how people think. However, as Seamon psychologists studying attitudes are also particularly interested in how The first interest in attitudes occurred in the 1920s. At this point, the interest in psychology was largely confined to experimental techniques, where aspects of psychology were tested and measured. Thurstone used this approach to test people's attitude toward different ethnic groups, with people asked to rate various statements about the Chinese (Jones). This method was essential a survey, with the survey a rating tool for recognizing people's attitudes. While this method identified attitudes, it did nothing to try and explain how attitudes were This focus on how attitudes are formed came later. Zimbardo and Leippe described what they termed an attitude system. This system describes four components that make up an attitude. The first component is cognition, which refers to beliefs, thoughts, or ideas. The second component is affect, which refers to feelings and emotions. The third component is behavioral intentions, which refers to decisions to act in certain ways. The fourth component is the behavior, which refers to the actual actions taken. To explain how these components combine, it is useful to offer an example. Consider the case of a person who has an attitude about saving the rainforests. This attitude would be based on some kind of cognition. For example, the person might think that the rainforests are being destroyed and that future generations will suffer because of this. This attitude would also be likely to involve emotions, such as the person feeling sad about the destruction, or ang...

Free Essays on Bids

While the practice of bid shopping is not illegal, it has the potential to produce many problems for any given construction project. Bid shopping promotes a lower standard of overall quality due to insufficient manpower, equipment/material substitutions, and other cost cutting short cuts. Bid shopping also makes it difficult to locate the party responsible for shotty system performance, which in turn hampers the problem solving process. This will affect the project deadline, and the execution of warranty work. Jobsite safety will undoubtedly take a hit, due to insufficiently sized crews being pushed to complete a task on schedule. Recent study have also shown that the bid shopping method produces higher original bid cost; from contractors and subcontractors giving themselves a cushion; the separate bid method tends to achieve the best quality for the lowest cost. However, in my opinion, the biggest downfall in the bid shopping method is the unrealistic chance of a minority/female sub contractor being awarded the contract. These businesses are generally less established and are obviously more vulnerable to being underbid early in the game.... Free Essays on Bids Free Essays on Bids While the practice of bid shopping is not illegal, it has the potential to produce many problems for any given construction project. Bid shopping promotes a lower standard of overall quality due to insufficient manpower, equipment/material substitutions, and other cost cutting short cuts. Bid shopping also makes it difficult to locate the party responsible for shotty system performance, which in turn hampers the problem solving process. This will affect the project deadline, and the execution of warranty work. Jobsite safety will undoubtedly take a hit, due to insufficiently sized crews being pushed to complete a task on schedule. Recent study have also shown that the bid shopping method produces higher original bid cost; from contractors and subcontractors giving themselves a cushion; the separate bid method tends to achieve the best quality for the lowest cost. However, in my opinion, the biggest downfall in the bid shopping method is the unrealistic chance of a minority/female sub contractor being awarded the contract. These businesses are generally less established and are obviously more vulnerable to being underbid early in the game....

Why You Shouldnt Start Your Cover Letter With To Whom It May Concern

Why You Shouldnt Start Your Cover Letter With To Whom It May Concern You’ve found the job you want. You’ve got your resume all set up, now you just need to write that cover letter.   Keep in mind that your cover letter is your first impression. And the first impression of your first impression is how you open up your letter! You’ll want to make it as effective as possible by tailoring your salutation to its appropriate audience- without offending anyone or showing bias of any kind.Rule 1: If you’re not writing to a particular committee or individual avoid the  dreaded impersonal â€Å"To Whom It May Concern.† Also, steer clear of  the generic â€Å"Dear Sir or Madam,† which is just hopelessly bland.Use What You KnowIf you know exactly who will be reading your letter, address it personally! Really. It’s okay. â€Å"Dear John Smith† will work. If you happen to know that your reader is a doctor or has a PhD, try â€Å"Dear Dr. Smith† instead. OR if you know the company culture to be on the informal side, and you’re sure it won’t backfire: â€Å"Dear John† might do.If the â€Å"Dear† freaks you out, you can drop it entirely and just use the name, or you could try â€Å"Hello† instead. When in doubt, though, use â€Å"Dear.†Do Your ResearchIf you don’t know the hiring manager or the person most likely to receive your letter, you could guess. Do a bit of Googling and at least find the head of the department you’re applying to. Even if you shoot for higher up than the person who eventually receives your letter, you’ll still get points for initiative.If You Can’t Find a Name, Try a TitleThe point is to be as specific as possible. If names are unavailable, you can always try â€Å"Dear Senior Analyst Search Committee† or â€Å"Research Assistant Hiring Manager† instead. For that matter, if you know you will be addressing a committee, a simple â€Å"Dear Search Committee† or  "Dear Hiring Committee† will do nicely. Read through the job description for hints- often it will include the name of the committee or department explicitly.When in doubt, err on the side of formal. And never gender a general salutation. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen† could work. But often guessing on the position/manger/committee will net you more favorable results.Remember, this is your first impression in a letter that serves as an overall first impression. Don’t blow it in the very first line.

Analyzing Groups Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analyzing Groups - Essay Example Tomas Oxelman, the human resource manager of the company introduced this theory (Weisbord & Janoff, 2010). The company embraced it because it was so effective that they could see the entire global operation from the perspective of a single product. To me, this holds crucial importance because the way this theory envelops the whole process is extremely useful. It fits perfectly well with the scenario I am facing at my company (the theater). The collaboration is truly diverse in this theory as the people from the inside as well as outside get to share their views. Future search refers to the generic design that spans over five segments, and each takes about 2 to 4 hours (Weisbord, Weisbord, & Janoff, 2000). The whole session is only three days long. Considering the context our group needs to focus on the past while attending to the demands of the present. This phase will develop actions and later ideal future scenarios can be identified and then an action plan can be made. The gradual buildup also ensures that irregularities or hurdles are removed as people come together on common grounds. Participative design theory by Fred and Merrelyn Emery (Coleman, Deutsch & Marcus, 2014, 930) is extremely useful for its bottom-up approach. It is an organizational principle that offers a coherent strategy and a toolkit for restoring dignity in organization and community settings (Baillie, 2006). It really involves people in the decision-making process. The emphasis of course is on effective participation or bringing democracy in the organizational decision-making process.

IT in Hotels and Resorts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

IT in Hotels and Resorts - Essay Example To enable us to come to a conclusion whether IT is a blessing in disguise for hotels else if it is destroying the service within hotels, it is important that the benefits and drawbacks of IT in the hospitality sector are discussed. The next section focuses on the benefits and drawbacks of IT on the hospitality sector. Technology is shaping our world. It has become a part of everyone’s lives and it rules almost every action of ours. The hospitality industry being such a massive industry also needs to be aware of the latest technological developments. Every year there is an event held called HITEC the worlds best and unbeatable hospitality technological event! This event is for all hoteliers to meet up with their fellow hoteliers and to attend sessions held by industry experts. These sessions that are held are to help attendees learn the basics and make them informed buyers. The main idea of the event is to give hoteliers an exposure to the latest technologies, products and services from over 300 companies. The event is generally held somewhere between mid to late June. This years even has brought about a very interesting innovation was addressed, the progressive hotels are now willing to engage online and trying their best to gain as many customers as possible and make their stay as comfort able as possible(Mce, 2008). There have been several technological developments in the hospitality sector. Some of these developments go unnoticed by customers since they are mainly used for management purposes and operational purposes. However there are a lot of other developments which can be appreciated by the customers since it directly relates to customer experience. The developments have been many, from changing of a regular door key to a key card, to implementation of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to ensure complete comfort for the customer (Schweisberger & Chatterjee, 2001). It is very clear that technology has in

Bullying Causes School Violence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Bullying Causes School Violence - Research Paper Example Bullying involves â€Å"a person’s or a group’s intentional and hurtful action towards one person or more than one person and involves a complex interplay of dominance and social status† (Sutton, Smith, & Swettenham, 1999). Physical violence, slander, and verbal intimidation are just of the few manifestations of bullying. Incidence of bullying are so prevalent in schools that a national estimate of more than 1.5 million students bullying and being bullied on a weekly basis in the United States (Nansel et. al., 2001). By surveying more than 15, 000 students in grades 6 through 10, the researchers found that one in seven students is either a bully or victim. This research was also supported by different self-methodological reports which generally yields that a wide range of bullying prevalence estimated with as many as 75% of youth reported that they are being the target of peer harassment at least occasionally (Olweus, 1993; Cowie & Dawn, 2004; and Sanders & Phye, 2004). Such harassment may include physical contact, verbal assault, making obscene gestures or facial expressions, and being intentionally excluded. Although numerous programs have been created to decrease the violence and harassment occurring at school, there are indications from numerous studies that provide startling results about the frequency of bullying in schools. Such statistics suggest that bullying is quite common and not decreasing (Olweus, 1991; Glew et. al., 1997, and Bradley & Daniels, 2011). Because of this, there is a need to examine the implications of aggression, violence, and bullying among children and young adults across the country. Reactive and Proactive Bullying Because of the growing concerns of the prevalence of bullying in schools, researchers have begun to distinguish... This report approves that bullying is a serious matter involving a substantial number of students. No one knows at this point exactly what caused students such as Charles Andrew Williams, Eric Harris, Dylan Klebold, and Cho Seung-Hui others to shoot and kill their fellow students at school, but bullying is frequently mentioned as a possible contributor. The report released by U.S. Secret service that two thirds of school shootings have been caused by attackers who experienced bullying clearly showed how grave the bullying climate at US schools is. This essay makes a conclusion that bullying may be a barrier that impedes effectiveness of teaching, the primary mission of school personnel, yet recent studies found that evidence-based, whole-school approaches to bullying are rarely implemented in elementary schools. Implementing anti-bullying interventions in the elementary years, before bullying becomes a part of school culture, might improve schools’ ability to carry out their educational mission by improving students’ ability to focus on learning and establishing an atmosphere of respect early on. Well-conducted, comprehensive bullying prevention programs can be effective in reducing the number of bullying incidents and creating a climate that discourages bullying behavior. We should begin to look at bullying as a behavior fraught with inherent violence that can contribute to a horrific cycle of mayhem and at its worst, death of school children in the country. The information presented in this paper provides additional evidence of the need for elementary school personnel to implement bullying prevention programs, not only to prevent school shootings but also to prevent potential barriers to providing education: student feelings of lack of safety, belonging, and sadness.

LLB Law - Contract Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

LLB Law - Contract Law - Case Study Example The offer was communicated to Mr Taylor at the price agreed of 35,000 to be payable 24 March, the costumes to be delivered on the same day. Studying this case one must also remember that the definition of consideration is extremely important and relevant. In Currie v Misa (1875) the definition of consideration is clearly understood as a right, interest, profit or benefit to one party, or some forbearance, detriment suffered or undertaken by another. Consideration is the normal 'badge of enforcement' in English Law. Taking a further look at this case the consideration was the amount of money that Mr Baron offered to Mr Taylor in exchange for the goods at the promised time. However Mr Taylor suffered detriment when the full amount of money was not paid. Consideration was given when Mr Baron asked for all all the costumes for the waiters to be delivered before the club opened. Mr Taylor met all the requirements for the contract to be valued whereas Mr Baron did not fulfill the requirements of the contract. The case also deals with executed consideration, for this to be the case there are certain criteria that must be satis fied. In LAMPLEIGH v BRAITWAIT (1615) it was held that the act must have been requested by the promisor. As seen in Mr Baron's case he made the request for the costumes. As per RE CASEY's PATENT (1892) there was an understanding that payment would be made once all the costumes were delivered to Mr Baron for the full amount that he promised. Mr Baron did not pay the full amount he promised on delivery of the goods. Consequently he breached the terms of the contract and Mr Taylor suffered damage. There was an intention to be bound as in the case of Carlill v Carbolic Smoke Ball Co [1893] 1 QB 256. Other cases have studied the laws of intention such as; Rose and Frank Co v JR Crompton & Bros [1923] There was a clear intention on the part of Mr Baron to create legal relations since he communicated his needs when he found out that Mr Taylor's staff were far behind with their work and that the costumes may not be finished by opening night. Mr Baron clearly wanted the work carried out and clearly communicated the amount of money he wanted in return for the goods. When Mr Baron realized that the goods might not be ready for opening time he communicated a new agreement that he would pay a further 3000 only if the goods were ready in time for opening. This resulted in Mr Taylor requesting all of his workers to design Mr Baron's costumes exclusively. Therefore Mr Taylor was running at a loss if Mr Baron did not pay the full amount since he could not ask his workers to work on anything else during this time period. This resulted in damages to Mr Taylor and his company when Mr Baron refused to keep his promise and pay the full amount. This relates to the decision made in WILLIAMS v ROFFEY BROS(1991), where it was held that where a party to an existing

Florida Learning and Developmental Standards Personal Statement

Florida Learning and Developmental Standards - Personal Statement Example I have a favorable disposition towards the document and the positions taken therein. Its developmental expectations section recognizes the importance of family relationships and the complex interaction of genetic predisposition with environmental experience. I agree that the best developmental environment is one in which good health and proper nutrition are combined with a caregiver environment of responsiveness and nurturing. This includes the recognition of the fact that learning is not restricted to designated times of play or education, but also naturally occurs during daily routines and everyday experiences. There is an obvious relationship between the early developmental years and future success in both academic and social pursuits. In terms of the use of the standards themselves, the document recognizes the importance of creating a framework for caregivers and teachers to understand while acknowledging that the standards are limited by individual variations in development and should not be used as the sole device for assessing individual children. That said, however, the standards are a useful tool for choosing curricula and determining adequate provision of services and experiences. It provides for assessment as a positive process, which brings about benefits for the children from whom the data was collected.

Religious Liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Religious Liberty - Essay Example Justice Antonin Scalia dissented in the given case stating that the Act’s stated purpose that is â€Å"protecting academic freedom† stood to be a legitimate secular purpose. In other sense, Justice Scalia believed that the considered academic freedom also included within its ambit the students’ right to be exposed to religious views and indoctrination. The majority opinion seems more to be in consonance with the Supreme Court interpretation of the Establishment Clause in a historical context. In the light of Engel v. Vitale (1962) decision, it could be said that the inclusion of such texts, dogmas, practices and theories in the school curricula that adhered to a specific religion amounted to a violation of the Establishment Clause. However, if one takes into consideration the ruling in Zorach v. Clauson (1952), it could be said that the Supreme Court could have modified its ruling by leaving the study of creationism in Public Schools as an optional choice, subject to the opinions and considerations of the specific students. The ruling in Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) also supports the Edwards ruling, as inculcation of religious courses at state expenses amounted to an entanglement between the state and the religion. Besides, in a historical context, the United States Constitution has always been averse to Fundamentalist views supportiv e of religious literalism and contrary to a liberal scientific

Florida Learning and Developmental Standards Personal Statement

Florida Learning and Developmental Standards - Personal Statement Example I have a favorable disposition towards the document and the positions taken therein. Its developmental expectations section recognizes the importance of family relationships and the complex interaction of genetic predisposition with environmental experience. I agree that the best developmental environment is one in which good health and proper nutrition are combined with a caregiver environment of responsiveness and nurturing. This includes the recognition of the fact that learning is not restricted to designated times of play or education, but also naturally occurs during daily routines and everyday experiences. There is an obvious relationship between the early developmental years and future success in both academic and social pursuits. In terms of the use of the standards themselves, the document recognizes the importance of creating a framework for caregivers and teachers to understand while acknowledging that the standards are limited by individual variations in development and should not be used as the sole device for assessing individual children. That said, however, the standards are a useful tool for choosing curricula and determining adequate provision of services and experiences. It provides for assessment as a positive process, which brings about benefits for the children from whom the data was collected.

Shopping as an American Culture Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Shopping as an American Culture Value - Essay Example The contention is that though American culture has been manipulated into accepting materialistic 'must have' consumerism as a cultural value, there are those, past and present, who provide a glimmer of hope for a return to the better, more humane values of the American way of life. According to Rao (2004), writing from an Indian viewpoint, the American Dream encapsulated "freedom," and "democracy" in a "land of opportunities." In reviewing the book, 'Affluenza: The All Consuming Epidemic', he cited figures from De Graff et al (2003): Embedding of this value was reflected in "one poll found that 93% of teenage American girls rate shopping as their favorite activity." (Rao, 2004). He further contended that only about one quarter of mall shoppers are seeking to buy a specific item, the rest use shopping as therapy, for amusement, or just for its own sake. Americans in general would seem to have adopted shopping as a cultural value, a way of life. ... There is little doubt that people are buying, not from necessity, but spending above their means in order to acquire possessions in a search for happiness and to belong to their culture. They must have the newest fashion, the best brand, the biggest house, the fastest car in order to feel valued. Social theory provides some answers as to how this has happened. In order for businesses to make profits, they no longer seek only to produce to meet needs, but make sure that demand levels stay high, and so maintain the growth of a capitalist system. By marketing and motivating people to buy, this is accomplished; a psychological manipulation appears to be in place. "Advertising, marketing and the mass media have become central to the stimulation of demand through the continual invention of new wants. The images and identities they disseminate promise satisfactions earlier generations never dreamed of. They suggest life-styles of endless acquisition and inexhaustible glamour, which can be had at the pleasurable price of merely buying more and more." (Noble, 2000, p. 231) This shows how people can be sucked into the shopping vortex, with little or no regard for its effects on the individual or the world in general. The impact worldwide, where poorer nations make the goods, on low pay (rendering American workers jobless), in sometimes slave-like conditions, to feed the greed of multinationals and consumers, presents an immoral and inhumane side of capitalism. Sanders (2000), in an article on Maytag and the North American Free Trade Agreement, stated: "The simple truth is that American workers cannot, and should not be "competing" against desperate workers in developing countries who are forced to work for pennies an hour." (Why Overcoming

Impact of Fatigue on the Workplace

Impact of Fatigue on the Workplace Introduction Exposure to work-related fatigue is rising in todays 24-hour culture, which is progressively dominated by knowledge work. Fatigue from a medical point of view refers to a state of weakness of the body and the mind that affects everybody (Phillips, 2015). Fatigue is mostly related to exertive situations of work. Fatigue is an intricate problem that can be ascribed to numerous factors. Hence, it is problematic to define (Phillips, 2015). This essay seeks to explain the idea of fatigue and also discuss its effects in the working place. The paper then further discusses the types of workplaces, and work settings that the fatigue exists; the safety and health effects, both acute and chronic that may be associated with exposure to fatigue.It also discusses the federal and state agencies and standards used to regulate the hazard; traditional means of monitoring fatigue and measuring the effects it has the working place; Analysis of the possible causes of the fatigue. Finally, discuss various countermeasures to be used to manage fatigue in the workplace. Causes of Fatigue in the Workplace Fatigue is mainly a problem in safety sensitive areas, such as transport. The costs of fatigue are broadly studied in professional settings. There are numerous factors at both; in the place of work and out of the location of work which can impact levels of fatigue. The most significant factor that causes fatigue is the lack of enough sleep. In addition to the lack of sleep, fatigue can be induced by the type of work done and on the coworker. Occupational Safety Health (OSH) proposes that there are four categories of work in this regard. Fatigue can be induced through any of these four categories. These groups include self-generated stress, healthy work, poorly organized work, intrinsically stressful work. Self-generated stress occurs when a worker creates his/her stressors because of individual choices. ÂÂ  A person in this group might be trying to do many jobs, or agreeing to unrealistic demands on themselves (Rahman et al., 2017).Healthy work is work that is pleasing, motivating, satisfying and exciting. A valuation of this kind of job discloses this type of work does not induce fatigue to the worker directly rather it induces stress to resources. Poorly organized work is usually pleasing and fulfilling but structured in such a way that it becomes difficult for most people doing the work to cope with. Jobs in this category can be done safely but are often being worked too many hours in each week(Rahman et al., 2017). This can quickly induce fatigue to the person involved. The last group of work may be essentially more problematic to handle than others. Some cases of work that may be difficult to handle are work that is emotionally challenging, draining or even work that involve s long periods of intense concentration; work that has high costs from error (medicine, policing air traffic control, social work) (Han et al.,2014). The Safety and Health Effects of Fatigue Fatigue is experienced by everyone irrespective of abilities, skills, and training. The most common effects of fatigue include poor judgment, information processing decrease of attentiveness and work motivation, longer reaction time, reduced concentration, and problems with memory. Studies show that fatigue in workplaces costs over 18 billion $ a year in the US (Caruso, 2014). Also, fatigued workers have deprived communication with their environment and get irritated easily. Therefore, a fatigued employee is possibly dangerous to themselves and their fellow employees, and most of the unfortunate incidents are found among fatigued workers. Serious accidents that have been reported in recent five decades have been credited to workers fatigue. The Three Mild, The Challenger Explosion,The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill,American Airlines Flight 1420 Crash incidents are considered to be the most disastrous incident on U.S. soil; all these accidents are attributed to human error (Caruso, 2014). Chronic effects of fatigue may follow chronic exposures to severe fatigue or portray a continuous failure of adequate rest. Continuous exposure to severe fatigue causes chronic circadian disruption of the immune response and intensify risks of emerging cardiac diseases (Boivin Boudreau, 2014). The distraction of the daily regulation of human transcriptome is another mechanism behind fatigue. Also, postponing sleep by four hours for three successive days has led to decrease of the human blood transcriptome. Fatigue also alters hormonal and sleepiness cycles and the lipid and glucose metabolism, which may lead to the development of other diseases like obesity. Studies have shown that severe fatigue cumulatively rises the rate at which performance declines across wakefulness (Caruso, 2014). Fatigue favors sleeping illnesses such as insomnia and hinders with behavior. Insomnia is defined as the incapacity to sleep and to remain asleep for a desired period. It is a very common sleep illness that is related to unbalanced work hours. Sleep hypopnea is sleep disorder which is very common among overweight men who often snore. This condition is not caused by fatigue directly, but it is associated with fatigue in a way that it causes sleep deprivation which increases the fondness for food with high calories that may cause overweight and metabolic changes (Caruso, 2014). It may also affect the gastrointestinal and cardiovascular functions by altering hormonal and sleepiness cycles and increase peptic ulcer and symptoms associated with irritable bowel syndrome. Standards Used to Regulate Work Fatigue Reducing fatigue involves both state and company regulation and control as well as the efforts of the workers. OHS laws have been designed to guarantee that the health and security of everybody in the workplace is keenly observed. Every employer is urged to offer a possible working environment which is safe and does not risk the health of employees. Workers also have an obligation to take care of their health and wellbeing and that of their coworkers and follow measures the management takes to conform with OHS laws.There are also various international standards that have been in place to help regulate fatigue in the workplace.For example, the International Safety Management Code states that if fatigue, lack of adequate rest, or excessive hours of work are or should be apparent, the employer should intervene to solve the problem immediately. All this laws and standards are put in place to help the employers and employees manage fatigue effectively. Fatigue Measurement and Monitoring Studies show that fatigue is a complex problem that cannot be simply monitored and measured in working place(Wright et al., 2013). Most workers are unwilling to express signs of fatigue. Also, no instrument has been designed to measure fatigue, because of definitional difficulties of fatigue, the huge effects fatigue has on human skills, and multiple causes of fatigue. However, to be able to manage fatigue in the workplace effectively, fatigue must first be identified, measured and then analyze their causes. There exist very many tools available to be used for this purpose including articles, books, rules, and questionnaires. Some instruments are inaccurate and inconclusive. It is, therefore, important to identify the most appropriate for the workplace and acquire sufficient knowledge about the various benefits and shortcomings of each instrument in the workplace. Availability of this instruments allows the management and employees to identify, measure and manage fatigue in their pla ce of work, determine the useful methods for evading fatigue or the probability of it occurring.They are also able to study some managing strategies to be used to control fatigue and perform through accident surveys after the occurrence of problems induced by fatigue.The measurement carried out in the workplace can determine one dimension of fatigue or multiple dimensions. The one-dimensional scale is the most important dimension that is used for measuring fatigue. Its variety is mainly used for research and clinical purposes. Multi-dimensional assessment of fatigue (MAF) is another type of subjective quantification of fatigue.It indicates the degree of fatigue experienced by a worker one week ago.However, the Piper Fatigue Scale is the most accurate scale for quantification of fatigue. It contains various additional features to measure how fatigue interferes with daily living activities and the timing of fatigue. The second method of identifying fatigue is by investigating the various correlates of fatigue which include sleep and depression. These correlates are used to predict if a worker suffers from effects of fatigue. Its typical application is a valuation of fatigue for academic researchers. There exist various methods of measuring how tired a person is. Epworth Sleepiness Scale is one of the common standard methods used. It illustrations how a worker is likely to sleep during the daytime or working periods (Dawson et al., 2014). Another instrument used in fatigue measurement is the Horne-Ostberg Questionnaire (HOQ). The questionnaire contains nineteen questions that aim to determine when respondents would desire to awake or sleep. (Dawson et al.,2014). There are more other instruments used for measuring and identifying fatigue. This research mainly focuses on the three most important that have been discussed above. The other common methods include: Sleep questionnaires, sleep diaries, a ctigraphy, and polysomnography, symptom distress scale (SDS) 13-items questionnaire (Dawson et al.,2014). Fatigue can also be measured physiologically through various methods. These methods include eye blink rates, the temperature of the skin, and response and reaction time. Conclusion ÂÂ   As discussed above fatigue can be caused by very many factors in the workplace. It is there necessary to come up with multiple tactics to address various types and causes of this hazard. These strategies can be classified into two categories: Operational strategies which are used during the job; preventive strategies which are mostly implemented before working hours and during rest time (Darwent et al., 2015). Different methods can be applied in the preventive strategy. Most of them help to relieve fatigue symptoms temporarily.These strategies include: minimize sleep loss, teaching healthy sleeping behaviors to the workers, and stimulators (Darwent et al., 2015). It is important to note that laws and compliance cannot resolve all the issues connected to fatigue. The workers behavior is also significant. The workers are advised to rest and avoid caffeine and alcohol before sleeping. It is highly recommended to spend most of the free time in daylight and to participate variou s activities to promote activeness during the day. Recommendation Work fatigue is among the top ten issue in the modern industry, mainly due to long duty periods, circadian rhythms distraction and continuous sleep debt. The full understanding and further evaluation of the potentials of various preventive strategies, and individual fatigue mitigation management systems is recommended. Additional research should be done on the different methods of measuring and quantifying dynamics of transient, circadian biologic clock and cumulative sleep, and recovery to help in efficient management of fatigue in the workplace. Furthermore, a software tool to be used for fatigue prediction should be developed. References Dawson, D., Searle, A. K., Paterson, J. L. (2014). Look before you (s) sleep: evaluating the use of fatigue detection technologies within a fatigue risk management system for the road transport industry. Sleep medicine reviews, 18(2), 141-152. Han, K., Trinkoff, A. M., Geiger-Brown, J. (2014). Factors associated with work-related fatigue and recovery in hospital nurses working 12-hour shifts. Workplace health safety, 62(10), 409-414. Rahman, H. A., Abdul-Mumin, K., Naing, L. (2017). Psychosocial Work Stressors, Work Fatigue, and Musculoskeletal Disorders: Comparison between Emergency and Critical Care Nurses in Brunei Public Hospitals. Asian Nursing Research. Wright, K. P., Bogan, R. K., Wyatt, J. K. (2013). Shift work and the assessment and management of shift work disorder (SWD). Sleep medicine reviews, 17(1), 41-54. Boivin, D. B., Boudreau, P. (2014). Impacts of shift work on sleep and circadian rhythms. Pathologie Biologie, 62(5), 292-301. Dawson, D., Searle, A. K., Paterson, J. L. (2014). Look before you (s) sleep: evaluating the use of fatigue detection technologies within a fatigue risk management system for the road transport industry. Sleep medicine reviews, 18(2), 141-152. Darwent, D., Dawson, D., Paterson, J. L., Roach, G. D., Ferguson, S. A. (2015). Managing fatigue: It is about sleep. Accident Analysis Prevention, 82, 20-26. Caruso, C. C. (2014). Negative impacts of shift work and long work hours. Rehabilitation Nursing, 39(1), 16-25. Phillips, R. O. (2015). A review of definitions of fatigue-And a step towards a whole definition. Transportation research part F: TrafficPsychology and Behavior, 29, 48-56.

Fredrick Douglass Essay -- essays research papers

After reading the Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, An American Slave, I have received a better understanding of the life of a slave. Douglass has a way of explaining the trials and tribulations of a slave, which makes the reader, look at the situations in a different perspective. Douglass' narrative was originally oral and he eventually sat down and wrote it as story of events of that time during his life. I believe he wrote it not just to tell his story but for other abolitionists of the time to actually feel what the slaves went through.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Douglass begins his narrative in a very original way. He does not jump into the accounts of his life. But he begins very passive and describes the overseers in a detailed manner. He compares one of his slave masters, Mr. Covey, to a horse breaker. A horse breaker trains horses to be obedient and this is exactly what Mr. Covey does, he trains slaves in a similar way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The audience Douglass is trying to appeal to are the other abolitionists who he wants to convince that these masters were wrong for their treatment of other human beings. The other abolitionists consist mainly of white, middle-class individuals, usually women. They were the most literate people of the time, therefore they could read this story and understand where Douglass was coming from. He did not go into gruesome details because the women of that time could not handle the gory descriptions of the beatin...

Woodstock 1969 Essay -- essays research papers

Woodstock ‘69 Many large concerts occurred throughout America in the summer of 1969, but none were as well known and symbolic as Woodstock. Its message was clear; three days of Peace and Music. Its impact on America’s culture and society as well as its youth will not be forgotten for many years to come.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Four men named Michael Lang, Artie Kornfield, John Roberts, and Joel Rosenman originally established Woodstock. The men’s initial idea for the festival was to promote the idea of a new recording studio in Bethel, New York, which is where the event actually took place. (Jacksonville.net) Because of the extensive amount of rain that fell before and during Woodstock, the site was changed twice and ended up on Max Yasgur’s farm. (Bethelwoodstockmuseum.com) This resulted in the loss of preparation time. The stage had not been entirely put up and the sound system was dangerously assembled. There were many other problems that occurred as a result of the mud produced during the rain. Most of the gates and fences were not put up which allowed many people to enter the festival for free.(Jacksonville.net) The mud also created a major cleanup project after the festival ended.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Woodstock gathered an unexpectedly large attendance. Only 50,000 to 100,000 people were expected to arrive at the site. These numbers seemed small compared to the 400,000 to 500,000 people who converged on the area on August 15, 16, and 17 of 1969. (Webster’s) Many expected singers and bands could not arrive due to traffic backed up for miles along all the roads leading to the area. It was said that nearly one million people could have attended the concert if it had lasted longer. (Visi.com) Many recognized musicians preformed at the concert such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who, Jefferson Airplane, and many others. (Home.columbus.rr.com) Truly by the first day, as the musicians looked out upon the vast crowd, they must have known that Woodstock was not going to be just another concert that would be forgotten. On the outside, Woodstock could just be considered another concert for the youth of the time to hear their favorite music, but it can be seen that it was much more than that. Although the music was a large part of the festival, there would be no reason for it to be remembered this long if that w... ...stock fans that made the trip to all three festivals bearing the â€Å"Woodstock† name. It seemed that the other men and women that made up the rest of the audience were nearly all there to get drunk and destroy anything they could get their hands on. By the end of the concert, nearly all of the stage and equipment was destroyed. Women were raped and all souvenirs such as shirts and posters were stolen. (MTV Woodstock Uncensored) The acts displayed at Woodstock 99’ could be summed up in two words: destructive force. It went beyond misguided violence to such a point as to bring down some of the original Woodstock’s glory. Unfortunately now when people think of Woodstock they will also think of the destruction that occurred during its latest attempt at recreation. Despite people’s desire to bring back the feeling of the original Woodstock, all that can remain is its effect on the people who experienced it and the affect on the culture they lived in. The concert was necessary to have because it eased tension in a time of history that was full of war and prejudices. Its stories will be told, some good, some bad, but the desire that people feel to experience it firsthand will never be lost.

Health: Obesity and Overall Personal Feelings

The health/nutrition problem that I will be targeting will be my weight. The other problems will be affected by the weight which would be blood pressure, risk of getting diabetes, low energy, depression, etc. Four nutritional or physical exercise goals that I have are to lose at least 100 pounds, lower blood pressure, increase energy and confidence and lower risk of obtaining any other health problems such as diabetes. The actions that will be taken to meet each goal are to obtain a membership to an exercise facility, obtain a membership with a trainer, and work with trainer on an exercise plan and a nutritional plan as well. The anticipated setbacks or difficulties and approaches for overcoming them are the temptations to eating unhealthy foods in which I will remove myself from the situation so those temptations will not be available, loss of interest when it comes to actually going to working out either alone or with trainer in which I will change plan slightly to keep motivated enough to keep going. What I see as outcomes by which to measure success is the way that clothes are fitting will help determine the success of weight loss and weigh-in once a week to determine weight loss success. Evidence of the Plan’s effectiveness in addressing the identified problem or need will be the main piece of evidence in which will be my overall personal feelings and looks after goal is reached. Evaluation of potential health risks that may develop if the plan is not implemented is if I don’t follow through with this goal of losing the weight needed in order to improve my health then the risks involved could be higher blood pressure, end up diabetes, possible heart attack, depression worsens, etc. There are many different ways that my plan may be adjusted if there is a time when I am not physically capable of following through. I could step down the cardio workouts that I am currently on now. At this time I do between 30 to 45 minutes cardio Monday through Friday in the early morning before work. After working a full eight hours on my feet at work I then do an hour walk home. In the past when I was having abdominal pains I would remove the walk home from work.

Analysis of Sonnet 75 (Amoretti) by Edmund Spenser Essay

Sonnet 75 is taken from Edmund Spenser’s poem Amoretti which was published in 1595. The poem has been fragmented into 89 short sonnets that combined make up the whole of the poem. The name Amoretti itself means â€Å"little notes† or â€Å"little cupids. † This poem is said to have been written on Spenser’s love affair and eventual marriage to Elizabeth Boyle, his second wife. Sonnet 75 centers on the immortality of spiritual love and the temporality of physical love. In the seventy-fifth sonnet of Amoretti, the line scheme of three quatrains and a rhyming couplet is employed. The rhyme scheme is the typical Spenserian sonnet format of the first quatrain being ABAB, the second being BCBC, the third CDCD and the couplet EE. It follows the meter of the iambic pentameter. The first quatrain has a narrative feel to it because of the beginning â€Å"One day I †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The second quatrain starts with a dialogue by a female, most probably the beloved. The third quatrain is an answer again in a conversation because of the use of â€Å"quoth I. † The couplet at the end gives the conclusion like a fact because it uses the present participle tense. Sonnet 75 is a lyric because it tells of the poet’s personal experience. Spenser writes this sonnet in the typical Petrarchan style. It is written in the pursuit of a woman whom he loves. The rhyme scheme coincides with the Petrarchan model. The whole sonnet reeks of the use of imagery. The very opening lines, â€Å"One day I wrote her name upon the strand, But came the waves and washed it away:† create a vivid image of the sea-side. Other excerpts from the sonnet that produce a visual effect are â€Å"decay,† â€Å"wiped out,† â€Å"die in dust,† and â€Å"in the heavens write your glorious name. † while the first three evoke negative images, the last one paints a beautiful, fantastical picture in the mind. The short sonnet incorporates alliteration very often, for instance, â€Å"die in dust,† â€Å"verse your virtue,† â€Å"love shall live,† â€Å"later life,† etc. The sounds that have been continuously been employed are /d/, /w/ and /l/. Alliteration throughout is helping form the images. The /w/ sound in â€Å"waves and washed it away† help create an audio impact of the swishing waves. The repetitive /d/ gives an ominous sound and is used for all such words, for example â€Å"decay,† â€Å"die,† â€Å"death,† etc. There is also repetition of certain words. â€Å"Vain† appears twice in one line. Then, the concept of mortality is conveyed through â€Å"mortal,† â€Å"immortalize† and â€Å"eternize. † The sonnet is rife with symbolism. The sea alludes to the distance that is between the lover and his beloved which is causing pain to the lover. The writing on the sand refers to the lover’s insistence on making a worldly impact on his beloved. The waves are a constant reminder of the cruelty of love, haunting again and again. By washing away the name of the beloved, the waves act as torrents of torture. The sea-side or beach also symbolizes a peaceful, comfortable place where the lover unreservedly expresses himself. The lover’s writing on the sand can be a reference to man’s inherent desire to eternalize his being to be remembered forever. The waves here signify time. The erasing of the name by water signifies the transient nature of human life. It points towards the futility of man’s aspirations for immortality, especially poets who wish to be eternalized through their works. However, irrespective of how many times he may try to make his life meaningful, it is pointless. Everything is transitory and will eventually be destroyed. Personification is an important element in the sonnet. The sea or waves are given human qualities. It â€Å"washed,† and â€Å"made my paynes his pray. † Washing and preying or inflicting pain upon someone are human qualities. The poet has dexterously presented a contrast between the earthly and the celestial ideas and things. While in the first half of the poem, time and nature destroy the poet’s writing and attempts to immortalize it; in the second half the poet immortalizes his eternal, spiritual love through his writings. One of the indirect implications of the typical fifteenth century women being docile and subservient can be found in the waves being given a masculine quality. Normally, nature is associated with the female entity because both are responsible for giving and sustaining life. Here, however, the author’s reason for giving a masculine identity to nature must be because of the malignant role it is playing. Edmund Spenser’s Sonnet 75 from Amorreti is not only an exquisite piece of Elizabethan times, it portrays the quintessential poetry of the time as well. His optimal employment of literary techniques of form, rhyme, imagery, personification and alliteration give the sonnet a wholesome structure and an pleasant quality. Theme : When he writes her name on the sand, her name is washed away by the waves. He tries again and again but his all attempts when the tide is in will be washed. The lover here emphasize that allegorically; The tide represents â€Å"the time† and The sand of seashore represents his â€Å"memories† The word â€Å"tide† refers to the word â€Å"time† also in means of written and â€Å"sand† also refers to his memories because memory is a reflection of the past and it has a particular shape in minds to indicate particular moments and events which we experienced. but this shape in time becomes uncertain as the time passed memory skips over some important or trivial details. So everthing can be forgetton, ,n memory there can be nothing everlasting JUST LIKE HER NAME ON THE SAND OF SEASHORE.. the poet has a great longing to immortalize her name. But he deduces that nature wants to explain that love is temporary. Because when he wrote her name the tide washes it away. Then the lady speaks that his effort is in vain he can not change the intrinsic nature of the mortality. She believes every mortal thing will be perished. She is offended by his attempt to immortalize her. But the lover believes when the love becomes immortal her name will be written in heaven. THE AMORETTI. Edmund Spenser – Sonnet 75 One day I wrote her name upon the strand, But came the waves and washed it away: Again I wrote it with a second hand, But came the tide, and made my pains his prey. Vain man, said she, that doest in vain assay A mortal thing so to immortalize, For I myself shall like to this decay, And eek my name be wiped out likewise. Not so (quoth I), let baser things devise To die in dust, but you shall live by fame: My verse your virtues rare shall eternize, And in the heavens write your glorious name. Where whenas Death shall all the world subdue, Out love shall live, and later life renew. â€Å" One day I wrote her name upon the strand ’’ This a case of Hyperbaton because the normal order of wards has been changed . The ordinary syntactic order world have been â€Å"I wrote her name upon the strand’’. â€Å"Again I wrote it with a second hand, But came the tyde , and made my paynes his pray ’’ This is a case of Transferred Epithet [ Hypallage ] The epithet ‘ second ’ properly belongs to time rather than to hand . It may also a case of personification since ‘tide’ is seen as hunting down the efforts of the poet. ‘ For I myself shall like to this decay, And eek my name by urped out likeirse†. This is a case of simile . The poet points to the similarity between the destruction of the engraved name by the sea and the death caused to the lady by time, the similarity is explicitly stated by the use of word ‘like’. â€Å"Not so,’ quod I, â€Å" let baser things devize † To die in dust but you shall live by fame ’ – This is a case of antithesis where two opposed ideas are balanced against each other to the same effect . The two ideas contrasted are the idea of the meaner things being reduced to dust by time on the one hand, and the idea of the superior beloved ‘ transcending this by fame , on the other . â€Å"Where when as death shall all the world subdew, Our love shall live, and later life renew † It is a case of Antithesis since the two opposed ideas of the death of the world and the living of their love are balanced against each other. This is also a cause of Epigram . Ordinarily the idea of the renewal of love after life may seem absurd, but on thinking more deeply one realizes that their love would indeed be renewed by the later generations of lovers who would model their love on the poet’s.

American CEO Compensation is Immoral

Substantial evidence shows that American CEOs are better rewarded than their counterparts in European countries, and that this trend has been on a rapid upward growth starting from the last thirty years and only slowing down during global economic recessions. As expected this trend has drawn considerable arguments, with a lot of questions posed about what structures do American companies usually apply when commissioning such abnormal pay hikes and whether such structures are ethically and professionally justified.For instance, it can be loudly wondered whether the American CEOs deserve these high payments more than other CEOs elsewhere in the world. It can also be wondered whether they have more responsibilities than their counterparts in Europe and other continents alike. Well, the answers to these questions may draw all sorts of answers to the affirmative and/or otherwise.For purposes of this paper it is hypothesized that, the abnormally huge compensation packages given to American CEOs in the form of salaries, bonuses, stocks, options, or even termination packages is not morally justified given that most workers in America are still struggling with the agony caused by unemployment, ineffective social welfare systems, and increased costs of living. In tackling this seemingly sensitive issue, efforts will be made to represent both sides of the argument in equal measures and then finally a final verdict will be made in support of the study hypothesis.Theoretical Framework: Rogerian Argument Himself a psychologist, Carl Rogers advances a â€Å"rational† kind of approach especially when sensitive matters are at stake. He opines that a writer should first of all understand strive to represent his readers perspectives in his writings using the most neutral words there can be. He should also do the same when advancing his standpoint on an issue, particularly if such standpoint is not good news to his readership.His advices are that a writer should not adopt a n adversarial approach in presenting arguments rather he should adopt a seemingly neutral ground that will help to build sympathy and the desire to read more on the part of the audience. In fact, he reasons that a writer should not make a generalization as what his readership should believe of do, rather he should together with his readership struggle to finding and defending a neutral ground that will enable the readership to make their own personal decisions based on the fairly and factually resented issue.Using this practical method of argument this paper will seek to present the sensitive issue of executive compensation by delineating the issue in operational terms; agreeing on morality of increased CEO compensation packages; refuting the morality of the same; offering examples why increased CEO compensation packages is not morally justified, and; proposing a neutral compromise that pits the two positions equally acceptable to the audience. Research Problem Is it morally justifi ed to pay CEOs huge salaries while other employees are poorly rewarded?This paper intends to carry out an intensive study to investigate whether the evidential abnormal American CEO Compensation packages are morally justified. To achieve this, a range of existing literature on marketplace modalities governing employee compensation vis-a-vis ethical structures will be revisited. The literature collected thereof will be analyzed and systematically presented using the five principles of communication as advanced by Carl Rogers with view of advancing an opposition verdict.There is a general consensus that teachers are underpaid and their professions are under respected. Now what if I told you that presidents of colleges make a lot of money? And that they have been making more money since the recession even though campuses at large have lost classes and fees have been increased for students. Do you feel that the presidents for scholastic institutions should still get paid so highly? Well , it all boils down to the general perspective held by an individual. Most European countries believe in a more socialistic approach to president/CEO/executive pay.Their salaries represent a level of contentment and achievement that can be justified as being equal to their counter parts below them. Here in America, since the recession many Americans have been scratching their heads in wonderment as to why CEOs of companies such as CountryWide, BofA, and Goldman have been pulling in such large amounts compared to the rest of the workers. Brian Foley mentioned that many American CEOs make more money in one year than the median salaried worker makes in lifetime. Is this an injustice? Our European corporate counterparts see it as such.However many European companies move their base to America to reap the same rewards that American CEOs get, so what part of making such high pay makes it right? As a student and an intern at a finance company I feel that the corporate pyramid represents mo re of a stairway to heaven. I wonder what part of life, morality, and injustice to my coworkers must I face to reap the future rewards of possibly being a partner or maybe more? Should I work for the money as many Americans do instead of our European counterparts who work for contentment and the ability to provide security to their employees and others?With the on set of the recession American corporate pay structure has not only been heavily scrutinized by those who are not in the top of that structure, but has also been shunned upon by many other CEOs and Presidents all over the world. Greedy for money, unjustly leaning towards the welfare of Top executives, immoral for people who are unemployed because a CEO is unwilling to hire new members to keep his salary as high as possible; these are the ideas that resonate in newspapers.Although after being an intern at KKR Capital for one and half years and getting paid at 25 an hour, my sentiments are starting to be different. Background Information There is no doubt on the authenticity of the generalization that, CEOs in American corporations (profit and not-for-profit alike) are rewarded handsomely compared to what their counterparts in other countries particularly those in Europe earn. Consequently, significant debate on this seemingly sensitive issue has ensued among policy makers and pundits alike within and beyond the US borders.Tellingly, some of these loud voices in acknowledgement as well as those in opposition have got some elements of sanity in them. After all, common sense as well as sound work ethics holds that employee compensation packages should be pegged against performance meters. In their investigation on the patterns of executive compensation among â€Å"S&P 500, Mid-Cap 400 and Small-Cap 600 companies† between the period commencing 1993 to 2003, Bebchuk and Grenstein found out that indeed there has been a tremendous increase in remuneration packages for CEOs and top executives across maj or organizations in the United States (2).Their findings pointed out to a whopping mean compensation increment of 146 percent for CEOs in the S&P 500 category, the mean compensation for â€Å"top-five executives† also grew by a 125 percent margin from $9. 5 to $21. 4 for the same category. An increase from the $3. 7million recorded in 1993 to $9. 1 million recorded in 2003. Similar upward trend was also observed in the Mid-Cap 400 and Small-Cap 600 company categories.A comparison of the mean compensation increase between CEOs and the top-five executives indicated that CEOs were higher in 2003 when compared to 1993, an indicator that indeed CEOs compensation packages has grown over the years (2-3). Faulkender et al argue that CEO compensation in majority of the leading US organizations has soared to reach higher levels courtesy of â€Å"an explosion in stock option grants† and â€Å"flawed governance mechanisms in the pay-setting process† (110). Precisely, their data shows that the mean CEO remuneration package for S&P 500 corporations grew significantly from a low of $850,000 to $14 million between 1970 and 2000.For unexplainable reasons the growth dropped in 2002to $9. 4 million only to gain momentum again to hit the high of $13. 5 million between 2005 and 2007 (110). Again, it dropped in 2008 to $10. 5 due to the biting effects of the global economic crunch. [See appendices 2 for amore details] There is a huge discrepancy between CEO salaries and those of other employees. Trends show that the discrepancy has been on an increase starting from the last thirty years and only slightly dipping on few occasions due to the effects of unfavorable economic developments.As a matter of fact, unusually high salary packages have been ditched even on controversial circumstances to executives embroiled in management squabbles. In mind is the notable $210 million that was given to HomeDepot departing executive, Robert Nardelli and the $187. 5 million gi ven to NYSE departing executive Richard Grasso. In the list of the â€Å"most controversial compensation packages† issued to an executive is the former Tyco CEO, Dennis Kozlowski who was given a dispatch package of $5.1million worth of shares in the company and other shares from a subsidiary company worthy $81 million despite him being not cleared from fraudulent charges brought against his manner of management while serving as the company CEO (Faulkender et al). Morality in American CEO Compensation Kaplan (2009) argues that, the widely held notion that CEO compensation packages are abnormally high is nowhere near the truth, and that CEO compensation packages do not contribute to financial crises.He offers what seems like a set of well researched and analyzed data showing that CEOs are actually underpaid particularly when their compensation packages are juxtaposed against those of â€Å"hedge fund managers, investment bankers, private equity investors, money managers, and l awyers†. In fact, in 2007 S&P 500 CEOs earned relatively low salaries compared with what top hedge fund managers took home. In his well broken down analysis, he offers that the salary scales of other employee groups just as that of the CEOs has grown considerably since 1990s.Analytically, this is an indicator that CEOs are not riding on an abnormal or even unethical reward wave. Contrary to other studies on CEO compensation trends among American corporations, Kaplan concise research findings show that CEO salaries among major US S&P 500 companies only gained momentum in 2000and that since then the mean and median CEO compensation indexes has been on a stagnant as opposed to a growing trend. Even so, in what seems as a concurrence with other studies on the American CEOs compensation matter, Kaplan agrees that since 2008 the trend has been on a decline trend.Moreover, as opposed to the gross income trends entered in the prior decade, CEOs only made a small portion, three percent of the number of Americans making the top 0. 1 percent gross income in the 2004- 2005finacial year. That the S&P 500 CEOs only managed to account for about 0. 60 percent of the total income for Americans making the top 0. 1 percent gross income in 2006 as compared to 1. 2 percent registered in 2001, with indicators showing a likely diminishing trend in the future. According to Bebchuk, Fried and Walker any ‘rational’ human being including CEOs may be tempted to enrich themselves if given an opportunity to do so.They argue that, â€Å"When changing circumstances create an opportunity to extract additional rents–either by changing outrage costs and constraints or by giving rise to a new means of camouflage–managers will seek to take full advantage of it and will push firms toward an equilibrium in which they can do so†(cited in Gabaix and Landier 53). A case atypical to this postulation is the popular use of the stock option packages by CEOs to incre ase their benefits without undergoing the agony of facing shareholders vetting and/or wraths.Moreover, the behavior of the board members also gives CEOs a leeway to sneak in high incentives for their positions. Incomplete or ill-informed board members may fail in their duties to vet any salary increases on the part of the CEOs giving them a wide operating space. Some board members may also be lacking the needed powers to question CEOs compensation decisions; this is a case common in corporations with very powerful CEOs who tend to ‘manage’ the board. There is no direct link between financial crisis and high executive compensation.Though it is obvious that high remuneration packages may play a significant role in financial crisis engulfing companies such as the one witnessed in 2008, other more directly linked and more powerful factors are responsible. In mind is the weird banking regulation that leaves too much space for financial institutions to give out unsecured cred it facilities as well as the great leeway on the part of such banking institutions that accords them an opportunity to double as hedge funds.By fair terms these two factors are the ones to blame and not the hiked executive salaries given that the financial crisis was chiefly caused by high rates loan and mortgage defaulting. As a matter of fact, Faulkender et al (116) argue that executive compensation forms a very small chunk of the many causal factors of the recently ended financial crisis and that it cannot be blamed for all the woes engulfing the American banking industry. According to Grundfest executives of banks experiencing financial crises cannot be held accountable for causing the crises.In fact, he boldly offers the executives incentives cannot be blamed for financial crisis that hit the banking sector in 2008. This he defends by offering that the executives always give their best when it comes to managing their organizations and that they formulate strategies that are bas ed to the best of their knowledge and experience: â€Å"Sure, they were miserably wrong, but they didn’t know they were making a huge mistake that would cost them, their shareholders and taxpayers a huge fortune† (1).He defend this argument by reminding his readership that even the executives lost their investments in the form of stock they held in the banks. That the executives are also shareholders of the organizations they head, it is an indicator that they do not their own interests but that of the shareholders and that any eventuality of a great financial crisis is just normal in that it is not triggered by any commission or omission on the part of the executives (1).The high CEOs compensation packages among American public corporations are ethically justified. The competitive nature of the domestic market economy between privately owned equity firms and public corporations where private organizations offer very competitive pay packages to woe top executive with p roven performance track records. A case atypical to this argument is depicted by the mass exodus of top executives from public corporations to Wall Street based private equity corporations where they offer a range of executive advisory services (Kaplan 1).American CEO Compensation Immoral Is American CEO Compensation moral? I believe that it is immoral because compared to that of European CEOs, American CEOs get paid so highly and with the onset of the recession, this has been highly scrutinized. It is argued that executives who by capitalizing on the seemingly lax regulations on the compensation modalities go ahead and declare abnormal bonuses for themselves are result-oriented as opposed to rule-oriented.Lundberg and Montell proves this postulation by asserting that the growing trend on the part of executives to reward themselves with hefty salaries is occasioned by the market systems, particularly those based on commission basis or the popular â€Å"performance-based† remu neration. Analyzing a number of similar trends they argue that the performance-based salary perks erode the moral content among executives to the extent that they fail to link their actions as unethical but economically justified, given the huge profits they help make for the companies they head (2).Financial incentives are responsible for attracting all manner of personnel some of whom are only driven by the desire to reap from the huge legitimate benefits and if possible to use the seemingly ambiguous employee compensation regulations to achieve this in a quicker manner (Schwab 1). As a matter of fact, it has been argued that incentivized compensation packages are usually complex especially if large production processes are involved so that it becomes difficult in determining the â€Å"what, how much, who, and when† of production units awarded to individual employees.Such complex scenarios may tempt executives to overstep their powers and therefore increase their salaries. Moreover, though the performance-based compensation scheme is buoyed by the notion that highly rewarded employees perform better this is may not be the case in all situations especially if some of section of the employees is rewarded handsomely at the expense of others.Paying executives too much money is tantamount to immorally siphoning a large chunk of the overall profits that an organization makes and spending it on one individual instead of doing so on the large number of the shareholders who are in real sense the owners of such organization. This trend which has been witnessed in many financial institutions in the US has resulted in immense suffering on the part of the shareholders. It can be argued that these sufferings are threefold (Murali 1):First, from the poor decisions taken at the expense of the long-term viability of the company; second, through the payouts of excessive benefits for mediocre or poor performance; and third for the costs and settlements of any ensuing la wsuits, which were paid by the companies involved. Most importantly, these skewed compensation packages do not subscribe to any conventional capitalism rules. This is because it flouts the tenets of performance-based reward system as it does not make sense that American CEOs are the only hardworking executives in the whole world.As Murali summarizes it, â€Å"There is no way that the job of CEOs in the US has become 20 times more difficult than it was in Alfred Sloan’s day or 10 times more difficult than it was in the 1970s, and yet the packages suggest precisely that† (1). There is no doubt that the American government does not give much attention to executive compensation practices employed by major corporations operating the US. This has given much room to large financial institutions to engage in unprecedented reward systems that enrich top executives at the expense of the other cadres of employees and the shareholders.Such, reward system is not only selfish and im moral but it also highlights on the bred of CEOs running large corporations: as persons out to perpetuate their own agendas rather than that f the shareholders. Mitigation Measures It is true that in approaching the American CEOs compensation issue a lot of care and sobriety should be used. This is because there are both light and dark sides on the issue. The most certain solution to the issue seems to be legislation of strict regulations that will put limits to the amount of bonuses executives can award themselves.However, this need not be as plain as it is said; otherwise it will not be accepted by the majority. Americans needs fundamental economic legislations that will address a wide area of the puzzle including making the cost of living more affordable for the common American so as to mitigate the biting effect of economic of future economic crunches. Such legislations will ensure that the executive compensation packages are also fixed in accordance with the prevailing economic trends as opposed to the individual performance of a company.In regard to their â€Å"result-oriented and rule-oriented† analogy, Lundberg and Montell offer that result-oriented executives are most likely to disregard the moral fabric when compared to their rule-oriented counterparts. In this regard they opine that the performance-based incentive programs are a recipe for moral degradation on matters of employee compensation and that they only succeed in creating result-driven executives and not rule-conscious ones (Lundberg and Montell 2).It can therefore, be asserted that even in the presence of rules that fix executive compensation limits, there can never be a convincing assurance that the problem of abnormal compensation can be fully addressed given that, the inherent failure on the part of the result-driven executives to acknowledge the element of morality in following or even breaking the set rules. Again, the bonus pegged market structure where both short and long ter m bonus targets are included as part of competitive reward system to motivate hardworking employees, and to attract and retain talented employees’ only serves as a catalyst for breach of such rules (2-3).This postulation is supported by Schwab (1) when he says: While regulation is important for the future of the global economy, rules alone are not sufficient. The economy is not an independent or self-contained realm; the crisis has shown that the economy has to serve society. We have to be careful that the measures taken to curtail the crisis will not damage the power of innovation in the real economy. In mitigation it is hereby advanced that the realm of management should not be commoditized, rather it should be handled as a profession.This postulation is advised by the conventional wisdom that a profession just like a society is governed by â€Å"ground rules† and not monetary incentives. Such a scenario will accord all cadres of employees an opportunity to reap from the fruits of their labor in proportionate measures irrespective of their status in the organizational ladder. Most importantly, this â€Å"will create an unspoken social contract of trust to other members of society† (Lundberg and Montell 4). This postulation draws its impetus from similar sentiments shared by Schwab (1) when he generously offers that:When I had surgery a few years ago, I knew very well that my future quality of life would be dependent to a large extent on the qualifications of the surgeon. This is why I sought an expert who was the best in his profession. I naturally assumed that I was in the hands of a doctor who could apply his most professional skills without claiming that he would like to have a share of my future income – since, of course, this would be dependent on his knowhow – in addition to his remuneration.In this regard Reynolds offers that organizations should foster efforts toward the improvement of personal qualities such as edu cational qualification, work experience, as well, the propensity to embrace change. He argues that such efforts are capable of instilling the sense of morality among employees (241). Work Cited Bebchuk, Lucian and Yaniv Grinstein. The Growth of Executive Pay. Discussion Paper No. 51004/2005, Harvard Law School Cambridge, MA 02138, (2005). Faulkender, Michael, Dalida Kadyrzhanova, N.Prabhala, and Lemma Senbet. Executive Compensation: An overview of research on corporate practices and proposed reforms. Applied Corporate Finance, 22. 1. (2010). Co Gabaix, Xavier and Augustin Landier. Why Has CEO Pay Increased So Much? The Quarterly Journal of Economics, February 2008. Grundfest, Joseph. ‘What’s Needed is Uncommon Wisdom’, New York Times online, October 6, 2009. Kaplan, Steve. (Good) CEOs Are Underpaid, Harvard Business Review, Harvard Business School Publishing, June 15, 2009.Lundberg, Viktor and Christofer Montell. The effects of incentive compensation on moral awa reness: An explorative study. Master Thesis in Management Accounting, University of Gothenburg, School of Business, Economics and Law, 2010. Merchant, Kenneth, A. , and Wim A. Van der Stede. Management control systems: Performance measurement, evaluation and incentives. Essex: Pearson Education Limited. Murali, D. Pay should reinforce right tone at the top.July 8, 2010, accessed July 22, 2010, from: http://www. thehindu. com/ Reynolds, Scott. Moral awareness and ethical predispositions: investigating the role of individual differences in the recognition of moral values. Journal of Applied Psychology 91. 1 (2006); 233–243. Schwab, Klaus. Financial crisis is a chance for positive change. Times Online, Publ. 081104. Accessed on July 22, 2010, from: http://business. timesonline. co. uk/tol/busines/management/article5076011. ece/