Monday, September 30, 2019

My Dream, My future Essay

â€Å"Live Your Values, Pursue Your Dreams, And Follow Your Passions†. This really implies the true ways we must do to have the best future life we could possibly have. Seeing through around the earth, we will find all kinds of people exist in the world. I think why those people are different from each other might be a difficult task to study—–which factor influences and drives them different. It is lucky that I am the one among them so I know that mine is my dream. Over my life time I would like to achieve many things but there are three main things I would like to accomplish: to be a triumphant person, help my loving parents and most especially to serve my fellows. I have been exhilarating by my dream, from the day I knew why I came into the world to so far and even in future, which is making me different from others. It is a goal, an aim, a direction for my life. It is not strange from outside, but from inside. Read more: Future plans essay It is to be an engineer. At first, I could hardly decide what I want to be in the future because there are so many choices painted in my mind. But at this time, I am at the crossroads where I have to make decisions, specifically at my choice of course in the college and at the same time, my profession. With all the sacrifices and eschews that my parents are exerting just to send me in school, I don’t have reasons not to give my bests all the time. This is my second dream. At that time, I have my job and I have something to make them feel so proud of me, I would like to give them the best life. I would like to make them feel comfortable and see sweet smiles in their faces. This is really the one I like to achieve in my life, mountains of words can’t explain how much I love and appreciate them. With all of my knowledge and values learned, I would like to share these to my fellows especially to those youths, in the future, by serving them with unconditional, whole-hearted and without any ambiguity or doubts. This really shows our compassion and charitable heart for others. Simple dreams of mine for others but worth living reasons for me. I, together with my parents, have a simple means of living; but because of firm determination, strong faith in GOD, good values and virtues I assure that we will have the bests of life in the future not because of the luxuries but the richness of love, compassion for people and passion for God. These are my dreams, my inspiration which I have to work on for the future.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

The End of Privacy

Daniel Trejo English 1301 Threatening Privacy Nowadays is hard or practically impossible for someone to keep something secret that you just do not want people to know because it is something personal. Anybody can access most or almost all of your information by simply searching it on the internet. It may not be something important to a lot of people because they do not really think deep about it but it is something that people should be concern about. Is it really â€Å"The End of Privacy? †? Or is there something we can do about it and stop the spread of our private information.Due to more people having technology like cell phone cameras, audio recorders, and other recording technologies it is easier for them to record private details about themselves. These people may later regret about doing such thing because what they recorded may end up on the internet for the whole world to see. Like what happened to the â€Å"Star Wars Kid,† who â€Å"videotaped himself waving around a golf-ball retriever while pretending it was a light stabber† (385). Insignificant things like this can destroy your reputation even your entire life.People suggest that if you find yourself in a situation like this there is pretty much nothing you can do about it. It would be better if people just would not record themselves doing such things to avoid the same thing happening to you. Social-networking sites and blogs also threat our privacy with people not even knowing that these web sites keep and spread their private information with others. Daniel J. Solove calls the people growing up today â€Å"Generation Google,† because all of their personal and private information will reside on the internet forever (386).Nowadays most people have their own web sites such as Facebook and Twitter making it easier for others to see and know more about your personal information. Web sites like these spread your personal information with other web sites without people even knowing it, thinking that their personal information is secure and only people they want may see it. I agree with what Solve thinks because anything that you post on the internet will stay there forever, having this in mind people should be very careful with what they post and do on the internet. On the other hand there is also the government that compromises privacy.For example, the National Security Agency â€Å"listens and examines the records of millions of telephone conversations every year† (386). There are also other government entities that keep records of personal information like births, marriages, employment, property ownership and more. These things are accessible to anyone by one simple search. Some would argue that the government has no right to do this, that they are violating personal information. You cannot even call someone and have a â€Å"private conversation† with them because you have these people listening to your conversation, which I find a lit tle bit creepy.Is there something we can do to prevent future spread of personal information? Some technologists and scholars say no. As Scott McNealy once said, â€Å"You already have zero privacy. Get over it† (387). Some suggest that nowadays it is practically impossible for someone to â€Å"start over,† reinvent their lives because everything is stored on the internet and you cannot simply delete it. There are some privacy laws that had been passed to try and protect people privacy but they do not really work. Due to privacy threats now cropping up, these laws have developed in a way that is often ineffective against these threats.But there are some things that people can do to prevent the spread of all of their private information but the most important thing is to know what you are posting on the internet. Once your information is on the internet anything can happen. People should be careful on what they put online because it can ruin your reputation. People nowa days based on your reputation can decide whether to make friends with you or businesses etc. Some suggest that this is the† death of privacy,† and that in the future it will grow into something bigger. You decide, is it really â€Å"The End of Privacy? †? Some will argue that.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Mass medias and their political role Essay

 « Medias  » comes from the latin  « media  » that designs all means of communication ; such as printing press, radio, television, Internet. There has been a mediatic revolution in Europe, and specially en France, since the end of the XIX th century, which accompanied the birth of the Republic and its main political crisis, at is allowed the expression of the public opinion. In June 29th, 1881, the Law on the Freedom of the Press allowed the liberty of expression though settling its limits such as the prohibition of defamation, against the press offences, incitements to racial hatred or attainment on other’s property and public security. This law permitted a greater involvement of the public opinion in major political crisis that happened in France since the end of the XIXth century, such as the following ones I am going to present : the Dreyfus Affair, the Vichy France and the elections of June 2002. The Dreyfus Affair : This political crisis illustrates the major role of printing press. At that time, the Jules ferry Laws had increased alphabetisation, so the press became much more accessible to lower classes of society. More newspapers were printed and sold at a far cheaper price ; it was a democratisation of the press. At the time of the Dreyfus Affair, there was a huge debate about secularism (â€Å"Laicità ©Ã¢â‚¬ ), in which the press involved itself by expressing the public opinion. L’Humanità © was more biased on a socialist point of view whereas La Croix belonged to the right wing of the political life, though it is really with the Dreyfus Case that the politicisation took place. In November 1rst, 1894, the far right-wing and antisemit newspaper La Libre Parole, accused Captain Alfred Dreyfus, of jewish confession, of having betrayed France by being a spy for Germany. Dreyfus was sentenced to death. But the public opinion was vehemently divided and represented through the press.There was the pro-Army, nationalists Anti-Dreyfusards and the  pro-Republicans, also called Dreyfusards, who led a ferocious battle against the other camp. The term â€Å"intellectual† was created at that time to design journalists that committed themselves in the affair. For exemples : – Emile Zola, a naturalist writer, publishes in January 13th, 1898, his false letter/pamphlet â€Å"J’accuse† in L’Aurore, asking for more justice from the President, and so for Dreyfus’ commutation. It was the very first engagement of intellectuals in the press. – Jean Jaurà ©s also demonstrated cleverly the innocence of Dreyfus in â€Å"Les preuves† published in La Rà ©publique. We have then an example of a bipolarised press reflecting a bipolarised public opinion. The expression of diverse voices greatly influenced the release and rehabilitation of Dreyfus in 1906, just one year after the victory of the secularism laws. WWII : The French State or Vichy France : In 1940, with the creation of the French collaborating and antisemit State, there has been a significant division of medias : – The official press became marechalist (newspaper Je suis partout), proclaiming the need for collaboration, denouciations†¦; – A clandestine, illegal press appeared (Libà ©ration) supporting the Resistance movement, in which people were encouraged to resist and to make life harder to the Occupier (sabotages, hidding illegal peole†¦.). The press had a serious influence on the behaviours of the French State’s people. But radio too took a major role in this event : – Radio Paris was tightly controlled by the governement since the first public diffusion by the radio in 1921. – Radio Londres (written this way on the internet) on the contrary did not support the german occupation so that it allowed De Gaulle to communicate with France and deliver his famous speech in June 18th, 1940, in which he encouraged French soldie rs and workers to continue fighting against the collaborators and occupiers and the inhabitants of the French State to resist. Radio was also used a well as leaflets, to improve the organisation of resistant actions. The Algerian War (1954-1962) : At the beginning of the war, the medias took great interest in this new political crisis that the government had trouble in solving. â€Å"L’Algà ©rie, c’est la France !† declares Franà §ois Mitterand, then Minister of the Interior at the TV/Radio. In fact, after the loss of Indochina, France could not afford to lose Algeria as well according to many state members. But different opinions were debated over in the press mainly (France Soir, Le Parisien Libà ©rà ©, Le Figaro†¦), by the four main radios representing round 38 millions of listeners, and the emerging but still very elitist television. When the government sent the contigent in 1956, the jounalists were very much involved in illustrating the public opinion and the Ifop (an institute of survey and opinion polls) revealed that the polls mainly revealed a global wish for negociations rather than fightings. But the government did not want to lose its credibility and censored the press, getting hold o f some (L’Express), and arrested some of the most vehement journalists. But some newspapers (L’Express and La France-Observateur) and authors (Franà §ois Mauriac) denonced the political measures and repression to make it transparent to the public. There was no more stability in the French government and DeGaulle was asked to come back to power in 1958, which he did, at the price that a new Constitution should be put into office and that the fifth Republic shall be claimed. De Gaulle used as he did a few years before, the power of medias as a tool to communicate with the French people, mainly using the ORTF, The Office de Radiodiffusion Tà ©là ©vision Franà §aise, which monopolised Frenc TV emissions and allowed him to put forward his own opinion. This allowed him to avoid the putsch of the generals in April 1961 (they wanted to take power in Alger in order to maintain the French Algeria against De Gaulle’s policy of negociations) by directly talking to the called in order to discourage them from helping the generals. Finally Algeria became independent with the Evian Accords in 1962. But a few years later, with May 1968 it clearly appeared that the government controlled no longer the medias, which became more and more  independent and were less used as an influencial tool of the government, but only as a mean to express opinions or to give more information (ex : the presidential elections of June 2002, when the Internet, newspapers and televion altogether permitted a mobilisation of the voters against Jean-Marie Le Pen.)

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Innovation and Learning Perspective of the Balanced Scorecard Research Paper

The Innovation and Learning Perspective of the Balanced Scorecard - Research Paper Example There are two main causes of variances in a business’s budget. One of the main causes is spending more than the budget allows. This could be due to the fact that the management budgeted for less than required; there was mismanagement of funds or general poor planning. Secondly, there may be an unexpected emergency in a business that may cause a major rift in the use of funds from the budget (Berry et. al. 2006). Mechanical damages to a major processing asset, for instance, could lead to an urgent purchase of another one in order to maintain the expected level of production. As an example, the Manchester Meerkat Company (MMC) suffered a blow when floods drained the fibre filling. This caused emergency spending that may have resulted in variance in the budget. This would cause destabilization in the budget hence a variance. These variances can either cause adverse effects to an organization if ignored or lead to success in business if noted and improved. This is because there ex ist two categories of variances namely favourable and unfavourable variances. The favourable variances occur where the results of business operations are better as compared to the expected results. On the other hand, the unfavourable variances occur whenever the end results of business operations are worse than expected results. Therefore, managers always carry out variance analysis in order to the look-after-the fact at what caused the difference. Furthermore, according to Blocher & Cokins (2005), this analysis helps the management to pinpoint the effects the variances have to the business and how to correct or improve on them.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Health care - Essay Example The Affordable Health Care Act of 2010 (ACA) was a historic piece of legislation and addresses many important health issues but stops short of universal coverage which should still be the goal. The ACA, more commonly known as â€Å"Obamacare,† was unpopular at first but since its passage two years ago the facts about the law along with the lies perpetuated to destroy it have become more generally understood causing it to gradually gain wider acceptance. Those opposed liked the individual parts of the law including the ending of health insurance company abuses such as not accepting patients due to preexisting medial conditions, ceilings on payouts and dropping people just because they got sick. However, they did not like the overall ideological implications. They thought, due to being misinformed, that the ACA was leading the country down a path toward socialism, not that this faction understood what the term meant. Still, they were frightened that their beloved country was being turned into something resembling the old Soviet Russian type regime or a European style of governance. Obama had already taken the automobile industry over, so they were told, along with the financial system. They did not want America to be radically changed to a system that was unrecognizable to them. Now that the realities of the ACA are slowly surfacing the minds of at least some former opponents have been eased. Though the ACA will cover millions of Americans and end insurance company abuse it does not go far enough. The U.S. is still the only industrialized nation that does not guarantee cradle to grave coverage for its citizens. In fact, it works in opposition to socialist philosophy. The individual mandate insures everyone who can afford insurance must pay on a sliding scale according to income. Forcing people to buy a service from private companies is institutionalized capitalism. Had the public option been part of the law almost

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Socialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Socialization - Essay Example The U.S. has, in the space of five years, become a nation that ignores the very precepts of its founding and international law as well. Young persons that do not fully understand what freedoms they are losing and what this country originally stood for will believe that this type of activity by the government is considered acceptable. That is a frightening prospect as their generation will be more willing to continue the present trend of giving away freedoms for the sake of security until they no longer enjoy the freedoms that their forefathers intended for them and their fathers and grandfathers fought and gave their lives for. In addition, young persons in the U.S. will never have the pride in their country as did their fore-bearers because the country has lost its respect throughout the world and rightfully so. President George Bush characterized the ‘War on Terrorism’ as a prolonged battle against those that would employ terrorist actions along with the nations that enabled them. In addition, the U.S. Congress gave formal authorization to the president on September 18, 2001 to â€Å"use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons† (U.S. Code Collection, 2002). The ultimate culmination of the rhetoric and selective legal reasoning regarding the ‘War on Terror’ was Bush’s order of the U.S. military to invade both Iraq and Afghanistan, an illegal act on many fronts. According to the United States Constitution Article One, Section Eight, only Congress has the exclusive authority to declare war. Presidents do not have this authority (U.S. Constitution). However,

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Compare and critically analyse the UK marketing strategies of Dominos Essay - 2

Compare and critically analyse the UK marketing strategies of Dominos Pizza and Pizza Hut - Essay Example The company has over 650 stores in the UK, as well as 350 restaurants and 300 delivery stores. Pizza Hut is still a giant among the pizza chains but has been quite disappointed with the second-quarter results in the U.S market. According to a report by (Munarriz, 2014), Pizza Hut’s revenue has climbed by 10.5 percent to $446.6 million, fueled by a 7.7 percent spike in the restaurant sales. The essay is a comparison and a critical analysis of the marketing strategies utilized by Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Hut to achieve competitive advantage in the UK market. The company has an effective strategy towards developing the different sizes of products ranging from small to medium and large. (Dominos, n.d.), agrees that such a strategy is useful in covering the interests of most of the company’s customer base. Also, the idea to develop different types of pizzas is effective in promoting its products and catering for the different tastes of customers. For instance, their range of products includes varieties such as Mexican Green Wave Pizza, Country Special Pizza, Seventh Heaven Pizza, Zesty Chicken pizza, and Grand Supreme Pizza among other popular pizzas. Since not every client visiting the restaurant might be interested in buying pizza, the management has a good move to counter the loophole and now offers extra food items such as Stuffed Garlic Bread Sticks, Calzone pockets, Pasta Italiano, and Taco Indiana. Domino’s pricing strategy in the marketing mix is also effective and targeted towards the lower middle-class as well as the middle-class income group (Dominos, n.d.). In fact, Domino’s delivery price is proven to be slightly below that of Pizza hut in its traditional restaurants. The move by the company to develop a consistent and uniform pricing policy is satisfactory and beneficial towards encouraging repeat customers. The price factor, though lower than that of Pizza Hut, appears to be troublesome and a contributory factor to its

Monday, September 23, 2019

Planetary Defense For Cosmic Collisions Research Paper

Planetary Defense For Cosmic Collisions - Research Paper Example A science fiction plot? Not according to many authors who have presented a similar scenario as historical fact over the years.† In addition, Ellen Tan (1996) proposed a collision or near-collision between the Earth and an asteroid, comet, or planet during the prehistoric time period is one of the reasons given for the untimely disappearance of the fabled Atlantis. The story stating that the collision from an asteroid, comet, or heavenly body is one of the reasons given for the deluge story, in the Genesis section of the Holy Bible. The same collision theory is also given for the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. Further, David Levy (1994;181) proposes â€Å"Imagine a peaceful, steamy night with mighty Triceratops drinking water from a pond, watching for their enemy Tyrannosaurus Rex. Brighter than the brightest stars, a comet dominates the night. For several weeks now, the comet has brightened as it approached the sun, its long tail making it look like a sword in the sky. By the next afternoon, it is all over. With large thunderclaps and a huge crash, the comet slams into the Earth in what is now the Caribbean basin, just off the coast of the present-day Yucatà ¡n.† The meteorite glowed brightly as it invades the Earth’s delicate atmosphere and evaporated. The comet is very huge that it literally plows through bringing the impression that the air is absent to slow down the incoming heavenly objects. As the heavenly object touches the water surface, high walls of water skyrocket from the point of falling object’s zooming impact into the air. Consequently, millions of tons of dust blast skyward in a gigantic cloud. Furthermore, the same author states that materials excavated from the collision site bounce back into the atmosphere in smaller splintered pieces. The smaller pieces are distributed over the entire Earth’s surface. Around the world, the splintered pieces dot the

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Role performance in an interpreted discourse process Essay Example for Free

Role performance in an interpreted discourse process Essay From the previous chapter it is clear that an interpreters role is more than that of passing messages back and forth; it is also Ð ° role that manages the communication process of exchanging those messages. In this chapter, І begin with Ð ° discussion of how the role has been and, in many ways, still is conceived. To investigate further the performance of that role and its implications for norms in interpreting, І analyze four examples of interpreter performance. Practicing interpreters are aware of the public and professional expectations of and demands on their practice, most of which are concerned with confidentiality, neutrality, accuracy, and faithfulness to the message. Interpreters often describe their role as the person in the middle by using Ð ° metaphor which conveys the image or impression that they serve as Ð ° bridge or channel through which communication happens. This channel is supposed to relay Ð ° message from one speaker to another faithfully, accurately, and without personal or emotional bias. The performance of this role has been compared to Ð ° machine, Ð ° window, Ð ° bridge, and Ð ° telephone lineamong otherswhen trying to compress the complexity of the role into Ð ° simple, singular analogy or metaphor. This perspective developed, in part, from practitioners, educators, and researchers who have devoted the bulk of their attention to interpreters working within public and monologic contexts. In these public forums interpreters usually are interpreting for speakers who speak one at Ð ° time to typically non-responsive audiences. In these events, an interpreters role appears conduit like, passive, and noninvolved. Another reason for the persistence of this perspective lies in past research on interpreting which has been done largely by cognitive psychologists and psycholinguists who have focused on the phenomena of language processing and transference of information. This research on the complexity of listening, understanding, and speaking simultaneously has produced detailed models of the psycholinguistic stages of transfer based on errors revealed in the target language production (Cokely 1984; Moser-Mercer 1978). Although these models provide better understanding and appreciation of the mental complexity of interpreting, their very nature reinforces the metaphorical image through which interpreting is perceived. Unfortunately, the force of this perspective is such that most training and professional testing still (in 1998) devote their efforts to the details of the interpreted message and its form. Although the conduit metaphors developed partially in response to Ð ° particular situational performance and to the direction of research studies, they are also used because of ordinary perceptions about the nature of language and communication. Lakoff and Johnson (198o) found that although most people think of metaphors as devices of poets and rhetorical style, they are prevalent in our everyday lives because they allow us to present our conceptual systems through language. Metaphors structure how we think about and perceive our everyday lives. Reddy ( 1979) explains how ordinary language use portrays language as Ð ° conduit which passes on Ð ° speakers thoughts and ideas to Ð ° listener whose only task is to unwrap the thoughts and ideas that have been transmitted through Ð ° conduit and thus hides aspects of the communication experience. The words we use to talk about how ideas are shared are indicative of Ð ° conduit notion. For example, І gave you that idea. It seems hard to see Ð ° metaphor here at all. The word give seems ordinary enough until we ask ourselves if ideas have Ð ° concrete substance that can be given to someone else. These ordinary metaphors convey the sense that meaning actually resides in words, phrases, and sentences as Ð ° tangible object to be inserted or taken out. These metaphors also lead us to particular ways of thinking about the originator of the message, the message itself, and the receiver of the message. For example, Try to pack more thoughts into fewer words. This type of expression blames the speaker for failing to put enough meaning in or failing to put the meaning in the right place. Equally, in the logic of Ð ° conduit metaphor, the receiver must unpack the meaning from the words. Let me know if you find any good ideas in the talk. Its as though ideas can be inserted into words and sentences. The conduit metaphor implies Ð ° whole framework of basic assumptions about language, such as language functions like Ð ° conduit transferring thoughts from one person to another, words accomplish Ð ° transfer of ideas by containing the thoughts or feelings in the words and conveying them to others, and people can extract exactly the same idea, thought or feeling by simply receiving the words. These everyday metaphors mold our perceptions about language and communication Conduit metaphors that abound in the fields of communication, psychology, language, and information processing have been naturally brought into the field of interpreting. It is easy to see how Ð ° communication process involving Ð ° supposedly neutral or passive third party accepts Ð ° conduit-type metaphor as Ð ° way of defining itself. Although these metaphors clearly respond to Ð ° need, they also carry double messages. Certainly they convey the idea of transferring messages, but, at the same time, they call to mind images of disengagement and noninvolvement on any other level. Frequently, interpreters are called on by those who use their services to be flexible and in fact are called upon by their own colleagues to be so. Standards of ethical practice extensively, sometimes exhaustively, list what interpreters should not do, but they seldom explain what interpreters can, or should do, or where or how flexibility should be exercised. Consequently, discussions of practice fall back on what interpreters should not do, or what interpreters may do within the guidelines and wind up being discussions of ethics. In addition to creating metaphors to describe role performance, interpreters (and others) tend to idealize conversational behavior even though their experience with interaction violates both their notions of relaying messages and of the way conversations should occur. In private conversations, interpreters confess to breaking the rules while also admitting that their rule-breaking behavior was successful. What interpreters actually know (intuitively or objectively) and do is complex from both the perspective of psycholinguistic processes and also from the perspective of interactive communication systems as Ð ° whole. Interpreters are not simply processing information and passively passing it back and forth. Their task requires knowledge of Ð ° discourse system that includes grammar, language use, organization, participant relationships, contextual knowledge, and socio-cultural knowledge. Interpreters must also have the ability to adapt this knowledge quickly to size up Ð ° situation, anticipate problems, and decide on solutions within seconds which means they operate within an emergent system of adaptability. Because standards of practice have developed before we have described and analyzed what interpreters do as they work, interpreters use the language of ethical behavior to talk about their job performance. one way in which interpreting as Ð ° discourse process can work for interpreters is in providing new ways to describe, name, and discuss the interpreting process. As this study and the work of Wadensjo (1992), Metzger (1995), and others have shown, interpreters interact in multiple ways within the communicative event of interpreting.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Forensic Science And The Legal System Criminology Essay

Forensic Science And The Legal System Criminology Essay Forensic science (often is written as forensics) is the appliance of a wide range of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be relevant to a crime or a civil action. Besides its relevance to a legal system, more generally forensic science covers the accepted scientific methodology and norms with the help of which the facts regarding an event, or an artifact, or some other physical item are established as being the case. In that regard the concept is related to the idea of authentication, where by an interest outside of a legal form exists in determining whether an object is what it wishes to be, or is alleged as being. It became much easier to solve crime today than it was 50 years ago, because of the advances that have been made in science, or even in forensic science. In fact, new and innovative crime solving techniques are being introduced by the day to help law enforcement to solve cases that are baffling the first time. If we took a look at the role that forensics play in the fields of criminal law and justice, we would see how important it is in solving crime because: It really helps to establish the nature of the crime: There are some crimes that are accidents and others that are by design. Analyzing the evidence with the help of a forensic microscope we see cops and others in the law enforcement area to determine if the crime was a murder, suicide or other form of accidental death. If it is a murder, forensic evidence tells them if the crime was accidental or carried out in cold blood. Forensic science is used to investigate and solve burglaries, drug offenses, arsons and automobile accidents. It helps to remove personal prejudices: Forensic science makes law enforcement officers to look only at the evidence and not follow cases on their instincts or their feelings. That is why it provides a quantifiable way to solve crime, one that can be used to provide cold, hard evidence that is more acceptable in courts and to juries in convicting the guilty or acquitting the innocent (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2004, p. 32). It helps to bring to light evidence that is not visible to the naked eye: Forensic science uses a number of techniques to discover evidence that is not immediately visible. So, even in situations where it seems to be no evidence at all, a minute fingernail or a strand of hair can help nail the criminal. The methods and techniques that are used are detailed and accurate, and if done carefully and correctly, they can help to recreate the crime in laboratory settings and solve the crime. And last point and most important of all, it helps solve the crime itself: Using details such as the time of death and other physical evidence, forensic science can tell if a person is guilty of the crime or innocent as he claims. If it is used wisely and correctly, forensic science can help convict the guilty and acquit the innocent, both of which are important when someone is being prosecuted for a crime. Forensics makes a great comfort to those who have been affected by the crime and a valuable tool for the criminal law and justice departments in fighting crime. Forensic science extends into a lot of sub-sciences which uses natural science techniques to get relevant criminal and legal evidence (Richbourg, J., 2004, p.17). Forensic science specialties of the 21st century include: Forensic Accounting This science allows receiving, examining and taking into account obtained data. Digital Forensics (also called as Computing Forensics) includes scientific methods and techniques used for search, recovery of information on digital media (pictures, e-mail). Forensic Document Examination This science allows studying, recovering and understanding the documents, making an analysis of handwriting and drawings, charts and graphics. Many studies involve a comparison of the observed document, or components of it, to a set of known standards. Forensic Economics The purchasing, researching and understanding of evidence related to economic damage, which includes determination of lost benefits and earnings, business value and profit loss, lost household service value, labor replacement and future medical expense costs, etc. Forensic Engineering The reconstruction, researching and explanation of structural or mechanical failure or in devices, buildings, etc. (Escholz S., 2002, p. 319). Forensic Linguistics The searching and explanation of language for use as legal evidence. Forensic Origin and Cause The researching, explanation and identification of a fire for the express purpose of determining the cause of ignition and origin of the fire. Forensic Photography reconstructing, and preceding an accurate photographic reproduction of a crime scene for a courts benefit. Forensic Psychology and Psychiatry The researching, evaluation and understanding of mentally-related illnesses and human behavior for the purpose of obtaining legal evidence. Forensic Anthropology is the kind of physical anthropology, relevant to a legal situation- typically the identification and recovery of skeletonized human remains (bones). Criminalistics is the supplement of combination of clues (i.e. fingerprints imprint footwear impressions and tire tracks), ballistics, trace evidence, controlled material. Criminalistics includes clues collected from different kinds of sciences to find the answers of questions relating to the researching and comparison of criminal investigations. This evidence is usually processed in a crime lab. Forensic Biology includes testing DNA and serological tests of bodily (physiological) fluids for the purpose of individualization and identification. Helps to answer forensic questions such as paternity or maternity testing or finding a suspect at a crime scene. Forensic Entomology helps in determination of time and location of death, by studding how insects relate to human remains, and can often times determine if the body that is examined was moved after death. Forensic Geology is the kind of trace evidence found in soils, minerals and petroleum, as applied to a legal setting (Escholz et al., 2002, p. 321; Surette, 1998.p. 194). Forensic Meteorology is an analysis of prior weather situation, specific to the site being observed. Forensic Odontology is the science about teeth- specifically, the uniqueness of dentition. Forensic Pathology combines the spheres of medicine and pathology, determines the cause of injury or death. Forensic Toxicology is science that helps to give the evaluation and the elucidation of the effects of poisons, chemicals, or drugs on the human body. Forensic archaeology is the example of a combination of archaeological techniques and forensic science, typically in law enforcement. Forensic psychology is the discovery of the mind of an individual, using forensic methods. Usually it deals with the circumstances behind a criminals behavior. Forensic video analysis is the scientific research, comparison, and analyzing of video in legal matters (Cather, K.H., 2004, pp.9-10). Forensic engineering is the studding and analyzing of structures and other objects to answer questions as to their failure or reason of damage. Usually such research is used to answer legal questions. Forensic limnology is the analyzing of clues gathered from crime scenes in or around fresh water sources. Revision of biological organisms, particularly diatoms, can be used in connecting suspects with victims. Forensic science is very important for policing, criminal investigations and court processes because it helps with: Crime-Solving Contributions. Forensic science helps in to solving crimes through investigative activities such as determining the cause of death, identifying suspects, finding missing persons and profiling criminals. Determining Cause of Death. Forensic pathologists determine someones reason of death by performing autopsies. During these procedures, they study fluids and tissues from a body to find out the cause of death and the manner of death. Identifying Suspects. Forensic experts can identify suspects by analyzing evidence found at the scene of a crime-such as fibers, hairs, blood and fingerprints. These methods usually are used to exonerate the innocent. Finding Missing Persons. Forensic scientists can help in finding people who have been missing for long time using the process of image modification. Using this method, a photograph is aged to illustrate what someone may look like years after his last being seen. This is one of the tools that can be used to find criminals who have eluded justice (Cather, K.H., 2004, pp.11; Escholz et al., 2002, p. 339). Profiling Criminals. Forensic experts use profiling to help find suspects. By analyzing a crime accident, they can determine a criminals patterns and personality in an effort to narrow the suspect pool. Forensic Science is important because it helps in analyzing of forensic evidence is used in the investigation and prosecution of civil and criminal proceedings.   It can help to find the guilt or innocence of possible suspects. Forensic science is also used to link crimes that are thought to be related to one another.   For example, DNA evidence can link one offender to several crimes or crime scenes.   Linking crimes can help law enforcement officers to narrow the range of possible suspects and to establish patterns of for crimes, which are useful in identifying and prosecuting suspects (Nielson Media Research, 2004, p. 26). Forensic science also works on creating new techniques and procedures for the collection and analysis of evidence. In this meaning, new technology can be used not only to keep forensic scientist on the cutting edge of science, but also to maintain the highest standards of quality and accuracy. The public is primarily educated about forensic science by Hollywood films and television shows (Barak, 1995, p. 3). Within the past ten years, the emphasis on forensics as a primary tool to solve crimes has increased significantly on broadcast television with shows like CSI. In comparison, Hollywood films have rarely featured a forensic scientist working in a lab or out in the field as a main character. Typically, the police make a stop at the crime lab to drop off or pick up potential evidence, thus move the films investigative plot forward. Nevertheless, as depicted by the media, forensic science is a broad field practiced by both genuine forensic scientists and law enforcement investigators. In the real world, the duties of forensic specialists are normally limited to forensic science techniques; however, police investigators use forensic methods on occasion (Cather, K.H., 2004, p.13) Audiences have learned about forensics from television as well as film. Television has shown both traditional forensic science and the use of forensic science by law enforcement through news shows, documentaries, docudramas and crime dramas. These have been given much greater exposure lo the public in various television formats than Hollywood films ever did. Probably first to focus on forensic scientists were investigative news shows, such as 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, and MSNBC investigates. These often featured repugnant criminal acts that were solved through the use of forensic science evidence. During the mid 1990s, docudramas that focus on forensic scientists began to emerge. New Detectives, FBI Files, and Forensic Files, feature actors to recreate actual cases to depict how forensic science evidence assisted in the successful capture of offenders. Nowadays there are a lot of videos and documentary films about forensics, such as A Case of Murder, Dead Mens Tales, Killers Trail, The Case for Innocence, The Case for Innocence, Jeffersons Blood, The Bone Collector, Murder by Numbers, Kiss the Girls. We should also mention such great television Series with Forensic Science Elements as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Crossing Jordan, Law and Order (Richbourg, J., 2004, p.19). We can find a lot of True life crime forensic science on television in such shows as: New Detectives (Discovery Channel), Forensic Files (Court TV), I, Detective (Court TV), Cold Case Files (AE), Medical Detectives (TLC), Forensic Science (TLC), Unsolved History (Discovery). Forensic sciences spell in the limelight has given it huge honor. The TV shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has made students flocking to forensics courses. But while this interest is sexing up the image of scientists, it is also stopping police catching criminals and securing convictions. Young people who watch CSI believe that those scenarios, where forensic scientists are always right, are what happen in reality. It means that in court, juries are not always impressed with evidence presented using scientific terms. Another big problem created by media coverage of forensic science is that it informs criminals of the techniques the police use to catch them. That is why, some forensics experts are not willing to cooperate with the media (Cather, K.H., 2004, pp.13). There is an increasing amount of criminals who use plastic gloves during break-ins and condoms during rapes in order not to leave their DNA at the scene. Statistics describes a murder case in which the assailant tried to wash away his DNA using shampoo. Police say that car thieves there have started to dump cigarette butts from bins in stolen cars before they abandon them. None of this films or TV shows makes the forensic scientists job easier, but it probably wont prevent them fingering a suspect. As a conclusions we can say that a minority of Americas population has had no direct experience with the criminal justice system (Escholz et al., 2002, p. 328; Surette Otto, 2002, p. 450). That is why those who are called for jury duty know very little of the capabilities of the use of forensic science to resolve criminal investigations. With the media serving as a primary source of information to 95% of the public (Surette, 1998.p. 197), the reality of forensic science in the average citizens mind could be based only on the medial depictions of forensic experts. The ability of media to reach a broad audience seems to have caused a reaction by trial lawyers. For the last several years, the forensic crime drama CSI has surpassed the popularity of any other television show (Nielson Media Research. 2004). Nearly 80% of the surveyed lawyers suspected fans of forensic crime dramas have unrealistic expectations of evidence. The common belief among trial lawyers that forensic crime dramas create such unrealistic expectations seems to have resulted in several changes while preparing for trials and during criminal proceedings. First, a slight majority of the lawyers reported they ask jury candidates if they specifically view forensic crime dramas during voir dire. Attorneys also may be compensating for the possibility that jurors have unrealistic expectations of forensic evidence by submitting additional evidence for forensic testing. Fifty-one percent of the lawyers reported requesting some forensic tests more than they did five years ago. In contras t, prosecuting attorneys maybe requesting further forensic test because of an increased interest in matters involving forensic science by defense attorneys. For every topic of defense interest investigated by the current study, at least 59% of the lawyers reported an increase. The responses to surveys by criminal trial lawyers suggest the majority of attorneys have reacted the current popularity of forensic crime dramas. Before these findings can be accepted as a general nationwide trend, further research in multiple regions of the country is needed. Qualitative and quantitative studies should be designed to test the findings of this study and expound upon this possibility. A not educated citizenry, weaned on media images, may serve to undermine the court process when called upon to serve as jurors. Better preparation by judges and attorneys to counter such a trend is warranted.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Prayer Is Central To Our Lives As Christians Religion Essay

Prayer Is Central To Our Lives As Christians Religion Essay Prayer is central to the Christian way of life, just as Jesus always prayed to his Father in Heaven, so he taught his followers to pray. Two statements in the Gospel summarise the entire development of our prayer life: the request of the Apostles Lord teach us how to pray and the complaint of Christ could you not watch one hour with me. In understanding prayer we must be able to distinguish two things: the obligation to pray and the desire to pray. The desire for prayer is that internal attraction towards prayer. It is not a question of attitude being I ought to pray but a question of I want to pray. There is a midway stage where people say I want to do what I ought to do, this is fair and proper but is it insufficient? There has to grow within us a desire for prayer, nostalgia for prayer, a taste for prayer. For me, prayer is a surge of the heart: it is a simple look turned towards heaven, it is a cry of recognition of love, embracing both trial and jury St Therese of Lisieux. My ow n understanding of prayer is a way of communicating, talking to God. It is having a one to one relationship with God. Others see it as listening for the prompting of the Holy Spirit (www.Kaldu.org) Nowadays, we are all very busy and our minds are pre-occupied with many things, people experience the difficulties life presents to our prayers. Some prayers are spontaneous such as the Hail Mary. There are litanies which are repetitive prayers such as Mother of God pray for us and there are traditional payers. Prayer is engaging in conversation with God and his Saints and can become as natural as talking to our family and friends. Prayer is central to our lives as Christians; it can and should touch every moment of the day. Catholic prayer must and should be part of your normal life and not something extra that you add onto it. What you practice each day youll do for eternity (www.beginningcatholic.com) Some people choose to only pray in a formal way, together with others in a church. Many also pray at home, alone in the privacy of their rooms and their own quiet thoughts. Prayers said in the morning will help you to face the challenges of our day and the prayers we say at night help us to review the events of the day and we can beg for Gods forgiveness. In the past morning prayers were said during battles, to help them face the day as they were not sure if they would survive and then said prayers in the evening to say thank you. We can pray before meals, in the car and when trouble disturbs our lives. We can pray when joys lift our minds and we can say thank you to God and we can also pray for others. Just like family and friends, we depend on God for everything so it is in prayer we are able to acknowledge that dependence on Him. In the Old Testament there are psalms, these are expressions of praise and lamentation, of thanksgiving and petition. Psalms are meant to be sung and a tambourine or harp was used in the past to accompany them. Today, the psalms form the basis of the Liturgy of the Hours which is the official prayer of the church. Psalms are written about everyday emotions, there is a psalm or scripture that represents or shows what we are going through or facing in life. In our weakness we go to God and we pray, just like in the garden, when Jesus was facing his passion, He went off from them about the distance of a stones throw and knelt down and pray. Father, he said, if you will, take this cup of suffering away from me (Luke 22. 41-44). This showed the humanity and weakness of the three disciples when they fell asleep. Prayer should never be divorced from life, nor a bolt on to the life of the school but it must underpin all we do and who we are. It is to the extent that we are rooted in prayer, both communal and solitary, that we will be able to discover our mission and have the strength to carry it out. A Catholic education provides children with academic excellence enhanced with traditional Christian values. Catholic schools set out to guide and encourage children to explore Gods creation and to discover something of the creator, so prayer and worship give children the greater understanding of the teachings of Jesus; give them a greater understanding of the life of Jesus; it develops a sense of curiosity; a sense of joy and fun; encourages forgiveness; helps them to come to terms with sorrow and how to engage in symbolic action. As teachers, we model respect for all and on acceptance of each childs talents, abilities and personal challenges. We create a safe loving environment that encourages ch ildren to believe in their capabilities and to work toward their potential. From birth, children try very hard to communicate so the first and most powerful influence on our childrens prayer life will be our own. Prayer is a gift of God Gift is a good word to describe prayer because praying is not something we can do of ourselves, we do not know how to pray as we ought, prayer is a gift God must give (www.cptryon.org/prayer/child) It is our job to help children use this gift and connect faith to life so that prayer informs practice and is integrated into practicalities of our everyday lives. How we pray and the words we use will be the role model that can either liberate or sadly also inhibit the children. We need to help young children entrusted to our care develop and grow in their own understanding of prayer. Even though we are role models for prayer, modelling does not mean we should dominate or talk too much; we must also listen and invite them to participate. Prayer in the classroom can give children firsthand experience of the different roles of communal prayer. Class assemblies are an ideal method of encouraging children to pray. A bible story is a good beginning, the story is read followed by a class discussion on what the story means for us. The children can try and act out the story in small groups and they can choose the most effective bits from the acting that they would like to include. All children are encouraged to participate in speaking. Children can write their own prayers in relation to the bible story. Some children can use puppets to show the audience the story. Parents and children in the school are invited to watch the assembly; this shows the importance of how the children are part of a bigger family, not just at home but of church and prayer life. When children pray they: Give glory to God Celebrate all that is good Say thank you for life Provide opportunities to reflect upon what is meaningful, significant concern for them. Doing prayers in lots of different creative ways can be fun and has its place in childrens work. We know children flourish best where there are safe boundaries within which they can relax. A safe place allows them the freedom to experiment and express themselves in prayer. Prayer should always be appropriate to the age of the children. To lead children into a habit of prayer is to have a simple focus; this could be a song, music, a lighted candle, a cross. It could be a piece of craft which has come out of the days work. A picture is always a great focus, especially a global picture as it reminds the children they are talking with the creator of heaven and earth. It is important to make a sacred place in schools for prayer; it doesnt have to be a place where we all go together. If there are images these need to be selected carefully, not too many otherwise they could distract the children from their thoughtful time. When planning prayer with children we need to keep it short and simple. When they are composing their own prayers they need to know what they are praying about. Prayer creates community unity between people unity of purpose. It is important to listen carefully to childrens prayers and to learn from them. It is also crucial to listen to their silences as these are of course also prayers. Like with many things, the simplest way is very often the best way. There are so many activities we can do in school that will encourage and develop prayer. Daily assemblies, regular visits to the Cathedral, altars in class, singing hymns, prayer books made by the children, these can be sent home so they can share their prayers with families. We could have a prayer box where children, when old enough, write their prayer down and place it in the special box, other children can draw their prayer. A variety of colours of paper can be used to express the moods of prayers. In our school, we are lucky enough to have a prayer garden, the children can tie a ribbon to the tree and take a moment to say a prayer or have some thoughtful time. Our staff meetings begin with a reflection or prayer so it is not just the children who are encouraged to pray in a school environment. Circle times allow all children to participate in prayers, passing a cross or special object around in turn. In school it is vital to teach the children to pray also to saints. Our children need to know who St. Joseph is, what his beliefs were, why is our school called after him. They will realise what an important man he was as over half the schools in our diocese are called St. Joseph. They will learn that he is the protector of the Holy Family and the importance of him. Children are novices at life in general and find many tasks and demands they do in school full of uncertainty. They are more limited than adults in how much they can attend to and memorise. Prayer develops the spiritual lives of the children but has to be achieved at their pace and understanding. We all need to pray for an increase of faith. When life goes smoothly we do not see a need to pray but when things go wrong we realise the importance of them. Prayer is a very intimate and personal experience. The good habit of prayer that is nurtured and encouraged will help children later on in their adult journey of faith. Number of Words 1836

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Ubiquitous Monopoly :: Business Essays

The Ubiquitous Monopoly Monopoly is nearly always seen as something undesirable. Courts have wrestled with monopoly for ages, sometimes defining it as: "the power to control prices and exclude competition", "restraining trade", or "unfair and anti-competitive behavior." Should monopolistic practices be condemned and outlawed? Let's look at anti-competitive behavior and practices, but let's not confine ourselves to what's traditionally seen as monopoly. The marriage contract is essentially a monopoly document. It represents a legally sanctioned collusive agreement between two parties to exclude competitors and restrain trade. It closes the market to competition, or at least it is supposed to. This collusion has benefits as well as costs. Because I have exclusive rights to her affections and property rights to a stream of highly valued domestic services, I place a higher value on my spouse, making me willing to share with her a greater percentage of my wealth. My spouse receives a comparable set of benefits from this collusive arrangement. This monopolistic arrangement has a cost side and perhaps some inefficiencies as well. Neither one of us is as attentive as we were before we made our contractual arrangement. For my part, I don't open the car door for her as often, don't use breath fresheners and colognes as frequently, am not as nearly considerate and gentlemanly as before our marriage some 42 years earlier. The reason is simply that before marriage I was competing against other men and therefore could ill afford to act as a monopolist. Read the Old Testament's Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 5, where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. The first commandment, and presumably the most important is, "Thou Shalt have none other gods before me." The second is, "Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above. . . ." Then there's, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God. . . ." If a corporation made a similar decree regarding its services, it would find itself in the sights of the U.S. Department of Justice for gross violations of the anti-trust provisions of the Sherman and Clayton Acts. The Ten Commandments decree exclusive dealing and mandate neither substitutes for nor competition with God. In order for one to condemn all monopolistic practices as evil, at least for consistency, he would have to also condemn marriage and the basic tenets of Christianity.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Life Without N Sync - A Satirical Essay :: essays research papers

Life without N’Sync: A soon-to-be reality, or a teenaged girl’s worst nightmare? I would hate to even suggest that we might soon exist in a world without N’Sync. Their songs inspire us, as well as being very morally sound. Their creative and innovative fashions and tunes gives us the much needed variety that keeps us interested about the next aptly-titled CD they put out. They are great role models for every aspiring ‘teen dream’, and give teenaged boys something to aspire to. N’Sync is a positive contributor to our society. N’Sync’s writers have written some very memorable songs in the past, including ‘Digital Getdown’ and ‘That’s When I’ll Stop Loving You’. These songs are filled with inspiring lyrics such as, â€Å"Don’t wanna be the reason for your love no more† and â€Å"Baby, baby get nasty, nasty and we can get freaky deaky.† These lyrics teach the 8 year old fans just what girls are good for, and make them feel loved and respected; at the same time they teaching them some interesting vocabulary that they can use in everyday life. I like the consistency of the song titles, because consistency is very important. A large portion of their titles include the word ‘you’, or ‘me’, which definitely showcases their creativity. The fact that they let talented musicians do the instrumental sections proves that they care about how their music sounds. N’Sync’s songs are a positive influence on to day’s youth. It’s a definite relief to know that Justin Timberlake is having a good hair day, and that Chris Kirkpatrick had a good photo shoot. I am glad to know that their latest CD has gone multi-platinum and they have made lots of money, because their happiness is very important to me. One can never get tired of their adorable puppy-dog faces and their cute plays on words that have been carefully scripted. Their intelligence, ingenuity and creativity has led me to believe that they are very positive role models for their fans, and they are who every teenaged boy should strive to be. The things I like most about N’Sync are the fact that they went from having no talent and no money to having no talent and lots of money. It’s good that magazine publishers have made entire series of magazines all about them. I enjoy reading the countless articles and interviews about them, because I say â€Å"The more, the better!!† Without N’Sync, many teenaged girls wouldn’t have music to listen to, or any pictures to put on their walls.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management

Why Do We Need Professional Human Resource Management in Retailing? Such terms as globalization, process management, and value-based management dominate the current discussion of management in retail co mpanies. There has been an increasing realization that people are one of a company’s key assets. Re- tail means working and serving customers in a direct, personal way. This calls for special actions from retail companies to fulfill the demands of an increasing num- ber of well-informed and sophisticated consumers.In view of all the c hanges in both national and international contexts, it is ab solutely essential to get the right people if a business is to be successful and sustainable. Retailing is a major labor-intensive industry sector. The refore, companies are continually challenged to re-organize and adapt their st ructures to become more efficient. The necessity for part-time workers, because of long store opening hours and peaks in the trading day/week, requires a flexi ble framework to optimize labor processes. Emotionally, the workforce needs orientation and vi sion in changing times.Human resource management (HRM) has to provide a â€Å"coach,† not only to organize, but also to support employees and m anagement mentally and p rofes- sionally in fulfilling their tasks in terms of future company goals. People are the driving force behind all transactio ns that occur in retailing outlets. In the future world of retailing, there will be an increasing need to adapt and change towards a more formative and proactive style of HRM. M. Krafft and M. K. Mantrala (eds. ), Retailing in the 21st Century: Current and Future Trends , DOI 10. 007/978-3-540-72003-4_16, ? Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010 257 258 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick Changes Changes in Retail The formats of retailing have been evolving continuously over the last 100 years, and individual retailers have changed tremendously in the products they sell and in the man ner in which they operate. Retailing of lifestyle products impacts directly on the changing culture of our societies—one has only to think of the introduction of the Sony Walkman or the Apple I-Pod to grasp the international range of con- sumer needs.In order to provide an expanding product and service range, retail has had to alter and amend its approaches to satisfy ever more voracious and in- creasingly sophisticated consumers. For several years, retailers have had a promi- nent role in today’s society in their capacity as employers: the retail industry em- ploys one in nine of the UK workforce, for example (Gilbert 2003). Nearly two thirds of employees are female. Therefore, special concepts in HRM are require d to allow for the compatibility of work and family.Gilbert (2003) also points out that: â€Å"[T]he retail sector has had a reputation for not supporting its employees and for having lower pay and longer hours than other sectors. † Future HRM h as to find a practical ap proach that will lead to the right balance of companies’ and employees’ needs in terms of pay ment and hours for the workforce, and service guarantees for their customers. The developments in many European countries show the changing attitudes of young university graduates for whom retailing now provides modern and attractive career pro spects.However, retailing is still far from the first choice for top graduates and this needs to change. Environmental factors such as economic, social, political, cultural, and demo- graphic developments are driving the rapid changes in the retail business. Retail management and HRM departments have to be aware of all these changes. Some of the environmental factors are described below. New Forms of Trading New trading formats have been the lifeline allowing businesses to gain and sus- tain competitive advantage. New t rading form ats are constantly appearing at both ends of the spectrum.Higher margin goods, sometim es even with designer labels, have coexisted with the increasing demand for more aggressive pricing such as that app lied by hypermarkets, off-price retailers, and hard discounters. Often, consumers switch from smaller local stores to supermarkets, and increas- ing numbers of consumers are using new channels for Internet and TV shopping. The international press reports the continuing success of new fo rms of online retailing (e-tailing) in Europe and the USA, as well as rapid changes in Eastern Europe and Asia in use of the Internet.Within these trading formats, new pro- fessions, working careers, and functions are developing very fast. To succeed, HRM has to recognize and manage these changes in retailing human resource requirements. Exchange of knowledge is one of the basic prerequisites: For ex- New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 259 ample, the German retailer METRO Group is installing software that will allow knowledge shar ing with sy stematic tr ansfer of all n ecessary infor mation and skills to METRO Group sites throughout the world.It is imperative for a retailer to co llect and struct ure all exper ience and knowledge fro m d ifferent staffs, stores and country-markets. The challenge in the future for retail company man- agement i n general and HRM in particular will be t o ensure t hat th e right knowledge is available at the right time and in the right place. Consumer Behavior Closely aligned with the expansion of new trading formats are the changing needs of consumers.Increasing social acceptance of women in the labor force has led to the emergence of a new l ifestyle and changed consumer purchasing patterns over the last seve ral decades (Gilbert 2003). Present-day consumers are m ore experi- enced, more aware of their important role in the business, and more self-confident than previous generations. Further, as international retailers have found out, there is a great need for retail chains to adapt to ‘local’ ways, so as to fulfill regional needs and shopping habits, especially in the food business (e. g. , see c hapter by Mierdorf, Mantrala and Krafft in this book).Technology Let us consider what retailing looked like 20-30 years ago: little or no EPOS tech- nology, electro-mechanical tills, paper-driven accounting, checking and co mptom- eter systems, perhaps enhanced by a ‘Kim ball tag’ system to aid stock replenish- ment. Thirty years ago there were not even many supermarkets—self-service was just appearing over the horizon for some modern retailers in the 1960s and 1970s. The advent of increasing computerization in the late 1970s started to affect busi- nesses as they adapted to possibilities that began to open up through IT-supported working practices.Processes for controlling, distribution, payroll, accounting and, especially, merchandise management systems started to be aut omated during the early 1980s. E DI, scanning, and bar-coding were im plemented—after he avy IT investments—to lower costs and increase accuracy levels. Many organizations were downsized and refocused as these manual processes were converted to more cus- tomer-focused activities and professional supply chain management. Structural Trends and Competition In Europe and USA, retailing is characterized by increasing rates of market con- centration.This is caused by shareholders’ requirements for more cost-effective operations, mergers among suppliers, and the growth of technology. Future retail- ers have to be fast and flexible in making decisions about worldwide sourcing and selling. This calls fo r people to acquire skills and competencies that will allow them to compete successfully in both national and international contexts. Interna- 260 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick tional HRM has to consider different ways of working with people: in many Euro- pean countries, HRM departments have to cooperate with works councils, which influence companiesà ¢â‚¬â„¢ management thinking.HRM has the role of developing and defining human working processes fai rly an d prov iding for capability-oriented working conditions. Germany’s political debate about the consequences of capital- ism in 2005 shows the need for companies to act and communicate on the basis of consistent and balanced argumentation. HRM needs executives who are familiar with developments going on in a society, shifts in cultural values and behavior. To be competitive in global markets, many organizations reduce staffing levels and change to automated processes to lower costs.Beyo nd this, h owever, more pro- gressive ret ailers, s uch as Carrefour, M ETRO G roup and Wal-Mart, have ex – panded their offerings: they have i nvested heavily in new product ranges, new trading f ormats, and joint v entures, o r i n shapi ng an d spreading t heir bra nds. Merely cutting investments, e. g. , in the sales force, or opening stores around the world per se i s not enough to meet the demands of the new retail age. A clear strategy, stable and IT-supported processes, and correct allocation of financial and management resources are needed for international success the future. Globalization of SourcingSourcing from overseas vendors gathered momentum with the conclusion of trad- ing agreements with, for example, the Peop le’s Republic of China and grants of ‘favored nation’ status. Manufacturing’s importance has decreased enormously in most W estern countries since the em erging Asi an â€Å"t igers† a nd l ess expensive Eastern European manufacturers began to dominate the supply of goods, espe- cially, nonfood goods, to the industrialized countries. Consequently, in the West, distribution has become one of t he most promising sources of improved margins as new technology drives down the cost of logistics.However, with globalization of sourcing, it has become imperative to develop special strategies to enable the headqu arters workforce to be aware of international processes, markets, and com- petitors. Further, domestic retail companies anywhere have to also stay on top of emerging global trends. Companies that plan to enter new foreign markets have to carefully consider local cultures, religious values, and national laws in developing their new market entry strategies. All the developments mentioned above are stron gly interrelated.Retail man- agement and HRM have to jointly examine all these change s to m ake adequate and appropriate adaptations to organizational structures, systems, and processes. Changing Role of HR Departments HR departments—originally called payroll departments, then relabeled staff man- agement, followed by another m etamorphosis to personnel and then to human resource management—have been in the vanguard of change management in re- New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 261 tailing. Many companies have recognized that HRM is an essen tial componen t in achieving long-term success, and not just a means of recruiting workers.Areas such as the recruitment process, selection, induction, retention, performance moni- toring and evaluations, staff training, development and motivation. Decision mak- ing, and re-sourcing for expansion will continue to demand the professionalism of HRM workers. Personnel in different kinds of businesses have to adapt and change in response to emerging trends. The international HRM professional has to think globally, while rem aining ab le t o fu lfill lo cal asp irations. This i dea is based on Geert Hofstede’s theory of cultures. He turned the well-known slogan, â€Å"Think globally, act locally† into: â€Å"Act g lobally, think locally. A major task of th e international HRM professional is to provide expertise in terms of interpretations of the local laws and working practices, so as to offer practical steps for successful operation of the international retailer. Building the Future à ¢â‚¬â€œ HRM Challenges for Retailers Retailing means working in a g lobal con text but sim ultaneously adjusti ng to local needs. We describe below some international challenges to HRM in retail which are connected with national and local requirements. As mentioned above, major retail com panies have decided to invest globally to en sure greater po ten- tial for sustainable growth.Several ret ailers have identified internationalization as a huge oppor tunity for growth. In 2006, about 50 % of the METRO Group’s employees work ed ou tside Germany. Th e Am erican retail g iant Wal -Mart, France’s Carrefour, and United Kingdom’s Tesco are thr ee more organizations that are aggressively pursuing international expansion. This immediately gives rise to qu estions that require answers in every ar ea of operati on. An swering these questions is key to successful transformation of a national business model into an international one.HRM strategy builds on the business stra tegy of the firm. The HR persons in charge have to be b usiness partners for management, providing strategic and practical operational solutions in the form of HR concepts or staffing solutions based on thorough know ledge of the bu siness. Wal -Mart’s initial attempt at expansion in Germany failed—as did Marks and Spencer’s—because neither of these companies appreciated the nuances of German retail culture, underestimat- ing local competition and, especially, the price sensitivity of German customers.Carrefour’s for ays i nto the United Kingdom lik ewise end ed with a strategic retreat. As long ago as in 1989, Dawson stated that: â€Å"Retail is a response to cul- ture†Ã¢â‚¬â€and the HRM function plays a c rucial role in assisting corporate man- agement understand and adapt to local cultures. For example, UK consumers’ resistance to th e use of self- scanners p rovided b y some retailers to r educe queues at checkou ts might have be en anticipated by HR managers interacting with local employees. 262 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen PickStrategic Tasks of HRM: Key strategic tasks of human resource management of an international retailer include: ? Assisting the retailer’s top managers who work well over 60 hours a week negotiating myriad complex issues in a competitive marketplace, cope with stress arising from quick changes, fierce competition, cost pressures, time management problems, and the need to make quick decisions. ? Keeping up to date with continuously developing technology and being able to optimize its usage so as to achieve the right balance between pro- ductivity gains and service gains.HR needs to find answers to the follow- ing question: How much technology can customers and the workforce han- dle in the store? ? Dealing with demography, e. g. , an aging workforce in Western Europe but predominantly young and inexperienced employees in other areas of the world, such as Asia and the M iddle East. Strategically, this poses one of the hardest challenges for HR professionals who are required to recruit and develop t alented st aff, offer t raining f or all age gr oups, ens ure a well- balanced age structure, and build up a working climate enabling employees of all ages to buy in and show suitable results. Cross-cultural recruiting and training: All cultures have their own unique practices and emphases, some of which are obvious while others are more subtle and harder to detect. HR departments need to be able not only to of- fer advice and professional preparation to local managers but also ensure that individuals appointed to these positions are aware of company policies as well as sensitive to the local culture. That is, in international settings, in- dividuals need both a common language and intercultural sensitivity. Identifying and retaining highly qualified, highly motivated individuals ready for international management appointments: The role of HRM is to prov ide an international assignment policy that takes into account individual prob- lems of expatriates, works around and supports family integration abroad. Operational Tasks of HRM: Some key HRM tasks that have to be fulfilled to enable the workforce to meet the needs of customers nationally and internationally include: ?Reshaping and r estructuring the workforce so as t o broaden their e xperi- ence by the acquisition of n ew skills: Developments like automatic stock replenishment, new methods of conducting transactions, and alterations to the way goods are displayed, have increased retailer employee training re- quirements. Also employees must learn to serve increasingly litigious con- sumers wh ile main taining h igh productivity wh ich is essen tial in h igh- volume, l ow-margin e nterprises.P rofessional human reso urce m anagers must train employees on how to balance these oft-conflicting demands for high staff-productivity and great customer service. New Challenges in Retail Hu man Resource Management 263 HR Challenges General Conditions ?Company Strategy ?Added Value Management ?Change Management ?Recruitment and Retention ?Employability and Lifelong Learning ?Corporate Governance ?Technology / IT Infrastructure Fig. 1. Challenges and General Conditions for HRM ? The critical resource of most businesses is no longer financial capital, but rather their employees (Barber, Strack 2005).Consequently, identifying and gathering the data for human capital valuation and assessment of the return on human resource investments is an important task for HR managers. ? HRM itself must develop, moving from being a ‘personnel’ department to its new role as a strategic business partner and building the basic structural foundation that will enable companies to organize and optimize their return on human resources. The emerging trends that persistently need HR attention currently include some of the areas discussed below.We m ake a di stinction between HR chal lenges and general conditions (Figure 1). In the case of HR challenges HRM has direct influ- ence, while general conditions are contingencies within which HRM has to oper- ate. This list is not exhaustive, but looks at some selected current trends and needs. Current HR Challenges ? Company Strategy. HRM has to adapt its entire program to the company’s overall vision and strategy. It is known that organizations with good human capital management generally create substantially more shareholder value than other companies.The significance of human capital is especially visi- ble in the case of a merger. The success of a merger depends much more on the competencies of the staff and m anagement than on other aspects, such as finance, IT, and production. Hax and Majluf (1991) feel that it is there- fore essential for well-planned practices and highly efficient HR functions to be aligned with the business of the company concerned. An HR strategy must be ‘com prehensive’ in the sense of addressing all the different per- sonnel and HR activities central to the long-term development of the firm’s businesses.HRM departments have to conceptualize and structure business 264 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick plans with detailed operations extending from the current to the future state of strategy, organization, and action. These must be based on the organiza- tion’s mission and common values. ? Added Value Management. This confronts HRM with the critical q uestion of what actions add m easurable value to the business. There is less cer- tainty about the central direction and more about committed management setting the right tone within the organization for defined values to flourish.Commitment in the form of personal engagement and belief in the organi- zation and its concepts is important. HRM has to support this by elaborat- ing concepts and criteria for their evaluation, some of which should be re- vised annually. The following behavioral aspects of the workforce should be included in the HRM concept: ? Personal Honesty and Integrity ? Self-Motivation and Entrepreneurial Style ? Ability to Communicate the Values and Benefits ? Encouraging Others to Want to Work with the Company and Share its Values; Pride in the Company Training and Developing, Coaching, and Mentoring ? Change Management. The most important drivers for change are globaliza- tion, technology, and a workforce that is in creasingly knowledge-based. Ulrich has stated that there is a need to redefine firms’ performance less in terms of cutting cost and more in terms of profitable growth (Ulrich 1997). Managers have to be able to make changes happen of their own volition and also to support the company in its drive for sustained success. Manag- ers have to be able to empower their own staff.Moss Kanter (1989) states that it is only through true empowerment that staff will really contribute to the changing needs of a busi ness, since they will then be doing things be- cause they understand them and for the right reasons, thinking and reflect- ing on the changes and t heir likely impact, and above all feeling at ease with the implementation of change. Change management recognizes the need to reflect on t he manager’s role in the management of cha nge, the identification of problems, and the ability to make changes in either a pro- grammed or a no nprogrammed manner.HRM has to take accoun t of the risks required for the achievement of change in the company. ? Recruitment and Retention. Employee recruitment and selection is one the most vital HR functions. However, the retail industry is faced with difficul- ties in attracting highly educated people. Nonetheless there is a po sitive trend for change. The challenge for HRM is to show the attractiveness of the retail sector a nd ensure that appropriate training and careers are avail- able, so that this sector can take a leading place in t he competition for availab le talent.Retail has recently been promoting opening up access to its workforce by declared rejection of discrimination on the grounds of gender New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 265 or race, and, lately, also by employing more elderly persons. It is also nec- essary to build up programs for part-time workers. The ability to value di- versity within the workforce is a strength, provided that this is backed up by continuous training and correctness. Many organizations run courses on this aspect, usually under the title of ‘Inc reasing Self-awareness,’ as t he ability to understand one’s impact on others is a powerful skill.Next, reten- tion focuses on the goal of keep well-performing staff in the company. This depends not only on interesting work, fair compensation, and a motivating climate and management culture, but also on transparent and achievable ca- reer paths combined with a supportive management that provides guidance. ? Employability and Continuing Education. This is a major area of challenge to most employers, but especially those who employ large numbers of staff, as retailers do. Staff have to take retraining in order to adapt to a constantly changing external environment.It is a question of mind-set, working envi- ronment, and attitude towards self-responsibility. The future will be charac- terized by the following needs, amongst others: ? The need to handle increasing complexity. ? The need f or co ntinual enh ancement of th e ma nagement skill sets known as ‘Life-Long Learning,’ i. e. the ability to adapt to changing en- vironments, challenges and technology. ? The need for a positive attitude to newly emerging opportunities: Manag- ers themselves have to become life-long learners.This is of particular im- portance to the changing generations. The process can be aimed, for ex- ample, at obtaining further business qualifications, such as an M BA, a marketing diploma, or HRM qualifications, or atte nding training courses on key skills, such as lead ership, or personal development workshops. Some universities are now of fering master’s degree courses on wor k- based learning in which projects are directly related to the learning envi- ronment of the individual s tudent’s workplace.Analysis of actual workproblems can be counted as a credit toward an MA o r an MSc. Classroom training fostering positive acceptance of new structures, top- ics, and technologies is necessary. ? The need to communicate regularly and precisely, and transmit meaning and values: While the company will provide support, it will be the indi- vidual managers who have to ‘drive’ their own learning and that of others in periods of intense change, often using technology such as video con- erencing or E-l earning/blended learning to pursue their studies. HRM needs to consult with managers on how best to use modern methods. ?The need for creative management: This can be the way to bring new insights into common view or to introduce new issues as an area for the HRM specialist to develop. Many managers are locked into their own reality or their own version of their world, allowing themselves to be trapped into a mind-set of either success or self-perpetuating failure. One 266 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick f the keys to successful business growth is for managers not to allow themselves to be trapped in a ‘psychic prison’ (Morgan 2001) of t heir own making, causing them always to see retail in one dimension only. Current General Conditions ? Corporate Governance. The recent case of Enron and the difficulties faced by retailers such as Sainsbury suggest that the governance of these organi- zations was grossly at fault in permitting the excessive amounts of power vested in their chief executive officers (CEOs).The nonexecutive directors seem to have abdicated their duties in not restraining the CEOs in their riskier schemes. Expansion, absolu te power, soaring costs, and misinterpre- tation of facts and figures appear to have gone unchecked and a tacit acqui- escence to have been entered into, presumably with the goal of presenting stakeholders with a picture that was m ore positive than the reality. As th e impact of the backlash is always difficult to predict, it is likely that HR di- rectors will become more closely involved in the careful examination of candidates’ integrity and suitability for high office.It is likely that this will slow t he decision-making process within t he board e nvironment, b ut i t might be a small price to pay for a more responsible environment acting in the best interests of all parties. HRM needs to motivate the entire staff of their company, to observe and evaluate the ‘political’ situation within the company, and to react in a n appropriate way that ca n influence the re- tailer’s level of success. HRM has the opportunity, and therefore the duty, to influence national and international codes of corporate governance. ? Technology/IT Infrastructure.In some of the ne w and emerging m arkets management has to decide whether to implement a total system with all branches totally aligned with the parent company. It can be prohibitively expensive for a branch at the periphery of the organization to lock into a global IT infrastructure that is geared to operations in Western countries where labor costs are very much higher. Retailers operating internationally rely on com mon platforms and IT structures; the decision to be m ade is when is the time right for investments? A major change in retailing in the future will be the worldwide use of RFID technologies.The success of the METRO Group in developing and running their â€Å"Future Store† in R heinberg as a tigh tly controlled experi- ment has ha d a strong impact on t he application of new technologies in ‘real business,’ since METRO Group has shared the results with industry and with its wholesalers, as well as its IT and logistics providers (see, e. g. , chapter by Kalyanam, Lal a nd Wolfram in this book). The scientific re- search involves customers’ reactions to the new shopping methods, and possibly also staff training in the use of intelligent technologies and intro- ductions to available information and changing processes for customers.New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 267 In conclusion, there has been, and continues to be, a great deal of activity sur- rounding staff appraisal. The management of progression, or performance moni- toring, continues to exercise HRM professionals, who wish it to be as fair as pos- sible to individuals, but also want the company to obtain maximum benefit from the exercise. While the strategy should be systematic, it also needs to be continu- ous, with a fully im plemented set of key me trics.A full look at each individual’s future, which can be a position as well as a set of personal go als, should be carried out at regu lar intervals. HRM professionals must ensure that line managers can perform this function. Next, we discuss approaches that address current HR challenges in retailing. HR Challenges General Conditions ?Company Strategy ?Added Value Management ?Change Management ?Recruitment and Retention ?Employability and Life-long Learning ?Corporate G overnance ?Technology/ IT Infrastructure Structure Motivation Fig. 2.Approaches to Challenges and General Conditions for HRM Approaches to HR Challenges in Retailing Practice Building up and Keeping Motivation As indicated in Figure 2, HRM has to en sure that the workforce is motivated and trained to satisfy consumers’ needs. Retailers have to develop the employee value proposition. This means an attractive position with the fulfillment of employee needs and expectations and achievement of a go od, unique image in terms of re- cruiting and keeping human capital. We list below some approaches to retaining an adequate sales force. HR quality cannot be assured without investment.Such investment has to be justified in economic terms and must therefore be constantly monitored: ? Planning the HR costs and expenditures for the annual business budget and forecasts ? Supplying key data needed for planning the workforce at all levels and providing benchmark data on key performance indicators, such as average working hours per store opening hour, turnover per w orking hour, profit per working hour 268 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick ? Elaboration of systems to measure the work involved in and results of HRM (training investment per employee, rate of internal job placements, etc. ? Providing common and communicated values of the com pany to give the workforce a strategic framework and common mind-set ? Creating a transparent internal job market ? Offering the staff a perspective for the future and clear career paths ? Flexible models of working times, such as part-time working concepts , an- nualized hours contracts, and balancing of profession and family with the aid of sabbaticals ?Ensuring adequate processes, tools, and budget to allow for members of the workforce to achieve their objectives and ambitions Continuing education of ex ecutives and employees within actual training programs and a corporate university ? Training the workforce in soft skills and mentoring to ensure proper align- ment of their values with the company’s values and beliefs ? Initiation of an employee suggestion/inquiry system to improve the process of cooperation ? Recruitment of talented graduates from exchange programs with universi- ties worldwide ? International education within internal exchange programs, with p artici- pants from different countries ? Apprenticeships and e ducations in new professions to build up t he best workforce Sharing company success with e mployees (incentive systems at all sta ff levels, based on parameters that are accessible to employees) ? Offerin g fringe benefits, such as discounts for shopping at the employer’s stores, company cars, equity programs, retirement arrangements, company nursery/kindergarten, and other social benefits. The Future of HRM and Final Remarks Most employees spend a substantial amount of time at work. Some people there- fore consider their job decisions on joining a retail company or some other indus- try in the cont ext of social environment.HRM has to kee p an eye on s uch con- straints, as the retail trade is anxious to attract the best employees. Future HRM will concentrate on supporting management and workforce and outsource admin- istrative tasks to contractors. In future, there will be more intensive collaboration New Challenges in Retail Human Resource Management 269 and networking with external parties. New professions in retail, such as that of IT specialist, are developing. HRM must also place greater emphasis on ethical work- ing conditions, safer working environments, and equal-opp ortunity policies (end- ing sex/age discrimination, inclusion of minorities, etc. . In any company, HRM has to build up trust and commitment among all persons working in that organiza- tion. Continued reliance on traditional processes is d efinitely no longer a recipe that pr omises much success. HR m anagement has t o a ssure fast a nd market- oriented actions that are appropriate to complex market situations. HRM will have to set priorities on the HR strategy and its realization, but will be viewed on the operational side more in the role of a serv ice center. In future, the issue of management development will gain even greater importance.To sum up, HRM has to be aligned with the business strategy of the company, to work in keeping with all of its corporate objectives, and to be prepared not only to help in implementing all changes necessary but also to instigate and be at the vanguard of change programs. Further, HRM should be aware of employee inter- ests within the organizatio n yet conscious of its place as the ‘power house’ when controversial business decisions, such as downsizing, have to be implemented. Lastly, it plays a key role in ensuring that constant retooling and retraining takes place in the operation to meet ever-evolving challenges.Life-long learning should be an integral part of any business, to enable it to respond to its rivals’ activities with fresh initiatives within the company. HRM specialists have to ensure the long-term performance of â€Å"their† retail or- ganizations. It is a big challenge for HRM to meet the future needs, and the task is wide ranging. How well HR managers perfo rm th eir fu nction will determin e whether a reta iler registers a sustainable success in the future. We have tried to show in this chapter the comprehensive and central role of HRM in retailing.Re- tail has been and will continue to be an exciting field of business throughout the world. The main function of the retail sector i s to wo rk with and for people all over the world, so that retail has the chance to give people interesting and fulfill- ing workplaces.References Barber, F. and Strack, R. (200 5): The Surp rising Economics of a â€Å"People Business†, in: Harvard Business Review June 2005, pp 81-90. Davies, G. (1999): The Evolution of Marks and Spencer. Service Industries Journal. 19, 3, 60-73. Dawson J. A. (2001): Strategy and opportunism in European retail internationalisation Brit- ish Journal of Management, 12, 253-266. Dawson, J. A. (2000): Retailing at Century End: some challe nges for management and re- search. International Review of Retail, Distribution and Consumer Research, 10, 119- 148. Gilbert, D. (2003): Retail Marketing Management, 2nd edition, Prentice Hall. 270 Julia Merkel, Paul Jackson, and Doreen Pick Hax, A. and Majluf, N. (1991): The Strategy Concept & Process. A pragmatic Approach, Prentice Hall. Mellahi, K. , Jackson T. P. and S parks, L. (2002) : An explor atory stu dy into failure of a successful organisations: the case of Marks and Spencer, British Journal of Man age- ment, 13, 15-29. Morgan G. (2001): Images of Organisation Sage, London Moss Kanter R. (1989): When giants Learn to Dance Simon & Schuster, London Seth, A. and Randall, G. (1999): The Grocers: the rise and rise of the supermarket chains, London: Kogan Page, Social Science Research, 24, 28-62. Ulrich, D. , Losey, M. R, Lake G. editors (1997): Tomorrow’s HR Management New York, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Ulrich, D. (199 7): Human Resources of the Future: Conclusions and Observ ations, in: Tomorrow’s HR Management, edited by Dave Ulrich, Michael R. Losey et al. , 354-360, John Wiley & Sons.

Monday, September 16, 2019

An Analysis Of Charlton Heston’s Essay Essay

The message of Charlton Heston’s speech is that there is a cultural war going on where the freedom to think and to express those thoughts in the way one believes to be right is being curtailed and that the audience, who are students of Harvard Law School who are perceived to be champions of free thought must live up to this expectation even to the point of employing the method of peaceful civil disobedience as was done by Martin Luther King. This is an appealing message to this specific audience because it played on the pride of the Harvard students of being â€Å"champions of free thought† and it serves to challenge them on living up to this expectation as stated earlier. Heston established his ethos by building on his various experiences in the movie industry, politics, civil activism and military through which he was able to establish his intelligence, character and goodwill. These are three traits which according to Aristotle builds up the credibility of a speaker (Griffin). First, he used his persona as a movie star where he related his triumph in portraying great men to his task at hand. To this effect he said, â€Å"If my Creator gave me the gift to connect with the hearts and minds of those great men, then I want to use the same gift now to re-connect with your own sense of liberty, your own freedom of thought, your own compass for what is right. † (1999) As part of the introductory paragraphs in the speech, this served to cement his credibility generally to speak not only of the subject but also on any topic for that matter. These words were uttered to achieve the effect of making his audience rise up to their supposed role as part of the prime law school in the land to be the first to lobby for the freedom of thought and expression even if it means walking the footsteps of civil disobedience like Martin Luther King. Despite the noble intentions of Heston, the students are not the appropriate target of these words. The proper audience for these would be their mentors or professors and the university’s leaders because whatever the latter’s values and principles will be cascaded to the students through the university’s curricula or teaching strategies, for example. He added significant details regarding his political and military career to deepen his credibility. He mentioned becoming president of the National Rifle Association, his association with Martin Luther King, his days in civil activism, his service during the World War II. What concretized his credibility was when he cited the event when he read to the stockholders of Time Warner and the press corps afterwards the lyrics of IceT’s song Cop Killer â€Å"celebrating the ambushing and murdering of police officers† (Heston, 1999). This led to the cancelling of IceT’s contract and the release of the album. Heston used the pathos â€Å"shame† countless times during the speech in order to challenge his audience not to tolerate their perceived social conformance. He insulted them several times to achieve this. For this he uttered the following: â€Å"Before you claim to be a champion of free thought, tell me: Why did political correctness originate of American campuses? And why do you continue to tolerate it? Why do you, who’re supposed to debate ideas, surrender to their suppression?; â€Å"You are the best and the brightest†¦. But I submit that you and your counterparts across the land are the most socially conformed and politically silenced generation†¦ And as long as you validate that and abide it, you are, by your grandfathers’ standards, cowards. † and; â€Å"Who will defend the core values of academia, if you, the supposed soldiers of free thought and expression lay down your arms and plead, â€Å"Don’t shoot me. †(1999) The examples posed in the speech are not consistent and fully effective. For instance, the case of Antioch College in Ohio where the courtship process must have the approval and knowledge of the college; in New Jersey where doctors who are infected with HIV are not required to discuss this with their patients; the segregation of black students at the University of Pennsylvania; and the controversial forced resignation of David Howard only because he said the word niggardly during a meeting; these are examples which are given to elaborate on the curtailing of the freedom on what to think, what to say and how to express these thoughts. These evidence the â€Å"cultural war† stated in the thesis statement meant to elaborate on the problem being tackled in the speech. These are also meant to cultivate indignation on the part of the audience. The rest of the examples are not consistent with this motive, however, since they exemplify for instance respect and protection of the rights of tranvestites and transsexuals and establishing connection with Hispanic roots which are irrelevant, if not contradictory to the thesis of the speech Heston also used enthymeme as an argument to support the statement by Martin Gross that, â€Å"blatantly irrational behavior is rapidly being established as the norm in almost every area of human endeavor†¦ Americans know something without a name is undermining the country, turning the mind mushy when it comes to separating the truth from falsehood and right from wrong†¦ † The enthymeme was when Heston posed the premise that he thinks that â€Å"hyphenated identities are awkward† specifically Native-American. After which he said he is a Native American and even a â€Å"blood-initiated brother of the Miniconjou Sioux†. It was at this juncture that he left the argument open for the audience to make their own conclusion. Charlton Heston has effectively established his ethos during the speech by banking on his relevant experiences. He also made very clear his intentions in delivering the speech. However, he did not present enough convincing logos in order to support his intentions and to move his audience to action. The appropriateness of some of his words can also be questioned. The organization of the speech can be considered exemplary in that first he used ethos to establish his credibility, then rightfully followed it with logos and then pathos in the end. Thus, over-all the speech was effective in that the speaker was able to establish his credibility well but partially ineffective because of the choice of logos and pathos.