Harlem Renaissance Essay Example for Free

Harlem Renaissance Essay The Harlem Renaissance was a significant event in the history of the United States of America. The Harlem Renaissance centered on the culture of African-Americans and took place at the end of the American Civil War in 1865. This era gave rise to music, art, and literature in African-American culture. Winning the Civil War meant that African American were now free and could, at their risk, go anywhere they wanted. This is when the Great Migration all started. The Great Migration was when large groups of blacks moved in Northern cities like Chicago and New York in massive numbers for jobs because the South had been victim to a crop infestation. Many of them moved particularly to a large neighborhood located in the northern section of Manhattan called Harlem, also known as â€Å"the capital of black America†. By this time, chances for employment and education were available for African-Americans, and many of them expected the same treatment and life the white Americans had be given. This was not to be the case when Plessy v. Ferguson case went to the Supreme Court and the decision had been held that racial segregation was â€Å"constitutionally acceptable†. African-Americans were heartbroken; they wanted equality and all they had been given nothing close to the life of the white Americans, not even a secure environment to live. Though they did have some rights, such as, all African-American men could vote, African-Americans, all, could receive better education, and they got better jobs, but that still seemed to be not enough. African-Americans wanted to part ways with their clingy stereotypes and define themselves as something better. They wanted to be something more than just a â€Å"negro.† The African-Americans didn’t want to be like their white suppressors, but wanted to create a new meaning to what it meant to be black. Starting in the early 1900s the African-American middle class started a push towards racial equality. W.E.B. Du Bois was the central leader of the movement. He collaborated with other African-American activists and white civil rights workers in New York to review the difficult challenges facing the African-American population. 1909 the NAACP, or National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was found by the group working with Du Bois. This group was specifically organized to advocate civil liberties and fight for African-American rights. Although this cause was thought to be supported by all African-Americans it was not the case with Jamaica-bred Marcus Garvey. Garvey started the â€Å"Back to Africa movement,† which initially was him saying that he thought all African-Americans should just pack up and leave the states because they weren’t welcomed. Garvey founded the UNIA-ACL, or Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, which promoted the â€Å"Back to Africa† slogan. Garvey said it was to encourage African-Americans to come together and feel pride in their roots. These groups, although not all supporting staying and fighting, helped the African-American population develop a sense of empowerment for African-Americans everywhere. The Jazz Age was an explosion of African-American culture into music. Just at the end of WWI, there was an economy boost and a change in society. During this time Americans started to relax and take up hobbies. The Prohibition had just been ratified, although it didn’t ban alcohol it made it extremely difficult to get, legally. That is when alcohol clubs, called â€Å"speakeasies† were created. â€Å"Speakeasies† gave Americans the chance to socialize with other, engage in drinking, and go against traditional culture. Some might have even called them Modernist. There was a certain speakeasy in Harlem called the Cotton Club. It’s them as the look of a plantation in the South. They only allowed African-American musicians to play there and only allowed white Americans, with some exceptions, wine and dine there. One talented jazz musician would be Duke Ellington. Ellington was a wiz at playing the piano; he actually played at the Cotton Club from for four years. His band stomped to theatricality routines in numerous shows. Forms of art gave some African-Americans a break from reality. Artists painted things from African-American nightclubs, to African-American toiling in the fields. Aaron Douglas was a famous artist whose work exercised the ‘New Negro’ idea. The ‘New Negro’ idea correlated with Dubois idea of â€Å"twoness† idea, which meant the finding of one’s individuality with a divided awareness of one’s identity. Douglas painted murals, building, and created illustrations for many African-American books. In 1940 Douglas moved to Nashville and founded the Art Department at Fisk University and taught for twenty nine years there. Douglas said, â€Å"Our problem is to conceive, develop, establish an art era. Not white art painting blacklets bare our arms and plunge them deep through laughter, through pain, through sorrow, through hope, through disappointment, into the very depths of the souls of our people and drag forth material crude, rough, neglected . Then lets sing it, dance it, write it, paint it. Lets do the impossible. Lets create something transcendentally material, mystically objective. Earthy. Spiritually earthy. Dynamic, which means, let’s make something incredible out of tragedy. Writing also became a major step forward in the Harlem Renaissance, especially since during this time most African-Americans were illiterate. African-American writers talked about the past of black culture. They wrote about slavery and the effects it had on society today, etc. Common themes of these books ranged from alienation, to wanting to be individual. The most famous African-American writers include: Langston Hughes, Sterling Brown, and Zora Neale Hurston, just to name a few. Zora Neale was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist. She believed in the motto, â€Å"I want a busy life, a just mind, and a timely end.† Zora wrote to preserve African-American traditions and to contribute to new literature. Langston Hughes was a writer who collaborated with Hurston and other artists in his book of poetry entitled The Weary Blues. Hughes also wrote an essay called â€Å"The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain,† where he told people what he saw as ‘mountains’ facing African-American writers. In his essay, Hughes mentions a young poet he spoke to and says how the poet wanted to be known as a poet, rather than a â€Å"Negro poet,† which is clearly understandable since there was still racial tension during this time. In conclusion, the Harlem Renaissance was a major event in the history in the United States of America because it brought a culture together using simple things, like music, art, and literature. If it had not been for the Harlem Renaissance, who knows what might’ve happened to the African-American culture, where it might’ve been at this point in time without the occurrence of the Harlem Renaissance. It brought together a race that has, over the years, been beaten, cursed at, talked about, and slaughtered for the comfort of others, and just a simple melody of a song was able to bring them closer together after being ripped apart.

Corporate Governance And Business Ethics Of IKEA Commerce Essay

Corporate Governance And Business Ethics Of IKEA Commerce Essay The origin of IKEA concept dates back to the year 1943 in Sweden. The founder of the organization Ingvar Kamprad was just 17 years old when he started this organization. The company is almost six decades old now. The organization which was started in a small village in Sweden today has spread across 36 countries world over and has created a brand image for itself as one of the worlds leading furniture dealers. The owner of the business, Ingvar Kamprad, as already stated was very young when he started this organization. It was his ambition to start his own business since his childhood years. He started selling small household things like matches etc, since the age of five. As he grew a little older he started going a little ahead of his neighborhood to carry out the selling of matches and he realizes that it is possible to buy matches in bulk at a lesser price and possible to earn decent profits. His product portfolio ranges from matches to various other things like Christmas gifts, greeting cards, pencils and ball point pens etc (IKEA, 2009). In the year 1943, at the age of 17 Ingvar receives a small sum of money from his father as a gift for his exceptional academic performance which he uses as capital for his business and starts his own business. The name of the company IKEA is actually the initials of the Founder Ingvar Kamprad and the first letters of the farm and village he grew up Elmtaryd and Agunnaryd. In the initial days of origination, the company used to sell stationery stuff like ball point pens, table runners, and other miscellaneous stuff like watches and jewelry etc. However, an interesting fact about the store is that the products were priced lesser. As the years passed, the product portfolio of the company increased and it has primarily become a furniture retailer. Today, the organization has got its presence in over 36 countries across the globe. From opening stores in various parts of the world to acquiring business units and being environment friendly, the company has created a name for itself in the world. Business Idea of IKEA IKEA is famous all across the globe for their affordable price range for the well-designed and varied range of functional home furniture. Price affordability is the predominant ides behind every step that the company takes, right from product development to product sales (IKEA, 2009). However, one may think how is the company making it possible to offer high quality products at a very low price? This is where the company differentiates itself from other players in the industry. The organization constantly develops ideas that are both innovative and at the same time cost-effective. Low prices, flat packing looking everything differently are a few such ideas of the organization to differentiate itself in the market. IKEA Responsibility IKEA strongly believes that taking responsibility for the society and the environment in which it does business are the foundation for its sustainability in the industry. The IKEA group has got managers who work constantly to ensure social and environmental responsibility in the day-to-day activities of the business. To support business, there are a number of specialists covering a wide range of areas, such as chemical experts, foresters, IWAY auditors and energy experts. All IKEA Group stores and distribution centers have environmental coordinators who work in the areas such as training, waste management, water and energy conservation (IKEA, 2009). Code of Conduct of IKEA IWAY The company introduced its code of conduct IWAY in the year 2000 and it applies to all of its suppliers. The company has got independent IWAYs for all of its various businesses. All of IKEAs suppliers and service providers are required to strictly adhere to this code of conduct. The code of conduct specifies certain requirements for suppliers and service providers and also the support that the company offers to them. The suppliers and service providers are required to communication the same to the co-workers and ensure that all of the channel members those are involved implement the same. Corporate Social Responsibility and its importance to todays Business Many corporate bodies have made an impression in the countries of their adoption. The impact is more so, in countries that are either developing or underdeveloped. These conglomerates play active roles in the social and economic development of the society they live in apart from generating highly profitable overtures from themselves in the bargain. This dissertation sets out to explore just this, and how they are able to manipulate their corporate social responsibilities (CSR) to ensure extremely favorable business conditions and growth. An individual must not forget that CSR alone is not enough for a company to progress; it takes a lot of personal involvement and hard management decisions to turn hostile terrains to viable solutions. Companies with high levels of CSR recognize the need to lead from the front; they show collective understanding of cultural, political and social issues, and issues pertaining to the local community and their grievance, as well as supporting their cause. A key element of business is knowledge management. Intangible assets can be easily shared through partnerships to achieve mutual benefits (Halal 2000)  [1]  . Kay (1993) argues that successful innovation and management of distinct possibilities for companies; such as the reputation of the company, which lead to the competitive advantage. Reputation, like knowledge management, is an intangible asset which can affect and be affected by the community in which a company operates. A company that supports the community wherein it operates , has the advantage of enhanced performance through image-building, and has the effect of empowering that community. It is therefore right in assessing that, those companies that play a major role in corporate social leadership can maintain their competitive advantage over other market players (Hilton and Gibbons 2002)  [2]  . A first in the market is seen as a big step forward to maintaining a competitive advantage. Becoming a CSR leader can also create competitive advantages. CSR helps to create a motivated workforce, which is easy to recruit and retain. It is thus natural to say that a constructive relationship with the community leads to knowledge exchange and mutual profit  [3]  (Halal 2000, Handy 2002). The link between CSR, community stakeholders and financial goals is seen at various levels from tenuous (Fryxell and Wang 1994), to relevant only as it impacts on primary stakeholders (MacMillan et al. 2004), to a necessity (Chakraborty et al. 2004) and finally as an investment (Schiebel and Pochtrager 2003). Chakraborty et al. (2004), says that in a developing country like India, for example, there is so much that can be done to fight poverty and deprivation and bring about advancement without losing track of its ethical and spiritual moorings. What these corporations seek is to support community development, while at the same time, concentrate on profitable propositions and enrich business practices. This can be done through cooperation with local NGOs who have reliable and time-tested networks and relationships in place (Millar et al. 2004)  [4]  . Stakeholder involvement through NGOs is not without its problems, as in many cases, some international and national NGOs have no accountability at the local level. Many areas in developing countries are either backward or tribal, which could lead to conflicting cultural norms within one geographic community area itself, and the possibility of inadvertent exclusion of any intended beneficiary can be disastrous (Blowfield, 2004)  [5]  . Another aspect of CSR is the expression of indirect marketing. CSR and marketing are frequently linked and thus, CSR is in more than one way, considered a marketing tool employed to generate profit and recognition. The overriding projection of CSR as a great marketing tool is as good as the benefits the community derives from these practices. There is no doubt that good work can enhance the reputation of the company and significantly affect the competitive advantage. There are two ways of aligning with the community they operate in. at first, the conglomerate uses the community to its advantage (cause-related marketing) while in the other, develops the community with the hope of deriving benefits in the long run (Banyan, 2004)  [6]  . Organizations function more effectively if they operate as open systems, interacting with and responding to changes in the external environment. Since such organizations are influenced by the transformations in the external setting, executives must comprehend the nature of this environment. The external environment of an organization consists of the mega environment otherwise called the general environment and the task environment. The mega environment reflects the major trends in the societies within which the organization operates. These societies have various sub components namely the technological, economic, socio-cultural and international  [7]  . The task environment consists of specific external elements with which an organizations interacts while conducting its business. These include customers and clients, competitors, suppliers, labor supply and government agencies. The task environment, which depends largely on the products and services offered by the organization and its business location, may vary from firm to firm. While a firm may to be able to directly influence its mega environment, it can certainly influence its task environment (ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003). Working within a large and complex external environment affects a business in terms of its social responsibility, its social responsiveness and its ethical behavior. During the initial years of the 20 century, business entities were predominantly concerned with maximizing their profits. In the 1970s, social advocates started to question industry enterprises singular objective of profit maximization. They argued that because businesses receive their existence from society, they need to have a little obligation towards it. The concept of social responsibility became popular after the publication of Howard R. Bowens Social Responsibilities of Business. Bowen argued that business enterprises should consider the impact of their decisions on society. The operational definition of social responsibility is as follows: Social responsibility contends that management is responsible to the organization itself and to all the interest groups with which it interacts. Other interest groups such as workers, customers, creditors, suppliers, government and society in general are placed essentially equal with shareholders (ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003). According to the above stated definitions, business entities should pay attention to the welfare of workers, consumers needs and their security, the wellbeing and privileges of creditors, government regulations and the obligations of the enterprise towards the social order as a whole. Nowadays, numerous organizations are concerned about social activities and are playing an active role in the same. While the outlook of the society have transformed, companies have become further conscious of their social responsibilities. A cautious analysis of opinions for and against the participation of organizations in social welfare activities is essential to conclude whether an organization should employ social programs. Arguments favoring Social Responsibilities of Business The needs of present day customers have changed, ensuing in a change in their outlook of businesses. As businesses oblige their profits to humanity, they have to thus counter to the needs of the society. Society and business gain mutual advantage when there is a symbiotic association between them. Society benefits through economic expansion and the proviso of employment prospects; and business gains through the employees and customers provided by the same society. By being socially responsible, business entities attract a smaller amount of attention from regulatory agencies, this gives them superior liberty and suppleness in their operations. Businesses have substantial command and influence. The application or use of this command should be accompanied by an equivalent amount of accountability. Most firms are open systems, that is, they interact with the external environment. The internal activities of such firms have an impact on the external environment to avoid negative impact on the external environment, firms should be socially responsible. In addition, by being socially involved a company can improve its image and thus protect its shareholders interests (ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003). Social responsibility entails the preservation of natural resources. Preservation can be beneficial for organizations. Through social involvement, a firm can create a favorable public image for itself and endear itself to society, by so doing a firm can attract customers, employees and investors. Businesses have a history of coming up with innovative ideas, therefore they are likely to come with solutions for social problems, which other institutions were unable to tackle. Businesses should make the best possible utilization of the expertise and aptitude of its managerial workforce and also its capital resources in order to manufacture good quality products and services. Thereby, the businesses will be able to accomplish their responsibility towards the society. It is in the interest of the business entity to avoid social harms. Instead of allowing large scale unemployment to lead to social unrest, which in turn will harm business interests, businesses can be resources of employment for qualified youth. Arguments against social responsibility of businesses The most important rationale of a business is revenue maximization. Hence social involvement may not be reasonably feasible for a business. When a business incurs disproportionate cost for social participation, it passes the charge on to its clientele in the form of elevated prices. Society, therefore, has to tolerate the burden of the social participation of business by paying elevated prices for its merchandise. A destabilized international balance of payments state may be created by the social participation of organizations, as the cost of social programs would be appended to the cost of the goods, the multinational companies doing business in international markets would be at a inconvenience when contending with domestic companies which may not be involved in social actions. Businesses are intrinsically prepared with a firm amount of power. Their participation in social activities can lead to an augment in their influence and power. This boost in power and influence may corrupt them. Business people do not have power over the necessary skills to tackle social problems. Their proficiency and knowledge may not be pertinent to deal with such problems. Until a proper method to establish the responsibility of businesses is developed, they should not get implicated in social activities. There is no conformity regarding the kind of socially responsible actions that a business should embark on (ICMR-ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003 Ref.no.BECG BR 122K3 08). Business owners have their own sense of skewed ideas of doing business and their business practices. When businesses take up social responsibilities, the business owners tend to get these quirks into such actions too. This might at times lead to disastrous consequences. As in most situations there is no firm right thinking or wrong thinking. Businesses getting involved in social activities have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are definitely both sides to the coin. A mere word of concern is that, there must be a sense of balance when businesses get involved in social activities and they must not go overboard nor overlook the primary purposes of their businesses. Social Stakeholders Business executives, who are worried about corporate social responsibility need to recognize a variety of interest groups which may persuade the operation of a firm and which, consequently, may be influenced by the organizations decisions. Business enterprises are primarily accountable to six major interest groups namely the shareholders, employees, customers, creditors and suppliers, the social order and the administration. These groups are otherwise known as the social stakeholders. Shareholders The prime accountability of a business is to protect the interests of its shareholders. The shareholders provide the core resource the capital that enables the organization to operate and grow. They expect the management to use the capital judiciously and operate the business in a way that ensures a good return on their investment, both through dividends and through increase in stock value. Shareholders should be provided with adequate and timely information about the functioning of the organization. The IKEA Group  co-operates with other companies, trade unions and organizations that represent stakeholders throughout the world. These include Building and Wood Workers International, Clean Cargo Working Group and dialogues with Greenpeace (IKEA, 2009). Employees Employees are the principal assets of an organization. Traditionally, managers regarded employees only as factors of production and denied them their rightful share in the distribution of income. However, in the present times, it is mandatory for business firms to protect the interests of their employees. Laws and government regulations now define the responsibilities of the employer. A few such laws include ensuring equal employment for men and women, offering pensions and other retirement benefits, and providing a safe and healthy work environment etc. IKEA products must be manufactured under acceptable working conditions by suppliers who take responsibility for the environment. IKEA is a production-oriented retail company. By being on site and conducting responsible business, IKEA contributes to better manufacturing and working conditions for suppliers and their workers (IKEA, 2009). Customers In recent years, customers have received great attention. Firms have begun to realize the importance of keeping customers happy. Moreover, the growth of consumerism has made firms more aware of their duties towards consumers. IKEA concept in itself is all about offering high-quality products and affordable prices. In order to ensure this, the company constantly works its way about cost-effectiveness and innovation. Creditors and Suppliers Creditors and Suppliers are responsible for providing inputs for production process in the form of raw material and capital. Management is responsible for fulfilling its obligations to its creditors and suppliers. This can be done by: i. Creating long-term and healthy business relationship with them. ii. Making prompt payments to creditors and suppliers. iii. Providing them with accurate, relevant and needed information. The IKEA Group believes that safe, healthy, non-discriminatory working conditions and the protection of the environment at our suppliers are prerequisites for doing good business (IKEA, 2009).As already mentioned above, IKEA has got a special code of conduct that clarifies the expectations of suppliers from the company and also the kind of support that the company offers in order to ensure the smooth functioning of the supply chain. Society Organizations function within a social system and draw their resources from this system. Therefore, they have certain obligations towards society. The management of business organizations can fulfill their obligations toward society by preserving and enhancing the well-being of the members of society. Management can do so in the following ways: i. Using its technical expertise to solve local problems. ii. Setting socially desirable standards of living and avoiding unnecessary and wasteful expenditure. iii. Playing an important role in civic affairs. Volunteers from some companies help the traffic police regulate traffic at busy intersections. Pizza Corner in Hyderabad, India is one such organization. Many companies also put up road signs along highways to encourage safe driving habits. For instance, liquor companies such as Shaw Wallace and United Breweries have put up road signs on mountain roads in various parts of India. These road signs caution drivers against driving under the influence of alcohol. iv. Providing basic amenities, healthcare and education facilities, hence creating better living conditions. v. Establishing development programs for the benefit of economically weaker class of the society. IKEA ensures that it contributes its part to the society by taking steps to prevent child labor. IKEA has a special code of conduct called The IKEA Way on Preventing Child Labor, which is a part of  The IKEA Way on Purchasing Home Furnishing Products. Monitoring of compliance to The IKEA Way on Preventing Child Labor is done by IKEA trading service offices and with unannounced visits by KPMG at suppliers and sub-contractors in South Asia (IKEA, 2009). Government The government of a country provides the basic facilities required for the survival and growth of businesses. The government monitors and, to a certain extent, controls the business systems of the country. Most of the controls imposed by the government are in the best interests of businesses. To fulfill its obligations to the government, the management of business organizations should: i. be law-abiding ii. Pay taxes and other dues fully, timely and honestly. iii. Not bribe government servants to obtain favors for the company. iv. Not try to use political influence in its favor. Measuring Social Responsiveness According to Keith Davis and William C. Fredrick, Social Responsiveness is the ability of a corporation to relate its operations and policies to the social environment in ways that are mutually beneficial to the company and to society (ICMR-ICFAI Centre for Management Research, 2003 Ref.no.BECG BR 122K3 08). Alternatively, it can be referred to the development of organizational decision procedures that enable managers to anticipate, respond to and manage the areas of social responsibility. Though the term social responsiveness is generally applied to business organizations, it is also applicable to not-for-profit organization also. Numerous endeavors have been made to measure social responsiveness. Some companies establish special committees to evaluate their social responsiveness. The various categories for measuring the social responsiveness of organizations are as follows: Contributions Companies make direct financial contributions to charitable and civic projects. Many companies made financial contributions towards relief and rehabilitation work to earthquakes and other similar environmental disasters. Infosys Foundation, set up by Infosys, provides financial assistance to war widows. Fund-raising This involves fund-raising for a social cause, either by the organization itself or by assisting voluntary social organization in fund-raising. Volunteerism Volunteerism refers to the involvement of employees in civic activities. The Boots Company has a volunteering program called Skills for Life, which gives employees a host of opportunities to get involved in community activities in company time. These include giving career talks; conduction mock interviews; supervising students during their work experience period; sharing business skills with local small businesses; and planting gardens and decorating community centers. Recycling To conserve the environment, materials like plastic, paper etc, can and should be recycled into useful products. . Such recycling efforts by business entities reduce the accumulation of plastic waste in landfills. Direct Corporate Investment Often, companies make direct investments to provide facilities for a locality or a community. Attention to consumers Consumers usually have a preference to buy goods that are of good eminence and are secure to use. Pollution Control Pollution is a major problem caused by rapid industrialization. Increasing public awareness and government pressure have made corporations more conscious about the environment. Conclusion Business owners have their own sense of skewed ideas of doing business and their business practices. When businesses take up social responsibilities, the business owners tend to get these quirks into such actions too. This might at times lead to disastrous consequences. As in the majority of situations there is no firm right thinking or wrong thinking. Businesses getting involved in social activities have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are definitely both sides to the coin. Only word of caution is that, there must be a sense of balance when businesses get involved in social activities and they must not go overboard nor overlook the primary purposes of their businesses.

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay -- Sir Gawain and the Green Knig

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain proves to be a hero and role model. Perhaps if Sir Gawain were living among us today, he would have his own line of action figures, comic books, and of course a line of chic evening wear! In lines 712 -762 in the Norton Anthology, we see that through dangerous foes and perilous weather, Sir Gawain leans on the strength of God to get him through his journey. Though he meets many dangers in the forest, he defeats them all, using skill and bravery. Traveling through horrid weather conditions, he keeps forging ahead, remaining true to his vow. And instead of blaming God, Sir Gawain leans on the solid foundation of his Christian beliefs. His journey to find the Green Chapel where he expects to meet his end, is not a easy one. He faces many perils and dangers. In lines 720 -723 we see quite clearly his tribulations: Now with serpents he wars, now with savage wolves, now with wild men of the woods, that watched from the rocks, both with bulls and with bears and with boars besides and giants that came gibbering from the jagged steeps. He f... Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay -- Sir Gawain and the Green Knig Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Sir Gawain proves to be a hero and role model. Perhaps if Sir Gawain were living among us today, he would have his own line of action figures, comic books, and of course a line of chic evening wear! In lines 712 -762 in the Norton Anthology, we see that through dangerous foes and perilous weather, Sir Gawain leans on the strength of God to get him through his journey. Though he meets many dangers in the forest, he defeats them all, using skill and bravery. Traveling through horrid weather conditions, he keeps forging ahead, remaining true to his vow. And instead of blaming God, Sir Gawain leans on the solid foundation of his Christian beliefs. His journey to find the Green Chapel where he expects to meet his end, is not a easy one. He faces many perils and dangers. In lines 720 -723 we see quite clearly his tribulations: Now with serpents he wars, now with savage wolves, now with wild men of the woods, that watched from the rocks, both with bulls and with bears and with boars besides and giants that came gibbering from the jagged steeps. He f...

Business Report Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Business Report EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Fantasy ROCK will be a small business that provides entertainment and leisure activities. We will sell a variety of foods and beverages. Our menu will contain many dishes. A large appetizer section, Steaks, Chicken, sandwiches, hamburgers, soups and salads will be our specialty. We will sell several types of beer on tap and in bottles. A few micro brews such as Fat Tire Ale, and Honey Brown larger will be kept on tap, as well as the cheaper larger brands such as Budweiser and Coors. Several large screen TV’s will be placed through out the cafe’. They will be playing an assortment of things. Our main TV’s will be playing rock videos that go along to the music we are playing. Others will provide sports coverage of big games going on. The intent of the big screens is so that as our customer sits we allow giving them something to look at. We want to provide them with entertainment. Rock music has an effect to energize and lift a person’s spirits. We want customers to enjoy themselves. A sound system will be installed to heighten our music listening. Fantasy ROCK wants to provide high quality sound yet minimizes costs. Purchasing a surround sound system by Bose speakers systems can do this. Fantasy ROCK has great potential to expand. Our biggest competitor is Hard Rock Cafà ©. How we plan to differentiate ourselves is we want to provide a more of a local business atmosphere. We want our employees to get to know our customers and welcome them by name as they walk in. The market in which we are entering is wide open. All restaurants are competition to us yet because of our atmosphere in providing entertainment and leisure we become unique. Currently Fantasy ROCK has no expansion plans. As profits come in and our business base grows future planning will be done. MISSION STATEMENT Fantasy ROCK strives to be the premier rock music restaurant in Phoenix. Our goal is to be a step ahead of the competition. We want our customers to have more fun during their leisure time. We provide more television with ROCK videos and sports coverage than anywhere else in the Phoenix area. We provide a state-of-the-art Bose sounds system to deliver the highest quality sounds possible. We Combine menu selection, atmosphere, ambiance, and service to create a sense of â€Å"place† in order to reach our goal of over-all v... ...box $12.45 Dr. Pepper 8 gallon box $12.45 Sprite 8 gallon box $12.45 Iced tea 8 gallon box $12.45 Mug Root beer 8 gallon box $12.45 Malt 4 lb box powder $8.65 Chocolate syrup 2 gallons $3.65 Cheddar Cheese 80lbs $56.98 Mozzarella Cheese 80lbs $58.90 Parmesan Cheese 20lbs $28.67 Dressings 5,000 assorted $22.45 Fresh Bread 6 loaves $3.75 Macaroni Salad 2 gallons $27.65 Potato Salad 2 gallons $12.87 Pepperioncinis 5 gallon drum $25.67 Salami 20lbs $22.98 Pepperoni 20lbs $19.87 Garlic 1 lbs $2.89 Butter Large tub $5.67

Computer Communications :: essays research papers

Computer Communications Communications. I could barely spell the word, much less comprehend its meaning. Yet when Mrs. Rubin made the announcement about the new club she was starting at the junior high school, it triggered something in my mind. Two weeks later, during the last month of my eighth grade year, I figured it out. I was rummaging through the basement, and I ran across the little blue box that my dad had brought home from work a year earlier. Could this be a modem? I asked Mrs. Rubin about it the next day at school, and when she verified my expectations, I became the first member of Teleport 2000, the only organization in the city dedicated to introducing students to the information highway. This was when 2400-baud was considered state-of-the-art, and telecommunications was still distant from everyday life. But as I incessantly logged onto Cleveland Freenet that summer, sending e-mail and posting usenet news messages until my fingers bled, I began to notice the little things. Electronic mail addresses started popping up on business cards. Those otherwise-incomprehensible computer magazines that my dad brought home from work ran monthly stories on communications-program this, and Internet-system that. Cleveland Freenet's Freeport software began appearing on systems all over the world, in places as far away as Finland and Germany - with free telnet access! I didn't live life as a normal twelve-year-old kid that summer. I sat in front of the monitor twenty-four hours a day, eating my meals from a plate set next to the keyboard, stopping only to sleep. When I went back to school in the fall, I was elected the first president of Teleport 2000, partially because I was the only student in-the school with a freenet account, but mostly because my enthusiasm for this new, exciting world was contagious. Today, as the business world is becoming more aware of the advantages of telecommunications, and the younger generation is becoming more aware of the opportunities, it is successfully being integrated into all aspects of our society. Companies are organizing Local Area Networks and tapping into information resources through internal networking and file sharing, and children of all ages are entertained by the GUI-based commercial systems and amazed by the worldwide system of gopher and search services. As a result, a million more people join the 'net every month, according to a 1994 article by Vic Sussman in U.S. News & World Report. They say that the worldwide community used to double its knowledge every century. Right now, that rate has been reduced to seven years, and is constantly decreasing. I've learned more since I started traveling the information highway

Food inc Essay

Food, Inc is a film that lets people in on the food production in American. The film opens up in a grocery store, which has pictures of farmers giving you the idea that the food you are going to purchase is farm raised. However the film calls it a pastoral fantasy. Even though people would like to believe that their food is coming from a farm where that animal is raised the correct way that is not always the case. This film dug into certain aspects of food giving you the ins and outs on how all types of food is produced. This film is not trying to make someone turn in to a vegetarian. It is simply trying to inform people how food production has changed over the years. Something said in the film was that â€Å"it’s not farming anymore, it’s just mass production. Chickens today are genetically modified to have larger breasts since the consumer preference is white meat. A lot of these companies are injecting hormones in these animals to speed up the growth process. Where before a chicken life span was around 80 days, with this hormone being injected it knocks about 20 days off now. The faster the chicken grows, the more chicken can be produce at a faster rate. The chickens grow at such a fast rate that their bones and organs can’t keep up with the rapid growth of the muscles, or the meat. Mention in the film is that McDonalds is one of the largest purchasers of ground beef, potatoes, pork, lettuce and tomatoes. Fast food nearly started with McDonald’s. When they decided to make things easier their menu and hire employees that repeated one task over and over for minimum wage, the result was the fast food occurrence that cleaned the United States. Mention in the film â€Å"Eating meat produced by the system†. As long as people continue to eat meat that is not properly raised or properly killed we will continue to have the problem of how food is produced. The industry does not want you to know what you are eating. So they will sell you this dream that everything is farm raised, when in reality their feeding cows corn that produces infections, giving chickens hormone injections to speed up growth process. There’s nothing farm raised about these tactics. Joe Salatin says â€Å"Meet the need without comprising integrity†. There are ways food can be produced without all of the extra stuff. Salatin does his farming and killing outside. People have tried to get him shut down saying the way he produced chicken was not sanitary, but yet other companied that do produce meat has had infected meat even with them being in a factory. People drove over 100 miles just to purchase Salatin’s chicken. This says a lot; people do want quality produced food. The average farmer used to feed 6 to 8 people, now it is up to 126 people. If we had more farmers who practice Salatin’s techniques then we would be able to produce more. If there was not so much meat being produced then maybe people would not buy so much in abundance and meat would not have to be produce so fast and in large quantizes. People buy a lot because it is overly produce in my opinion. If food was not so readily available then maybe it would not be over consumed. As long as food is purchased in abundance companies will continue to produce food the way they do to keep up with how much food people are purchasing.

Philosophy Essay Deontology

Philosophy 101 Midterm Essay Number One Friday October 19th 2012 Deontology Immanuel Kant’s deontological moral theory provides a strong base for making correct decisions and is a better ethics system than Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill’s utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that is attributed to philosophers John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham. Utilitarianism is a theory holding that the proper course of action is one which maximizes happiness for the majority. [2]It is considered a ‘consequentialist’ philosophical view because it holds the belief that outcomes can be predicted based on the course of actions.Utilitarianism is another way of stating ‘the end justifying the means. ’ Deontologists argue that the means of ones’ actions should be ethical regardless of the outcome contrasting to utilitarianism where the outcomes must benefit the majority. [3]Deontology demands that ethical norms be used with the belief tha t there are transcendent ethical norms and truths that are universally applicable for all. Deontology reinforces that actions can be immoral regardless of their outcome because the actions made can be wrong in themselves. Through this Kant uses ‘a categorical imperative’ meaning one must act morally at all times.Kant believes that all people base their moral conclusions on their rational thought. Thus, deontology is another way of stating ‘the means justifying the end. ’ Suppose an evil villain holds you and four others hostage and instructs you to kill one of the four hostages and if you chose not to do this, the villain will kill every one. You have no doubts about the reality of the villains’ treats therefore you fully believe that he will do what he says he will. This leaves you with two options. The first option is to kill one of the four and save the lives of the other three as well as yourself.From a utilitarian perspective one would come to t he conclusion that they must kill the one person because in the end, it has the most beneficial outcome for all. (the most people leave the scene alive) In contrast, deontologists would conclude that you should not kill the one person because killing people is wrong as a universal moral truth. How do we know what is right? Utilitarianism is justifiable in a sense where it considers the pain and pleasure of every individual affected by a particular action or situation. [4] It also considers every individual as an equal and does not permit a person to put their interests above anything else.Utilitarianism also attempts to provide an objective method of making moral decisions. However, utilitarianism cannot assign a significant measure to all pains and pleasures considering that some pains and pleasures cannot or should not be measured such as the life of an individual. Through suggesting that the ‘ends justify the means; would lying or cheating be considered ethical if the outco me is positive? Suppose a person murders another and gets away with it. Would this be considered ethical in the sense where in the end his outcome is positive because he gets away with it?Utilitarianism assumes that outcomes can always be determined before an action is put in place. Outcomes, however are unpredictable, making utilitarianism fundamentally flawed: it is impossible to predict the outcomes of one’s actions with absolute certainty. Thus one can argue that utilitarianism can evolve into a dangerous moral case where people can justify evil actions on the belief that the outcome is beneficial for all (in the case where the other hostages as well as yourself get away alive) or positive (where one gets away with lying and cheating).Furthermore, assuming the population would not feel guilt in their actions and that the unhappiness of the minority would be less than the happiness of the majority, but one must remember that it is net consequences not just who is happiest. Deontological theories do have their pitfalls. For instance, it is not always clear how to rank moral duties because they can at times be insoluble. [5] In the example of telling the truth to fulfill a moral duty, it could lead a person to tell a murderer where to find an intended victim.Showing that one set of rules cannot account for every scenario leaving people without guidance in some moral decisions. Despite these drawbacks, deontological theories hold that human beings have a moral obligation to follow certain principles. Through Kant’s ‘categorical imperative’, human beings are required to treat others ethically, morally and fairly. [6] This allows people to evaluate what they are doing and it permits them to go above and beyond the basic requirements of the rules: lending a helping hand.Deontology is a more applicable theory because forces human beings to better themselves; ‘to treat others the way you would want to be treated. ’ It is cons idered to be a ‘non-consequentialist’ moral theory because deontologists assert the righteousness of an action as not simply defined on the beneficial outcome of the majority but the morality of the action and if that action is morally acceptable. It demands that actions be ethical. Deontologists do not necessarily have universal claims, but rather absolute claims and it recognizes that actions can be wrong regardless of their results. In the example of killing people to save people, killing people is still ethically wrong. ) A deontologist would argue that one can only be responsible for ones’ own actions and not the actions of others. In this example you are only responsible for your decision to kill one person since the villain is ultimately the one making the unethical choice to kill the rest of the prisoners. Even though killing the one person would maximize the good of the majority there is something ethically wrong.Through this, deontology recognizes that utilitarianism does not respect rights and is too destructive because it disregards all morals. In order for utilitarianism to work, the minority must suffer while the majority thrives, leading to great sacrifice to maximize the â€Å"good of all†. [7]Deontological ethics capture the features of virtue because, in a sense it is simply a theory of our moral duties. While moral theories like utilitarianism speak of happiness as the ultimate goal of morality, deontology instead focuses on what we need to do be worthy of that happiness.Utilitarianism can lead a person to calculate utility in situations where one should not, making utilitarianism flawed in comparison to deontology because utilitarianism does not assert the rightness of an action on what is ethically acceptable. [8] Focusing on the majority regardless of the minority makes utilitarianism not applicable. Even if we wanted to put utilitarianism into effect, we would not be able to because there is no practical measur e of utility. Whether that measure is pleasure, happiness or the object of desire, the outcome is not the same for all, therefore it is not applicable. To the contrary, deontology there are thical norms applicable to all because people come to moral conclusions about what is right or wrong based on their innate human rationality. ———————– [1] Moral Absolutism: Deontology and Religious Morality November 3, 2010 Jacques Rousseau http://synapses. co. za/moral-absolutism-deontology-religious-morality/ [2] The History of Utilitarianism Friday, March 27 2009 Julia Driver http://plato. stanford. edu/entries/utilitarianism-history/ [3] Consilient Inductions Friday, August 22, 2010 Jeff Smith http://consilientinductions. blogspot. ca/2010/08/one-thing-begats-another. html [4] Utilitarianism by John Stuart Mill (1863)Chapter 2 What Utilitarianism Is http://www. marxists. org/reference/archive/mill-john-stuart/1863/utility/ch02. htm [5] P ros & Cons of Ethical Theories Eric Dontigney http://www. ehow. com/info_8404891_pros-cons-ethical-theories. html [6] Kant’s Normative Ethics Richmound Journal of Philosophy June 2012, Brad Hooker http://www. richmond-philosophy. net/rjp/back_issues/rjp1_hooker. pdf [7] Moral Theory Royal College, John McMillan PhD http://www. royalcollege. ca/portal/page/portal/rc/resources/bioethics/primers/moral_theory [8] The Challenges of Utilitarianism and Relativism Andrew Heard, 1997 http://www. sfu. ca/~aheard/417/util. html