Relevance of Marxist Theory in Understanding Modern Societies

Assess the clam that Marxist theory no longer has any relevance for understanding modern societies. [25] Marxism was developed by the German philosopher Karl Marx and is a radical alternative to functionalism. Functionalism, developed by Emile Durkheim, was very influential in the 1940’s and 50’s but started to decline in the 1960’s. Marxism had the answers functionalism failed to give. Marxism is based on the idea that we need food, shelter and products in order to survive. We enter in to social relationships (socialisation) because of the need for these things. Marxists believe that society is in conflict due to the different social classes. The labourers produce the materials and owners of means of production earn the wealth. This is†¦show more content†¦doctors/lawyers, etc. A critique of Davis amp; Moore, Melvin M. Tumin says that doctors and lawyers being more important than farm labourers is a matter of opinion. This theory goes against the theory of Marxism, as in modern society, more people stand up against theories which say how we must think amp; behave – especially subcultures. Once they have a minority group which consistently disagrees with the majority, it will eventually have an effect. Walby, Paterman amp; Wolf (1990) says that gender role socialisation is determined by society’s distinction between private amp; public place. Private place is where the mother brings up the family in the home and public place is where the father goes to work to bring in money for the family. Glendenning amp; Millar believe that society has experienced a feminisation during the past 20 years. Women have more opportunities and the gap has decreased from the 80% wages of men’s hourly wage for women. In modern societies there have been changes. According to Peter Townsend this is due to the Industrialisation. These changes go against the Marxist theory that people in higher classes have greater power to control people of lower classes. This is because social mobility has occurred. Social mobility is the movement from one class to another. Movement can be upwards or downwards. DueShow MoreRelatedNeo-Marxist Contribution to Theories O Social Class Inequality884 Words   |  4 PagesHow far would you say that Neo-Marxist have contributed to the continuing relevance of theories of social class inequality today? Social class inequality can be defined as the existence of socially created inequalities among and within classes. 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SociologyRead MoreEssay on The Functionalist View of the Family565 Words   |  3 Pageshas contributed to the general understanding of the family, even if you don’t believe the functionalist view-point to be correct, it still plays an essential part in the topic of sociology by simply being there to conflict the Marxist view of the family. The functionalist view of society makes the assumption that every society has a range of basic needs. Functionalists would say that if these needs are being met then the society is functioning and it is moreRead MoreMarxist Theory And Psychoanalytic Theories1992 Words   |  8 PagesMarxist and Psychoanalytic Literary Theories in Action Marxist/Materialist Theory and Psychoanalytic Theory are important theories in understanding individuals and societies. They allow readers to understand how societies and individuals function and their motives. Marxist/Materialist Theory mostly focuses on societies and different classes and the relationships between the two. Psychoanalytic Theory focuses on the characters wants, needs, actions, and process of thought that sometimes correlateRead MoreMarxist Theory Of The Modern World1777 Words   |  8 Pagesreference to Marxist thought. I will evaluate evidence demonstrating how knowledge has been presented to society through ideological systems and assess Marxist views on the function of engineering specific knowledge through false consciousness. I will explore the role of institutions such as the mass media and how they create and maintain ideology. I will visit whether Marxist accounts on ideology can realistically be represented by evidence, and if not, whether it is correct to dismiss Marxist accounts

Sociology The Macro And Micro Perspective Of Looking At...

Adriana Velasco Modern Sociology Soc. 356 December 17, 2014 Sociology gives us the tool to understand our own lives and how we are interconnected with society. In order to correctly do sociology, you have to keep your mind open with certain ways of thinking. Like every other single theory out there, sociological theory is a selective theory is selective in terms of their priorities and perspectives and the data that is defined as significant. As a result of this way of thinking, they provide a partial and particular view of reality. There is a variation of sociological theories, and they can be put together according to various criteria. One of the very important group distinctions is the macro and micro perspective of looking at society. These are ways differ in the way that they approach the analysis of society. The macro perspective is perspective looks at structural part of society. On the other hand, the micro perspective looks at the social actions of people. Functionalism is an example of the macro perspective, it analyses the way soci ety as a whole fits together whereas symbolic interactionism is a micro perspective because it stresses the meaningfulness of human behavior and denies that it is primarily determined by the structure of society. There are two influential sociologists around the 1950s that talk about these two different perspectives, Talcott Parsons and Herbert Blumer. Talcott Parsons finalized his undergraduate studies in biology at the AmherstShow MoreRelatedTheoretical Perspectives Essay: . Sociology Is The Scientific990 Words   |  4 PagesTheoretical Perspectives Essay: Sociology is the scientific study of how humans and groups behave socially and how they, as a whole, change over time. Through the examination of the scientific side of sociology, the understanding of the social world can be shown more clearly. Within the study of sociology, there are two main branches: micro and macro. 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The word love has different meanings depending on what context it is used in, sometimes it means having deep affection towards someone or something, love for but here I am going to try and answer the question, â€Å"Is there a sociology of love?†. In my essay I am going to discuss a sociology of love referring to the article of the study conducted by Gabb and Fink, in which they use multiple research methods relationships behaviours and personal lives. They haveRead MoreExample Of The Three Theoretical Perspectives Of Sociology1044 Words   |  5 Pages Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology Nanesha Greathouse HCC Abstract This paper describes the three major theoretical perspectives in Sociology: symbolic interactionism, functionalism and conflict theory. Sociologists developed these theoretical perspectives to help explain the way individuals conduct themselves and to help us to gain a better understanding of the world around us. Throughout this paper, the reader will learn about each perspective and its origin as well as additionalRead MoreEssay on Social Theorists1569 Words   |  7 Pagesentangled within each theory itself. Theorists, by nature, create theories that can be debated from all angles but must be a tight fit in order to be considered applicable to society. Theology as a single entity is constructed from deep intellectual thought. When social theorist begin to develop there theoretical perspectives, they seem to have an overwhelming grasp on the concepts they try to convey to us. Since it is extremely difficult to have such a complete strong hold on social issues such asRead MoreA Stu dy Of Society And The Social Lives Of Each Individual1698 Words   |  7 PagesQ1. Sociology is the study of society and the social lives of each individual, group or society. Sociology uses patterns of social interactions, social culture and relationships to understand individual and group behaviours. The word sociology was used first by French philosopher, Auguste Comte (1798-1857). He believed that we could use the scientific method to study society in the same way as we use it to study other sciences.  Around the late 18th century into the 19th century, technology had begunRead MoreA Brief Note On Sociology And Sociology Class1524 Words   |  7 Pages After conducting five interviews, I found some similarities and differences on their views of what sociology is. I interviewed two females and three males. The ages from the interviewee’s ranged from 19 to 56. All of my respondent’s in this research were white. The five respondents had a different socioeconomic status. One of the respondents is still in school, and does not work at the moment, so I listed her as a low socioeconomic class. 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The Greeks Crucible of Civilization Free Essays

The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization is a documentary and TV series about the rises and falls of Athens. Liam Neeson narrates throughout the documentary of the civilization of ancient Greece. The filmmaker Anthony Geffen covered both the fourth and fifth centuries B. We will write a custom essay sample on The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization or any similar topic only for you Order Now C. Actors were also used to portray historical events and people during this period. The documentary starts with the history of Athens beginning with the rule of Peisistratos whom transformed the city. He needed allies, in that way his son could have the throne. Peisistratos encouraged farming and provided loans and soon Athens was exporting olive oil to nations around the Mediterranian to Egypt, Persia, and Phoenicia. The booming trade made Athens wealthy and prosperous. Athens became the big apple of Greece. At this time potters were the lower of the lows in Athens. After the death of Peisistratos, his son Hippias took over. He ruled fairly at first, but after his brother’s death, he turned to be a tyrant. Self defense was his only motive and since his only threat was from aristocrats, he turned against them. The aristocrats under the leadership of Cleisthenes captured Hippias and banished him from Athens. The people of Athens then took destiny into their own hands. Isagoras and his partners locked themselves in the Acropolis, but they were forced to surrender and he was forced into exile. Cleisthenes was recalled from exile and asked to form a Government. He came up with the idea of people, both rich and poor, discussing the issues facing them and casting votes to make a decision. On issues like rising of taxes, building of roads and going to war, votes were cast, with a white stone for yes and a black one for no. The super power in the world at that time was Persia. Athens was attacked by the Persians in the battle of Marathon. Athens asked for Sparta’s help, but did not receive it. Though outnumbered, Athens won the battle. A man who participated in the war was Themistocles. He was risen to power through democracy. He was one of history’s greatest leaders and he knew that to hold out against another Persian invasion, they would need a strong navy. The Triremes were warships. They became useful in another war against the Persia when Athens defeated them in the Straits of Salamis. Themistocles was then ostracized, and then died in Persia. The other people highlighted in the documentary were Pericles who built the Parthenon. A major decision was taken by Pericles to attack Sparta resulting in the Peloponnesian War. This war lasted 27 years and finally Athens surrendered to Sparta. Aspasia was his lover. She was made fun of in the theaters and in some tragedies. Pericles died from the plague, which was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history. Socrates was a man who used reason and logic and cared about individuals. He was a man who loved debates. He was later blamed for Athens defeat by Sparta. He was pleaded guilty with the death penalty. The reason why he dies was because he questioned the world around him and was easiest person to blame. Though the film is called The Greeks, however it is essentially a story of Athens and its people. The movie contains re-enactments of various scenes which consist of people dressed in ancient costumes moving in front of an out of focus camera. It gives the viewers a basic knowledge of their society at the time. However, the music in the background was too loud and very distracting making it difficult to hear the movie. One information that struck to my attention that they forgot to mention is that there were four major battles in this war; Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea. Only Marathon and Salamis are noted in the documentary. This film covers the basic information about the history of Athens and is directed towards people who are beginners in this subject. However, for the people who are experts might find some inaccuracies and embellishments in this documentary. In conclusion, Athens had been through many battles and changes throughout their history, from the battle of Marathon to the creation of democracy. It shows viewers who are new to this subject a good understanding of their leaders and famous philosophers. The documentary does a great job explaining and depicting the social, economic, political and cultural aspects of that period. How to cite The Greeks: Crucible of Civilization, Papers

Gun Control Essays (427 words) - Gun Politics, Firearms, Gun Control

Gun Control Gun control has been a controversial issue for years. A vast majority of citizens believe that if gun control is strictly enforced it would quickly reduce the threat of crime. Many innocent people feel they have the right to bear arms for protection, or even for the pleasure of hunting. These people are penalized for protecting their lives, or even for enjoying a common, innocent sport. To enforce gun control throughout the nation, means violating a persons Constitutional rights. Although some people feel that the issue of gun control will limit crime, the issue should not exist due to the fact that guns are necessary for self defense against crime, and by enforcing gun control is violating a citizens second amendment right to bear arms. Guns are evil to some, because of the violence that they create. People express guns as weapons of homicide. They insist that, the more guns with which our society equips itself, the greater the likelihood for accidents or violent acts involving fire arms to occur. It is a proven fact that handguns have been the murder weapon of choice. Guns are involved in half of all homicide cases. People believe that society has relied on weapons that create harm and criminals. Therefore, these weapons should be outlawed. However, law abiding citizens have the right to protect themselves against danger. Due to the ownership of guns, burglaries have reduced considerably. A gun is a tool, guns don't kill people. People kill people. The matter depends on who is using the gun, and what situation it is involved in. Purchasing a handgun legally is a complex procedure. The consumer must go through a two month waiting period. These procedure guarantee the innocence and reliability of a gun owner. The second amendment states the citizens right to own and bear firearms. Freedom to poses arms is a guaranteed citizen right. If the constitutional rights of a citizen are violated, it can be a complex issue. In the case of US vs Miller during the year of 1939, The supreme court voted against individual rights to bear arms. Nothing can destroy a government more quickly than its failure to observe its own laws. This is why all citizens should be aware of all of their constitutional rights. Enforcing gun control is not going to have an effect on the crime rate, because it will not keep criminals from purchasing weapons. If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. If a person is willing to pay a price they will get what they want. Gun owners have to protect themselves from these criminals, and all gun owners must be informed of their second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

A Brief History of International Womens Day

A Brief History of International Womens Day The purpose of  International Womens Day is to bring attention to the social, political, economic, and cultural issues that women face, and to advocate for the advance of women within all those areas. As the organizers of the celebration state,  Through purposeful collaboration, we can help women advance and unleash the limitless potential offered to economies the world over. The day is often also used to recognize women whove made significant contributions to the advancement of their gender. International Womens Day was first celebrated on March 19 (not the later March 8), 1911. A million women and men rallied in support of womens rights on that first International Womens Day. The idea of an International Womens Day was inspired by Americas National Womens Day, February 28, 1909, declared by the Socialist Party of America. The next year, the Socialist International met in Denmark and delegates approved the idea of an International Womens Day. And so the next year, the first International Womens Day - or as it was first called, International Working Womens Day - was celebrated with rallies in Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. Celebrations often included marches and other demonstrations. Not even a week after the first International Womens Day, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire killed 146, mostly young immigrant women, in New York City. That incident inspired many changes in industrial working conditions, and the memory of those who died has been often invoked as part of International Womens Days from that point on. Especially in the early years, International Womens Day was connected with working womens rights. Beyond That First International Womens Day The first Russian observance of International Womens Day was in February 1913. In 1914, with World War I erupting, March 8 was a day of rallies of women against war, or women expressing international solidarity at that time of war. In 1917, on February 23 - March 8 on the Western calendar - Russian women organized a strike, a key beginning of events resulting in the czar being toppled. The holiday was especially popular for many years in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. Gradually, it became more of a truly international celebration. The United Nations celebrated International Womens Year in 1975, and in 1977, the United Nations officially got behind the annual honoring of womens rights known as International Womens Day, a day to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of womens rights. In 2011, the 100th anniversary of International Womens Day resulted in many celebrations around the world, and more than usual attention to International Womens Day. In 2017 in the United States, many women celebrated International Womens Day by taking the day off, as a Day Without Women. Entire school systems closed (women are still about 75% of public school teachers) in some cities. Those who were unable to take the day off wore red to honor the spirit of the strike. Quotes Suitable for International Womens Day Gloria Steinemâ€Å"Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. Its about making life more fair for women everywhere. Its not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. Its about baking a new pie.† Robert Burnsâ€Å"While Europes eye is fixd on mighty things,The fate of empires and the fall of kings;While quacks of State must each produce his plan,And even children lisp the Rights of Man;Amid this mighty fuss just let me mention,The Rights of Woman merit some attention.† Mona Eltahawyâ€Å"Misogyny has not been completely wiped out anywhere. Rather, it resides on a spectrum, and our best hope for eradicating it globally is for each of us to expose and to fight against local versions of it, in the understanding that by doing so we advance the global struggle.† Audre Lordeâ€Å"I am not free while any woman is unfree, even when her shackles are very different from my own.† Variously AttributedWell behaved women rarely make history.

Marx and Capitalism. Why and how does Marx think Capitalism is bound Essay

Marx and Capitalism. Why and how does Marx think Capitalism is bound to collapse - Essay Example Rising unemployment levels, recurring layoffs, tumultuous stock booms and corporate scandals are indicative of the economic crises that would reach sufficient proportions to cause a collapse of capitalism. One must therefore look into the contradictions and sources of instability in this system to understand why capitalism will eventually fail. Karl Marx’s understanding of the collapse of capitalism The views of several contemporary and traditional economists were substantially different from Karl’s Marx’s ideas. Most economists, including prominent ones like Adam Smith, felt that free market economics and hence capitalism was a given fact. They presumed that it emanated from man’s propensity to exchange goods and services. Also, these economists focused on the interaction between man and products rather than between the market participants themselves. Wage labour as well as its relation to capital was the key concern for Marx. He felt that it was more cri tical to study the relationship between people who participated in these systems. In conventional economics, a millionaire who purchased a loaf of bread was treated in the same way as a simple wage labourer. Furthermore, the person selling the item was nothing more than a trader. However, Marx challenged this thinking by showing that people were not equals in capitalist markets. The rich and the poor had different relations to capital and wage labour (Marx and Engels, 1997). Therefore, contradictions arose in this process, yet they were ignored by predominant economists. Karl Marx acknowledged that capitalism perpetuates poverty and inequality. However, these were not sufficient ingredients to lead to its end. Instead, he stated that the cyclical and frequent economic crises that occurred in the capitalist system could lead to an unstable and insecure environment. Workers would lose confidence in their methods of earning a living because the system in which they worked constantly th reatened to make them superfluous. The antagonism that would arise from that situation would lead to a state of anarchy. In other words, economic crises that are inevitable in capitalism cannot guarantee workers even the miniscule amounts to which they were entitled. Such problems would cause a breakdown in world systems. Capitalism does not just affect workers alone; it also has an impact on owners of capital too. The bourgeoisie are in a war for survival; they are fighting against themselves as well as against the proletariat. For this reason, when minor economic crises occur, they can lead to a war as well as an increase in class struggles between the two groups. The possibility of a revolution thus arises because of these crises. Marx did not believe that the revolution was expected, but that it was a possibility that workers could embrace in their response. For a revolution to occur, it is not sufficient for the oppressed to be unable to sustain their living conditions. The upp er classes must also be unable to maintain their old system of governance. Since instability affects both parties, then it is likely that it will lead to a collapse. In order to understand Marx’s prediction of collapse in capitalism, it is critical to understand how crises occur in the first place. The theorist explained that owners of capital had one sole aim when conducting business and this was to accumulate more capital. It was not that they were greedy for money; however, they needed to accumulate more capital in order to beat their rivals. In capitalism, a manufacturer often uses their money to purchase resources in order to create goods. This person would not be able to produce those goods if they lacked vast finances to begin with. Once these individuals make

Assess the view that feminism has succeeded in its aims Essay

Assess the view that feminism has succeeded in its aims - Essay Example Gilligan further stated that there were female and male moral hierarchies, and that the female moral hierarchy should be equal to the male moral hierarchy. Therefore, Gilligan proposed that females and males should be approached and studied differently, and that women might have different moral hierarchies, but that these hierarchies are not inferior to males, just different. Gilligan further found that men and women are different, in that women value care over rights, and men value rights over care. She further went on to note other cultural differences, such as that males define themselves by separation from others, and females define themselves by identifying with others. Further, cultural feminists understand that our rights and ethos are male centric, and believe that society should listen to the women's voice as much as the man's voice (Turnier et al., 1996). Ending Stereotypes of Women Since cultural feminism is concerned with the differences between men and women, and that, b ecause we lived in a man's world, the man is the one who defines society, stereotyping of women based upon a male's perception of the female ideal is one problem that cultural feminists fight to overcome. One of the ways that women are stereotyped is through the use of ideal body images, which are the ideals that women feel that they have to achieve, in order to be seen as being acceptable to society. The ideal is represented by Playboy models and pageant winners, which are, by and large, difficult if not impossible to attain for the average woman (Calabrese et al., 2011). Our society is inundated by this beauty ideal both through the regular media and through advertising. Advertising, according to Dyer (1989), features the feminine beauty ideal because advertising essentially markets a fantasy, in this case, a male fantasy. The objects that are to be sold are made more valuable in the eyes of society by being associated with these ideal images. Therefore, the feminine ideal of the Barbie or Playboy figure – slim waisted and large breasted – becomes the standard by which women are judged in our advertisements, and is responsible for perpetuating the stereotype that women must uphold these ideals (Dyer, 1989).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The reason why the feminine ideal is that of the slim waisted and large breasted Barbie doll or Playboy centerfold is because this is the supposed ideal of the male, and, as de Beauvoir (1973) notes, femininity is defined by the patriarchy in society. That said, as Lorber (1993) notes, the standards of beauty, as defined by men, are ever-changing in society. While the ideal might be the Barbie figure today, and it was in the 1950s as well, as shown by the popularity of Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield and Jane Russell, the ideal in the 1990s was the emaciated look. This look, according to Lorber (1993) was small-breasted, slim hipped, and emaciated. This ideal was something that the women starved t hemselves for during this period of time (Lorber, 1993). What controls what is popular, as far as body types go, is patriarchy, society and culture (Lorber, 1993). The problem with these images, aside from how they make women feel, is that women become essentially the object of the male sexual gratification and desire, and makes women believe that their appearance is associated with their worth. This leads to a kind of destructive stereotype, that women are supposed to meet the stereotyped ideal, and, if they do not, they fall

Strategic marketing management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strategic marketing management - Essay Example Strategic marketing helps the organisation to supply products that will be accepted by consumers and at the most appropriate prices that will help to enhance profitability. This is because of the idea that the organisation starts with good market research to determine what consumers, the targeted group of consumers, the strengths and the weaknesses of competitors and future trends (McDaniel & Rylander 1993). The firm can then redesign and differentiate its products to meet and exceed consumers’ expectations that in turn expand the market share and also enhance profitability.   Additionally, strategic marketing helps the organisation to determine the optimal prices for its products in the various environments in which it operates (McDaniel & Rylander 1993). If high price establishes a perception of high value then the organisation can improve the quality of the product and offer the product at a higher price. Conversely, if the customers are only willing to buy the product at the lowest price then the organisation adopts more efficient methods of production to lower the cost of production that can allow it to offer lower prices. This will ensure that the organisation can always meet its objectives and remain most powerful in the industry.     Strategic marketing also enables the various departments of the organisation to co-ordinate effectively to meet the overall goals set. The first process in strategic marketing is the articulation of the reason the organisation exists followed by the means of benefiting consumers over a long time.

Organizational Background of Asda Supermarket

Organizational Background of Asda Supermarket Personnel administration has many facets including the appraisal procedure for the organization employees bearing in mind their performances. The basic intention of developing a Performance Evaluation System (PES) is to help out each and every employee in recognizing their work capability in the present job. Exquisitely, a good performance appraisal should comprise of a two way feedback among the appraiser and the appraisee. This usually involves a critical assessment of the shortcomings not noted earlier to a point where the main focal point is the developmental need of the employees. The Performance Management System (PMS) is the main cardinal point of all HR functions comprising of planning, training and development, rewards, benefits and compensation, career planning, benefits management etc. in short all employee welfare is dependent on the PMS. Whereas on the contrary there are some problems as well in the implementation of an effective PMS that comprises of lack of feedback non standardized criteria, non confidentiality, personal biases etc. There are other serious factors that possess a threat to HR policy makers when efforts are put into making the existing system change. Problems like too much complicated Evaluation Performa, fear of un-popularity/contradiction, one officer writing 400 to 500 performance appraisal reports every year many of whom he never met and the like are just to mention a few. It is hence necessary for the Human Resource Management to design and enforce a good PMS that makes sure that the evaluation system is fair and trustworthy and that doesnt create unnecessary differences. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND: The case study of Asda HR department that how do they evaluate and judge its employees will be carried out in form of research on the upcoming months. ASDA is a subsidiary of WALMART (USA) and one of the leading retail stores of UK. In more than 300 stores of Asda there are usually 250-500 plus employees working in different shifts. Asda became a part of Walmart (USA) around more than 10 years ago. It has a strong retention policy which is evident from the fact that more than 170,000 employees work for Asda and out of which around 75,000 approximately have completed their 5 years service which contributes to 20% employee turnover rate annually. All these can be due to the fact that it has a strong friendly policy that includes staff discounts, money off vouchers, plus other benefits. The other key factor that plays an important part in retention is the ability to progress from a colleague to a manager. According to Sarah Dickins the retail people director we do a lot of work listenin g to colleagues to see how we can improve the business and respond to that. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES: This research would aim to judge the consequence of performance appraisal means on employees and to determine the connection between the colleagues performance and the process of Performance appraisal. The main focus of the research would be on questions like: Is the current performance evaluation system fair and transparent? Employees satisfaction with the appraisal system. How to link PES with rewards, recognition, training needs assessment, coaching, promotion, placement, succession policy, career planning etc? LITERATURE REVIEW: Every person has its own perception regarding Performance appraisal, their own point of view. But what (Becton, Portis Schraeder 2007) said is it is a method of judging an employee performance related to his job and how efficiently is he in his performance. The conventional way of Performance Appraisal is that once a year the employee meets his rater or appraiser who rates how well is the job performance. As stated by Douglas McGregor in Harvard Business Review article An Uneasy Look at Performance Appraisal (quoted by Richard C. Grote) the goals of an organizations performance appraisal program are designed to meet three needs one for the organization and two for the individual: They provide systematic judgments to back up salary increases, promotions, transfers, and sometimes demotions and terminations. They are means of telling a subordinate how he is doing and suggesting needed changes in his behavior, attitudes, skills or job knowledge, they let him know where he stands with the boss. They are also being increasingly used as basis for the coaching and counseling of the individual by the superior. A common misconception is that the sole purpose of Performance appraisal is to inform employees how their performance has been rated. Thats unfortunate, because a productive performance appraisal can accomplish much more. A productive appraisal, along with reviewing the quality of the employees work, serves as a work session between supervisor and employee in which you take the time and effort to meet with an individual and set new goals and objectives for the coming year. A productive appraisal recognizes that people are an incredibly valuable resource with specific needs and goals. (Paul Falcone, Randi Toler Sachs 2007) Heydel (quoted by Goel 2008) stated that The process of evaluating the performance and qualifications of the employees in terms of the requirements of the job for which he is employed for the purpose of administration including placement, selection for promotions, providing financial rewards and other actions which require different treatment among the members of a group as distinguished from the action affecting all members equally. As stated by Tom Coens, Mary Jenkins (2000) does appraisal work. Due to its inherent design flaws, appraisal produces distorted and unreliable data about their contribution of employees. Consequently, the resulting documentation is not useful for staffing decision and often does not hold up in court. Too often, appraisal destroys human spirit and, in the span of a 30 minute meeting, can transform a vibrant, highly committed employee into a demoralized, indifferent wallflower who reads the want ads on the weekend. With vast majority of organizations repeatedly experiencing disappointing results and problems with appraisal, we wonder why there isnt more discussion about dropping it, rather than trying to fix it. In many organizations performance appraisal systems remain one of the great paradoxes of effective human resource management. On one hand, appraisal systems can provide valuable performance information to a number of critical human resource activities, such as the allocation of rewards, e.g., merit pay, promotions; feedback on the development and assessment of training needs; other human resource systems evaluation, e.g., selection predictors; and performance documentation for legal purposes(Cleveland, Murphy, and Williams, 1989). Appraisal systems seem to offer much potential for enhancing the effectiveness of human resource decisions and for satisfying employees need for performance feedback (Ilgen, Fisher, and Taylor, 1979). On the other hand, there is evidence that appraisal systems are a practical challenge to the academics who often design them and to the managers and employees who must use them. As Banks and Murphy (1985: 335) noted: Organizations continue to express disappoin tment in performance appraisal systems despite advances in appraisal technology. Appraisal reliability and validity still remain major problems in most appraisal systems, and new (and presumably improved) appraisal systems are often met with substantial resistance. In essence, effective performance appraisal in organizations continues to be a compelling but unrealized goal. This negativity is echoed by practitioners in the private and public sectors (George, 1986; Meyer, 1991). It seems fair to conclude that many organizational appraisal systems have failed to realize their full potential contribution to organizational effectiveness. M. Susan Taylor, Kay B. Tracy, Monika K. Renard, J. Kline Harrison, Stephen J. Carroll.Due Process in Performance Appraisal: A Quasi-Experiment in Procedural Justice. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 40, 1995 Performance appraisal has widened as a concept and as a set of practices and in the form of performance management has become part of a more strategic approach to integrating HR activities and business policies. As a result of this, the research on the subject has moved beyond the limited confines of measurement issues and accuracy of performance ratings and has begun to focus more of social and motivational aspects of appraisal. It breaks these down in terms of the nature of appraisal and the context in which it operates. The former is considered in terms of contemporary thinking on the content of appraisal (contextual performance, goal orientation and self awareness) and the process of appraisal (appraiser-appraisee interaction, and multi-source feedback). The discussion of the context of appraisal concentrates on cultural differences and the impact of new technology. In reviewing these emerging areas of research, the article seeks to explore some of the implications for appraisal practice at both organizational and individual levels. (Fletcher C 2001) Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Volume 74,ÂÂ  Number 4, November 2001, pp. 473-487(15). Because of the pivotal role that performance appraisal plays in managing human resources (Cardy Dobbins,1994), there has been a great deal of research conducted to understand appraisals. Murphy and Cleveland (1991) noted that much of this research has focused on such issues as appraisal formats and minimizing bias from raters. One of the issues that they suggested that warrants further attention is the criteria by which appraisal systems are judged. They suggested that one such research area that needs to be addressed is the reactions of the ratees to the appraisal system. Murphy and Cleveland proposed that research should seek to understand how appraisal accuracy affects reactions to the appraisal. Cardy and Dobbins (1994) mirrored this sentiment and argued that such perceptual reactions to the appraisal system are clearly important to the appraisal systems operational effectiveness. Maier (1958) had pointed out that appraises defensiveness is an expected reaction since the manager, in discussing his appraisal of a subordinates performance with the man, is automatically cast in the role of judge and the subordinate becomes the defendant. With their respective roles structured in this way, the natural reaction of the subordinate is to become defensive when criticized and, to the degree that he is defensive rather than constructive, he is less likely to take action necessary to improve his performance. His defensiveness is in effect a denial of responsibility for the short coming cited. To show improvement in the aspect of performance criticized would be negating the validity of the defence. Performance Appraisal Based On Self-Review, Journal Of Personnal Psychology 1968, Volume 21, issue 4, Pg 421-430. Lewis and Rock (1967) stated that whether an organization accepts or denies the usefulness of performance appraisal, whether it adopts a formal appraisal system or not, top management is constantly appraising the performance of its subordinate managers. The latter are doing the same to their subordinates. They are doing because performance appraisal, formal or informal lies at the heart of the art of managing. Good managers do it well; poor managers do it less satisfactory; only bad managers do it not at all. (quoted by S.Mufeed Ahmad). Although feedback is advocated as a means for influencing performance, empirical investigations indicate that the effect of feedback on performance is not uniformly positive. In the proposed model, reactions to feedback, not feedback per se, influence performance. In response to the lack of research on causal mechanisms linking feedback to performance and calls for such research, reactions are proposed to mediate the influence of feedback-related characteristics on performance. Feedback-related characteristics central to models of performance feedback that also corresponded with the three characteristics of the due process model served as antecedents to reactions. Using longitudinal data and previous performance as a control variable, results of structural equation modeling evidenced strong support for the proposed model as antecedents substantially related to ratees reactions, and ratees reactions indeed influenced subsequent performance. Organizations should design appraisal system s in accordance with the due process framework and train managers in conducting feedback discussions. I.M. Jawahar, Group Organization Management August 16, 2010 vol. 35 no. 4 494-526. Recently, performance appraisal researchers have adopted a cognitive approach to analyzing judgment processes in performance appraisal. While this approach allows researchers to tap a wealth of knowledge applicable to the appraisal context, this line of research is likely to widen the already existing gap between research and practice. We argue that coordination of the talents of researchers and practitioners is essential for narrowing the gap. Specifically, we suggest researchers focus their research on the best methods of ensuring use of relevant and valid data in appraisal, given organizational constraints. We also suggest practitioners focus on determining observable and measurable aspects of performance, and thus, specify appropriate appraisal content. We also note that cognitive process research has promise for increasing raters ability to judge accurately, but that this approach does not necessarily address the raters willingness to provide accurate ratings. Cristina G. Banks, Kevin R. Murphy. Towards Narrowing the Research-Practice Gap in Performance Appraisal, Personnel Psychology, Volume 38, Issue 2, pages 335-345, June 1985 As stated by lefkowitz, 2000,the extent to which appraisers like appraise influences their assessment of them and is the same true for peers and subordinates giving ratings in a 360- degree feedback exercise? Unfortunately the answer seems to be YES. There is also evidence that 360-degree feedback assessments are no more immune to ethnic bias than other form of appraisal (Alimo-Metcalfe and Alban-Metcalfe 2003) Clive Fletcher, (2004) Appraisal and Feedback, Making performance review work, (3rd ed) CIPD publication. Self-appraisal also may be used to help employees improve their job performance. Self appraisal may complement supervisory ratings. According to Bassett Meyer, 1968, self-appraisal can serve several distinct functions within an organization. Self-appraisal may be used as additional data points. Because intersource reliability can be considered a precondition for evaluation validity, serious disagreement among sources raises fundamental concerns about evaluation process as a whole further if disagreement between self appraiser and supervisor ratings is not extreme, then self appraisal can be combined with these other evaluations, increasing overall reliability. According to Thornton 1968 self appraisal are used to gather performance information that is either not obtained or impossible to obtain through other channels, and reducing criterion deficiency by including dimensions of performance that are over looked by other evaluation sources. Self-Appraisal in Performance Evaluation: Development versus Evaluation Donald J. Campbell and Cynthia Lee The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Apr., 1988), pp. 302-314. Significance: In context of the above literature we would like to see in our study the relevance of the ongoing appraisal system in ASDA. It is important for the colleagues to receive feedback from employers or managers in a consistent and on going basis. The feedback in performance appraisal is significant in showing what the colleague is doing well at the store or what can be improved. The current method of self-appraisal that is being followed at ASDA is it more effective and is there any biases in feedback from the rater. The thinkers and experts of modern times have grouped the primary users and purposes of evaluation into the following three categories. Information resulting from two-way communication between supervisor and subordinates assisting the former in assessing the motivation, skills, training needs, selection procedures, placements, placements, transfers etc of the latter Motivation which has a direct bearing on the productivity of the employees. Developmental emphasizing through use of appraisal the managements responsibility to counsel and aid employees in realizing their potentials. It is therefore a foregone conclusion that the adoption of a better performance appraisal system is bound to result a remarkable improvement in performance of organizations. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: The research will be based upon the data, which will be collected from the colleagues and managers in ASDA. Data will also be gathered from the Personnel department and the HR manager in ASDA. The colleagues and managers will also be a part of this research in order to provide data for this dissertation. As I am working for ASDA it would not be any big dilemma for me to get the data in completion of my dissertation. I must be able to get as much as primary data as I need through interviews and questionnaire. Collected data will be analyzed certainly on basis of research question and comparison of claims about the process from HR department and response got after conducting research. RESEARCH METHODS: Due to the nature of the research, qualitative and quantitative both methods of research will be followed. If we go in depth into this research, it really has qualitative as well as quantitative concerns. That is the reason why I have decided to have mix of both methods of data analysis. Hypothesis will also be required in this research so those will also made by selecting some variables. Data collection will be primary data or secondary data. Primary data will be collected from the colleagues and managers in form of interviews and questioners. Whereas the secondary data will be collected from journals, annual reports and through internet. DATA ANALYSIS: The analysis will be done on the data being collected in form of manual analysis and through different applications like excel, etc. Qualitative analysis will be used to analyze open-ended questions on the survey. Quantitative analysis will be done for questions in survey using different application to determine strength and weakness of the performance appraisal. A detailed report after the research survey and analysis will be submitted.

Urban Legend of Cry Baby Bridge :: Urban Legends Ghost Stories

Cry Baby Bridge In April I sat down with a friend at my house and asked about any urban legends or ghost stories he had encountered. After a couple legends he had seen in movies, he mentioned a haunted bridge about ten minutes away from downtown. He is a twenty-one year-old White male; his father owns an appliance store and his mother helps out with the books. He first heard this story in the ninth grade from a couple of friends. Supposedly, they had heard from kids who had actually been to the bridge and heard strange things at night. The bridge is located off of Uniontown road, between a couple old farms. He has not encountered the bridge first hand but still remembers the story surrounding it: About thirty years ago there was a young girl in love with her boyfriend. One day, he convinced her to take their relationship to the next level, telling her how deeply he cared. A couple weeks later, she found out that she had become pregnant, and decided it was best to hide it from him. They kept in close contact over the next few months, and he told her that they would be together forever. When her father realized that she was having a baby without marriage, he made her leave the house until she came back with a husband. When the baby girl was born, she decided to tell the boyfriend about the child, by bringing her to his house. He lived on a small farm right outside town and you had to pass over a small river on a bridge to get back to his house. As she opened the door, she walked in on him with another girl. Filled with anger, (pause) she gets in her car and speeds off. Now she could not return home unmarried and had lost her only love because of this one child. As she looked over at the baby, she is only reminded of her boyfriend and the image of him with the other girl. (tone increases) Finally, she reached the bridge, then slammed on the breaks. She got out and in a moment of rage threw the baby over the bridge to rid her of the baby girl’s troubles. Later that night, the police were tipped off about a murder at the bridge and came to find the girl hanging from the bridge. Urban Legend of Cry Baby Bridge :: Urban Legends Ghost Stories Cry Baby Bridge In April I sat down with a friend at my house and asked about any urban legends or ghost stories he had encountered. After a couple legends he had seen in movies, he mentioned a haunted bridge about ten minutes away from downtown. He is a twenty-one year-old White male; his father owns an appliance store and his mother helps out with the books. He first heard this story in the ninth grade from a couple of friends. Supposedly, they had heard from kids who had actually been to the bridge and heard strange things at night. The bridge is located off of Uniontown road, between a couple old farms. He has not encountered the bridge first hand but still remembers the story surrounding it: About thirty years ago there was a young girl in love with her boyfriend. One day, he convinced her to take their relationship to the next level, telling her how deeply he cared. A couple weeks later, she found out that she had become pregnant, and decided it was best to hide it from him. They kept in close contact over the next few months, and he told her that they would be together forever. When her father realized that she was having a baby without marriage, he made her leave the house until she came back with a husband. When the baby girl was born, she decided to tell the boyfriend about the child, by bringing her to his house. He lived on a small farm right outside town and you had to pass over a small river on a bridge to get back to his house. As she opened the door, she walked in on him with another girl. Filled with anger, (pause) she gets in her car and speeds off. Now she could not return home unmarried and had lost her only love because of this one child. As she looked over at the baby, she is only reminded of her boyfriend and the image of him with the other girl. (tone increases) Finally, she reached the bridge, then slammed on the breaks. She got out and in a moment of rage threw the baby over the bridge to rid her of the baby girl’s troubles. Later that night, the police were tipped off about a murder at the bridge and came to find the girl hanging from the bridge.

Chronology of Events in Pakistan from Historical Perspective

Pakistan-Table A – Chronology of Important Events Pakistan Index Period Description ANCIENT EMPIRES ca. 2500-1600 B. C. Indus Valley culture ca. 1500-500 B. C. Migrations of Indo-Aryan- speaking tribes; the Vedic Age. ca. 563-483 B. C. Life of Siddartha Gautama–the Buddha; founding of Buddhism. ca. 321-180 B. C. Mauryan Empire; reign of Ashoka (r. ca. 274-236 B. C. ); spread of Buddhism. ca. 180 B. C. -A. D. 150 Saka dynasties in Indus Valley. ca. A. D. 78-ca. 200 Kushan Empire; Gandharan art flourishes. ca. A. D. 319-ca. 600 Gupta Empire; classical age in northern India.COMING OF ISLAM 711 Muhammad bin Qasim, an Arab general, conquers Sindh and incorporates it into Umayyad Caliphate. 1001-1030 Mahmud of Ghazni raids Indian subcontinent from Afghanistan. 1192 Muhammad of Ghor defeats Rajputs. 1206-1526 Delhi Sultanate. 1398 Timur destroys Delhi. THE MUGHAL PERIOD 1526 Babur defeats last Lodhi sultan in first Battle of Panipat, thus laying foundation of Mughal Empire. 15 56 Akbar victorious in secondBattle of Panipat. 1556-1605 Reign of Akbar. 1605-27 Reign of Jahangir; in 1612 East India Company opens first trading post (factory). 1628-58 Reign of Shah Jahan, builder of Taj Mahal. 1658-1707 Reign of Aurangzeb, last great Mughal ruler. 1707-1858 Lesser emperors; decline of Mughal Empire. BRITISH PERIOD 1757 Battle of Plassey and British victory over Mughal forces in Bengal; conventional date for beginning of British rule in India. 799-1839 Sikh kingdom established in Punjab under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. 1830s Institution of British education and other reform measures. 1838-42 First Anglo-Afghan War. 1843 British annex Sindh, Hyderabad, and Khairpur. 1845-49 Sikh Wars; British annex Punjab; Kashmir sold to Dogra Dynasty, to be ruled under British paramountcy. 1857-58 Uprising, variously known as Indian Mutiny, Sepoy Rebellion, and by Indian nationalists as First War of Independence. 858 East India Company dissolved; rule of India under British crown ( the British Raj) begins; marks formal end of Mughal Empire. 1878-80 Second Anglo-Afghan War. 1885 Indian National Congress formed. 1893 Durand Line established as boundary between Afghanistan and British India. 1905 Partition of Bengal. 1906 All-India Muslim League founded. 1909 Morley-Minto Reforms establish separate electorates for Muslims. 911 Partition of Bengal annulled. 1916 Congress-Muslim League Pact (often referred to as Lucknow Pact) signed. 1919 Montague-Chelmsford Reforms; Third Anglo-Afghan War. 1935 Government of India Act of 1935. 1940 Muslim League adopts â€Å"Pakistan Resolution† demanding separate nation for Muslims of India. â€Å"Two Nations Theory† articulated by Muslim League leader Mohammad Ali Jinnah and others. 1946 August Muslim League observes â€Å"Direct Action Day. Widespread communal rioting spreads to many parts of India. 1947 June Legislation introduced in British Parliament calling for independence and partition of India; communal ri oting and mass movements of population begin, resulting in next months in 250,000 deaths and up to 24 million refugees. INDEPENDENT PAKISTAN 1947 August Partition of British India; India achieves independence and incorporates West Bengal and Assam; Pakistan is created and incorporates East Bengal (East Wing, or East Pakistan) and territory in the northwest (West Wing, or West Pakistan);Jinnah becomes governor general of Pakistan; Liaquat Ali Khan becomes prime minister. October Start of first Indo-Pakistani War over sovereignty of Kashmir. 1948 September Jinnah dies; Khwaja Nazimuddin becomes governor general. 1949 January United Nations-arranged cease- fire between Pakistan and India takes effect. 1951 October Liaquat assassinated; Nazimuddin becomes prime minister; Ghulam Mohammad becomes governor general. 1955 August Ghulam Mohammad resigns; succeeded by Iskander Mirza.October One Unit Plan establishes the four provinces of West Pakistan as one administrative unit. 1956 March Con stitution adopted; Mirza becomes president. 1958 October Mirza abrogates constitution and declares martial law; Mirza sent into exile; Chief Martial Law Administrator (CMLA) General Mohammad Ayub Khan assumes presidency. 1965 August Start of second Indo-Pakistani War over Kashmir. 1969 March Martial law declared; Ayub Khan resigns; CMLA General Agha Mohammad Yahya Khan ssumes presidency. 1970 July One Unit Plan abolished; four provinces reestablished in West Pakistan. December First general elections; Awami League under Mujib secures absolute majority in new National Assembly; West Pakistan-dominated government declines to convene assembly. 1971 March East Pakistan attempts to secede, beginning civil war; Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Mujib), imprisoned in West Pakistan, declared provisional president. April Formal declaration of independence of Bangladesh issued; Mujib named president.December Pakistan launches preemptive air strikes against India; India invades East Pakistan; India recog nizes Bangladesh; Pakistani military forces in East Pakistan surrender to Indian armed forces, marking Bangladeshi independence; Yahya Khan resigns; Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto becomes CMLA and president. 1972 July Bhutto and India's prime minister, Indira Gandhi, conclude Simla Agreement, adjusting 1949 cease-fire line between Pakistan and India and creating new line of control. 1973 August New constitution goes into effect; Bhutto becomes prime inister. 1976 February Pakistan and Bangladesh establish diplomatic relations. 1977 March General elections; massive victory by Bhutto's party evokes widespread rioting and protest. July Army chief of staff, General Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, appoints himself CMLA and proclaims martial law. 1978 September Mohammad Zia ul-Haq becomes nation's sixth president, replacing Fazal Elahi Chaudhry. 1979 February Islamic penal code introduced. April Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto hanged.November Mob storms and burns down United States Embassy in Islamabad, killing two Americ ans and two Pakistani employees; United States cultural centers in Rawalpindi and Lahore also torched; attacks in response to Iranian-inspired rumors that United States citizens responsible for November 20 attack on Grand Mosque in Mecca. December Large-scale movements of Soviet troops and military equipment into Afghanistan. 1980 January United States president Jimmy Carter pledges military assistance to help Pakistan defend itself against Soviet hreat; Carter offers US$400 million, rejected by Zia as â€Å"peanuts. † 1983 August President Zia ul-Haq announces that martial law will be lifted in 1985 but warns that army will retain key role in future governments. 1985 January Non-Islamic banking abolished. February General elections held for National Assembly. March Mohammad Khan Junejo invited by Zia to form civilian cabinet. July Economy declared to be in conformity with Islam. 1986 August Movement for the Restoration f Democracy (MRD) launches campaign against government, demanding new general elections; Benazir Bhutto arrested in Karachi. December New federal cabinet sworn into office by President Zia with Mohammad Khan Junejo continuing as prime minister. May Prime Minister Junejo expands federal government to include five new ministers and three new ministers of state; President Zia dismisses Junejo government, dissolves national and provincial assemblies, and orders new elections to be held within ninety days. August Zia, the United States mbassador to Pakistan, and top army officials killed in mysterious airplane crash near Bahawalpur in Punjab; Ghulam Ishaq Khan, chairman of Senate, sworn in as acting president; General Mirza Aslam Beg becomes chief of the army staff. October Salman Rushdie's novel, The Satanic Verses, banned in Pakistan; joint United States- Pakistani investigatory committee concludes that Zia's death was caused by â€Å"criminal act of sabotage. † November Elections held for National Assembly; Pakistan People's Party ( PPP) wins ninety-three out of 207 seats contested.December Benazir Bhutto sworn in as first female prime minister of a Muslim nation; PPP and MQM parties sign â€Å"Karachi Declaration,† an accord to restore peace in Sindh; Pakistan and India sign accords at South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit in Islamabad, including agreement not to attack each other's nuclear facilities. June Combined Opposition Parties (COP), consisting of most opposition groups, formed in National Assembly, with Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi as leader. February Soviet Union completes withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.September Pakistan's largest ever military exercise, Zarb- e – Momin (Sword of the Faithful), commences. October Pakistan rejoins Commonwealth of Nations. December Ethnic riots in Sindh claim scores of lives. 1990 May-June Ethnic troubles mount in Sindh; rift develops between PPP and coalition partners. August President Ghulam Ishaq Khan di smisses Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her cabinet, and National Assembly; orders new elections for October 24, 1990; Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi becomes caretaker prime inister. October United States president George Bush is unable to deliver annual certification that Pakistan does not possess nuclear weapons as condition of continued assistance and arms and technology transfers, leading to cutoff of most aid. National elections held; Bhutto's PPP loses to coalition of rightist parties. November Mian Nawaz Sharif elected prime minister. 1991 February Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif liberalizes economy, lifts controls on foreign currency entering country, and announces policies to encourage new investment; numerous pro-Iraq emonstrations and widespread public opposition to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's support of Desert Storm but pro-United Nations stance reiterated. May Shariat Bill is adopted by National Assembly. July Opposition members call upon president to dismiss government because of deteriorating law and o rder situation, particularly in Sindh. 1992 December Babri Mosque in Ayodya, India, destroyed by Hindu fundamentalists seeking to build Hindu temple on contested site; communal violence mounts over incident; Pakistan asks Indian government to protect Muslims in India. 993 April President Ishaq Khan dismisses government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, citing corruption. July President Ishaq Khan and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif resign under pressure from military; World Bank officer, Moeen Qureshi, named caretaker prime minister pending elections in October. October Benazir Bhutto's PPP wins slim margin in national elections and builds coalition government; Benazir appointed prime minister. November PPP stalwart, Farooq Leghari, defeats acting President Wassim Sajjad and becomes president. Data as of April 1994

All About Ivory and How Its Use Endangers Elephants

All About Ivory and How Its Use Endangers Elephants Ivory is the natural raw material that makes up mammal tusks and teeth. Traditionally, the term only refers to elephant tusks, but the chemical structure of teeth and tusks of mammals such as hippos, warthogs, and whales is identical to that of elephants, and so ivory can refer to any mammals tooth or tusk that is large enough to be sculpted or scrimshawed.  Ã‚   Key Takeaways Ivory is a natural substance formed in the teeth and tusks of mammals.It has been carved and used as decorative objects for 40,000 years or more.Modern trade in ivory has pushed the cost up over $1,000 per kilogram.Ivory demand has devastated elephant populations around the world. Elephant and ivory tusk comes from the two modified incisors of living and extinct members of the Proboscidea family: Asian and African elephants and extinct mammoth from Alaska and Siberia (where preservation is possible). Other mammals with large enough teeth to be carvable include marine mammals like narwhals, walruses, and sperm and killer whales, as well as their evolutionary relatives, warthogs and hippopotami.   Elephant Ivory Close up of African savanna elephant ((Loxodonta africana) tusks. Martin Harvey / Gallo Images / Getty Images Elephant tusks are extremely large teeth which project out beyond the lips. Tusks are made up of a root and the tusk itself, and they have the same physical structures that teeth do: pulp cavity, dentine, cementum, and enamel. Elephant enamel wears off when the elephant is still quite young, and the main component of tusks (about 95 percent) is dentine, a mineralized connective tissue.   The elephant uses the tusks for defense and offense, for digging access to waterholes, lifting objects, gathering food, stripping bark, and protecting their trunks. Elephant tusks can grow up to 12 feet (3.5 meters) in length. Baby elephants have a deciduous precursor that they lose before the permanent tooth grows in. The size and shape of a tusk are related to the animals diet, and, barring trauma, tusks grow throughout the animals life. Like human teeth, the tusk carries a stable isotope record of the animals birthplace, diet, growth, behavior, and life history.   What is Ivory Used For? Lion sculpture in the world-famous Vogelherd-cave near Heidenheim; location: Vogelherdhà ¶hle near Stetten, Heidenheim, Germany; age: ca 33.000 years; era: Paleolithic; material: mammoth ivory; size: 9,2 cm;. Walter Geiersperger / Getty Images Mammoth ivory is among the oldest material used for making decorative objects and tools, with its first use documented 40,000 years ago during the European Upper Paleolithic. It is highly prized because it warms to the touch, varies in color from white to yellow, is easily carved and etched, and has an odd visual effect known as Schreger lines or angles, a unique pattern of cross-hatching that is in reality rows of microscopic tubes.   Tooth and tusk ivories have been carved into a nearly infinite number of shapes and objects: small statuary and button-like netsukes, flatware handles and furniture inlay, piano keys, combs, gaming pieces, and plaques. When a tusk is carved but still retains its overall form, thats called a scrimshaw, which was a traditional pastime of sailors on long-term voyages.   The Price of Ivory In 2014, the wholesale price for ivory was $2,100 per kilogram, but by 2017 it had fallen to $730, largely because of a new Chinese ban. The other cost of ivory is in elephants. Over the past decades, thousands of elephants have been ruthlessly slaughtered, to the point that both Asian and African elephants are listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Estimates for the elephant population in the world at the end of the 19th century were in the millions. According to the last Great Elephant Census taken in 2015, there were 352,271 African savanna elephants living in 18 different countries, down 30 percent since 2007. Those numbers account for about 93 percent of all the savanna elephants in the world. The current rate of elephant population decline is 8 percent per year or about ∠¼40,000 elephants. The tusks from a single elephant could be worth more than US $100,000.   Cost of Poaching Park Rangers at Mikumi National Park in Tanzania stand beside a bull elephant killed by poachers. Tom Stoddart / Getty Images The reason the price per kilogram of ivory dropped so steeply is in part because China ended its legal trade in ivory on December 31, 2017. Before the ban, the country had many state-licensed ivory carving factories and retail shops: evidence indicates that legal trade has ceased. However, illicit trade continues, and specific country-sanctioned legal trade continues in other places. In the fall of 2018, evidence of continued poaching of elephants was found in several parts of Africa.   Elephant poaching is conducted by helicopters, military grade weaponry, and poisoned pumpkins; dozens of wildlife rangers have been killed trying to protect the animals. Tusks are gathered from the killed elephants and exported illegally by African gangs and corrupt officials.   What Can You Do to Help? Many organizations including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services hold regular crushes, where confiscated ivory objects are destroyed to remove them from the market. Ivory Crush in Rome, Italy 2015. Stefano Montesi/Corbis via Getty Images The first thing you can do is not buy ivory. Although antique ivory (older than 1947) is legal to purchase, buying it still increases the market for fake antiques made on the tusks of newly killed animals, so at the least, make sure what youre buying is indeed antique. Better not to buy it at all.   There are several good charities, like the World Wildlife Foundation, Save the Elephants (African Wildlife Foundation), and the Elephant Sanctuary, which are effectively moving to protect elephants and pushing states to ban and criminalize ivory manufacture and trade. You could join them and donate money or volunteer labor, you could campaign and lobby for the elephants, you could help raise funds and sponsor the care of the animals.   The British newspaper The Guardian has an extensive list of ways you can get involved, called What can I do to help elephants? Sources Espinoza, Edgard O., and Mary-Jacque Mann. Identification Guide for Ivory and Ivory Substitutes. Washington, DC: World Wildlife Fund, 1992. Print. Online version at FWS.Fisher, Daniel C. Paleobiology of Pleistocene Proboscideans. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 46.1 (2018): 229-60. Print.Gettleman, Jeffrey. Elephants Get a Reprieve as Price of Ivory Falls. The New York Times March 29, 2017. Print.Roca, Alfred L., et al. Elephant Natural History: A Genomic Perspective. Annual Review of Animal Biosciences 3.1 (2015): 139-67. Print.Vigne, Lucy, and Esmond Martin. Decline in the Legal Ivory Trade in China in Anticipation of a Ban. Nairobi, Kenya: Save the Elephants, 2017. Print.What Can I Do to Help Elephants? The Guardian. February 13, 2017. Web.What Is the Impact of Chinas Ivory Ban? World Wildlife Foundation 2018. Web.Wittemyer, George, et al. Illegal Killing for Ivory Drives Global Decline in African Elephants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.36 (201 4): 13117-21. Print.

buy custom The Education System in California essay

buy custom The Education System in California essay Introduction California is the most populous state in the United States of America. With a student population of more than six million, learning institutions especially in the public institution are feeling the burden. The education system consists of both the private and the public schools. California State is a cosmopolitan state inhabited by the people of all races. However, the highest number of the inhabitants is the immigrants especially from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The attractive nature of the California city to people from various places of the world has been contributed to the strategic nature of the town to both economic and social facilities. The rapid increase in population of the city has however had negative impact to social facilities available. The education sector was among the hardest hit with inadequate learning material and quality of education being the key problems. Education system and brief history According to Sidlow (p245), Californias education system at one time was the strongest worldwide. Public education began with state funding of pre-schools. This trend continued to the elementary, secondary education, collages and the universities. California has three public systems of higher education; the California community collage, the California state university system and the university of California system. The California community collages serves as the gateways to the four year collages and universities. Usually a student is allowed to study in the community collages for given number of years (usually two) before transferring to the collages and universities to complete for the collage certificate. The main state research university is the University of California which has ten major campuses spread all over United States. California state university is the third largest university system in the `unites states. Notable private university of equal importance is the Universit y of Stanford, Toure University and the University of Southern California (Lawrence.p37). California has several other private collages spread all over California State. The educational facilities provided a number of learning opportunities to the citizens of California and other states. The deteriorating education system The California ones formidable educational system began declining with the introduction and passage of policies that undermined education giving priorities to other sectors (Sidlow, p343). Many people mark the decline of the quality education with the passage of the proposition 13bill.The property tax measure reduced funds to most schools and provided even less to schools that needed funds most. Since then the policymakers and the schools in general have been grabbling with this limited funds. Although many efforts have been made to avert the whole staggering problem, the piecemeal reforms and the educational fads have undermined the achievement. Also the some well intentioned innervations drafted by the educationists and economists targeting reduction of the size of students per single teacher, curriculum revision and test based accountability have been too little and too late. At the same time this policies have been loaded with the unintended consequences that worsen the problem ( Mooney.p26). Mismanagement is also a major problem (McChesney, p76). Some issues regarding mismanagement are so complex that they can not be solved locally. Solving mismanagement problem requires that state officials hold all the districts accountable for the making sure that all the resourced get into the classroom and the needy students. It also requires intervention and action when local problems are detected. However the state has no mechanism to make reliable follow up and monitoring to discern such action from happening. Because of the poor policy that leads to inadequate funding, teachers and other professional in the teaching field have been inadequate. Many of the teachers were deployed forcing them to move to other states to search for jobs. Currently California has the highest number of students per single teacher. Students are congested in classes with few learning material hence raising question on the quality of education that is provided in such institution (Laspina, p45). A research carried out recently proved that highest number of Latino African American students and students from poor families have the biggest shortage of textbooks, the lowest numbers of qualified teachers (Smart, p20). In conjunction to this, the same students attend the states most overcrowded schools. California educational and accountability system has failed because lack of inadequate systems and mechanisms to put all the perpetrators into justice. The people who shold hold the management accountable have no control power. For instance teachers have no control power over overcrowded schools and the students can not insist being thought by teachers who are demoralized because of the low salaries or demotion. Teachers, students and the state government have both roles of ensuring that educational standards are raised. Access of quality education to all inhabitants of California is crucial for faster development of the state (McChesney, p81). Quality education is of high concern also because of the worrying separation and unequal system of education. The poor students, student of color and English language learners do not access to the same educational resources as their wealthier and white peers. It should be agreed that such fundamental opportunities to learn are critical for learning and for the future of California citizens all together. This unfair learning condition has contributed to the inequalities in the access to higher education and skilled jobs. Educational inequality will result to increased state insecurity as resources will only revolve around a few families leaving the rest suffering (Sproul, p69). Overhauling educational standards in California Due to dwindling of educational system, the state government of California and stakeholders in the education sectors joined together to come up with a long term solution to the problem (Kemerer, p68). Among the recommendations that were arrived at was the drafting of a master plan that was to address the whole issue of education accessibility and inequality. This plan was intended to serve as a benchmark for policy makers, educators, educational and community based agencies, business leaders in making decision that supports the quality and accessibly education. This was also intended to give clear statements and goals as well as the responding to immediate local needs. However it was agreed that quick sort term measurement was needed first to change the situation in the ground. The adoption of this positive development plan was envisioned to develop and maintain a coherent system of first rate schools, colleges and universities that is to prepare all the students for learning and for transition and successful in all aspects of education (Sonstelie,p36). Effective and accountable educational system must focus fist on the learner. Strictures, policies, and financing must be revaluated to ensure that they are supportive to the learners and their acquisition of the knowledge and skills (Johnson.p59). Good education must target the success of learner. Therefore policy that focuses on the helping all learners achieve their educational needs without bias. Students from poor background have equal opportunities of accessing quality education just like those from the rich background. Equal education for all has been broad goal in the Americas public education for many years. To achieve this goal, the government of United States and the state of California have role to ensure that all public schools are provided with the instructional material and other equipments that will ensure that children have succeeded in their educational career. Instructional materials may include the provision of adequate and relevant learning material such as textbooks. The distribution of such materials should be priorities in areas of high demand especially in schools that are overpopulated and lack crucial learning materials. Secondly, strict ,mechanism have been placed to ensure that al children will not only get to school in an already established system but ensure that the children are natured and rewarded such that they will ultimately graduate from both high school and colleges with knowledge, skills that will self initiate the life long self learning (Laspina, p79). In this spirit, it is believed that the more and more children will get access to quality education that will help them in their lives. All school going children should be granted access to free public education as outlined in the constitution of United States (Johnson, p57). This guarantee is applicable to all students attending rural, suburban and urban schools; students from low, middle and high income families. Also formidable mechanism should be put in place to ensure that the students whose home language is not English and those who have spoken English at the entire of their life have accessed quality education. Adult learners who had never had opportunity to go to school have to be factored as they form the backbone and bulky of the workforce in the industries. This means that quality education should also be granted to the adults should they choose to pursue adult or postsecondary education with California states. Every element of the California educational system is therefore informed byy the new plans and will work to ensure that appropriate learning opportunities occur resulting to considerable gains in the every students knowledge and intellectual development. The underlying policy of equipping all learning institution with modern learning equipment should be done fairly and transparently. Effective and transparent mechanism is to be employed to ensure t hat each individual in the education sector is held accountable for actions that might be demeaning the education sector. Greater academy achievement can be realized by encouraging the students to work hard and have positive attitude towards learning (Johnson, p61). Effective remuneration should be given to all teachers to boost there morale in handling the overwhelming number of children enrolment in public school (Laspina, p91). Teachers play a central role in the development of children. Quality training, behavioral changes and willingness to give the best to learners are key virtues that should be engraved in the heart of each teacher. In pursuit of quality but affordable education, the state government of California should consider retraining all those teachers whose performance are in great drought. This will aims at not only improving teachers performance but also create faith in many parents who have for long time held low opinion on the most training schools in California. Thousands of teachers redeployed due to bad economic times should be returned to work. this might not be possible as majority got jobs else ware but by offering them attractive salaries and good working conditions, they might decide to come back as many are still attached with the splendor and attractive scenery of Chicago state. However if this strategy fails, the state government has a responsibility of sourcing teaching workforce from outside the United States to fill the already vacant spaces(Sonstelie,p36). According to the educational experts, the greatest factor that caused deterioration of the educational standards California is lack of funding and poor ineffective policies(Johnson,p52).. Without funding learning institutions will not manage to handle the overwhelming number of students in public institutions, Funding also helps in the provision of facilities such as laboratories and libraries that are key requirement in any educational institution. Therefore, the state government of California together with the government of United States should work hand in hand in sourcing enough funds to cater for expenses incurred in the education sector. Billion of dollars is required to finance this expensive exercise. Appropriate mechanism to utilize spending and use of this funds should be put in place to ensure that the money is not mismanaged by the corrupt individuals with vested self interests (Sproul, p48). Education Excellency and academic success can never be achieved by single person (Kemerer, p63). The state government of California should call upon the positive minded professionals and ordinary people to give moral support to the new systems. The education professional and policy makers should borrow a leave from states such as Illinois, New York and others that have hard success in their educational system. The people California have a role of promoting learning culture among themselves and their children. The children on the other hand should see practically the benefits of quality education. Parents are great role model to their children and many of them tend to immolate what their parents do (Laspina, p42). Conclusion The dwindling educational standards in California have been largely caused by poor and unpopular policies (Mooney, p24). This is a classical example of how bad policies can destroy the future generation of a country. Although it has taken long time, more than two decades, to realize the impact of such poor policies that resulted to reduction in annual spending of the states in educational matters, California can be in the right path. It is decision to adopt new educational policies that are designed to cater for every child regardless of background origin has got backup from many people. All children especially from the poor homes should get free quality education. It is there right and not a privilege as many people may believe. However the achieving of this worthy cause of action has a number of obstacles that stand in the way. Parents should ensure that children especially the adolescent do not get access to drugs. The exorbitant amount of capital needed to finance the new recomme ndation may be a problem .This calls the state government to cooperate with other states in sourcing the funds. The members of the public are also supposed to work hand in hand with the state authorities in providing lasting solution to these problems (Laspina, p86). Buy custom The Education System in California essay

The Physical and Intellectual Isolation of the Americans Research Paper

The Physical and Intellectual Isolation of the Americans - Research Paper Example Communication has not only helped to raise the revenue of the Americans but also helped to reduce the communication gap, communication also improved between the rural and urban areas and this helped quite a lot in improving the economic conditions of the state and also in minimizing and eliminating the isolation of the people of America. With the introduction of the electricity in the rural areas by the Rural Electrification Act given by President Franklin technology greatly advanced as a result of which isolation and communication gap between the rural and urban areas reduced and have finally reduced to zero. With the introduction of electricity in the rural areas the people of these areas got access to television, computer, internet, industry and other sectors and due to this, research and advancements in the other fields greatly improved. The introductions of electricity brought advancements in many fields and also lead to the development and invention of many other appliances and devices. It has also contributed to bringing an end to the isolation of the American people by using electronic consumer goods (Oppenheimer, 2003). Slowly and gradually the Americans became addicted to technology as they observed that it was technology that helped them to come out of the dark ages and also to eliminate and completely eradicate isolation from the people of America. The most important benefit of technology is in the field of communication. Technology has also helped to aid the military operations and helped to win wars. The introduction of computers and internet helped to improve communication and fill up the communication gap between the people of America and the world. In this century technology has completely bridged the gap between the people and social isolation. Means of communication have increased to a quite a numbers like e-mail, chatting, communication through the internet, telephone, etc.  

Argue that, no, feminism is not dead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Argue that, no, feminism is not dead - Essay Example Things such as child bearing and nurture are believed to be a hindrance to a woman’s productivity by the radical-liberalists. They therefore strongly advocate use of artificial means of reproduction, are usually pro-abortion and largely promote use of contraceptives. The other form of feminism is radical-cultural feminism; this group believes that women should embrace their femininity because it is their source of power. They encourage women to explore themselves deeper and find their wild self. According to their view, sex was predominantly a man’s field, but women should start taking control and norms such as pornography, subordination, rape should be eliminated. Unlike the radical-libertarian feminists who view reproduction as a means of tying women down, the radical-cultural feminists promote a different view. The view that, men are jealous of the reproductive responsibilities of a woman and therefore try to hinder it using technological means. One can be classified as a feminist if they believe that; women should have equal rights to men. Women should be allowed to hold an office that a man can hold; also women should be recognized by their talents and not their looks. In addition, they believe that, it is offensive for women to be given tasks based on their gender and that a feminist is not afraid to refer to herself as one (Shaw and Lee 12). I believe that feminism is not dead; to the contrary, it has actually become stronger as women seem more empowered in this generation. Feminism is not dead; if it was dead then there wouldn’t be so much effort to make it seem as if it is dead. The media and other conservative groups argue that feminism is long gone and women do not need it anymore because it does not speak for the majority of women. Whereas its polls show that, women advocate for ideas such as child and women health care, political offices for women, equal work pay, and an end to women violence and so on (Shaw and Lee 19). These are definitely feminists’ stands and goals and therefore the feminist culture is still strong (Valenti 11). In the recent wake of issues such as promiscuity, the rise in women crime and also man hating have all been blamed on feminism. It is now being said that women have been taught to depend on no one and especially not a man. This has therefore contributed to the issues such as crime, breakdown of families and high rates of divorce. If feminism was dead, then it means that these issues would be nonexistent. However, the fact that they are being blamed on feminism, it therefore goes to show that it is still ongoing (Valenti 12). Feminists encourage women to accept themselves as they are which contribute in enhancing their self esteem and image. This new found confidence is a threat to companies that benefit greatly from women who are always looking for ways to enhance their physical appearance. If feminism was dead, it would not be a threat to these organizations which prov es further that feminism is thriving. In conclusion, some might argue that feminism is dead because it is unpopular nowadays as compared to the earlier days when it started. It was a thing of white old ladies as commonly referred to and most young women are not championing with much gusto as before (Valenti 10). Journal It is now clear to me how feminism has changed the world, relationships and women’s view, all at ago. When I first heard the word feminist, I thought they were a bunch of women who no longer want to embrace

Persuasive Arguments For Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Persuasive Arguments For Gay Marriage - Essay Example Gay marriages rights should be enforced considering gay people are born gay, they adopt children who would have been in problems despite their failure to procreate failing to prolong the human race. Gay marriages should be legalized considering that every citizen in America has the liberty of choice and ones choices should not be curtailed because of the long-held traditions. This is because homosexuals are same as heterosexual people only that they possess gay genes as recently found by medical researchers (LeVay). Therefore, it is not gays or lesbians choice to be so, it is only that they are naturally gays and we should respect them as they are as part of our society. In this case, considering these people do not choose to be in gay marriages but nature has forced them to be in them we should respect their gay marriage choices. Furthermore, we should not rationalize that since heterosexuals are the majority then marriage involving a man and a woman are the best. Moreover, considering the great number of orphans and poor families who are not in a position to provide effectively for their children, and most of them ending up as criminals, malnourished and others die off. Even though people should practice family planning and at the same time raise children, they can afford, our society would be much better off currently if they legalized gay marriages. This is because gay marriages do not procreate and consequently adopt children in order to form a family (Cline). Therefore, through adopting children they will have played a key role in alleviating the woes of these children, poor families and our great nation at large. In addition, this will also reduce crime rates in our country since most of the children once they lack a means of generating income for their sustenance result to crimes as a means of getting their daily bread.