Financial Analysis write up on case provided Essay

Financial Analysis write up on case provided - Essay Example This can be due to the fact that Inventories, over the period of time has shown considerable increase hence necessitating the obtainment of external financing to fund the inventory purchase. Return on equity has greatly dipped as the company despite increasing its equity base has not been able to generate more return on its equity. From the strategic management point of view, the return on equity ratios are more critical since managers has the primary responsibility of creating value for its shareholders which company seem to have failed to achieve for the period under review. The corporate performance specially the return on the equity is a strong indicator to the investors in the capital market signaling the overall future direction of the company. This is also evident from the fact that the share price of the stock of the company has constantly dipped in the period under review and hit a low price of $62 in year 1962. Strategically dwindling confidence of the investors may not help achieve company its proposed objectives as it progresses in the future. A closer look at the gross margins earned by the company suggest that the core costs are well under the control of the company however over the period of time, its operating margins are decreasing showing the lack of control over the increase in the general and administrative overheads. Though organization seems to managing its assets in better way however this may also due to the fact of higher accumulated depreciation. Strategically the decreasing profitability of the company can be a difficult problem to handle with as the outside investors keep a very keen eye on the bottom lines of the organization’s income statements. However it must also be note that the return on the overall capital employed and Return on invested capital, both have shown an abnormal dip as mainly due to constant profitability. The almost constant level of profitability also suggest that

Critical Assessment of Two Music Reviews about 1 CD Term Paper

Critical Assessment of Two Music Reviews about 1 CD - Term Paper Example In her review, Feller recognized ‘The Pursuit’ under an aesthetic criteria based on how Jamie Cullum was able to improvise with the chosen original compositions and her critique feels that Cullum made his own version direct a totally unique course so the music, as in Cole Porter’s ‘Just One of Those Things’ comes out familiar yet strangely phenomenal. The article reflects a cheerful acknowledgment of the ways pop, Broadway, R&B, hip hop, club jams, and classics become ingredients that dish up the album in the fashion Jamie would prefer to give shape to his own rendition of a few covers whose chief elements have not neglected to show their origins even as Cullum placed them on his special diversion (Feller). As such, Feller acclaims ‘I’m All Over It’ which to her sounds both heavy and energetic with piano and drums respectively, so much so that the sad content of the lyrics overpowers and brings a notice less significant than instrument work. According to her, this establishes a good introduction of the musician’s profile and personal selection while ‘Wheels’ was made for the audience to be insightful about the apocalypse in which the abrupt pacing with the piano play makes the lyrical turn highly volatile to affect a listener’s mood with progressive wildness. ‘You and Me are Gone’ in the same manner passed the reviewer’s scrutiny as she takes delight in sounds that pull off the swing in the typical 1940s setting and dance attitude at the time. There even is a point when a jazz waltz by tradition melts with songs that are rather expected to comprise the atmosphere in a chill out lounge. More uplifting remarks are given to ‘Mixtape’ which is a track that’s presumably competent of implying to the audience what ‘The Portrait’ is made of, as in the touch of an inner impression such album ought to be planned by the composer. Within pop tune, Sally’s assessment speaks of a collection that

Consumer Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Consumer Behaviour Essay Art consumers in the modern world have increased their buying capacity of art as paradigms shifts to knowledge and information based concepts. Cultural diversity and technology are developing new forms of art and ways to market these art pieces to a wider range of art consumers. However, there is no room for complacency in art managers of art galleries. It is still best to incorporate sound motivational theories that guide marketing efforts towards being robust, effective and efficient. Three motivational theories had been highlighted forming a well-rounded strategy to approach art gallery marketing. Maslow’s heirarchy of needs gives a step-by-step escalation of man’s satisfaction levels. It was noted that although art cannot satisfy physiological needs, consumers can still be motivated to buy art as objects to satisfy their needs of self-esteem, belongingness and need to self-actualize. McGuire’s advice on motivating people offers looking into the cognitive and affective factors of man’s thinking process. The more art gallery marketing efforts cater to affective faculties of their consumers, the more selling will take place. And lastly, the theory of Freud has been chosen as another guidepost in defining what makes the consumer buy. Innate biological elements found in man such as sexual desires is the most commonly known Freudian motivation that is closely related to selling art. Construction of marketing strategies to sell art does not end in incorporating concepts from these motivation theories. These motivations must further zoom in on the consumer eventually. The way to fine tune the marketing strategy is to incorporate concepts found in the five-step decision making process that all consumers go through.   As the art buyer goes from recognizing his need to gathering information that will lead him to a possible purchase, to evaluating criteria affecting his possible purchase, to his actual purchase and to coming up with insights that happens during his post purchase, the marketing strategy of the art gallery is put into a test. INTRODUCTION The art market is slowly evolving. Art has evolved into many forms and galleries have transformed to accommodate a wide range of consumers. With the entrance of innovative technology, cultural diversity and faster access to information, art galleries been challenged to study and understand consumer behavior of this widening niche. â€Å"For the last few years, the media have trumpeted contemporary art as the hottest new investment. At fairs, auction houses and galleries, an influx of new buyersmany of them from the world of financehave entered the fray. Lifted by this tidal wave of new money, the number of thriving artists, galleries and consultants has rocketed upwards.† (Spiegler, 2006) But amidst all this buying frenzy, sellers have remained steadfast to the consumer behavior theories that guide the markets. Buying behavior theories have not changed and remained formidable in figuring out what buyers want, why they want, how they avail of these wants and the factors that affect these decisions. Consumers of art hold special focused studies. Consumers who buy art also buy gas, groceries, basic services and insurance. Though there is culture in gas, groceries, basic services and insurance, these commodities does not directly fall under art. Art products and services are born out of a cultural industry. These consumers have their own consumer behaviors. â€Å"Consumer behavior is the process involved when individual or groups select, purchase, use, and dispose of goods, services, ideas, or experiences to satisfy their needs and desires. It is important that marketers understand consumer behavior because wants and needs are satisfied best when marketers understand the behaviors of consumers.† (Hawkins, 1998) Therefore, appropriate buyer behavior theories must be employed to so that marketing strategies to sell products in art galleries will be most appropriate, effective, efficient and economical. THE PRODUCT AND SERVICE Marketing strategies start with knowing the product or service. Characteristics of these items for sale will be essential in finding the consumers who would want to buy them. Art encompass a wide variety of products and services. Art galleries themselves have evolved into stores that sell different art genres depending on how one beholds something as art, from the flea markets selling antiques to the fine art galleries bidding by the millions. Applied and decorative art are products found in advertising, architecture and urban design. Crafts, jewelry, fashion, industrial, product and interior design fall under this art category. Entertainment art provides enjoyment services such as film, recording and TV programs. â€Å"Fine art is motivated by art-for-arts-sake. It is the primary research and development segment of the arts industry. It generates enlightenment, i.e. it sheds light on the nature of the human condition on the individual and society. â€Å"It is primarily in the fine arts that new talent and technique are developed; new scripts and scores created; and, new images and styles set. Results of fine art RD, like the results of scientific research, are sometimes adopted by for-profit enterprises in and out of the arts industry. And, as in pure science, fine art is not financially self-supporting. The right to fail is an essential artistic and scientific freedom a freedom that requires patience and risk-taking on the part of patrons, investors and audiences.† (Chartrand, 2000) Heritage art subsumes all kind of art. It feeds contemporary art and is the one that sets standards of the following generations. This art inspires creators and enriches artists through its integration of scarcity and aesthetic value while employing a sense of social relevance and cohesion.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Between 1969 and 1989, heritage art yielded the highest return of all financial investment opportunities (The Economist July 1, 1989). Furthermore, theft of antiquities is the most lucrative international crime. Ounce for ounce, an antiquity can be more valuable than drugs. It can yield a higher return, at lower risk of being caught, and generally produces less jail time if one is convicted† (Chartrand 1992a). MOTIVATIONS OF THE ART CONSUMER A person who walks into an art gallery is differently motivated compared to a person who walks into a McDonald’s burger store. A company who buys a 10 million art work does so with objectives different from its putting up a building worth about the same cost. Consumers of art are motivated differently and theories defining these motivations can help marketing strategist clear marketing goals and activities. Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) has been one of the century’s great inspiration in personality theories. The Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as illustrated in Figure 1 has helped both researchers, scholars, scientists and most specially marketing executives on how to motivate clients and consumers. Maslow believes that man is motivated based on the level of satisfaction he can achieve at a particular time when the product or service is offered him. And the levels of satisfaction starts from getting his physiological needs, then his safety needs and subsequently his belonging needs, esteem needs until he arrives at his self-actualization. Figure 1. Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs (Boeree, 1998) â€Å"Maslow suggested the intuitively appealing notion that humans must satisfy the most basic objectives before they can move onto higher level ones. Thus, an individual must satisfy physiological needs (such as food and liquid) before he or she will be able to expend energy on less fundamental objectives such as safety. Only when basic objectives have been met will a person move on to seek such objectives as love and belonging, and only a small minority of people make it as far as seeking self-actualization.† (Boeree, 1998) Art consumers at the art galleries are motivated to satisfy a certain level of need as illustrated in Maslow’s diagram. Art definitely cannot be eaten and cannot quench physical thirst. Consumers who are still struggling to satisfy their physiological needs in the normal circumstances will not buy Art. Art buyers are usually motivated to consume art to satisfy safety, belongingness, need for self-esteem and to perform their self-actualization. A person will buy art to safeguard savings. Certain works of art appreciate in value as the artist becomes more popular or when he dies. More than once, the cultural scene has witnessed these value increases and rich people have coveted owning these masterpieces not for their artistic magnificence but more for their financial value.   A person will buy art to satisfy belongingness especially if he or she finds himself trying to get into company of art buyers. Belongingness would sometimes overpower physical hunger especially in these modern days when people have gone towards the limits of individualism isolating themselves from social groups that provide comfort in belongingness. In the early years of high art, kings and queens would have their portraits painted by in house artists such as Michael Angelo and Da Vinci. These portraits help a person increase his self-esteem. Coffee shops, banks and other commercial establishment hang works of art in their walls not so much for decorative purposes but these products increase the company’s self-esteem. Their clients are able to admire the company knowing that the company they chose is of the cultured type and can afford these works of art. Based on the Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, the marketing strategy must realize that in order for art galleries to sell their products, it has to appeal to the motivations of the people walking into the gallery. These gallery visitors are basically interested in art and the curator must work on satisfying needs. Marketing campaigns must cater to satisfying client’s need to raise his self-esteem or need to satisfy his belongingness. Strategies such as knowing the client’s kind of groupie or the client’s thoughts of himself will be a few effective tactics towards forging a sale. FREUDIAN THEORY Though highly controversial and continuously debated upon by psychoanalysts, Sigmund Freud has been the most popular theorist of the century due to the sexual nature of his findings. Basically, he suggests that â€Å"(1) much behavior has a biological basis which is (2) often sexual in nature, and (3) that early experiences in childhood will have a profound, but unconscious effect on later lifee.g., people who are rejected in an early, oral phase of development may become oral retentive and end up as wine connoisseurs later in life.† (Hawkins, 1998) For Freud, people are motivated by their sex drives. Though some sectors of the scientific communities do not believe this, advertising, film and marketing have used the Freudian theories and have remained successful in the promotion and selling of their products. Cars, cigarette, alcohol and other vices have used sex at one point or another in their commercials, posters or corporate IDs. MTV’s have evolved into using pretty boys and sexy girls to get the maximum buying power of teenagers and young adults. Even new generation anime features voluptuous heroes, heroines and villains. Wonder Woman has never been as seductive and Superman has been redrawn to sport more muscles that spell musk. Though Freud never really thought sexuality in the new millennium context, evolutionists understands this kind of sexual motivation due to the inherent nature of human beings to help the species survive and sustain power over the natural kingdom. The only way to keep from extinction is to continue procreation. In Darwinian logic, motivation to procreation is as sensible as breathing. Sex has always helped sell art. Art from ancient Greece such as sculptures Adonis or Venus were sometimes seen as pornographic. Though these artworks of nudity became monuments of great cities and tourist destinations that earn millions of dollars, parent of little children still become uneasy explaining nudity in these kinds of art works. Marketing art with tactics from the Freudian theories that sex sells would make marketing of art forms planned in a way that it attracts sexual motivations from the buyers. Art galleries, when opening an exhibit usually employs wine, beautiful ladies in little black dresses and music that appeals to the possible clients. This type of marketing style that is guided by Freudian motivation theories supports art works that have sexual undertones already in them. Bar owner Schrager narrates the reason for buying an artwork. â€Å"According to Schrager, the decision to commission Clemente for the ceiling mural and lamps was an easy one. I love Clementes work, and I thought a ceiling mural would be appropriate for the place and location. For me, a lot of Clementes work has sexual undertones, and I thought it would fit in perfectly in the bar. (Silberman, 2001) MCGUIRE THEORY OF MOTIVATION McGuire’s psychology of motivation stems from his cognitive and affective experimentations. Thinkers are seen to carry out directed-thinking tasks. These thought systems in people illustrate their motivations.   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Five dimensions that together provide an inclusive description of thought systems were identified. Two dimensions are cognitive: (1) size; and (2) cognitive-affirmational bias. Two others are affective: (3) affective desirability bias; and (4) people-favorability bias. The fifth dimension is (5) cognitive-affective congruence.† (McGuire, 2006) McGuire believes that affective stimulus influence the cognitive aspect of human motivations more. Men and women have different thought patterns since they react differently to stimulus. Knowing this, it is important for art galleries to note who has the buying power when couples walk into the gallery to purchase the artwork. At culturally diverse markets, art managers need to address what could stimulate affective motivations in their clients. Sometimes, talking to an art manager who understands the client’s affective stimulus like race or culture is effective. â€Å"More buying power translates into more art-buying ability. Art dealers and publishers are keenly aware of this. But what they also need to understand is that while African Americans are looking to buy more high-quality art, theyre also looking to buy from dealers and publishers who understand them and will cater to them.† (Hagan, 2004) 5 STAGES OF DECISION MAKING PROCESS Equipped with the three motivational theories above, the next important part of the marketing strategy is integrating the promotional or advertising activities to the five stages of the decision making process that each art buyers goes through whenever they are in making a decision whether to buy, to buy later, or not to buy. Source: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/~renglish/370/notes/chapt05/ Problem recognition is the stage where the buyer becomes aware of his need. Awareness of needs does not happen like magic. Need is stimulated. The client must be aware of his need from its unconscious state to the conscious and articulate status. Commercials that stimulate problem recognition are effective because they can visually show what the client does not have and therefore, just by looking at advertisement, the client realizes his lack of that product thereby moving towards the process of coveting the product for himself. A blank wall will stimulate a need to buy art. An empty corner can stimulate a person to acquire a statue. Occasions and celebrations from birthdays to monthly anniversaries to grandmom or grandpop days and other more outlandish occasions can also create the rationale to make the consumers think of buying art. The second phase is where the client begins to look for information that will lead him into being able to find the product or the service that can quench his need. In the case of art galleries, a person must be able to find the art gallery. This ease of art gallery access will be attained with proper promotions and advertising. Art gallery accessibility geographically will also be essential in attracting buyers who are currently looking for information so satisfy their needs. The Internet is the latest virtual shop where buyers from around the world can be tuned in at the same time. With the Internet platform as marketing tool, selling is definitely without borders and without pressure of time. The buyer from spread of mouth information can also acquire details on how to locate the art gallery. Employers had always stressed good service because positive feedback is the gateway of businesses. With the information at hand, the consumer goes to the third stage of the decision making process which is the evaluation stage where alternatives are ranked. â€Å"This stage establishes the criteria for evaluation, features the buyer wants or does not want. Rank/weight alternatives or resume search. May decide that you want to eat something spicy, indian gets highest rank. If not satisfied with your choice then return to the search phase. Can you think of another restaurant? Look in the yellow pages etc. Information from different sources may be treated differently. Marketers try to influence by framing alternatives.† (classnotes, 2006) Art galleries’ marketing strategy must make sure that the criteria set by its consumers are achieved. After product characteristics, price is usually the next criteria that the client considers. For art, the prices depend on a flexible standard. Other pieces are â€Å"priceless† while other art products are set by how the community valuates the artist. This is where the talent of the art manager or the curator comes in. Framing the art product, literally and figuratively spells putting on more weight on the piece or turning the off the client’s needs which will surely fail selling the product when the fifth decision making process starts. The fourth stage is the purchase stage. The buying value is affected by three possibilities as the client decides from whom to buy, when to buy or if the client decides not to buy. Purchase from art galleries will be affected by the terms of sale, credibility of the establishment and return policies. Tax information on artwork is an important information that will tip the scales towards the sales. A news clipping shows reaction of buyers and galleries on impositions of added tax to art pieces. â€Å"Paying an 8.8 percent tax on art doesnt discourage him or his wife, Virginia, from buying, but he said he could imagine it would slow some people down.† Thats what worries the Seattle Art Museum.† (Hackett, 2005) The atmosphere of the art gallery, and happiness of the shopping experience influences the time of sale. Some galleries maintain calmness in the gallery depicting unstressful experience for the buyer. Especially with purchases of millions of dollars, the atmosphere must be as much stress free as possible. The last stage of the process is the post purchase stage where the client reflects on the purchase that he did. The buyer usually compares the purchase with his expectations based on the need he originally formed. In the post purchase stage, either the art consumer is satisfied or unsatisfied with the purchase. Customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction is affected by his value perceptions. Art buyers know there is inherent value in art works. Physically, art is just a piece of paper or canvass with pigment but the images and visualization that the artwork shares to the consumer is what is of value that have been purchased. For artwork, one piece may create more value to another person depending on the level of beauty value he gets from the work of art. His satisfaction therefore depends on the value that the art product or experience in buying the artwork communicates to the buyer. Art galleries are cultural venues where patrons are soon established. The repeat-purchase behavior found in the art galleries must be high and excellent because these repeat buyers are also automatic promotional agents of the art gallery. Appreciating an art piece in a hotel lobby, an interested consumer would normally ask where the piece was bought. And that is first lead of the art gallery that happens outside the gallery. Patrons of the art help in lessening the cognitive dissonance of art consumers. When there is a feeling of anxiety after purchase, the consumer looks for elements outside his decision that would help him be assured of his purchase and publicity of the art gallery’s success or social responsibility or how famous people patronize the gallery helps in relieving cognitive dissonance in post purchase stages of consumer decision making process. CONCLUSION Everyone buys art at one time or another. The time and cost of art that an individual buys depends on his motivations as incorporated in many studies in consumer behavior backed by psychological discourse and experimentations. With the need for the art industry to profit and keep the industry afloat, marketing strategies benefit from these motivational theories. It is safe to note that whenever a painting or a piece of art lands in a hotel lobby, or a financial establishment, a museum or simply in a living room wall, much human activity has been put into it that basically further increases it s social and cultural value. References Boeree, George. 1998. Abraham Maslow. Retrieved October 31, 2006 from http://www.ship.edu/~cgboeree/maslow.html Chartrand, Harry Hillman. 2000. The Public Life of the Arts in America†¨Joni Cherbo and M. Wyszomirski (eds),†¨Rutgers University Press, April 2000 Classnotes. 2006. Consumer Buying Behavior. Retrieved October 31, 2006 from http://www.udel.edu/alex/chapt6.html Silberman, Vanessa. 2000. Results of Consumer Survey Shed Light on Art Buying Behavior. Art Business News, Nov, 2000 Hagan, Debbie. 2004. Black buying power shows strength in art: growing incomes and more national exposure of African-American art translates into a widening base of art buyers – news. Art Business News, Jan, 2004 Hackett, Regina and Michelle Nicolosi. 2005. Art collectors fault state agency on tax issue. Seattle Post – Intelligencer Reporters. Friday May 27, 2005. Retrieved October 31, 2006 from http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/226106_reactart26.html?source=rss Hawkins, Del I., Roger J. Best, and Kenneth A. Coney (1998), Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy, 7th ed., Boston: McGraw Hill. McGuire, William J. Claire V. McGuire, Yale University. 2006. Cognitive versus affective aspects of phenomenal thought systems focused on persons. Retrieved October 31, 2006 from http://www.sydneysymposium.unsw.edu.au/1999/abstracts.htm Spiegler, Marc. 2006. Time to Reform the Art Market? The Art Newpaper. Retrieved October 31, 2006 from http://www.forbes.com/collecting/2005/05/30/cx_0530conn_ls.html

Philip Augustus :: essays research papers

Philip Augustus, otherwise known as Philip II, was born on August 21, 1165 to Louis VII of France and Adà ¨le of Champagne. He was born in Paris, France. His father had declining health and crowned him King in 1179. Philip Augustus?s reign would be a big time of development of the Medieval Kingdom of France. On April 28, 1180, Philip Augustus married Isabelle of Hainut. His father died on September 18, 1180. A little time before he died, he had his first grandchild, Louis VIII, who was born to Philip Augustus and Isabelle of Hainut on September 5, 1187. Philip Augustus merged France into one kingdom. He seized the territories of Maine, Touraine, Anjou, Brittany, and all of Nomandy from King John of England. He killed King John in the Battle of Bouvines and ended the threats to the expansion of his kingdom. He was now left as the most powerful monarch in all of Europe. Philip Augustus went on the Third Crusade with Richard the Lionhearted and the Roman emperor, Fredrick I Barbarossa. His army left with the others? on July 1, 1190. The armies split at Lyons so Richard could go over sea and he could go over the Alps into Genoa. They reunited and camped for the winter together in Messina. On March 1, 1190, he set sail for the Holy Land and launched several assaults on Acre. Acre finally surrendered on July 12, and Philip left terribly ill. He had no interest in further crusading and returned to France on July 31, 1191. He married again to Ingeborg of Denmark on August 15, 1193. He didn?t like her and asked for a divorce. He refused to crown her as his queen. She refused to divorce him. In the meantime, he married for a third time to Princess Agnà ¨s of Mà ¨ranie. He had two children with her, Marie and Philippe Hurepel. Pope Innocent said this marriage was void because he was still married to Ingeborg. He ordered Philip to part with Agnà ¨s, but he refused.

Changing of America and humanity’s responsibility to society

The challenges of the twenty-first century, whether economic or environmental, cultural or biological will require new methods of thinking and behaving at both the individual and social levels. There must be an emphasis on changing the perceptions, particularly in twenty-first century America, which many people have about the nature of personal responsibility and personal empowerment. While it seems obvious enough to say, as Barack Obama asserts that new generations of Americans are â€Å"waiting for a politics with the maturity to balance idealism and realism, to distinguish between what can and cannot be compromised† (Obama, 42) the ramifications of such a politics of maturity and realism extend to many important areas of American society including economics, technology, and philosophy adn religion. What is necessary for America to meet the challenges of the future is a social cultural acceptance of the fact that responsibility, and not merely the pursuit of self-interests, is a path to personal empowerment. This last statement may seem contradictory to many Americans. A great number of people view themselves in purely materialistic terms and want what they can get out of society without taking any personal responsibility for the consequences. For some people, life holds no meaning outside of its material dimension and this loss of meaning in American culture has consequences beyond the immediately personal: The loss of meaning[†¦ ] is a product of modern thought. From Marx and Freud to neuroscience and evolutionary psychology, western thought has systematically undermined responsibility. We have no choice, we are constantly told, because of economic forces, our unconscious, or our genes. Yet, at the same time, we live in a world that presents us with endless choices. (Sardar) As strange as it sounds, the only way to break the cycle of endless anxiety over our limitless freedom is by accepting responsibility for the choices we make. This is a kind of paradox in American society, â€Å"We want to have it both ways, and so we end up confused and cynical. Our obsession with individuality and self-interest further erodes personal and collective responsibility† (Sardar) which means, the less one begins to value their own existence the less responsibility they will feel for their actions. To accept responsibility is, in itself, to accept that life is meaningful and to accept that life in meaningful is an act of self-empowerment. we must learn to understand that â€Å"Freedom is both a gift and a challenge. It has value only when we respect it and enhance it individually and collectively. And when we exercise it with responsibility. † (Sardar). In this way, a change in the basic philosophical vision present in American culture may help us to begin to make inroads against the challenges which face us in the new world. As Barack Obama points out, economics in the twenty-first century no longer function along the same models they had embodied for years. He writes that â€Å"In this more competitive global environment, the old corporate formula of steady profits and stodgy management no longer worked† (Obama, 156). What Obama is driving at with this statement can be considered an aspect of â€Å"humanizing† economics, a must-needed step for America in the twenty-first century. By accepting responsibility for our actions we will understand the connections between the injustices and disparities in society and the damages which have been inflicted upon the environment. Though some of our challenges may be economic and some may be based in moral and ethical issues, the unifying factor is always: human responsibility. We begin to understand ourselves much more clearly and understand our challenges more clearly when we admit that we live in a world which â€Å"desperately needs fixing and in which denial is seductively easy and cheap, at least for a time. We must acknowledge and seek to understand the connection between poverty, social injustice, and environmental degradation. † (Orr 89) Barack Obama's insistence that the new economics has paved a way clear of the old economics which stressed only self-interests and profits is a key to understanding the kind of view of business and corporate responsibility which will have to be embraced in American society as we move forward to accept our responsibilities and meet the challenges of the future. Instead of viewing purely money and material growth as the only forms of â€Å"profit† in business, corporations of the future will begin to realize that â€Å"business behavior and government policy toward business requires, more than ever, an appreciation of the firm’s human dimensions, the dimensions left out of the neoclassical theory† (Tomer 1). The future corporation will accept responsibility for its actions and view itself as shaped by not only â€Å"market forces but by societal ones† (Tomer 19) and in so recognizing other forms of â€Å"success† and â€Å"profit† namely, the maintaining of ethical and environmental standards which contribute to the overall growth and well-being of humanity may over-ride present-day obsession with self-interest and materialistic profit. If Barack Obama's writings in â€Å"The Audacity of Hope† are any real indication of the politician of the future — or the President of the future — it si clear that America still has the capacity to grown adn recognize leaders who can summon a bold-enough vision as well as present workable solutions to meet the challenges we have at least partially created for ourselves.

Ethics Essay - 772 Words

TEST 1 REVIEW QUESTIONS 1. What is an â€Å"argument† in philosophy? A set of claims one of which, called the conclusion, is said to be supported by the other claims, called the premises. 1. Premise 2. Premise 3. Conclusion 2. What do the terms â€Å"valid† and â€Å"sound† mean? Valid Argument If the premises are true, then it follows necessarily that the conclusion is true, or it is logically impossible for the conclusion to be false. Sound Argument A valid argument that contains only true premises. Soundness = Truth + Validity. 3. Sketch the â€Å"benefits arguments† in favor of harvesting Baby’s Theresa’s organs. Set out the premises and conclusion for Benefits Argument in the Baby Theresa case. The Benefits Argument 1. If†¦show more content†¦If one bad thing happens then others will follow after. 1. If we permit any sort of mercy killing, we will have stepped onto a dangerous slippery slope down which we will inevitably slide. 2. The mercy killing of Tracy was permissible. 3. Hence, we have stepped onto a dangerous slippery slope (which will lead to the view that all life is cheap). Objection: Are the causal claims supported by any evidence? In general, it is easy to make dire predictions concerning the future. Consider an analogy: Would gay marriage lead to the disintegration of the family? 6. What does Rachels’s â€Å"minimum conception of morality† consist of? Morality is, at the very least, the effort to guide one’s conduct by reason-while giving equal weight to the interests of each individual affected by one’s decision. Reason and impartiality consist stuff 7. What are five common features of Cultural Relativism? 1.Different societies have different moral codes. 2. (a) The good is determined by society; (b) an act is right if it is allowed by the guiding ideals od the society in which it is performed, and wrong if it forbidden by those ideals. 3. There is no objective standard that can be used to judge one societys code as better than an others. 4. The moral code of our society has no special status. 5. We should adopt an attitude to tolerance. 8. What is the â€Å"Cultural Differences† argument for Cultural Relativism? Does Rachels think it is sound? he thinks it isShow MoreRelatedEthics And Ethics : Ethics922 Words   |  4 Pagesand friend group to be altered. One change I was not anticipating making was my approach to ethics. Over the course of the past fifteen weeks, my knowledge of ethics as well as my approach to ethics has changed. I have become more knowledgeable about the different approaches to ethics and have gained insight as to where I stand in my approach to ethics. One thing that has changed in my approach to ethics since the beginning of the semester is I am now adamant that it is impossible to arrive at aRead MoreEthics : Ethics And Ethics Essay1578 Words   |  7 Pages†¢ Define ethics. Ethics is defined as the moral principles and standards that guide the behavior of an individual or group, while business ethics refers to said behavior in the work environment. Great leaders demonstrate and practice this both personally and professionally. With today’s constant media coverage of unethical decisions and their violators, it can be easy for many to people to assume that ethics codes are â€Å"just for show†. A prime example of the unethical culture that exists in businessRead MoreEthics : Ethics And Ethics851 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Berger who stated, â€Å"Without ethics, man has no future. This is to say, mankind without them cannot be itself. Ethics determine choices and actions and suggest difficult priorities† (Berger). His meaning behind that quote is simple. In this world is there a right and a wrong way of doing something? In this world, ethics determines our actions and the consequences that come about those actions, determining right and wrong. 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Ethics: the study of right and wrong and how to tell the difference between them. Since ethics also means people s beliefs about right and wrong behavior, ethics can be defined as the study of ethics. EthicsRead MoreEthics : Ethics And Ethics1569 Words   |  7 Pages Ethics In Nursing Rayda M. Garcia Fairleigh Dickinson Universityâ€Æ' Ethics In Nursing The study of ethics, or applied ethics, is necessary for healthcare professionals who often face dilemmas that are not experienced by the general population. The fast-paced growth of medical technology has made the study of ethics even more relevant. The study of bioethics, or biomedical ethics, refers to moral dilemmas due to advances in medicine and medical research. Since medical law and ethics are oftenRead MoreEthics And Ethics Of Ethics775 Words   |  4 Pagesmillion to settle a shareholder lawsuit. We can refer from the two previous examples that ethics education is crucial. 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I will provide my reasoningRead MoreEthics : Ethics And Ethics1485 Words   |  6 Pages Ethics is a concept derived from an individual’s religion, philosophies or culture, forming a collection of moral principles carrying out the manner in which a person leads their life. In modern society philosophers divide ethical theories into three separate areas, meta-ethics, normative ethics and applied ethics. Meta-ethics refer to the origins and meanings of ethical principles, dealing with the nature of moral judgement. Normative ethics refers to what is right and wrong and concerned withRead MoreEthics And Ethics Of Ethics987 Words   |  4 PagesEthics affect every facet of life, especially in a professional community. When a decision is to be made within a community, the ethical decision is typically that which benefits the most people or harms the least people. There are some scenarios however, when the correct decision based on a system of ethics that values doing the right thing is not the decision that leaves behind the least negative impact on the organization. An organization must decide if it will follow the system of ethics that

Analytic Thinking, Religion, and Prejudice - 1473 Words

The relation between and the intersection of religion and analytic thinking are complex and intransigently debated topic in the both social psychology and cognitive science literature for a decade. Moreover, the idea that religions facilitate acts that cause the negative attitudes toward especially religious out-groups has relatively a long theoretical and empirical history in social psychology (Allport Ross, 1967; Altemeyer Hunsberger, 1992; Spilka, 1986; Whitley Bernard,1999) and is the main idea behind the evolutionary origins of religion (Atran Heinrich, 2010; Bering, 2011; Norenzayan Shariff, 2008; Preston Ritter, 2013; Rand et al., 2014; Shariff Norenzayan, 2007; Sosis Alcorta, 2003) which is†¦show more content†¦In all experiments, those who primed with analytic thinking expressed less belief in a personal God: an average of about 41 on a 100-point scale for experimental group as compared to an average of 61 for control group. Although this finding is robust i n different demographic variations, little is known about its applicability to different religions which have â€Å"Big Gods†. (The term â€Å"Big Gods† refer to â€Å"omnipresent and omniscient moralizing agent† (Shariff Norenzayan, 2007) and this is unique to the three big religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam). Moreover, although they noted that the manipulations did merely a dip in religious beliefs of participants instead of an extreme change, it is unclear whether analytic thinking can decrease religious beliefs of highly religious people. Nevertheless, between-subject design had no possibility to do that; therefore, a within-subject replication of this effect is necessary to show its robustness. Religion and Prejudice Cooperation requires acting and working together for the mutual benefits of the members of the in-group; that is, cooperative intentions toward in-group members. Accordingly, it is generally thought that religiosity evolved with the object of constructing large-scale societies where the anonymous interaction among genetically unrelated members of society is crucial (Norenzayan Show MoreRelatedThe American Public School System1712 Words   |  7 Pagescan change our students into analytic masters, even though others would prefer the contrary. What would happen if our students actually started preferring reason over emotion, reality over fantasy, rationality over rationalizations, fair and objective analysis over prejudice and myths? Why, teachers would be tarred, feathered, and run right out of town. Students would question every unfounded opinion, cherished myth, political deception, religion in general, prejudice of imposed by their parents andRead MoreHinduism : A Model For Religious Toleration Essay2153 Words   |  9 PagesTOLERATION Hailey Walley Introduction to Religion Final Paper Dr. S. Moses December 8th 2016 â€Æ' Paul Griffiths argues that religions by their very nature are exclusivist and, therefore, preach that all who do not follow its particular religious law are exempt from salvation . Hinduism, however, disproves this theory, regularly illustrating its inclusive nature and holistic perspective of the world throughout history. Buddhism, for instance, is a reformed, sub-religion of Hinduism that was created by thoseRead MoreA Short Account of Psychoanalysis - Freud, Sigmund6817 Words   |  28 Pageswhich occurred to him, and against which the fundamental rule of psycho-analysis was directed, had themselves already been manifestations of this resistance. A consideration of the phenomena of resistance led to one of the corner-stones of the psycho-analytic theory of the neuroses - the theory of repression. It was plausible to suppose that the same forces which were now struggling against the pathogenic material being made conscious had at an earlier time made the same efforts with success . A gap inRead More Global Problems Essay3935 Words   |  16 Pagessome better sense of proportion by a search for a comprehensive view. Not willing to preach to converts, however, let me go on without discussing these matters. The tasks of philosophy are traditionally divided to the analytic and the synthetic; I will now leave the analytic aspect of the situation: we need now some new solutions rather than analyze extant ones: the extant ones are not good enough for that. So let me discuss briefly the synthetic side of philosophy and the great service it canRead MoreEssay on The Concepts of Belief, Certainty, and Knowledge1942 Words   |  8 Pagesthat is belief.† World War II, the Crusades and the 9/11 are glaring examples of the monstrous atrocities that can be committed when one believes in something without any moral common sense. This is of course, not an attack on religion, but rather the interpretation of religion. People are susceptible to gullibility when it comes to believing the radical teachings of another person as they don’t take the initiative to question and examine the justifications to these teachings. And as social animalsRead MoreHistory And Systems Of Psychology3029 Words   |  13 Pagespsychoanalytic theory the therapist allows the client to take the lead. At first, this may seem strange and the client may want the therapist to take charge. But learning how your thoughts work and what associates to what, is a vital part of the analytic process. Psychoanalysts understand that even the best advice or the best listening skills only go so far. If the analysis is too quiet the client may think she/he is judging or doesn’t care but if the analysis is giving advice the purpose of psychoanalysisRead MoreXerox And The Vision Quest2729 Words   |  11 PagesAs a culture, American Indians view â€Å"‘religion as life’ and lived in the presence of the holy through a cooperative partnership with nature (Carr-Ruffino, 2014, p. 297). This viewpoint adds credit to the average person’s affiliation of vision quest with religious experience. While Xerox used the Native American customs to promote creativity, it was Mr. Biggs who claimed the vision quest was a â€Å"spiritual retreat† while his supervisor explained, â€Å"that religion was not involved† (Case). The connotationRead MorePyschoanalytic Personalities Essay Notes9106 Words   |  37 Pagesform the basis for his concept of the collective unconscious. Around the age of 10, Jung carved for himself a small wooden mannequin, carefully dressed it in homemade attire, and hid it, along with a small painted stone, in the attic of his house. Thinking of this mannequin and stone hidden away secretly together was pleasurable for Jung and somehow had the ability to calm him when he became distressed. He would also write coded messages on little scrolls of paper, to be tucked away with the mannequin—aRead MoreOpenness in Personality10561 Words   |  43 Pagesart, and sensitive to beauty. They tend to be, when compared to closed people, more creative and more aware of t heir feelings. They are more likely to hold unconventional beliefs. Another characteristic of the open cognitive style is a facility for thinking in symbols and abstractions far removed from concrete experience. People with low scores on openness tend to have more conventional, traditional interests. They prefer the plain, straightforward, and obvious over the complex, ambiguous, and subtleRead MoreSocial Problems Among Youth5423 Words   |  22 Pagesanalyzed into six standard; â€Å" (1) standard of factuality: reports are based on verified facts; (2) standard of balance and fairness: reports balance and fairly represent the main viewpoints on an issue; (3) standard of non-bias: the report’s prejudices and interest do not distort reports; (4) standard of independence: journalists are free report without fear or favor; (5) standard of non-interpretation: reporters do not put their interpretations into reports; (6) standard of neutrality: reporters