Human sexuality Essay

Psychology illustrates love as a cognitive and social phenomenon of feeling of intimacy. According to Robert Sternberg devised a triangular theory love and claimed that love has three constituents’ commitment, intimacy and passion. Intimacy is a form through which two individuals share self-assurances and various aspects of their personal lives and is normally portrayed in friendships and romantic love affairs. Commitment is the expectation that the love will be enduring. Passionate love is shown through infatuation and sexual attraction together with romantic love. All forms of love differ with regard to passion, commitment and intimacy. Psychology holds that in love there is attachment, bonds, ties and affinity. Biological representation of love perceives love as a mammalian drive similar to thirst. Biologists view love as influenced by hormones like oxytocin, pheromones and neutrophins and the thoughts and behavior of individuals regarding love. The conservative perception in bilgy regarding love n that there are two major drives in love attachment and sexual attraction. Attachment between grown-up is assumed t work on the same principles that make an infant to get attached to the mother. Lust is the early passionate seal desire which encourages mating and entails increased release of hormones such as estrogen and testosterone. Attraction is the more personalized and romantic desire to a particular for mating that develops through lust as a commitment to a person mate forms. Present neural studies have shown that when individuals fall in love, the brain constantly discharges a particular set of chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, pheromones, and norepinephrine that work in the same way as amphetamines. This stimulates the brain enjoyment center resulting to side effects which include; lack of sleep, increased heart rate, and loss of appetite and intense feeling of anticipation. Since last and attraction are only temporary attachment is the next stage that endorses the relationship to last longer based on commitments to marriage and child bearing. Attachment is associated with high proportion production of oxytocin and vasopressin. There are also high levels of nerve growth factor when individuals fall in love. Christian understanding regarding love is that love originates from God. Christian’s theologians perceive God as the ultimate source of love which is reflected in human beings and their own loving associations. Two connotations of love in Christian faith are agape love which defines selfless, humane, charitable and unconditional love. It is this love that was demonstrated in parental love, and viewed in creating the world, it trough this love God demonstrates his love for humankind and is the same love which Christian desire for one another. Phileo is the human love to something wonderful also known as brotherly love. Christians consider that people should Love God will all their heart, mind, and strength and love their neighbor as they love themselves as the greatest commandment.

My Favorite Detective Story Essay

In my free time the most I like to do is reading books. Because with reading, it doesn’t matter is it a short story or a novel in several volumes, you can know something new about life. I enjoy reading different books but the most I like detectives and fantastic stories. My favorite detective story is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. I first read it when I was 12 and it a little shocked me and left a great impression. The first I have always admired the talent of Agatha Christie, she is my favorite writer in detective genre, the mastery with which she described the story is incredible, the ending was completely unpredictable. And as always Hercule Poirot was simply inimitable. So what is story about? The Murder on the Orient Express. Mr. Ratchett was killed. Mr. Poirot accidentally discovers a note by means of which he learns that the murder of Ratchet directly connected with shocked all the world murder little Daisy Armstrong. Real name of Ratchett was Cassetti. Five years earlier, Cassetti kidnapped three-year-old Daisy Armstrong. Though the Armstrong family paid a large ransom, Cassetti murdered the little girl and fled the country with the money. Daisy’s mother, Sonia, was pregnant when she heard of Daisy’s death. The shock sent her into premature labour, and both she and the baby died. Her husband, Colonel Armstrong, shot himself out of grief. Cassetti’s guilt was proved. But despite this he could flee the country and escape further prosecution for the crime. Although the fact that all passengers have their alibis and witnesses proving innocence each of them Poirot because of its lively mind and experience reveals that crime. Hercule Poirot assembles all passengers and offers them 2 possible explanations of Ratchett’s murder. The first explanation is that a stranger – some gangster enemy of Ratchett – murdered Ratchett for reasons unknown, and escaped unnoticed. And the second – Ratchett was killed by all passengers because all of them were related to Armstrongs. He proposed to Bouc, the Head of the Orient Express, to choose the correct. Fully in sympathy with the Armstrong family, and feeling nothing but disgust for the victim, Bouc pronounces the first explanation is correct.

Full Day Kindergarten Essay

Full day kindergarten should be mandatory and of no extra cost for all of the elementary schools. This will boost the children’s academic achievement. The children that are exposed to full day kindergarten will learn more in literacy and mathematics than those in half-day kindergarten. The students that are in a full day program get to spend more time on their math, writing, and reading activities. The full day students also get the advantage of being able to participate in gym, art, and music classes. The half-day students do not get to experience gym, art, or music class. I have seen results first hand because I chose to put my son in a full day kindergarten versus the half-day. I chose to bring my son to a school that is located in Fridley so that he could receive the benefits of the full day kindergarten. The half-day program that Blaine offers has a very undesirable schedule for parents who work. The half-day schedule for Blaine elementary school is full days Mondays, Wednesdays, and every other Friday. I think that the earlier the educational intervention begins the higher the impact and the more likely the effects will be retained. Other than the health of a child, I think that nothing should be more important than their education. Giving children the opportunity to be in a full day kindergarten program gives them opportunities that the half-day students do not receive. One of the opportunities is being able to spend more time on reading, writing, and math. The teachers also have more time to sit one on one with each student one or in small groups and work on these skills. They also have a different theme for each month that they focus on. Some examples of the themes are the solar system, U. S.  presidents, maps, and the celebrations around the world. Children also absorb things more easily when they are younger. Being a mother of a full day kindergarten student, I see the results of the extra reading, writing, and math that the teacher does with him. My son is one of the youngest in his class and he is reading at a first grade level. As for his writing, he attempt to write big words using phonics. For example, I came home one day a few months ago and he had written on his dry erase board â€Å"I see a red ladebug†. He also brought home a worksheet that he had written about his favorite fruits. On this worksheet, he had written â€Å"watrmlon†. As far as his math goes, he is always measuring things in the house with a kid’s yard ruler. The themes that they work on each month give the students the ability to know what is going on in the world around them. My son came home from school one day and told me that there was a planet that was not considered a planet anymore. I did not know this and I was in complete awe. According to Debra Ackerman, â€Å"Children in full day kindergarten programs score higher on their achievement test than those in half-day programs. Full-day kindergarten advocates suggest that a longer school day provides educational support that ensures a productive beginning school experience and increases the chances of future school success. In both full-day and half-day programs, kindergartners spend most of their class time working on reading, language arts, and math activities, but the total number of minutes teachers devote to specific subjects differs. For example, 80 percent of full day but only about 50 percent of half-day programs devote more than 30 minutes each day to mathematics instruction. Sixty-eight percent of full day but only 37 percent of half-day classrooms dedicate at least 60 minutes to reading instruction each day. Perhaps most striking, 79 percent of full-day teachers read aloud to their students every day, compared to 62 percent of half-day teachers. Reading aloud is a critical activity in helping to develop children’s reading skills. Additional research shows children’s literacy learning is enhanced in full-day programs, as the full-day schedule provides a more intensive, ongoing, enriched language and literacy experience for the young child. † (Ackerman) Children in full day kindergarten programs score higher on their achievement test than those in half-day programs. I asked my son’s kindergarten teacher, Ms. Janssen, what the average for reading was for her class. Ms. Janssen stated that the majority of her students are already in the first grade reading level as of the end of the second trimester. As said by the Indiana Association of Public School Super Intendants, â€Å"Full day kindergarten programs are associated with greater reading achievement gains during the kindergarten year than half day programs†. (Plucker, 6) The students are graded on their writing and math abilities as well. According to the Kalamazoo Public Schools reports, â€Å"The group of kindergartners advanced in 2010 to first grade at Kalamazoo Public School, where 60 percent tested at or above the 50th percentile in reading on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills last April. That’s a 7-point increase compared to Kalamazoo Public School first-graders tested in April 2009, Rice said. On the Iowa Test Basic Skills math test, 52 percent of first-graders tested at or above the 50th percentile last spring, a 12-point jump over spring 2009. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills are administered in schools nationwide and is a norm-referenced test, which means scores are based on how students perform compared to other test-takers. The Kalamazoo Public School results show that 60 percent of Kalamazoo students are in the top half of first-graders nationwide in reading and 52 percent are in the top half in math. † (Mack) Children who are in full day kindergarten have better social and behavioral effects than those who are in half-day kindergarten. When children are in school for the full day they have more time to get to know the other students. They get more time to interact together socially and they are learning while they are interacting. The students also get to go to specialists and they go with their classmates. Some of the specialists that Hayes Elementary offers are music, art, Spanish, and gym. Going to the specialist is something that the full day kindergarteners get to do and the half-day kindergarteners do not get to do. These students also get to spend more time with the teacher. This means that they will be less hesitant to approach their teacher. According to Clark, â€Å"Some researchers have examined social and behavioral effects. According to researchers, a clear relationship emerged between the kindergarten schedule and children’s behavior. Teachers rated children in all-day kindergarten programs higher on 9 of the 14 dimensions; there were no significant differences on the other 5 dimensions. Other researchers who have studied social and behavioral outcomes found that children in all-day kindergarten programs were engaged in more child-to-child interactions and they made significantly greater progress in learning social skills†. (Clark) In the kindergarten classrooms of Hayes Elementary, the students get into groups called centers. During this center time, the teacher takes a group of five students to a table to do independent reading and the rest of the students go to a center. The centers are groups of three or four students and the students get to interact socially while doing something educational. Some examples of the centers are writing center, listening center, leapster center, and art center. The writing center is where the students can write freely. The listening center is where the students put on headphones, listen to directions, and write down what they hear. The leapster center is where the students get to play a handheld learning game that integrates math, reading, and spelling in the games. Finally, the art center is where the students get to draw and color what they want. When the time is up the students clean up as groups. A full day of learning offers many social and emotional benefits to kindergarteners. As stated by NEA, â€Å"They have more time to focus and reflect on activities, and they have more time to transition between activities. When children are taught by qualified teachers, using age-appropriate curricula in small classes they can take full advantage of the additional learning time—social, emotional, and intellectual— that a full day allows. Further, research finds that children adjust well to the full-day format. † (NEA) The full day kindergarten teachers plan and use the extra time in class well. The time in class is spent differently in both the full day kindergarten and the half-day kindergarten. According to the research that the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, â€Å"The research provides evidence that time in full day kindergarten programs is different both quantitatively and qualitatively from how time is used in half day programs† (Plucker, ii). Full day kindergarten offers benefits to teachers. Teachers prefer the full day program to the half-day program. If there is a child that is struggling with something, the teacher has the ability to find time to help that student. There is also more time to finish activities. According to Ms. Janssen, â€Å"With the full day program I am able to get through four reading groups versus two reading groups in one day. With the full day program we are able to go more in depth on our unit that we focus on in class. † (Janssen) According to the NEA, â€Å"Switching to full-day kindergarten gave teachers more time to plan the curriculum, incorporate a greater number of thematic units into the school year, and offer more in-depth coverage of each unit. † (NEA) In the half-day programs there is less time for multiple activities. According to Dr. Martinez, â€Å"Many kindergarten teachers favor full day kindergarten because they find it difficult to balance cognitive activities and affective social activities in the short kindergarten day. † (Martinez, 2) Teachers also prefer full day kindergarten because there is more instructional time than that of a half-day kindergarten program. As stated by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents, â€Å" Across all of the schools in the Indiana sample, the proportion of instructional time is similar across program types, resulting in much greater instructional time in full day programs, representing approximately 40-50% more instruction in full day programs than half-day programs†. (Plucker, ii) Teachers also have the benefit of getting to know the students and their parents better. According to Dr. Martinez, â€Å"Teachers state that they have a chance to know children and parents better, to do more individualization of instruction, and to expand the curriculum horizontally. † (Dr. Martinez) There are so many benefits for the children. A very important benefit is that the full day kindergarteners have the opportunity to an easier transition into the first grade because they are already used to the full day schedule. The time that the students get to spend with the teacher is a great benefit as well. The extra time that is spent with the teacher is as much beneficial for the teacher as it is for the students. According to the research from Dr. Martinez, â€Å"Teachers thought children developed closer relationships and were more relaxed in the full-day program and felt more a part of the school. Teachers indicated they were able to give more individual attention to students and that children had more time to develop both academic and socialization skills. Teachers noted they could work more on the continuing development of each child and felt children showed more advancement. Teachers indicated they felt closer to the children and that they got to know both child and family better. Some indicated in the full day they felt more flexible, were more relaxed and spontaneous, and felt better prepared to meet with parents. † (Dr. Martinez, 6) The time that the students get to spend on activities is another great benefit. According to NEA, â€Å"in a study evaluating teachers’ views on full-day kindergarten, teachers reported a number of benefits for themselves as well as children and parents. Participating in full day eased the transition to first grade, helping children adapt to the demand of a six-hour day. Having more time available in the school day offered more flexibility and more time to do activities during free choice times. Having more time actually made the kindergarten program less stressful and frustrating for children because they had time to fully develop an interest in activities. Participating in  the full-day schedule allows more appropriate academic challenges for children at all developmental levels. Children with developmental delays or those at risk for school problems benefited from having more time to complete projects and more time for needed socialization with peers and teachers. † (NEA) Full day kindergarten offers more benefits to the students that are at risk and children that come from educational and economical disadvantaged homes. If the full day kindergarten programs cost money, as most do, they cost around 3000 dollars per child for the year. The 3000 dollars is charged to the parents of the child. The children that come from the educationally and economically disadvantaged homes would not be able to attend because of the cost. These children are the ones that benefit from the program the most. According to the Indiana Superintendents, â€Å"Students at or below the poverty level enrolled in full day kindergarten scored statistically significantly higher in math and reading than their half day counterparts. Poor children enrolled in full day kindergarten programs tested statistically significantly above half day pupils on reading, spatial, and verbal skills, naming colors and letters, and identifying numerals. †(Plucker, 6) Parents prefer full day kindergarten as well. I as a mother prefer the full day kindergarten program to the half-day program. One of the advantages is that I do not have to figure out childcare and who would bring my son to the childcare. Trying to figure out childcare and school between my job schedule would be undesirable. As said by Dr. Martinez, â€Å"Full-day kindergarten saves parents day-care problems, while providing children a comprehensive, developmentally-appropriate program. Parents said that children often feel more stress when they have to go from a school situation to a day-care environment, where different rules and philosophies apply. Therefore, parents favor a full-day program, which reduces the number of transitions kindergartners experience in a typical day. † (Dr. Martinez) Full day kindergarten also takes a huge cost out of many parents’ monthly budget including mine. Even though some people would be against this and say, â€Å"Why would I have to pay for your childcare? † I would say that many parents including myself pay taxes too. Their parents wanted them to have the best education that they could have gotten. Most importantly, I know that my son and many other children are getting the best out of their day while they are in school. They are having fun while they are learning. My son enjoys being in school. If he had a choice, he would go on Saturdays and Sundays. Children attending full day kindergarten spend the day learning instead of watching television or playing video games. Full-day kindergarten provides parents with better support for their children. According to NEA, â€Å"For parents who work outside the home, full-day kindergarten means that children do not have to be shuffled between home, school, and childcare. For all parents, there is more continuity and less disruption in the child’s day and more time for focused and independent learning. One study of parent attitudes found that after the second year of a full-day kindergarten program, 100 percent of full-day parents, and 72 percent of half-day parents noted that, if given the opportunity again, they would have chosen full-day kindergarten for their child†. (NEA). In conclusion, having full day kindergarten should be mandatory. There are many benefits of the full day kindergarten program. The benefits are not limited to the students. Teachers and parents also get great benefits out of the full day program. According to MaryBeth, â€Å"Research has shown that it is important to begin learning early in life. School systems that have implemented the academically based full day kindergarten are finding it to be successful. † (Calvin) If I had to choose again if a child of mine was going to go to full day or half-day kindergarten, I would not even have to think twice. A child’s education should be one of the most important things to think about. These children will be the future and they need a great education to get there. * Works Cited Calvin, MaryBeth. Expectations for Kindergarten in 2010. 3 February 2010. 3 March 2011. Clark, Patricia. Recent Research on All Day Kindergarten. 2004. 4 March 2011. Debra J Ackerman, W. S. Making the Most of Kindergarten. March 2005. 4 March 2011. Janssen.

Problems in Chinese Education System and steps taken to improve the Essay

Problems in Chinese Education System and steps taken to improve the system - Essay Example Nine years of education is made compulsory in China at preliminary and junior secondary level. However, there is very low government spending on education. Teaching resources are not sufficient as the enrolments in schools. China’s National Auditing Office recently released the 2003 auditing results of 18 universities in China. It was found out that there were violations of financial regulations in these universities. Furthermore, when university professor Mr. Sun Guangwen and former secretary Lin Mu were interviewed about China’s education system, they identified three major problems which are unequal opportunity, expensive tuition and difficult standards for admission. There are also issues regarding course material and teaching methods of China’s education system.... ccording to survey of China’s Academy of Social Sciences, the average education related fees of universities, high schools and elementary schools account for 30 to 60 percent of a family’s income. To the low income families residing in China who accounts up to 80 percent of Chinas population, education fees are a secondary expense to food expense (Yue & Hong, 2006). Lin Mu has identified an emerging concept of â€Å"education commercialization† in China. Schools are now a commercial business; they only keep raising their fees and emptying poor family’s pockets. Even the free schools now charge some amount of money. Professor Sun regards commercialization as wrong and has drawbacks. Commercialization is based on making money. This increases burden towards students. Schools are also required to pay bonuses to teachers. Some schools pay really high bonuses. There are three levels in a school. The first level includes the president, vice president, secretary a nd vice secretary, deans and assisted deans. These people are paid 50,000 yuan or US$ 6000 per year. The second level of staff is paid 40,000 yuan or US$ 5000 and the third level is paid 30,000 yuan or US$ 4000 per year. All this money is coming from students (Yue & Hong, 2006). Through commercialization, universities and colleges have started branding their institutes which attracts students so that they can get better jobs later. Another way for these institutes to make money is by offering short courses, training classes or post graduate certificate programs. These are affordable as the teachers only care about money. As a result, the quality of education is seriously suffering (Yue & Hong, 2006). An expert once estimated and came on a conclusion, based on the ratio and people’s income, the expense of

Litature review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Litature review - Essay Example The group noted that although higher financial losses incurred from white-collar crime compared with street crime, the law tends to focus more on street crime. Moreover, they argued that the public are even more inclined to sustain corrective measures against street offenders. The study improved on prior white-collar research by recognizing the effects of socio-demographics, perceptions of white-collar crime, as well as corresponding punitive actions on public support for allocating budget for white-collar initiatives. (Holfreter, et al. 50). Male and female white-collar offenders have similar ways of declaring their account of how and why they committed fraud. While men declare their white-collar crime as out of character perpetrated out of necessity, women usually plead to the crime as due to necessity and the only reasonable alternative based on the circumstances. Based on qualitative researches, gender has been proven to be am important social characteristic with respect to the choice and use of specific accounts for various white-collar offenses (Klenowski, et al. 60, 69). Meanwhile, public perceptions about the punishment white-collar crimes and street crimes were studied by Schoepfer, Carmichael, and Piquero, particularly, the factors associated to sanction threats. A probability sample was involved in a study comparing robbery and fraud as exemplars. Findings revealed that popular perception tends to consider street crime as having a higher probability of being caught and that the penalties of street crime are stiffer than for white collar crimes. Furthermore, the correlates of certainty and severity for both street and white collar crimes are similar. However, respondents differed in their perceptions about the possibility of being meted particular punishments and actual punishments that white-collar offenders should receive (Schoepfer, et al. 151). Cullen, Clark, Mathers, et

Learning with educational games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Learning with educational games - Essay Example Therefore, educational games and some activities in the textbooks are good learning strategies that help students in overcoming problems of information reception and acceptance. These are activities performed by students in order to develop their mental and physical abilities and also bring them fun and entertainment. In addition, learning with educational games helps students to acquire knowledge (Al-Ghamadi, 2009). Play, as a part of learning, has a number of benefits to students. Firstly, it promotes interaction between individual students. As the students interact, they also get to discover individual differences and personalities among them (Van, 2006). This discovery shall help to understand each other more. Educational Games also help students with visual learning preferences understand topic concepts easily. Lastly, games boost mental health by activating the mental capacity. Learning with games usually requires that students cluster into different learning groups. One advantage of this clustering during learning games is that a student gets his or her capabilities and superiority over the others. This fact gives one confidence and heightens self esteem. Gaming also promotes thinking and imagination of an individual since most games are usually in the form of puzzles. Besides, these games have rules that must be strictly adhered to. As students keep on following these simple rules of gaming, they also learn and grow up to be law abided citizens. Lastly, learning with educational games in groups promotes corporation and unity among students thus; individual group members feel a sense of belonging (Balkis, 1987). A teacher plays an overall oversight role in learning with educational games. The teacher, other than identifying and selecting the most appropriate games for the students, facilitates the formation of various groups and defines the role of each group member (Balkis, 1987).. He also plans and schedules the time and place for these

A World without Television Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A World without Television - Essay Example On its part, the television touched our lives in more than one way, some good and some bad. The television made our life colorful (even the earlier black and white variety). It presented us with so many live entertainment options: the musicals, the stage plays, the soap operas, the fashion shows, and that too, without having to step out of our homes. It gave us the power to dream, to identify ourselves with the mannerisms of the most glamorous stars and celebrities, projected in larger-than-life roles. It taught us to desire and acquire things of luxury, through scores of advertisements, by creating an image of reality that is not real. By wanting more and more of these goodies, we helped our industries to innovate, produce more, flourish, and, in turn, enrich our lives further. Television became the homemaker, bringing a sense of togetherness in our families, taming our mischievous children with visual treats specially planned for them, discouraging husbands and wives from quarreling, and taking away the loneliness out of the lives of the elderly and infirm. It also helped us to integrate, not only our nation, but the whole world into a global village, by showing the live images of people from distant regions and countries, share their joys and sorrows, problems and achievements, cultures and traditions, during special shows and news programs. We became visual participants in the grim realities of life, through scenes from accident sites, war fronts, natural calamities like floods, earthquakes, and learnt to have compassion for the less fortunate fellow humans. No other medium could have matched the impact of the real-life visual images of television on our collective psyche. Of course there are certain undesirable things too. It has produced a generation of couch-potatoes who depend only on passive entertainment, and has stripped us of the opportunity and inspiration to do things ourselves. We are forced use less and less of our thinking faculty, creative imagination, and physical effort. Books and other elaborate written materials, which require a certain amount of contemplation, are no longer attractive to the younger generation. Unless controlled properly, unhealthy viewing content can also creep in, and spoil the morals of the society. In spite of good and ugly sides to it, the reality is that Television has grown with us as a family member, and it is already a partner in our social evolution. We can no longer allow it to disappear out of our lives. Our World view in absence of Television: Since olden days, people were interested to know about other civilizations across the globe. In those days, the main source of information was from the personal accounts of the voyagers and travelers. This interest was generally limited to the members of the trading communities, explorers or royal expeditions. Later, with the development of printing technology, written matter became easily transportable and transferable, and helped in creating a better and consistent understanding of the outside world. The nineteenth century saw a sudden rise in industrial activity, made possible by a series of inventions in the field of technology. This triggered a growth cycle of such magnitude that the whole society evolved into a large mass of affluence. This affluent mass of people had the time and

Capital Market Theories Market Efficiency Versus Investor Prospects Essay

Capital Market Theories Market Efficiency Versus Investor Prospects - Essay Example One example of such services is information technology consultancy provided by the external auditors to their audit clients. This approach was an already existing policy of many good governance advocates. The huge scandals that involved companies like, Enron and WorldCom, who were associated with accounting frauds characterized by presentation of obscure, incomplete and confusing financial data and business relationships that had misled external investors, had suggested the necessity to introduce an act that will impose strict regulations on the accounting system all over the world, thereby giving rise to a robust governance framework. That being said, it is not surprising that following the scandals, the reforms that were brought in the post-SOX governance framework were mostly related to the process of auditing and presenting financial data. The largest dollar impact on the US economy was stimulated by the post-SOX changes made in the auditing regulations. The post-SOX reforms were directed towards eliminating and reducing relationships that may pressurize, tempt or influence an external auditor into acting in a biased manner towards their corporate clients. The underlying idea behind these changes was to render the auditing officials less likely to fall into the pattern of acting as reciprocating relatives. This was done in order to satisfy their interests at the expense of the investments made by the public. As far as the new audit related changes in the board of governance is concerned, the mandates had called for changes to be made in the managerial level in order to reduce any conflict of interest and interpersonal pressures. This reform was brought primarily because it would require the directors to act as judgmental monitors of management instead of acting as a reciprocating friend. In addition to these rules that emphasized on conflict reduction, other standards were also

Identify Components of a Typical Contract Essay

Identify Components of a Typical Contract - Essay Example Parties must meet the legal capacity to enter into valid contracts (Miller & Jentz, 2012). This implies that parties must be of age, to understand stipulations of a contract and be of sound mind. It must be noted that minors of age below eighteen years cannot enter into a contract. Another requirement to be met by parties entering into contracts is that concerned parties must ensure that the contract is free from any form of future misunderstandings and has no loopholes. An offer must be made, and consideration be made for exchange. The purpose for which any contract is made must be for legal objectives. Lastly, parties meeting all the legal requirements seal the contract (Meiners, Ringleb & Edwards, 2012). The law also stipulates measures to be taken should any of the parties fail to honor terms of the agreement or perform breach of contract. The injured party could rescind the contract or set free the breaching party off any responsibilities coming because of the contract implement ation? The other option available is for the parties to reach an agreement on notation (Walston-Dunham, 2012). The injured side has a right to ask for compensation from the defaulter for damages or loss incurred. The injured party can file for a court order restraining the other party from undertaking any transaction direct related to the agreement. All rules relating to how contracts are formed and how every party is supposed to behave are contained in the law of contract (Walston-Dunham, 2012). Case 1 The two parties here are on contract, to sell ten acres of land. The seller, Krauses in the first instance offered a price less than the actual market value and a contract was formed both parties. The contract is legally binding in all terms and both parties are required to observe stated term. Krauses cannot make changes on the contract despite realizing the quoted price is much lower than the market price (Walston-Dunham, 2012). Changes can be implemented to the terms of the contra ct on exceptional cases such as when the contract ends (Meiners, Ringleb & Edwards, 2012). The contract could also be terminated if both parties reach a mutual agreement to end the contract and in other cases when both parties have fulfilled their obligation to each other leaving no other reason for the parties to carry out the contract (Walston-Dunham, 2012). If another situation arose and Krauses breaches the contract terms by indicating a price higher than agreed in writing, Jud is not liable to adhering to the stipulated terms as Krauses has performed breach of contract by false writing for his personal reasons (Miller & Jentz, 2012). As a result, Jud has right to terminate the contract as it does not act as per the laid down agreement (Walston-Dunham, 2012). Case 2 The second case implies a contract whereby there are two parties Gerald and a centre looking into the needs of disadvantaged children. The initial agreement was that Gerald who is an event organizer stages a concert to raise funds for the kids centre. However, Gerald thereafter decides not to hand over the concert earnings to the charity home as per the agreement. Both parties were well aware of the stipulations of the agreement and had the intention to abide by them (Meiners, Ringleb & Edwards, 2012). As earlier stated, for a contract to be valid it must fulfill all terms laid down by law. One of the stipulati

MODC Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

MODC - Assignment Example This assessment provides people as well as organizations to increase their capacities and abilities of making robust decisions. Scenario planning is based on a qualitative approach, which is in contrast with quantitative forecasting tools, which typically consider the predicted futures. Scenario planning is traditionally considered as useful for the identification of threats and opportunities in the future and even though organizations may not have an ability to discern the accurate nature of a specific threat, they will have a better position in the navigation of eventual outcomes if they consider an uncertainty from more than one view. This is better than taking the word from one pundit, or the extrapolation of a specific trend line as being the most probable future in the process of discounting other perspectives. Scenario planning does not entail forecasting the future; instead, it tries to make a description of what may be possible. The outcome of a scenario analysis is a set of distinct futures, which are all plausible. The main challenge that arises involved dealing with each of the possible scenarios but there are benefits of scenario planning. These benefits include manager being obligated to leave their standard view of the world thereby exposing blind spots, which might then be unnoticed in the more generally permissible forecasts. Additionally, decision makers have an enhanced ability to acknowledge a scenario in its early stages in case it actually unfolds. Another benefit is that managers will get a better understanding of the source of disagreements that typically take place as they envision various scenarios without their realization. Strategic drift takes place when an organization regardless of its level of success reacts too slowly to changes occurring in the external environment and maintains the strategies that initially worked well. This is

The Spanish Artist Essay Example for Free

The Spanish Artist Essay Francisco Jose de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828) was born in Aragonese in a small town of Fuendetodos on March 30, 1746. The first period of Goya’s painting career may have started in1763. He was then an aspiring young painter and most of his paintings depict the everyday life of ordinary people, such as in â€Å"The Parasol† painted in 1777, â€Å"The Junkman† painted in 1779, and The Picnic at the Edge of the Manzanares River painted in 1776. The styles vary depending on his subject. The bright light on the Parasol reveals his happy mood in painting the life of the monarch. The style depicts the life of ordinary people, which to me reflect their struggles and hope. Next period was when he was appointed in the palace under Charles III, in 1786 probably up to 1792 when he contracted a disease that changed his view. The topics of his paintings then were about monarchs and the relative peace the people enjoyed. The painting style depicts happiness and vitality of life as most of his paintings use bright light and lively colors. Perhaps the last period was during 1792 up to the last years of his life. The topics of his paintings were gloom probably because of his disease and his analysis of the development at the time as depicted in his Saturn Devouring his Son painted in 1819 and Old Men Eating Soup painted in 1819. The styles reflect his feelings during the time he contracted a disease that made him deaf and the last years of his life. The nude paintings in 1797, the Snowstorm, and the paintings mentioned earlier reflect pessimism and fear. Work Cited Goya http://www. spanisharts. com/prado/goya. htm Goya: Back to Romanticism http://arthistory. heindorffhus. dk/frame-Goya. htm

Global Household Brand Essay Example for Free

Global Household Brand Essay Executive summary After a review of the â€Å"Global Household Brand† article, I was assigned the task of reviewing your business and to provide a well-detailed critique on global households’ brands. I will develop a strategy; identify the likely cause of the company’s financial woes. The major factor on the poor financial performance of the company is that of competitive strategy and differences in operational effectiveness. Ineffective management strategies have led the company to lose lots of profit (Michael E, 1998). Its lack of a clear strategy on how to effectively compete with big marketers has made it either to exit the market or to end up in the financial mess.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The company must continuously improve the level of its operational effectiveness, and income must be increased and regulated. Sustainable performance will largely be dependent on global household brand having a strategic position (Tony P, 2000). There is need to evaluate consumers’ trend.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Company and Industry Overview Global household brands has lost the image she built as a leading producer and marketer of a variety of â€Å"niche† dentifrice products that includes polident, powdered aspirin, household cleaning brands among a few others to company characterized with lack of customers and loss making one. The company initially thrived on venturing in new markets and exiting them when the competition became a little bit stiff. The restructuring of the company together with other measures to bring a change in the financial fortunes of the company have only helped to worsen the situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, the firm has intention of reinventing itself to turn around its fortunes so as to be competitive and generate revenue in a continuous and sustainable manner. In the mid 1990s, when various big marketers such as Clorox, S.C Johnson, and Arm and Harmer began competing against global household brand’s 2000 flush automatic toilet bowl cleaners, X-14 mildew as well as soap scum removers and carpet fresh carpet refreshers, the company decided to exited the group of products due to their inability to gain substantial market share.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During this period the company was not anywhere close to the red line, actually it was worth around $1.5 million. The exit made by global households brand did not seem to affect its profitability within the markets. The items it dealt with were in areas considered less competitive which enabled her to rake in high amounts of profits on their line up to branded products. During the period 1995-98 the profits started to drop by about 10-15% per annum.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Their potential to stay at least in the market was waning. The sale of their brands as well as the hiring and restructuring their management executive did not seem to over turn the events. Eventually after global household brand had had their sales drop from $130million to $ 70 million they decided to hire Goldman Sachs to sell their brand of products. After about one and a half years with Goldman at the helm, the sales figures were not anywhere near $100 that Goldman had promised. The deterioration in the sales figure was as a result of lack of competitive marketing strategy and difference in operation effectiveness. This was in spite of the company being given the green light about their customers respect for their brands of products. Analysis In the mid 1990s the company was worth about $1.5 billion. In the period 1995 to 1998 the sales of the firm was falling at a rate between 10 and 15% per annum. This in effect demonstrates the ability of the company to generate high profits. During the late 1990s onwards the firm did not efficiently output. The consistent drop in the sales figure was a testimony to this. In spite of all the changes and various measures the firm was taking, it was still not able to generate the projected profit margins. Despite the fact that the consumers have greatly respected their brand of products it was not able to capitalize on this factor to turn into huge profits. Strengths Consumers for its high quality of products very well recognize global households brands. This in addition to the mature nature of the household cleaning products industry is a plus for the company. The company is also much leveraged in the industry. The company also has a superior marketing V.P with such attributes as unique talents and is also very experienced as well as brilliant strategies. This is in addition to the talented R and D director it has on its board. All these factors will aid the management in turning around the fortunes of the firm. With all these talent and experience at their disposal the company would be starting from a vantage position in its path to recovery. The industry also seems to be very mature meaning the future of the company with its continued operations is bright. Weaknesses The firm has not effectively and in most cases deliberately not considered heavily investing in advertising and marketing to compete with her competition. The new operations manager also seems to be having a bad inter personal relationship with other employees within the firm. Global sales department has not met its past targets. Opportunity Trends The general trend within the industry seems to be in favor of household cleaning products. The overview of the general industry seems to suggest that it is leveraged and that household cleaning products industry is mature. This presents the company with the chance to exploit and increase its revenue. The maturity of the company shows that if it can invest largely without so many risks involved as uncertainty. Competitive Analysis Such companies like Clorox, S.C Johnson among others seem to be the greatest competition for the firm. They have heavily invested in their marketing strategies and in the end endeared themselves to their customers. Strategic options Global households, has been constantly pioneering various ranges of products over the past years. Before the entry of the big marketers it was the seen as the pioneer of household cleaning products. In addition to this, it has produced quality products. In fact, a recent survey suggests that most customers acknowledge the high quality of their products. The strategy of quitting and finding a new brand of products has been its main stay and now that it has run out of options and its very existence is threatened it must consider other options (Michael E, 1998). Since global households brand has come to the acknowledgment that it has to alter its business strategy so as to keep alive in the industry, it has few options left. First, it can adopt the differentiation strategy. This would require global household brand to build customer loyalty. In order to accomplish this, it has to position its products as well as services in unique ways that would appeal to the customers. In other words, the products will seek to be better than those of its competitors. The second option that the business may explore is that of focus strategy. This alternative takes into account the heterogeneity of many markets and industries. As such, there exist a lot of various customer segments with varying needs, wants as well as characteristics. The basic principle under this strategy is to put emphasis on selecting one segment(s), identify customers with special needs, interests and wants among other things and approach them. Global households brand could also employ the third option of horizontal integration. Under this strategy will be selling its products in various markets. In order to acquire the market coverage, it will have small subsidiary firms created. This would enable it compete with compete with its competitors effectively. Recommendations Within the last few years, global household brand has undergone a number of drastic changes. It has been forced to sell part of its brands, and almost the banks are about to call the loans given to it. One of the primary reasons global households has failed to meet its sales target is its inability to effectively market and appeal to the market. This is what her competition have done and thereby edged her out. Since the competitors have done the marketing really well, GHB has to effectively market itself or just face the possibilities of winding up. The second problem facing the company has been that of management. The manager has to learn to develop interpersonal relationship with his juniors. Alternatively, the New CEO or management team should meet people who worked at the Block drug before and find out what really problem was. This would enable them to have a better understanding of the firm’s woes as well as its triumphs. The management should also approach the financing Bank, and talk them out of calling the loans on the investors. Finally the $5million should be reduced with picked interest       References: Michael E. Porter, on competition, 1998, Harvard Business School Press Tony Proctor, 2000, Strategic Marketing: An introduction, Rout ledge. Alfred D. Chindler, Peter Haqstom, Orjan Solvell, 1999, the Dynamic Firm. The role of technology, strategy, organization, and regions, Oxford University Press.

Structure of Malaysia’s Imports and Exports

Structure of Malaysia’s Imports and Exports Degree of openness in trade giving a definition of level of one country and its economy having trade with another country. FDI (foreign direct investment), import, export, repatriation of funds abroad and lending are examples of trading elements. Openness degree in trade can be measure by trade openness ratio. Trade openness ratio indicated the simple average of total trade (export and import of commodities and services) relative to GDP (Gross Domestic Product). Generally, the higher the trade openness ratio, the larger influence of trade on domestic trade. Malaysia economy having high degree of trade openness and financial openness. Financial openness can refer to the total of external assets and liabilities relative to GDP. In 2004, the trade volume has increased twice the size of economy. Moreover, the amount of external assets and liabilities also twice of the size of economy in 2004. Figure above shown that Malaysia rates high among 28 emerging economies from Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Originally, Malaysia is rating with 58 economies that make up the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) but the graph above only show out 28 emerging economies. Trade openness of Malaysia only lower than Hong Kong and Singapore which is well known of financial centre nature. Besides that, Malaysia also having high ranking in financial openness with more than median score, 2.03. Surprisingly, Malaysia having higher financial openness than United States and Japan with well developed economies. However, comparison in East Asia, Malaysia ranks lower than Singapore, Brunei and Hong Kong. Diagram above indicated that the Malaysia trade openness has increasing significantly from 1980 to 2004. One of the reasons of increasing trend in trade openness is structural changes occurring in Malaysia’s economy based on its trade direction. Besides, open current account and liberalization of capital account also reasons influenced increasing trade openness. As Malaysia became more and more integrated with global economy, Malaysia’s economy and financial system will significantly become more and more ingenious. aswink Content The ratio of exports and imports to GDP in Malaysia A related concept that has received much less attention from theorists is that of the degree of openness of an economy. The relevant question is not what does a country export or import but how much does a country export and import in relation to its GDP. The theory of commercial policy establishes a relation between protection and volume of trade. Commonly, judgements on commercial policies of Malaysia are made based on the comparison of volume of trade to GDP ratios. These comparisons and policy recommendations are usually done without resort to any theory stating which are the factors determining the degree of openness of an economy. Table 1 shows basic data for the world’s extremes in terms of openness. (Carlos Alfredo Rodriguez, 2000) The extreme variability of openness ratios is quite evident. While Malaysia exports are 93% of its GDP, Myanmar’s exports are just 1.5%. The commercial policy is one determining factor in explaining some of these observed differences. Myanmar is more protectionist than Malaysia. They conclude that protectionism alone cannot explain openness. However, the more protectionism should be associated with less openness. The other variable they want to focus on is country size. Small economic units must specialize in producing few goods in order to attain optimal scale and be competitive. They must therefore export those goods in exchange for the imports of the goods they do not produce. Malaysia is a developing country, thus it should be more open on the degree of openness. They expect the trade to GDP ratio to be both negatively related to size and to a measure of protectionism. A high degree of protection of domestic industries in the form of high tariffs or of strict quotas on imports in Malaysia The structure of the Malaysia’s imports and exports In early 1980s, Malaysia began its export-oriented development strategy focusing on the exports of manufactures. Since it does not have abundant in raw materials and capital goods, Malaysia have to import more of the intermediate manufactured goods and the machinery and equipment from oversea. In 1970s, the structure of Malaysia imported almost an equal proportion of food, beverages, tobacco, and fats at 21 percent; inedible crude materials, mineral fuels, and lubricants at 20 percent; intermediate manufactured goods at 25 percent; and machinery and transport equipment at 28 percent. (Yusoff, M.B. 2005) Since the Malaysian imports from EU have started to decrease to 16 percent in 1980 and reduced further to 11 percent in 2000 mainly due to the fall of the imports from the UK. The share of imports from ASEAN remained stable at about 23 percent during the same period. Malaysia had begun to source more imports from the US and Japan in 1970. The share of imports from the US increased from 9% in 1970 to 17% in 1990 and remained at the same level in 2000. Malaysian imports from Japan was 17% of its total imports in 1970 but increased to 24 percent in 1990 and remained stable at about 21 percent 1990s. For East Asia: Taiwan, South Korea, China, and Hong Kong have become about equally important sources of Malaysian imports. As of 2000, Japan was the most important sources of Malaysian imports, followed by the USA, and Singapore. (Yusoff, M.B. 2005) On the other hand, there has been a tremendous increase in the Malaysia’s exports during the 1970- 2000 period. Malaysian total exports in 1970 were at RM 5,263 million which increased further to RM 28,172 million in 1980 growing at an annual rate of 43.5 percent. In 1990 the total exports was RM 79,646 million registering an increase of 18.3 percent per year during the 1980-1990 period. There was a revival of Malaysia exports in 2000 at RM 373,270 million giving a growth rate of 36.7 percent in 1990- 2000 period. Most of the exports went to ASEAN and the US, followed by EU and Japan. They accounted for 76% of Malaysian exports in 1970 which declined to 70% in 2000. (Yusoff, M.B. 2005) The structure of Malaysian exports has changed substantially. In 1970s and 1980s, most of the exports were in the form of raw materials: inedible crude materials, mineral fuels, and lubricants which had decreased from 61 percent in 1970 to 57 percent in 1980. By 1990 these exports accounted for only 33 percent of the total exports while the exports of manufactured goods began to appear when its share increased from 26 percent in 1970 to 55 percent in 1990. The contribution of the inedible crude materials, mineral fuels, and lubricants fell to only 12 percent in 2000 while that of manufactured products increased to 82 percent. (Yusoff, M.B. 2005) Although the manufactured exports have increased significantly, Malaysia has some major weaknesses in terms of its composition. Notably, most of the manufactured exports have been in the form of intermediate manufactured goods where their shares increased from 23 percent 1970 to 49 percent in 2000. The exports of machinery and transport equipment increased from 2 percent in 1970 to 25 percent in 2000. Malaysian exports of final manufactured goods are still at relatively small contributing only 8 percent of the total exports in 2000. The changes in the structure of Malaysian exports have been due to the deliberate government policy to industrialize and develop the domestic economy through the export-oriented development strategy since 1980s by diversifying and intensifying the export base and at the same time focusing on manufactured exports. (Yusoff, M.B. 2005) There have been major changes in the degree of â€Å"openness† of Malaysia in recent decades. From a primary producer with a gradual industrialization strategy, the Malaysian economy has undergone transformation into a highly-open economy through greater trade and financial integration since the late 1970s. As a result, Malaysia’s trade openness is among the highest in the region, reaching a peak of 192% of GDP in 2000. (Annual report 2012) Models by Grossman and Helpman(1991), Rivera-Batiz and Romer(1991), Romer(1990) suggest that the expansion of international trade increases the number of specialized inputs which then causes economic growth as the domestic economies become more open to international trade. Consistent with its outward-looking growth strategy, Malaysia have a balanced export structure. This structure has produced a good counterbalance when manufacturing (e.g. electrical and electronics products) exports fell, exports of primary commodities (e.g. rubber and tin) increased because they had different consumers and demand cycles. In addition, Malaysia’s manufacturing and primary commodity exports tend to be upgraded to incorporate higher value added and innovation. Thus, technology acquisition and availability of skilled labor are essential for this transformation in order to develop more exports that originate in Malaysia. (Mahani Zainal Abidin, 2011) If China and other Asian countries are able to generate their own domestic demand, then the prospects for Malaysia’s exports will become bright. Consequently, East Asia has now become Malaysia’s largest trading partner through the diversification of the markets. The share of China in manufactured exports has increased from 1.7 percent in 1996 to 12 percent in 2009. The share of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remains at about 27 percent. However, the share of traditional markets has declined whereby the United States to 13.2 percent in 2009 from 21.7 in 1996, the EU to 12.2 percent from 14.5 percent, and Japan to 7 percent from 11.1 percent for the same period. (Mahani Zainal Abidin, 2011) Therefore, Malaysia operating now continues with the outward-oriented development strategy, it had kept its tariff levels at significantly low levels by the developing country standards. Unilateral, regional and multilateral initiatives in recent years have caused trade weighted average tariff to be as low as 8 per cent, down from 15 per cent at the beginning of the industrialization drive. (Ariff, 1998) References: Carlos Alfredo Rodriguez, Universidad del CEMA Buenos Aires, Argentina, (2000). Retrieved from http://www.ucema.edu.ar/u/car/Advantage.PDF Tariffs, (2001). Retrieved from http://www.meti.go.jp/english/report/data/gCT9904e.html Bank Negara Malaysia. (2007). White Box: Openness of the Malaysian Economy. Retrieved from http://www.bnm.gov.my/files/publication/ar/en/2006/cp02_001_whitebox.pdf

How Effective is Online Education? :: Effectiveness of Online Classes

Abstract: Recently, there has been a rush to create web-based instructional courses. The approach that is being taken to create web-based courses is to create websites that will function as the central distributors of information and materials. Based on the format and content of the course, the student is to go through lesson by lesson to complete courses. In this paper, I address some of the problems inherent in this approach, especially with respect to 18-22 year-old undergraduate education. Introduction Technology has had a large impact on the field of education. The proliferation of multimedia resources and limitless amounts of information available through the Internet has fundamentally affected the learning process. Students no longer search through cards and stacks for magazine articles; almost everything is at the click of a finger. Multimedia resources are increasingly utilized in the classroom to help instruct students. Some professors are making conscious efforts to use new technology, so as to introduce and familiarize their students with it. The significance of technology in education is now being elevated to a new plateau. Education through the Internet, the great equalizer, may make it more widely distributed through the phenomenon of online courses. It is the thesis of this paper that online courses are not an effective means to educate traditional undergraduate college aged students (people from 18-22 years old). In the undergraduate educational setting, student proficiency and comfort with technology are stressed, but the essential mission of most undergraduate institutions (especially, liberal arts institutions such as Dartmouth) is on the development of the individual. The nurturing and supportive environment of most undergraduate institutions helps students mature and develop. The rave and fad of online undergraduate learning causes students to miss out on too many intangibles of an on-campus education. Our current theory on education hasn’t adequately dealt with the intricacies of a web-based education, and therefore the effectiveness of such is highly questionable. Initiative One of the most essential ingredients to an effective instructional environment is the initiative of the student. For the traditional undergraduate college student, this is one of the areas in which most problems exist [2]. The ‘traditional’ undergraduate college student should be construed as an average male and female between the ages of 18 and 22 who is at a transitional phase in life and learning to deal with independence.

The True Meaning Behind That Layer Of Blue Nail Polish :: essays research papers

The True Meaning Behind that Layer of Blue Nail Polish When the red-based shades such as pink and orange were the only type of nail polish females dared to wear, I remember wondering if in the near future they'd dare switch to completely new shades such as blue or green. Now that day and age has come when all different shades of blue can be seen painted on teens' nails. Yet, this new choice of blue isn't just another craze of the moment. Rather, it symbolizes something slightly deeper. This latest trend of â€Å" blues† not only broke the barrier of â€Å"reds only†, but broke the limits of society each girl felt she had when it came to choosing a simple shade of nail polish. Before, the â€Å"rebels† and the â€Å"freaks† were the only ones who had the guts to wear what it took to get attention and to shock the world. For them shades of nail polish whether they were blue, black, or glitter have never been an issue of inappropriateness. Those who were less eccentric when it came to expressing their exterior image stayed with the â€Å"acceptable† red tones. Now that blue nail polish is the latest manicurean craze, both the tamest and the wildest adolescents together are donning the shade. When asked why they choose to wear this latest cerulean shade of nail polish, many give back similar responses such as: â€Å"It looks cool†; â€Å"If I wore red I would just feel like another ordinary person, but if people see your blue nail polish, they do a double-take†; â€Å"It's a little new, something different†. Unfortunately, many youths have been raised in a society where they have been conditioned to fear doing anything that will have them come across as a freak to others. In today's society, nail polish is one of the few things that come between the limits of someone who may be considered a â€Å"dull dresser† or a â€Å"freak-show†. It is understandable why the more all-around fashion-conscious youths might be attracted to a new trend of accessory. A theory can evolve, however, from the other kind of youths who don't express their inner-selves fully through their apparel. It is possible that these girls may feel more at ease leaking out their wild streak through the most subtle way they know how - nail polish. You can dress normally and still wear wild nail polish, yet no one will consider you a freak because of your flashy nails. â€Å"My parents hate it.† This factor alone may be an invitation for youths to wear blue nail polish.

Architecture Set In Motion Essay examples -- essays research papers

1. Bouffrand: Salon de la Princess, hotel de Soubise, Paris, France, begun 1730’s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Salon de la Princess, is a many sided cylindrical interior room and is part of the Rococo style that incorporates minimal architectural features and light airy decor, that develops into a profession of interior design. Rococo is the revolt against complicated Baroque that decorated the interior of Versailles, in revolt against the palace and after the death of Louis XIV, French women who had city houses in Paris inspired a new lightened airy style of decor and architecture. As seen in the Salon de la Princess, the structure of the room has virtually been covered up by white walls of wood and mirrors, and it only contains hints of the classical orders and conventions, while conveying the modern concept of space free of major structural forms. The predominate feature in the room is the gold plaster decorations that adorn the entire space and within this is seen the main curving arabesque line that flows throughout the style and characterizes it as a free flowing for m of design, and makes classical references to the fantasy decorations used by the mannerist and found in the Roman villas, complete with cupids, garlands, and birds. Salon de la Princesse is the last major style before neoclassicism, but the free form of the style is a predominate feature in modern organic architecture, and redevelops in the late nineteenth century through the style of Art Nouveau, which is used by Victor Horta, in the Tassel House. 2.Hoare et al.: Stourhead, Wiltshire, England, redesign begun 1750s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The â€Å"English† garden is one of the greatest gifts that English designers have contributed to the world of architecture, and the gardens that surround the Stourhead estate in Wiltshire England are massed with many forms of natural origin, and as containers of natural descent they incorporate curving elements, as in the cylinder, cone and sphere, however among the natural creations are manmade structures that contradict natures’ verdant burgeoning display of the curve, with structures that include the cube, or squared forms that makes for a cornucopia of forms both natural and manmade. The inspiration behind the English garden lay in the Neoclassical movement against the structural formality of the Renaissance garden landscape, and in England wh... ...oses of space. One main idea developed by Wright through his career is architecture set in motion and true to a living organism, like the three planes in Falling Water that seem to hover over top the water fall, as do the walls that wrap around the Guggenheim forming a structural cyclone, which is mirrored on the interior by a ramp that wraps around a central atrium and provides for displaying art work along the walls of the ramp, but proves to be quite unsuccessful because Wright as an egomaniac made certain that the structure is the main focus and the most dynamic art piece exibited, putting architecture on the same plane as the visual arts. As many of his homes influence modern day suburban America in the Historicism movement, the Guggenheim influences the Post Modern Movement, a theory in practice that believes Modernism failed and incorporates references to the past with sculptural freedom and clarity of form, as does the latest and most dynamic display of architecture to come out of the 1990’s, and direct descendent from Wright’s, New York museum, is Frank O. Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum(1997) in Bilbao, Spain, that Philip Johnson called, â€Å"the greatest building of our century†.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Fight for Integration

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, â€Å"I have a dream that one day little black boys and girls will be holding hands with little white boys and girls,† (â€Å"goodreads†). His â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech took place in 1963 during the March on Washington. It was there that he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history. Martin Luther King Jr. ’s American dream was that all men should have god-given rights and have equality. To achieve this American dream, Martin Luther King Jr. faced many obstacles to overcome discrimination. Before Martin Luther King Jr. chieved his American dream, there were many obstacles in the way; it was not all fun and games. The first one was the difficulty to convince African Americans because they believed that they should fight back against discrimination. The police were also another obstacle Martin had to face. During the civil rights movement, the police would use dogs and fire hoses towards the blacks to settle boycotts that were conducted. However, Martin would never use violence back. Another problem that he faced was prejudice ideas. Many whites had opinions about African Americans that kept opportunities for them very limited.Martin never let any of these obstacles stop him from achieving his dreams of equality. Through all the difficulties Martin Luther King Jr. had to face, his American dream never changed. Martin wanted all men to have god-given rights and equality. He had to prove to his own people, the police, and the rest of America that it was possible to stand up for themselves without being violent. With this belief, Americans realized that the white society was in the wrong when it came to discrimination and violence because African Americans were not harming anybody. This helped Martin’s dream become a reality.Work cited: Quote by Martin Luther King Jr. † goodreads. Otis Chandler. 28 Aug. 1963. Thur. 8 Nov. 2012. Haberman, Frederick.  "Martin Luther King-Biography. † Nobleprize. org. Les Prix Nobel. N. d. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. Roland, Allen. â€Å"Martin Luther King/ The Voice That Can’t Be Silenced. † Thepeoplesvoice. ord. n. d. 17 Jan. 2011. Web. 6 Nov. 2012. â€Å"Quote by Martin Luther King Jr. † goodreads. Otis Chandler. 28 Aug. 1963. Thur. 8 Nov. 2012. Carson, Clayborne. â€Å"Life. † Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. Ed. Colin A. Palmer. 2nd. Ed. Vol. 3. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. 1239-1243. Gale U. S. History In Context. Web. 7 Nov. 2012.

Art Imitates Life; Life Imitates Art Essay

Super Columbine Massacre RPG (SCMRPG) is a case of art imitates life. Danny Ledonne patterned his game after the infamous Columbine tragedy. He created characters and situations which are very similar to those that transpired on that fateful day. The question is, up to what extent does art start and stop imitating life? Are there any boundaries that should not be crossed? Are there any rules that should not be broken? These were some of the questions that Ledonne has been trying to answer regarding his game. He was criticized for being morally insensitive towards the feelings of those who were involved in Columbine. In this case, with regards to moral grounds, should a filmmaker or developer cease to create anything inspired by actual events? According to the one of the posts in Ledonne’s website, SCMRPG is one of the most important games in gaming history. It has discussed a significant awakening that no matter what anyone had done, in reference to the quote â€Å"we should have checked their rooms† voiced by one of the gunmen’s parents – there is nothing that could stop Harris and Klebold in their plan. It also showed how things started for the two boys and this sociological way of representing Harris and Klebold through SCMRPG might be a first step towards acceptance of video games as a legitimate medium for the expression of serious thoughts. SCMRPG also comprehensively dealt with the psychological profiles of both Harris and Klebold, which no one had ever done before (www. columbinegame. com). It has been said that the actions of Harris and Klebold were brought about by watching violent video games, which is an example of life imitates art. The pattern of execution and the detailed plan of going about the killing were blamed on the detailed video games as well as the music these boys listened to. But up to what extent can we blame art for the actions of a spectator? As Ledonne answered this question in relation the Dawson College shooting incident, he emphasized that merely playing a game that looks archaic does not encourage someone like Kimveer to go out and kill. In fact the game was devoid of all the gory details that gamers would typically want. Games do have effect on teenager violence but it’s not the only one to blame for it. The columbine massacre was a disaster waiting to happen. It just so happened that the 2 kids who committed the atrocious act were playing video games and that their favorite band was Marilyn Manson. The increasing incident of kids committing suicide due to bullying is alarming. As a coping mechanism for these 2 kids they wanted to hurt those people who hurt them but as kids, they made a very bad decision and very bad planning that they hurt other people as well. Klebold and Harris lost their direction in life and were not appropriately guided on how to overcome teenage emotions such as inadequacy and inferiority complex. Conclusion Super Columbine Massacre RPG was created to give gamers a feel of what Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold felt, with the intent of preventing another Harris or Klebold. However, moving aside artistic expression and the intent to save â€Å"potential† Harris or Klebold through human contact, looking at the game as an avid fan of computer games – there is not much to see actually. The 16-bit image that moves up and down and jumps from time to time gets a little bit boring. Nonetheless, the conversation between Klebold and Harris are a must-read. Ledonne had thoroughly researched the game that 80 percent of the dialogues were taken from Harris and Klebold’s own writings. The sounds used are a bit better than regular midi since it utilizes popular music which could actually make the â€Å"thinking† moments of the characters very effective. Too many literature have been written about the reasons why Harris and Klebold created such mayhem, but too little had been said about how these two boys were as much as a victim like those people they gunned down in Columbine. Almost as always, issues were being discussed in forums, articles were being published and documentaries were being aired. But, one media form that hasn’t been utilized till now was the gaming world. Ledonne wanted to change that by turning the silly world of gaming into a platform of more serious topics. He did so by creating SCMRPG. Ledonne on an interview by the Washington Post said that he would not create another game. SCMRPG was created with the intent of generating discussion and presenting a unique perspective on the events of Columbine. This may not be the future of gaming, but it is a step towards the future of how games will be treated and viewed in our culture–as artful, meaningful objects which represent the thoughts, ideas, dreams and nightmares of a unique creator (http://alt-games. com/? p=28). With regards to the objective of the game, I believe that it has amassed the intended attention and created an awareness regarding video games and violence. Ledonne had successfully generated a forum where families and loved ones of the Columbine incident could air their grievances (even though at the expense of the game). Works Cited Crecente, Brian (September 20, 2006). â€Å"Columbine RPG Creator Talks about Dawson Shooting†. Kotaku. http://www. kotaku. com/gaming/danny-ledonne/feature-columbine-rpg-creator-talks-about-dawson-shooting-201829. php. Retrieved on December 8, 2008. Dugan, Patrick (March 13, 2007). â€Å"Soapbox: Why You Owe the Columbine RPG (page 2)†. Gamasutra. http://www. gamasutra. com/features/20070313/dugan_02. shtml. Retrieved on May 8. , 2009. Holmes, T. J. ; Betty Nguyen (November 7, 2007). â€Å"Transcripts – CNN Sunday Morning†. CNN. http://edition. cnn. com/TRANSCRIPTS/0711/11/sm. 01. html. Retrieved on May 8, 2009. Stuart, Keith (January 11, 2007). â€Å"Gamesblog: Sorry, Boris, these ‘blasted gizmos’ are here to stay†. The Guardian: p. 3. Retrieved May 8, 2009. Thompson, Clive (January 15, 2007). â€Å"I, Columbine Killer†. Wired. http://www. wired. com/gaming/gamingreviews/commentary/games/2007/01/72491? currentPage=all. Retrieved on May 8, 2009. Vargas, Jose Antonio (May 20, 2006). â€Å"Shock, Anger Over Columbine Video Game†. The Washington Post: p. C6. http://www. washingtonpost. com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/19/AR2006051901979. html. Retrieved on May 8,2009

Nation of Islam Essay

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925. He was born to a minister father that was a supporter of Black Nationalist Movement leader Marcus Garvey, which resulted in Malcolm experiencing discrimination and racial hatred from an early age. His father was killed and his home burned when Malcolm was young, and Malcolm was jailed in his early twenties after several run-ins with the law following his father’s death. He joined the Nation of Islam in while in prison, and when he was paroled in 1952 he was named the national spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was an outspoken, articulate, charismatic man that used television, radio, and every other form of media available to convey the Nation’s message. He preached for militant stance in the black community and for equal rights for African Americans, â€Å"by any means necessary†. This unwavering stance and militant attitude made some see Malcolm as a threat and he was followed under FBI surveillance until he was assassinated in 1965. He used his charisma and his steadfast beliefs to make the message of the Nation of Islam well known in America and to bring the issue of African American rights to the forefront of American consciousness. His mission later transformed from fighting for African American rights to fighting for equal human rights for every race, and he enforced the same militant stance with his new message. Mahatma Gandhi was a human rights leader like Malcolm X but he delivered his message in a very different way. Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, he was given the name Mahatma because it means, â€Å"great soul†. He was born in British-ruled India and practiced law in South Africa which was also ruled by Britain. While in South Africa he began a twenty-year campaign for Indian freedom. Instead of X’s militant, unmoving approach, Gandhi practiced and taught the principles of non-violent resistance. He believed it was more honourable to be jailed for one’s cause than to create violence. He also practiced fasting as a way of conveying his message of peace and non-violence. He returned to India after twenty years and became the leader of the Indian Nationalist Movement. After India was declared independent in 1947, it was divided into India and Pakistan and the two countries rioted against one another. Gandhi began a fast to encourage the leaders to stop fighting. After he fasted for five days, the fighting stopped and the countries were at peace until Gandhi was assassinated shortly after. Until his death, Gandhi epitomized his message to, â€Å"Be the change you want to see in the world†. He saw no value in violence, and thought that the message of non-violence as a way of protest could bring tolerance, peace and unity more effectively than any violent act could. Despite the change in his place of residence and the political climate of his country he stayed true to his message of peace and unity.

Finance & Strategic Management Essay

Over the past decades the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has continued to grow in importance and significance due to external pressure of diverse stakeholders, and has thereby become more prominent on companies’ agendas (Carroll & Shabana, 2010; Beurden & Gossling, 2008). The concept of CSR has been subject to considerable debate, commentary, theory building and continues research (Carroll & Shabana, 2010). The question, of whether CSR investments result in financial and social benefits that outweigh its costs, is intensively scrutinized in existing literature (Schreck, 2001; Carroll & Shabana, 2010). Adherents of CSR argue that it is in the long-term self-interest of corporations to be socially involved (Carroll & Shabana, 2010; Barnet 2007). The overall logic is that CSR increases the trustworthiness of firms and strengthens the relationships with stakeholders. CSR may further result in decreased transaction costs and thereby improved corporate financial performance (CFP), by decreasing employee turnover, reducing operating costs, as well as functioning as a buffer in disruptive events (Carroll & Shabana, 2010; Barnet, 2007). Barnett (2007) and Schreck (2011) argue that, if the financial benefits of CSR meet or exceed the costs, CSR can be justified as a rational investment. According to Kurucz, Colbert and Wheeler (2008), firms may attain four distinct benefits from engaging in CSR; cost and risk reduction; gaining competitive advantage; developing reputation and legitimacy; and seeking win–win outcomes through synergistic value creation. Critics of CSR typically use classical economic arguments, articulated most forcefully by Friedman (Carroll & Shabana, 2010). Traditionally, the expenditures of CSR are considered an illegitimate waste of resources, which conflict with a firm’s responsibility to its shareholders (Schreck, 2011, Barnet, 2007). According to Friedman (1970) â€Å"There is one and only one social responsibility of business – to use it resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . Friedman further argued that, social issues are not the concern of business people, and â€Å"the business of business is business† (Carroll & Shabana, 2010). Even though CSR have been subject to critique, an increasing number of corporations are accepting responsibilities that extend well beyond the immediate interest of the owners, by considering â€Å"non-shareholder stakeholders’ concerns† (Grant, 2010; Clegg, Carter, Kornberger & Schweitzer, 2011). Although the existence, direction and strength of possible links between CSR and CFP have been the subject of several empirical analyses (Schreck, 2011), and even though CSR is almost universally practiced, the results from empirical studies are inconclusive (De Bakker, Groenewegen & Hond, 2005). After more than thirty years of research, it cannot clearly be concluded, whether a one-dollar investment in social initiatives returns more or less, than one dollar in benefits to shareholders (Barnet, 2007; Surroca & Tribo & Waddock, 2008). The inconclusiveness of empirical studies may be due to unclear and inconsistent definitions of key terms (De Bakker, Groenewegen & Hond, 2005; Barnet, 2007), methodological differences (Carrol & Shabana, 2010), and diverse approaches of measuring CSR and CFP (Beurden & Gossling, 2008). In existing literature, CSR activities are often entioned to reduce risk, by avoiding the various consequences of moral disapproval by numerous stakeholders (Zadek, 2000). However, CSR derived risk reductions are considered as an ex-post beneficial outcome and not as a proactive risk management instrument to control or reduce idiosyncratic risk (firm specific). Under the assumption that, shareholders are risk adverse and prefer a high expected return (Bodie, Kane & Marcus, 2011; Brealey, Myers & Allen, 2011), a reduction of firm specific risk must be perceived as favorably. Provided that CSR investments can be applied as a risk management tool, CSR could be seen as investments by firms on behalf of its shareholders. Taking a shareholder perspective, this paper looks beyond the socially good deed of CSR, and focuses on the value of CSR as a method to reduce idiosyncratic risk without detriment of CFP. CSR and Risk Management Since this paper hypothesizes that, CSR can be applied as a risk management instrument to preserve CFP, risk need to be defined. Risk can be defined as the uncertainty about outcomes or events, especially with respect to the future (Orlitzky & Benjamin, 2001). Widely risk management is defined as a managerial tool to avoid risk, transfer risk to another party, reduce risk, or in some cases accepting consequences of a certain risk (Froot, Scharfstein & Stein, 1994). A shareholder’s perspective on risk management however, conflicts with the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) (Markowitz, 1952) and the Modigliani & Miller’s theorem on capital structure (1958). CAPM theory states that, the cost of reducing idiosyncratic risks simultaneously reduces the expected return, and hence firm value (Markowitz, 1952). Risk reduction by holding a well-diversified portfolio of securities will be unattainable by risk management (Godfrey, Merrill & Hansen, 2009), why a profit-maximizing investor would not prefer risk management. Total firm risk is in general the combination of systematic and unsystematic risk (Hoje & Haejung, 2012). Systematic risk, often referred to as market risk or non-diversifiable risk, is usually defined as the firm’s sensitivity to changes in the market average returns, which cannot be reduced by diversification of shareholders (Weber, 2008; Luo & Bhattacharya, 2009; Orlitzky & Benjamin, 2001). Unsystematic risk is defined as idiosyncratic risk (Hoje & Haejung, 2012; Luo & Bhattacharya, 2009). Idiosyncratic risk is traditionally viewed as indifferent to the portfolio investors, since it is associated with specific companies and thereby can be reduced by diversified portfolios (Husted, 2005; Weber, 2008). Opposing idiosyncratic risk is of great relevance to the firm manager, whose very survival may depend upon taking adequate measures to reduce the idiosyncratic risk (Husted, 2005). Firms’ financial risk is often defined in terms of variability of returns (Orlitsky & Benjamin 2001), or stock price volatility (Luo & Bhattacharya, 2009), which is important risk measures, given that higher volatility implies greater investment risk and uncertain future cash flows (Luo & Bhattacharya, 2009; Oikonomou, Brooks & Pavelin, 2012). A reduction in idiosyncratic risk reflects reduced variance in the future expected cash flows, which translates into greater shareholder wealth (Luo & Bhattacharya, 2009; Mishra & Modi, 2012). In a strict Modigliani and Miller perspective, risk-management instruments are of no value, since these are purely financial transactions that do not affect the value of a company’s operating assets (Froot, Scharfstein & Stein, 1994). The views of CAMP and Modigliani and Miller have been superseded by a postmodern view of risk management as an important strategic tool. Firms do invest in insurances even though the costs of these investments may be in excess of expected losses, which is in clear violation with the perfect market assumption (Smith & Stulz, 1985; Stultz, 2002). If risk management can reduce firms’ exposure to idiosyncratic risks, it protects shareholders against the deadweight costs of severe financial distress in a way, that investors can not accomplish in the market by diversifying (Godfrey, Merrill & Hansen, 2009). Review of the linkage between CSR and risk For several decades, researchers have aimed at discovering a conclusive linkage between CSR and CFP, the literature however, remains highly fragmented (Aguinis & Glavas 2012). According to Orlitsky & Benjamin (2001) true economic performance manifests itself in both high financial returns and low financial risk. Among financial and non-monetary benefits, risk reduction is often mentioned as a positive outcome of engaging in CSR activities. Porter and Kramer (2006) argue that, today’s pressure, of external stakeholders to hold companies accountable for social issues, learly demonstrate the potential large financial risks for any corporation. Several scholars emphasize, that the costs of CSR can be justified by reductions in risk and costs derived from engagement in social issues (Caroll & Shabana, 2010). The primary argument is that the diverse demands of stakeholders represent potential threats and risks to the viability of the firm, why it is the economic interest of firms to mitigate these threats and gain legitimacy through social involvement (Caroll & Shabana, 2010; Schreck, 2011; Kurucz, Colbert & Wheeler 2008). Existing literature on the CSR-risk relationship is virtually unanimously agreeing upon a negative correlation between CRS and idiosyncratic risk, where empirical results show that CSR lowers idiosyncratic risk (Spicer, 1978; Orlitsky & Benjamin, 2001; Godfrey, 2005; Hoje & Haejung, 2012; Caroll & Shabana, 2010; Godfrey, Merrill & Hansen, 2009; Heal, 2005; Luo & Bhattacharya, 2012; Oikonomou, Brooks & Pavelin, 2012; Berman, Wicks, Kotha & Jones, 1999; Hart, 1995; Shrivastava, 1995; Peloza, 2006). Several studies have also shown a significant negative relationship between CSR and systematic risk (non-diversifiable) (Hoje & Haejung 2012; Orlitzky & Benjamin, 2001; Mcguire, Sungren & Scneewies, 1988; Luo & Bhattacharya, 2009). CSR reduces idiosyncratic risk by reducing the probabilities of expected financial, social, or environmental crisis that could adversely influence firms’ cash flows (Hoje & Haejung, 2012). Firms perceived as socially responsible may be able to increase interpersonal trust among stakeholders, build social capital, lower transaction costs, and therefore ultimately reduce uncertainty about future financial performance (Orlitzky & Benjamin, 2001). Luo and Bhattacharya (2009) present the view of CSR, as helping the firm build a bulwark of defense against future losses of economic value by reducing firm specific risk and vulnerability of future cash flows. Firms with high social responsibility may have lower financial risk, since these are less sensitive to certain negative external events, like regulatory governmental intervention, undesirable publicity, probability of civil- and criminal legal proceedings or consumer boycotts, why risk reduction can be seen as a monetary benefit of CSR (Mcguire, Sungren & Scneewies, 1988; Oikonomou, Brooks & Pavelin, 2012; Weber, 2008; Orlitzky & Benjamin, 2001; Mcguire, Sungren & Scneewies, 1988). Participation in specific types of CSR, those aimed at a firm’s secondary stakeholders or society as a whole, is argued to create a form of goodwill or positive â€Å"philanthropic moral reputational capital†, which functions as an insurance-like protection, when negative events occur (Godfrey, 2005; Peloza, 2006). When business activity creates negative impact on society, stakeholders respond by sanctioning the firm (Godfrey, Merrill & Hansen, 2009). It is argued that the goodwill, derived from engagement in CSR, reduces the overall severity of the sanctions, by encouraging stakeholders to give the firm ‘the benefit of the doubt‘(Godfrey, 2005; Uzzi, 1997; Peloza, 2006; Godfrey, Merrill & Hansen, 2009). The resultant moral capital gained from social engagement has little to do with generating financial value, but the insurance-like protection contributes with preserving shareholder value and thereby financial performance (Godfrey, Merrill & Hansen, 2009). Mishra and Modi (2012) fund a significant effect on idiosyncratic risk, when CSR is applied, the authors however enhanced this result by finding that, positive CSR reduces idiosyncratic risk, while negative CSR increases idiosyncratic risk. Literature has, according to Mishra and Modi (2012), often a singular focus on positive CSR, and overlooks that firms also occasionally engage in activities that qualifies as negative CSR. Luo and Bhattacharya (2009) and Porter and Kramer (2006) argue that CSR is not beneficial in all situations, but is rather advantageous in some contexts and disadvantageous in others and can even lead to additional risk. This is in line with Barnet (2007), who argues that stakeholders’ perception of firms’ CSR engagement are path-dependent (Barnet, 2007; Luo & Bhattacharya, 2009; Hoje & Haejung, 2012). For firms with social negative impact or prior bad reputation, CSR may be perceived as â€Å"blood money† to mitigate past sins, omissions or shortcomings (Luo & Bhattacharya, 2009; Barnet 2007). CSR can thereby lead to reduced idiosyncratic risk, but can also expose a firm to additional risk (Weber, 2008; Barnet, 2007). Discussion Even though the CSR-risk relationship have received much attention in the existing literature, managing risk as the predominantly basic for engaging in CSR has not received specific attention. Focus within the field is on ex-post measures of risk-related benefits, where CSR is not valued as a proactive tool to reduce idiosyncratic risk. Existing research does not seem to provide any practical guidance to managerial proactive evaluations of the risk reductions derived from CSR involvement. It further lacks a practical framework to ex-ante quantify the risk related benefits of CSR (Weber, 2008). The above review demonstrates the focus on risk, solely as valuable side-effect of engaging in CSR activities. The authors of the paper posit a research gap exists within the existing literature of CSR and risk: CSR is not considered as a proactive ex-ante risk management instrument to control and reduce firm risk. Given the risk reducing benefits of CSR, the authors suggest that investments in CSR can be used as a proactive risk management instrument to reduce idiosyncratic risk. Such an approach could strengthen the overall CSR involvement and support rational ex-ante decision-making in this area (Weber, 2008). The aim is to draw a much-need attention to the risk-reduction potential of CSR by viewing CSR investments as a proactive risk management tool, where managing risk is the main purpose for engaging in CSR. Empirical resolving the research gap and verifying the hypothesis is beyond the scope of this paper. The authors however, suggest that a potential solution is to apply real option theory as a basis for proactive CSR risk management decision-making. CSR as a real option Attributable to the aforementioned arguments, the function of CSR as a risk management tool can be considered as a real option. Regular options are based on securities (financial instruments), whereas real options are based on hedging against uncertainties in real investment projects (Mun, 2002). An analysis of the costs and benefits of CSR projects, using traditional NPV models, often leads to a rejection, as these fail to contribute to maximizing shareholder value (Friedman, 1962). This is, nevertheless, not always the right decision, as the NPV approach fails to incorporate the main advantage of real options (Husted, 2005). Compared to the traditional NPV approach, real options offer management flexibility through multiple decision-making in situations with high uncertainty. Managers have the option, but not the obligation, to engage in, modifying or end strategies, as new information becomes available (Mun, 2002). A CSR option offers the choice of deferring, abandoning, expanding, or staging an investment project (Amram & Howe, 2003). Due to the theoretical and mathematical complexity of option theory, which is beyond the scope of this scientific paper, option theory will be described on an incomprehensive level. In brief option pricing is a function of five variables: the value of the underlying asset, the exercise price, time to exercise, the risk-free interest rate, and the volatility of the underlying asset (Black & Scholes, 1973). The value of the underlying asset is the resources resulted from the CSR option, such as qualified employees, PR and cost avoiding’s etc. Husted, 2005). The exercise price refers to the required additional investments needed for receiving the value created by the CSR option. The timing of the exercise is an essential variable, as it has great effect on the value of CSR options. The risk-free interest rate does not play an important role in most real options (Mun, 2002). The volatility or the uncertainty of the underlying asset has a significant impact on the value of CSR options (Mun, 2002). The variance of the expected value can both be higher or lower than the expected return. Black and Scholes is the most widely used regular option pricing model, however, also one of the most complicated models (Mun, 2002). A Binomial lattice approach is applied in most real option pricing, as it provides a more transparent and intuitive appeal compared with Black and Scholes’ theoretical and mathematical approach (Mun, 2002). However, since the aim is solely to clarify the value of real options in a CSR context, the choice of approach is of less relevance. Real options provide an important framework for firms to manage risk by reducing the risk of future investments, and can thus be an essential tool in corporate risk management (Husted, 2005). Finally, a real CSR option explicitly includes a time dimension. This ex-ante perspective is clearly different from the focus on risk in most CSR-risk research, which is ex post in nature. CSR as a risk management instrument – The Toyota example A few decades ago, car manufacturers did not focus so intensively on a green profiling as they do today. The increased oil prices in 1973 and 1979 were influential for the entry of Japanese car manufacturers in USA, who were producing smaller and more gas efficient cars (Andrews, Simon, Tian & Zhao, 2011). The gas efficient cars of Japanese manufactures were causative to the car industry as a whole subsequently invested massively in green technology projects. These investments have met consumers’ need and have generated positive branding values. Toyota’s Prius has reached â€Å"cult status†, as it is one of the most gas efficient and green cars on the market. However, more interestingly is the security, that the green profile of the Prius has offered Toyota, which includes protection against the bad publicity of car manufacturers’ contribution to pollution and factors such as Middle Eastern conflicts that influence oil prices and hence sales of cars. At first glance, it appears as Toyota has been skilled at forecasting future trends and meeting customer’s needs without using CSR as management instrument. As the following example however illustrates, Toyota’s management could have benefitted from considering investments in CSR as real options to control idiosyncratic risk and thereby preserve CFP. In 2009 repeated accidents occurred, which were accused to be caused by flaws in floor mats and accelerator pedals in Toyota’s vehicles. This resulted in a recall of more than 5 million vehicles, alone in the North American market (Andrews, Simon, Tian & Zhao, 2011). Before a product is recalled, companies have to make severe considerations. A product-recall can have great financial impact in terms of losses in brand value, consumer goodwill, decreasing sales and a negative effect on stock prices (Kumara & Schmitza, 2011), which in this case is the value of the underlying asset of the CSR option. The decision to recall the cars is the price of the option. The recall option could have generated strategic flexibility, which however, meanwhile was eliminated, as Toyota’s management failed to exercise the option, before it was too late. The leisurely recall decision resulted in losses in brand value, consumer goodwill, decreased stock price, lower sales, a fine of $16 million and more than 130 potential class-action lawsuits (Andrews, Simon, Tian & Zhao, 2011). The negative outcome of the late recall is considered as high volatility of the underlying asset. A faster recalling could have had a avoiding, a limited or opposite effect on product brand, consumer goodwill and the massive media coverage (Husted, 2005). Provided that Toyota’s management had viewed the recall decision as a valuable option rather than severe costs, strategic flexibility could have been obtained, why the negative outcome may have been avoided. A faster exercise of the recall option might have resulted in goodwill or trust, which could have been exploited by Toyota to limit the negative publicity caused by the repeated accidents. Toyota however, failed to exercise the recall option in acute time, why the result was lost flexibility to respond to the unexpected event of the accidents. The value of the real option foregone by Toyota was a function of inter alia lost sales, brand value and reputation. Toyota’s management failed to exploit the advantages of CSR as a risk management tool.