Sunday, May 24, 2020

The Watergate Scandal A Series Of Events That Shook The...

In the 1970’s There was a series of events that shook the political structure beyond repair. The watergate scandal is a series of illegal actions on the political front that destroyed President Richard Nixon s presidential Occupation. The main topics that will be covered in this essay are that of the burglary, about President Richard Nixon’s committee to re-elect the President (CREEP), and The evidence that contributed to the demise of President Richard Nixon. The Burglary that lead to the uncovering of the Whitehouses involvement took place on July 17, 1972. According to u-s-history.com the burglary took place around 2:30 in the morning, where 5 men broke into the Democratic National Committee (DNC) main offices. The DNC main offices are located at the watergate hotel in washington D.C.. Security guard Frank Wills was on duty the night of the burglary and on his routine schedule he notices that The door between the basement stairs and the parking garage had a piece of tape on it. Thinking that it must of been a janitor, he Just removed it and thought nothing of it. Later that evening the same door was taped again. Now getting suspicious Frank Wills called the Police. Once the police arrived they arrested five people breaking in the DNC offices. †The five burglars were later identified as Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez, Eugenio Martinez, Frank Sturgis, and James W. McCord Jr.† (Watergate Scandal.) The break in is what Finall y connected the White House and the WatergateShow MoreRelatedInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 Pageschallenges for international management reflect this dynamism and the increasing unpredictability of global economic and political events. Continued growth of the emerging markets is reshaping the global balance of economic power. Many emerging markets continued to experience growth during a period in which developed countries saw their economies stagnate or decline. The global political environment remains volatile and uncertain, with ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Africa and continuing tensions

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Article Review Old Earth Theory - 920 Words

Journal Article Review on The Origin of Old-Earth Geology, and its Ramifications for Life in the 21st Century by Doctor Terry Mortenson. Liberty University Introduction This document is a journal article review providing a brief synopsis, observed strengths, and observed weaknesses of Doctor Mortenson’s â€Å"The Origin of Old-Earth Geology and its Ramifications for Life in the 21st Century†. This article is not an attack on Christianity or the Christian ideology. This paper is simply an honest attempt to review Mortenson’s information provided, his hypothesis, and venue chosen for Christian Apologetics. Brief Overview and Main Points The Origin of†¦show more content†¦All the claims made by the author, while demonstrating good intentions, have valid counter arguments against them that he failed to address or acknowledge. The weakest part of this article was the author’s claims against naturalists. Individuals that have naturalistic beliefs have contributed greatly to a moral and just society, and most have different perspectives on their purpose in life. Many families in today’s society that do not share a belief in religion with the rest of us still go to work, love and provide for their families, partake in charities, help others, and strive daily to be â€Å"good people†. The author’s approach to his hypotheses on the downfall of society is a perfect example of a flawed scientific method. It clearly seemed as if he had his answer to the problem before he made his hypothesis, did valid research, or tested any theory. The author could have better stated his case in this article, if he had avoided his consistent use of the slippery slope and overgeneralization fallacies. One example would be, â€Å"it has been the scientific justification for the rejection of God and His work and for much of the evil of the last 150 years† (Motenson, 6/9). Conclusion This article seemed to have a good premise behind the information. All of the information that the author provided was interesting, and thought provoking. Unfortunately,Show MoreRelatedThe Origin of Old-Earth Geology and its Ramifications Essay example722 Words   |  3 Pagesin the article The Origin of Old- Earth Geology and its Ramifications on Life in the 21st Century, discusses a well know debate that goes back many years. In this review I will give a brief overview of what the article itself is about. Along with that, I will discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses that I have found and thought about. There are some very great points in this article, as well as weak points. I think it is important to discuss both. Overview: The Origin of Old-Earth GeologyRead MoreBiography Of Theodosius Dobzhansky s Theory Of Life On Earth952 Words   |  4 Pagesconstant changes in secular theories and society about the beginning of the universe and of life on Earth, which gives way to the idea of existentialism. Through some research, I found that he is best known for one his evolution paper, called Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution. Dobzhansky states in the article his three predictions that have been disproven in the following years after its publication. These guesses include that Darwin’s theory of the tree of life will beRead MoreThe Effects Of Clinical Depression On An Individual s Dreaming1485 Words   |  6 PagesThere is never ending research in the field of dreaming. Social scientists and psychologists are so keen to delve into the workings of the unconscious brain, resulting in countless breakthroughs and theories as to why and how we dream. There is an article about t he effect of clinical depression on an individual’s dreaming. It has been found that people suffering from depression dream three times more than those without depression. This is due to the higher levels of emotional arousal to get out ofRead MoreSubject of Study and Importance of the Theory of Architecture.1428 Words   |  6 PagesDEFINITION, SCOPE OF STUDY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE. What is it thinking? Thinking is an activity we do naturally and spontaneously, each moment, every day, all human beings around the world during our stay ephemeral passing on this earth. The reality is something we can perceive with the senses, but the reality is something hidden that will not perceive the senses. To any reality we get a lot of questions: what, why, for whom is, by whom, etc.. We ask for things weRead MorePost-WWI American Society Essay1124 Words   |  5 PagesAfter the war, the American people made the change from old ways to new ways. Many factors, such as new technology, fundamentalism, new looks and church led to tension between the old and the new. The 1920s were a time of conflicting viewpoints between traditional behaviors and new and changing attitudes. New technology in the 1920s attributed to the change. Inventions such as the radio helped improve communication. Court trials, conventions, and meetings were broadcasted. Electrical appliancesRead MoreScopes Trial and New Technology1118 Words   |  5 PagesAfter the war, the American people made the change from old ways to new ways. Many factors, such as new technology, fundamentalism, new looks and church led to tension between the old and the new. The 1920s were a time of conflicting viewpoints between traditional behaviors and new and changing attitudes. New technology in the 1920s attributed to the change. Inventions such as the radio helped improve communication. Court trials, conventions, and meetings were broadcasted. Electrical appliancesRead MoreA Successful Communist Utopia Is A Dream Because It Would Require All Non Communists1181 Words   |  5 Pagesis given equal shares in result of their labor, and wealth is distributed in a fashion so all individuals are in the same wealth class. The role of Communism in 1984 was influenced by the tension between the United States and the USSR, the Domino Theory, and the fear of harsh treatment under Communist rule. The novel 1984 was written in the midst of the Cold War, occurring from 1947 until 1991. The Cold War was an indirect battle between the US and the USSR involving clashing beliefs. Neither sideRead MoreThe Philosophy Behind Phantoms A Ghost 1416 Words   |  6 PagesWitnesses admitted to having seen spirits walking among Earth after death; taking on many forms and supposedly haunt various buildings and locations. Ghosts, phantoms, apparitions, spirits, and specters are divergent words, but all define a being that was once living but is now earthbound. No actual evidence has been found to prove their existence, so scientists are unable to claim that they exist. There is reason to believe that spirits may roam Earth due to the understanding of them, the history, andRead MoreThe Debate On Global Climate Change1605 Words   |  7 Pageschange the earth’s climate and that the planet is capable of absorbing those increases. It is contended that warming over the 20th century resu lted primarily from natural processes such as fluctuations in the sun s heat and ocean currents. But the theory of human-caused global climate change is based on questionable measurements, faulty climate models, and misleading science. In the first half of twentieth century it was found that the human influenced the daily cold extremes followed by warm nightsRead MoreAge of the Universe Essay1864 Words   |  8 PagesThe age of the universe is said to be about 13.75 billion years old. The method used in determining this age would be attempting to find the age of chemical elements, oldest star clusters, as well as white dwarf stars. Scientists also try to find the universes rate of expansion, and behavior of globular clusters, which are spherical collection of stars. In order to find this, scientists can use radioactive decay to determine how old a given mixture of atoms is in rock samples. In order to find the

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Essay on Freedom Of Religion Child Marriages Example For Students

Essay on Freedom Of Religion : Child Marriages Freedom of religion is the ability to manifest religion in teachings, practice, or worship, whether it is in public or private. The first amendment has always been an issue worth discussing, it stirs up many questions including, should religious practices be allowed in school? Or can rosaries be worn without having to be hidden during school time? Of course, there are more intense questions that follow. Should religious cults, such as Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints, be allowed to arrange marriages between older men and young girls for the sake of their religious beliefs? Most Americans would agree that underage marriages should not be practiced even in a religious practice. Underage marriages are marriage unions engaged in by individuals under the age of 18. Although there are laws to protect the minor from sexual exploitation, and child trafficking, there are special situations in where underage marriage is allowed without parental consent due to teen pregnancy. Another reason for underage marriage is the practice of religious beliefs. Warren Jeffs was the leader of a Mormon group called Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, in Eldorado, Texas on Zion Ranch, where he performed more than 500 polygamist marriages, as well as 67 other sect marriages involving underage girls. He, himself, had 80 wives and 24 were under the age of 17. (Weissert, 2011) Most people would agree an underage marriage is wrong, but there are some who would claim it is normal due to religious views. To people in the United States underage marriage is completely against our code of ethics but to natives in Africa marrying a child at the age of 13 is normal. They are raised to believe that child brides are all they know, they are raised into thinking women are just created to bare children and respect their husbands, just like on Zion Ranch. The children of Zion Ranch were raised to believe women were rightfully theirs to abuse as long as they are married, and the women are supposed to serve their husbands without question. Many times the child involved, majority of the time it is a girl, is unaware of anything other than being married off that young. In the paragraph above it explains how the children are brought up to think that child marriages are acceptable. Most of the world’s outside of these religious cults are raised differently; in thinking how marriage should be at an older age and how marrying at the age of 12 is disgusting, repulsive and unacceptable. In America, children are supposed to enjoy their childhood and finish school before they get married. Many parents instill going to college and getting their lives together before getting married. Not only is the child getting married unaware of the effects of getting married young, but they know no other option. Many times girls are married off at a young age they do not finish school so they then become uneducated. The most a child bride will receive is secondary education thus hindering her personal development, preparation for adulthood, and their ability to contribute to their family and community. Another negative factor in partaking in child marriages is the abuse the child endures not only sexual but physical and emotional abuse. Child brides are often expected to bear children soon after marriage, which makes them vulnerable to pregnancy and childbirth complications, including obstetric fistula, a condition that causes chronic incontinence and occurs commonly in young girls who give birth before their bodies have matured. Babies born to adolescent or child mothers are more likely to die than those born to mothers over age twenty. They tend to have lower birth weights and weak immune systems, and face higher risks of malnutrition. (Laski, 2015) Girls, who are less than the age of 15 more likely to die during childbirth than older, more mature women. The infant mortality rate is also very high because the young body of a woman is biologically not capable of maternity. Child brides are more likely to be raped during their marriage because they do not know how to speak out about the abuse they endure. Many times the younger the bride the more they are psychologically affected by the batter and sexual abuse. (Tangri, 2013) .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e , .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e .postImageUrl , .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e , .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e:hover , .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e:visited , .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e:active { border:0!important; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e:active , .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uf93a7a7c1b11c15fa557972e7ef22e7e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: How My Brother Leon Brought Hime a Wife EssayWarren Jeffs had a secret diary in what he called his â€Å"priesthood records†, stating how he and his followers were to relocate and create a secret compound on Zion Ranch for his â€Å"religious practices†. In this secret compound there was a bed where he would rape underage girls. The bed had to be made of hardwood, sturdy so it wouldn t rattle, long enough to support Jeffs tall frame and equipped with padded sides that could be pulled up to hold him in place â€Å"as the Lord does His work with me.† â€Å"It will be covered with a sheet, but it will have a plastic cover to protect the mattress from what will happen on it,† Jeffs’ instructed. Marriages on Zion Ranch were â€Å"spiritual marriages†, which means young girls from the ages 12 to 15 were married to the elder men of the church; many times the men were over the age of 45. (Frosh, 2008) Seven out of the twelve girls who were â€Å"spiritually married† had borne either one or more children. (King, 2012) Laws have been created to enforce no child marriages but are they stepping on the toes of religious freedom? The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act defines child marriage as marriage in which either the girl or the boy is underage and gets married to someone who is older than the girl is under 18 years of age or the boy is younger than 21 years. (Tangri, 2013) In the case of Zion Ranch, it is clearly shown that the girls married were underage but with parental consent. So how is the jury system supposed to decide whether this is legal or not? When deciding whether the children born from the religious cult are to stay with their parents or to go into foster care what factors are supposed to come into account? Religious freedom is the ability to practice whatever religion you want whenever you want whether it be in the private of your home or in a public place. When the jury was deciding on how to deal with the cases of each and every 439 children who lived on Zion Ranch, they took into account of how the child behave, the living environment, and how they interaction of others. So overall Texas lost the battle of the children of Zion Ranch because the children weren’t in danger, but the men of that ranch were convicted of bigamy, sexual assault, endangerment of children, and failure to report child abuse. Many cases religious cults do not look out for the children’s best interest. Marrying off young girls to older men is part of many religious practices but the negative effects outweigh the positive effects even with their religious beliefs included. The young girls have no chance to live their lives, or go out and experience the real world. They are also emotionally, physically, and psychologically scarred. After going through all the turmoil of being abused at such a young age, it is hard to turn their whole situation around and live a good life even after they have escaped their terrifying fate of child marriage. Many times there is no hope to prevent the child marriages to be prevented, but there is hope for them if more laws against child marriages is enforced throughout the United States and even in private compounds such as Zion Ranch. Religious cults should not be allowed to have underage marriages.

Sunday, April 5, 2020

Sexuality and Gender Theory Essay Example

Sexuality and Gender Theory Essay Sexual behavior in humans entails complex cognitions such as attitudes, beliefs, thoughts and fantasies as well as even more insubstantial features linked with culture and lifestyle. So, in a very real sense, it is not probable to separate the physically sexual from the rest of a persons sexuality and other facets of an individual are being (Kimmel, M. S., ; Plante, R. F. 2004, 102). Furthermore, it is psychologically naive to presume that a controlled set of overt behaviors unproblematically defines and sets limits on what can be taken as sexual behavior.For instance, some psychologists have argued that crimes such as stealing are expressions of sexual motives although no genital or attempted genital contact is implicated (Revitch and Schlesinger 1990, 42). Similarly, some feminist psychologists and others argue that rape is not an erotically provoked, sexual crime. Instead, they suggest, it should be regarded as yet another expression of male power and authority motives that form t he bedrock of sexual politics (Kelly 1990, 87). This is obviously a psychological explanation of rape but one in which the erotic or the sexual constituent of genital contact is dismissed as insignificant compared to a macro-level analysis based on sexual politics far removed from the psychodynamics of an individual rapist. This feminist position likely has some authority, and this point of view is resistant by evidence, for example, that rape is not sexually agreeable for at least a proportion of rapists (Pamela Church Gibson and Roma Gibson, 1993, 211). All of this is significant since it reminds us that the parameters of human sexuality are not obviously defined or constrained within psychology and that for its understanding we should go far beyond an analysis of sex as simply a genital act.Sex radical feminists link ranks with sex workers when radicals indict feminists critical of the sex industry of strengthening the traditional heterosexual values of monogamy, understanding, a nd romance that stripping, pornography, and prostitution flatly reject (Lynne Segal and Mary McIntosh, 1992, 74). From a sex radical perspective, feminists who are incapable or unwilling to tackle their own sexuality and who see little if anything that is not demeaning about sex work under patriarchy are the natural allies of a sexual conservatism that denounces the anonymous, recreational, pleasure-seeking sex in sex work. Moreover, numerous feminists from a diversity of theoretical perspectives believe that such an coalition results in the association of feminism with an anti-sex moralism that makes feminism unappealing to women who think themselves both politically enlightened and sexually adventurous.In spite of misgivings, we will arbitrarily restrict our deliberation of sexual behavior to aspects noticeably related to its physical or bodily expressions. Sexual behavior is taken to refer to the attitudes, behavior, feelings, and cognitions that are concerned with sexual arousal and that lead to genital inspiration and, frequently, excitement. Of course, we cannot oversimplify with any precision concerning the nature of these attitudes, behaviors, feelings and cognitions since they differ widely between people. In short, our restricted and subjective definition fundamentally limits consideration of sexual behavior to the erotic which comprises only a part of potential sexual behaviors. In this way we can begin a point of focus for our deliberation of sexual behavior.Sexual motives and practices require not be attached to love. Sex is characteristically perceived as a biological drive akin to hunger (e.g., Freud [1929] 1961; Murray 1938). Buss (1988), Bogaert and Fisher (1995), and numerous researchers have noted the seemingly inbuilt, hence a cultural, nature to promiscuity by the human male and the converse leaning to monogamy by the human female. Bogaert and Fisher propose that males adopt one of two sexual strategies: if they are prevailing and sought-a fter, they adopt low-attachment maximal partner strategies, whereas if they are subordinate males, they adopt high-attachment monogamous strategies (Carlin, D., ; DiGrazia, J. 2003, 36).Each society in history has developed a leading ideology of sex-style. For example, Victorian society in Europe and America applied the well-known double standard. The ideal sexual behavior for a woman was virginity and chastity before marriage and enduring sexual reliability to her spouse after marriage. The ideal sexual behavior for a young male was chastity before marriage, but he was allowed to enjoy limited and circumspect sexual experience with women of the kind he would never choose to marry. After marriage, the idyllic male sex-style was dependability, but, again, the double standard was more probable to forgive discreet affairs by husbands than by wives. The dominant Victorian sex style did not accept certain sexual acts at any time, even within marriage (e.g., fellatio) and banned others wi th brutal penalties (e.g., sodomy).Like love styles, sex styles go through cultural changes, becoming or ceasing to be the prevailing ideology. Sometimes the changes are gradual as in the Victorian era (Hendrick and Hendrick 1992:41). At times the changes are as revolutionary as the Reformation in religion or the Bolshevik Revolution in politics. The Kinsey Report was said to have caused a sexual revolution (Hotchner 1978:350). Amongst the profound shock tremors of contemporary sexuality are changes in technology and modern medicines for STDS, the feminist movement, and gay liberation. Stephen O. Murray comprehensive overview, American Gay, specifically distinguishes a gay ideology from sexstyles of the dominant culture (Murray 1996:174-175). Reflective changes in religion or politics create great difficulty in choosing a political or religious ideology. Similarly, the consecutive waves of change in sexual ideology over the past half-century have extremely complicated anyones choice of sex style.Social conflicts rage around some of the characteristically new sexstyles. For example, the issue of public respect of gay and lesbian relationships has divided the American Senate down the middle, 49 to 50. There is angry debate concerning public legitimation of gay and lesbian marriages. There are also new bisexual, transgender, and transsexual patterns. For more ordinary lovers, there is morality for several marriages in a lifetime or living together without getting married. Only a few decades ago common law relationships were stigmatized and deprived in both law and popular opinion. Another sex style change is that fewer young lovers now persevere that their partner be a virgin.All of these changes are linked with changes in love styles. For example, the widespread decorum of prophylactics in sex makes it much easier to be a ludic or ludic-erotic lover. It is now probable to have one love affair after another, or numerous at the same time, with less fear of lasting consequences such as STDs, redundant pregnancy, or a shotgun marriage.Though, sex is reality in a way that at the heart of the feminist anti-porn project, fuelling it and giving it passion, is ‘female anger’—for pornography is, the undiluted core of anti-female propaganda (Russell Diana. 1993a, 1993b).On the other hand, Behavioral effects of sexual fantasy intimately parallel those of explicit images. In general, fantasy influences sexual provocation, sexual behavior, and affective responses, as well as other behaviors and can be interrelated with by personality variables, attitudes, and fantasy content. All these effects can be found for sexual explicitness, in general, as well. Sexual fantasy can thus be thought of as a specific medium of sexual explicitness, just as movies or slides can be thought of as a similar medium.If sexual fantasy is a type of sexually overt theme, then it too can increase the likelihood of formerly learned sexual practices occurring. It must be noted again, however, that though there is no evidence that sexually precise fantasy has long-term effects on behavior it is possible that it does. Similarly, although subjects did not change or begin new sexual practices, this can depend on the persons personality and/ or sexual experience.Pornography is a persistent element of our whole society. Those who feel the need to describe pornography as a dissolute tumor plaguing a fundamentally moral society are indulging in wishful thinking (Berger, R. J., Searles, P., ; Cottle, C. E. 1991). There is no clear line between hard pornography practiced wholly by pornographers and soft pornography used as a marketing device by anyone who has something to sell. If advertisers are intensely sensitive to public reaction, as a recent magazine article describes the principle of advertising, then what the media campaigns explain may be taken as an accurate measure of how this line between hard and soft pornography has become extraneous in our culture. From jeans to cologne, from shirts to the latest car or household appliance, America is rapidly impending a state in which, as one advertiser confesses, Theres no way I can sell the product without selling sex.Pornography is all together a legal definition, a historically shaped, and changing product, and a sociological phenomenon, organized into a particular industry in diverse social locations. It exists as a historical trend because of the regulation and control of what can and cannot be said concerning sexuality, and thrives on the belief that sex is naughty and dirty, that what is being purveyed is being distributed as it is illicit (Hennessy, R. 2000, 49). The institution of pornography results from the description of certain classes of representation as in some way ‘objectionable’. But what is defined as ‘objectionable’ changes over time, so that the themes of pornography diverge like the technology of representation on which it relie s, and the opportunities for production and consumption are erratic. There is no doubt that there has been an immense increase in the pornography industry in recent decades.Pornography must be a major issue in sexual politics. Long a concern of the moral right, it has become a decisive preoccupation of contemporary feminism. In the United States by the early 1980s the feminist campaigns against pornography were possibly the best organized and financed in the movement’s history and, though they did not have the same salience, there were similarly energetic groupings in countries like Britain and Australia. But at the similar time the campaign against pornography seemed to divide the women’s movement, for it posed essential questions about the nature of female subordination, and hence of the forms of power in modern society. ‘Pornography’ is an extremely ambiguous yet emotive term, which takes on diverse meanings in different discourses. For the traditional moralist pornography is a thing in itself—‘explicit sexual images’ which rouse sexuality in the vulnerable and immature. For the liberal pornography is a variable feast, a product of shifting interpretations of taste and acceptability. For the radical feminist opponent of porn it is a visual revelation of male power.Pornography is an intricate historical phenomenon and has differing effects. And Commodification of the sexual socially constructs as it requires active, objectifying commodifiable eroticism. The inviolability of the moral order, however, requires that this homosexual consumer, as citizen, knows his moral and social place.It is also believed that Pornography is significant, because it is the distillation of male power over women, the cutting edge which makes certain female subordination. It is this which justifies the fervor and moral passion which infuses the anti-porn campaign. At stake is women’s survival.While numerous people are obviously inclined to think that there ought to be a line drawn between good taste and bad taste, between romanticism and quasi-pornography in their advertising and in broad cultural attitudes toward sex, the market ethos of America is making that distinction more and more difficult to draw and next to impossible to maintain. Some may argue that there is a qualitative difference between selling sex outright (as in pornography) and using sex to sell another product (as in business). But the difference is at best a curative self-delusion and at worst a moralistic hypocrisy, for both activities share two essential ingredients of American culture: selling and sex. As has been demonstrated time and time again (most recently in the Meese Commissions study), anyone who ever attempts to eliminate or isolate pornography from the community is overwhelmed by indefinite definitions and the ubiquity of this cultural phenomenon.Pornography industry is still an investment opportunity with enormously high re turns and often fewer risks than most other sectors. And the percentage returns seem constant, regardless of substantial variations in scale. A series of photographs devoted to coprophilia will attain only a very specialized market, but the costs of production are minimal, and the very costly French film series Emmanuelle (now in its seventh episode) has to date reported a profit of $600 million, about half that earned by all the James Bond movies put together.In the United States, almost all pornographic films are produced in southern California, not simply because of the climate, which permits less clothing, but mostly because that is where the film industrys infrastructure and most of its technicians happen to live. The Adult Film Association of America, which includes the twenty largest pornographic film production companies (and which until a few years ago held its own annual Oscar night), estimates that in 1985 around one hundred feature length films were produced in the Unite d States, which were then distributed to more than seven thousand specialized cinemas across the country, and that those same cinemas each sold on average 2,000 tickets a week, for a total annual national revenue of approximately a billion dollars.Saying that American society is in fact one big sex bazaar does not solve the immediate problem of understanding pornography as a social issue, but it does point to the extent of the problems we face. For, when we are trying to pinpoint the root cause of pornography, we find ourselves coming back again and again to the very nature of American society, the relationship between ourselves and the marketplace. Despite the moral outrages it evokes in some, pornography is so natural, so American, and so profitable in the marketplace, that its very accomplishment clouds the moral issues surrounding it. When we look at pornography carefully, we find that people like it, the marketplace wants it, and the whole of American society supports it, for i t is the very embodiment of our own philosophy and obligation. At first blush, this is an odd thing to say, but reflection inexorably leads us to that conclusion. Pornography in America is where the senses that crave to be pleased and entertained meet the marketplace that craves profit.

Sunday, March 8, 2020

Kmart and Sears Merger †Summary and Analysis

Kmart and Sears Merger – Summary and Analysis Free Online Research Papers The acquisition of Sears Roebuck Co, cost to Kmart Holding Corporation $ 11 billion (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, Strategic Management, 211, 2008). This merger occurred for economical reasons. This merger will benefit both companies in different ways separately and as Sears Holding Company. Kmart will benefit from the planned cost sharing of several of Sears leading proprietary brands as well as present opportunities to capture significant revenue and cost synergies including merchandise and non-merchandise purchasing, distribution and other SGA expenses. Sears will be out of malls, and will benefit from Kmart’ stores locations which are in the high-income customer target of Sears. Moving out off malls means that Sears will sell some of it real estates which will bring money to the company. According to Edward S. Lampert, former chairman of Kmart and new chairman of SCH, the goal were to seek to leverage the combined strengths of Sears and Kmart to obtain greater long-term value either could have generated on a stand-alone basis. SHC will offer a wide variety of products and combining both their strong brands such as Kmart’s brands; Martha Stewart Home and Sears’s brands like Kenmore, Craftsman and Die Hard, they will compete among others. Combining two forces (even in our case where we have two weak companies) increase their merged companys market presence. Choosing from previous companies the best human resources, information technology, operations, finance, strategy lead them to a stronger organization. ¹ Based in all the above SHC will become the third largest retailer in the United States with $ 55 billion in annual revenues and 2,350 full-line and off mall stores and 1,100 specialty retail stores in the USA. Higher market shares often result in greater purchasing power over suppliers. Increased orders result in lower purchase prices for materials and services, allowing the company to be more price competitive. ² The issues SHC will face are internal and external such as organizational culture, organizational structure, organization identity, competition, trained staff, customer’s loyalty and SHC store’s design. Organizational culture is a system of shared values (what is important) and beliefs (how things work) that shape a company’s people, organizational structures and control systems to produce behavioral norms (the way we do things around here) (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, Strategic Management, 309, 2008). In merger there will be employees from Kmart and Sears which will share different organizational culture. And according to an AT Kearney research study; in mergers the more powerful partner imposes his culture on the less powerful one. The key to a strategic merger is to create a new organizational culture for SHC. First they need to see what the organizational culture before merger is. They can do this through an OCI which provides a picture of an organization’s operating culture in terms of the behaviors that members believe are expected or implicitly required. By guiding the way in which members approach their work and interact with one another, these â€Å"behavioral norms† determine the organization’s capacity to solve problems, adapt to change, and perform effectively.  ³ First alternative is that they can conduct a separate OCI for Kmart and Sears’s employees and decide which the best organizational culture is and apply it. The advantage is that this will not be time consuming since one part is already used to this organizational culture, the disadvantage is that there will be resistance from the employee’s of the other company since they will see this not as SHC culture but as Sears or Kmart culture (depending on which of the two company’s culture will be chosen) and they will not be willing to share common values and beliefs of another company. The other alternative which I think is the best solution is to cross results from both Kmart and Sears and take the best elements from both companies. The advantage here is that the employees will see this as SHC culture and will share these values. The new SHC culture will encourage individual identification with the organization and its new objectives (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, Strategic Management, 309, 2008). This is important because people should start to cooperate; they are not competitors, not anymore. Organizational structure refers to the formalized patterns of interactions that link a firm’s tasks, technologies and people. Structures help to ensure that resources are used effectively in accomplishing an organization’s mission (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, Strategic Management, 340, 2008). Since SHC is a new company there should be applied a new structure. I think the best structure in this case is a Matrix structure. Since SHC will operate under at least six different formats and since there were past problems related to the organization’s identity and image, the Matrix structure will keep them in contact and through continuous communication between the ‘’directors of stores’’ they can manage to combine their changes and so keep uniform corporate image and identity. The advantages of this structure are that it: Increases market responsiveness through collaboration and synergies among professional colleagues, allow more efficient utilization of resources, improves flexibility, coordination and communication, increases professional development through a broader range of responsibility. The disadvantages are that: the dual-reporting relationship can result in uncertainty regarding accountability, intense power struggles may lead to increased levels of conflict, working relationships may be more complicated and human resources duplicated and excessive reliance on group processes and teamwork may impede timely decision making (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, Strategic Management, 350, 2008). Even after the merger both companies will continue to operate separately under their respective names. And as I mentioned above this is not the right thing to do, because there should not be anymore Kmart or Sears. The quicker they manage to change their previous identity into Sears Holding Company, the better. Buyers need to see that this merger brought changes and the reason they were not preferred from them, are being improved into this new company. As longer they continue to act as Kmart as Sears the more difficult will be for them to be seen as SHC. They need to have ‘’one’’ identity and show improvements and finally get some attention, people must perceive SHC as a new company but which still have the good quality (their brand names are preferred from the clients) and low prices and which continue to improve; they cant effort anymore to be seen as ‘’second hand’’ store. Kmart was placed as a discount store and Sears as a department store. SHC must be placed as a discount store since department stores are not longer liked from customers. Before the merger Kmart was competing against a low-price Wal-mart and a high-style Target and Sears against Home Depot and Lowe. Also as SHC they have to compete against Kmart and Sears as they was and change the way people sees them, and through their past experience try to not make the same mistakes and improve their products. Now as SHC they have to decide against whom they want to compete. Who is more important? They definitely can’t compete against Wal-Mart which is from several years the largest US Corporation. The best move is to compete against Target and Lowe’s who are more easily to compete. They can take advantage of the good allocation of Kmart stores in key urban and high density suburban markets with high-income customers and far from these 2 competitors. They also can fill areas that are overlooked from the others. There are 3 types of competitive advantage: overall cost leadership, which is based on creating low-cost position, which means that SHC must also be able to manage the relationship throughout the value chain and lower costs throughout the entire chain. (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, Strategic Management, 156, 2008) The advantage here is that SHC will increase sales but due to cut costs in operating expenses the companies operations will become weaker, and if they offer low prices means they will compete directly with Wal-mart which is a leader in low-prices, and SHC can’t afford such direct competition with them. Then there is differentiation which means that SHC must launch in the market products there are unique and valued, and the price is not an issue since because of the high quality customers will pay more. The disadvantages here are that: SHC a merger company of Kmart and Sears can not be easily perceived by customers as a high-quality company and the high prices they will offer will push the customers away. And there is a focus strategy where the company can gain competitive advantage through a combination of low cost and differentiation. This I think is the best strategy since they can compete through their strong brand such as Martha Stewart, Kenmore, Craftsman and Die Hard, which are perceived very well from customers, against Target which is known for the high-style provided, and with low-cost they can compete against Lowe’s. They need also to attract more brands. Both companies had problems with human resources. SHC must recruit talented people-employees at all levels with the proper sets of skills and capabilities coupled with the right values and attitudes. Such skills and attitudes must be continually developed, strengthened and reinforced and each employee must be motivated and his efforts focused on the organization’s goals and objectives (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner, Strategic Management, 119, 2008). They need to find and train people who are identified with company’s mission and values, and whom trying to achieve their personal goals, achieve also the company’s goals. There will be also lay-offs which SHC need to manage well. Because there will be people affected by this and the biggest mistake companies do is that they focus in the fired people and how to make them feel better through compensations or explanations of the style ‘’ you are a good manager, is not your fault’’ and forget that they should focus in the remaining employees which is their primary resource. The remaining people will be demotivated because of the large number of firings and think they can be next, so this process is crucible; CEO must talk to them, tell them the truth about the situation, explain them the reasons why they fired their colleagues, motivate them and show them that SHC counts on them and that they are part of the merge process which will be a difficult one and there will be a lot of stress. SHC need to keep the remaining staff motivated in order to share the same vision and mission of the company. The most important part of the remaining employees is the former high level managers, who probably will loose their previous positions and need to work in lower positions. So, this is the part there could resist more to the changes and maybe the part where the attention of SHC should be concentrated. Another issue to be solved for SHC is customers. SHC should focus primarily on them and then in profit maximization, which will come if they are able to fill the customer’s need for good quality, competitive prices, service, time and possibility to easily reach them. Marketing should try to anticipate needs and has customer satisfaction as its primary goal. They need to do surveys to see how people perceived them as Kmart and Sears and what they are expecting from SHC. The design of their stores is keeping customers away because they see the stores as old, not attractive and with a cheap design. SHC stores are what people see in first place, and in order for someone to enter the store they need to redesign its ambient. From the internal design people will see that there are being changes in SHC, and this will help SHC being separated from the previous Kmart and Sears. To conclude SHC should do post merger monitoring, and if there are needed additional changes to enhance results do them. References:  ¹  ² investopedia.com/articles/stocks/07/drive_stock_price.asp  ³ humansynergistics.com/products/oci.aspx Research Papers on Kmart and Sears Merger - Summary and AnalysisAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaOpen Architechture a white paperThe Project Managment Office SystemTwilight of the UAWMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalDefinition of Export QuotasHip-Hop is ArtAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self

Friday, February 21, 2020

An Analysis of Kristian Leven Photography in London Essay

An Analysis of Kristian Leven Photography in London - Essay Example This is unique from other wedding competitors that provide photography services with specific manufactured (posed) shots. Kristian Leven is able to stand out from competitors with his naturalistic approach to wedding photography that better captures special events and moments as they occur. 1.1 Methodology Research was gleaned for the report utilising a qualitative methodology, involving an open-ended interview structure with the sole proprietor, Kristian Leven. The interview occurred on April 5, 2013 and was scheduled for 45 minutes. Leven was proposed questions on such concepts as motivation, funding sources, problems that occur in daily business operations, the social environment, and the entrepreneurial marketing mix. Findings from the interviews were compared to theoretical secondary literature on entrepreneurship and small business management to determine correlations between theory and actual business practice; or to identify dissimilarities between theory and actual business management. 2.0 Funding sources for Kristian Leven Research indicates that credit cards are the most common funding source for entrepreneurs, due to tightened restrictions with banking institutions and other lenders associated with the credit crunch of 2007 and 2008 (Schmith 2008). Leven indicated that he achieved start-up funding by networking with family members in order to obtain an initial co-signed personal loan for ?5000. Leven further supplemented this funding for the start-up venture with a credit card by which he was able to procure equipment and initial inventories not covered by the personal loan that was utilised to set up a storefront. Leven had considered seeking out a private investor, however he was concerned about the potential of contractual agreements being established that guaranteed shared profitability. Leven trusted in his ability to grow the business revenues early that would provide him with the capital necessary to launch a successful photography business. Leven fit the profile of entrepreneurs that must rely on credit cards as a relevant funding source and networking with family members to achieve start-up capability. Leven had submitted a formal business plan to bankers when he was just 19 years old, but his plan was rejected as the lenders believed he was too young and inexperienced to successfully manage the business. Today, Leven is proud to announce an annual cash flow position of over ?200,000. 3.0 Networking Networking is, according to Leven, one of the most fundamental success factors for how Kristian Leven Photography has experienced growth and gained a positive brand reputation with satisfied customers. Leven does not consider his family members to be viable networks for operating or managing the business, or in improving its position. Leven had personal experience with a family-operated business during his childhood in which many disputes about operations and financing were present. This ties in closely with the theoretica l literature in which Johanisson and Monsted (1997) indicate there is no evidence available indicating that personal network capacity contributes to the success of the small business. Instead, Leven relies on professional networking, which are contacts that are developed through business operations. Leven indicated that nearly 80 percent of his business growth is attributed to word-of-mouth advertising that stems from satisfied clients with personal experien

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Two_Short_Paragraphs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Two_Short_Paragraphs - Essay Example The old man, for example, tried to hang himself when at home because of desperation. When at the cafà ©, the same old man drinks his brandy with calmness and dignity. Even when he is drunk, he cannot spill his drink. The cafe is indeed a temporary respite from all the chaos in the world (Hemingway, 372-75). In the story, The Garden Party, the garden represents a place of endless pleasures. It is a place with a lot of promising energies where children and young adult look forward to a great future. The children resemble the arum lilies and brilliant butterflies that grow with an alarming vigor. The garden signifies a kind of Eden land where parents confine their children. The author conveys the land as one with a pleasant and warm feeling similar to the non-existent marvelous fairylands. The garden is covered with exotic flowers, green lawns, and various species of trees. There is a villa at the center of the garden, a tennis court and lake with the Sheridan’s garden. All these features make the garden symbolize a unique place full of potential for growth of its inhabitants. It is a place where all people long, hope or would wish to live (Mansfield