Parallels Of Latin American Culture Essays - Pedro Pramo, Juan Rulfo

Parallels Of Latin American Culture There is an uncountable amount of references of Latin American culture found within the literature, Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo, and No One Writes To the Colonel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. The question is; can the reader whose cultural experiences are based in the United States of American relate and make relevant to themselves the aspects of Latin American Culture? Through the comparison of sport, such as cock-fighting, a Latin American pastime, The roles of a small town vs. a large urban American city, and the part the Patron plays in the community, it can be seen that the United States reader does not have the Latin American experiences necessary to easily relate to many of the situations presented in the texts. Cock-fighting is an important sport in No On Writes to the Colonel, and is referred to many times through out the book. Cock-fighting is used as a means for economic gain and an improvement in ones standing in the community. Cock-fighting in the story is viewed in different lights. To some, the fights represent the risk of gambling and the decaying state of the society. These people would see the violent and greedy nature of the sport as the peoples last resort for economic stability with a high price to pay; morals and decency. The other side of the spectrum would view the sport as a highly entertaining pastime that has monetary as well as social benefits. A man could become rich and respected off the fighting ability of his trained animal. Interestingly enough there is a highly similar sport in the United States that faces these exact clashing viewpoints; for example, the highly regarded and disregarded sport of professional wrestling. One side of the United States population would cite this activity as an immoral and disgusting sport that feeds on the lust for money and violence of a lower-class group of individuals. However, the opposing side views it merely as a good laugh and an easy and entertaining outlet for mans inscrutable appetite for gambling. These two parallels between Latin American culture as presented in these two texts and United States culture, obviously give the U.S. reader the ability to make the situations and pastimes presented in the book relevant to themselves. In Pedro Paramo , the plot is based around an extremely small and isolated town named Comala, in the midst of the Mexican landscape. This setting is often presented in Latin American literature because it is only there where small towns are isolated from each other and the rest of the world because of barriers in the terrain and communication, as well as tradition. The city of Comala, and isolated and desolate ghost city is not questioned or uncommon when viewed in Latin American literature, however there is very little like this to be found in the United States. The United States reader would know that throughout the U.S. landmass even small distant cities are connected to the tangle of communication, commerce and tourism that is America. It is because the U.S. reader has never been in an environment as isolated and completely separated from a mainstream society as seen in Comala in Pedro Paramo, it is hard to really relate to that type of setting. This is one example of the vast differences between the two cultures that interferes with the readers ability to connect with the relevance of some of the material in Latin American literature. One more example that demonstrates the effect that the differences in the cultures of Latin American and the United States have on the readers ability to relate to the text, is the role of a Patron in a community. Throughout both of the texts the Patron plays a very important part. He is feared, he is respected and he is the corrupt owner of towns and their inhabitants. In the Latin American culture it is not considered to be a monopolistic type of situation, rather more of a community leader controlling the town. In a land of free enterprise and a place where the government has control over the amount of control that one person can have over the people, the readers in the United States have very little to relate to when it comes to the role of the Patron. Although the Patron plays a very solid role in Latin American society, there is very little comparison to something of that sort in the U.S. Once again there seems to be one more

Education In France Example

Education In France Example Education In France – Book Report/Review Example Book Review: Education in France Book Review: Education in France France is the second largest country In Europe. It is also among the countries that enjoyed immense power and d influence in the past. In fact, one may argue that France had immense and continues to change the world. That is, in terms of culture and education more specifically. France is the fourth most populous nation. Over half of her population resides in cities. As result, France has a very high percentage literacy rate of up to 99%. Consequently, like other technologically developed countries, France’s rate of population growth has been slow especially after the second world (Gutek, 1993).The rate of farming activities has reduced even though agriculture is an important sector of the French economy. Moreover, the fact that about 33% of the land in France is arable under the country’s temperate climate. The land availability has led to a more urbanized France. Urbanization accompanies an increase in t echnological advancement. The advancement influences positively on the French education by mounting technological secondary schools as well as the vocational schools.The irony is that the French society is both customary and contemporary it is laissez-faire and at the same time conformist. In addition, it is religious and the same time secular. Regardless of these paradoxes, the French distinguish their country as a culturally unsurpassed leading light of the world culture. The impression that the French had a mission to civilize the world has had a profound influence on the French education. The phenomenon is evident through France’s activities in the eighteenth century. During this period, the French language rose to eminence of ousting Latin as the international diplomatic language (Gutek, 1993).The French were of the view that culture and common language gave them the French identity. Educationalists emphasized the responsibility of schools in broadcasting and upholding l anguage decorum, cultural tradition and preservation of the French identity. French system of education has seen to it that France thrives in its multicultural, multiethnic and multiracial character. France as a nation assumes the responsibility for service delivery in the education system since the creation of modern revolution. Policy makers within the state recognize the need to modernize education and make it influence the economy positively.ReferencesGutek, G. L. (1993). American education in a global society: Internationalizing teacher education. New York u.a: Longman.

The Complete List of NCAA Division 3 Colleges (Updated)

The Complete List of NCAA Division 3 Colleges (Updated) SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The NCAA- the major governing body for intercollegiate sports- separates its member institutions by divisions. Division III colleges are generally the smallest and have the fewest resources for their athletic teams; however, Division IIIis the biggest division in terms of number of schools and student-athletes. Many Division III schools take pride in their sports teams, and athletes comprise a significant percentage of the student population. In this article, I’ll give you a basic understanding of Division III as well as a complete list of current Division III schools, organized by state. Why Are There NCAA Divisions? The NCAA made divisions to create competitive balance and a level playing field. The existence of divisions is meant to enable schools to compete against other schools of a similar size and with similar resources. What Makes Division III Unique? In Division III, there are no athletic scholarships.Sports teams have shorter practice times and playing seasons than they do in Divisions I and II. Additionally, in Division III, the focus is more on the participant than it is on generating revenue or creating events for spectators. Here are some fun facts to know about Division III: There are more than 194,000 athletes in Division III 80% of Division III schools are private Each Division III school sponsors an average of 18 sports Complete List of NCAA Division III Colleges Below, we give you the complete list of NCAA Division III colleges for the 2018-19 school year. At present, there are more than 440 schools in Division III. But how can you use this list? If there's a particular college you're considering applying to, you can look at this list to determine whether that school is a Division III institution or not. You can alsocheck to see which colleges are Division III in a certain sport you're interested in.Note that some Division III schools might compete in Division I for one or two sports. Alabama Birmingham-Southern College Huntingdon College Arkansas Hendrix College University of the Ozarks (Arkansas) California California Institute of Technology (Caltech) California Lutheran University Chapman University Claremont McKenna–Harvey Mudd–Scripps Colleges Mills College Occidental College Pomona–Pitzer Colleges University of California, Santa Cruz University of La Verne University of Redlands Whittier College Colorado Colorado College Connecticut Albertus Magnus College Connecticut College Eastern Connecticut State University Mitchell College Trinity College (Connecticut) U.S. Coast Guard Academy University of St. Joseph (Connecticut) Wesleyan University (Connecticut) Western Connecticut State University District of Columbia Catholic University Gallaudet University Trinity Washington University Delaware Wesley College Georgia Agnes Scott College Berry College Covenant College Emory University LaGrange College Oglethorpe University Piedmont College Wesleyan College (Georgia) Iowa Buena Vista University Central College (Iowa) Coe College Cornell College Grinnell College Iowa Wesleyan University Loras College Luther College Simpson College University of Dubuque Wartburg College Illinois Augustana College (Illinois) Aurora University Benedictine University (Illinois) Blackburn College Concordia University Chicago Dominican University (Illinois) Elmhurst College Eureka College Greenville University Illinois College Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Wesleyan University Knox College Lake Forest College MacMurray College Millikin University Monmouth College (Illinois) North Central College North Park University Principia College Rockford University University of Chicago Wheaton College (Illinois) Indiana Anderson University (Indiana) DePauw University Earlham College Franklin College Hanover College Manchester University Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Saint Mary's College (Indiana) Trine University Wabash College Kentucky Berea College Centre College Spalding University Thomas More College Transylvania University Louisiana Centenary College (Louisiana) Louisiana College Massachusetts Amherst College Anna Maria College Babson College Bay Path University Becker College Brandeis University Bridgewater State University Clark University (Massachusetts) Curry College Dean College Eastern Nazarene College Elms College Emerson College Emmanuel College (Massachusetts) Endicott College Fitchburg State University Framingham State University Gordon College Lasell College Lesley University Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Massachusetts Maritime Academy Mount Holyoke College Newbury College Nichols College Pine Manor College Regis College (Massachusetts) Salem State University Simmons University Smith College Springfield College Suffolk University Tufts University University of Massachusetts Boston University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth Wellesley College Wentworth Institute of Technology Western New England University Westfield State University Wheaton College (Massachusetts) Williams College Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester State University Maryland Frostburg State University Goucher College Hood College Johns Hopkins University McDaniel College Notre Dame of Maryland University Salisbury University St. Mary's College of Maryland Stevenson University Washington College (Maryland) Maine Bates College Bowdoin College Colby College Husson University Maine Maritime Academy Saint Joseph's College (Maine) Thomas College University of Maine at Presque Isle University of Maine, Farmington University of New England University of Southern Maine Michigan Adrian College Albion College Alma College Calvin College Finlandia University Hope College Kalamazoo College Olivet College Minnesota Augsburg University Bethany Lutheran College Bethel University (Minnesota) Carleton College College of Saint Benedict Concordia College, Moorhead Crown College (Minnesota) Gustavus Adolphus College Hamline University Macalester College Martin Luther College North Central University Saint John's University (Minnesota) Saint Mary's University of Minnesota St. Catherine University St. Olaf College The College of St. Scholastica University of Minnesota, Morris University of Northwestern–St. Paul University of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Missouri Fontbonne University Washington University in St. Louis Webster University Westminster College (Missouri) Mississippi Belhaven University Millsaps College North Carolina Brevard College Greensboro College Guilford College Meredith College Methodist University North Carolina Wesleyan College Pfeiffer University Salem College (North Carolina) William Peace University Nebraska Nebraska Wesleyan University New Hampshire Colby-Sawyer College Keene State College New England College Plymouth State University Rivier University New Jersey Centenary University (New Jersey) College of Saint Elizabeth Drew University Fairleigh Dickinson University, Florham Kean University Montclair State University New Jersey City University Ramapo College Rowan University Rutgers, The State Univ. of New Jersey, Camden Rutgers, The State Univ. of New Jersey, Newark Stevens Institute of Technology Stockton University The College of New Jersey William Paterson University of New Jersey New York Alfred State College Alfred University Bard College Baruch College Brooklyn College Buffalo State, State University of New York Cazenovia College Clarkson University College at Brockport, State University of New York College of Mount Saint Vincent College of New Rochelle College of Staten Island D'Youville College Elmira College Farmingdale State College Hamilton College Hartwick College Hilbert College Hobart and William Smith Colleges Houghton College Hunter College Ithaca College John Jay College of Criminal Justice Keuka College Lehman College Manhattanville College Medaille College Medgar Evers College Morrisville State College Mount Saint Mary College (New York) Nazareth College New York University Plattsburgh State University of New York Purchase College, State University of New York Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) Rochester Institute of Technology Sarah Lawrence College Skidmore College St. John Fisher College St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) St. Joseph's College (Long Island) St. Lawrence University State University College at Old Westbury State University of New York at Canton State University of New York atCobleskill State University of New York atCortland State University of New York atDelhi State University of New York atGeneseo State University of New York atNew Paltz State University of New York atOneonta State University of New York atOswego State University of New York atPotsdam State University of New York Maritime College State University of New York Polytechnic Institute The City College of New York The Sage Colleges The State University of New York at Fredonia U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Union College (New York) University of Rochester Utica College Vassar College Wells College Yeshiva University York College (New York) Ohio Baldwin Wallace University Bluffton University Capital University Case Western Reserve University Defiance College Denison University Franciscan University of Steubenville Heidelberg University Hiram College John Carroll University Kenyon College Marietta College Mount St. Joseph University Muskingum University Oberlin College Ohio Northern University Ohio Wesleyan University Otterbein University The College of Wooster University of Mount Union Wilmington College (Ohio) Wittenberg University Oregon George Fox University Lewis Clark College Linfield College Pacific University (Oregon) Willamette University Pennsylvania Albright College Allegheny College Alvernia University Arcadia University Bryn Athyn College Bryn Mawr College Cabrini University Cairn University Carnegie Mellon University Cedar Crest College Chatham University Clarks Summit University Delaware Valley University DeSales University Dickinson College Eastern University Elizabethtown College Franklin Marshall College Geneva College Gettysburg College Grove City College Gwynedd Mercy University Haverford College Immaculata University Juniata College Keystone College King's College (Pennsylvania) La Roche College Lancaster Bible College Lebanon Valley College Lycoming College Marywood University Messiah College Misericordia University Moravian College Mount Aloysius College Muhlenberg College Neumann University Penn State Berks College Penn State Harrisburg Penn State University, Abington Penn State University, Altoona Pennsylvania College of Technology Pennsylvania State Univ. Erie, the Behrend College Rosemont College Saint Vincent College Susquehanna University Swarthmore College Thiel College University of Pittsburgh, Bradford University of Pittsburgh, Greensburg University of Scranton University of Valley Forge Ursinus College Washington and Jefferson College Waynesburg University Westminster College (Pennsylvania) Widener University Wilkes University Wilson College York College (Pennsylvania) Rhode Island Johnson Wales University (Providence) Rhode Island College Roger Williams University Salve Regina University Tennessee Maryville College (Tennessee) Rhodes College University of the South Texas Austin College Concordia University Texas East Texas Baptist University Hardin-Simmons University Howard Payne University LeTourneau University McMurry University Schreiner University Southwestern University (Texas) Sul Ross State University Texas Lutheran University The University of Texas at Tyler Trinity University (Texas) University of Dallas University of Mary Hardin-Baylor University of Texas at Dallas Virginia Averett University Bridgewater College (Virginia) Christopher Newport University Eastern Mennonite University Emory and Henry College Ferrum College Hampden-Sydney College Hollins University Lynchburg University Mary Baldwin University Marymount University (Virginia) Randolph College Randolph-Macon College Roanoke College Shenandoah University Southern Virginia University Sweet Briar College University of Mary Washington Virginia Wesleyan College Washington and Lee University Vermont Castleton University Middlebury College Northern Vermont University–Johnson Northern Vermont University–Lyndon Norwich University Southern Vermont College Washington Pacific Lutheran University University of Puget Sound Whitman College Whitworth University Wisconsin Alverno College Beloit College Carroll University (Wisconsin) Carthage College Concordia University Wisconsin Edgewood College Lakeland University Lawrence University Maranatha Baptist University Marian University (Wisconsin) Milwaukee School of Engineering Mount Mary University Northland College Ripon College St. Norbert College University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire University of Wisconsin–La Crosse University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh University of Wisconsin–Platteville University of Wisconsin–River Falls University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point University of Wisconsin–Stout University of Wisconsin–Superior University of Wisconsin–Whitewater Wisconsin Lutheran College West Virginia Bethany College (West Virginia) What's Next? Learn the difference between NCAA divisions.If you're a prospective student-athlete, be sure that you know the SAT and ACT scores you'll need to be eligible to participate in NCAA athletics. Athletics should only only be one component of your college decision. Read our expert article on how to choose the best college for you. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

THE IMPACT OF DRESSING ROOM LIGHTING DIRECTIONS ON CONSUMER Research Paper

THE IMPACT OF DRESSING ROOM LIGHTING DIRECTIONS ON CONSUMER - Research Paper Example The hypothesis are whether there is a positive impact towards lighting in dressing rooms and whether the emotional state of mind of any buyer is affected by the lighting system thereof. The design of the retail stores in aspects of display of clothes, the entrance, space availed for shopping, the dressing space and finally the mood and atmosphere in general, plays a key role in attracting and maintaining customers. The satisfaction of any consumer who comes in the retail shop is at the core of business growth and survival. To the management team, it is vital to lay consideration of the atmosphere of the store and the mood that will arouse the customers for maximum satisfaction. It is very important to understand the mood of the consumer base in order to determine the aspects to focus on in store layout and design. One of the aspects that are mostly sensitized on is the lighting in the dressing room. This analysis looks into the impact in which lighting in the dressing rooms has had in consumer conceptions and perceived decisions. Research is being done on the environment and the effects on arousal of the customer, perceived outlook and finally in making the final p urchase. The dressing room is at the core where the consumer makes the overall decision whether to purchase the outfit or not. The look the customer perceives from the mirror view and the lighting of the room plays the key to decision making. Despite the fact that retailers have gone to extreme lengths to attract consumers with discounts and display the best outfits in stores, this fact alone cannot influence the final decision for making the purchase. A customer will spend more money if his/her shopping experience is satisfied to the maximum (Donovan et al., 1994). Lighting factors to be considered include the positioning of the light i.e. overhead, frontal, side by side or any other position; the amount of lighting dispensed i.e. too

Cluster- Biofuels in Colombia of issues and Recommendation Essay

Cluster- Biofuels in Colombia of issues and Recommendation - Essay Example While biofuel is not that clean as a source of energy, it can be readily produced in many areas with the right ingredients. In South America and Caribbean countries, Columbia is among the major producers of biofuel, but falls behind Argentina, Brazil, and Chile (Kyritsis 2001). Therefore, the biofuel industry continues to develop and become internationally competitive, though there are issues towards global competitiveness as discussed below. To analyze the issues in biofuel industry in Columbia, key lessons have been drawn from Michael Porter’s Cluster Diamond Model for analyzing competitiveness of industries or countries. According to Porter, there are four determinants of competiveness. One is a factor condition that involves analysis of a cluster’s factors of production and underlying natural resources. Two, demand conditions at home for the products and services with focus on sophistication and bargaining power of the buyers. Three, availability of related and supp orting industries that are globally competitive for a cluster to enjoy economies of scale. Four, firm strategy, structures and rivalry, and how it impacts on the overall competiveness of firms. More often, the influence of government in providing an enabling business environment is often added to this diamond (Rugman, 1996). The cluster competiveness analysis will be carried out along the five main factors. Assessment of supply factors in biofuel in Colombia shows that the country just like Guatemala has available residue for biofuel production (Kyritsis 2001). Bagasse mainly from sugarcane is available in large quantities to support mass production of bio-ethanol and biomass power production. Availability of farm land and plenty of feed stock due to large sugarcane production provides the necessary raw materials for production of biofuel. In addition, sugarcane factories and farms are concentrated within short distances meaning that cost of sourcing raw materials for biofuel produc tion is lower, making the commodity more competitive than fossil fuel. Support from sugarcane industries has helped independent biofuel producers. Availability of skilled manpower and research institutions is also a major boost as new methods and techniques keep on being generated. For example, improved production technologies have helped to increase efficiency in biomass conversion into ethanol and power generation in most factories across Colombia. Demand for biofuel in Columbia has continued to rise due to its wide applications in motor fuel. Analysts view the industry as perfectly elastic, with possibilities of growing bigger, given that only a small percentage of the fuel is being produced currently (Vertes et al., 2011). Competition from fossil fuel will also determine its growth trajectory; hikes in fuel prices will propel demand for biofuel and vice versa. The increased demand will trigger demand for corn, leading to an increase in corn prices. This move is expected to make biofuel producers to continue producing as long as they can make normal profit. Energy needs in transport related technologies have fuelled demand for biofuel, which has ended up attracting investments within and from outside the country. However, market analysts view the drive towards biofuel production as being politically motivated than being driven by market forces. Countries are seeking energy sovereignty to be in some control over energy prices. However, in either way, demand has

Discuss the issue Ethical Business and How it relates to csr Essay Example for Free

Discuss the issue Ethical Business and How it relates to csr Essay Discuss the issue Ethical Business and how it relates to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). With reference to sources, provide examples of companies or organisations which demonstrate ethical behaviour and evaluate their motivation. The ideas of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility are oftentimes discussed in a similar manner even though they both have distinctly different definitions. As the name suggests, the term ethical business or business ethics is associated with a mixture of both ‘ethics’ and ‘business’. According to Oxford English Dictionary (2010) a business is the buying and selling of products or services with an aim of profit making. Ethics, on the other hand is more complex in that it involves human judgment, between what is right and wrong, in regards to activities and their consequences towards the society (Velasquez, et al. , 2010). Chryssides and Kaler (1993) have drawn attention to the fact that in the same way that political ethics is related to honouring the right and wrong in governmental concerns, or medical ethics being identified with the morality in medical practice, business ethics can simply be defined as the issue of morality within the business industry whereby â€Å"morality is taken to mean moral judgments, standards and rules of conduct† (Ferrell and Fraedrich, 1997, p. 5). Therefore, ethical business can now be defined as the ethics or principles that act as one’s behavioral rules and regulations when dealing in the world of business (Ferrell, et al. , 2010). On the other hand, reference to The World Business Council for Sustainable Development explains CSR by putting across that a business has responsibilities and obligations that go beyond the workplace (WBCSD, 2001). This essentially signifies the voluntary duty that organisations participate in to fulfill the demands of a broader range of stakeholders (Jamali and Mirshak, 2006). Based on the definitions stated above, it would seem that CSR and business ethics share similar theories, considering the fact that both of their notions go further than profit-based decisions and into values along with concerns for the society as a whole (Mullerat, 2010). Having said that, it is certainly interesting to see that most people are inclined to link CSR with the positive operations of a firm yet when a business engages in a non-moral act, they set the stunt side by side with business ethics or rather, the lack of (Crane and Matten, 2010). The question of how business ethics relates to CSR can now be evaluated more closely. Some examples of issues in ethical business as well as CSR include harming the environment and sweatshop labour on top of fraud, health and safety and campaigning (IBE/Ipsos MORI 2009, cited in Irwin, 2010). This essay will comprehensively explore the motivations of firms that have demonstrated brilliant presentations of business ethics, such as Microsoft Inc. as well as examining the motives behind their ethical decisions. Additionally, it will also look at other corporations that have been linked with having high regards to ethics in business yet have been accused in making poor business choices in the recent years, for instance HM’s disposal of unsold clothing items in New York in 2010 (Daily Mail Reporter, 2010). Until recent years, HennesMauritz, more commonly known as HM has been highly admired for launching the use of organic cotton into the high street clothing (Vijayaraghavan, 2010). Green Retail Decisions (2011) reports that it even succeeded in surpassing their organic cotton goal usage in 2010 by tripling their original aim, manufacturing 15,000 tonnes of organic cotton. Furthermore, the company was also proud in producing high street attires out of 16,000 tonnes of fabric that have been recycled (Green Retail Decisions, 2011). Be that as it may, when the firm threw away unsold clothes outside of one of its retail outlets, many were not only left appalled but also questioning their business ethics (Daily Mail Reporter, 2010). In the same year, HM were involved in two more shocking headlines in the news, one of which includes the contamination of the organic cotton textile with GM, and the other being a suspicion of unsustainably made clothes (Vijayaraghavan, 2010). As previously stated, HM is widely respected for working with organic materials on their products. However, when genetically modified cotton was found in random product test conducted in a research lab, they were left with nothing to be applauded for. Hence, it is clear that this particular case study provides contradicting information on HM’s aims and motivations towards ethical decision-makings within their business. Even though they have been acceptable in their business ethics, for many of their stakeholders, the four issues specified above may heavily indicate otherwise. Another good example of a company with a similar situation is Coca Cola alongside its recent endeavours with ethical crises. Ferrel et al. (2011), in their book write that the company has been facing various allegations regarding their ethical misdemeanours since the 1990s, some of which include racial prejudice, pollution and consumption of natural resources. The claim against one of the world’s most acknowledged beverage companies, Coca Cola, otherwise known as Coke, for the practice of racial discrimination within their working environment was taken to court in April 1999 (Winter, 2000). In his article, Winter (2000) reports that Coke practiced a method of pay scale that is based upon a hierarchy whereby employees of African American background were situated at the bottom, earning $26,000 on average less than white workers in a year. Although the company denied all charges at the time, the public was clearly upset, resulting in a decline of their shares at the end of the 90’s (Fairfield, 2007). As a consequence of this, Coca Cola lost one of their main investors and biggest shareholder of 17 years, Warren Buffet in 2006 (Teather, 2006). Having their reputation jeopardised, Coca Cola announced the establishment of a new department to their company, the diversity group (The New York Times, 1999). Since the formation of this group, Coca Cola has been voted 46th on the DiversityInc’s top 50 list of businesses with the best practices along with coming 6th in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Blacks and Latinos (DiversityInc, 2012). In addition to this, Black Enterprise magazine has also awarded the organisation with numerous awards honouring their commitment to establish a working environment that is accepting of different cultures along with featuring the company in the Black Enterprise magazine’s yearly 40 Best Companies for Diversity list (Staff, 2012). DiversityInc (2012) also reports that Coca Cola donates forty percent of their humanitarian effort to culturally diverse non-profit organisations, such as their recent contribution to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. With that in mind, their ethics in business can be considered as acceptable to the public eye and it is almost unthinkable to think that they were accused of race-related discrimination just over a decade ago. The cases of HM and Coca Cola are referred to in this essay to express the similarity in their questionable motives. HM’s claim of being environmentally conscious with their utilisation of organic cotton within their business proves irrelevant after being caught with immoral acts that were stated earlier. The genuineness of their principles in business ethics is flawed by this flagrant contradiction since one would argue that if their sense of responsibility for the environment were great, they would not be accountable for such unethical activities. On the other hand, Coca Cola only responded to possessing ethics in their business environment after being sued and attracting negative media attention, not including the obvious decline in their sales even though they still remained as the world’s leading carbonated cola in 2006 (Fairfield, 2007). Thus, similarly the sincerity behind Coca Cola’s motive to develop a diversity group and their emphasis in cultural acceptance is also suspicious because these were only developed and implemented after the public uproar. Although it may be surprising, Microsoft Inc. can also be compared to Coca Cola and HM to an extent in terms of the motivations behind their CSR works as well as business ethics practices. The co-founder and chairman of Microsoft Inc. , Bill Gates is widely known and celebrated for his great donations to the public. In 2011, Microsoft Inc. won the award for being ‘Most Ethical, beating Google and Facebook after making donations of millions of dollars to non profit organisations and charities, establishing plans of actions for economic development as well as heightening their means of central reporting procedures (Smith, 2011). Having said all this, it is shocking to note that only just 15 years ago, a board experts at a panel in a well-known seminar held in California could not answer and decide whether Microsoft Inc. were an ethical corporation. (Spinello, 2003). Spinello (2003) continues to write that not only were the panel of experts unsure of the answer, the audience, who were consisted of scholarly representatives did not know how to respond either. This is because Microsoft Inc. has been involved in an antitrust inspection worldwide and some Americans have referred to this event as the â€Å"antitrust trial of the century† (Mota, 2005). The antitrust laws, otherwise known as competition laws were introduced by the American government to protect customers from being exploited by companies who practice unfair competition in the market (Investopedia, 2011). Gates is also the primary shareholder in America’s second biggest waste administration called the Republic Services (O’Hagan, 2013). In her article O’Hagan (2013) questions how the co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation can spread the word to publicise vaccinations for poliomyelitis, a disease that can cause a temporary or permanent paralysis while â€Å"Republic Services is locking out its workers as part of an industrial dispute†, a policy that may put a risk to the Americans’ sanitary. There is no doubt that Microsoft Inc. ’s involvement in charity work over the years have been generous and can be regarded as a model example of a company who takes their corporate social responsibilities seriously. However, it is also evident that while their voluntary organisations are remarkable, their business practice leaves with less to be awed for. Hence, similar to the HM case brought up previously, there is a contradiction between Microsoft’s work with charity and some of their immoral activities in the workplace. It is also comparable to Coca Cola in that it only came to be involved in large ‘corporate citizenship’ after the aftermath from their antitrust cases (Smith, 2011). It is safe to say that most companies are fighting to prove their good works through all types of methods, charity works in the case of Microsoft Inc. as well as forming a new diversity department in the case of Coca Cola. With thousands of other corporations yearning to prove their sincerity in making ethical decisions and practicing moral behaviour in the workplace, it is becoming tougher to examine just how responsible and principled an organisation is (Kwan, 2012). Kwan (2012) writes that this issue can be solved with the help of a B Corp certification. B Corp stands for Benefit Corporations, which is one of the latest kinds of corporate structure, acting as a third party classification to calculate the effects of an organisation to the environment (Fritz, 2013). Balch (2012) argues that the term benefit not only considers social and environmental aspects of a business but also its financial side as well, where he insists that 21st century capitalism would be a hybrid of generating social value together with maximising financial returns. B Corps essentially â€Å"provides what is lacking elsewhere: proof† to support that the specific company is in actual fact practicing what is proclaimed by them, hence, useful for firms whose focus is to not only make profit but also putting social and environmental interest a primary concern while doing so (Rosenberg, 2011). Although certifying B Corps to sincere businesses with aims of increasing positive social and environmental impacts sound fair, smaller and newer companies may say otherwise (Akalp, 2011). In their academic journal, Helsey et al. (2013) report that a company must be prepared to invest on their time and money to obtain the status. Depending on the area that they are operating in, the business must able to relate themselves with certain criteria listed, such as â€Å"providing low-income or undeserved individuals or communities with beneficial products or services† (Helsey et al, 2013). Fritz (2013) also confirms that a company must be assessed in accordance to the B Ratings System in which they must score at least 80 points out of 200 on top of consenting to changes in their legal articles of incorporation. Furthermore, there is a fee involved, which varies depending on the revenue of the firm (Akalp, 2013). This implies that organisations with strong awareness and appreciation of responsibilities may choose not to be certified with B Corps and thus put across a sense of false portrayal to companies without the B Corp certificate (Akalp, 2013). Therefore, it can be argued that larger companies with a higher source of income can afford to pay more to be certified. In addition to this, there have also been criticisms on the marking boundaries of the certification process. As stated earlier, companies need to score a point of 80 out of the maximum 200. Horatio (2012) disputes that this only indicates a 40% passing score for a company to be certified, which he claims as â€Å"not much of a standard† and â€Å"essentially worthless†. With that in mind, a case could be made that there is now a limitation to the authenticity of the certificate since large companies can afford to pay their way through the process and most probably pass the low 40% passing requirement. The purpose of this essay has been to convey that most companies, regardless of their past, recent or current reputation are never completely ethical in their business activities and that in one way or another, they have been associated with its share of moral negligence. With the examples used in the essay, it is safe to say that most companies that operate in what is considered to be as ethical to the public are only doing so to receive public attractions, and consequently earn more profits and success to the company. It is important to draw attention to the fact that there is a fundamental difference between what a company does and what their beliefs are. Just because a company is praised for their CSR related activities and was voted amongst the best of companies with high business ethics performance, this does not indicate that they are doing so for the sake of the planet or the people. If anything, this essay has been stating otherwise, demonstrating that most ethically responsible organisations are only involved in ethical activities to draw consumers in, thus, increase their profit.

The Responsibility of a Catholic Citizen in a Free Society Essay

The Responsibility of a Catholic Citizen in a Free Society   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Before we start to talk about our responsibilities we should be grateful that we are able to practice our own faith and we can stand up for our religion and speak up about it. We are here to be an example for the rest of the people out there who do not know any better and are falling in there lives. It is our responsibility to help them. We also have responsibilities of our own - respecting authority of both the church and government, evangelizing or spreading the word, donating time and money to church and those in need, tolerance and many more.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We are surrounded by challenges like abortions, poverty, and violence which all destroy the lives of people that were put here by God and were not able to live because of our choices. It is our responsibility to help and support people who fall into these categories. We should now defend human life and dignity, to make people practice justice and peace, and maintain family life and moral values.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Abortion is a major issue today in our world. Thousands of people out there do it today. Our teachings call us to protect human life and here we are killing it just because we don’t want it. Violence also is sort of the same thing. We are hurting another human just because we don’t like them or are mad at something else and we take our anger out on them. We need to set an example for the people that are doing it so they start to realize that this isn’t what everyo...