Major Religions Essay Example for Free

Major Religions Essay Religions are among the most influential forces in history, if not the most influential at all. Most historical events that has shaped or helped shaped the world as it is today were founded along religious backgrounds and teachings. From Constantine to the fall of the Roman Empire, from European conquest to the Crusades, and from the condemnation of heretics to religious terrorism, these are events with religious influences that took part in the course of history. Even today, religion plays an important role in people’s actions that affect the society and even influences politics. Religion is so influential in fact that even when science has slowly displaced religious beliefs, it has remained a powerful force in dictating public opinion, compelling political leaders to act according to their standards. Religion’s Role in Society Religion is an important topic in every human civilization. The culture, tradition and beliefs of people are based on religion. The importance of religion in every human civilization, and indeed of the society, could not have been stated more precisely in Charles Taylor’s foreword to Marcel Gauchet’s book entitled The Disenchantment of the World: A Political History of Religion from which he used Durkheim’s ideas. He explained that for Durkheim, religion was the very basis of society—â€Å"a pattern of practices that gives a certain shape to our social imaginary† (as cited in Taylor 1997, x). Gauchet, on the other hand, explained the expansion of religion as an accompanying goal of expanding the state. He wrote: â€Å"wars of expansion could no doubt be justifiably considered one of the greatest spiritual and intellectual forces to have ever operated in history† (Gauchet 1997, 36). This he reasoned by stating that â€Å"religious upheaval is inscribed in the State’s action, contained within its necessities as dictated by the political division. Broadening the State’s influence subjectivizes supernatural forces, which can only further broaden its practical scope for dominion by making it an intermediary for an instituting will that it administers. We see how the dialectic between the visible forces and its invisible guarantor, between the actual and presumed power, slowly draws the religious into history† (1997, 40). Significant Historical Events Influenced by Religion There are quite a number of events influenced by religion that has changed the course of history, but perhaps none as prominent as the establishment of Christianity. Beginning with a small sect of Jewish tradition whose members were persecuted for their beliefs, Christianity has emerged to be the most popular religion around the world today, with adherents comprising up to a third of the world’s population. Christians, during the Roman Empire, were persecuted and blamed whenever it was found convenient to blame them for some problems of the Empire. It was not until Emperor Constantine had converted to Christianity did the religion secure its future. Apparently, Constantine held that his victory from a battle against a rival was due to his vision to fight under the Christian standard—the cross. Christianity continued to be influential in empires succeeding the decline of the Roman Empire. The Byzantine Empire, as a continuation of the Roman Empire, rose through a deep religious faith along the majestic pattern of the Roman State and Hellenism. With Theodosius as emperor, pagan worships and heresies were declared illegal thereby promoting Christianity to all territories of the Empire. Some held that the Byzantine Empire had allowed for the widespread adoption of Christianity to Europe be defending the West from pagan invaders from the East. The Empire also brought a close link between the state and the church in that while the emperor takes the lead, the church set a high standard in its relation to secular powers. â€Å"In the threat of excommunication the western church discovers a powerful weapon for dealing with wayward rulers† (HistoryWorld). By the end of the fifth century AD, kings and popes would wield power from the Italian peninsula in the West while emperors would still rule in the East. Christianity is such an important feature of the Empire that when Jerusalem fell into the hands, first of Persia then of the Muslims, it became an urgent matter of State. As the Byzantine Empire was strengthened by the Christian faith, it faced its greatest threat with another rising religion. Islam, with its expansionist doctrine, had conquered the Persian Empire and has severely crippled the Byzantine Empire that before the launching of the First Crusade Byzantium had become the boundary between the Christian West and the Muslim East. The influence of religion as a powerful force in history is perhaps best exemplified in the Crusades. The fact that the wars the Crusades waged into became a contest between the two most influential religions today proves this point. The size and scale of the Crusades could be attributed to the effectiveness of Pope Urban II call for military support against the infidels who threatened their Christian brothers in the East, promising the immediate remission of sins to all those who die for the cause and stating that â€Å"God wills it. † While the Crusades were ordained by the church, the destruction of its knights, particularly that of the Knights Templar, could be attributed to the interplay between the church and the state, with the church taking on a more passive role. It could be argued that while it was under the Pope (Clement V) who found the Templars as heretics, effectively disbanding them and persecuted them, the fact that Philip IV could not have done it himself without pressuring the church proves that the church extends its influence on public opinion. The state relied on the churchs approval and pressured it to promote its will when necessary to make it seem that the states actions have the blessing of the church. After all, a king of any Christian domain would not be king until ordained by the church. Hence, it is only natural for the king to seek the approval of the church or to make it seem they have its approval for their rule to be acceptable. The interplay between the state and the church could also be seen in the churchs influence in the scientific community. This is best exemplified in discoveries and theories that contradicts Biblical claims. The Copernican system, for example, was condemned because it contradicts the claim of man being the center of Gods creation that Galileo was forced to withdraw his findings even when he had his proof that the earth revolves around the sun. Darwins theory of evolution was also met with hostilities because of its claims against religious beliefs that God created the world in six days. While science has slowly displaced religious claims, religion remains to be influential. Up until this day, there are anti-evolution movements that promotes the creation of man and the world by an intelligent being. Contemporary Religion Influences Frank Lambert (2008, 2), in his book, Religion in American Politics, explained that â€Å"as religion shapes individual character and moral development, it thereby influences public affairs, albeit in an indirect way. † As an example, he stated that â€Å"through moral instruction, religion informs the values, priorities, and decisions of citizens and officeholders as they enter the voting booth and the statehouse† (2008, 2). Religious groups, Lambert continued to explain, also become more directly involved in the political process. â€Å"They lobby Congress to enact or oppose specific legislation, participate in electoral politics on behalf of candidates who support their agendas, and offer the full range of their institutional resources to sympathetic political parties† (Lambert 2008, 2). It is important to note that such connection between the state and religion is not limited to America. Religions around the world continue to exert its influence in political affairs by stirring their adherents and promoting their stands into public opinion. This is especially seen in Christian countries. While religious groups continue to play an important role in political affairs, extremist factions of religious origins assert their influence in a more violent manner. Religious terrorism is perhaps the most dangerous, complex and persistent problem the world has faced. Juergensmeyer held that perpetrators in religious terrorism place â€Å"religious images of divine struggle—cosmic war—in the service of worldly political battle† (as cited in Gary 2001). Religious terrorism is a tactic in political strategy while at the same time evoking a much larger spiritual confrontation. Muslim terrorist, for example, continue to call on the divine doctrine of jihad in the destruction of infidels. Much as it has united the Muslims during the Muslim conquests, it continues to have an appeal for extremists into using violence in promoting their ideals. Note that religious terrorism does not encompass solely on Islam. Throughout the world, violence committed in the name of religion occurs. Conclusion Time and again, we see that the influence of religion in worldly affairs can dictate much of what happens in the course of history. Major battles have indeed been waged in the name of religion in the past. We see this through the Crusades, the Muslim conquests, and the religious wars in the sixteenth century. Stately affairs must have the approval of the church, or every action of the state must seem to have its approval. Even the scientific community is influenced by religion, especially with scientific theories and discoveries contradicting religious claims. Today, religion still has a major influence in political affairs, providing moral instructions to their adherents whose approval political parties must win and pressuring legislation in favor of their moral doctrines. In the guise of spiritual confrontation, religion is also exerting its influence through violent means. Despite the technologies and philosophies that has come in modern age, religion continues to be a powerful influence in dictating the course of history. References Gary, Jay. 2001. Unmasking religious terrorism. http://jaygary. com/terrorism. shtml Gauchet, Marcel. 1997. The Disenchantment of the World: A Political History of Religion. Ed. Oscar Burge. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. HistoryWorld. History of the Byzantine Empire. http://www. historyworld. net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories. asp? historyid=ac59 Lambert, Frank. 2008. Religion in American Politics: A Short History. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Taylor, Charles. 1997. Foreword to The Disenchantment of the World: A Political History of Religion by Marcel Gauchet. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Caring for children and young people Essay Example for Free

Caring for children and young people Essay The roles and responsibilities of a foster carer are to provide care for a foster child, to promote positive health care, to promote a positive view of the Childs family background, to promote a foster Childs own race, culture and religion, to promote education, to let Children Young People’s Service know immediately of any Serious Incident, to Notify the Department of any Change of Address, to Ensure the Safety of any Foster Child whilst they are in your care, to keep Confidentiality, to Accept and Ensure that Corporal Punishment is Not Permitted to be used on any Child Placed with You, to ensure that Young People receive Sex Education appropriate to their needs, to Permit any person authorized by the Department to see the Child/Young Person, to Allow the Child/Young Person to be Removed from the Foster Home when so requested by a Person Authorized by the Department, to Provide Information to the Children Young People’s Service and the Courts if they request it and I nformation about the Child’s Behavior and Development. A foster carer has to provide care for a foster child this means to provide general care for a child or young person which includes providing love, comfort, listening, patience, food, clothing and warmth. Foster carers could encourage any hobbies or interests. Foster carers also have to remember that children have came from all different backgrounds and have different experiences from the past. A foster carer also has to try their best to get the child to have a positive view of themselves. A foster carer has to promote positive health care. This includes getting in touch with doctors or hospitals if needed. This also includes getting in touch with the dentist and opticians regularly. Social carers should also encourage their child to exercise, making sure that the child has a healthy balanced diet and making sure that the child is aware of the bad affects of  smoking alcohol and illegal drugs. Before a child goes into a foster care and when coming out of foster care the child will have a medical assessment which the foster carer will normally attend with the child. A foster carer has to promote a positive view of the childs family and background which means they will need to understand the feelings that a child has about their parents. This means they need to respect the values that a child has brought from home and when a child has visits with their parents that the child does not feel they have to choose either the foster parents or their real parents. The foster carer must also show respect and understanding for the parents feelings as it must be upsetting for the parents seeing someone else caring for their child better than themselves. A foster carer has to promote the childs race, culture and religion. The first stage of this is by putting the child into a foster home with a foster carer who has the same race, religion or culture. If this is not possible at a certain time a child will be put into the best available placement. If the child is not of the same culture or religion then it is the foster carers responsibility to meet the childs needs for example places of worship, music, decorations in the home etc. A foster carer needs to promote education. They should do this by spending time with the children when doing homework and school events, listening to the child read and also reading them bedtime stories. They should also not keep the child off of school for small illnesses, not make appointments during school time and not arranging holidays during school time. A foster carer needs to let the children and young peoples service know immediately if there are any serious incidents this includes any accident, illness, abduction, absconds or prosecution by police. A foster carer needs to ensure the safety of a child. A foster carer can make sure the children stay safe by being conscious of safety within the home and when transporting the children around. They can do this by making sure children are wearing seat belts or using booster seats if they are needed.  Deciding at what age a child can take responsibility is also very important they should decide this in the same way that they would make the decision for their own children. A foster carer needs to keep confidentiality this means all the information about the child which Is given to them has to stay with them and not told to anyone else. A foster carer needs to accept and ensure that corporal punishment is not permitted to be used on any child placed with the carer. This means the carer should not belittle a child or use inappropriate punishments. Good behavior should also be rewarded. A foster carer needs to ensure that young people receive sex education appropriate to their needs. This is because young people need opportunities to talk about their worries when it comes to sex. A gay or lesbian young person in care may need a more sympathetic foster carer. Children and young people who have been sexually abused will need counselling and opportunities to talk about appropriate sexual behaviour. A foster carer has the responsibility to provide information to the childrens and young peoples service and the courts if the request it and information about the childs behaviour and development. This means the social worker may need to complete an assessment on the child or their family or they may need to write reports for the court. Child minder A child minder has a lot of different roles and responsibilities including day to day management to enable delivery of a high quality provision, Knowledge of relevant legislation and Ofsted requirements, establish and sustain a welcoming, purposeful, stimulating, and encouraging environment where children feel confident and secure and are able to develop and learn, promoting childrens health, safety and physical, mental and emotional well-being, establish and sustain a safe and secure environment which meets  the welfare requirements of the statuatory framework, maintain confidentiality at all times, observe and record childrens activity, development and progress systematically and carefully and use this information to inform, plan and improve practice and provision, promote children’s rights, equality, inclusion and anti-discriminatory practice in all aspects of the setting, be responsible for the collection and recording of fees, together with managing accounts, purchasing of appropriate resources and keeping accurate records, establish a framework of policies and procedures including Health and Safety, Safeguarding Children and Equal Opportunities and to understand your role and responsibilities, establish and maintain positive relationships with children and their families in a way that values parental involvement.

Role of Media as a Tool of Learning: Agenda Setting Theory

Role of Media as a Tool of Learning: Agenda Setting Theory Chapter 3 Theoretical Framework Theoretical framework of the study is a structure that can hold or support a theory of research work. It presents the theory which explains why the problem under study exists. Thus, the Theoretical Framework is but a theory that serves as a basis for conducting research. Theoretical Framework of this study has been chosen on the basis of the considered judgment of the researcher. This research has analyzed within the framework of Agenda setting theory of communication and social learning theory. Agenda setting theory will help to analyze the role of newspapers in setting the agenda for policy makers and formatting public opinion. Secondly the researcher also selected social learning theory. This theory will also help to analyze the role of media as a tool of learning and as a social institution in improving the status of child rights in Pakistan. Media has the strong power to effect and hold people’s mind due to its diversity. Researcher have suggested and given several communication theories to describe the diversity of media. This chapter is related to the explanation of different function of media, through description of two communication theories, in the connection with this study. Agenda setting theory explains how the media sets its agenda and manipulate the things and phenomenon. Media also give the selection of coverage to the issues to grip people’s mind. Seeing in this context, if media give coverage to the solution of the issue, it can play a constructive role for society, for being the part of process of resolving the conflict. 3.1. Agenda Setting Theory â€Å" The press may not be successful much of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its reader what to think about† (B.Cohen1963). The concept of agenda setting was found in early 20th century. It was first discussed by Walter Lippmann in his book â€Å"Public Opinion† in 1922. Lippmann emphasized that the picture of reality created by news media were merely reflections of the actual reality and sometimes distorted. He said that the news media projection of world creates a pseudo environment and people react to this pseudo environment. McCombs and Donald Shaw defined agenda setting â€Å"in choosing and displaying news, editors, newsroom staff, and broadcasters play an important part in shaping practical reality. Readers learn not only about a given issue, but how much importance to attach to that issue from the amount of information in a news story and its position† (1972, p.176). Kurt and Gladys Engel Lang (1959) also wrote â€Å"The mass media force attention to certain issues. They build up public images of public figures. They are constantly presenting objects suggesting what individuals in mass media should think about, know about and have feeling about,† There are two assumptions underlie most research on agenda setting: The press and the media do not reflect reality; they filter and shape it. Media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues as more important than other issues. 3.1.1. Functions of Agenda Setting The agenda setting functions has multiple components Media agenda are issues discussed in the media, such as newspaper, television and radio. Public agenda are issues discussed and personally relevant to members of the public. Policy agenda are issues that policy makers consider important, such as legislators. Corporate agenda are issues that big business and corporation consider important, including corporation. These four agendas are interrelated. The two basic assumption underlie most research on agenda setting are the press and the media do not reflect reality, they filter and shape it, and media concentration on a few issues and subjects leads the public to perceive those issues as more important than other issues. 3.1.2. Levels of Agenda Setting Media sets the agenda for the people about any particular issue in following steps or levels: The first level of agenda setting is most traditionally studied by researchers. In this level the media use objects or issues to influence the public. In this level the media suggest what the public should think about amount of coverage. In the second level agenda setting the media focus on characteristics of the objects or issues. In this level the media suggest how the people should think about the issue. 3.1.3. Usage Due to its effectiveness, the agenda setting theory has been used in political advertising, political campaigns and debates, business news and corporate reputation, business influence on federal policy, legal systems, and role of groups, audience control, public opinion, and public relations, the mass media has priming effects, in that the repeated exposure of audiences to ideas and information in the media triggers related ideas and feelings in their minds. The agenda setting theory directly relates to the present research because coverage of Minority issue had been analyzed and that particular coverage was under influence of the agenda setting function of the media. In 1960s Funkhouser Ray.G conducted a research to conduct a research to look at the relationship between media content and reality. To get the measure of public opinion he used Gallup polls and obtained measure of media content by counting the number of articals on each issue in three weekly magazine, Times, Newsweek and US News. Funkhouser (1960) conclded that, â€Å" the news media are believed by many people ( including many policy makers) to be reliable information sources but data presented here indicate that this is not necessary the case. The agenda setting theory is useful in explaining how the Pakistani Urdu and English print media sets its agenda to cover child rights and which issues are being highlighted in which direction with what context, and how they are being represented in Pakistani print media (Daily Dawn, The News, Jang and Nawa-i-waqt). 3.2. Social learning theory The social learning theory proposed byAlbert Bandurahas become perhaps the most influential theory of learning and development. While rooted in many of the basic concepts of traditional learning theory, Bandura believed that direct reinforcement could not account for all types of learning. His theory added a social element, arguing that people can learn new information and behaviors by watching other people. Known as observational learning (or modeling), this type of learning can be used to explain a wide variety of behaviors. 3.2.1. Basic Social Learning Concepts There are three core concepts at the heart of social learning theory. First is the idea that people can learn through observation. Next is the idea that internal mental states are an essential part of this process. Finally, this theory recognizes that just because something has been learned, it does not mean that it will result in a change in behavior. observational learning says people can learn through observation, In his famousBobo doll experiment, Bandura demonstrated that children learn and imitate behaviors they have observed in other people. The children in Bandura’s studies observed an adult acting violently toward a Bobo doll. When the children were later allowed to play in a room with the Bobo doll, they began to imitate the aggressive actions they had previously observed. Bandura identified three basic models of observational learning: A live model, which involves an actual individual demonstrating or acting out a behavior. A verbal instructional model, which involves descriptions and explanations of a behavior. A symbolic model, which involves real or fictional characters displaying behaviors in books, films, television programs, or online media. Intrinsic reinforcement Bandura explained that mental state is important to learn. He noted that external, environmental reinforcement was not the only factor to influence learning and behavior. He described intrinsic reinforcement as a form of internal reward, such as pride, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment. This emphasis on internal thoughts and cognitions helps connect learning theories to cognitive developmental theories. While many textbooks place social learning theory with behavioral theories, Bandura himself describes his approach as a social cognitive theory. Learning does not necessarily lead to a change in behavior while behaviorists believed that learning led to a permanent change in behavior, observational learning demonstrates that people can learn new information without demonstrating new behaviors. 3.2.2. Modeling process Not all observed behaviors are effectively learned. Factors involving both the model and the learner can play a role in whether social learning is successful. Certain requirements and steps must also be followed. The following steps are involved in the observational learning and modeling process: Attention in order to learn, you need to be paying attention. Anything that detracts your attention is going to have a negative effect on observational learning. If the model interesting or there is a novel aspect to the situation, you are far more likely to dedicate your full attention to learning. Retention the ability to store information is also an important part of the learning process. Retention can be affected by a number of factors, but the ability to pull up information later and act on it is vital to observational learning. Reproduction once you have paid attention to the model and retained the information, it is time to actually perform the behavior you observed. Further practice of the learned behavior leads to improvement and skill advancement. Motivation Finally, in order for observational learning to be successful, you have to be motivated to imitate the behavior that has been modeled. Reinforcement and punishment play an important role in motivation. While experiencing these motivators can be highly effective, so can observing other experience some type of reinforcement or punishment. For example, if you see another student rewarded with extra credit for being to class on time, you might start to show up a few minutes early each day. 3.2.3. Social learning theory and Mass communication Symbolic models are another type of model that we can learn from. These are non-live models such as those we see on television or read about in books. Other forms of symbolic models include verbal instruction as when an instructor describes for us the actions for driving a car. In this case the teacher’s verbal descriptions combined with demonstration, usually teaches us most of what we need to know. This is fortunate, for if we had to learn to drive exclusively from consequences of our own actions, few of would survive the driving process (Bandura 1962). As described by Bandura, there are four components of observational learning. To successfully imitate a model we must 1) attend to the model, 2) have some way of retaining what we have seen, 3) have the necessary motor skills to reproduce the behavior. If these conditions are met, we probably know how to imitate the model. Still, one may choose not to. Our actual performances are controlled by, 4) reinforcement contingencies, many of which are vicarious. These four components are not totally separate. Reinforcement processes, in particular, influence what we attend to. As Bandura noted â€Å"we often attend to powerful, competent, prestigious models because we have found that imitating them, rather than inferior models, leads to more positive consequences.† In today’s society mass meda play an important role to influence human behavior through symbolic communication. Social learning theorists have shown that behavior is influenced not only by personal or live models but also by those presented in the mass media. Television and film models, in particular, seem to exert a powerful impact, and one major implication is that television is shaping humans motivation and behavior on a daily basis. Social learning theorists have been especially concerned with televised violence and use of alcohol and its effect on children. Research has shown that, in fact, it can increase children’s aggressiveness and tendency to consume alcohol within their lifetime. Although these findings are complex, it does raise concerns about how much television our youth attends to and what exactly is the content of the programs that they are viewing, including advertisements. An exposure study of Anheuser-Busch’s 1995 frog campaign on children 9 to 11 years of age found that 95% of the children recognized Tony the Tiger while 81% recognized the beer frogs. Overall, 73% of the sample remembered the slogan â€Å"Bud-weis-er† and 81% knew the frogs sold beer. Boys were more likely than girls to remember the product. More children recalled the Budweiser slogan than the slogans for commercials and characters shown during children’s programs (Alcohol Policy Network). What gives significance to vicarious influence is that observers can acquire lasting attitudes, emotional reactions, and behavioral proclivities toward persons, places or things that have been associated with modeled emotional experiences. They learn to fear the things that frightened models, to dislike what repulsed them and to like what gratified them (Bandura, 1986). At times, television often represents social realities in human nature, social relations, and day to day life of human interactions. The potential danger of heavy consumption of television is the exposure to this symbolic world may make the televised images appear to the authentic state of human affairs. This outcome can be detrimental to those individuals that have no other models that they can observe. In the absence of a parent, guardian or peer that is able to explain reality from fiction, the child may be more inclined to attend and reproduce the modeled behavior seen on television. The fashion and taste industries rely heavily on the social prompting power of modeling. Because the potency of vicarious influences can be enhanced by showing modeled acts bringing rewards, vicarious outcomes figure prominently in advertising campaigns. Thus, drinking a certain brand of wine or using a particular shampoo wins the loving admiration of beautiful people, enhances job performance, masculinizes self-conception, and actualizes individualism (Bandura 2002). Bandura and other researchers have concluded that the mass media not only creates personal attributes but also can alter pre-existing ones based on exposure. Exposure plays a large role in the process of social learning theory. Another important aspect of social learning theory in relation to mass media is the flow of information through social networks. As noted before, the exposure that one experiences through Television is often a contributing factor toward behavior, but even humans that do not watch television or listen to radio are affected by the mass media. People are intertwined in networks of relationships that include co-workers, friendships, classmates, teammates, intimate relationships and family members. Because these social networks often overlap, people are often directed by the media to designate what is important to discuss and what the current public agenda may be during a given time period. Therefore, the individual that does not watch television is often involved in social interaction that is based on communication with television viewers and other media consumers. This communication can lead to the same behavior being displayed by the consumer as well as the non-consumer. This abstract modeling that youth can reproduce through observation can provide us valuable information and direction while educating our youth. Bandura’s work should do a good deal to increase our awareness of the importance of models in child-rearing and education. Although most parents and teachers are already somewhat aware of the fact that they teach by example, they probably have also overlooked how important influential modeling can become. A case in point is physical punishment; many parents attempt to prevent their children from fighting by spanking them when they fight. By spanking, the parents are inadvertently providing a good demonstration of how to control others physically. Similarly, social learning theorists have taught us that whenever we find that we are unable to rid a child of some distressing bit of behavior, we might ask whether we have been inadvertently modeling the behavior ourselves (Schunk, 1996). Social learning theory has generated much research. Evidence shows that social learning theory and one’s sense of self efficacy predicts such diverse outcomes as alcohol abuse, smoking cessation, pain tolerance, athletic performance, career choices, assertiveness, coping with feared events, recovery from medical procedures and sales performance. Media is a tool of learning and a social institution. In today’s society media play an important role for opinion formation. In this study researcher will analyze that how symbolic learning influence the behaviors of people towards child rights. Does content published in print media played any important role to improve the status of child in Pakistan? Did Government take serious notice of news based on violations of child rights published in newspaper?.

Ainmal Rights Essay examples -- essays research papers

Animal Testing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Animals have been used in testing of various products for many decades. Products are usually tested somewhere before they are marketed to humans. These products vary from medical supplies to just make-up. Many animal rights activists, such as the PETA organization, have argued to get laws passed which makes such use of animals unlawful. This question of animal’s rights has been debated for many decades with out coming to any common ground between the two sides. The importance as well as the necessity of testing products on animals is not proven, so there is no way that one can say whether or not animals should be used for the testing of products. Animals should have some sort of right to not be tested on if it is detrimental to their health, or not very significantly important to medical advances.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is also difficult to establish just how many rights should be granted to animals. Testing of cosmetic products on animals has been the center of many arguments for animal rights groups. Groups such as PETA have argued that animal testing is in humane and pointless. What gives humans the right to use animals to test these products on animals? These products that are only for our vanity, could cause the illness or death of the animal? This is not fair to the animal; the animal is going to endanger its health just for our vanity. So, should the animals be granted some right to protect themselves against suc...

the pianist :: essays research papers

‘The Pianist’ is a film directed by Roman Polanski and based around the life of Wladyslaw Szpilman during the Nazi invasion of Poland. Roman used visual techniques in the opening scenes such as black and white film, camera positioning and motifs to create an atmosphere for the audience. The first scene in the film is a montage of grainy black and white scenes of Polish life before the Nazi invasion on Poland. The footage shows a dated world with old English style building and technology, people are shown walking about the town in aged clothing. The grainy dated look of the film also makes the scenes appear gloomy but relaxed at the same time. These images are used to drive the notion that it is set in a time long ago, in a different era. This scene is a critical part in the film as it refines the time and emotion, in which the film is set, so the audience can relate better to the characters and what is happening to them. Wladyslaw Szpilman is shown in almost every scene at the beginning of the film. This helps us get a better understanding of Szpilman as we can see how he reacts to the situations he gets placed in. When the Szpilman family got notices of rules they would react to the situation and do what they could. Most of the time Wladyslaw was shown in the centre of the scene and things would happen around him. This shows us that Wladyslaw was strong willed and single minded as he resisted the controls of the Nazi. He does not want to leave his home during the invasion which also tells us that he was a dedicated to is country and would not give in that easily to the Nazis. These scenes are important as the show Wladyslaw’s character in depth. Midshots are used through out the most of the opening scenes in the film. Roman used this type of shot while the family was packing up to move out of Warsaw, listening to the radio, and arguing about what to do with the valuables. These shots were used for those scenes as it gives the audience a wide shot of what is going on in the current vicinity. It is able to show how the entire family reacts to the events that are taking place. It also allows the audience to see the expressions and emotions of the characters during the harsh and difficult times.

Art Analysis Paper :: essays research papers

Art Analysis Paper   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first painting analyzed was North Country Idyll by Arthur Bowen Davis. The focal point was the white naked woman. The white was used to bring her out and focus on the four actual colored males surrounding her. The woman appears to be blowing a kiss. There is use of stumato along with atmospheric perspective. There is excellent use of color for the setting. It is almost a life like painting. This painting has smooth brush strokes. The sailing ship is the focal point because of the bright blue with extravagant large sails. The painting is a dry textured flat paint. The painting is evenly balanced. When I look at this painting, it reminds me of settlers coming to a new world that is be founded by its beauty. It seems as if they swam from the ship.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second painting was by George W. Bellows and named Shoghead. This painting brought a sense of ease and relaxation. I can picture myself on the top of the mountain listening to the waves crash on the sides. The open countryside topped by the clouds give the painting a sense of realism. The extremely bright blue water stands out the most, though the focal point is not clear. There is not an excessive use of paint. It is as if Bellows caked it on his brush and made quick short strokes. The use of such dark colors on the hill is a mystery. The terrain has a roughness that makes the painting come to life. The artist did a great job of showing the depth. If I had to guess, he was influenced by Picasso’s work because of the extensive use of thick point.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The third painting was by Julian Story and it was called American Born in England. It was a battle painting. The black prince stands out as the focal point. It is the center of the painting and brings notice to the way the other knights are dressed. The Black Knight (the Prince of Wales) stands overlooking King John, who is blind. King John wanted to be in the battle for his country. The background (depth) is shown in the distance by atmospheric perspective. There is a sense of honor in the knight for the king. There is a great use of color. The painting is very life like. The picture seems to come to life, making me feel as if I were part of the painting!

Koito Case

Koito-Pickens-Toyota Case Question 1 The Japanese corporate governance system differs vastly from the US system. Discuss corporate governance issues that may arise under the Japanese keiretsu. The corporate governance system in Japan is widely different from the US one insofar as it mostly involves a unique business model called â€Å"Keiretsu†. A Keiretsu is a form of corporate structure that groups a set of companies with interlocking board of directors and common business interests. Thus, due to its particular structure, some governance problem may arise under this Japanese Keiretsu: ) Issues from the perspectives of financiers Because the business is considered almost like an extended family, the financing may become political and the Japanese Keiretsu will almost always give favor to members of their Keiretsu. This could lead the financiers, for instance, to finance a company member of their Keiratsu they wouldn’t have finance otherwise. As far as the potential fin anciers are concerned, the main issue is the difficulty to enter and invest in the Keiretsu. Getting financial information about the Keiretsu firms could be complicated insofar as the financial and accounting statements are not disclosed.Thus, such discretion could lead to an ambiguity or a lack of understanding from an outside perspective. Actually, the keiretsu are just trying to protect themselves from what they fear the most that is to say the yakuza and the greenmailing. b) Issues from the perspectives owners As mentioned above, the keiretsu are suspicious towards the â€Å"outside† and this behavior may make foreign owners face some difficulties. Because the keiretsu system is much more in favor of inside shareholders than the outside ones, the former may find some difficulties to make the most of their shareholder rights.And this can maybe explain why the outside shareholders are often a minority in comparison with the shareholders of the keiretsu. Moreover, even if on e of the outside owners becomes the biggest one, as T. Boone Pickens did, he may not be able to use his rights as he hoped. c) Issues from the perspectives suppliers One of the main issues for external suppliers is to the relationship between OEMs and suppliers that often leads to dumping on the prices and enables the outside supplier to compete with such cheap prices.As far as the integrated suppliers are concerned, the exclusive partnership with the keiretsu they belong enables them to do business with another leading firm and to gain market shares. d) Issues from the perspectives employees On the one hand and in case of horizontal integration, the very structure of a Keiretsu can lead into a confusion in management. The management transfers are so frequent that employees do not understand for which company they really work for is. One the other, the strong stability that comes out from this system could lead to a lack of action and performance from employees. Question 2What were T. Boone Pickens’ motives when he bought the share? In the eyes of many, Mr. Pickens was only acting as a front man for Mr. Watanabe, a well-known green mailer in order to pave a way to gain power and control over the corporation. Mr. Pickens denies all these accusations of greenmailing by claiming that he bought the share to carry out a â€Å"test case† in order to evaluate the accessibility of the market. In others words, his initiative has the only aim of checking whether the United States could make, in the future, profitable investments in Japan depending of the degree of welcome of the market.Moreover, it is not implausible to think that one motive of T. Boone Pickens was the quest of profit. It should be borne in mind T. Boone Pickens targeted Koito as an undervalued investment opportunity in so far as he anticipated a Koito stock rise due to the tight link between Toyota and Koito. The good performances of Koito stock combined with the rise of the net income an d sales reinforce this idea due to the fact that the shareholder’s average annual return has impressively increased. So the pursuit of rise of the dividends could have motivated him to buy the share.As the largest shareholder of Koito Manufacturing, is he entitled to representation on the board, does Japanese law allow for that? If not what in the law could he use to get an equivalent result? With 26. 4% of stock, T. Boone Pickens should have been entitled to representation on the board of Koito insofar as the Japanese law gives him rights due to the fact that he owns more than 10% of stock. But not so in the Japanese Keiretsu point of view. He was overwhelmingly denied board access in a 1989 annual meeting. †¦It is not a custom in Japan just to say, ‘I’ve become a major shareholder so I should become director. ’†, said Takao Matsuura, president Koito Manufacturing Ltd. There are reasons to wager that his seat on the board was compromised by the fact that the company considers him as a greenmailer. Knowing that T. Boone Pickens was planning to increase his stake to 30%, he could obtain board representation by acquiring 4% more than what he expected. In fact, the Japanese law states that those with at least 34% ownership could propose special shareholder resolutions.An alternative would be to establish a new relationship between Mr. Pickens and all the members of the keiretsu based on loyalty and transparency. They would not suspect him of greenmail anymore. We can suppose that T. Boone Pickens has chosen this way insofar as he supported the adoption of a proposal prohibiting Koito from paying greenmail. Question 3 Besides board representation, T. Boone Pickens demanded higher dividend payouts. Were his demands justified? Provide quantitative evidence to back your answer. Besides board representation, T.Boone Pickens asked for higher dividend payout saying that â€Å"Boone Co’s philosophy was to put stockholder inte rests first† (page 7) and in this very case, his demand for a higher dividend can be justified. Indeed, when we look at the dividend payout ratio for the period 1982 – 1985 (Table 1), it decreases meanwhile the retained earnings was increasing (Table 2). Moreover, at the same period, the proportion of cash was also increasing. In others words, the retained earnings were not invested enough and stay as cash.Then in 1986, we noticed that the payout ratio increased up to 39% and at the same time the retained earnings and the cash goes strongly down. Finally, almost the same phenomenon is observed between 1988 and 1990. In other words, the payout ratio is not positively correlated to the retained earnings which are not invested and stay as cash. Table 1 Table 2 Is there anything in the Japanese commercial code that would allow Pickens to try to get more dividends? If yes, why doesn’t he use this? If not, based on your experience as an international investment banker, what changes would you recommend him to propose?In order to increase dividends, T. Boone Pickens had several solutions. Indeed, many researches on the conflicts of interest between majority and minority shareholders show that dividend  payout  is negatively related to ownership concentration and support the assumption that large shareholders do not appear to use dividend policy to remove excess  cash. In other words,  firms with concentrated ownership are less likely to increase dividends when profitability increases and more likely to omit dividends when investment opportunities improve. So, T. Boone Pickens could decrease the ownership concentration of Koito.There are also some more aggressive solutions to get more dividends. T. Boone Pickens could increase his shares ownership in order to increase his decision power in the General Assembly insofar as â€Å"a owner of 34% or more of the outstanding stock could propose special shareholder resolutions†. Question 4 Pi ckens accused Toyota of limiting profits earned by Koito Manufacturing. Explain how the mechanism works? This mechanism is related to the very structure of keiretsu insofar as Toyota, like most Japanese OEM, owns equity positions in its suppliers.In 1986 almost half of Koito’s output was bought by Toyota and at the same time, Toyota has built a dominant position over Koito by having a 19%-part of Koito’s ownership. Therefore, Toyota was not just one of Koito’s customers but also one of its owners. Through its powerful influence and thanks to the close and informal relationship between Toyota and its suppliers, the car manufacturer had been able to negotiate supply contracts, lower prices and then limited profits earned by Koito. Is this a self-dealing transaction? According to Steven L.Emanuel (â€Å"Corporations†, 2009), a self-dealing transaction occurs when three following conditions are met : (1) A key player (officer, director or controlling sharehol der) and the corporation are on opposite sides of a transaction, (2) The key player has helped influence the corporation’s decision to enter the transaction (3) The key player’s personal financial interests are at least potentially in conflict with the financial interests of the corporation. In the case of Koito, 3 members out of 23 are Toyota’s executives.Even if these 3 members are no longer Toyota’s executives, the Japanese notion of loyalty and the business relations between Toyota and Koito (Toyota buy 48% of Koito’s output) could imply that these three chairmen could act in favor of Toyota or at least try to satisfy the two companies. And in this way, the supplier was treated unfairly and conflicts of interests might have occurred. If Pickens gets access to financial information, how can he set out to prove his accusations? If you were an investment banker, what accounts or data would you tell him to scrutinize.If Pickens gets access to finan cial information, he could analyze the Income Statement and compare the evolution of the growth of sales and the growth of gross profit over these past years. Generally, sales and gross profit evolve in the same direction unless there is a below cost-selling. However, here we noticed for example that in 1986, as sales had grown by almost 10,2%, gross profit had grown by 7% and that in 1990, when the sales had grown by 10. 85%, gross profit had only grown up by 2. 8%. Such comparisons could be setting off alarm bells and could point out the fact that Toyota is limiting profits earned by Koito Manufacturing.On the other hand and if he can, he could also compare directly the price of goods sold to Toyota with the price of the same goods sold to minor customers such as Hino Motors. A high difference between the two prices combined with the fact that three directors of Koito are retired Toyota executives, would prove these â€Å"self dealing transactions†. Would you suggest to cha nge the charter of the organization of Koito? As investment banker, I would suggest him to analyze thoroughly the income statements and the supply contracts between Toyota and Koito in details to reinforce his accusations.As far as the charter of the organization of Koito is concerned, I would suggest to add a clause which enables a person somehow related to a strong customer or a strong supplier to be appointed as director to Koito’s board of directors. Question 5 Toyota has threatened to cut all ties with Koito Manufacturing if Pickens take over the company. How would this affect Pickens investments? If you were a minority shareholder in Koito Manufacturing, whose side would you take? Calculate the value of your shares with or without Toyota.Because Toyota is the second largest shareholder in Koito and is its principal customer, representing 48% of the total sales (Exhibit 2), we may think that cutting ties with Koito Manufacturing will lead to huge losses, at least in the first year. Let’s then calculate the value of a share with and without Toyota. In order to use the Discounted Cash Flow methodology, here are the assumptions we made : * The value of the firm is equal to the value of the discounted cash flows for the next four years plus it’s terminal value. The same growth is expected for the coming four years (this growth was calculated as the mean of the previous years growth) * Because the lack of information concerning the cost of equity we used today Koito’s beta (1. 38), a risk free rate of 3% and a Rm of 10% (return on S&P) in order to calculate an approximative WACC. Our calculations provide us with a WACC of almost 8%. With Toyota : Without Toyota : If I were a minority shareholder I would probably take Pickens’ side because he puts shareholder interests first.However, I would be careful and make sure that making stockholders’ interest first instead of company’s one will not damage the entityâ€⠄¢s wealth. Based on your assessment of the case, are large shareholders an effective solution to corporate gouvernance problem? Based on the analysis of this case, it appears that being a large shareholder is not necessarily an effective solution to the corporate governance problem. Indeed, even if T. Boone Pickens is the largest shareholder, he actually has no influence on â€Å"management issues† including those which concern the amount of dividends paid.