Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Impact Of Environmental Pollution - 1382 Words

Introduction Pollution is one of the biggest problems human civilization is facing in todays age. It is one of the many challenges the world is facing today. The impacts of pollution lead many people to illness, death and disabilities annually. Global warming is a result of environmental pollution. Developing countries like Bangladesh suffers the most compare to the developed countries as they dont have enough resources and technologies to combat pollution. They dont have the sustainable economic growth and development to focus on the economic goals. Human industries extract and evacuate a variety of harmful chemicals and agents into the environment, degradation of ecosystems caused by manufacturing and operating practices as well as†¦show more content†¦These air pollutants stunt the mental and physical growth of children. According to the data, the primary source of SOx — the major pollutants in the air — is traffic vehicles (55.8%), followed by brick manufacturing industry (28.8%). And the primary source of NOx (nitrogen oxides) pollutants is also traffic vehicle (54.5%) and brick manufacturing industry (8.8%). Also, nearly 25 to 26 per cent of the country’s wood production are used for burning bricks every year, causing deforestation. Leather industry tanning wastes include strongly alkaline or basic mixtures, strongly acidic mixtures, sulfides and chromium salts. If a tannery is properly managed, the waste will be handled in a way that avoids pollution. The acidic and basic mixtures should be neutralized and the sulfides should be oxidized to sulfates. Chromium tanning liquors can be re-used so the chromium they contain can be recovered. Most first-world countries have strict environmental regulations to ensure that these chemicals are handled properly, rather than being discharged. Unfortunately, some developing nations do not. Is it ethical or unethical and what is the solution that sometimes some companies have no choice but to pollute the environment? Why? Environmental Issues of Business Ethics Businesses damage the environment whenShow MoreRelatedEnvironmental Impacts Of Water Pollution1973 Words   |  8 Pagesrelation to water pollution. Water pollution is a problem that has many effects on the environment. Additionally, water is a primary need for all humanity. A factor that has been threatening India’s water quality is poor sewerage and pollution by industries. India has the second largest population globally. As a result, water sources have been strained by the population and residents are unable to access clean water for drinking and daily use. This essay will discuss the environmental impacts that haveRead MorePollution And Environmental Impacts Of Acid Rain1536 Words   |  7 PagesSulfur Dioxide Pollution in Sullivan County The environmental issue that I have chosen to talk about is sulfur dioxide pollution, specifically in my community and surrounding communities. â€Å"The environmental impact of acid rain is that it is a major contributor to acid rai n† (Sulfur Dioxide). Acid rain is just normal rain but with a lower pH, â€Å"this slightly more acidic water gets into ponds and streams and can alter the biodiversity of it by making the water not suitable for certain species. AnotherRead MoreSources Of Water Pollution And Environmental Impacts1911 Words   |  8 PagesSources of Water Pollution and Environmental Impacts For both countries there are various sources where pollutants found in water are derived. There are two types of water pollution, known as point source and nonpoint source. As defined by Chiras and Reganold, in Natural Resource Conservation: Management for a Sustainable Future, point source has an identifiable source, for example a sewage treatment plant or a factory, which contaminates either surface water or groundwater (283). Nonpoint sourceRead More Environmental Economic Impact of Pollution in the Chesapeake Bay 2753 Words   |  12 Pagesboth an environmental and an economic resource. Throughout the last 15 years the Chesapeake Bay has suffered from elevated levels of pollution. Nitrogen and phosphorous from wastewater treatment plants, farmland, air pollution, and development all lead to reduced water clarity and lowered oxygen levels, which harm fish, crabs, oysters and underwater grasses (Key Commission Issues 1). There are other types of pollution in the bay such as t oxic chemicals, but because nutrient pollution is the mostRead MoreThe Sources, Environmental Impact, and Control of Water Pollution838 Words   |  4 Pages Water pollution is one of the most serious environmental challenges. It occurs when water is contaminated by such substances as human and animal wastes, toxic chemicals, metals and oils. Pollution can affect rain, rivers, lakes, oceans and the water beneath the earth, called ground water. Polluted water may look clean or dirty, but it all contains bacteria, viruses, chemicals or other chemicals than can cause illness or even death. Impurities must be removed beforeRead MoreThe Problem Of The Environment Pollution920 Words   |  4 PagesToday, the problem of the environment pollution is one of the most challenging problems the contemporary society is now confronting because the environment pollution has a disastrous impact on the quality of living, while its effects are often irrevocable. In such a situation, every individual and every community, like the ASU community is responsible for the environment protection and minimization of their footprint. The environment pollution occurs because of the careless attitude of communityRead MoreAir Pollution1597 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Air Pollution Introduction The other planets have sunlight; however, the earth is the only planet known to have air and water, without which it cannot sustain life. However, the quality of the air in our atmosphere is deteriorating rapidly due to the incorporation of harmful amounts of gases, dust and fumes. The substances that constitute the air pollution are the pollutants. The local and international governments continue to work overnight to establish strategies and policies to promote a positiveRead MoreThe Effects Of Air Pollution On The Environment Essay1198 Words   |  5 Pagesdevelopment. Environmental pollution will cause direct damage to the ecosystem and impact, such as desertification, forest destruction, water eutrophication, will also give ecological systems and human society caused by indirect harm, and sometimes this indirect environmental effects than the harm caused Of the direct harm is greater, more difficult to eliminate. For example, the greenhouse effect, acid rain, and ozone depletion are the environmental effects of air pollution. This environmental effectRead MoreEssay On Air Pollution1677 Words   |  7 Pages Global Article Analysis 3: Air Pollution There are multiple environmental issues that exist and are constantly harming the planet. Many of these issues have effects that are unique to certain countries, or even effects that are similar to other countries. Overall, these issues can be similar or dissimilar in multiple aspects, such as the biological, physical, and cultural perspectives. The causes and effects, problem severity, citizen perceptions, and proposed solutions and efforts to repair theseRead More Environmental Impacts of Fossil Fuel Use Essay606 Words   |  3 PagesEnvironmental Impacts of Fossil Fuel Use One of the main issues involved with fossil fuels are the environmental impacts that occur from their use. These problems; such as acid rain, oil spills, climate change, global warming, etc., are not only occurring with fossil fuel usage, but are also increasing due to the increase in the use of fossil fuels. This essay will vaguely explain the area of environmental impacts from fossil fuel use, and will attempt to change, or further increase your understanding

Monday, December 23, 2019

Transparency International, Politically Non Partisan Movement

Transparency International 1.0 Introduction Transparency International is independence, politically non-partisan movement that was created with one mission that is to take stance against corruption internationally and bring about change. It is a global movement with one mission that gives voice to witnesses and victim of abuse (Transparency International, 2015). This study guide will provide more in-depth information about the movement and its work as well as the three specific countries that are a member of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that together combatting this corruption issues. The three countries current corruption cases and the development of the case will also going to be discussed in this study†¦show more content†¦In here, corruption can be defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain where, there are many forms of corruption that Transparency International fight against (Transparency International, 2015). Through the anti-corruption glossary there are 3 types o f corruption, which are: †¢ Grand Corruption: acts committed at a high level of government that distort policies, enabling leader to benefit at the expense of the public good. †¢ Petty Corruption: acts of everyday abuse of entrusted power by mid- level and low public officials during their interaction with the ordinary citizens, usually in public places like hospital, schools and other agencies. †¢ Political Corruption: Acts of manipulating policies, rules of procedure and institutions in the allocation of resources, which abuse their position to sustain power, status and wealth. This three acts of corruption have a huge negative impacts on the society, it can cost people’s live, become a major obstacle to democracy and law, depletes national wealth, makes people undermine their trust in the political system as well as environmental degradation. Therefore, due to its high level of harm to the society, Transparency International fully dedicated its non-confrontational approach and the available partnership to get all of the relevant parties to negotiate and beat the corruption through a step-by-step process (Transparency

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Isis power rating Free Essays

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Eleven (SOIL) also translated as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or al sham (ISIS) and known In Arabic by the acronym Dates is an anta- Shell’s unrecognized Islamic state In Iraq and Syria. Being unrecognized by the international community, it is difficult to accurately classify the organization/state and therefore difficult to rate in terms of power. L However, ISIS itself claims sovereignty and statehood and has proven that it is capable of forming a government and managing the territory it controls. We will write a custom essay sample on Isis power rating or any similar topic only for you Order Now Assuming that ISIS is a state in the international community It would be classified as a pre-modern state, unable to malignant complete self-sufficiency with power mainly In the form of hard military and law enforcement. It lacks Diplomacy and more subtle means of population control. 2 In relation to its neighbors, ISIS remains a powerful suitor to claim the territory and a substantial military power, but also uses smart powerful negotiations with many groups and states in their location. In a power rating out of 10, ISIS can muster a 6 among the world, due not only to its surprising military success but its potential for economic prosperity. While It contains a great deal of industry and Infrastructure allowing maintaining self-sufficiency, the current state Is not responsible for the formation of the aspects or a more modern state. Instead ISIS relies on the backbone of systems set in place by the regimes that ruled over the area before SIS’S rise to power. Therefore ISIS still remains reliant on other states to function and has yet to prove substantial ability to maintain and advance such necessities. Its sources of military power come from a strong and trending Ideology that pulls In supporters room all over the world and gives the state an almost endless supply of man power. The remaining government of Iraq has stated that the state may have over 100,000 troops at its disposal. 3 That is half the amount of nearby Turkey and would put ISIS into the top 25 largest militaries on earth. 4 Another source of power in the area is the natural resources. Bother Syria and Iraq the countries occupied by ISIS has tremendous reserves of oil. Possibly the most sought after natural resource of our time, the occupied area makes pop a large part of the world’s OLL reserve. If ISIS establishes Itself as a legitimate state and Is able to capitalize on Its OLL wealth It would also be able to pick up the trade relations that Syria and Iraq already maintained with many major states in the international system. A place where ISIS still lacks is access to the sea. While both Iraq and Syria have coastline and ports, ISIS is unable to maintain control of sea access for extended periods of time. Without substantial sea access the Islamic State could see Itself cut off from much needed resources and restricted to what It can produce within its area of Influence alone. We will be looking at the Instruments of power ISIS has which has seven different categories those being, Diplomatic, Information, Military, Economic, Financial, Intelligence, and Law enforcement. First let’s take a look at the areas ISIS controls. First being Iraq. Iraq is a country in the Middle East with a 80 percent being Arab and the other 20 percent being Kurdish. The two major religions in Iraq at this time are Muslim and Christian. 6 The predominate language is Arabic and Kurdish, and the Arab. The two main languages are Arabic and Kurdish, and the top two religions are Muslim and Christianity The country has a population of about 17 million. 8 Now let’s talk about their instruments of power. When it comes to diplomacy ISIS really has none. They are not interested in finding a peaceful resolution they Just want to continue their bloody rampage in the Middle East. Although they fore other countries to be diplomatic to find a solution to get rid of ISIS as you can see in this quote from the U. N. â€Å"It called on Member States to take national measures to prevent fighters from traveling from their soil to Join the groups. â€Å"9 The next subject is Information his is one of SIS’S strong suits. As a whole their organization is very well informed. They have a very big communication network all over the world giving them up to date information which allows them to be better informed about what’s happening around them. The next subject is Military power. This is where ISIS really shines, because they are nothing but a military â€Å"state† if you will everything they do is through their fighting organizations. The only way ISIS has gained any territory is through a violent take over which usually includes widespread fighting and sometimes mass executions. For a terrorist organization they are very well equipped and trained. They are well armed having a large number of small arms. They also have a very large motor pool of vehicle, some new pickup truck as we have seen in many pictures as well as many heavy military vehicles like tanks they capture as they advance their territory. They also have more military type training than most terrorist organization and all these factors are what make them more like a formal military than a band of fighters. Even top U. S. Military officials think so as we can see in this quote, â€Å"They’re incredible fighters. ISIS teams in many places use special operations HTTPS,† said the second official, who has considerable combat experience, using the military term for â€Å"tactics, techniques and procedures. † ISIS has accomplished most of its goals through military force. I’m going to combine the next two types of power because they are very similar those being economics and financial power. This is another big area for ISIS which also separates them from normal terrorist groups. ISIS is very well of financially for a couple reasons. One ISIS earns about three million dollars a day from a couple different avenues. The biggest being the sale of oil as we can see in these quotes, â€Å"Their principal source of income is the oil produced by the installations situated in the east of Syria. 10 â€Å"After all, the terrorists sell their crude oil at a bargain price – between 15 and 40 dollars per barrel, compared to an international quotation on the market of about 100 dollars. â€Å"al This shows how organized they are economically. They also make money by collecting taxes in the areas they control as well as through kidnappings of foreign diplomats. The next subject is Intelligence, again as with the information ISIS is very well informe d they SE drones to survey their territories and gather info on their enemy’s they have scouts as well. Just like a real military they have their own Intel networks which is one reason thy fight so effectively and can take over areas so quickly. The last type of power is Law enforcement; this is very similar to their military power they rule with an iron fist they keep control over their territories by intimidation and if people don’t obey they kill them they are truly ruthless. What approach ISIS uses in the international system, might be. They would use hard power because that seems to be art power. ISIS use Smart powers the most when interacting with other nations. I say this because as I mentioned in a previous paper they know how to interact with western nations by acting refined and somewhat civilized but when they interact with its surrounding neighbors they try to appear as violent and blood thirsty as possible. That’s why they use Smart power because they have specific tailored designs for each country they deal with. The Islamic State is a certainly controversial and debated institution, but due to its military power and its ability to maintain its land it shows attention to outlast the coalition’s waging war against it. While it is currently dependent on the infrastructure of its predecessor states, if it were to become a recognized state the land it wishes to encompass in a caliphate is rich in resources and religious national fervor. It is an easy movement from its current position to modern self-reliant state if they are to win the war. While it is not recognized and currently despised by its surrounding nations it has a power rating of 6 out of 10 due to its impressive military success and its large possibility for economic gain. How to cite Isis power rating, Papers

Friday, December 6, 2019

Acjahemem History free essay sample

Acjachemem was a linguistic tribe of Native American people who lived in Southern California at Orange County. This tribe was also referred to as Juanenos a term that was co0ined by the priest of California mission chain which is currently referred as Juaneno Band of Mission Indians. The former Spanish settlement lied in the area that was occupied during the Paleo-Indian period and continuing on into the current Native American that are known to us as Juaneno. As described in Lisbeth’s study (1999, p. 134) Contemporary Juanenos identify themselves as the descendants of the aboriginal society living in the local San Juan and the drainage areas of San Mateo Creek. This group adopted the term Acjachemen which is indigenous to the aboriginal group. The language of the Acjachemen was related to the Luiseno language that was spoken by the neighboring Luiseno tribe. The language became extinct but currently it is being revived by the several tribal groups which are interested in their language. We will write a custom essay sample on Acjahemem History or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the year 1933, the research and records of the tribe and their language were recorded by the Anastacia Majel and John Harrington and the recordings were resurfaced in 1995. The territory of the Acjachemen extended from Las Pulgas Creek in the Northern San Diego County to the San Joaquin Hills along Orange County central coast. The majority of the group occupied the outlets The highest number of villagers lived along the lower San Juan, where Mission San Juan Capistrano was ultimately located. The Acjachemen lived in permanent, well-defined villages and camps that were seasonal. Village residents ranged from between 35 to 300 residents, which consisted of a single lineage in the smaller villages, and of a main clan joined with other families in the larger settlements. (Lisbeth, 1999, p. 108) Each clan had its own source territory and was politically independent. Connections to other villages were maintained through economic, religious, and social networks in the instantaneous region. The elite class comprised of chiefly families, lineage heads, and other ceremonial specialists, a middle class of established and well to do families, and people of detached or wandering families and captives of war made up the three hierarchical social classes. Some of this group inhabited the mountains while other inhabited the coastal areas. There were also theories related to creation of the two groups. The playanos who lived along the coast held the powerful position of unseen power while the Serranos who lived in the mountain areas believed in two believes the existence below and above. (Lisbeth, 1999 p. 77) The cultural practices of this group of people were similar in both the categories. The group today is of importance in the cultural learning as it teaches the learners of the diversity in culture of the society. Migration of the group in coastal region of California is an important aspect in their cultural roles. The two categories had different roles which were related to their environment. Today, the Juaneno Band of Mission Indians is seeking federal recognition as a federally structured tribe. Their headquarters is located in Sanjuano Crispano Sanjuana California and it has 60 enrolled members. This is of importance to the history of their culture in today’s learning. Although the group is extinct they are seeking recognition which is of great interest to historians. The group does not receive any funding from the federal government and are fighting for scholarships from well wishers. Reference Lisbeth, H. (1999). Conquest and historical identities in California. New York: McMillan Press. Pp 12-158.

Friday, November 29, 2019

To be the person that I am now, I had to reflect a Essays

To be the person that I am now, I had to reflect and accept accountability of my past actions. My past is one that many would love to erase from their memory, a past that involves a divorce, counselling, court ordered restraining order, supervised visits, 2 mental health diagnosis in high school, and much more. I try not to let the negative events and situations in my life define who I am today but it would be naive of me to say that they didn't impact my life and push me to become who I am here today. My life seemed completely normal until the divorce, I don't remember the fighting or the court proceedings but I do remember missing my dad like a part of me was missing. I was four years old when my parents first separated, and I don't remember very much from that time but the memories I do have aren't the happy family memories that we all read about and see on television. My parents did their best to keep the divorce proceedings as civil as possible to keep me as oblivious as possible, and with a four-year-old it was pretty easy. I may not remember my parents going through the actually divorce but I do remember the questions, supervised visits and blaming myself for almost 10 years for my parents failed marriage. I remember at the age of three I was sitting on the kitchen floor looking down the hallway listening to my parents scream at each other, then my mom walked out of her room picked me up and took me to the living room to play as my dad snuck out the back door to go for a dri ve. While my parents were in the process of separating, my father made some very serious threats against my mother which resulted in a court ordered restraining order against my dad for myself and my mom. The restraining order against my dad put the supervised visits into play. What is now called Firefly, was then called The Patricia Centre for Children and Youth (PCCY), and that is where I could see my dad. Now at the age of four I didn't understand why I could only see my dad in an office building but I didn't care, all I cared about was the few hours a week that I could spend with him. The supervised visits were arranged by the court and the PCCY, and the way it worked was I would be able to see my dad once a week for a few hours one day in a room where there were 2 social workers in the corner of the room watching us and taking notes, I was only allowed to see my dad under these conditions. The supervised visits were going very well and I raised no questions regarding the reason why I could only see my dad under those conditions, this was all until one day in Walmart. My mother and I were shopping and as I turned around a corner and walked down the aisle I looked up and to my surprise I found my dad at the other end of the aisle, and just like any other child I ran up to my dad giving him a huge bear hug and with tears in his eyes he had to push me of him and walk away. That is a memory that has stuck with me for the past 17 years, a memory that I will never forget. As it was, my life was being turned upside down and I couldn't even have imagined how it was going to affect me and my life years down the line. I am not sure exactly when I moved out of my now broken home but I do remember the strange feeling of packing my life away into boxes and moving into my aunt's house down the street. I wasn't aware until later that my mom didn't have enough money to support herself and I living in that big house on a single income and it wasn't until recently in my lif e that I have been able to understand the true burden of lacking

Monday, November 25, 2019

Elections essays

Elections essays There are actually many definitions of civil society. But with all its working definitions, I understand civil society as a certain domain that is independent of the state. According to Sidney Silliman, civil society seeks benefits, political reform and accountability from the state but it does not aim to gain formal power nor is it there to overthrow the government. As the country develops to keep up with the modern world, the political system also becomes more complex and in addition, the people become more difficult to control. This is why there has been an ongoing rise for civil society groups, many of which assume the functions and processes normally associated with governments to try and compensate with the current situation. Citizen activism in the Philippines has been generally caused by our deteriorating socioeconomic conditions, the corruption which goes on in different parts of the political system and the failure of the government to address and mend them. Citizens have then come together and organized different civil society groups in response to these circumstances to either compensate for the states failures or to pressure the state to correct its policies. Election, both local and national, especially in the Philippine context, has been a very controversial issue for the longest time. We have heard of different cases such as vote buying, presence of deceased/flying voters, and taking of ballot boxes among others. This only decreases the credibility of the choices of people we can put into power. The most likely outcome would be the discouragement of the public to vote for the different candidates since the winner would most likely be a product of injustice. The Philippines, being a democratic country, needs citizen organizations to participate in the election process to help educate the masses about the importance of elections and the urgency of voting and also to be there to monitor every aspect of the ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

New Christian Right in US Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

New Christian Right in US Politics - Essay Example 29, 2011). Despite the fact that these campaigners looked like their republican as well as autonomous corresponding persons in quite a lot of respects, the representatives with Christian Right ties were not mainly successful and were unsuccessful to form an operational coalition with the majority republicans on the mission. The centre of the crisis was the continuance by the communal traditionalists of a ‘foreigner’ point of view that toughened their pedant point of reference to civic dealings (Culver & Dorhauer, p. 43, 2007). The Christian Right has attained considerable representation within American communal life. Even though this sort of demonstration may have presented significant representative advantages, the force to protect public agency was acceptable as the way towards putting a stop. The objective of the Christian Right, stating generally, has been to alter American public strategy in the way of what are known as family or conventional standards. Despite the fact that researchers have collected many statistics on the communal as well as electoral foundation of the faction, they have given very small amount of facts with reference to its impact on civic strategy (Ishay, p. 59, 2008). The fundamental issue is whether Christian Right leaders have made an unbeaten shift from ‘foreigner’ to ‘insider politics’, or if they stay traditionalists who have yet to change completely to the traditions of politics. The coalition between right-wing religious conviction and traditionalist politics had an extensive derivation in American political life, and the alliance would grow so long as it carried on to provide the concerns of both accomplices. Subsequent to a series of strategy failures throughout the presidency of its former enthusiast, the movement appeared to fall apart during the 1988 drive for the Republican presidential selection (Meyers, p. 193, 2006). As a number of the original tycoons who had driven the movement stepped out of political activities, quite a lot of researchers were fast to mark obituaries with reference to this latest fatality of America's determinedly incremental political structure. At base, the conversion of the Christian Right portrayed by supporters of the next generation concerned the progress grip on pluralism. In the pluralist assumption of American politics, the utter variety of clusters functional within the political structure mainly prevents fundamental alteration. In the pluralist point of view, the structure progresses by small strides, motivated mainly by stress from groups that can create a centre of attention for adequate supporters by logrolling as well as vote trading to make short-lived common coalitions. Faced with this cruel truth, movements that come into politics, in search for radical change have to reconcile instead for additional modification by implementing the standards of alliance formation as well as conciliation (Butler, p. 193, 2006). For that to take place, non-transferable requirements have to be substituted by negotiating as well as by taking trade-offs into consideration. The substitute is marginalization along with the political wilderness. NEW CHRISTIAN RIGHT At its core, the Christian Right was the interest group of ethical re-establishment that recognized settled as a ‘give in’

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

The Tadic Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Tadic Case - Essay Example Nonetheless, ICTY has brought about various issues regarding the legality of institution of the international tribunal and its authority. ICTY statutes give concurrent jurisdiction to the national courts as well as the international tribunals1. ICTY, Trial Chamber, Decision on the Defense Motion on Jurisdiction In the case of Prosecutor v. Dusko Tadic, the defense challenged the primacy of the ICTY because there was no basis in international law to give primacy to the ICTY and it generated an infringement upon state sovereignty. The appellant used three reasons to attack the tribunal: unlawful establishment of Tribunal, its illegal dominance over state courts and its lack of jurisdiction2. Tadic argued that the Tribunal was not lawfully established; those who drafted the UN Charter did not envision such a tribunal, the General Assembly did not take part in its creation, the Council did not act in relation to individuals, and there was no threat to peace. According to Tadic, the Tribu nal would not promote peace and a political body could not create a judicial organ. Tadic argued that in establishing such a Tribunal in accordance with the rule of law, the council should have the appropriate worldwide standards; it has to offer the assurances of justice, fairness, as well as evenhandedness in total compliance with international renowned human rights implements3. This led judges to dissent arguing that the ICTY did not have any competence to decide on the issue. ICTY, Appeals Chamber, Decision on the Defense Motion for Interlocutory Appeal After an appeal on the sentencing, the appeal chamber decided that the Tribunal had the authority to articulate the statement that challenged the legitimacy of institution of the Tribunal; it had jurisdiction to determine whether the ICTY was lawfully established (la competence de la competence). The judges also dismissed the challenge to International Tribunal dominance over state-run courts and decided that the Tribunal had jur isdiction of subject matter in the state. In defense to the legality of institution of the Tribunal, the trial chambers decided that there were evidently adequate jurisdiction issues that were open for the Tribunal to determine the issues of place, nature of the offence and the time committed. The chambers decided that the legitimacy of establishing the Tribunal was not a matter of jurisdiction; it was a matter of the lawfulness of its creation. The defense did not have any right to raise the matter of Internal Tribunal primacy over national courts since only a sovereign state that should raise issues related to sovereignty and a person should not put itself in the position of a state in order to challenge the jurisdiction of an international tribunal4. The state is the only one that has the exclusive right to plead violation of the state sovereignty5. Only a self-governing state can raise the appeal or not claim it; the accused did not have any rights to take over the state’ s rights in this case6.The most affected states in this case were the Germany where the accused lived and Bosnia-Herzegovina where the crimes were committed; the two states accepted the International Tri

Monday, November 18, 2019

Standard costing and the relationship it may have with other Essay

Standard costing and the relationship it may have with other management accounting development - Essay Example Standard costs are pre-determined or forecast estimates of cost to manufacture a single unit, or a number of units of a product, during a specific immediate future period. They are usually the planned costs of the products under current and anticipated conditions, but sometimes they are the costs under normal or ideal conditions of efficiency, based on an assumed given output, and having regard to current conditions. They are revised to conform to super-normal or sub-normal conditions, but ore practically to allow for persisting alterations in the prices of material and labour. Therefore, a standard cost can be defined as â€Å"A pre-determined cost calculated with respect to a prescribed set of working conditions, correlating technical specifications and scientific measurements of materials and labour to the price and wage rates expected to apply during the period to which the standard cost is expected to relate, with an addition of an appropriate share of budgeted overhead. Its main objective is to provide bases of control through variance accounting for the valuation of stocks and work-in-progress and in exceptional cases for fixing selling prices.† The use of standards facilitates many business functions. Standards are very useful in the monitoring and controlling of business activities in general. The need for standard costs arises as a result of the benefits it provides for a business, such as Cost control does not merely refer to minimization of costs. Cost control means identifying costs with their benefits and ensuring that the costs are justified, given the benefits that are derived. Standard costs provide a very useful framework for cost control. The great value of standards in cost control is that they provide the ability to compare actual costs with desired costs on a timely basis. Timely reporting of difference i.e. monthly, weekly, daily or for each work shift etc, between actual and standard costs allows managers to take

Saturday, November 16, 2019

UK Fashion Industry: Strategic Analysis

UK Fashion Industry: Strategic Analysis Introduction Fashion industry is one of the most thriving and profitable industries of the world. The advent of globalization has led to greater penetration of fashion into the mind of individuals. Mega fashion shows are being held in many nations across the world which has generated considerable interest among the individuals. The present study deals with the fashion industry of UK. The choice of the nation assumes significance as it is one of the largest fashion hubs of the world. The nation also houses some of the most popular brands in the fashion industry. A study conducted by research firm Grail puts UK as among the top hubs in the global fashion industry along with USA, France, Italy and Japan. London Fashion Week which happens to be the largest fashion related event in the nation is the only fashion event that promotes works done by students thus highlighting its commitment and presence in the global fashion industry. Prestigious awards like River Island Gold Award have their origins in U K (Grail Research, 2009, p.6, 8). The present study would focus on the industry analysis of the fashion industry particularly that of the UK market. The report would include an industry analysis along with the analysis of the competitive framework prevailing in the UK market. Subsequently the key success factors and strategic groups would be analyzed in the report. The report would also feature examples of the strategies that have been adopted by the market leaders to continue their sustainability in the industry. Industry Analysis Global Fashion Industry- An Overview Fashion industry includes fashion designer houses, retail chains and the firms engaged in the manufacture of apparels. A report published by Levis Strauss Co has pegged the value of the global fashion industry at US $ 1334.1 billion as on 2008. The report also predicts a northward trend for this figure in the subsequent years. Apart from being a style statement, fashion also generates creativity, well being and identity. The report also states certain shortcomings of this industry which primarily includes aspects like poor working condition of workers in the industry, wastage of resources and also encouragement of unrealistic consumption. Certain other shortcomings include unavailability and high prices of raw materials which also emerge as a major challenge for the firms engaged in manufacture of fashion apparels across the world. Numerous opportunities also exist for the industry from the emerging markets like India, China, Brazil and Russia which have started emerging as fashion hotspots of the world (Levis Strauss Co, 2010, p.5). Overview of the UK Fashion Industry UK has been among the pioneers in the global fashion industry whose association with the world of fashion dates back to the 1960s popularly known as the swinging sixties, the punk and romantic 1970s and Cool Britannia Image of 1990s. Present age fashion designer label brands like Vivienne Westwood, Burberry and Mulbery, to name a few, are some of the numerous brand names housed in the nation (British Council Fashion Oxford Economics, 2008, p.9). A recent trend observed in the industry is that the nation is shifting from home based manufacturing units to sourcing products from foreign retailers. This has been attributed to the aspects of high labour costs coupled with the rise in prices of raw materials which has forced manufacturers to outsource their production units to nations like China which offer a significant pool of talented resources and raw materials at cheaper rates (British Council Fashion Oxford Economics, 2008, p.16). UK is one of the pioneers in the fashion industry, and the nation is accredited with numerous innovations in the industry segment. A research study conducted on the fashion industry in UK states that consumer spending on fashion apparels in UK saw a growth rate of 6.5 percent in 2009 with sales figures reaching 2.5 billion Pound. One of the major market players in the UK market Newberry reported 19.1 percent growth on an annual basis. The growth of fashion industry has been fuelled by large levels of spending by the local people. Over the last ten years spending levels of individuals have grown by approximately six percent on a real term basis. The fashion industry also has made significant contributions to the economy of the nation. In the year 2009, the industry is said to have contributed approximately 20.9 billion pounds towards the economy of UK which forms about 1.7 percent of the total GDP figure of the nation. Retailer GVA alone has contributed approximately 6.5 billion pound s towards the economy of UK. Indirect contributions to the economy include providing employment options to about 816,000 individuals in a direct or an indirect manner. This figure represents about 2.7 percent of the total workforce in the nation which highlights the growth and importance of this sector towards the economy of the nation. On a standalone basis i.e., excluding the employees at the retail stores, the sector employed about 155,000 individuals or about 0.5 percent of the total workforce based in the nation. The fashion industry is also one of the major contributors to the nations exchequer with contribution figures ranging about 13.2 billion pounds which stands at 2.6 percent on absolute percentage terms. These contributions have mainly come from VAT and through the income tax paid by the employees engaged in this industry (British Council Fashion Oxford Economics, 2008, p.14). The magnanimity of the fashion industry can be adjudged from the fact that the contribution of fashion industry towards the GDP of the nation is significantly higher than chemical and publishing industry. Fashion industry is the fourth largest employment provider in UK and comes only next to travel and tourism, telecommunications and real estate (British Council Fashion Oxford Economics, 2008, p.20). This implies the huge potential of the fashion industry in UK. The following chapter would provide an analysis of the competitive framework prevalent in the UK market. Porters Five Forces Model Competitive framework for any industry can be analysed by using Michael Porters five forces framework. The analysis of a market using the framework proposed by Porter helps an organization to analyse the market potential of other players in the market. This helps in generating sustainable competitive advantage for the firms. According to this framework, the competitive framework can be analysed by using five factors namely, Bargaining Power of Suppliers Bargaining power of Consumers Competition from existing players Threat of new entrants Threat of substitutes (Haag, 2007, p.72) Bargaining Power of Suppliers Suppliers have a high barraging power when the raw materials are available in scarce quantities. It also rises when the number of suppliers for a particular product or raw material is quite limited. In case of fashion industry, suppliers constitute of vendors who provide raw material like cotton and other textiles which serve as raw material for apparels. The UK fashion market is characterised by the presence of a few suppliers which is generally due to high costs of raw materials. The suppliers also use traditional practices which again increases the cost of goods sold (Karra, 2008, p.27). High cost of real estate also serves as a major source of concern to the fashion retailers. This analysis implies that suppliers have a fairly high bargaining power. Market leaders in UK have started outsourcing their manufacturing departments to vendors based in nations like China and India where cheap raw material is present at affordable cost of labour (PricewaterhouseCoopers, 2004, p.2). Bargaining Power of Consumers Bargaining power of consumers arise when the market is characterised by the presence of numerous players who have a large product line. Presence of large number of competitors puts consumers in the drivers seat as they have numerous options. The present status of the consumer market in UK reveals the presence of large number players. Most of these players have high brand values products to suit every type of customers. This provides ample choices for the consumers. Hence it can be concluded that consumers have a high bargaining power in the UK market. Major players in the market like Marks and Spencer, Austin Reed have started providing value added services to consumers to woo them to their stores. Celebrity promotions have also been used to target consumers like Lane Crawford roping in supermodel Maggie Cheung for its promotions. Competition from Existing Players UK is characterised by the presence of large number of global players like Marks and Spencers, Next, Arcadia, Matalan and Bhs all of which have formidable brand image and an impressive product line to target consumers. Competition exists in almost every segment of the target market. This implies that competition from existing players has a significantly high impact on the fashion industry in UK. Market leaders have formulated policies that tend to win the consumers in favour of their brands. Fierce competition has prompted leading market players to vouch for newer locations like for example Marks and Spencers eyeing the Indian market. Threat of New Entrants New entrants do not pose sufficient threats to the existing players. This is mainly due to the fact that the present market in UK is completely saturated with big brands like Marks and Spencers, Next etc. Moreover, high cost of establishing a business deters new players from entering the UK market. This implies that new players do not have significant power to challenge the existing players. Threat of Substitutes Substitutes are those products which have attributes that are highly similar to the original products. The customer segments of firms like Marks and Spencers are highly niche in nature and are unlikely to switch to substitutes which basically constitute low priced products. Hence it can be concluded that substitutes do not present significant threats to the existing players present in the market. Key Success Factors The key success factors for the fashion industry are stated below: Government support Customer Awareness Ability to bring in continuous innovations Government Support Government support is a key element in the success of the fashion industry. Pro active policies by the government favour the emergence of new players as well as boost up the existing players by creating market conditions that tend to provide greater value to the customers. Creation of competition would automatically generate innovations which is the backbone of the fashion industry. Customer Awareness The success of fashion industry depends on high levels of consumer awareness. Consumer awareness implies that consumers get regular updates about the new products that are being innovated by the fashion industry. Events like London Fashion week, Paris fashion week and other such festivals have emerged as a platform for fashion designers and retailers to showcase their products and creativity. These festivals are characterised by presence of high profile celebrities who endorse products of different designers and fashion labels. In these events, awards and accreditations are given to talented individuals who generate creativity in their designs (London Fashion Week, n.d.). This also serves to motivate individuals to produce greater creativity. Ability to bring in Continuous Innovations Innovations are the key to success in the fashion industry. The basic tenets of this industry are based in continuous innovations. Firms like Hilfiger have created competitive advantage by introducing continuous innovations in their product line (Manlow, 2009, p.242). Innovations in fashion include amalgamations of modern and traditional fashion. Mega events like Paris fashion week and London fashion week serve as major forums where market players can showcase their products to the target audience. Firms are also roping in celebrities and supermodels to promote their designs. These innovations and subsequent endorsements by popular celebrities generate substantial interest among the target audience with regards to the diffusion of innovation among the general masses. Broad appeal and glamour of these events generate enthusiasm among the target markets with regards to adopting new products. The analysis of key success factors reveals the importance of factors like government, awareness among the target market audience. The aspect of innovation also generates sufficient interest among the firms to innovate their products. The UK market represents numerous potential for the market players as all the three key success factors can be achieved by organizations. A suitable mix of the three key success factors would help in generating sustainable competitive advantage for the firms in the highly competitive market. Strategic Groups Strategic groups are defined as a group of firms and organizations which operate within a specific industry who have similar strategies. It has been observed that in most of the cases the difference among the different market players is generally captured by the presence of strategic groups within the industry (Kim Mauborgne, 1999, p.86). The fashion industry in UK is characterised by market players like Marks and Spencers, Next, Arcadia, Matalan and Bhs who are global market players having operation in all major markets across the world. All these firms have the same target market and have a similar marketing mix for their products. The basis of forming a strategic group is based on the fact that all the above stated market players operate in a similar macroeconomic set up and have a similar target market. These firms intend to have similar positioning strategies. The presence of a strategic group also creates entry barriers for new entrants as well as generates sustainable competi tive advantage for these firms in the market. Presence of strategic groups tends to stabilise consumer preferences, it also generates greater competition and rivalries among the market players, as all the players in the strategic group are known to target the same customer segment. This leads to aggressive marketing by the firms to beat their rivals in the business markets. The scenario in UK market resembles a similar situation with firms trying to use every possible strategy to beat their rivals and capture the market (Hoskinsson, Hitt Ireland, 2008, p.87-88). Conclusion The concept of fashion has been prevalent in UK since time immemorial and the nation has been among the pioneers with regards to creativity in this sector. The study reveals that fashion industry is one of the most happening industries in UK. This can be gauged from its contributions towards the economy of the nation both in direct as well as in indirect terms. The UK market also represents tremendous opportunities for market players as it has a large customer base with high levels of disposable income which makes it an attractive destination for fashion brands across the world. The study also shows certain challenges which mainly arise due high cost of raw materials and labour. Presence of strategic group also tends to increase the competitive rivalry among the market players. In spite of this, the huge potential of the target market serves as an incentive for most of the market players to eye the lucrative market of UK. Hence, it can be concluded that success of an organisation pre cisely that of fashion, lies in its ability to generate continuous innovation and to mould the advantages of the market to generate sustainable competitive advantage.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Agriculture Industry Essay -- essays papers

Agriculture Industry There are various factors affecting the demand for John Deere's products. These factors can be categorized as Financial, Crops, Crop Prices, Line Stock Prices, Farm Equipment and the competition. Financial factors include interest rates, credit availability, currency exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies set by the government, net farm income and government regulated price floors on the agriculture segment. Crops/Crop Prices include planed acreage, grain export and crop prices of wheat, corn, soybeans and cotton. Live Stock prices that affect the demand for the company's output are primarily the prices of Dairy, Beef and Hogs. Animal diseases like "mad cow", "foot and mouth" and crop pests and harvest yields play an important role in the live stock prices and in turn affect the demand. Farm equipment category consists of resale demand for used farm equipment, farmer's attitude towards farm equipment and new equipment prices which play an important role in the demand of the new equipment. John Deere faces a strong competition around the world, more in Europe than in US. The company realizes that demand for farm equipment is same in Europe as in the United States, but the current market share captured by John Deere in Europe is much less and hence there is a lot more room to grow there. Of these factors, the most important factor seems to be the ability of the farmer to buy the new equipment. This in turn... Agriculture Industry Essay -- essays papers Agriculture Industry There are various factors affecting the demand for John Deere's products. These factors can be categorized as Financial, Crops, Crop Prices, Line Stock Prices, Farm Equipment and the competition. Financial factors include interest rates, credit availability, currency exchange rates, monetary and fiscal policies set by the government, net farm income and government regulated price floors on the agriculture segment. Crops/Crop Prices include planed acreage, grain export and crop prices of wheat, corn, soybeans and cotton. Live Stock prices that affect the demand for the company's output are primarily the prices of Dairy, Beef and Hogs. Animal diseases like "mad cow", "foot and mouth" and crop pests and harvest yields play an important role in the live stock prices and in turn affect the demand. Farm equipment category consists of resale demand for used farm equipment, farmer's attitude towards farm equipment and new equipment prices which play an important role in the demand of the new equipment. John Deere faces a strong competition around the world, more in Europe than in US. The company realizes that demand for farm equipment is same in Europe as in the United States, but the current market share captured by John Deere in Europe is much less and hence there is a lot more room to grow there. Of these factors, the most important factor seems to be the ability of the farmer to buy the new equipment. This in turn...

Monday, November 11, 2019

Saturday at the Canal anaylsis

Saturday at the Canal is not a cut ND dry poem where you know exactly what it is about, it is a poem that lets us use our imagination. The poem starts out with a heart-wrenching statement â€Å"l was hoping to be happy by seventeen†. Within the first eight words of this poem, we the readers are already drawn in. We want to know why a seventeen year old is not happy at such an important point in his life. We begin to think of possible situations where a seventeen year old wouldn't be happy with life; bullying, heart break. Or maybe even death.We have to continue to read In order to understand why this teenager is having such a radar time. Sotto peaks everyone's curiosity by Implying that this teenager has never been happy In his entire life. He relies on our nosiness to ensure that we will continue to read. The character in this poem goes on to tell us reasons for his unhappiness by beginning with school. They talk about how school was â€Å"a sharp checkmate in the roll bookà ¢â‚¬  implying that school was more like a chore. Once they checked one thing off the list, another one was right there to follow.Sotto helps us see the type of teenager the character is. He brings us back into a school hallway where we hear the tuba sound for the sports pep rally. Once everyone leaves for the rally, the only people left in the hallway are the burnouts and loners. The ones with â€Å"poor grades† and â€Å"unwashed hair†, the ones similar to our character. It Is Saturday now and the character and his friend decide to go watch the water at the canal. They don't talk much but they do walk around â€Å"hurling large rocks at the dusty ground. † Our mall character tells us that they both felt awful about a postcard from San Francisco.It was their dream to get there by any means necessary, to â€Å"hitchhike under the last migrating birds† was even an option for them. This line shows how desperate they were to move forward with their lives. F or these friends, the most fun they have on a Saturday is walking by a canal throwing rocks. They wanted to move to the big city where there were big opportunities. Moving to San Francisco for these two would mean they could escape their hum- drum lives. They wanted be able to learn guitar from people who knew more than three chords.They wanted to become the rock stars they have always dreamed of. They were good kids because they didn't want to become the typical rock stars that sit around smoking and drinking. They Just wanted to be rock stars that get up on stage with their long hair and rock out with their guitars. After they are done fantasizing, reality sets back In. They realize they are still stuck in this little Podunk town of theirs. They dream about the idea of leaving but then the water â€Å"white-tipped but dark underneath, racing out of town. This line shows owe much they new the water in the canal and how they wish they could race out of town as easily as it does. Th roughout the poem you get the feeling, that ever since the boys were young they wanted to become rock stars. Unfortunately, something was always holding them back from pursuing their dreams. They originally hoped that by seventeen they would be in San Francisco rocking out but when they got to that age they slowly started to realize they were never going to fulfill that dream. Now they Just go back to the canal and watch, with new and Jealously, as the water runs out of town.

Friday, November 8, 2019

The eNotes Blog Not At This Time Rejection Letters to FamousWriters

Not At This Time Rejection Letters to FamousWriters Why is dad so sad?   Probably because he just checked his mail and found his self-addressed stamped envelope in his box, his manuscript inside, and the dreaded form letter saying, We are sorry, but your manuscript does not currently meet our specific needs.   The first dozen or so times, Dad wanted to believe the closing line promising to review his work in the future but Dr. Seuss (aka Theodore Geisel) knew the feeling.   His now-classic childrens book   And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street  was rejected a whopping twenty-seven times before it was finally accepted by Vanguard Press.   This may be your fate as well. Putting your work out in the world is scary. Rejection sucks. It can make you afraid to do it again.   But you have to try.   Because the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth time might just be the one. Novelist Barbara Kingsolver (The Poisonwood Bible, The Bean Trees)  offers this advice to writers feeling wounded:   This manuscript of yours that has just come back from another editor is a precious package. Don’t consider it rejected. Consider that you’ve addressed it ‘to the editor who can appreciate my work’ and it has simply come back stamped ‘Not at this address’. Just keep looking for the right address.† To give you hope, here are ten rejections of famous writers as well as a some of their reactions and advice about coping with rejection: 1.   The  Left Hand of Darkness  Ã‚  by Ursula Le Guin 2.   Saul Bellow   â€Å"I discovered that rejections are not altogether a bad thing. They teach a writer to rely on his own judgment and to say in his heart of hearts, ‘To hell with you.’â€Å"   (Source) 3.   Tim Burton     Ã‚   A ripe, 18-year-old Burton, still in high school, submitted his illustrated children’s book to Walt Disney Productions for consideration. That was 1976, and T. Jeanette Kroger, author of his rejection letter, didn’t see inThe Giant Zlig  what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts, BAFTA, Cannes, and, it’s fair to say, the majority of humanity saw in him in later years. Kroger thanked Burton for his mail and made no mention of the possibility of publication but did give the artist some tips.   (Source) 4.   Anita Shreve â€Å"To ward off a feeling of failure, she joked that she could wallpaper her bathroom with rejection slips, which she chose not to see as messages to stop, but rather as tickets to the game.†   (Source) 5.   Sylvia Plath    Plaths novel  The Bell Jar  was also rejected: The Knopf editor â€Å"jbj† knows all too well what difference a name drop can make; Plath originally submitted her novel under the pseudonym Victoria Lucas, whose work received the original, terse in-house review printed below. When it was revealed that Victoria Lucas was in fact Sylvia Plath, an embarrassed jbj took a greater interest in the work, although he ultimately still rejected it. Plath’s only novel eventually became an American classic and staple of every high school curriculum, but before that, the rest of the Knopf staff seem to have agreed with jbj - unpublishable.   (Source) 6.   Ã‚  Chuck Wendig Rejection has value. It teaches us when our work or our skillset is not good enough and must be made better. This is a powerful revelation, like the burning UFO wheel seen by the prophet Ezekiel, or like the McRib sandwich shaped like the Virgin Mary seen by the prophet Steve Jenkins. Rejection refines us. Those who fall prey to its enervating soul-sucking tentacles are doomed. Those who persist past it are survivors. Best ask yourself the question: what kind of writer are you? The kind who survives? Or the kind who gets asphyxiated by the tentacles of woe?   (Source) 7.   Hunter S. Thompson Expresses His Displeasure to His Biographer, William McKeen    8.   Neil Gaiman â€Å"Remember: when people tell you something’s wrong or doesn’t work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.†   (Source) 9.   Kurt Vonnegut     Ã‚   A decade and a half later, a writing sample by Vonnegut would have been accepted without a look beyond the author name, but in 1949, Kurt Vonnegut was a nobody, and the editors at  The Atlantic Monthly  had no big plans to lift him out of anonymity. After mailing the magazine three samples of his work, he received the above letter of rejection from editor Edward Weeks, which now hangs, framed, in Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis. The following decades of Vonnegut’s career were characterized by a prolific output of award-winning novels, including  Cat’s Cradle  and  Slaughter-House Five, the latter of which is rumored to have developed out of one of the rejected samples. (Source) 10.   On the Road by Jack Kerouac Now heralded as the beat bible, Jack Kerouac’s magnum opus  On the Road  was finally published by Viking Press in 1957, six years after it was written. But in 1951, given its provocative content and untraditional style, publishing houses wouldn’t touch it. Knopf was just one of many whose editors reviewed the manuscript harshly and reported it as untouchable to their editors.   (Source)

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Implicit Social Norm Essays

Implicit Social Norm Essays Implicit Social Norm Paper Implicit Social Norm Paper Rules used by a group for appropriate or inappropriate behaviors, beliefs, values and attitudes can either be explicit or implicit. Explicit norms outline clearly the rules and purpose of a group and the expected behavior is codified and documented, while implicit norms are the informal expectations which emerge from daily interactions within a group. Although they are not documented, members of a group are expected to abide by them since they are embedded in the fabrics of the society with time. Explicit rules in nursing can describe the proper ways of wearing a uniform while in a clinical setting, implicit norms can for example be â€Å"the way a ward manager likes it done. † Norms can simply be classified as roles that are applicable to members of a certain group instead of different concepts. Explicit norms can be compared to FAQs documents and user agreements of a specific group. The difference between these norms and rules is that norms, such as shaking hands after a tennis match may not invoke sanctions but rules, such as using a standard tennis racket may invoke sanctions. An example of an implicit norm is facing the door after entering the elevator. Whereas both explicit and implicit norms are necessary for a group to function efficiently and effectively, different types of punishments are given for violation (Terry, Hogg, 2000). Governing official use laws and regulations to enforce explicit norms and violation can lead to permanent disbarment from the group. Violation of implicit norms attracts stares from the public and members of a group can offer opinions to enable an individual to abide by the rules. Indirect benefits of group participation and methods of enforcement or punishment. Member participation in group activities usually varies in terms of efforts provided by individual participants. When a group is working together, some members end up doing more work while others conceal their laziness and tend to joy-ride. This is mainly cased by lack of group standards; anonymity of blame or success; and individuals expecting that other people will slack off. To ensure that group activities become productive, it’s important to establish rules of conduct and individual accountability so that group’s work is equally shared. Group sizes must be appropriate and members are supposed to be loyal to its vision (Pettit, 2002). A team contract is essential in setting group expectations and peer evaluation is important so that team members can compliment the strengths and weaknesses of other group’s members. Each individual should have specific tasks according to their skills and should grade their contributions so that group achievement can be evaluated. People who deter productivity can be dwelt with in a number of ways. Private and group confrontation can be used to inform the social loafer that his sluggish behavior will not be tolerated. When both options fail in changing the individual, the group leader can seek superior assistance either from an authoritative figure, a teacher or the boss. When possible, documented evidence should be provided concerning the laziness of the person (Dubois, 2002). Moreover, a last resort of trying to change a sluggish individual is exclusion from group activities. When the above options do not bare fruits, circumvention is the best option where the group can be reconstituted and each member given new responsibilities.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Web Server Application Attacks Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Web Server Application Attacks - Assignment Example This keeps the web application safe from malicious user inputs. Session Security Vulnerabilities. When session ID’s are sequential and persistent or when session tokens are not protected, one user may access another user’s data through assuming the other user’s identity. To mitigate this, session ID’s must be random and must expire when a user logs out of the session. Session tokens must be protected and invalidated when the user logs out. 3. Authentication Vulnerabilities When server does not authenticate a user before giving him access to a web application, he may gain access to sensitive information and mishandle it. To counter this problem, the user must apply authentication rules like HTTPS. User must ask for authentication after specified intervals. Access control must also be implemented. Part 2 Protecting Web Servers from Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks Denial of Service (DoS) attacks prevent web servers from serving websites to genuine users. These attacks are, mostly, targeted toward professional websites run by political or other important organizations, in order to hinder their web presence to their clients and users (AppliCure Technologies, 2013). However, small businesses are also not free of such threats. The websites cease to operate partially or fully. A DoS intrusion detection architectural design is a must-use in order to prevent such attacks. Mell, Marks & McLarnon (2000) have discussed this architecture in their article, in which intrusion detection software (IDS) components are hidden from the attacker. In case the attack is successful, IDS components are shifted from the attacked host to functional host, where they counter with the attack successfully. This is done by by using mobile agent technology and network topology features. The communication bet ween various IDS components is also restricted (Mell, Marks & McLarnon, 2000). Part 3 a. Basic motivation behind the attack on the Justice Department, as hackers themselves stated, was that they wanted to â€Å"release government data† (Zabarenko, 2013, para.1). They were also outraged over the death of the late computer prodigy Aaron Swartz, who had committed suicide on January 11 this year. He had been facing trial for stealing millions of online JSTOR articles. b. I would have used Ping of Death, as it is a dummy ICMP packet receiving fragments of ping, and resembles the real packet. It becomes too big for the buffer once reassembled, which starts overflowing, and thus, the system hangs (Canavan, 2001, p.39). I would use this because there are freely available source code examples on the internet for Unix to create large ping packets. It is very easy to ditch the user through fake ping packet. c. Web server application attacks are not as easy as they may seem, because ther e are many different kinds of anti-virus softwares, intrusion detection softwares, and user input detection and encoding softwares that are being implemented nowadays. These special softwares make it very hard for the attackers to succeed in their attacks. Part 4 To maintain a secure web presence, Federal government organizations need to maintain special mitigation strategies. Designing an information security policy is the first step towards the implementation of information security (Danchev 3). A security policy acts as a centralized crucial document that will help in eliminating the risk of security breaches by securing the confidential information stores from getting disclosed to unauthorized persons. It defines the importance of a

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Illustrate how a positive communication climate contributes to Essay - 3

Illustrate how a positive communication climate contributes to sustaining social, personal, and professional relationships - Essay Example This paper will review the importance of a positive communication climate to individuals irrespective of the relationship that they may be having. In sustaining personal relationships, positive communication climate enables one to feel valued in a relationship. This means that for those in a relationship, the purpose of open communication leads to a better understanding. This creates an avenue for the sharing of intimate thoughts, and ideas for the relationship to blossom (Segrin, 2005). Often, they communicate in a manner that shows affection to the person they are communicating with, and the language is often courteous. The interaction between them could be verbal and/or non-verbal, but it has to be very respectful. Professionally, a good communication climate can lead to the formation of a very conducive working environment. Being involved in the decision making process can enable the subordinate stuff, or employees to feel appreciated, and valued. There, however, should be a line between the employer, and the employee (Troester, 2007). This ensures that each and every organization has effort accountability. Showing support and encouraging fellow workmates can improve this professional relationship. Socially, people will get to communicate, and interact much more often. Approaching someone can be a very hard task, especially if they are new to you. However, all this can change if people were confident enough, and exhumed an aura of good nature around them. Everybody wants to know, and find a loveable person. This is hard nowadays as everyone is interested in doing their own thing, and finding means, and a way of survival (Troester, 2007). Considering personal relationships, it is very easy to meet new people (Wood, 2010). This is due to technological advances made over the past decade. Friendships have been made in social networking sites that exist today. Friendships grow

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Gathering Information in Marketing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gathering Information in Marketing - Term Paper Example The macro trend analysis involves an understanding of the market environment in six areas and these include the demographic environment, socio-cultural, technological, natural, economic and regulatory. Information from this analysis will show the big picture of the market and what to expect when moving in such a market (BPP, 2010, p. 55). After a careful analysis of the market it is important to consider the industry in which the organization is located and this is important in order to know its attractiveness. Porters five forces model is one of the most used models in examining an industry attractiveness. It begins with an analysis of rivalry among the present competitors, and then examines the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of suppliers, the bargaining power of buyers and the threat of substitute products. All this provide relevant information concerning the industry an organization is thinking of venturing into. After understanding the market and the industry it is important to estimate the market demand and market growth (BPP, 2010, pp. 55-60). Market demand therefore represents what all of the buyers within a market are willing and able to buy at alternative prices during a given time period, holding all demand determinants constant. This is affected by many factors which include: individual preferences and tastes, buyer expectations, income, complementary goods and substitute goods (Mullins & Walker, 2010, p.70). Three techniques have been put forward for estimating market demand and these include consumer surveys, consumer focus groups and market experiments. Market growth on the other hand can be estimated by examining historical records and extrapolating the results into the future (McGuigan, Moyer, & Harris, 2011). Memorandum Sanitex has continued with its presence in west London commanding a big proportion of the market. With its continued presence in the market it is continuing to expand and may just cover the whole of London. The est imated market size of Sanitex can be seen as small because of the limited number of potential customers that use pest control products. The diversification of the company’s product portfolio into other areas such as carpet cleaning and distribution of sanitary products should increase the market size. It is difficult to estimate the size of the company’s market but the following sources could be used by Sanitex to find out the approximate size of its market. These sources include: customer surveys, government data such as census data and trade associations. The current demand for Sanitex products is still low and this is because of the following reasons: first is because Sanitex is still not known and therefore the existence of strong competitors reduces the demand of Sanitex products. Secondly is the one product that has been on their portfolio. The company has tried to publicise itself making it known to the greater London and therefore the demand of their products i s likely to increase because of the increased market size. The improved product portfolio will also work to their advantage as it will increase demand because of the uniqueness of their services. Customer Satisfaction Organizations find it difficult to manage customer’s satisfaction efficiently. There are many tools that are employed in measuring customer satisfaction and each method has to be defined appropriately in order to meet desired norms. There are two primary ways of measuring custome

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Great Leap Forward launched by Mao in 1958 Essay Example for Free

The Great Leap Forward launched by Mao in 1958 Essay When the Communist party came to power in 1949 after a brutal war against the Nationalists, China was in a devastated state. War against Japan had resulted in the destruction of many of its cities including Beijing. Chinas people were left scared with the horrific memories of the Japanese armys horrendous acts. Rescuing China from the gutter was to prove to be a difficult task for Mao Zedong and his communist comrades. In order to understand the fundamental problems with the Great Leap Forward, previous reforms must be considered in order to fully assess the reasons for the its failures. One of Chinas most notorious problems was land ownership. Most of Chinas land was owned by cruel landlords. Peasants were being exploited and were forced to work long hours for poor pay and terrible living conditions. Mao used this in order to take a fundamental step in assuring that he had total control over the people. He introduced the policy of land reform. Mao re-distributed 40% of Chinas land and gave it to the peasants. This proved to be a truly brilliant political decision as he swept the hearts of the peasants on his side. He realised that as 90% of Chinas population were peasants, he needed to appeal to the masses. This policy was considered a success as an estimated 60% of the entire population benefited form the reform. However, this was to be a sign of Maos disregard for human life as this policy resulted in the death of 2 million landlords, by means of public execution during struggle meetings. Mao also started an early form of collectivisation, by 1952, 40% of peasants were collectivised. The next step was the encouragement of cooperatives, these favoured central management of land under private ownership, and by 1956 80% of peasants were part of cooperatives. The important factor of the land reform policy is that Mao was able to gain support from the peasants, the same peasants he would later use to conduct the Great Leap forward. Despite claiming to be a Marxist, Mao considered rural peasants to be the seeds of agricultural success but thought that industrial peasants were the backbone of the economy. The Great Leap Forward was to be the second economic reform Mao was to launch in China. Inspiring himself from Stalins economic model, in 1953 Mao launched the first 5 year plan. This plan was to be extraordinarily successful. The first of his 5 year plans set high production targets in oil, steel, pig iron and chemical fertiliser. Most of these targets were achieved, notably steel production quadrupled. Mao was able to cut inflation down from 1000% to only 15% by introducing a new currency the Yuan. Maos reforms were all interlinked. He used his social reforms to back up his economic reforms. Mao made revolutionary changes to womens lives in modern China. New sets of laws were introduced giving women the right to work, education and custody rights over their children. This was a significant improvement from the harsh days of foot binding. Mao also deemed it important to educate the Chinese population, another success was his improvement of literacy, and by his death 90% of China was literate. Not only did Mao revolutionise Chinese social life, but he put an end to corruption the government. However, these changes were to contribute to the launch of the great leap forward in a crucial way, by giving women the right to work Mao had significantly enlarged his work force which was important considering his beliefs in mass mobilisation. By the time the he announced the launch of the great leap forward 70% of women were employed. The success of the first 5 year plan can be explained by several factors. The targets set were plausible and most importantly Mao had the help of Russian economic and agricultural experts. However Mao deeply mistrusted experts. Some may argue that this was one of the main reasons for launching the hundred flowers campaign. In order to lure out intellectuals and opposition Mao gave a speech in 1957. During this speech Mao encouraged the intelligentsia to constructively criticize the communist party. At first the movement was slow to take of but once Mao forced the media to get behind it, people started speaking their minds about Maos regime. Communist party members were being heavily criticized and the Chinese people demanded reform. Mao, not uncharacteristically decided to reverse the policy in May 1957. This was to result in a crackdown on the intelligentsia known as the anti rightist campaign. Over 300,000 people were sent to labour camps. The hundred flowers was not simply a way at removing the intelligentsia, it was a way of removing Maos opponents, and this was to make the launch of the Great leap forward less difficult and certainly less questioned for the few experts that remained would be too terrified of speaking against the communist party chairman. The scene is now set for the introduction of the Great Leap Forward. Mao dreamed of transforming China into one of the worlds leading economic powers. Maos dream was to become Chinas nightmare with the launch of the great leap forward in 1958. Maos goal was to transform China into an economic superpower overnight. Many peasants knew little of what the Great Leap forward was for, most thought it was simply a plan to overtake major capitalist countries. However, to serve a higher purpose, Mao saw nuclear power as an essential element to become a superpower. However Maos secrete ambition was expensive. In order to mobilise labour, Mao had to further collectivise cooperatives in the rural parts of China. Mao believed that industry and agriculture were equally important, hence the slogan walking on two legs. However, the first 5 year plan had been beneficial to industry but agriculture had stagnated. One of Maos main concerns was Chinas population was outgrowing food production. In 1957 food production had grown 1% whilst the population had grown by 2%. Mao was distraught by the fact that the countrysides production was being used up in by the rural population. This posed a real economic problem for China. It meant that industry was not going to be sufficiently supported by agriculture and thus meant that Maos ambitions could not be realised. Maos answer to this problem was to decentralise control and enable enlarged agricultural units produce food and industrial products. These new super collectives would be known as Peoples Communes. These communes were under the control of local cadres whos main order were to extract as much labour as possible from the peasants. These cadres forced peasants were forced to hand over their property, thus reversing his policy of Land reform. The first of people communes was created in Henan in April 1958. It was composted of 27 collectives with over 9369 households joined together, by December 1958, 740,000 cooperatives had been turned into 26,000 communes. Mao had successfully militarised Chinas society, militia units squads were formed and were composed of everyone between 15 to 20 years of age. Living conditions in the communes were nothing short of appalling. Peasants eat, slept and washed together. All privacy was swept away from them, Mao even considered getting rid of peoples names and replacing them with numbers. According to Jung Chang and Jon Halliday Mao aim was to dehumanise Chinas 550 million peasants and turn them into the human equivalent of draft animals Mao had betrayed the peasants and was going to trade the peasants life for economic growth. Mao expected far too much from these communes. This may explain why the harvest predictions were astronomically high. Mao would have done well to examine the previous harvesting results. The normal yield was a ton per acre. The previous harvest of 1957 yielded a poor 195 million tons of grain. In 1958 Mao announced that the harvest figures for that year had been 430 million tons, western experts place this figure around 200 million tons. This demonstrates how much the production figures were exaggerated. Mao s political secretary Chen Boda told Mao that China was accomplishing in a day what it took capitalist states 20 years to accomplish. Production actually decreased during the Great Leap Forward by significant amounts, the harvest of 1959 was yielded a disappointing 170 million tons the CCP reported it at 282 million tons. This figure was to get even lower in 1960 when it fell to 143 million tons. This can be attributed to poor agricultural techniques. Close planting and deep ploughing were considered to be at the hear t of agricultural success. During these years Mao was asked how he intended to pay for his newly ordered soviet heavy machinery. Mao answered by claiming that China has unlimited food supplies. Consequently China increased its food exports towards Russia.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

The morality of toture: Suspected Criminals And Terrorists

The morality of toture: Suspected Criminals And Terrorists The principle of torture has been brought back into the forefront of philosophical debate following the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks in New York bringing about the War on Terror. So much so, that torture has been considered as a way of combating problems with suspected criminals and terrorists. The matter of torture has been the centre of legal discussion, often being juxtaposed against the human rights issue. Cases such as Abu Ghraib, the prison in Iraq and the detainees held at Guantà ¡namo Bay, have increased the publics awareness of issues surrounding torture, and have fuelled debates concerning the true liberalness of democratic countries; which countries like the US are supposed to encapsulate. What is more, should these democracies be condemning morally wrong topics like torture, or should their prime concern be the safety and security of its citizens? Furthermore, how can these two ideas be reconciled, and what implications will this have for the law? Why Is Torture Morally Wrong? It is fundamental to the understanding of this debate to recognise why torture is seen as inherently wrong with strong moral objections, and why it is regarded as a violation of rights. Only then, can we unravel its significance when posed with questions of terrorist threats and its repercussions on the legal system. If we are unable to dispel what it is about torture that we find morally inconceivable then it is hard to assess under what circumstances it can be practiced or even legitimised. Cesare Beccaria, wrote in his paper, Moral Protest, the impression made by pain may grow to such an extent that having filled the whole of the sensory field, it leaves the torture victim no freedom to do anything but choose the quickest route to relieving himself of the immediate pain. Thus, torture can be seen as posing two areas of concern, not only does it involve the application of extreme amounts of pain and suffering; it also infringes on a persons right to a fair trial. These both amount to why torture is morally wrong in its means of interrogating suspects. Within Western democracies, a key concept is the principle of human autonomy. Therefore, torture aims to completely disregard one of the essential foundations upon which democracy was built. It reduces a human to such a degree that they destroy all traces of individuality so that they are unable to make decisions. A tortured being is only capable of comprehending one thing; that being the urgency to be released from pain. It is this power that allows the torturer to gain the information or confession he wishes. In The moral wrongness of torture, Fatima Kola describes this state as an attempt to annihilate agency. Torture can annihilate agency because it seeks to lower the person to a standard in which they cannot make rational choices, being subject to physical or psychological torment. Hence, it is understandable why torture is considered morally wrong, and how anyone who accepts this as a means of interrogation must be able to justify the degradation of personal autonomy and human rights. We must also consider why it would be so morally repulsive to be tortured. Henry Shue believes that one of the main reasons for this is that it constitutes as an attack on the defenceless. This idea is furthered by Sussman who has a unique argument as to why torture is so repugnant. He states in, Whats Wrong with Torture? So construed, torture turns out to be not just an extreme form of cruelty, but the pre-eminent just an extreme form of cruelty, but the pre-eminent instance of a kind of forced self-betrayal. Thus torture is a distinctive kind of wrongness not often found in other acts. As what is embedded in the core of torture is the form of self-betrayal that it harbours. The victim if forced into a state of defencelessness and powerlessness. They are broken down until they lack all personal autonomy and rationality. Whats more, Sussmen believes that the victim is lowered to such a degree that their own body becomes their main attacker, leaving them to feel debased. Such a view t hen naturally finds the physical and emotional strains of torture as abhorrent, rendering it morally wrong in all circumstances. Alternative Arguments That Justify Torture Perhaps it is because society is no longer as shocked at images of torture that is has become more accepted within legal discussions. Exposure to scenes of pain and brutality in culture has allowed for people to be more open minded about the debate of torture. Yet, amongst this, two distinct arguments exist. There are those that believe torture can be morally justified where it prevents a greater devastation from occurring, that it is the lesser of two evils. Arguments from this standpoint are utilitarian, which allow the torturing of one life to save many innocent lives. The main focus for utilitarians is the end goal and the idea that torture can be justified according to the circumstances at the time. This is particularly important in terrorist cases, where utilitarians argue that a terrorist has lost his claim to a normal standard of human rights by endangering the lives of innocents, and therefore cannot expect to have the same amount of protection as an ordinary citizen. Henry Shue, gives a further explanation to justify acts of torture in that, since killing is worse than torture, killing is sometimes permitted, especially in war, we ought sometimes to permit torture. However this argument is flawed as there are other more important factors that need to be considered rather than just the degree of harm done. If we are to compare the acts of killing that take place in war to the torture of a suspected terrorist, then the most obvious difference is that in warfare, both parties have equal opportunities to kill or be killed. Whereas a terrorist or criminal who is being tortured is subject to the whim of the torturer. Thus, I do not believe this creates a valid argument to justify torture. On the other hand, there are those who believe torture should be absolutely prohibited, and that under no circumstance can it be morally justified. These arguments are based on a deontological view. Utilitarians claim this view is morally self-indulgent and sometimes it is acceptable to sacrifice your morality for the greater good. However, deontologists are criticised for their lack to reconcile with what is known as the ticking bomb scenario. One should consider the hypothetical example of where a man is aware of the location of a bomb that has been planted in a large shopping centre. He knows it will be detonated within the next few hours and the police have him detained. In this situation is it morally wrong to torture one person to find out the location of the bomb, in order to save the lives of many? In this most extreme situation, even the strictest deontologists cannot deny that torture may be justifiable to such a threat, despite it been inherently wrong. In this context the re are two conflicts at play. There is the moral consequence that exists in torturing someone; however this has to be balanced against the moral consequence of the death of many people, (it seems to be a simple matter of numbers.) Thus it is vital to consider this moral dilemma as a whole and as not individual parts. In this way, deontological morality is not completely lost by rendering utilitarian views as applicable. Moral deliberation can thus be settled by balancing the deontological objections of torture with the justification given by utilitarians, as Sussman argues, torture constitutes a moral wrong that requires more justification than killing. Thus, by focussing on the morality of the act, we are allowed to mediate between absolute prohibition and utilitarian ideas. However each circumstance gives rise to different issues on morality and torture, as not all situations will follow the ticking bomb scenario. At which point can you draw the line between appreciating the opposing demands and upholding moral integrity? As stated earlier, it is vital to look at the situation as a whole, made up of constituents, in order to weigh up where the morality lies. Only then is it possible to make credible conclusions and allow us to make a morally right decision. Implications For The Law For the law to include a provision for torture would be very brave, and require an act of moral courage. In Torture and Positive Law: Jurisprudence for The White House, Waldron argues that legalising torture will have negative ramifications on our legal system, leading to eventual malfunction. The basis of negating torture into law finds it origins in morality. The morally wrong nature of torture is reflected and reinforced by the law. The laws represent its regard for the superiority of human rights and its belief in personal autonomy. It embodies the concept that human life is sacred and must be shown respect. Therefore by including torture within the law it gives the impression that it is not disapproved in the same way and the moral integrity of the legal system becomes undermined. Promoting respect amongst your fellow citizens becomes a hypocritical concept, as torture is one of the worst offences against a person. This gives a tainted message to society as the law no longer pro hibits torture as a method of interrogation. Legalising torture will also have further international repercussions, especially for countries like the US and UK. These countries have a firm approach in not tolerating torture in other countries that do not give enough weight on the importance of human rights. By legitimising torture, these countries will be sending the wrong message to the rest of the world, implying that they encourage the State to use torture as a means to a way. R. Dworkin, in Laws Empire, believes that legalising torture could affect public morality. The law is a mechanism which guides citizens through their everyday lives, telling them the correct way to behave and what is acceptable conduct in society. In this way, prohibiting torture from the law mirrors the message of mutual respect and harmony that we wish to permeate through society. This could be compromised with the inclusion of torture within the legal system, lowering peoples standards of morality. The recognition of torture could have further affects on society through its interpretation; that people may find it suitable to be violent to those who they feel deserve it, thus generally increasing levels of crime. There is a risk that torture may not encompass a sense of inherent wrongness and taboo as it does now. As people become more open to its implications and practice, being confronted by its affects on a daily basis, so torture will become part of what is accepted. Therefore, the strength of the law will be severely undermined with the prohibition of torture no longer upheld to symbolise actions that can be regarded as morally wrong. As torture is claimed to be one of the most appalling acts that can be committed, its justification will lead to questions such as why other wrongs, which are considered as a lesser wrong than torture are not also legalised. Waldron concisely summarises this concept as the unravelling of the surrounding law. Sangeeta Mandhir, in Basing arguments for legalising torture on moral justifications, describes this as having a domino-type effect. In that once the prohibition of torture is challenged, it will be harder to justify why other acts such as battery, which is considered less offensive than torture, is not also made legal by law. Furthermore, if torture becomes legitimised, than the supposed guilt felt by the torturer is weakened. Since the act is no longer illegal it will justify his actions and so reduces the level of guilt, and in turn this is converse affects for what is seen as moral. If no guilt is felt then one cannot feel he has committed an immoral act. Indeed what makes torture worse for society is the justification in that it serves to benefit the community. This implies that society gives torture a mandate in which it can be implemented by allowing it into the legal system. As the torture is being carried out in the name of societys security and safety, citizens can be said to hold a shared responsibility for the shocking acts performed upon the victims of torture. Therefore, the State has multiple factors that are intrinsic when considering the legalising of torture. Consisting of not only of the end result, that being security for the nation; but also the upholding of liberal democratic values upon which society is based, so not to compromise principles such as liberty, integrity and human rights. Conclusion It is clear that for a debate on torture it is impossible not to consider morality, as the two concepts are inextricably linked. Torture, by definition in this essay is regarded as morally wrong and inherently abhorrent. Yet there seems to be circumstances for which people believe it could be the only course of action. Thus, if there are situations in which torture can be justified, should the State consider reversing the absolutist prohibition stance on torture within the legal system that exists today? In my opinion, the answer is no. Torture is fundamentally abusive to our morals and ethics. Its existence in society risks undermining the humanitarian principles that also exist. Despite the utilitarian views concerning the welfare of the greater good, what needs to be remembered is that the short term benefits for legalising torture for situations such as the ticking bomb scenario have to be measured against the long term consequences of legalising such a morally detested act, for its effects on society. I believe these two polar concepts can be reconciled through reasonable deontology. This approach allows for torture to occur in a situation that poses a serious threat to society, yet it does not justify the act and still remains firm on the view that torture should be legally prohibited in the law. As Jens David Ohlin in The Bounds of Necessity, believes, legalising torture opens a Pandoras Box of unsavoury consequences, especially for society. Society should not be allowed to excuse torture as a morally right way of interrogating criminals or suspected terrorists, for if this is allowed we stand to lose the fundamental principles that the law is supposed to uphold, thus changing the nature of societys moral commitments.