Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Susan Griffin and her Our Secret Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Susan Griffin and her Our Secret - Essay Example Susan Griffin and her "Our Secret" In the process of writing Our Secret Susan Griffin mixes two different styles. Thus, she resorts to the use of academic and personal writing. All her personal writing is combined with the insertions of scientific information. In fact, the beginning of Our Secret puzzles the readers with unexpected data about the nucleus of the cell: â€Å"The nucleus of the cell derives its name from the Latin nux, meaning nut. Like the stone in a cherry, it is found in the center of the cell, and like this stone, keeps its precious kernel in a shell†(Griffin 335). This information in the beginning of the writing seems to have no sense at first sight; it seems to have no connection with secrets. However, it is not so. The author just uses this phrase to start her research. She does not refer to the writers who give only perfunctory information. Susan Griffin is eager to find out the root of all secrets in her story. That is why she needs to conduct a research and think over the things that ha ve never been considered by other authors. Sometimes it may seem that Susan Griffin uses scientific information in order to compare it to the fates of her characters. That is why she assembles fragments juxtaposes seemingly unrelated material in surprising and suggestive relationships. Each page of Our Secret is broken into italicized inter-sections. In fact, Susan griffin’s prose is applied in order to create a ‘field’ for the bodies set in it. This author seems to create the story under consideration in order to investigate the issues that have interested her. Thus, Griffin’s writing is something like the result of hard intellectual work. It is impossible to conduct a research without the use of certain research methods. What research methods were applied by Susan Griffin, then? Of course, it is observation, comparison and data analysis. In the process of writing the author watches the fates of several characters of Our Secret. They are the following ones: Heinrich, Leo and Laura. All these three characters are unhappy. After observation the author makes an attempt to find out the reason for their misfortune. That is why she looks for facts that may help her by means of science. Sometimes the readers may come across rather odd comparisons. For instance, Griffin tries to find connections between humans to rockets and nucleus cells. The analysis of the data received by Susan Griffin gives her an opportunity to draw certain conclusions; she gets the findings of her thorough research. It turns out that human fate is closely connected with the seed sowed into it. One’s feature is frequently defined by his/her childhood. It is necessary to stress that the characters introduced to the reader had unhappy childhood that influenced their life greatly. Leo and Heinrich’s upbringing are the brightest examples to support this argument. Thus, it is known that Heinrich was deprived of his own childhood too early. This boy became an adult when he was only ten. Then period of c hildish joy was substituted by responsibility and seriousness. He could not enjoy his youth and carelessness just like all other boys did. The only thing he should have done was to obey his father and snitch on all his classmates. This was a
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Abortion: An Ethical Issue
Abortion: An Ethical Issue Abortion means terminating pregnancy. Abortion is widespread now days all over the world. Abortion is the most controversial subject when it comes to ethical issue. Ethical issues in abortion involve a constant battle between freedom and life. As per the article given in website www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/abortion, there are two groups of people: Pro-choice and Pro-life. Pro-choice people are for freedom. They consider it unethical to take away a womans right to decide over their own body. While pro-life people are for life. They consider it unethical to kill a growing life. Lets discuss in detail of both views. Prochoice people regard right to control ones own body as a key moral right. If women are not allowed to abort unwanted feotus they are deprived of this right.The foetus exists inside a womans body. A woman has the right to decide whether the foetus remains in her body, therefore a pregnant woman has the right to abort the foetus Pro-life advocates say that the right to life should always outweigh the right of an individual to equality or to control their own body. They raise arguments that abortion does not liberate women, but allows society not to cater to womens needs. They say that what women need for equality is not free access to abortion but to be given what they need to survive financially and socially as mothers. Further they hold that foetus is not a part of womans body like liver, kidney, lungs. It is a saperate Person inside the womb.Abortion means killing a human being or murder. Here they raise question that why woman or couple did not take precaution instead ? Why an innocent life is killed for someone elses mistake ? This also justifies the anti-abortion argument. Apart from Pro-life advocates there are other view against abortion like it is against feminist principle of justice, non-violence and non-discrimination. Another group objects abortion as they see it as a men plot. They argue that men see the risk of pregnancy as something that stops men having sex when they want it. If men are to achieve full sexual freedom it is essential that abortion be freely available to backup contraception. Summary: The issue of abortion is the most controversial issue. The advocates of Pro-life and Pro-choice have their own justifications. Pro-choice advocates hold that it is their right to have control over their own body. Pro-life advocates hold that from the very conception life start in the womb of a woman. It is actually a Person inside the womb. So, the question remains, Pro-life or pro-choice ? Critical analysis and evaluation of argument The fight between pro-life and pro-choice is an everlasting battle and the ethical dilemma. Lets analyze the arguments in context of two major philosophical theories: Teleological Theory and Deontological Theory, taken from the source: website: www.socyberty.com/Issues/Abortion-An-Ethical-Analyses First take a look at abortion from a Teleological point of view, it depends solely on consequences. Teleological theory is basically a Utilitarianism formulated by Jeremy and John Stuart Mill. This approach to morality and ethics hold that there is no universal basis for determining what is right. Main idea behind it is the principle of Utility. The principle focuses on the consequence of action, intentions are irrelevant, therefore breaking promise, lying, causing pain or killing someone may under certain circumstances be the right action and in other circumstances, wrong action. Applying this theory into the topic of abortion, question arises: Do I really need a child ? Am I ready for a baby ? Do I really want to give up all of my time to raise a baby ? or What if I am unhappy with a child. This theory seems to focus on a very selfish viewpoint of the situation. Utalitarian theory does not mean that a woman is selfish on her decision of abortion. Lets say a woman decides to have an abortion because she is not propared to have a child, she has no support: financial or emotional and she is still in school. The woman decides that it would be in her best interest to have abortion at this point. This woman can remain in school and not have to worry about bringing unplanned child, but just because this decision worked out well for her, was it the right decision ? Although this might seemed like a good decision, it still brings concerns and ethical dilemmas to our attention. Could she not have had child , found employment and stayed in school (as most people do)? Could she not have ultimately ended up being the happiest she has ever been because of this child coming into her life ? It might seem easy to determine ones own self interest, but do we sometimes take advantage of the choices we are given ? This question brings the case in the light of Deontological Theory. This theory is based on something other then the consequences of a persons actions. This theory has two approaches: Divine command Thoery and System of duties. Thomas Aquinas (1274-1275) was the proponent of Divine command theory. According to him the world is created by God. Whatever happens, happens with the will of God. Life is given and taken by him only. Human being doesnt have any right to take anyones life. A woman who followed the Divine Command theory might have done things differently in the same situation. She might not have based her decision on self interest, nor on consequences, but rather on something higher like God. God has given her this child to birth and care for. This also face criticism like how can we base a life altering decision on the belief that there is a higher power, God ? Immaneul Kant (1725-1805) is the leading proponent of Deontological Approach in decision making.. He formulated a System of Duties: Perfect duties and Imperfect duties. Perfect duties are to be followed in all circusmstances. In Perfect duties he mentions Not to kill an innocent person. Taking the pregnant womans case in this context, There is a Person inside her womb. From the time of conception in the womb, the child is, not just another part of the mothers tissue, but a saparate person. Abortion means killing of that Person. This faces critism that at the time of conceiving there is a just formation of cell having few tissues. Cells are created and destroyed continuously in our body. Both of these situations determine very different viewpoints, but how do we know which theory can be considered ethically moral ? There are many possible reasons a woman might choose to have an abortion, for example: to avoid interruption of life goals, the pregnancy is a result of rape, or to prevent birth of abnormal or diseased child, just to name a few. It is also obvious why some may consider abortion to be morally problematic, whether the reasons are based on religion, and the values of life. The truth is that each one of us is forced to decide how we feel about abortion, as we are with any ethical issue. So, the question remains, Pro-life or Pro-choice ? Personal Position: I personally feel that a woman should have the right to choose when it comes to abortion, but I will contradict myself under certain circumstances. In certain scenarios, the choice of abortion can be justified , but what about those who are just pure careless ? What about those who act carelessly because they know in the back of their minds that they have another alternative if something go unplanned ? For example: there are many teens that become pregnant because of carelessness in practicing safe sex. If these young girls knew that if they became pregnant, they had no option but to keep the child, would they be more careful ? Or would the number of teens who become pregnant remain the same ? I believe it would decrease.. Utilitarian approach of Teleological theory allows us to consider the Utility of child, it allows us to have second chance (abortion) should we make mistake or put health of ourselves at risk and kill unborn child. Divine Command theory does the exact opposite, it opens our eyes to new life, it leads us to believe that morality is based on God and the child was given to us by God. It also allows us to believe if our child had a deformity or disease, that it was meant to be and it is what makes our child special. It perceive us to believe that abortion would be wrong because the child was sent to us for a reason. So can abortion be ethical ? In my opinion, yes it can. It can be ethical when the choice is not being taken for granted. In conclusion, my research lead me to believe that while we have different theorys to agree or disagree with, abortion is a choice. I feel that when it comes to a decision of this kind, the ethicality of the situation is left only to that individual. As long as the women is presented with all options and alternatives, and she has the right to choose what she feels is best, regardless of our own personal feelings or religious beliefs towards abortion.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Essay example --
A libertarian would most likely be against this mandate on the grounds that a person should rightfully be compensated if they are to donate an organ and that should not be controlled by the government. A social democrat would most likely be in favor of such a mandate on the grounds that the government would not have to compensate organ donors thus essentially saving money for other practical healthcare matters. The organic view would be in favor of such a mandate on the grounds that the act of donating organs should be of voluntary nature anyways because such selfless acts would help promote the wellness of the community. I would expect a libertarian to be against such a mandate on the grounds that every person should be able to make their own personal choice as to whether they decide to wear a helmet or not. A social democrat would probably be in favor of such a mandate because it overall supports the safety of human life. The organic view towards this mandate would most likely be a favorable one because as more people use their helmets there is a higher likelihood of less casualties or serious injuries thus reducing potential healthcare costs. I would expect a libertarian to be against such a mandate on the grounds that every one person should be able to decide if their children should use safety seats and not it be forced upon them from the government. A social democrat would most likely take the stand in favor of the mandate as it promotes the safety of children’s lives. The organic view would most likely be in favor of the mandate on the grounds that these safety procedures would reduce possible healthcare costs and ultimately lead to fewer fatalities on the road. Libertarians would probably be against the prohibiting o... ... the 10 percent. At 0 percent interest rate, this project would reach a surplus revenue of 1 billion and at 5 percent it would reach a surplus revenue of 316.5 million. This is a vast discrepancy in such a small difference in interest rates. Now, if the interest rate were to be as high as 10 percent then there would be a deficit of 156.6 million. So the politician is incorrect in his statement and the interest is a huge factor in whether the government should consider funding for this project. These types of spending are most likely to occur in the federal budgeting process than individually because they are easier to hide if done so. If we are to expose the â€Å"pork†then we are more likely to see its minimal national benefit and also more likely to shoot it down. Therefore, such exposure may upset special interest groups or lobbyist who may be in favor of the â€Å"pork†.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Executive summary about wal-mart CSR Policy
Wal-Mart is a large company that deals with almost all areas of shopping and there are situated in United States and other parts of the world. Wal-Mart is known to have about 100 million customers alone in the United States and earns billions in profits. In a situation like this there are meant to reach out to those customers in one way or the other to prove to them that they are appreciated thereby nurturing and maintaining the relationship with customers and other people of the world, these are the reasons why Wal-Mart rolled out their CSR policy to this effect.As a consumer, going through this policy would encourage them and keep their heart to the store. Whenever they think of shopping, they think of Wal-Mart. There are many superstores around and the once a customer decides to go to, is based on choice. This choice is motivated by the attitude of the store to a particular customer. So this policy should be encouraged so as keep the customer coming back , because this is the only way to kept the business going and growing.In addition, as an associate supplier, I would encourage this CSR policy in other to increase my sales and put money in my pocket and increase the gross income of Wal-Mart.I am very much in support of their CSR policy going by the areas, which there go into to affect, change and better the life of people.CSR PROJECTS OF WALMARTEnvironment: Wal-Mart is a company that manufactures thousands of junks everyday, and in their quest for a safe environment, for all, I think would go a long way in bringing the heart of people to them.Community projects: It is also a wonderful idea for Wal-Mart to work with voluntary organizations like Red Cross, Unicef, United Way, Special Olympics. A good collaboration with this organization would be a speedy way to reaching millions of life all over the world and I know thee action is boosting their image worldwide.People: For a quest to provide better service to customers worldwide, I believe their effor ts on staffs and associates to make them effective would help a lot. Offering assistance such as training, scholarships, and many other programs to make them happy and comfortable.Disaster Relief: Assisting disaster victims like that of flood, earthquake, fire, and disease would is also a good way of exhibiting a kind gesture.THE MOST SIGNIFICANT COPERATE POLICY.However, the most significant of all policy carried out by Wal-Mart is their policy on environment. I give kudos to that. Based on the speech made by their executive on their policy on cooperate policy on environment, I am made to understand that they are to begin the manufacturing of 100% recyclable goods and packs. There is also an attempt to reduce their packaging by 5%. This would go a long way in reducing millions of junks in the environment and would be encouraging a healthier one for that matter.MY OPINION ON WALMART CSR POLICY AS A CUSTOMERAs a consumer who shops constantly with Wal-Mart, the CSR policy is a very lov ely one. It makes me feel like I am not shopping in vain. I just have it in mind that any time I shop in Wal-Mart, I am indirectly rendering a help to someone else and it makes me feel good that I am touching the life of someone out there.But sometimes I seem to wonder how this becomes so possible, after selling at a very cheap price, they still stretch out to lend a help hand, to me, this is heavenly and I will like Wal-Mart to keep up the good work. I also strongly believe that many other consumers out there are feeling the same way. Even as their aid is made public, it makes those that do not know about them to be informed.Reaching out to customer and letting them know that their patronage is appreciated would make them come back always and working on all means to deliver a quality service just gives the customer the mind set that every thing about Wal-Mart has quality.In summary, reaching out to customers in every means possible and making them feel and know that their money is worth it, keeps bringing them back.SURVEY CARRIED OUT ON OTHER CUSTOMERS (BOTH REAL AND POTENTIAL)Number of surveys carried out                                                  50Percentage supporters of CSR policy                                       85%Percentage non-supporters or CSR policy                                10%Percentage of undecided                                                             5%Percentage effect per-customer shopping rate                           20% (increase)Percentage (potential) increase in customer rate                        45%DERSCRIPTION OF TABLEThe table shows that they is a positive effect of the CSR policy on both in the rate of shopping and has a very good potential of increasing customers. This is because everyone would like to shop where he/she would get their money’s worth and would also be appreciated.MY OPINION ON WALMART CSR POLICY AS A SUPPLIERI, as a supplier to Wal-Mart is supporting their CSR policy. Based on popular demand, I have seen that Wal-Mart is a brand on the heart of millions of people all over the world. In addition, as a successful business venture, there are taking upon themselves some responsibility of the government, putting in lots of money to better the lives of people. I believe this is making them a responsible citizen. With this form of responsibility is supposed to be commended because they are giving back to the people what was given to them. Whatever way used by Wal-Mart to improve their excellence and service to customers would favor me as a supplier. Therefore, I believe that engaging in charity works, eradication of poverty, and assisting disaster victim is a well-directed effort.SURVEY CARRIED OUT ON OTHER ASSUMED ASSOCIATE SUPPLIERSNumber of surveys carried out                                                      50Percentage supporters of CSR policy                                            78%Percentage Non-supporters of CSR policy                                    22%Percentage positive effects on marketing strategy                         64%Percentage effect on sales                                                              35%DESCRIPTION OF TABLEWith this table above, it is seen that with a personal surveys and questionnaires carried out on assumed suppliers, it is discovered that there would be a very positive effect on the total business outfit if the policy were enforced.The views of about 39 supporters was based on better marketing strategy and the CSR policy would be the best so as to increase the income, reach out to 65% of customers worldwide, increase the aw areness of Wal-Mart by 64% and the gross earning could be increased to between 20% to 35%; this I believe would increase dividend per share.MY DECISION, EFFORTS, AND IDEAS.As a supplier who is in support of the efforts taken by Wal-Mart, I would seek possible way to improve in the products I supply to them. I would support them also by seeking a better packaging to reduce environment hazard thereby aiding the environmental section of the CSR policy. I would also seek out possible ways to join in the voluntary section. To put in my energy where seems necessary.Other ideas I would like to put in are by suggesting that Wal-Mart should also get involved with grass root talents. These can be done in the areas of entertainments and sports. Helping upcoming talents in the streets would also be one of the best and fastest way to reach the heart of the ordinary man. This idea is a very important one because in know that entertainment is a way of winning peoples heart.Programs to this effects could be organizing talent hunt shows, reality TV programs and any other forms of entertainment that you can lay your hands on and you know people loves so much, for examples music, soccer, football, basketball and all the rest of them.With additional efforts as these, we would be exercising a powerful marketing strategy.IN SUMMARY: I believe that all these actions being taken by both Wal-Mart and me a as a supplier is all part of the effort to market the company and an increase in come on both their side and mine. This is because I feel that if they grow, I grow, if they lose, I lose, so it is all about teamwork and service to humanity.EFFECT OF WALMART PRIVATE LABEL ON MY PRODCUT AS A SUPPLIERI have come to understand that the uses of Walmart private label on my products are very okay and do not harm them at all. It a phenomenon that the Wal-Mart private label is seen as a brand of quality, affordable and certified by customers. Therefore, since I have noticed that according to s tudy and experience that Wal-Mart label is always on the mind of customers, I allowed it and it goes a long way to increase sale.Therefore, having the private label of Wal-Mart would put more money in the pocket of the supplier.REFERENCES(1) Biesada, Alex. (2006, October 13). Hoover's.  â€Å"Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.†Retrieved.(2) Frank, T.A. (2006). â€Å"A Brief History of Wal-Mart.†The Washington Monthly, Retrieved, July 24, 2006.(3) Staff Writer. (, 2006, April 17) â€Å"Fortune 500.†CNN/Fortune.. Retrieved on July 15, 2007.(4) Staff Writer. (2007, April 16) â€Å"Fortune 500.†CNN/Fortune. Retrieved on July 15, 2007.(5) Staff Writer. (2005, October 25) â€Å"Is Wal-Mart Going Green?†MSNBC, Retrieved on November 8, 2007.(6) Koenig, David. (2006, March 22) â€Å"Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers.†ABC News.(7) Reyes, Sonia. (2006, August 23)†Study: Wal-Mart Private Brands Are Catching On.†Bra ndweek. August 21, 2006. Retrieved on August 30, 2006.(8) Ortiz, John. (2005, October 26) â€Å"Can Kroger Slow Wal-Mart?†Deseret Morning News. Retrieved on July 25, 2006.(9) The Rise of Wal-Mart. Frontline: Is Wal-Mart Good for America? (2004-11-16). Retrieved on 2007-09-19.(10)                   †¢Ã¢â‚¬ Neighborhood Markets.†Wal-Mart (http://walmartstores.com/GlobalWMStoresWeb/navigate.do?catg=504;contId=47). Retrieved on April 19, 2007.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Early Childhood Education Essay
He taonga te reo: Honouring te reo me ona tikanga1, the Maori language and culture, within early childhood education in Aotearoa2. Dr Jenny Ritchie, Associate Professor, Early Childhood Teacher Education, Unitec Institute of Technology, New Zealand Abstract This paper considers data from recent research which illustrates the ways in which tamariki (children), whanau (families) and educators are integrating the use of the Maori language within their everyday educational interactions, as mandated by the bilingual New Zealand early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki (Ministry of Education, 1996). Languages reflect cultures, expressing our deeper meanings and representations. Inscribed within verbal and non-verbal languages are our ways of being, knowing and doing (Martin, 2008). Jeanette Rhedding-Jones has inquired in her Norwegian multicultural context as to â€Å"What kinds of constructions are the monocultural professionals creating for cross-cultural meetings and mergings? †(2001, p. 5). What follows is an exploration of strategies by which Maori ways of being, knowing and doing are being enacted through the medium of te reo in early childhood centres. Introduction Te Whariki (Ministry of Education, 1996), the first bicultural education curriculum in Aotearoa, reaffirmed a commitment already widely acknowledged across the early childhood education sector in this country, to Te Tiriti o Waitangi3, and the validation and inclusion of te reo me ona tikanga4 as an integrated component of early childhood education programmes. Te Whariki contains strong clear statements of expectations for educators in terms of enacting te reo Maori within their teaching: New Zealand is the home of Maori language and culture: curriculum in early childhood settings should promote te reo and nga tikanga Maori, making them visible and affirming their value for children from all cultural backgrounds. Adults working with children should demonstrate an understanding of the different iwi and the meaning of whanau and whanaungatanga5 (Ministry of Education, 1996, p. 42) The juxtaposition of the promotion of te reo and tikanga alongside whanau and whanaungatanga is insightful. Previous research had identified that as early childhood 1 2 Te reo is the Maori language, tikanga are Maori beliefs, values and cultural practices. Aotearoa is a Maori name for New Zealand. 3 Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi, signed in 1840 between Maori chiefs and the British Crown, promised protections to Maori of their lands and taonga – everything of value to Maori , which includes their languages, beliefs, values and traditions. 4 Te reo is the Maori language and tikanga are Maori cultural practices. This phrase, literally, â€Å"the language and its cultural practices†demonstrates how intrinsically the language and culture are linked. 5 Iwi are tribes, whanau are families, and whanaungatanga is the building of relationships. 2 educators generate an environment reflective and inclusive of Maori values such as whanaungatanga, Maori families are more comfortable and become more involved within that early childhood setting (Ritchie, 2002). Te reo Maori has been severely jeopardised by the processes of colonisation. As Mere Skerrett has written: Maori ways of speaking were also colonised through the subjugation of te reo Maori, to be replaced by English. This, at times violent, process of colonisation caused a disruption in the intergenerational transmission of Maori language, Maori knowledge and, as a consequence, disrupted Maori lives and Maori societies. (2007, p. 7) Whanau Maori have consistently stated their preference that their children learn their language and culture within education contexts (AGB/McNair, 1992; M.Durie, 2001; Else, 1997; Te Puni Kokiri/Ministry of Maori Development, 1998) in affirmation of their identity as Maori, since â€Å"Te reo Maori serves as the medium through which symbolic and cultural components are properly united and Maoriness most appropriately expressed†(A. Durie, 1997, p. 152). Young children learn languages comparatively easily. Early childhood centres are a logical site for young children to have opportunities to learn te reo Maori, in naturalistic experiential ways, consistent with both early childhood and second language learning pedagogies (Cummins, 2001; Ritchie, 1994). This will only occur if we are able to provide them with a linguistically rich environment and authentic language models. It is reasonable that Maori parents might expect that their children will not acquire poor pronunciation of their own language from their educational experiences. Previous Research In 1999 as part of my doctoral research (Ritchie, 2002), I observed 13 different early childhood settings in the Waikato area (Ritchie, 1999). I noted that in most of the settings there was at least one staff member who attempted to use some Maori language. This was a stronger use of te reo than Pam Cubey observed in eight Wellington early childhood centres in 1992, when she reported that virtually no Maori language was heard (Cubey, 1992). During my observations, the most frequent usage of te reo Maori were ‘commands’, such as: â€Å"Haere mai ki te kai; E tu tamariki; E noho; Haere mai ki te whariki; Horoi o ringaringa†6. There were also instances of counting and naming colours in te reo Maori. Several staff repeatedly inserted single Maori nouns within some of their regular English sentences, for example, â€Å"Do you want some fruit? Some panana 6. Haere mai ki te kai – come and eat E tu tamariki – stand up children E noho- sit down Haere mai ki te whariki – come to the mat Horoi o ringaringa – wash your hands panana – banana aporo- apple taringa – ear(s) waha – mouth 3 or some aporo? Turn on your taringa, zip up your waha†. During my visits, eight of the 13 centres sang at least one song in te reo Maori, usually at structured mat-times, which were compulsory for all children. These teachers identified confidence and competence as barriers, because, as one teacher explained, â€Å"you feel like a real twit when it comes out wrong†. I was concerned that the available te reo Maori resources appeared to be under-utilised and that the range of language use was restricted to simple commands, the use of colour names and counting in Maori. This indicated reliance on a limited range of vocabulary, with little knowledge of Maori grammar. Teachers expressed their need for support and encouragement to broaden their ‘comfort zone’ beyond single words, to using complete and more complex phrases that represent linguistically authentic Maori structures. I suggested that teachers consider widening the range of formats in which they used Maori phrases. Recent data Whilst 6. 58% of registered early childhood teachers are Maori (Ministry of Education, 2007), only 1. 6% of New Zealanders of European ancestry speak Maori (Ministry of Social Development, 2007). Early childhood teachers’ use of te reo may seem encouraging in that 75% of Pakeha early childhood teachers said that they use some Maori whilst teaching, yet 70% of these teachers reported themselves as speaking Maori â€Å"not very well†(Harkess, 2004, p. 12). In 2006 we reported on a two-year study7 with a range of participants, which included early childhood educators, an Iwi Education Initiative8, teacher educators, specialist educators and professional learning providers, co-exploring strategies for supporting the involvement of whanau Maori within early childhood settings other than Kohanga Reo9 (Ritchie & Rau, 2006). Using narrative (Connelly & Clandinin, 1990; Schulz, Schroeder, & Brody, 1997) and Kaupapa Maori (Bishop, 2005; Smith, 1999, 2005) research methodologies, we explored early childhood educators’ strategies for encouraging the participation of whanau Maori within early childhood education settings, and ways for implementing understandings of commitments derived from Te Tiriti o Waitangi as expressed in the bicultural early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki, through the delivery of Tiriti-based programmes10. Participants in this study were those who were strongly committed to implementing Tiriti-based practice. Pedagogical enactment described in this study was consistent with 7 This project was funded through the Teaching Learning Research Initiative, a fund provided by the New Zealand Ministry of Education, and administered by NZCER. 8 We gratefully acknowledge the support and contribution of Kokiri Tuwaretoa Education Initiative to the Whakawhanaungatanga study. 9 Kohanga Reo are Maori-medium educational settings where young children are immersed in the Maori language and culture in a whanau-based context. 10 The term Tiriti-based practice is derived from a commitment to Te Tiriti oWaitangi, the treaty signed in 1840 by Maori chiefs and the British Crown, that legitimated the presence of immigrants, initially from Britain, alongside the tangata whenua, Maori, the indigenous people of this land. 4 a view of Maori language and cultural practices as being holistically and simultaneously performed. This enactment includes daily welcoming and spiritual rituals in te reo, and is inclusive of waiata11. This climate generated a sense of welcoming and safety for Maori families, which resulted in their increasing involvement in centre reo and tikanga implementation. An educator demonstrated how this whanau participation was integral within their early childhood centre programming: â€Å"In partnership with whanau we introduce new waiata each term, and tikanga experiences, such as, hangi, powhiri, harakeke, [and] legends of the whanau, hapu12, and iwi attending the service. †Other Maori co-researchers within the Whakawhanaungatanga research project also identified aspects of Te Ao Maori13 that they would like to see reflected within early childhood education and care settings. They considered it important that Maori parents and whanau sense a match between their values and those of educational settings. They valued a sense of whanaungatanga generated and enacted within the early childhood centre, whereby tamariki and whanau, kuia and kaumatua, and other whanau members such as â€Å"Aunties†(Martin, 2007) participated as a collective, learning and teaching alongside the teachers and children, educators sharing responsibility and demonstrating willingness to identify and support the needs of all members of that collective. In this vision, te reo Maori is modelled and integrated throughout the programme, with support for adults to increase their own facility with the language alongside their children, and there is ongoing everyday enactment of tikanga such as: rituals of welcoming and farewell; sharing of kai14; a value of inclusiveness; reference to Te Ao Wairua15 and nga Atua16, and annual celebrations such as Matariki. 17 Children, in this view are exposed to te reo as part of the daily enactment of Maori beliefs, values and practices. Co-researchers in this project demonstrated a commitment to integrating te reo and tikanga within their centre practice, in ways that were meaningful and contextual for children and families. Working with natural materials, such as harakeke (flax), provided a source of learning of traditional knowledge, involving the planting and care of the flax bushes, weaving of rourou18, children observing alongside adults, connected to the land and its spiritual significance, as Ana, a Playcentre kaiako, described: So even though we had those harakeke within our centre boundary, in our lawn, we knew that the pa harakeke19 of that harakeke that we had, came 11 12 Waiata are songs. Hangi are feasts cooked in earth ovens, powhiri are greeting ceremonies, harakeke is flax, and hapu are sub-tribes 13 Te Ao Maori is the Maori world. 14 Kai is food 15 Te Ao Wairua is the spiritual dimension. 16 Nga Atua are supernatural beings, or gods. 17 Matariki is the constellation whose arrival announces the Maori New Year. 18 Rourou are flax food baskets. 19 Pa harakeke are flax bushes, often planted as a source of flax for weaving and rongoa (medicinal remedies), and also refers metaphorically to the nurturing by the wider family of the offspring, the younger shoots. 5 from a bigger picture. And all the natural resources on our little wagon inside, in the area of where they go and make pictures and glue things and make structures out of the driftwood and put their shells and tie their shells on and harakeke, they might have been just in the rourou baskets, but we knew and the tamariki knew they come from this bigger picture out there in the whenua20, because they had gone to get them. So we brought our big world reality and our spiritual world reality into the bounds of that centre. Pania, a Maori kindergarten teacher, spoke of her bilingual approach as being like a whariki,21 †¦where you get two strands and you build them together to make your little kete22 or your whariki of learning. And [implementing a bilingual approach] is a way that I can facilitate my programme that is non-threatening. It’s an option for the child – and the parent – whether they would like to do it, but it’s also another teaching technique and a resource and a learning strategy. Daisy, a Pakeha kindergarten teacher, actively researched aspects of tikanga that she was interested in integrating into her teaching: I wrote a story and what I wanted to do was encompass the tikanga aspects on collecting kai moana23. I wanted it to be something Pakeha could grasp, something simple, that was really clear and conveying the tikanga aspects because it’s not just about going down to the beach and picking up a few pipis24, its deeper than that, there’s a lot of kaupapa25 behind it. How did I know about all the tikanga? â€â€I’ve never gone out collecting kai moana in my life? Research, korero26 with others more knowledgeable. As far as getting it to children it needs to be simple and straight-forward. The pipi story is focused on Tangaroa,27 the protocols around that. The tamariki seem to enjoy it, but in order to deepen their understanding, and extend the story, I set up the pipi hunt in the sandpit. So the story was a visual and a listening experience, whereas the pipi hunt was a tactile experience, so that then I think I would have managed to tap into every child’s way of learning. Daisy also involved whanau Maori of her centre in her planning, although she took primary responsibility for researching the reo and tikanga that was to be incorporated. Incorporating te reo and tikanga was more effective when educators were committed both individually and collectively to proactively integrating this within planning, teaching 20 Whenua is land. Whariki are woven flax mats. 22 A kete is a woven flax basket. 23 Kai moana are seafoods. 24 Pipi are cockles. 25 Kaupapa is philosophy. 26 Korero is talking. 27 Tangaroa is the Atua, supernatural being, or God, of the sea. 21 6 interactions, programme evaluation, and centre review. Many of the Pakeha coresearchers have worked hard over the years to increase their competence in te reo, and continue to do so, by taking courses. At Ariel’s childcare centre, all the teachers had attended a reo course offered in their local community. Penny, a kindergarten head teacher who was also studying te reo, explained that as her own confidence grew, and supported by her co-teacher, the quality of te reo within the centre programme continued to strengthen, as â€Å"the reo is fed in gently and quietly†. Respondents from the Hei Ara Kokiri Tuwaretoa Education Initiative data articulated aspirations for early childhood education services that envisioned all children as being supported to become biculturally and bilingually competent. The following example recognises the important role of early childhood services in offering quality models of te reo Maori: To be fully bicultural and therefore bilingual all children in Aotearoa/NZ should have the opportunity to learn to be fluent in Maori and English and develop understanding of both cultures’ world view. We need proficient Maori speaking teachers in all ECE learning environments. It is not enough to use Maori language in directives – information – acknowledgment contexts. We need to work towards providing environments where children can use the target language, be completely immersed in te reo Maori. We need to promote environments where the conscientization of language is constructed as normal to prevent dialogue being used by teachers to act on children. Teachers and children need to be using dialogue to work with each other – co-constructing. In order to reflect this, we need to provide environments rich in Maori language. We need proficient speaking Maori teachers! Regurgitating learnt phrases will not provide the opportunities for children to really conscientise their experiences, that is, thinking in Maori. Only a very high level of exposure in Maori will do that. Honouring the indigenous language and culture of this country remains an ongoing challenge for educators, particularly given the legacy of colonialistic arrogance that has limited access for many people, both Maori and non-Maori. Kaupapa Maori models are providing inspirational pedagogical models that honour te reo me ona tikanga (Skerrett, 2007). However, as the numbers of Maori children in education services other than kaupapa Maori remains high, the onus is on educators in these sectors to find strategies to provide Maori children and families with the language that is their birth-right and source of identity as affirmed by Article 30 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child (1989), which requires that: In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of Indigenous origin exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is Indigenous shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practise his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language. 7 Conclusion Maori continue to seek education provision that respects and honours their identity, including the linguistic affirmation of authentic models of te reo Maori (Robertson, Gunn, Lanumata, & Pryor, 2007). As early childhood educators seek to deliver on the expectations outlined in the early childhood curriculum, Te Whariki (Ministry of Education, 1996), there remain many challenges, not the least of which is the lack of linguistic competence in te reo Maori of the vast majority of teachers (Harkess, 2004). Our research indicates that educators who are dedicated to an ongoing journey of reflexive praxis founded in a commitment to social justice and the promise of Tiriti-based partnership are generating early childhood programmes which respectfully reflect the Maori language and culture, and this in turn encourages the participation of whanau Maori in these services. References AGB/McNair. (1992). Survey of Demand for Bilingual and Immersion Education in Maori. A Report to the Ministry of Education. Wellington: AGB/McNair. Bishop, R. (2005). Freeing Ourselves from Neocolonial Domination in Research: A Kaupapa Maori Approach to Creating Knowledge. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds. ), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (3rd ed. , pp. 109-164). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. Connelly, F. M., & Clandinin, D. J. (1990). Stories of Experience and Narrative Inquiry. Educational Researcher, 19(5), 2-14. Cubey, P. (1992). Responses to the Treaty of Waitangi in Early Childhood Care and Education. Unpublished M. Ed. Thesis, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington. Cummins, J. (Ed. ). (2001). Language, Power and Pedagogy: Bilingual Children in the Crossfire. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. Durie, A. (1997). Te Aka Matua. Keeping a Maori Identity. In P. Te Whaiti, M. McCarthy & A. Durie (Eds. ), Mai i Rangiatea. Maori Wellbeing and Development (pp. 142-162). Auckland: Auckland University Press with Bridget Williams Books. Durie, M. (2001). A Framework for Considering Maori Educational Advancement. Paper presented at the Hui Taumata Matauranga, Turangi/Taupo. Else, A. (1997). Maori Participation & Performance in Education. A Literature Review and Research Programme. Wellington: Ministry of Education. Harkess, C. (2004). Ethnicity in the Early Childhood Education Teacher-led Workforce. Demographic and Statistical Analysis Unit: Ministry of Education. 8 Martin, K. (2007). Making Tracks and Reconceptualising Aboriginal Early Childhood Education: An Aboriginal Australian Perspective. Childrenz Issues, 11(1), 15-20. Martin, K. (2008). Please knock before you enter. Aboriginal regulation of Outsiders and the implications for researchers. Teneriffe: Post Pressed. Ministry of Education. (1996). Te Whariki. He Whariki Matauranga mo nga Mokopuna o Aotearoa: Early Childhood Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media. Ministry of Education. (2007). Nga Haeata Matauranga. Education 2006/2007. Wellington: Ministry of Education. Annual Report on Maori Ministry of Social Development. (2007). The Social Report. Retrieved 30 July, 2008 from http://www. socialreport. msd. govt. nz/documents/sr07-cultural-identity. pdf Rhedding-Jones, J. (2001). Shifting Ethnicities: ‘Native informants’ and other theories from/for early childhood education. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 2(2), 135156. Ritchie, J. (1994). Literature Review on Pedagogy of Second Language Acquisition in Immersion Early Childhood Care and Education Settings Report to Te Puni Kokiri. Hamilton: University of Waikato. Ritchie, J. (1999). The Use of Te Reo Maori in Early Childhood Centres. Early Education, 20(Winter), 13-21. Ritchie, J. (2002). â€Å"It’s Becoming Part of Their Knowing†: A Study of Bicultural Development in an Early Childhood Teacher Education Setting in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Waikato, Hamilton. Ritchie, J. , & Rau, C. (2006). Whakawhanaungatanga. Partnerships in bicultural development in early childhood education. Final Report from the Teaching & Learning Research Initiative Project. Retrieved February 21, 2008, from: http://www. tlri. org. nz/pdfs/9207_finalreport. pdf Robertson, J. , Gunn, T. R. , Lanumata, T. , & Pryor, J. (2007). Parental decision making in relation to the use of Early Childhood Services. Report to the Ministry of Education. Wellington: Roy McKenzie Centre for the Study of Families & Ministry of Education. Schulz, R. , Schroeder, D. , & Brody, C. M. (1997). Collaborative narrative inquiry: fidelity and the ethics of caring in teacher research. Qualitative Studies in Education, 10(4), 473-485. Skerrett, M. (2007). Kia Tu Heipu: Languages frame, focus and colour our worlds. Childrenz Issues, 11(1), 6-14. 9 Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing methodologies. Research and Indigenous Peoples. London and Dunedin: Zed Books Ltd and University of Otago Press. Smith, L. T. (2005). On Tricky Ground: Researching the Native in the Age of Uncertainty. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds. ), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research (3rd ed. , pp. 85-107). Thousand Oaks, California: Sage. Te Puni Kokiri/Ministry of Maori Development. (1998). Making Education Work for Maori. Report on Consultation. Wellington: Te Puni Kokiri/Ministry of Maori Development. United Nations. (1989). United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved February 21, 2008, from: http://www. cyf. govt. nz/432_442. htm.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Punctuation Errors When Posing a Question
Punctuation Errors When Posing a Question Punctuation Errors When Posing a Question Punctuation Errors When Posing a Question By Mark Nichol When writers pose a question, or call attention to one, they sometimes impose unnecessary punctuation in the framing sentence. Here are a few examples of extraneous punctuation in such sentences. 1. â€Å"To pass a necessity test usually means a negative response to the question: ‘Can the same result be obtained by other means?’†A colon is correctly used only when it follows a complete thought; it serves as a traffic sign noting that what follows is a definition, expansion, or explanation. The question in question is none of these it’s just a question, and to precede it with a colon (or a comma) implies that it’s the only existing question. Delete colons in such constructions: â€Å"To pass a necessity test usually means a negative response to the question ‘Can the same result be obtained by other means?’†(And because the quotation is not attributed no one is credited with a â€Å"Smith said†type of attribution the comma that normally follows such a phrase is not necessary before the quotation here.) 2. â€Å"There remains the question: where, if at all, should we draw the line?†This sentence suffers from the same problem as the previous one. The question is not styled to suggest that it was actually uttered or can be uttered, although that is possible; it’s an unspoken expression of a problem to solve and can therefore be incorporated directly into the framing sentence: â€Å"There remains the question of where, if at all, we should draw the line.†3. â€Å"The question was how to translate and standardize these successful processes across a company that had several new divisions, a diverse global spread, and disparate technical platforms?†This sentence is correctly rendered in terms of the incorporation recommended for the previous example, but one problem remains no question is literally posed in the sentence, the syntax of which is declarative so interrogative punctuation is not appropriate: â€Å"The challenge was to translate and standardize these successful processes across a company that had several new divisions, a diverse global spread, and disparate technical platforms.†Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesAwoken or Awakened?15 Names and Descriptions of Effects
Monday, October 21, 2019
How to Conjugate the Irregular French Verb Offir
How to Conjugate the Irregular French Verb Offir Offrir (to offer, to provide, to give) is an irregular French -ir verb. Below are simple conjugations of the verb offrir; the conjugation table does not include compound tenses, which consist of a form of the auxiliary verb avoir with the past participle offert. Within irregular -ir verb conjugations, there are some patterns. Two groups exhibit similar characteristics and conjugation patterns. Then there is a final, large category of extremely irregular -ir verbs that follow no pattern. Offrir is an Irregular -ir- Verb Offrir lies in the second group of irregular -ir verbs that display a pattern. The second group of verbs includes couvrir, cueillir, dà ©couvrir, offrir, ouvrir, souffrir, and all their derivatives. These verbs, surprisingly, are all conjugated like regular -er verbs. Offir Is Conjugated Like French Verbs Ending in -frir and -vrir All French verbs that end in -frir or -vrir are conjugated this way. This includes: couvrir to coverdà ©couvrir to discoverouvrir to opensouffrir to sufferrecouvrir to recover Expressions and Usage Je peux toffrir bien davantage. I can offer you much more than that.Nous devons leur offrir pareille possibilità ©. We need to provide them with the same opportunity.Jallais vous offrir cette maison. I was going to give you this house.Je vais lui offrir du thà ©. Im going to give him some tea.Mais vous devez offrir limmunità ©. But youd have to offer us immunity.Jaimerais offrir une perspective diffà ©rente. Id like to offer a different perspective.Jaimerais que nous puissions offrir plus. I wish we were in a better position to offer more.Jaimerais lui offrir ma collection de coquillages. Id like to give her my shell collection.offrir quelque chose en cadeau quelquun  to give somebody something as a presentsoffrir [pronominal reflexive]  to offer / to give oneself [sexually] OR to offer ones servicessoffrir payer les dà ©gà ¢ts  to offer to pay for the damagesof frir [pronominal reciprocal] to give or buy each otherun seul moyen soffrait moi [pronominal intransitive] only one course of action was open / presented itself to me un panorama exceptionnel soffre au regard an amazing view meets the eyessoffrir de quelque chose [pronominal transitive] to treat oneself to something Simple Conjugations of the Irregular French -ir Verb Offrir Present Future Imperfect Present participle j offre offrirai offrais offrant tu offres offriras offrais il offre offrira offrait nous offrons offrirons offrions vous offrez offrirez offriez ils offrent offriront offraient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle offert Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive j offre offrirais offris offrisse tu offres offrirais offris offrisses il offre offrirait offrit offrt nous offrions offririons offrmes offrissions vous offriez offririez offrtes offrissiez ils offrent offriraient offrirent offrissent Imperative tu offre nous offrons vous offrez
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Marion Mahony Griffin, On the Wright Team
Marion Mahony Griffin, On the Wright Team Marion Mahony Griffin (born Marion Lucy Mahony February 14, 1871 in Chicago) was one of the first women to graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the first employee of Frank Lloyd Wright, the first woman to be licensed as an architect in Illinois, and some say the collaborative strength behind many successes attributed solely to her husband, Walter Burley Griffin. Mahony Griffin, a pioneer in a male-dominated profession, stood behind the men in her life, often foregoing attention to her own brilliant designs. After graduating from Bostons MIT in 1894, Mahony (pronounced MAH-nee) returned to Chicago to work with her cousin, another MIT alumnus, Dwight Perkins (1867–1941). The 1890s was an exciting time to be in Chicago, as it was being rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1871. A new building method for tall buildings was the grand experiment of the Chicago School, and the theory and practice of architectures relationship to American society was being debated. Mahony and Perkins were commissioned to design an 11-story venue for the Steinway company to sell pianos, but the upper floors became offices to social visionaries and many young architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright. Steinway Hall (1896-1970) became well-known as the place to go for discussions in design, building practices, and American social value. It was where relationships were forged and connections established. In 1895, Marion Mahony joined the Chicago studio of a young Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), where she worked for nearly 15 years. She formed a relationship with another employee named Walter Burley Griffin, five years younger than she, and in 1911 they married to form a partnership that lasted until his death in 1937. In addition to her home and furnishing designs, Mahony is widely praised for her architectural renderings. Inspired by the style of Japanese woodblock prints, Mahony created fluid and romantic ink and watercolor drawings decorated with flowing vines. Some architectural historians say that Marion Mahonys drawings were responsible for establishing the reputations of both Frank Lloyd Wright and Walter Burley Griffin. Her Wright renderings were published in Germany in 1910 and are said to have influenced the great modern architects Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. Mahonys lush drawings on 20-foot panels are credited for winning Walter Burley Griffin the prized commission to design the new capital city in Australia. Working in Australia and later in India, Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin built hundreds of Prairie-style houses and spread the style to distant parts of the world. Their unique Knitlock houses became a model for Frank Lloyd Wright when he designed his textile block houses in California. Like many other women who design buildings, Marion Mahony became lost in the shadow of her male associates. Today, her contributions to Frank Lloyd Wrights career and also to the career of her husband are being reexamined and reevaluated. Selected Independent Projects: 1902: All Souls Church in Evanston, Illinois1949: Magic of America, by Marion Mahony Griffin, and unpublished memoir with 1,400 typed pages and nearly 700 illustrations. Reproduced online by the Art Institute of Chicago. Mahonys Projects With Frank Lloyd Wright: While she worked for Frank Lloyd Wright, Marion Mahony designed furnishings, light fixtures, murals, mosaics, and leaded glass for many of his houses. After Wright left his first wife, Kitty, and moved to Europe in 1909, Mahony completed many of Wrights unfinished houses, in some cases serving as lead designer. Her credits include the 1909 David Amberg Residence, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the 1910 Adolph Mueller House in Decatur, Illinois. Mahonys Projects With Walter Burley Griffin: Marion Mahony met her husband, Walter Burley Griffin, when they both worked for Frank Lloyd Wright. Along with Wright, Griffin was a pioneer in the Prairie School of architecture. Mahony and Griffin worked together on the design of many Prairie Style houses, including the Cooley House, Monroe, Louisiana and the 1911 Niles Club Company in Niles, Michigan. Mahony Griffin drew 20-foot long watercolor perspectives for the prize-winning Town Plan for Canberra, Australia designed by her husband. In 1914, Marion and Walter moved to Australia to oversee the construction of the new capital city. Marion Mahony managed their Sydney office for over 20 years, training draftsmen and handling commissions, including these: 1924: Capitol Theatre, Melbourne, Australia1926: Ellen Mower Home, Castlecrag, New South Wales, Australia1926: Creswick Home, Castlecrag, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia1927: S.R. Salter Residence (Knitlock construction), Toorak, Victoria, Australia1927: Vaughan Griffin Home, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia The couple later practiced in India where she supervised the design of hundreds of Prairie Style houses along with university buildings and other public architecture. In 1937, Walter Burley Griffin died suddenly in an Indian hospital after gall bladder surgery, leaving his wife to complete their commissions in India and Australia. Mrs. Griffin was well-into her 60s when she returned to Chicago in 1939. She died on August 10, 1961 and is buried in Graceland Cemetery in Chicago. Her husbands remains are in Lucknow, northern India. Learn More: Beyond Architecture: Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin - America, Australia, India by Anne Watson, University of Illinois Press, 1999Marion Mahony Griffin - Drawing the Form of Nature, Debora Wood, ed., Block Museum, 2005Making Magic: The Marion Mahony Griffin Story by Glenda KorporaalMarion Mahony Reconsidered by David Van Zanten, University Of Chicago Press, 2011100 Women Architects in the Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright: A Girl is a Fellow Here, DVD, 2009 Sources: Press photo from the 2013 exhibition The Dream of a Century: the Griffins in Australias Capital, National Library of Australia, Exhibition Gallery; Rediscovering a Heroine of Chicago Architecture by Fred A. Bernstein, The New York Times, January 20, 2008; Marion Mahony Griffin by Anna Rubbo and Walter Burley Griffin by Adrienne Kabos and India by Professor Geoffrey Sherington on the website of the Walter Burley Griffin Society Inc. [accessed December 11, 2016]
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Choose a global business and critically analyse the organisational Essay
Choose a global business and critically analyse the organisational structure adopted by the company since 2008. Investigate the - Essay Example Some of the key products of the company are pointer telegraph, electric train, electron microscope, automation system, the most powerful gas turbine of the world as well as cardiac pacemaker. Siemens has been named the largest electronics company in the Europe by Bloomberg (Thiel, 2007). Strong labour resource acts as one of the major strengths for the company and it heavily depends on its workforce. The structure of the organization has undergone a major change in the last decade. Initially, the company was segmented into five primary divisions, such as Industry, Energy, Infrastructure and Cities, Healthcare and Siemens Financial Services (SFS) (Siemens, 2013b). All these divisions were administered by the CEO of the company. Each of the primary divisions has a large number of subsidiaries operating in nearly 190 countries in the world, both developed nations and underdeveloped nations. The global presence of the company is the basis of its competitiveness in the industry (Siemens, 2013c). Siemens has maintained organizational value on the grounds of quality standard of the products offered by the company, technological excellence of the production process, reliability and trust on the employees and its undeviating focus on international expansion. With expansion of business organizational structure had become complex due to long hierarchies and large number of corporate units under each of the five segments of the company. In the last decade, the company has come across a rough business terrain. During 2007 Siemens was accused of a huge bribery case. Corruption was rooted deep into the transactions of the company. This has given rise to considerable public scrutiny on the company and drew the company into controversies. It hampered the smooth functioning of the company which led the organizational leaders to adopt a major structural change in the organization. The new organizational structure has been aimed at making the organizational framework lean and flex ible. This paper presents a detailed study of the new organizational structure of the company and the positive and negative impacts this change has cast on the company’s strategic management, its corporate culture and functional aspects. Methodology This paper looks into the effects of organizational structural change on the management of the company and its long term performance. The study has focussed on the structural change made by Germany based multinational Siemens. This is a qualitative study made on information collected through review of existing literature as well as information available on company website. Only secondary sources of information have been used for this study. Sources of information include books, articles published in journals and working papers and online sources of information. The changes made in the organizational structure have been presented at first followed by the investigation of positive and negative aspects of these changes on different f actors affecting organizational performance. Main Findings Siemens has brought about major changes in the company and has adopted an altogether new structure. The management of the company has decided to maintain prime focus on three sectors. These are the industrial sector, the energy sector and the healthcare sector (Siemens, 2007). The company aims at staying close to the customers and acknowledge customers’ feedback at all levels of decision making of the company. The strategy focuses on
Friday, October 18, 2019
Contemporary Business Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Contemporary Business - Term Paper Example Business ethics concept has been used by many academic scholars to distinguish between successful and unsuccessful organizations. Academic scholars believe that business ethics can not only ensure organizational but fillip sustainable business growth also. Rationale behind Selecting Business Ethics as Contemporary Management Topic The study has selected business ethics in order to continue further analysis. Business ethics has emerged as an important management issue for companies in recent time. The study has selected business ethics in order to understand following learning outcomes: Many companies (read Nortel, Enron, Layman Brothers and others) have suffered the ill effect of poor business ethics in last two decades hence discussing contemporary issues related to business ethics can help the authour to gain knowledge about organizational sustainability. Business helps the organization to build sustainable representation in front of their stakeholders. Unethical business practice creates negative impact in the mind of both shareholders and stakeholders. In many cases it has been observed that government of a particular country takes legal action against organizations practicising unethical activities such as bankruptcy, fraud, misrepresentation of financial asset or fraud. Legal action against unethical organizations not only purturbs sustainability of them but negatively impacts shareholder’s interest. Studying business ethics will help author to understand importance of organizational sustainability in terms of financial perspective. Many companies of USA have understood importance of business ethis hence they have created ethical assistance lines for stakeholders to report ethical concern about business practice to them. Following diagram will show increase of concern related business ethics in recent times. (Source: Ferrell, Fraedrich, and Ferrell 222) Business Ethics There is a vast gap between ethics and self interest in the business practice. M any business executives emphasizes on self interest in order to fulfil personal prosperity instead of doing business for betterment of society. Objective of Business Ethics In 2003, Hooker has pointed out that main objective of business ethics is to create a guideline for companies to compete and sustain in the market without getting involved in financial fraud or any kind of deception. Importance of Business Ethics in Business Environment Reseach scholars have defined business ethics in multidimensional manner in order to cover broad spectrum of the topic. Hooker and other reaseach scholars have pointed out following guidelines for business ethics. Companies need to design a fair and transparent fair incentive and remuneration system for top level management executives in order to draw a clear picture of the company in front of share holders. Companies need to emphasize on maintaining interst of shareholders because they are the key drivers to maintain sustainibility of any organiz ation. Companies should implement transparent inter level business practices in order to refrain employees to commit fainancial fraud and perform in accordance with industry standards. Leading companies should not manipulate industry standards in order to create entry barrier for small firms. Companies should not involve in price discrimination because price discrimination not only perturbs industry equilibrium (read oligopolistic
Advantages and Disadvantages of Conducting Business Offshore Essay
Advantages and Disadvantages of Conducting Business Offshore - Essay Example Therefore, the tax reasons for offshore business are the principal factors in deciding to start the business offshore, though there are other advantages and disadvantage. Making a decision of conducting business offshore entails the motives of establishing a business for a given purpose in a country having different corporate and commercial laws. In fact, there are alternatives allowing solutions like organization of relationships, which are created between the stakeholders of the business contrary to the commercial laws. Consequently, this is a significant way of reducing the level of administrative duties regarding financial statements and tax return, which are not submitted or entries made in the commercial register. Nevertheless, the main objective of the paper is to explore the advantages and disadvantages of conducting business offshore (Gitman and McDaniel 44). Advantages One of the advantages of conducting business offshore relates to the investor or owner protection due to a nonymity that is considered a vital factor of investing. Therefore, there is an advantage associated with anonymity in the beginning phase of a business regarding the utilization of anonymous business with unknown owners. In fact, this is mainly for the purpose of protection against interference from the government bureaucracy and crime. Moreover, this reduces the regulations imposed on a certain business activity in situations such as transacting in business environments in less developed countries. An exemplary example is options regarding a trade of the foreign securities in a country with rules concerning the foreign exchange. Therefore, this makes the business to avoid being subjected to these regulations, given that these kinds of regulations are not common (Bertho 100). The other advantage relates to the taxes, where the international businesses seek ways of maximizing their profit through reduction of cost, which include the tax burden. Therefore, this has been a source of i nspiration for many counties in the world, whereby they reduce taxation imposed on international business in order to attract investors, since the business started through their ventures contributes significantly to the economy due to creation of employment. In this case, this is used as a way of utilizing the advantages provided by governments in this countries and the fiscal system in order to optimize profit or reduce the tax burden through the international tax planning (Committee on the Offshoring of Engineering 143). However, international tax planning has gained popularity due to inappropriateness associated with the taxation in the developed counties. In fact, there is cost incurred by the companies seeking to earn income from which tax is deducted, for example there are cost incurred due to assignment of variables or the sale securities. In situations when a company suffers losses associated with these activities, the subsidiaries that are established become helpful due to the suitability of the tax environment. Therefore, the businesses conducted offshore benefit substantially through minimization of the rate of income tax, where by the business environment can offer a chance for increasing number of tax deductions from revenue gathered from the transaction (Ramanathan 18). Disadvantages There are disadvantages associated with the offshore business, which makes its business model to be unsuitable for some investors. One of the reason is that is poses the threat of destroying the economy of a country, since there are numerous permanent jobs that are lost, while the increasing number
HOW FAST FOOD IN AMERICA EFFECTS THE GROWTH OF CHILD OBESITY Research Paper
HOW FAST FOOD IN AMERICA EFFECTS THE GROWTH OF CHILD OBESITY - Research Paper Example Such overweight and obese children are, often, the recipients of consistent harassment, cruel taunts, and likely, bullying. Unfortunately, the number of children falling into the category of obese, or well on their way to becoming obese, is growing and has been for some time. Why are children battling issues of obesity at younger and younger ages? There are multiple theories about the different aspects and elements of modern society that are contributory to the issue of childhood obesity. Many researchers favor the idea that it is the fast food industry that can, and should, be blamed for this unhealthy trend in childhood weight gain. Although, it is unlikely, that fast food alone can be held entirely responsible; however, it is most certainly a contributor. Background A child can be classified as overweight if their â€Å"body mass Index,†or BMI, is higher than the 85th percentile for their age and gender. Obesity is determined when a child’s BMI is at or above the 95 th percentile for their gender and age. The number of children that fall into these percentiles has, essentially, tripled over the last 3 decades. (Miller , Rosenbloom, and Silverstein 1) The dangers for children who are overweight or obese are at risk to contract or develop a number very serious diseases and conditions; cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and prediabetes, which can eventually evolve into actual diabetes. Children who are obese may, also, face unpleasant social isolation, which can lead to psychological and self esteem issues. Overweight and obese children are considerably more likely to grow up to me overweight and obese adults. At which point they, potentially, become even more at risk of developing the aforementioned conditions, but, also, joint problems and heightened risk of developing cancers of the prostate, cervix, breast, pancreas, bladder, and kidney to name a few. Given a bit more time, at this rate, obesity, or complications caused by it, will b ecome the number 1 cause of death in the United States.(Miller, Rosenbloom, and Silverstein 1) Because childhood obesity is a concern that does not seem to be slowing down or stopping, much research has been done to determine causes that have allowed childhood obesity to increase so much, preventions that can combat these modern causes, and treatments to improve the health and lives who are presently overweight or obese. There are a multitude of contributing factors, some genetic, others environmental, and some are related to the nature and quality of the food that they consume. ("Childhood Obesity") Fast food, like pizza, tacos, burgers and fries, and all the franchises open all times and hours, has earned a finger pointed their direction as the pan-ultimate cause of childhood obesity. Although not all researchers agree, but the fast food industry does absolutely play a significant part. Discussion The modern society we live in today is so very different from generations that came before us. The nature of jobs and entertainment have all become far more sedentary with all of the new technological advances; televisions, video games, and computers encourage longer and longer periods devoid of physical activity. The children are a product of that environment. It has, also, been determined that our modern world is far more dangerous than it once was, children’s parents are less comfortable with their children playing outside, parks and playgrounds are
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Gender Inequality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Gender Inequality - Research Paper Example This report stresses that there is statistical evidence regarding the roles of men and women in society. Men are paid better than women for the same services. Women possess less properties, physical assets, financial resources, and are not equal to men in education and technology usage. They word harder than men but it cannot be economically proved as they don’t get rewarded for that. Women are not independent in making decisions whether at home or the community they belong to. Cultural traditions and assumptions come in the way of treating women equally to men. They carry higher risk to violence and rape than men. Gender inequality is inherent in society as it is based on cultural beliefs, societal attitudes, power and independence. This essay makes a conclusion that the media watch-dogs should keep an eye on finding and checking gender stereotypes and partial attitude towards women. They should observe that regulation and standards are adhered to by speaking non-sexist language. Gender issues should be included in the production and use of media so that gender stereotypes no more remain a roadblock in the partnering of men and women in all aspects of life. It is a human rights responsibility also to eradicate negative gender behavior and attitude from all walks of life. Media and advertisement organizations need to be transparent in their policies if they are keen on discouraging gender based discrimination through policy initiatives, and increase their credibility rating. Only media can be the best platform to be used as a tool in empowering gender equality, which will result in economic and social growth.
Case Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1
Case Analysis - Coursework Example A company with the biggest presence in the cosmetics industry is Estee Lauder. Its products are unique. The qualities of the manufacturing capabilities of this company spark interest of any retailer Kohl’s. Kohl sales lately have been depleting, thus the company need a boost. The executives identified the cosmetics department as its biggest weakness since in comparison with the industry sales generated by the cosmetics departments of other retailer their fell 93% short in overall sales in comparison with the industry standard. In order to make the cosmetics initiative work this company utilized an innovative marketing strategy to get the ball rolling. This report analyzes the alliance formed by Estee Lauder and Kohl to bring cosmetics products to Kohl’s stores. The rare agreement Estee Lauder and Kohn entered was a marketing alliance based on Estee Lauder producing a new exclusive cosmetics brand for Kohl’s of top quality cosmetics which would not be associated in any way with the typical Estee Lauder products eventhough they would be suppliers. Branding is a marketing strategy that can pay off great dividends. Branding is strategy that creates value for a firm by investing the image of a brand through advertising and other marketing tactics in order to create customer loyalty which brings recurrent sales (Kotler). The branding strategy is also very attractive for a company since it creates a goodwill for the company due to the fact customer pay premium price for branded products. The benefits associated with offering an Estee Lauder based product line for Kohl include turning cosmetics business from a losing operation to a income generating department that could easily account for 1/7th in the total sale of the stores instead of th e current 1%. The profit margin of the company will rise and the customer traffic associated with cosmetics sales will indirectly boost overall sales since the
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Gender Inequality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Gender Inequality - Research Paper Example This report stresses that there is statistical evidence regarding the roles of men and women in society. Men are paid better than women for the same services. Women possess less properties, physical assets, financial resources, and are not equal to men in education and technology usage. They word harder than men but it cannot be economically proved as they don’t get rewarded for that. Women are not independent in making decisions whether at home or the community they belong to. Cultural traditions and assumptions come in the way of treating women equally to men. They carry higher risk to violence and rape than men. Gender inequality is inherent in society as it is based on cultural beliefs, societal attitudes, power and independence. This essay makes a conclusion that the media watch-dogs should keep an eye on finding and checking gender stereotypes and partial attitude towards women. They should observe that regulation and standards are adhered to by speaking non-sexist language. Gender issues should be included in the production and use of media so that gender stereotypes no more remain a roadblock in the partnering of men and women in all aspects of life. It is a human rights responsibility also to eradicate negative gender behavior and attitude from all walks of life. Media and advertisement organizations need to be transparent in their policies if they are keen on discouraging gender based discrimination through policy initiatives, and increase their credibility rating. Only media can be the best platform to be used as a tool in empowering gender equality, which will result in economic and social growth.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Research a medical topic of interest to you using professional medical Paper
A medical topic of interest to you using professional medical journals such as Jama, nursing or dental or physical, occupational, or speech journals - Research Paper Example This leaves prevention as the only feasible alternative to control the virus. The prevention is done through immunization of attenuated forms of the virus to induce the body to develop natural immunity against the virus (John, 2002). Cases of poliomyelitis have declined in the recent decades but it is still too early to celebrate. The elimination of the second of the three-poliovirus serotypes; type 2 was eliminated in 1999.This marked a milestone achievement and evidence that the global resolve to eliminate paralytic poliomyelitis is attainable. Improvements in immunization and continuous surveillance are ideal in the completion of eradication of polio (Samwel et al, 1991). The feat of polio eradication is highly supported by polio programs, innovations such as global positioning system, mapping, and strategies of immunization at transit points. It is strategic to declare polio as a global health emergency to arouse concerted efforts by countries globally to eliminate the disease. The shift from the use of oral polio vaccine (OPV) to inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) is timely and appropriate. This is because of the magnitude of reduced effectiveness of OPV in locations with high burden of enteric pathogens and diarrheal disease. This challenge can be more pronounced in some areas leaving children who have received several doses still vulnerable to polio attack. The development of viral genetic sequencing technology reveals that OPV viruses are capable of regaining fitness and neurovirulence when continuously transmitted from one person to the other. Based on the information of genetic attenuation, it is imperative that true elimination of polio means zero transmission of poliovirus .It is notable that vaccine viruses apart from being genetically prone to reversal to neurovirulence, are also epidemiologically prone to transmission to unvaccinated children thus causing polio outbreaks. To reduce the cost of the administration of IPV, it is
Monday, October 14, 2019
The Reality Of Platonic Relationships Sociology Essay
The Reality Of Platonic Relationships Sociology Essay Romantic relationships are characterized by feelings of passion, emotional reactions and physical attraction; and platonic relationships are characterized by the absence of physical attraction, passion or sex (Sippola, 1999). These two characterizations are very important for the scope of this paper because both are crucial to answer the question, Can men and women really be just friends? In the magazine Psychology Today, Clifford Lazarus wrote an article with an explanation to this question. Lazarus contends, for the most part, purely platonic relationships for heterosexual men and women are a myth (Lazarus, 2010). To support his contention, he refers to the reflexive nature of men and the reflective nature of women. Lazarus refers to a sexual desirability reflex, which men demonstrate towards women in prime reproductive age. This reflex suggests the immediate thoughts of males when first encountering females are whether or not he would like to have sex with her (Lazarus, 2010). Although, it is argued that females may exhibit the same thoughts, although not as frequently as with males, they tend to quickly move past this reflex. On the other hand, women generally want to determine the suitability of a potential partner. This suitability is referred to as a desire to look for potential long term, socioeconomic stability with a partner (Canary Dindia, 1998). Women therefore, tend to be more sexually reflective and choosier than males, while males tend to be more sexually reflexive than women. These reflexive and reflective drives can be linked to evolutionary theories. Males have an indefinite amount of sperm while females only have a predetermined amount of eggs for her life span (Lazarus, 2010). This suggests an explanation of why males may exhibit the above mentioned reflex more than females, and why females exhibit a determinable reflective drive. This article therefore concludes that purely platonic relationships in cross-sex friendships do not exist. The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast the conclusion of the Psychology Today article with scholarly research to determine if purely platonic cross-sex friendships can exist between heterosexual men and women. It is important to indicate that the articles conclusion assumes that a purely platonic relationship exists when both people in the relationship have never considered having a romantic relationship with each other. Through sexually charged flirtatious behavior and evolutionary theories, the first part of this paper will provide support for the articles conclusion that purely platonic cross-sex friendships are not possible. However, the second part of this paper will present evidence denouncing the preceding hypothesis by means of costs, romantic intentions and reasons to stay platonic. Flirtatious Behavior Both romantic and platonic relationships report flirtatious activity although frequencies in flirtatious behavior may differ (Egland, Spitzberg, Zormeier, 1996). Some examples of flirtatious behaviors include looking your friend or partner up and down, gazing in their eyes and smiling suggestively. When comparing results of the platonic cross-sex relationships to the romantic cross-sex relationships, platonic relationships engaged in flirtatious activity nearly as much as romantic relationships (Egland, et al., 1996). This finding bolsters the view that even in platonic relationships, flirtatious behavior is expressed. Furthermore, flirtatious behavior may be sexually charged. According to Henningsen, Braz, and Davies (2008), people engage in flirtatious behavior for six main reasons. First is sexual motivation, referring to ones desires to engage in sexual acts. Second, an individual may be relationally motivated, with the intention of moving from a platonic relationship to a romantic relationship. Third is fun motivation, referring to flirting to gain sexual excitement or thrill. Fourth is exploring motivation, referring to flirtatious behavior of platonic relationships to explore and see if positive feedback comes from the other person. Fifth is esteem motivation, which remarks on how gaining positive feedback from flirting may boost self esteem or arousal. And finally people flirt for instrumental motivation, which is flirting for possible access to rewards. Flirting is the primary apparatus to signal sexual and romantic accessibility (Guererro Chavez, 2005). All of the reasons people may flirt are charged with motives other than being platonic. Flirtation can be described as a subcategory of social-sexual communication (Henningsen, et al., 2008, p. 2). These social-sexual communications carry the connotation of being sexually charged, suggesting one person may have had sexual or romantic thoughts at one point in time in the relationship. This suggests that flirting is associated with sexual desire, or reasons other than what constitutes a platonic friendship (Henningsen, Braz, Davies, 2008). Flirtatious behavior is often intended to be interpreted in a way that carries sexual motive (Henningsen, et al., 2008). This implies that those in platonic relationships have an intended purpose or conscious motive to engage in it. For instance, platonic relationships that do not want to turn romantic voluntarily do not engage in flirtatious behavior (Guerrero Mongeau, 2008). This suggests that platonic relationships may be conscious of flirting, thus indicating that people engage in flirting through a particular motivation; in these instances a sexually charged motivation. Since platonic relationships do engage in flirtatious behavior with one another, there is reason to believe that the flirtatious behavior is sexually charged Furthermore, men may interpret expressed behavior from women differently than from what women intend. If women are not voluntarily trying to give flirtatious signals or signs of flirtatious behavior, men are much more readily apparent to interpret non-flirtatious signals as flirtatious (Canary Dindia, 1998). Therefore, even in an apparently platonic friendship, men may be misinterpreting these non-flirtatious signals as flirtatious, and therefore sexual as well, even if there is no intension to communicate flirtatious behavior. This implies even in some apparently platonic relationships, certain behaviors may signal signs of sexual desire unintentionally. CHECK THESE PRECEDING 3 PARAGRAPHS Evolutionary Views According to evolutionary theories, flirtatious behavior is contingent upon a desire to procreate (Canary Dindia, 1998). As mentioned in the article, men have a type of reflexive drive and women have a type of reflective drive (Lazarus, 2010). From an evolutionary stance, a look into interactions between men and women will reinforce these reflexive and reflective drives. Reflective and Reflexive Behavior Women are more likely to choose a partner or mate who exhibits status and resources, therefore being more reflective than males (Lazarus, 2010). Women are generally more interested in men with high resource potential (Canary Dindia, 1998). This indicates why women focus on a long term stable relationship; one which is able to support their offspring. On the other hand, men are much more likely to approach women who display more signs of flirtatious behavior (Canary Dindia, 1998). This indicates mens reflexive drive, indicating sexual thoughts or interest upon initial encounters (Lazarus, 2010). Interests of men and women vary depending on age group. Males prefer younger women, while women prefer older males as age ascends. Women tend to be more fertile when they are younger, while men tend to be more economically sufficient and successful as they grow older (Alterovitz Mendelsohn, 2009). This suggests men being more concerned with the fertility of women by preferring younger mates, while women reported being more concerned with male socioeconomic status, indicated by selecting older men (Alterovitz Mendelsohn, 2009). Parental Investment Theory Additionally, the female perception of older males having the resources to provide for their offspring and males having the impression to mate with a fertile female is consistent with the evolutionary theory of parental investments. Under parental investment theory, the investments of men and women differ. For example, a women needs to carry the offspring. On the other hand, men could technically end their investment of the offspring immediately after conception. As referenced by Tafoya (2006), womens potential for reproduction after conception is inhibited, while on the other hand men as quoted by Lazarus (2010), have their sperm constantly replenished. Furthermore, because of the paternity uncertainty hypothesis, a man can never know with absolute certainty that a child is his. On the contrary, even though the mother may not know who the father of her child is, this hypothesis holds that she will know for certain that she will pass her genes on to her offspring (Tafoya, 2006). Considering this hypothesis and the theory of parental investments, the reflexive nature of men and reflective nature of women are explained. A males reflexive drive can be explained since males never know if the child is theirs with absolute certainty and their investment need not go beyond conception (Tafoya, 2006). Therefore, males seem to exhibit lesser commitment, reinforcing their reflexive tendencies. Additionally, men are more likely to accept a short term mate of any overall quality than women. For instance, it is more probable that men rather than women select a short term mate whose overall qualities such as wealth, status and attractiveness are lacking. Men are also more likely than women to have a one night stand or participate in an affair (Li Kenrick, 2006). On the other hand, women know their genes will be passed on and are making more of a sacrifice from an evolutionary standpoint by the cessation of their potential reproduction. This indicates that females may be more selective about their mates as indicated in the article by reflective drives. Furthermore, women prefer resources and status when looking for a short term mate more than males. In fact, women prefer the same qualities in their short term mates as they do in their long term mates (Li Kenrick, 2006). This implies women exemplify this reflective drive in support of a potential parental investor, that being the potential mate. It is shown that mating as well as parenting is essential to success of offspring, which helps to explain the characteristics of these reflexive and reflective drives (Tafoya, 2006). However, evolutionary views not limited to parental investment theory. Friends with Benefits and Biosocial Theory Evolutionary theories are evident in friends with benefits relationships. Friends with benefits refer to non-romantic or platonic relationships who engage in sexual activities (McGinty, Knox, Zusman, 2007). Friends with benefits is not just a trend, but also is commonly engaged in. Nearly 60% of undergraduates reported having had an experience with a friends with benefits relationship (McGinty et al., 2007). This reinforces the instinctive sexual activity and sexual behavior with the opposite sex. Biosocial theory of evolution may inquire more deeply as to why friends with benefits occurs. Biosocial Theory predicts human behavior by looking to a persons genetic predisposition and their environment. Women show to be more emotionally involved in a friend with benefits relationship than men. Because women emphasize emotional attachment, it is argued that women do so in order to have a stable relationship (McGinty et al., 2007). In having a stable relationship, women need to rear their offspring, thus suggesting why women are more emotionally concerned with friends with benefits relationships than men. On the other hand, men are more sexually focused with the relationship. At times, men are shown to be involved in multiple friends with benefits relationships, thus strengthening the point that men exhibit a reflexive drive (McGinty et al., 2007). Furthermore, Schneider Kenny (2000) surveyed how rewarding and costly people see an opposite-sex platonic friendship. Sexual access was reported as a potential benefit of being in a cross-sex friendship, as well as a reported cost. For example, men may be friends with women as a means to gain sexual access, however, men report having less sexual access than women. This suggests men are more concerned with sexual access than women (Bleske Buss, 2000). This reinforces the idea of the reflexive nature of men. However, women are reported to be benefited when protected by an opposite sex friend. Though this is not shown to what extent this suggests a positive cue for women as mate potential, it has been suggested in a comparative study that males who protect their friends actually gain more sexual access. This was evident in a study of baboons, where the males protect the feeding grounds, and in return the female gives them periodic sexual access; therefore suggesting mens evolutionary drive for protecting women (Bleske Buss, 2000). Flirtatious behavior and evolutionary views support the reflexive and reflective tendencies of males and females, respectively. This suggests that men and women in platonic cross-sex friendships engage in sexually charged behavior. The preceding information also supports, as the article contends, that platonic relationships may not be feasible simply because of evolutionary drives (Lazarus, 2010). Although these findings reinforce the idea that purely platonic relationships do not exist, there is information to believe otherwise. The following research in categories of similar costs, romantic intent, and reasons to stay platonic indicate evidence against the preceding research, contending there may be reasons platonic relationships can exist without having intent for or a transition to romantic relationships. Similar Costs and Status Males and Females do not differ in how costly it is to be denied sex from the person in the friendship; the potential for rejection is perceived as low in cost for both sexes (Bleske Buss, 2000). This suggests that men and women may be able to be friends without worrying about sexual access. However, this information does support males and/or females think about sex. Since the potential cost for rejection was low, this implies the male and females evaluated each other before making the decision to become romantic (Bleske Buss, 2000). Therefore, this seems to be more closely related to the conclusion in the article, and more supportive of reflexive and reflective behavior than not. Even so, the status of the relationship may have an effect on the friendship. Although, ex-romantic partners report wanting a platonic relationship to turn romantic once again, a friend who has always been platonic would not want the relationship to turn romantic (Schneider Kenny, 2000). This indicates that how a relationship is initiated may have an actual impact on the relationship. Platonic friendships therefore, may exist depending on past experiences with the individual. This undermines the contention that platonic cross-sex friendships can never be platonic, since past experience can have an impact. Romantic Intent Romantic intent was not classified in the above article Why Men and Women Cant be Just Friends. Romantic intent can vary and impact relationships differently. In the strictly platonic relationships, cross-sex friends reported less contact, flirtation and activity compared to romantic relationships. Arguably, strictly platonic friendships do not flirt, touch and spend as much time with one another relative to mutually romantic relationships, possibly because doing so may jeopardize the friendship (Guererro Chavez, 2005). Furthermore, long term strictly platonic friendships can move past initial romantic intent. Friendships in the long term are shown to use maintenance behaviors such as less contact and flirtation as a means to not potentially ruin the platonic friendship (Guererro Chavez, 2005). These finding suggests strictly platonic and mutually romantic relationships do vary with romantic intent, and thus may not perceive one another as anything more than platonic friends. Reasons to Remain Platonic There are six motives as to why relationships should remain platonic. To safeguard the relationship, lack of or no attraction, network disapproval, third party, risk aversion and timeout. This order with safeguarding the relationship being most important implies that there is an intrinsic reason for relationships to remain purely platonic. The rewarding nature of the relationship may be seen as more rewarding than a relationship moving towards one that is romantic or sexual. For instance, a reward in a platonic relationship is the ability to share emotion and/ or gain support about external situations; the ability to disclose in the relationship. On the other hand, less rewarding factors may direct people to remain platonic as well. For example, one may feel that the friend in the relationship is not attractive, or one may not want to expose oneself to possible emotional instability (Messman, Canary, Hause, 2000). Thus, research suggests cross-sex platonic relationships may have str ong reasons for existing. Furthermore, all platonic friendships may not be sexually charged. The sexual challenge in cross-sex friendships, which refers to men and women being hardwired to be sexually attracted to one another, is said to only occur in a minority of cross-sex friendships. Furthermore, the sexual challenge may be linked to attraction of the spirit, rather than of the body. Thus, reinforcing that sexual challenges may not be accurately represented when referring to the sexual desire of men and women (Messman et al., 2000). Conclusion Flirtatious behavior and evolutionary theories strongly support the idea that there cannot be purely platonic relationships as indicated in the article. However, alternative research suggests platonic friendships may be possible; similar costs, subjective romantic intent, and reasons to remain reasons to remain platonic are evidence that friendships have some incentive to remain purely platonic. Although there is support for both sides, the underlying question is whether men and women together can have purely platonic friendships. Flirtatious behaviors as well as the evolutionary theories of biosocial and parental investment demonstrate that cross-sex platonic friendships are challenging. The majority of the information in the Why Men and Women Cant be Just Friends article does give credence to the majority of these findings. Although in light of these findings, the article seems to be narrow in its evaluation. The main point of the article contends that platonic relationships do not exist because of evolutionary reasoning based on reflexive and reflective drives (Lazarus, 2010). On the other hand, the article does not account for romantic intent, a significant part of relationships. The article assumes based on the first meeting of men and women that there are uncontrollable biological reactions which occur. Although these reactions tend to happen, the article should still account for the past and present status of the relationship, as well as each persons intent to whether or not they want a platonic or romantic friendship. Since the article fails to account for this romantic intent of a males and females, it therefore neglects the possibility of differences in perception; that is, how people view each other based on their past experience with that person (Messman et al., 2000). Moreover, long term platonic friendships vary in their romantic intent depending if maintenance behaviors are used. For instance, in a relationship that has always been platonic, both persons will use more maintenance behaviors to preserve their platonic friendship, in order to safeguard the friendship from moving towards romanticism. However, maintenance behaviors are also shown not to be useful. For instance, one of the people in the relationship may be denied a desired sexual progression (Guererro Chavez, 2005). Although there can be changes made to the article, the underlying argument is supported by the majority of research. Assuming a purely platonic relationship to be a cross-sex friendship where neither party has the thought of addressing a romantic relationship, or having desire for sexual activities; the existence of purely platonic relationships is slim. Platonic relationships engaging in flirtatious behavior carry a sexual connotation (Egland, et al., 1996). This implies that males and females even in platonic relationships may exhibit these reflexive and reflective drives. Furthermore, the differing parental investments for males and females bolster the sentiment regarding reflexive and reflective drives; this concerns why males invest less in their relationships while females invest more in their relationships (Li Kenrick, 2006; Tafoya, 2006). Additionally, the biosocial theory suggests evolutionary underpinnings consistent with reflexive and reflective behavior; these include se xual behavior in friends with benefits relationships and behaviors of rewards and costs. Therefore, the article and the preceding findings suggest that the existences of purely platonic cross-sex heterosexual relationships are unlikely.
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