Aqa as Philosophy Revision Notes †Reason and Experience Essay Example for Free

Aqa as Philosophy Revision Notes – Reason and Experience Essay Knowledge and Belief †¢ People can believe things that aren’t true. †¢ For you to know something, it must be true and you must believe it. †¢ Beliefs can be true or false. †¢ Beliefs can accidentally be true, but it isn’t knowledge. Types of Knowledge †¢ Analytic – true by definition – â€Å"Squares have 4 sides†. †¢ Synthetic – not analytic, true or false in the way the word is – â€Å"Ripe tomatoes are red†. †¢ A priori – doesn’t require sense experience to know – â€Å"all bachelors are unmarried†. †¢ A posteriori – can be established through sense experience – â€Å"Snow is white†. All Analytic propositions are known a priori. This doesn’t mean that all a priori propositions are analytic. The main question is â€Å"Are all synthetic propositions a posteriori? † i. e; do we have some knowledge that doesn’t come from sense experience? It is this question that forms the debate between rationalism and empiricism. Rationalism vs. Empiricism †¢ Main dividing questions are: â€Å"What are the sources of knowledge? †, â€Å"How do we acquire it? †, â€Å"How do we get concepts? †. †¢ Rationalism gives an important role to reason. †¢ Empiricism gives an important role to the senses. †¢ Why can’t we use both in acquiring knowledge? Rationalism. †¢ Rationalism claims that we can have synthetic a priori knowledge of the external world. Empiricism denies this. †¢ Rationalists argue that it’s possible for us to know some synthetic propositions about the world outside our own minds, e. g. Maths and morality. Empiricists argue that it is not. †¢ Both rationalists and empiricists accept that we naturally have certain thoughts and feelings inside our minds. Empiricism †¢ An advantage of empiricism is that it allows us to quickly see how we ascertain our knowledge – through our senses by perceiving how the world is, which is a causal process – it requires no mental reasoning. †¢ Empiricists also claim that this is how we acquire our concepts – through our senses. †¢ Once we understand the acquired concepts, we gain analytic knowledge. If we have knowledge that doesn’t come from sense experience – how do we get this knowledge? Rationalists argue that we either gain this knowledge from ‘rational intuition’ or ‘insight’, which allows us to gain this knowledge intellectually, or we just know these truths innately as part of our rational nature. Rationalists may also argue that some, or even all of our concepts are innate of come from rational insight. Do All Ideas Derive From Sense Experience? John Locke – Mind as a ‘Tabula Rasa’ †¢ Locke argues that all ideas derive from sense experience. †¢ He says that the mind at birth is a ‘tabula rasa’ – a blank slate that gets filled up with ideas from the senses. †¢ He refutes the claim of ‘innate ideas’. †¢ Ideas can either be part of a proposition: â€Å"He had the idea that it would be fun to take the day off†; or they can be concepts: â€Å"the idea of yellow†. †¢ Locke says that all our concepts derive from sense experience, and that we have no knowledge prior to sense experience. From Locke’s definition of ‘innate idea’, it follows that everyone with a mind should have the same ideas. However, there is no truth that every person (including people lacking reasoning skills) can assent and agree to. So perhaps, with Locke’s definition, innate ideas are ones that we known as soon as we gain the use of reason. Locke refutes this, saying that we aren’t lacking reason but the knowledge of ideas. For example, a child can’t know that â€Å"4 + 5 = 9† until the child can count up to 9 and has the idea of equality. It is the same thing as knowing that an apple is not a stick – it’s not a development of reason, just the gaining of knowledge of ideas. So therefore, if we must first acquire the concepts involved (through sense experience), the proposition cannot be innate, as no proposition is innate unless the concepts used are innate. Locke argues that the mind has no concepts from birth, and so no truths or concepts can be innate. A Different definition of ‘innate idea’ †¢ Locke’s definition and argument against innate ideas hasn’t been criticized †¢ People who believe in innate ideas don’t accept Locke’s definition †¢ Nativists maintain the view that innate ideas are those which cannot be gained from experience †¢ Nativists tend to argue on how concepts or knowledge can’t be acquired from sense experience †¢ Because we don’t know all concepts from birth, there is some point when we become aware of our concepts †¢ Rationalists argue that experience triggers our awareness of our innate concepts. Experience as a ‘Trigger’ †¢ Children begin to use certain ideas at certain time, and their capacities develop, so why can’t their concepts and knowledge also develop? †¢ Children begin to use certain ideas at certain times †¢ Experience still plays a role – a child must be exposed to the relevant stimuli for the knowledge to emerge, e. g.language. †¢ An idea is innate if it cannot be derived or justified by sense experience. Empiricists on Arguing Concepts John Locke 1. The senses let in ideas 2. These ideas furnish an ‘empty cabinet’ 3. The mind grows familiar with these ideas and they’re lodged in one’s memory 4. The mind then abstracts them, and learns general names for them 5. The mind then has ideas and the language by which it can describe them †¢ However, what does it mean to ‘let in ideas’? †¢ We contrast ideas with sensations, e. g. the sensation of yellow isn’t the same as the concept of yellow †¢ Locke fails to make this distinction David Hume †¢ Hume believes that we are directly aware of ‘perceptions’ †¢ Perceptions are then divided into ‘impressions’ and ‘ideas’ †¢ Both Locke and Hume divide impressions into ‘impressions of sensation’ and ‘impressions of reflection’ †¢ Impressions of sensation come from our sense data and that which we directly perceive †¢ Impressions of reflection derive from the experience of our mind, such as feeling emotions. †¢ Hume says that ideas are ‘faint copies’ of impressions †¢ Therefore, there are ideas of sensation (e. g. the idea of red) and ideas of reflection (e. g. the feeling of sadness, happiness) †¢ Concepts are a type of idea. †¢ Hume’s theory of how we acquire ideas (from copying them from impressions) is a theory of how we acquire concepts) †¢ Locke and Hume both have slightly different versions of how we acquire ideas with which we can think †¢ We start with experiences of the physical world which we get from sense data and experiences of our mind †¢ For Locke, this gives us ideas once we employ our memory to reflect on these experiences †¢ According to Locke, this makes it sound that the remembered experiences are the ideas with which we think †¢ Hume corrects this, and says that we remember and think with the copies of the sensory impressions. Simple and complex concepts †¢ A complex idea is just an idea made up of several different ideas, e. g. a complex idea (a dog) is made up of simple ideas like shape, colour and smell. †¢ This complex idea has a complex impression †¢ We can therefore form complex ideas by abstraction. †¢ As an objection, rationalism raises the question of where do non-empirical ideas come from? †¢ Empiricism is appealing, as we seem to intuitively trust our senses and it easily answers such questions. †¢ However, there are complex ideas that correspond to nothing from our sense experience, e. g. unicorns or God. †¢ So do all ideas derive from sense experience? †¢ Empiricists argue that these complex ideas are made up from simple ideas, which are copies of impressions (e. g. a unicorn is the simple concepts of a horse, a horn, and the colour white, and combined together they give us a unicorn) †¢ Hume and Locke argue that when creating complex ideas, one can only work with the materials that our impressions provide – simple ideas †¢ Complex ideas are no more than altering or abstracting these simple ideas †¢ Therefore, empiricists answer this rationalist objection So Are There Innate Concepts? †¢ What would an empiricists’ analysis of complex concepts like self, causality, substance, etc.be? †¢ These concepts must either be innate, or reached using a priori reasoning †¢ Hume accepts that these complex concepts cannot be derived from experience †¢ However, he states that each of these concepts has no application †¢ These concepts are confused, and we should always use concepts that can be derived from experience †¢ For example, we don’t experience our ‘self’, we experience a changing array of thoughts and feelings. †¢ To come up with the idea of ‘self’, we’ve confused similarity with identity †¢ We do the same with the idea of a physical object †¢ A physical object exists independently of experience, existing in 3d space. †¢ But can experience show us something that exists independently of experience? †¢ If I look at a desk, look away, and then look back again, the desk must have existed when I wasn’t looking at it. †¢ I can’t know that my experience was of the same desk, only that the experiences are similar †¢ When coming up with the concept of a physical object that exists independently of experience, I confuse similarity with identity. †¢ Hume concludes that these concepts are incoherent confusions †¢ This can be objected though †¢ This makes most of our common-sense understand and analysis of the  world incorrect – we know that our concepts are coherent. †¢ Empiricism now seems to challenging to accept, as it makes our concepts ‘illusory’. †¢ The fact that we cannot derive the aforementioned from experience shows that they are innate †¢ Empiricists therefore have a flawed argument – explaining our most abstract concepts is an argument that these concepts are not derived from experience. †¢ Does this therefore mean that they’re innate or arrived at through rational intuition? †¢ One reason to think they’re innate is that children use these concepts before they develop rational intuition. †¢ Rationalists therefore argue that experience is the trigger for the concept Does all knowledge about what exists rest on sense experience? Hume’s Fork †¢ We can have knowledge of two sorts of things: ‘Relations between ideas’, and ‘matters of fact’ †¢ Relations of ideas are propositions like ‘all sons have fathers’ †¢ Hume argue that all a priori knowledge must be analytic, and all knowledge of synthetic propositions must be a posteriori †¢ Anything that is not true by definition (‘matters of fact’) must be learned through the senses †¢ Hume’s ‘matters of fact’ are essentially analytic truths. Matters of Fact †¢ Hume says that the foundation of knowledge of matters of fact is what we experience here and now, or what we can remember †¢ All our knowledge that goes beyond the aforementioned rests on casual inference †¢ For example, if I receive a letter from a friend with a French postcard on it, I’ll believe that my friend is in France. †¢ I know this because I infer from post mark to place †¢ I think that where something is posted causes it to have a postmark from that place. †¢ If the letter was posted by my friend, I believe that he is in France. †¢ I ‘know’ this because I rely on past experiences. †¢ I don’t work out what causes what by thinking about it †¢ It is only our experience of effects and causes that brings us to infer what cause has what effect. †¢ Hume denies that this is ‘proof’ †¢ He says that knowledge of matters of fact, beyond what we’re experience here and now relies on induction and reasoning about probability. Induction and Deduction †¢ The terms relate to a type of argument †¢ Inductive is where the conclusion is not logically entailed by its premises, but supported by them †¢ If the premises are true, the conclusion is likely to be true. †¢ The French letter example is an example of inductive reasoning. †¢ A Deductive argument is an argument whose conclusion is logically entailed by its premises †¢ If the premises are true, the conclusion cannot be false †¢ E. g. Premise 1: Socrates is a man; Premise 2: All men are mortal; Conclusion: Socrates is mortal. Using a priori intuition and demonstration to establish claims of what exists †¢ Rationalists argue against Hume, saying that some claims about what exists can be grounded on a priori intuition. †¢ A priori demonstration, or deduction, is deduction that uses a priori premises †¢ Rational intuition is the view that you can discover the truth of a claim by thinking about it  Descartes †¢ Descartes says that we can establish the existence of the mind, the physical world and God through a priori reasoning. †¢ He attacks sense experience, and how they can deceive us †¢ We can’t tell if we’re being deceived by an evil demon through our senses, as what we are experiencing will be false †¢ We can establish that we think, and therefore we exist, even if our senses do deceive us (as we don’t need our senses to know our mind exists) †¢ This conclusion of thinking and doubting that we exist was gotten to by pure reasoning. †¢ He also establishes that the mind can exist from the body. †¢ Descartes says we don’t know what causes these experiences †¢ It could be an evil demon, God, or the physics world exists exactly how we perceive it. †¢ If it was God, it would mean he was a deceiver as we have a very strong tendency to trust our senses †¢ If it was a demon, God must have created this demon to deceive us, and because God is perfect by definition, this would mean God isn’t a deceiver, and so he can’t have made a demon – so there must be some kind of a real world †¢ Through a priori intuition and reasoning, Descartes says that the external world must exist, because God exists, and he would not deceive us. Conceptual Schemes and Their Philosophical Implications †¢ Humans don’t all have the same concepts †¢ There are two distinguishable elements to our experience: the data of the senses, and how this data’s interpreted by our concepts †¢ By the latter, it implies that different people would impose different conceptual scheme if they have different concepts. †¢ Conceptual relativism claims that because our conceptual scheme affect how people experience and understand reality, people with different conceptual schemes have different realities. An Implication: Conceptual relativism. †¢ We assume people have different ‘realities’ because we can’t translate their to ours †¢ It assumes language ‘constructs’ reality to say reality is relative to our conceptual schemes †¢ It would mean that reality is dependant on language, which isn’t true – we express our realities by language †¢ A proposition in one conceptual scheme can be true without needing to be express in another set of scheme. †¢ This means that there isn’t one set of scheme with how the world works †¢ An objection is that people argue that the relation between experience anc conceptual schemes doesn’t make sense. †¢ Benjamin Whorf says that languages organize our experience of the world †¢ This is like trying to organize a wardrobe itself and not the clothes in it †¢ If a conceptual scheme organizes our experience, then our experience must be comprised of individual experiences †¢ Conceptual scheme all have a set of experiences in common †¢ We can pick out individual experiences like smelling a flower, feeling cold, etc. †¢ Any conceptual scheme with these sorts of experiences will end up similar to our own, despite the concepts one hold and their language, and so translation between two different conceptual schemes will be possible. †¢ There may be small parts that can’t be translated, but this only leads to a very mild form of conceptual relativism. †¢ We can’t necessarily combine conceptual scheme †¢ An example is that we can have more or less colours in our vocabulary, and so can describe things in different ways. †¢ The Greeks thought that there was only one colour – bronze, and that everything else was a different shade of bronze. †¢ This doesn’t mean they saw everything in what we call ‘bronze’, it’s just how they described their experiences. †¢ We can therefore only state things depending on the concepts we have.

Apples Ethics And Supplier Code Of Conduct

Apples Ethics And Supplier Code Of Conduct Apple, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. Apple surpassed the software giant Microsoft, in May 2010 and secured the reputation of the largest and one of the most valuable companies of the era. The company operates 301 retail stores scattered across ten different countries as per August 2010. Its traditionally well known for its Mackintosh line of personal computers. As years passed by, Apple has gained a significance amount of reputation in the global market by the introductions of products such as iPad, iPhone and the latest introduced iPad. The following throws light on Apples supplier responsibility program, its code of ethics and also the controversy it was recently involved with electronic leader, Foxconn. Company Perspectives Apple Inc. is devoted to creating the finest music and personal computing experience for every single one of its users, from students to educators, business professionals to government officials and other consumers by means of ground-breaking hardware, software, internet offerings, peripherals, and services. Apples business approach powers its distinctive ability, through the design and progression of its personal operating system, hardware, and countless technologies and software applications, to provide its customers with the latest creations and simple solutions through outstanding innovative industrial design. Company History Before being able to produce some of the finest computer products we have nowadays, Apple went through countless processes and hurdles. Apple was established in 1976 by two college dropouts, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Also part of the team was Ronald Wayne, who was older and had personal assets of his own. Waynes uncertainty of the company worried him about the risk of investing his assets, and resulted with him selling his share back to Wozniak and Jobs for $800. That same share of the company would be worth over 3 billion dollars today (Linzmayer, 2011). The main objective of starting the company was to sell their first invention, The Apple I, which took place on January 3rd, 1977. It was successful for use at the time as it only included the most important parts: a straightforward motherboard plus CPU, RAM and very simple textual-video chips. Only a few months later, The Apple II was released during April, 1977. By the end of 1978, the United States saw Apple to be one of the fastest-emerging companies having its products available through 100 dealers. Apples development continued to grow with more and more developments and by December 1980, the company went public. Within only minutes, 4.6 million shares were sold at $22 each (Linzmayer, 2011). The company was formerly recognized as Apple Computer Inc., for the first 30 years, but later removed computer from its name to reflect its expansion into consumer electronics and wanted a better portrayal as a lifestyle powerhouse rather than just personal computers. It continued to produce some of its popular products today including the Macintosh line of computers, iPod, iPhone and the iPad. Apples attitude towards comprehensive artistic design as well as its unique advertising operations is just a few of many reasons why the company has created a distinctive reputation in todays computer industry (Linzmayer, 2011) Products Apples super stylish and exclusive product line has allowed it to create a distinct name for itself. Some of the popular Apple products include: iMac It is the vibrant and stylish all-in-one Macintosh desktop computer that offers a variety of features including a very rich desktop experience. The first model of the iMac that was released was the G3, and the latest iMac released towards the end of 2009. The new iMac comes with a smooth, professional look that redefined Apples known all in one model. iPod Touch The main turning point for Apples iPod line was the iPod Touch. It has been a massive success and customers are loyal to this brand as the company continues to update the device with the latest features. iPod Touch 3G is the latest of the model. iPhone The entire smart phone industry was revolutionized on June 29, 2007 when the iPhone was released. It was labeled by many to be the years best invention. Since the launch of the iPhone 4, 3 million units have been sold. Within the first weekend, 1.7 million were sold. iPad The product causing a lot of todays buzz is the iPad. 300000 units for sold on day one. It would be classified somewhat between a phone and a laptop. Users no longer have to choose between toys or tool as the iPad has all the technologies and features for both work and fun. Apples ethics: Controversies exist whenever a firm becomes big. We cannot really judge the actions of a firm as its just not one person who is in control. A firm consists of ethical and unethical employees. One of the most famous ethical dilemmas faced by apple was the Foxconn case. We would be looking at what apple has done to fix it in the next segment while right now we would be looking at some of the ethical and unethical practices at apple. Apple has raised its ethical standards due to a lot of pressures by outside parties. Apple was not considered ethical due to the issues that arose in china. However there were ethical standards that applied to people working at apple as it didnt flourish and become a billion dollar company just like that (Hyatt, 2010) Ethical codes of conduct are the basis of a company a company cannot exist without it as there would be no direction, motivation or discipline. Apple has separate ethical standards for employees at different rankings due to the fact that every position requires something different and each has specific criteria. Apple targets reasons that lead to unethical behavior and works on them so that they dont arise in the company. The code focuses on: Conflicts of interest, confidentiality, proper use and protection of the companys records and assets, insider trading, fair dealing, and reporting of illegal and unethical behavior .All the points are self explanatory. One of the main things that are encouraged at apple is feedback. Supervisors are expected to help workers understand and require them to provide feedback as it not only helps the supervisor understand the areas at which the workers lacks comprehending but also encourages and in turn motivates them (ILO, 2008). While the responsibi lity of officials like the president, chief executive officer and senior financial officers is to make sure that the company runs in accordance to the legal requirements and also to make sure that each violation is dealt with in an appropriate manner so as to make sure that the mistake is not made again (ILO, 2008). Apple is constantly changing so its policies get updated. It applied a policy called ranking and rating in which the sales metrics of the employees were hung up so that everyone could see. Even though the salary of the employees was not commission based it helped senior officials, as they could now see which workers werent selling much (Spence, 2010). The officials then tried looking for the root cause of the problem and provided training to those workers. This was one approach by apple to motivate but obviously some critics did think that it is not very effective. But the idea of trying and coming up with ways to make this better should be admirable (Hyatt, 2011)Â   Apples supplier code of conduct: Apple is holding suppliers accountable The reputation of apple has been drastically bruised due to its suppliers. Foxconn is one of the major supplier of apples products and the management practice there was put into the spotlight when workers started committing suicide. Steve Jobs was put a lot of pressure due to this as the public demanded an answer. He responded to this by the formation of a detailed supplier code of conduct. It covered expectations in these areas: management systems, labour and human rights, impact on the environment, ethics, health and safety (Hyatt, 2011). Management systems: Workers are required to be trained and well informed. It should be made sure that they provide feedback. Third party audits to eliminate chances of fraud and also to implement new and improved policies. A corrective action process in which mistakes are corrected and the process is then again followed up (Hyatt, 2011). Documentation and records are required to be checked by the management regularly and company policies are to be applied to the suppliers (Spence, 2010). Labor and human rights: Suppliers should make sure that they do not discriminate labor on the basis of things like sexual orientation or race. They should not hire underage workers, provide benefits and incentives, protect juvenile workers, be fair in treatment and do not require them to work for long periods as this is the main cause of strain and demotivation. Works should also not be required to pay large sums of money to employment agencies and wages should be sufficient. Impact on the environment: Suppliers are required to take permits when dealing with something that requires permission from the government. They should also dispose of their air, water and solid waste in such a manner that it doesnt harm the environment. And make sure that they do not dispose of toxic or hazardous substances (Hyatt, 2011). Health and safety: Workers should not be required to do things would be looked at as a health or safety risk for them. They should be given proper food as well as living space. There should also be worker health and safety committees on the premises (ILO, 2011) Ethics: Important documentation should be protected and there should be a degree of conditionality between the company and the supplier so they can easily disclose information to one another. Complaints should be taken into account and action should be taken immediately. Foxconn International Holdings Ltd. Foxconn International Holdings Ltd. is a multinational subsidiary of Hon Hai Precision Co Ltd., a Taiwanese company that is the worlds largest maker of electronic components (The Circuit Assembly Top 50 EMS Companies, 2009). According to the 2010 Fortune Global 500 Companies, Foxconn secured the 112th rank overall earning a profit of 2,291.7 and revenue of 59323.9 million dollars (Fortune Global 500, 2010). The companys primary focus was on providing vertically integrated manufacturing services for the handset industry. Foxconns employee count reaches more than half a million in China alone (Eyck, 2010). The founder of the company is Terry Gou, a billionaire, and has made Foxconn the worlds largest manufacturer of printed circuit boards spreading all over Asia, Europe and America. The majority of the companys sales to Asian customers is attributed to the Peoples Republic of China. The operational activities of the company are primarily located in China, then the United States, Mexico and other countries (Buetow, 2010). Foxconn Controversies Foxconn in the recent past has been involved in manufacturing in large quantities products for Apple viz., the iPod, iPad and the iPhone. Being one of the most renowned companies in the world, Foxconn has been involved in controversies mainly on how to manage employees (Jones, 2010). These initiated with the set-up of the Apple factory in Shenzhen, China. Apple was all over the news around the first week of Feb 10 not only for its sensational launch of the iPad, but also because of the high number of worker suicide in its Foxconn factory. Amidst all this, 12 Foxconn workers have already ended their lives this year, by jumping of the multi-story dormitories they live in or from the building during the very short duration of rest which they were given (Eyck, 2010). This crisis has urged the company to install safety nets in between the buildings as 20 more were stopped from killing themselves by the company authorities. At Longhua, there was a highly charged. This is because approximately 350,000 workers eat and otherwise live there, and during their protests, they had started chanting an insulting chant at Foxconn. The president of Foxconn, after heavy negotiations, said that the company would plan to move a significant portion of its workforce to a Western part of China, where they will be closer to their families. The case had become so out of control that the people who lived on the company premises had started calling the factory a Death Express. Management also had taken some steps toward controlling this phenomen on, such as creating a suicide hotline, and bringing monks to counter forces of evil. The Foxconn Empire employs about a million people, in the city of Shenzhen, across the city of Hong Kong. The premises of the industry contain 15 manufacturing buildings and they have dedicated one building to each customer. It was in these buildings where the suicides took place. The company made public a statement where it said that they have avoided a further 20 suicides. Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple upon hearing about the tragedy said that he found this incident very troubling and also mentioned that Apple always strives to provide the best jobs in a company with regard to understanding the working condition under the companys supply chain. There has been an alarming increase in the number of suicides, whose reasons are still not apparent. The culture of the workforce at Foxconn has been described as being run similar to a military. (Moore, 2010). Foxconns Unethical Management Working conditions The main reason for Foxconn being under the spotlight was because of its unethical management and working conditions which has been considered as the root cause of the deaths and suicides in the past one year. A report recently explains the toiling and the exhaustion caused by 12-hour shifts, workers prohibited from talking or interacting with co-workers and the pressure of just-in-time production in order to meet the high demand (Eyck, 2010). SACOM held a protest on the 8th of June which was the same day Apple launched its iPhone4. The demand of the protests initiated by the activists was to boycott all the Foxconn products (Eyck, 2010). Furthermore, a Chinese undercover team, filtered through the Longhua plant and gave the reporters they entire scenario of the industry. They reported by stating that the facilities were adequate but highly criticized their management. Hundreds of people work in the workshops and did not have the permission to even talk to their colleagues.. If so found, they would get a black mark on their record, be shouted at by their manager or even be fined. The report was followed adding Foxconns laying off of more than ten thousand workers due to the financial downturn and had been pressured to meet up with the demand for the Apple iPad due to its monumental success (Moore, 2010). The iPad appears to have placed immense strain on Foxconn workers which resulted in them in quitting jobs at the rate of 15,000 a month (Robins, 2010). The workers in the factory need practice to become really efficient and the new staff has to keep up. The workers that were asked about the working conditions stated that their hands would still keep on twitching when they are not working and mimic the motion as they were not able to relax their minds (Chang, 2010). The workers worked for an average of 120 hours per month, exceeding the limit set by Apply by 70 hours (Moore, 2010). Foxconn management style was regarded as severe and obstructed the code of ethics for managing employees. Apple therefore was urged upon to take appropriate steps if they were concerned about the health and safety of the workers (Crothall, 2010). Nevertheless, Apple has taken this issue into strict consideration and has urged Foxconn to do the same. These tragedies threw a very undesirable spotlight on the labor practices of Foxconn. After a few months of this incident, Foxconn has pledged to enhance work conditions, increase the pay, take into consideration of allowing workers to live closer to their homes aswell as reduce overtime hours. Conclusion Apple Inc. regardless of the recent controversies with Foxconn has reacted well and taken action in this regard under the guidance of Steve Jobs. After tremendous pressure from the labor organization in China, Steve Jobs has given this matter of utmost importance and high priority. Nevertheless, the situation in the province of Longhua has shown to improve. The Labor Department has agreed upon increasing the wages and to provide better facilities to the workers all around. Apple has lived up to its reputation of living up to its strong supplier responsibility program and its supplier code of conduct.

Psychological and Social Characteristic of Juvenile Offenders Essay

However, social interactions and socialization theories also have been a popular way to reason criminal behaviour. The followers of routine activity stated that if a child learns that for example stealing is one way to get what they want, they will do it again. All they need is motivation, suitable target and absence of guardians. At this point, we might notice a link with the above mentioned reasons (absence of father, or lack of loving treatment in family) which indicates that there is no one commonly accepted reason or special background what predicts criminal behaviour but it is a complex situation effected by a lot of complementary circumstances. In the following, the focus will fall on an analysis of a forensic psychological reports prepared for juvenile offenders and other reports of the characteristic of juvenile offenders. Presenting these results may help us to decide whether the previously mentioned reasons behind criminal behaviour comply or not. I am well-aware of the fa ct that is far not representative or not even close to decide the discussion about the psychological background of juvenile offenders but might be a good step to start. 2. Empirical researches of juvenile offenders Psychological reports are commonly requested by juvenile courts throughout the world to assist in determining the most appropriate options for juvenile offenders. The written report is the major vehicle for psychologists to communicate their assessment procedures, findings and recommendations. In 2003, Anthony Thompson and Megan Webster embarked upon to analyse 81 forensic psychological court reports on juvenile offenders. The results have shown that almost all of the young people who were ordered for assessment experienced multiple problem... ... and delinquency. They concluded that â€Å"proportionately more adjudicated delinquent children than public school children were learning disabled,† although self-report data indicated no significant differences in the incidence of delinquent activity. 3. Conclusion The aim of this short paper was to present different theoretical approaches and then tests them on empirical results and facts. Altogether we saw that there is no one coherent and eternal reason with which one could reason the criminal activity, however, a few factors such as broken family, lack of education and other different circumstances might contribute to criminal behaviour. This topic and further researches are highly relevant and desirable in order to create and maintain an efficient crime prevention system, which reacts to the possible risk factors and divert children from dangerous situations.

Beowulf The Epic Hero :: essays research papers

Beowulf the Epic Hero What does it mean to be a hero? Like anything else in this world, the definition of the word hero can be argued. Some may say that a hero can be passive, that is if he or she refrains from doing a certain action it makes them heroic. Others would argue that to be truly heroic the character must never turn tail and always face the obstacle head on even though he or she may die in the process. So is Beowulf a hero? Yes, Beowulf is a great epic hero, but his greatness comes only from his sword and not from his mind. In order to be a hero in an epic poem there were certain qualities you had to possess. First of all you had to be a male. It is rare to see any woman in epic poems taking on the role as hero. Women were usually only minor characters who are often not even named. Second of all you had to be a man of noble birth. Meaning that the hero had to be either a king, prince, knight or some other high-ranking person in society. Beowulf satisfies all of these requirements. He is the nephew of the king of the Geats, and son of a great warrior. As was common in literature up until recently, Beowulf’s mother was not named as well as Grendel’s mother. The slave character was not named too, which in my mind would indicate that women had little more status than slaves or property during the times of the Vikings. Fittingly enough, Beowulf’s sword even got a name, for it is by his sword that he earns his eternal fame and glory. However, besides the fact that Beowulf was of noble lineage and that he was a great warrior, he has some other noble qualities. On the plus side for Beowulf we can say that he was a pious warrior. Although he was from being a modest warrior, for he was anything but modest when it came to his great deeds of valor on the battlefield, he did credit Jesus for every success he has come across. This is not really a revolutionary idea for epic heroes, as we see the heroes of the Iliad, Odyssey, and the Aenied constantly praying to the gods for glory on the battlefield. The main difference is that they are pagans, and Beowulf is a Christian, which does not even really make sense because he was a Viking warrior and the Vikings were not Christians.

Memoirs are Not Completely True Essay -- Memoir Literature

Memoirs are a Challenging Sources for Attaining the Truth Memoirs have become an increasingly popular genre of literature. In light of not only their popularity but their influence on the audiences who read them, it is important for readers to consider the various motivations and influences that shape the narrative and the details of these stories. This is especially true of memoirs that are intended to educate the public on the instances of human rights abuse, in situations when the general public may know little else about the subject. When such a book is published with the intention of informing the public and galvanizing support for human rights, the author may have even more of an obligation to stick to the facts than he or she would if the purpose of the book were solely entertainment. This concern will be of particular interest to the readers of the Dean’s Book selection for fall 2006, The Aquariums of Pyongyang, a memoir written by a North Korean defector with the intention of exposing the human rights abuse in the North Korean government’s systematic use of enforced hard labor camps on its people. This memoir and others like it are extremely effective in spreading awareness of human rights violations. At the same time, however, the reader must be aware of numerous factors that shape and complicate the story that is told. According to Kay Schaffer, author of â€Å"Conjunctions: Life Narratives in the Field of Human Rights,† there is a growing market in America for books marketed as memoirs. Writers such as Dave Eggers, author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and David Sedaris, author of numerous short story collections that are based on his life experiences, have helped propel the memoir genr... ...(Fall 2000): 543-559. 05 March U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea. â€Å"Hidden Gulag, The: Exposing North Korea’s Prison Camps.† Ed. Richard Hawk. 2003. 16 Feb Walker, Barbara. â€Å"On Reading Soviet Memoirs: A History of the ‘Contemporaries’ Genre as an Institution of Russian Intelligentsia Culture from the 1790’s to the 1970’s.† Russian Review. 59.3 (July 2000): 327-352. 05 March Watson, Jinx Stapleton. â€Å"Reading Memoir to Make Sense of Sensitive Histories: Civil Rights Movement (USA), Apartheid South Africa & Cultural Revolution (China).† 22 Feb Wyatt, Edward. â€Å"Live on 'Oprah,' a Memoirist Is Kicked Out of the Book Club.† The New York Times. 27 January 2006: A1. 05 March com>

Goya foods Essay

Started in 1936, Goya food is more famous in the American market where it has targeted the diverse Hispanic market the in the new markets it is targeting. With its headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey the company deals in canned foods and other food products such as juice and cooking oil. Some of the major brand names in the market are extra virgin oil, Paela, Adobo and an assortment of designed recipes and mixes for the market. These products are spread out in four major industries †¢ Bakeries †¢ Beverage manufacture and bottling †¢ Coffee and tea manufacturing Fruit and vegetable processing †¢ Meat and food products processing †¢ Cereals and other foods processing Conrad Colon, the group’s marketing director says that the idea behind their vesting into different food products such as beans and rice is to transform ordinary products to Goya specials (Luther, 2008, pp 69). Ranked number 366 in the Forbes magazine largest private companies the company has shown that it is on its way from climbing form the small enterprises category to one of the top 20 multinationals. The firma has grown over time in size and form. At the moment the company is using its success in the American and South American market as a motivation to launch its products in the Asian market such as Singapore and Taiwan, Malaysia and Hong Kong otherwise known as the Asian tiger economies. These economies are currently experiencing very high economic growth. Consumer spending is on the rise as the welfare of the society improves (Thang, 2008, pp 28). Competitive analysis Goya Foods is to enter the market at the height of its success as a brand offering something more than the common. Its brand is synonymous with creativity in recipes (Luther, 2008, pp 67). In addition to this, Luther (2008 says that the company has transformed canned beans to more than canned beans to Goya beans. He notes that this is the notion that the company is riding high on: brand identification with quality and customer loyalty. Goya Foods, which had revenues of $713 million last year, has become synonymous with Hispanic packaged products of every persuasion. He cites the case where retail outlets and supermarkets have transformed form labeling Hispanic food aisles as so to Goya foods. This is against the traditional labeling systems where aisles are labeled as â€Å"Asian foods†. Of this, Conrad says â€Å"We have been selling our products for 60 years, so that some of our products, like our black beans, fruit nectars and olives, have become part of the culture†. The company has reciprocated this embrace with recognition of Hispanic culture such as celebrating the Puerto Rican Day Parade in New York. Advertising and promotion is done both in English and Spanish even in their websites (Telvin, 2006 pp110) Moving on to the culturally rich market could then be a turning point for the company and the market if the entry to the market is well strategized and the timing is correct. This gives the company a competitive advantage in that the markets in Asia have traditionally been shaped by the Asian culture. Making a move into the market would appear to critics as â€Å"banging your head on a wall. † This is more so because China has dominated the processed foods market in China and has manage to penetrate the US and European market. The strength of this growth in the market for Chinese products is pegged on low pricing other than brand name and quality. However, Colon sees this as a marvelous opportunity to challenge the status quo and introduce another culture in the market. He believes that the same cultural experimentation that has taken place in the US can be replicated in Asia using the right marketing strategies. He says their strength lies in the identification of the company’s brand name with Hispanic culture which is very important in targeting the culturally adventurous market in that region. Therefore, Goya’s entry into the Asian market can be viewed as a cultural export form the Hispanic world. Telvin (2006, pp112) sees that the 2005 donation by Goya foods to tsunami victims in South East Asia as courting strategy in the region before the marketer makes a lurk into the market. Goya Foods recognizes their major competitors in the American market are Del Monte, Can Agra and Kraft foods as shown in the company’s website. Del Monte is one of the largest competitors with a global presence well represented in Asia by its Del Monte Pacific branch. The growth of this Pacific branch serving the Asian and American market has been experiencing double digits growth since the turn of the millennium. Former Chairman of Del Monte Pacific, Tony Chew says that the company’s 100 plus years presence in the industry has created strong brand name for the company whose regional head marketer attributes to â€Å"leveraging our strengths in production, marketing, and distribution, and expanding our business through synergistic alliances or strategic acquisitions† One of the integration alliances are with the Cadbury Schweppes in US, Nabisco in Canada and Seven-up. Such alliances combined with an experienced management, strong financial base from shareholders and a long history has contributed to the company’s labeling as â€Å"one of Asia’s highest value creators† This has created a kind of market entry barrier in the market with a lot of customer loyalty and strategic alliances forming the base of the barriers. Industry forecast The bakeries industry as on of the very competitive market is expected to grow by 5% in 2009. This is a significant rise after the decrease in consumer spending hurt the market with estimated growth for 2008 only expected to be 2% in the American market. The growth will steady up to around 4% in the next four years as per market predictions. Colon attributes their continued growth and dominance in the Hispanic American market to â€Å"knowing the Hispanic market better than any competitor† through market research. Given that there exist many of opportunities in a country like Malaysia, good market research in the country should be expected to yield good results. According to an industry report on the status of the processed food industry in Malaysia the industry has a lot of opportunities short listed as flour based products such as pasta, biscuits, pre-mixes, frozen pastries and chocolate confectionery †¢ cereal-based products such as breakfast cereals, muesli and rolled oats †¢ pure fruit juices, orange juice concentrates, frozen vegetables, edible nuts and canned fruit †¢ condiments, seasoning and sauces †¢ nutritional snacks such as fruit rolls and yoghurt bars †¢ health foods and bars †¢ halal-processed meat such as corned beef CanAgra as a competitor to Goya deals in brands such as Rosarita, Blue bonnet and Gilroys foods is already making a gradual exit from the Asian market after years of disappointing sales by cutting operations. With an extra room created by CanAgra, Goya can enter the making to have a share of the profits. Canned, frozen food processing industry is experiencing good growth despite the fall in this year’s consumer spending which has hurt sales across all industries. This industry is expected to register a increment of 1% to 5% from last year’s and maintain the same in 2009. Subsequent years are estimated to see the industry fall back to 4%. This increase in growth is largely tied to increase in population. In addition, India’s processed food industry is growing at an average of 12% per year. Such opportunities exist for companies such as Goya to make full use of by venturing into the market. Goya’s product strategy Recognition of culture as the main selling pint by the company has been put into full utilization through market segmentation by culture. Goya recognizes that eating habits from one cultural grouping to the other changes a lot. Therefore the company has realized the need to satisfy all markets by segmenting the niche markets and developing specific products for that market. According to a link in the company’s website http://www. goya. com/english/recipes/recipe_category. html? id=6 the markets are divided into four major categories. These are Mexico, Central and South America, Spanish and the Caribbean. In each market there are various products in form of recipes that are unique to that market only. However, the aspect of cultural exchanges does allow variety in that cultural experimentation through Goya products is facilitated. The company has strategically made use of promotional and marketing campaigns that are well publicized. Alliances with traditional supermarkets and large retail outlets have helped in product placement as a form of advertising. In addition, the fact that Hispanic foods are all being labeled Goya is working well for the company’s policy. However, the same labeling can lead to loss of market. Poor quality products meant for the Hispanic market can be viewed by the market as belonging to Goya which is not the case and hence the company loses customer loyalty on the basis of poor quality products. This would d be against the company’s slogan: If it’s Goya, it has to be good. Profitability and budget analysis Increased commodity prices and decreased consumer sending has for the better of this year proved problematic to marketers. In a bid to remain afloat, Goya and her other industry competitors were forced to increase their prices. Therefore, as Kraft foods admitted their increase in profits this year was partly due to a 7% increase in the prices of their products. Again, going by the same argument, the target of Goya hitting the $1 billion mark this year in sales is definitely going to be a reality (Thang, 2008, pg 27). Del Monte as the other competitor has also reported profits at 11. 1%. Given that all the industries in which Goya operates are estimated to be on the rise ceteris paribus, then the market share for Goya in particular and to all the players in the industry is going to increase in the near future. Marked by such an increase in sales and profits, Goya is increasing her expenditure on marketing and promotional activities. Last year the company reportedly tripled its marketing budget to counter market encroachment by competitors. Again, there have been increased sponsorship and philanthoppy activities by the company. As a result more Americans in addition to the Latinos are turning to Goya foods for an alternative to the traditional American food to more stylized processed food.

New Historicism: The Wasteland Essay

T.S. Eliot’s highly influential 433-line modernist poem is perhaps the most famous and most written-about long poem of the twentieth-century. Eliot’s composition brings forth a reader to understand the work through its historical context and to understand cultural and intellectual history through this piece of literature, which documents the new discipline of the history of ideas. In other words, The Waste Land is subject to New Historicism to further understand the text of the poem and its relevance to history. T.S. Eliot’s poem, The Waste Land, was published in October of 1922. The 1920’s and 1930’s are often known as the interwar period. The decades were profoundly shaped by the dislocations of World War I and then the mounting crisis that led to World War II. These were decades of considerable dislocation in the West. Revolutionary regimes in several societies provided another source of change. New, authoritarian political systems were another r esponse to crisis, particularly after the Great Depression, in several parts of the world. All of this occurred even as resistance to European imperialism was mounting (Davies 938). In addition, the 1920’s was marked by major patterns. One of the first major patterns, Western Europe recovered from World War I incompletely, particularly in economics and politics. Cultural creativity was important, and several social developments marked real innovation. But political and economic structures and European diplomacy as well, rested on shaky foundations. World War I quickly shattered the confidence many Europeans had maintained around the turn of the twentieth-century. Although the ultimate effects of World War I involved Europe’s world position, the war also brought tremendous dislocation within Europe. Though some of the damage was quickly repaired, much of the damage persisted for the subsequent two decades. The key battlegrounds for four bloody years had been in Europe. The sheer rate of death and maiming, as well as the frustration of long periods of virtual stalemate, had had a devastating material and psychological impact on the European combatants. More than ten million Europeans had died. Vast amounts of property had been destroyed. Most governments had failed to tax their populations enough to pay for the war effort-lest they weaken domestic support-so huge debts accumulated, leading to inflationary pressure even before the war was over. Key prewar regimes were toppled when the German emperor abdicated and the Habsburg Empire collapsed (Rich 138). Interestingly enough, in the first part of Eliot’s The Wasteland, the German words â€Å"Bin gar keine Russin, stamm’ aus Litauen, echt deutsch ( Eliot, I. 12)† are spoken. The English translation is â€Å"Ià ¢â‚¬â„¢m not Russian at all; I come from Lithuania, a true German.† Both prior to and after these words are spoken, it is revealed that these are autobiographical fragments of a woman who not only recalls sledding in her childhood, but explicitly states that she is German and not Russian by any means. As stated in the previous paragraph, the Habsburg family was in no doubt defeated. These spoken words are important if the woman is a member of the spoken defeated Austrian family, although it is not ever revealed. Following World War I, Lithuania experienced the influence from the Soviet Union. The country of Lithuania was originally part of German territory until the post-war demands led to the partition of Lithuania from Germany and therefore, fell under control of the Soviet Union. The first section of The Waste Land can be seen as a dramatic monologue. The speakers in this section are seemingly frantic with their need to speak and to find an audience, but they ultimately find themselves surrounded by dead people, like in wars. Because this section is so short and the situations are somewhat confusing, the effect is not an overwhelming impression of a single character. Instead, the reader is left with the feeling of being confined in a crowd and unable to find an individual who appears to be familiar. This type of situation can be seen in any war when individuals are thrusted on the war front. During World War I, to protect themselves from the withering firepower of the artillery and machine guns of the opposing armies, British and German soldiers began to dig into the ground during and after the clashes along the Marne. Soon northern and western France was crisscrossed by miles and miles of entrenchments that frustrated- with staggering levels of dead and wounded-all attempts to break the stalemate between the opposing forces until well into 1918. The almost unimaginable killing power of the industrial technology wielded by the opposing European armies favored the defensive. Devastating artillery, the withering fire of machine guns, barbed wire barriers, and the use of poison gas turned the Western Front into a killing ground that offered no possibility to decisive victory to either side. The carnage reached unimaginable levels, with the Germans losing 850,000 men, the French 700,000 men, and the British over 400,000 in the single year of 1916 on just the Western Front (Davies 925). In so many ways, the war in Europe was centered on the ongoing and senselessness slaughter in the trenches. Levels of dead and wounded that would have been unimaginable before the war rose ever higher between 1915 and 1918. They were all the more tragic because neither side could break the stalemate; hundreds of thousands were killed or maimed to gain small patches of ground that were soon lost in counterattacks. Years of carnage made all too evident the lack of imagination to utter incompetence of most of the generals on both sides of the conflict. Few understood that mass assaults on mechanized defenses had become suicidal at this point in the industrial age. The aged officers in the higher commands and overmatched politicians soon demoted or dismissed those who sought to find creative ways out of the trench morass. With much of this history in perspective, T.S. Eliot conveys the destruction, or moreover, the aftermath of the first world war (Davies 952). The description Eliot gives in the second part of his poem, â€Å"The Fire Sermon†, â€Å"White bodies naked on the low damp ground and bones cast in a little low dry garret (Eliot, 193-194).† Although these two lines may be taken in a different context, from a reader’s perspective, one may conclude the title The Waste Land, deriving from this image. As discussed in the previous paragraph, the image of dead bodies and the bodies of the wounded in the trenches describes what appears to be a waste land. In many senses, Eliot also conveys some sort of anger. As the war dragged on without any sign that decisive victories could be won by either side, soldiers at the fronts across Europe grew resentful of the civilians back home. Their anger was focused on political leaders who cheered them on from the safety of the sidelines far to the rear. But the soldiers were also disturbed, more generally, by the patriotic zeal and insensitivity of the civilian populace, which had little sense of the horrors they were forced to endure at the front. In fact, the commitment of the civilians behind the lines and their hatred for the enemy was usually far more pronounced than that of the soldiers actually in combat (Roberts 911). Each of the powers remained able to mobilize ever larger numbers of soldiers and military resources, despite growing food shortages and privations on the homefronts. The governments responded by rationing resources and regulating production to head off potentially crippling labor disputes (Roberts 914). Eliot’s The Waste Land offers the reader a close depiction of the social turmoil that the European continent was in following the horrific World War I. Moreover, this poem, in many senses, is a reflection of personal emotions, and as a spiritual quest pertaining to Christian tenets. Any individual would conclude that after experiencing or witnessing horrific war events, a person of any caliber would be experiencing many emotions such as depression, anger, frustration, and fear, to name a few. It is not to assume T.S. Eliot was inspired to write the poem The Waste Land based on actual war events. Instead, this poem, as stated earlier, is a good depiction of what society was like through Eliot’s point of view. The Waste Land ultimately went on to record a hodgepodge of facts, ideas, superstitions, and interests born during the ordeal. This poem epitomizes the thoughts and feelings of the survivors of the World War I and post-World War I generation. Works Cited Barzun, Jacques. From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life. New York City: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000. Davies, Norman. Europe, A History: A Panorama of Europe, East and West, From the Ice Age to The Cold War, from The Urals to Gibraltar. New York City: First HarperPerennial, 1998. Eliot, T.S.. The Waste Land. In A Norton Critical Edition, Michael North, ed. New York City: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001. Rich, Norman. â€Å"The Habsburg Empire, 1790-1918.† Political Science Quarterly 87(1972): 137-138 Roberts, J.M.. The New History of the World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.