Be an Environmental Advocate Essay

As times have changed, so has our planet. Global warming has become a critical issue in today’s society, and it will not go away unless we do something about it. There are people all around the globe who have made the change and decided to be conscious of the health of our world. Unfortunately however, it is not enough. As long as the majority of society continues to rely on fossil fuels, continues to waste energy, and continues destroying forests, our planet will continue to suffer. If we are to change the fate of our beautiful planet, society as a whole must take immediate action. To make the world a better place, we all should become environmental advocates, and take a stand to save humanity. We must make environmentally conscious changes in our own lives, teach those around us, and lead by example to make a difference. Above all else, every single person on the planet must change the way they live day to day. We must be aware of every potential harmful affect of every activity we engage in. Every gallon of gas saved, light turned off, and computer unplugged will impact the future of the Earth. Emissions from fossil fuels are the cause of global warming, and presently our society relies on these fossil fuels to function on a daily basis. By carpooling, walking, turning off the air conditioner, and unplugging appliances that we are not using, we can each save a substantial amount of energy. If everyone does just a little, it will add up to a lot. Next we should each take the initiative to teach others about the importance of being environmentally conscious. Some people do not understand how critical global warming has become, and therefore, can only change by learning. Others do not realize how easy it is to make small changes in life that will make a big difference, such as switching to energy efficient light bulbs. If we all would simply casually mention energy saving tips to our families, friends, and co-workers, or even strangers in the light bulb aisle, we can really affect the thinking of those around us. Finally, we can lead the way by setting a good example ourselves. People do as they see more often then as they are told. If our children, friends, and even strangers see us saving energy or planting trees, they are likely to follow our lead. If enough people become example setters, the idea of living green will become a trend. Just as we strive to be fashionable by what we see on the television or in magazines, if we are constantly bombarded by stories and images of people saving the planet, more people will strive to fit in. Every single person counts, and if we can set a responsible example for even one person, it is worth the effort. Our environment is suffering at the hands of its inhabitants. Still, global warming does not have to destroy our planet or the future of mankind. If we ignore the problem it will not go away, but if we take action now, before it is to late, we can save the Earth, one person at a time. By making small changes in our lives, teaching others the importance of living green and how easy it is to do so, and setting examples for others to follow, we can each make a difference. By becoming environmental advocates, globally, we can make the world a better place.

Inclusive Learning Essay

We cannot assume that just because a teacher teaches, a learner learns. The process is far more complex than one of received input and intended outcome. This is because teachers, when engaging with learners, are not involved in programming machines; the learning process involves humans who are diverse in their needs, development, attitudes, values and beliefs.  (O’Brien & Guiney, 2001, p. 2) Whilst studying inclusion for this assignment, I have learned much about the ways in which children learn. Yandell (2011) argues a similar point to O’Brien and Guiney (2001), which is that for pupils to learn, the learning needs to be more than a teacher giving mountains of information. Both in researching and in teaching a scheme of inclusive lessons, I have learned that teaching needs to be differentiated for the variety of children in each class. In my own experience, having taught a class consisting of thirty pupils, two of whom are hearing impaired children and seventeen pupils for whom English is an addition language, â€Å"reasonable adjustments† (Rieser, 2002, p. 259) made to make the curriculum accessible for one pupil can be greatly beneficial for others in the class also. Anything the teacher does in the classroom whilst focussing on one group will impact on the others. It is these reasonable adjustments which form the basis of inclusive learning, as the need s of each pupil will vary depending on anything from preferred learning styles to whether the child has a profound barrier to learning. Reddy (2004) writes about the needs of pupils with hearing impairments, and relates these to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. He also provides some teaching strategies to ensure these needs are met in order to allow a hearing impaired pupil to inclusively take part in the lesson. The lowest sections on the hierarchy are the physiological needs and the safety needs (Maslow, 1970, p. 22). In terms of planning inclusively for hearing impaired pupils, the reasonable adjustments should be to ensure the safety and physiological needs of all pupils are met. This influenced the lessons I have taught, as I have been sure to include a variety of visual, auditory, kinaesthetic and tactile learning episodes. When straining hearing and lip reading for a long period of time in discussion, the eyes and ears can become sore and in need  of rest. It is important therefore, that I provide pupils with a list of key objectives and a plan prior to the lesson so that they are able to know exactly whe n it is necessary to listen hard and to ensure they are lip reading. The variety of tasks also allows for rest breaks for the senses which have been used earlier in the lesson, so that pupils do not experience pain and become frustrated and irritable. To help support this physiological need for comfort, I also ensure that background noise is at a minimum during learning segments when concentration is necessary, as without this it can be painful for a student wearing a hearing aid (Reddy, 2004, p. 178). Butt too, agrees that learning is a more social experience than a teacher transmitting knowledge to students. He states that â€Å"simply listening to the teacher will rarely constitute effective learning for most students. The teacher has to plan and prepare for all the students in the class – an act of differentiation† (Butt, 2006, p. 39). He continues, [as a teacher,] â€Å"your aim should be to keep all students engaged and interested in the learning that you are planning† (Butt, p. 40). He also discusses the reasons why this is difficult; there are an infinite amount of learning styles and educational demands in any one group of children. By changing the task and keeping a quick paced classroom for the hearing impaired pupils, each of their classmates are experiencing a variety of learning styles also. This is beneficial for keeping all my pupils engaged and interested in the learning. Likewise, in order for pupils to concentrate, silence can be beneficial more many more pupils than those who are hearing impaired for their physiological needs to be met. Also, providing all pupils with the same plan and key objectives prior to the lesson not only allows for the hearing impaired pupils to feel as though they are being given the same instruction as their classmates, but also provides all pupils with a prior knowledge of what is most important to listen explicitly to and to makes notes on, meaning more effective learning can take place. Therefore, I have come to understand this differentiation strategy as simply being best practice for all learners in an inclusive classroom. A number of researchers have argued that explicitly teaching the big ideas of a discipline is crucial for students with disabilities. Motivation is ensured when we continuously return to a small number of known big ideas (Gore, 2010, 76). If pupils are given a lesson plan and a very short amount of key objectives, they can see that their  learning is contributing practically towards something. â€Å"Motivation is an essential factor for learning to take place; it is considered to be the driving force behind learning† (Reddy, p. 178). Aware of pupils’ history Establish good relationships and trustEstablishing Lessons contain explicit valuemotivation Listen to all pupils patiently Accept all feelings, frustrations and fears (Reddy, p. 178) In terms of Maslow’s hierarchy, in order for pupils to feel comfortable they must feel some element of success in order to be motivated. Often, hearing impaired pupils show signs of difficulties throughout their academic career and this may become a reason for de-motivation. There are a huge number of inclusion strategies which can aid motivation, and thus maintain an inclusive classroom. OFSTED regularly report a lack of differentiation, appropriate challenge, insufficient motivation and poor pacing (Butt, p. 41). In a recent report, OFSTED wrote about motivation being the; â€Å"inspiring of young people, building their self-esteem and helping them to progress† (Ofsted, 7th Nov 2011). Learned helplessness is what Seligman (1975) calls low achievement motivation. In general, adolescents with learning difficulties demonstrate lower achievement motivation towards school work, except for in areas where they experience success. After repeated failures students quickly learn that they cannot succeed in school and become de-motivated and frustrated (Gore, p. 21). Frustration is reduced when students understand what they are supposed to do. Inclusive teachers communicate to pupils exactly what is expected to be learned. By providing both written and oral instruction sequencing is facilitated (Gore, p. 30). As all children have the right to learn, it is inclusive practice to ensure that all pupils know exactly what the instruction is. In my classroom, it is imperative that I repeat instructions as with seventeen students for whom English is an additional language and two hearing impaired pupils, there is a good chance that instruction can be misheard or misunderstood. Paiv io’s dual coding theory (1990) refers to teaching visually and auditory at the same time. It posits that the more neural paths that a memory involves, the  more likely it is to be accessed at a later date (Gore, p. 25). With my class, I have found that providing both oral and written instruction reduces frustration and increases motivation. The instructions given must follow three rules; â€Å"explicitness, structure and repetition† (Gore, p. 23). Even classroom rules can be displayed obviously in the classroom and referred to whenever they are broken by bad behaviour. Research has been done to show that students with learning difficulties are more likely to notice salient information than the critical information that teachers direct them to observe, as they have difficulty discriminating between the critical and the irrelevant (Gore, p 15). By reading and hearing a small number of bullet pointed instructions, confusion is eliminated and attention is captured, ensuring all pupils can understand exactly what is necessary for a task to be undertaken correctly. These instructions are given orally, shown on the interactive whiteboard and a copy given on work sheets to provide ample repetition. This allows for a much bigger chance of success and thus motivation for all pupils. Another way to ensure inclusion is the way in which you use room layout. In the class I picked for this assignment, I have chosen to seat both the hearing impaired students at the front of the class next to each other. This way I can oversee the work they are doing without causing embarrassment, and I can subtly ensure they are completing the correct task. I can also make sure that when I have finished explaining, they are the first pupils I go to when circulating the room. On either side of them I have picked a student from their friendship group who copes well with work. I think this works well, as when working in pairs, the hearing impaired pupils are less uncomfortable when talking either to each other or to their friends than they would be someone who they were nervous or shy about their impairment around. I can then have these pairs of friends be reading partners, whereby fluent readers help the other pupils who are less advanced in their reading skills (Fleming, 2000, p. 59). Pupils with hearing impairment often struggle with grammar and cohesion in writing; they â€Å"exhibit linguistic difficulties† (Reddy, p. 165). In order to combat this, schemes need to be planned with modifications not only to what we teach, but how we teach it in order to make the curriculum accessible for all the pupils in the class, for example as suggested by Purdie (2000), by teaching phonics (Clough, 2002, p. 165). Although planning has to be done primarily  on the class level, consideration of the need for differentiation in the case of particular individuals is suitable. Getting to know your students as individuals is therefore an important first step (Butt, p. 45). As writing can be a very solitary experience, this may not be the preferred learning style of the class. Writing needs to be scaffolded when this is the case, as it is for my class. When writing creatively, for example in the lesson where my students write a diary entry on a gas attack, we first looked at real gas masks, followed by real gas attack posters, and then created sentence starters together on the board. This scaffolded the writing process by providing opportunities for the auditory, kinaesthetic and tactile learners to learn at their fullest potential also. Reading makes up a large part of the national curriculum, and is something which the hearing impaired pupil can be given opportunities to succeed with. â€Å"Modelling and imitation are important learning processes† (Reddy, p. 167) and this is something which I carry out daily in the classroom, particularly when reading a text. I will model the most important sections of each chapter and invite other readers to read aloud other more descriptive sections. Although not always available, I would also aim to use a loop system which would enable pupils to hear the other, perhaps quieter pupils reading, more effectively. This ensures that I am able to assess how pupils can read aloud whilst allowing those who struggle hearing to understand the text thoroughly. However, in my class, for hearing impaired pupils and those for whom English is an additional language, reading aloud can be feared greatly. In order to provide inclusion for these pupils, it is possible for them to have prepared passages beforehand (Fleming, p. 59) by allocating sections to be read aloud the following week or lesson. For one of my hearing impaired pupils and for a couple of EAL pupils I selected, this worked extremely well, as the child was prepared for reading aloud and could practice the section in advance knowing that they would have to read aloud. I chose to not ask the other hearing impaired pupil to read out in front of her classmates, as her impairment is mor e profound and if affects her speech. She is very withdrawn and shy around most people in the class and I thought that it would be unwise to ask her and risk her embarrassment and further de-motivation. Instead, she is seated next to a friend for peer tutoring. This term refers to reciprocal tutoring of students with similar achievement which is  relevant here; the pupil does not struggle with reading alone as shown in comprehension tasks, but with reading aloud. Peer tutoring can increase pupils’ motivation and persistence because of the adolescents’ social drive (Gore, p. 64-65). It is for these reasons that peer tutoring not only benefits the pupil with a barrier to learning, but the ‘tutor’ in the pair also. I have therefore arranged the seating plan for all pupils to be seated next to someone with a similar ability, so that all pupils can benefit from peer tutoring. As learners handle content differently, they should be given opportunities to be more active than passive; understanding, processing, applying, storing and passing on information in peer tutoring is a good way to ensure all pupils have consolidated learning (Butt, p. 39). Becoming an inclusive teacher is particularly difficult when a trainee, as it is imperative that you know your pupils. Inclusion can be as simple as having a pupil’s favourite cartoon character appear on a presentation to increase interest and motivation, or needing to know their exact reading and writing ages or ability, so as not to de-motivate them with work which is impossible for them to complete. A competent and inclusive teacher will say, â€Å"this may be tough† instead of â€Å"this will be easy† to give room for students to feel inflated when they are successful (Reddy, 169). Once the teacher knows their pupils, work can be differentiated so that each and every one of the class has the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. This could be in the form of preferred learning style, tailored resources, lots of formative assessment, higher/lower order questions, use of a teaching assistant and various other teaching strategies. It is important to remember when planning a scheme, that pupils may struggle and become de-motivated with one aspect of learning and thrive in another, and so therefore it is necessary that the teacher is a learner also. The most important lesson I have learned during my time with this class, is that successful inclusion strategies are not only for those pupils who you think may need it the most, but are beneficial for all pupils in the classroom. My idea of inclusive learning has altered hugely whilst researching for this assignment, as has my idea of what the role of a teacher is. The teacher’s main role is to ensure that all pupils learn, and that is simply impossible without inclusive teaching strategies being employed.

Research Paper On The Pearl by John Steinbeck Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

On The Pearl by John Steinbeck - Research Paper Example They even try to subdue and tread over the dreams of the poor so that the rich can become richer. Steinbeck has used greed and ambition as main themes of the book. The protagonist ‘Kino’ dreams of a bright future for his only son. He wants to educate him so that his son can have a better life. The author has profusely used the surreal elements to weave the magic in the ordinary life of the hero. The story revolves around the protagonist who goes in search of ‘the pearl’ because the village doctor refuses to treat his son who was bitten by a poisonous scorpion. The author dexterously maneuvers the plot and shows how the greed of man and unrealistic dreams ultimately deprive him of happiness and a peaceful life. Kino develops the illusionary desires and ambitions to overcome his poverty because he wants a more comfortable life for his son and family. Hence, when he finds the pearl, it becomes the most powerful symbol of riches through which he can make his dre ams come true. ‘The pearls were accidents, and the finding of one was luck’ becomes the powerful motive of the protagonist to dream (1:9). When Kino and his wife find the pearl, their life takes a dramatic turn because everyone is attracted to the pearl and want a share of the riches that it represents. The greed of people comes to fore and all the people who had earlier refused to help the couple, now try to impress them. The doctor, who had refused to treat Coyotito, Kino’s son, is now eager to treat the poisonous bite as he can now get a share of the pearl. The priest, who had earlier refused to marry Kino and Juana in the church because they were poor, is now ready to wed them in the hope of gaining some part of the fortune that the pearl represents. Steinbeck gradually unfolds the events to convey the changing attitude of the people. The evil nature of man is exposed as the greed for the acquiring the pearl gains momentum. The simple and uncomplicated life o f Kino is suddenly fraught with the treacherous consequences of extreme wantonness of the man’s greed for money. Indeed, while the protagonist just wants the pearl to provide a better life for his family, the world around him sees it as their first step to great wealth and prosperity. The story culminates in the death of the son. The protagonist realizes that not all the riches of the world can replace his son or can be greater than the love of the family. Kino and his wife throw the pearl back into the sea because it deprives them of only happiness that their son represented and nothing can bring him back. The theme of the book broadly focuses on what the pearl represents in the wider context of life. How the pearl is perceived by the people and consequently its role in the life of Kino becomes the highlight of the book. The author has used symbols, metaphors and imagery to stress the emotional needs that must be satisfied. The songs for different occasions are important ele ments that reflect the changing moods of the protagonists. ‘Song of the family’ signifies the contented life of Kino and Juana but ‘song of the evil’ comes in the mind of Kino, when his son is stung by the scorpion. ‘Music of the enemy’ forewarns Kino that the doctor would not be treating his son! Once the pearl is found and appears in the lives of the people, the vagaries of human nature also come to the fore. The greed, desires, jealousy

Impacts of Credit Crunch on Ryanair Research Proposal

Impacts of Credit Crunch on Ryanair - Research Proposal Example In February 2008 Reuters reported that global inflation was at historic levels (Reuters 12 02 2008) Ryanair, the first Low Cost Carrier in Europe, it was founded in 1985 (Ryanair.com History 2008). Ryanair began operations with a staff of twenty-five and a single 15-seat airplane flying connecting Waterford and London. In 1986 Ryanair got authorization to begin flying four flights a day on the Dublin-London route. Utilizing the opportunity, they broke the monopoly of British Airways and Aer Lingus with fares that were much lower. Ryanair's strategy (initially) was to offer simple, low-cost fairs and exemplary customer service. During the later part of the 80s Ryanair continued to compete vigorously with British Airways and Aer Lingus while adding additional routes and airplanes (Creaton 2004). In 1990 Ryanair suffered a 20 million loss and was forced to completely restructure. A new CEO - Michael O'Leary - was charged with making the airline profitable. O'Leary visited the USA to study the 'low fares/no frills' model being used by Southwest Airlines. O'Leary promptly determined th at the key to low fares was to implement quick turn-around times for aircraft, "no frills", and no business class, as well as operating a particular model of aircraft (Ryanair About Us n.d.). Regardless of the decline in overall airline traffic, Ryanair made a profit of 293,000 for the year and carried 651,000 passengers. In 2000, they announced the launch of 10 new European routes for the summer and the company launched their new online booking site and in just 3 months the site was taking over 50,000 bookings a week (Ryanair About Us n.d.). After the tragedy of 9/11, the whole air transportation industry suffered a drawback and airline companies had to modify their strategies in order to adapt to the new situation that led to an increase in oil prices and a downturn in traffic (Gloomy Ryanair 2008). Ryanair, instead of cancelling thousands of flights, adapted the opposite strategy (DG TREN - ANALYSIS OF THE EUROPEAN AIR 2001). The company took advantage of empty slots in the airports, which were until the date the biggest constraint in European airports. In 2008 Ryanair is the 3rd largest airline in Europe; it has 31 bases and carries 50.9 million passengers annually (Ryanair Annual Results 2008). The firm's whole story is built on ambitious growth targets.

Public health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Public health - Essay Example r gotten from over-the-counter for other reasons besides those for which they are meant or in an excess way.† It is the use of any substance in a harmful pattern for the purpose of mood alteration. The drugs commonly abused include those with psychoactive effects such as alcohol, cannabis, caffeine, amphetamines, nicotine, opiates, and the hallucinogens (Boyd, 2009). Other drugs not categorized and have a potential of abuse include steroids and other drugs used for performance enhancement. In addition, some medical preparations have also been used for various intentions, besides the intended use. An example is erythropoietin, which is used to increase the volume of blood and also improve the performance of athletes. The use of the above mentioned substances has been related to abuse, physical dependence and addiction. This has led to an overall public concern on the issue of drug abuse and its health consequence. Addiction is defined as the craving of chemical substances such as drugs, tobacco and alcohol which the person addicted finds difficult to control (McCarady, 1999). National Household Survey of Drug Abuse (NHSDA) in the United States is the body concerned with epidemiological investigation of substance abuse. This survey divided the substance abuse into illicit use and abuse of drugs vs. legal use (Tobacco and alcohol). The illicit drugs are further divided in to 9 categories: cocaine, marijuana, heroin, inhalants, hallucinogens, pain relievers (non-medical use), stimulants, tranquilizers, and sedatives. The common abusers of drugs and alcohol are the adolescents due to their experimental nature and pressure from the peers. Older adolescents and young adults also make a significant contribution in the statistics. For instance, a nationwide survey taken by Monitoring the Future in 2010 on the rate of substance abuse in the US showed that 48.2% of the pupils in 12th grade had used illegal drugs in the past. 41.2% of them had taken alcohol 30days before

Strategic information management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Strategic information management - Essay Example Due to increased competition soon afterwards a huge loss was made in 1990 (Ryanair 2010). Some of the threatening competitors were Aer Lingus and British Airways. This loss acted as a wake up call for the management whereby policies were put in place e.g. intense advertising, low fares and low cost of operations yielded a higher passenger traffic, higher profits and lower costs. According to Palmer and Ponsonby (2002, pp. 260 – 401) the airline industry the world over has been one marred by intense competition as time passes. In Europe the situation is no better and in fact may be termed as more volatile than in other regions of the world. Miriam (2010) says that Ryanair has operated in this region for more than two decades and has emerged as the market leader in regards to low cost category. This airline’s management has for this time tried to use various strategies that are as dynamic as the industry itself in order to maintain the market leadership position as well as keep on expanding. This paper will look into the goals and objectives that the company has, give an analysis of the airline’s internal and external environment by use of Porter’s 5 forces and PEST analysis. The paper will go further to give its SWOT variables while evaluating the overall company strategy over time by use of relevant financial information spanning half a decade ago. The airline has ensured that its fares are the lowest in the routes that it plies. It has been able to do this by reducing its costs to the minimum e.g. by use of simple advertising, hedging fuel costs, no frills, no travel agents used, in-house marketing, use of secondary airports etc. all these result to lower costs therefore enabling the airline to charge less (Ryanair 2010). The company has been making the service as simple as possible while ensuring customer satisfaction. It has done this

An Analysis of the Influence Wielded by Religion and Politics among Research Paper

An Analysis of the Influence Wielded by Religion and Politics among the American People in Contemporary Times - Research Paper Example Likewise, the government is not formally attached to any religious grouping. This paper aims to assess the influence exerted by both religion and politics among the American People in this modern era. Likewise, it seeks to determine if indeed they should be put together or separated and how the citizens of the country feel about this choice and what will be the long-term effects of the separation or combination of the two blocs. Religion is considered a universal component of human life. Religion makes it easier for people to communicate with each other and with God. In the words of Natambu, â€Å"People are often ready to die for their religion, and many thousands have done so. Many others sacrifice their fame, power, wealth, property and time for the sake of religion. Religion must have a great value for people otherwise nobody would die for it or give so much for its sake. People make sacrifices and offerings of the best they have for the sake of religion.† (2002)... The ritual shines on both of them from a place beyond their ordinary experience and includes them in a community whose home is in some way not of this world. And in the Christian case the ritual records a primeval sacrifice, born of love.† (2009) For majority of Americans, they are used to and more comfortable with church leaders articulating their opinions and beliefs regarding social and political matters and concerns. Churches, synagogues and other religious institutions are widely perceived as positive forces in addressing the problems of society. Nonetheless, a bigger number of voters still claim they are uncomfortable with priests or pastors advocating their political views from the pulpit. Conversely, at least 75% of voters think that while it is vital for the President to have religious faith, there is prevalent discomfort over politicians who speak publicly about their religious affiliations, sentiments and actions (2000). Wald states that â€Å"religion is more impor tant in American polity than most people realize, but in different ways than they imagine. Is religion good for politics?† (2003, p. 14). Wald offers the thought of Richard J. Neuhaus that religion is a community and an institution needed to stand in judgment of a state moving toward totalitarianism. The other fundamental issue is whether religion imports and sustains values such as human rights and freedom in politics. Notwithstanding all these discussion, debates, disagreements and concurrences, politics seem to get in the way of religion and vice versa in the present-day American setting. Even, if religious leaders of different Christian sects and leaders of government and members of Congress and Senate make repeated claims that there is no conflict between the two and they operate

The Parable of the Sadhu (Article review, answer specific questions) Essay

The Parable of the Sadhu (Article review, answer specific questions) - Essay Example The internal compass of an individual and the sense of duty combines together to provide the necessary emotional and ethical resources which can help an individual to take a stand whether against unethical behavior of an organization, a group, government or any community at large. (Tom Watson, 2007) In such a situation where we know that Apple’s products are loved by millions and have really made a difference in the lives of many. We need to however make a conscious decision as to whether taking stand will result into greatest good for the greatest number of people or not. Though the overall number of children working in factories producing goods for Apple is relatively low as compared to overall volume of business however the situation still requires that a stand need to be taken against a company which influences millions of its customers. As such the stand needs to be taken when the issue is affecting larger number of persons. (Machan, 2007) We need Sadhu in every situation where we face a gray area where we are unable to decide between what is right and wrong and what we need to do in a situation where we face a personal dilemma of whether to act or not. In this given crisis, it is relatively important to clearly decide whether we should continue to buy Apple’s products knowing fully well that the firm is engaged in practices which may not be ethical with relatively unethical consequences for the society at large. It may therefore warrant that individually we need to take the action. (Crane & Matten, 2007) Virtue ethics suggests that an individual’s ethical behavior is driven by the character of the person. The knowledge which has any bearing on human kind therefore is important and need to be properly put in place regardless of the overall consequences of the actions. The question of how much we can give of ourselves in this issue and create to relative awareness about the issues therefore depends upon two

Criminological Theories Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Criminological Theories - Assignment Example Personal opinion as to whether the police department would consider genetic findings as important is incorporated. Likewise, the dangers of the possibility of criminal genes are expounded with personal ideas. The consequences of criminal gene in the criminal justice if proven to be true were also explained. Introduction When an ordinary person commits a crime, people usually do not care but when a celebrity shop lifts, the whole story spreads like fire and speculators begin to dissect the cause of such action. This is because it is unbelievable for celebrated individuals to behave in such manner. Experts also agree with their belief that well known people will not carry out such petty crime to ruin their long established reputation. They hold on to the idea that the genetic makeup of the person might have been involved in the act. Less clear however is the role of genes in the commission of the crime. Addressing the following questions suggests that genes are responsible. Discuss the merits of the idea that genetics are a source for criminal behavior There had been considerable evidence that genes are implicated in the criminal behavior in some individuals for the past several years. ... They also disclosed that not only males with high testosterone demonstrate aggressiveness but females as well. Hostility is observed in females with high levels of saliva measurement. Apart from this, females demonstrate a pattern of aggressiveness and irritability during their menstrual period. In fact, about 70% of crimes committed by women were executed during their premenstrual period or before the onset of their menstruation. Hormones are known to exert strong influence on both conscious and unconscious behavior because it induces brain events prompting the individual to behave in certain ways. Another study also pointed the role of MOA-A genes in behavior. Genes carrying a repeat in 3 alleles is strongly identified to precipitate criminal behavior however has to interplay with psychosocial factors (Nilsson et al. 2006). Twin studies also support the declaration that genetics increases the risk of criminal behavior. The study of Mednick, Gabrielli, and Hutchings (1987) provided an interesting finding of both dizygotic and monozygotic twins. Although there is a slight difference in the percentage of criminal tendency between identical and fraternal twins, their study of more than three thousand twin pairs in Denmark affirmed that twin pairs inherit the criminal characteristics of their biological parents. Identical twins accounts for 52% risk from criminal behavior while fraternal twins showed about 22% vulnerability. It was also reported that adoptees whose fathers are convicted of certain crime have high proportion of criminal behavior despite the non divulgence of parents to the adoptees regarding their crime compared with children whose fathers do not have criminal records. Other similar studies on identical twins

The Darfur Crisis Essay Example for Free

The Darfur Crisis Essay According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 , human rights are described â€Å"as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping constantly in mind(the declaration), shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction. † These conventions were agreed upon by the general assembly which consisted of all the member states at the time. According to the articles, the rights of the individual are described in detail the first one being that â€Å"human beings are born free with equal rights, dignity reason and conscience† (Universal Declaration Of Human Rights) Today human rights are a hot contentious issue as abuse of human rights is much more visible, thanks to media and information technology. Contemporary human rights issues according to amnesty international range from: extrajudicial executions where either confirmed or possibly carried out in at least 47countries in 1998 and still continues in some countries especially developing countries; disappearances of people from previous years has been noted in at least 37 countries across the globe; torture and ill treatment perpetrated by security forces, government agencies and police was reported in more than 125 countries plus inmates subjected to inhuman conditions leading to death was also reported as rampant in 51 countries; prisoners of conscience either suspected or confirmed have been held in the past years in more than 78 countries; Unfair trials of suspects is common was noted in 35 countries in 1998; detention without trail of activists and opposition members has been noted in 66 countries; death penalty still being practiced by many countries in the world was carried out in 38 countries and sentences handed out to prisoners in 77 countries. Armed opposition groups are perhaps the most recent notorious of the human rights abuses. Deliberate and arbitrary killings, torture, maiming and hostage taking of civilians has been noted in at least 37 countries and the numbers are growing every day. This paper will deal specifically with human rights abuses connected to the armed resistance groups in the Darfur region of Sudan, showing the background, level of interest, the belief principle behind the actions and the characteristics. I will further look at the consequences and how the issues can be resolved and finally the outcome of such attempts to resolve the issues. Human rights have been traditionally a function of the government to regulate the relation between the state and the individual (UNHCR). This does not however mean that the role of observing human rights is purely a states function. According to the Icelandic Human Rights Centre, it means â€Å"’ every individual and every ‘organ of society’ has an obligation to contribute to an atmosphere conducive to the enjoyment of human rights. This obligation is universal and concerns all state and non-state actors. †(IHRC) The actors in this case can be government agencies such as the military, the police intelligence agencies, as well s NGOs, indigenous groups and minority groups paramilitary groups human rights defenders (semi-) autonomous groups; international territories, terrorists, autonomous area, multinational groups and individuals. All of them capable of either upholding or flouting the human rights. (IHRC) An armed resistance is a movement which is born from oppression and firmly rooted in eternal quest for equality and freedom. Though brought about by a natural desire to be free, it is illegitimate because it breaches the laws of the land and seeks to supplant it. However it acquires legitimacy and becomes â€Å"lawful† through exhibiting success and growth not because the ends it seeks to achieve are just but because its control and capture of a territory justifies the means by which the goal is achieved (Satyendra, 2007) Africa Africa has had its fare share of armed resistance groups most of which evolved from disgruntled groups feeling they got a raw deal from the African led governments which inherited the oppressive colonial ruling style. In Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Democratic republic of Congo, Sudan Ethiopia and Nigeria are some of the glaring examples of armed resistance groups which seriously flout human rights. Somalia however is a case of its own because it has no government. Most of these armed groups were after political and economical autonomy and yet others were keen on overthrowing the government to hold power. In Africa the longest war waged by an armed resistance group was that of the Southern Sudan People Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M) which lasted more than two decades since its inception in 1983. Since the end of the war and formation of the unitary government all the human rights abuses by the group on its own people such as forced child soldiers and torture seem to be water under the bridge. However there are still other insurgencies going on around in Africa though none has caught the attention of the media like that of the LRA in Uganda. Since war between the group and government broke out in 1986 atrocities against children have been a characteristic of LRA. Children have been abducted and forced to trek thousands of miles to fight in Sudan / Uganda border, forced to commit atrocities against themselves such as shooting and maiming and girls used as sex slaves for the LRA commanders. â€Å"According to the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the LRA and other rebel groups have abducted approximately 65000 persons since 1986; however with its leader Joseph Kony still on the run though his warrant of arrest has been issued by the International Criminal Court he continues to wreck havoc in the communities in northern Uganda. (Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor 2006 March 6, 2007). Though LRA are definitely on the wrong end, the state owned /sponsored armed resistance groups have also been notorious for abusing human rights. In Western Sudan, the Darfur region has seen the Janjaweed, an outfit supported by the Northern Sudan Islamic government reign terror on the Black Muslim population using sophisticated heavy weapons and firearms. The case is similar in Uganda where the Government forces have been used to torture dissidents and conduct arbitrary arrests and beatings. For example Security forces have been blamed for â€Å"a number of deaths in custody, some due to torture. Some people suspected of being allied to rebel forces have been tortured to death in military custody in Kololo, a Kampala suburb, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) report. † (UN News) Sudan Sudan, before the formation of the joint government between the state of southern Sudan and central government in Khartoum, was presumably an Arab Islamic state. It had membership in the Arab league and subjugated the people of Southern Sudan for more than 2 decades before the end of the civil war in 2004 Sudan has a population of not more than 40 million according to CIA fact book, since no official census has been carried out since the end of the civil war. It covers an area of 2. 376 million square kilometers, slightly more than one quarter of the United States. It is the largest country in Africa bordering 8 other countries on all sides. It has rich reserves of oil and minerals which has been the source of the prolonged wars between the Khartoum government and rebel forces. Though it is also a member of the AU African Union, Sudan like many of the African countries has a despotic leader who has been named in various human rights violations and is currently facing a warrant of arrest by the ICC International court of justice in Geneva. Darfur Darfur covers a larger area of the western side of Sudan which is approximately the size of France. It borrows its name from the Arabic Language where ‘Dar’, meaning house was combined with the name ‘Fur ‘the local people who are the predominant tribe in the area. The country has had a long civil strife with two wars raging in the South and West following the departure of the British who had left everything under the control of the Arab dominated government in Khartoum. The disparities between the regions in the south north east and west were too wide to allow a common religion language or culture. Soon a civil strife was born on the mature ground of racism, social and economic injustice perpetrated by the Khartoum government. This was further aggravated by the introduction of the Sharia law which sent the south and the Khartoum government in a long protracted war of autonomy from 1983 to the late 2003 when a peace agreement was signed and a new federal government formed. Soon after, the Western part of the country, Darfur was thrown into tumult. This cropped from the confrontation and competition for resources between the nomadic herders of Arabic descent and African tribes who mainly practiced crop farming. Given that the area is sparsely populated and limited in resources, both sides of the divided find themselves competing for fertile land for their livestock and crops. The Arab side of the divide forcefully invaded the fertile brooks and valleys which were the homes of the majority â€Å"black† African tribes, in order to get access to water for their animals. This gave way to a conflict which the government intervened on the side of the Arabs and supported the Arab militia (Janjaweed) militia men against the black population. With no choice but to defend themselves, the black African tribes took up arms against the government forces and the Janjaweed. The Janjaweed retaliated. They attacked non-Arab tribes burning their houses, raped and defiled young children, killed adults and drove the survivors to death and oblivion in the desert. (Everything. com) The Janjaweed were able to perform such acts to a pin point precision using help enlisted form the government, both military and intelligence. The black tribes were forced into refugee camps in neighboring countries such Chad . behind, them the Janjaweed burned their crops to the ground ensuring that no one survive without food. Even in the refugee camps the Janjaweed followed them and surrounded the camps and regularly raped women and killed men whenever they strayed out of the camps. The rebel groups supporting the black tribes have continued to launch serious attacks on the government facilities which the Janjaweed use as their bases. For instance in 2008, they attacked a government army barracks and completely destroyed artillery and supplies. This sent a warning sign to the government that thought the group was not entirely well endowed in military equipment; it was able to dismantle government military facilities (Everything . com). By the time international media had started paying attention to the Darfur crisis, genocide had already began. El-Bashir the president of Sudan had already relinquished some of his executive military powers, the first ever action by a sitting head of state, to one of his aides governing the north Darfur region. The systematic killing of the black people began in earnest. Human Rights violations The humanitarian situation in Darfur is grave. Many people have turned a blind eye on the atrocities being committed by both sides of the divide especially the government sponsored Janjaweed. The Sudan government continues to supply the Janjaweed with military equipment imported form China and Russia who are major trading partners with Sudan. China relying on Sudan’s oil, has chosen to separate politics from trade by finding no connection between weapons they supply to Sudan and the deaths of millions of people from the same weapons transferred to the Janjaweed. The President himself has appeared before national television â€Å"after a massacre in which 225 peasants were killed to declare [that he] †¦ will use all available means, the Army, the police, the Mujahideen, the horsemen, to get rid of the rebellion. . He later firmly denied his government association with the militia and sought to blame the killings on some tribal faction fighting in the area. Though a lot of light has been shed on the issue since, human rights violations continue till today. The rebels like any other armed group in history have sorted to using children as child soldiers to advance their course. These and many more human rights violations would not have been known had it not been the works of actors such as the United Nations, NGOs, relief and human right s organizations which played a big part in giving first hand information of the situation on the ground (Sudan Watch n. d). Children are being used and abused by the militia men in Sudan. The activities of Joseph the wanted rebel leader fighting the government of Uganda is evident in thousands of children being abducted and sold to fighters in Darfur. According to Koffi Annan the then Un secretary general, †¦Ã¢â‚¬  child soldiers are used in the Darfur by the Arab militia known as the Janjaweed, which has killed, maimed and committed grave sexual violence against children. † (Sudan watch n. d) According to the Washington post Tuesday, July 3, 2007, the raping of Darfur women is not sporadic or random, [but is a systematic action aimed at psychologically making the women inferior, and] is inexorably linked to the systematic destruction of their communities. † (Boustany 2008) In testimony given by one of the victims in the rape cases to reporters, the Janjaweed used racial slurs such as â€Å"I will give you a light-skinned baby to take this land from you, in order to make them feel racially inferior (Boustany 2008). This was also echoed by relief organizations such as World Vision which work in the area. The inhuman treatment of the black African tribes is dehumanizing. Young boys who are mostly targeted by the Janjaweed to be used as soldiers try to escape capture by traveling from one refugee camp to another. The United nations says that more than 30,000 children have become ‘travelers’, moving from one location to another if only to avoid capture. For these children school is something they’ve never heard of, and are therefore illiterate. Education, being one of the basic human rights, is an integral pert of ensuring proper development of the child and a better future. Even the children in Darfur are able to survive this on going genocide; there is no guarantee to a bright future. Apart from rape and child soldiers, Darfur has also witnessed mass killings. Some of the ‘independent’ local media deny even that there has been rape, torture and killing of innocent Africans. According to the Sudan vision an ‘independent Daily’, a report filed by a committee of the United Nations investigating the possibility of existence of a genocide in Darfur in January 2005, showed that†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ despite the serious violations of human rights in Darfur there was no genocide or any existence of genocide in the region†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the paper argued that the allegations of killings and rape were based on a small number of isolated cases which were backed by evidence from relief workers. In fact, the paper alleges that rape and killings and the Janjaweed are a creation from the west and do not really exist. The paper further explains that the information given by the relief workers to western media is biased because if it wasn’t then the aid workers would not be afraid of talking to local media about their findings. The arguments put forward by the paper are self defeating because the neighboring countries like Chad and CAR would not be experiencing the influx of refugees from Darfur in the thousands every day. Secondly the paper, by citing the report by the United nations committee to the security council in 2005, is actually acknowledging the fact that serious human rights violations were taking place at the time; this is usually a pre-cursor to serious war crimes or is just the top layer of the deep rot that is planned wipe out of a group of people. Finally the fact that the aid workers were afraid to talk to the local media goes along way to show how gagged the local media was by the government; there was obviously no protection of the source and it was almost a guarantee that the information would not be shared with the general public or the rest of the world. To really make their story believable, then the Sudan Vision should try and back up their defense by action. What would be the harm of allowing the western media to freely access the area and cover stories of the local people if there’s nothing to hide? According to Amnesty International (2004), in a 43 page report filed with the United Nations, â€Å"massive abuse of human rights in the region†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦many people killed for no reason â€Å"should be reason enough for the international community to lay sanctions against Sudan. The governments attempt to end the conflict using the Janjaweed is obviously failing. The Janjaweed and the Darfur based militia groups are threatening the lives of over six million inhabitants of the region. Acts of arbitrary bombings, torture and killing of victims, planned abductions and rape are mostly perpetrated by the government forces and their hired goons- the Janjaweed. The nature in which most of the killings are carried out as explained by survivors is akin to extrajudicial killings and summary executions styles. Amnesty international further criticizes the government for keeping mum on the killings going on and accuses the government of malice by its open support for the janjaweed militia. In fact President El- Bashir continues to use Arab convicts and prisoners in the Janjaweed by freeing them on condition that they join the militia group. It is these men who under the direct orders of the powers that be, who carry out the heinous, act of raping, killing and plundering of innocent people in the name of racial cleansing. Those who manage to escape to camps in neighboring Chad were still facing death in another form. The region being remote and with harsh climatic conditions was inaccessible to most of the relief and aid workers so the wounded malnourished and the sick cannot get help. Secondly, the Sudanese government using helicopters, dropped bombs in the border town of Tina that killed and wounded civilians in the very same camps they were supposed to be safe. According to the Human rights watch organization world report 2009, there are many impediments to establishing the magnitude of the true scale of human rights abuse in the region due to laxity by many nations to act on the preliminary reports by people in the field. The fact that that UJN has not been able to find evidence of genocide in Darfur has also dealt a big blow to the people of Darfur. Since the Darfur crisis began more than 5 years ago, more than 2. 5 million have been displaced and more than 70,000 killed according to figures released by the United Nations. However analysts point out hat this could be an underestimation because nobody knows how many have actually died. The fact that this figure is based only on a six month study and did not include deaths from violence, executions and fighting means that it could be a number of times more than what is given(BBC news, 2005). In the US analysts estimate the figure of the dead people in the region to be more than 340,000 up to the beginning of the year 2005. In the UK the estimated death rate is put at 300,000 because no data is available for people killed by the janjaweed, those who are missing or detained by the government One of the former workers in the region told BBC that â€Å"the reality is that we just dont know the scale of the problem, (BBC news, 2005). Efforts by people and organizations that have worked in the area and witnessed the atrocities of the militia men to get the international community to act have been thwarted by some very key members of the UN council in charge of security. The countries have challenged the legality of the arrest warrant against President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan by the ICC by citing that he is a sitting head of state and should therefore not be summoned to the court until his term expires. A report by Human Rights Watch showed how governments choose to delay on human rights actions because of maintaining alliances with other countries. They mostly hide under the banner of sovereignty so as to escape the responsibility of chastising their neighbors. These governments make claims of regional solidarity or solidarity within the global South, but the solidarity that they have in mind is with abusive leaders, not their victims(HRW, 2009). Most of them try to run away from the problem by saying it’s a political issue which they have no say in but the reality is that in our world today the two are like different sides of the same coin. So what is being done to abate the situation? In Darfur the non state actors such as world vision, Amnesty international and other humanitarian agencies have been on the fore front to expose human rights abuses in the continent, however they have also face d difficulties from state owned armed groups such as the police who have reportedly beaten and even killed some aid workers because of revealing such injustices. In Sri-Lanka this is common to appoint where media has continually been locked out of conflict areas and the areas sealed off by the government as operation areas. Other bodies such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) work to offer the best expertise and support to the different human rights monitoring mechanisms in the United Nations system: In addition other UN charter based bodies also formed under the same office perform the functions though within certain areas of jurisdiction and ensure that the respect for human rights is observed. Law and human rights can be understood in practice as it is in the Security Council such that an armed group violating human rights today succeeding to form the next government will equally be responsible for the human rights violations of the movement that brought it to power. Though this has never actually been seen to work in practice, it is s good theoretical point of view to argue from. It is time to change our scope of thinking. Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International are reporting on these armed insurgents and pushing for reforms and respect for human rights obligations even beyond humanitarian law. Forced divorces and physical torture on members of the armed groups have been highlighted by activists, taking this to a more informative level with development of declarations, commitments, and memoranda of understanding and codes of conduct being adopted. This help in tailor-making standards, rules and obligations for a specific situation. Preliminary empirical work done in this area ‘‘suggests that where armed groups do commit themselves to written codes of conduct, this encourages them to respect human rights’’. A study of some of the important codes with regard to Burundi, Liberia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, East and West Timor, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Russian Federation revealed that the agreements state that the beneficiaries of humanitarian aid are to enjoy the following rights: ‘‘the right to live in security and dignity, the right to basic needs, the right to receive humanitarian assistance without discrimination and according to basic needs, the right to be involved in humanitarian activities of concern to them, the right to legal and effective human rights protection, and the right to protection against forced population transfer’’. Organizations are engaging with non-state actors in monitoring commitments made by such armed groups in the areas such as interpersonal mining for instance the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict works by obtaining and monitoring commitments not to recruit or use children in armed conflict. Geneva Call is such an organization (Clapham, 2006) It is argued that non-state actors such as armed opposition groups and private security companies have human rights obligations. Other non-state actors though not mentioned here, are present in times of armed conflict and have their own human rights obligations. It is important to mention international organizations their associated peacekeeping operations and Non security firms. Now that it is becoming apparent that the legal; framework has to be expanded to include non- state actors in resolving conflicts, lawyers need to widen their field of human rights obligations to include of non-state actors. This has in fact been noted in countries such as Guatemala Sierra Leon Sri Lanka Lebanon and Nepal. Sometimes governments have laid obstacles in the name of political mileage by accusing the humanitarian agencies of giving legitimacy to the armed resistance groups and thus threaten to halt their support. However humanitarian law has come in handy. No one can be accused of supporting terrorists by accusing them of flouting article 3 of the Geneva convections and this applies to o human rights law. Human rights do not only govern our relationship as individuals with the government but also the relationship we have between ourselves and between government and other illegitimate associations such as armed resistance groups without us risking giving them legitimacy by according them human rights. The simple act of ignoring human rights issues concerning these non- state actors means also that we are failing in protecting the rights of the victims of abuses perpetrated by these agencies. The solution therefore lies in how both the state and non- state actors ply their parts in the problem. Though reforms in the international law will go along way to improve the human rights of many people caught up in conflict areas, it still is not enough to guarantee that they will be strictly observed. Human rights do not just need strong legislation to make it relevant and enforceable. It also needs the goodwill on the part of the government non state players, commissioned bodies and commitment on the part of the state to ensure that human rights remain human rights whether in conflict situations or in peaceful situations. According to the resolution 1556 by the UN Security â€Å"on the crisis in the Sudanese province of Darfur, the Philippines ambassador to the UN remarked that ‘sovereignty also entails the responsibility of a State to protect its people. If it is unable or unwilling to do so, the international community has the responsibility to help that State achieve such capacity and such will and, in extreme necessity, to assume such responsibility itself’ â€Å"(Williams Bellamy, 2005). Hence if El- Bashir, having demonstrated that he has been unable to protect the citizens of his own country, needs to be forced to act or action taken against him. References Amnesty International (2004) Massive abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law in Darfur Press release BBC News how many have died in Darfur? 16th Feb 2005 http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/africa/4268733. stm Boustany R (April 2008): Rape in Darfur. UNICEF adviser says rape in Darfur, Sudan continues with impunity Washington post http://www. un. org/apps/news/story. asp? NewsID=12280Cr=darfurCr1= CIA world fact book www. travel-brazil. info/cia-world-fact-book-Sudan. html Clapham A (2006): Human rights Obligations of non- state actors: Vol. 88 No. 863 International Review of the Red Cross Journal Everything 2. com http://everything2. com/title/Darfur HRW: world report: 15th 2009 http://www. humanrightsblog. org/reports/archives/007743. html

Analysing counterfeit production in Malaysia

Analysing counterfeit production in Malaysia Malaysia has a counterfeit market value of $378 million, with software dominating $289 million of that market value. (Havocscope Global Market Indexes, 2008). Most often the news broadcast on counterfeiting in Malaysia are usually associated with branded goods, and now, these items are circulating in the form of essential products and used on a daily basis. The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministrys enforcement division, through their ruthless raids in pursuit of these types of goods, have identified imitation products such as garments, electrical items, pharmaceuticals, shoes, bags, leather goods, watches, cigarettes, batteries, sauces, engine oils, toothpastes, detergents and canned food, to name a few. It is clear that anything that has a demand and potential to be copied would consistently attract infringers to resort to reaping profits through producing similar counterfeit items which would then be sold to blind and ignorant consumers. WHAT IS COUNTERFEITING? I) Counterfeiting can be defined as any manufacturing of a product which so closely imitates the appearance of the product of another to mislead a consumer that it is the product of another. II) Counterfeiting is ultimately an infringement of the legal rights of an owner of intellectual property. ARTICLE SUMMARY REGARDING CURRENT ISSUE Malaysia is not excluded in becoming the region of dumping ground for a wide range of sub-standard and counterfeit products such as cosmetic products, medical goods, clothing and electrical items. Government have structured framework and protection mechanism for Asean consumers. More than million inspections were done and nearly 13000 with products valued RM 137.5million were sealed. ARTICLE REVIEW FOR COUNTERFEITING Counterfeit goods flooding Asean region New Straits Times, Jan 19, 2007 PUTRAJAYA: The new television set in your living room might not be what you think it is. And that bottle of perfume could have come from a back lane. This region has become a dumping ground for a wide range of sub- standard and counterfeit cosmetic products, medical goods, clothing and electrical items, and Malaysia has not been spared either. The Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry launched a discussion on consumer protection initiatives at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations level to stop this illegal practice. Minister Datuk Mohd Shafie Apdal said yesterday a central body, based in Kuala Lumpur, would be set up this year to co-ordinate regional action against the dumping of sub-standard goods and protect consumers. We have structured the framework and protection mechanism for Asean consumers. It is just a matter of implementing it, he said. He said the feedback he received during visits to Myanmar and the Philippines had been good, and the Asean Secretariat was also receptive to the idea. He plans to visit Vietnam, Laos and Singapore soon to discuss the idea with his counterparts. And it will be highlighted during the Asean senior economic officials meeting to be held soon. At the ministrys monthly gathering, Shafie said that more than 7,500 complaints were filed with the Malaysian Consumers Claims Tribunal last year. The tribunal had set up a database on the standard operating procedure for tribunal kiosks to be set up soon. Shafie said that more than a million inspections were done on business premises last year and nearly 13,000, with products valued at RM137.5 million, were sealed. PRODUCTS THAT ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE COUNTERFEIT 1. SOFTWARE The counterfeit software trade in Malaysia, and especially Kuala Lumpur, is thriving so much that it is practically considered the norm and to such an extent that it is harder to get hold of genuine software than counterfeit. Crackdowns and raids have mainly proved ineffective and counterfeit software is brazenly sold in shopping malls and plaza. 2. LUXURY AND FASHION GOODS The counterfeits range from poor imitations to quite good copies retailing at higher prices. When it comes to, for example, sunglasses the quality can be poor, the logo can be smudged and the workmanship can be shoddy but, from a distance it look like you are sporting a Chanel or Prada sunglasses. The fake sunglasses can damage our eyes as they almost just made of coloured plastics which are not ideal for a country bathed in tropical sunshine. 3. CDs AND DVDs In 2007 sniffer dogs, Lucky and Flo uncovered more than one million counterfeit discs or more known as pirate`s discs worth more than 3 million USD, hidden in boxes at a shopping centre. 4. PHARMACEUTICALS Counterfeiting of drugs is being taken seriously by Ministry of Health. Things to look out for are : over-the-counter drugs such as Panadol pills and Eye-Mo drops. Mainly affected are the developing countries with weak drug regulatory control and enforcement. The problem is further exacerbated by a number of other factors: scarcity and/or erratic supply of basic medicines, uncontrolled distribution chains, large price differentials between genuine and counterfeit medicines, lack of effective intellectual property right protection, lack of regard for quality assurance and corruption in the health-care system. 5. PERFUMES Counterfeiting is a well-advertised problem in this industry. The distribution of perfumes is normally restricted to exclusive retailers and cause price stability. Channels of distribution on the grey market include street traders and small shops. Most consumers buying these fakes are aware that it is not the genuine item and that the product is of a lower quality. It is very common, however, for the trader to pretend that the goods are stolen in order to deceive the consumer about the quality. THE IMPACT OF COUNTERFEITING ACTIVITIES 1. IMPACT TO OUR COUNTRY ECONOMIC ( WHERE COUNTERFEITS ARE SOLD) Job Losses Counterfeiting affect employment because job shift from the manufacturers to counterfeiters. It is because of the goods produces by manufacturers are unsaleable because consumer switch their preference in choosing goods to counterfeit foods due to lower price than the genuine goods without knowing they are purchasing counterfeit goods. As a result, manufacturers has to shut down their business causing many employees loss their job and become unemployed. Reduce Potential Foreign Investment For some industries, the level of countereiting may be relatively important, whereas in others it may be minor consideration. Countries with lower rates of counterfeiting and relatively higher in economies has higher foreign investment. Counterfeiting also can affect the commercial trade sector and as a result can affect potential foreign investment. Tarnish Malaysia`s reputation in the eyes of tourists Malaysia`s goal to increase the tourism sector cannot be accomplish if counterfeiting is still exist. Tourist from every corner of the world who come to Malaysia can relatively easy to avoid buying fake handbags and sunglasses but another matter when it comes to consumables and pharmaceuticals. Fake pharmaceutical products can endanger tourists and affect Malaysia`s reputation as a chosen destination to visit. Discourage investment in product development High levels of counterfeiting could reduce the incentive of some firms to invest in the development of new products and processes. It is happen because company know that they cannot get return as high as they expect from the investment. Government has to spend large amount of money in disposing counterfeit products Malaysia`s government have to spend large amount of money in funding police and other investigation and enforcement operations as a way to dispose and reduce the counterfeit activities in Malaysia. 2. IMPACT TO COUNTRIES WHERE COUNTERFEITING TAKES PLACE Foreign producer of reputable products refuse to manufacture their products to the countries. For example, China, India, Hong Kong Such countries will suffer both tangible and intangible losses. First, foreign producers of reputable products become reluctant to manufacture their product s in countries where counterfeiting is widespread as fast as infection disease because it seems like they cannot rely on the enforcement of their intellectual property rights. Hence, such countries not only lose direct foreign investment but also miss-out on foreign know-how. Cause export losses If many products from such countries, including genuine ones, gain a reputation of being poor quality, this will cause export losses which in turn implies both losses and loss of foreign exchange. It could be argued that the counterfeiting industry creates jobs but these jobs are often poorly paid, often involve substandard working conditions and sometimes use child labour. Discourages new invention from manufacturers The widespread of counterfeiters in a market discourages inventiveness in that country since it prevent honest producers from investing resources in new products and market development because they know the risk that counterfeiters will counterfeit their products. Tax losses A further direct loss for the government of countries that become the main centre for counterfeiters, are tax losses, since the counterfeits are normally sold through secret channels and counterfeiters are not generally eager to pay tax on their ill-gotten gains. Financial losses are increasingly shown to justify action by enforcement officials. 3. IMPACT TO RIGHT HOLDER (PRODUCER) Suffer direct loss in number of sales First of all, industries which find themselves in direct competition with counterfeiters suffer a direct loss in sales. Indeed, some markets are even dominated by counterfeiters, creating barriers of entry for the producers of the genuine product. Some would argue that the buyers of the fakes would not have bought the genuine item but that is a very narrow argument and can only apply to a small segment of luxury goods. Many counterfeit products today are of higher quality and compete directly with the genuine items. Damage brand value and firm reputation Counterfeit or pirated products may damage the brand image and reputation of firms over time. For instance, those consumers who believed they were buying a genuine item when in fact it was a fake, will be likely to blame the manufacturer of the genuine product if the fake does not fulfil expectations, thus resulting in a loss of goodwill. If consumers never discover that they were deceived, they may be reluctant to buy another product from that manufacturer and may communicate dissatisfaction to other potential buyers. Spend large amount of money in protecting and enforcing property right Beside direct losses of sales and goodwill, one should not forget the expenditure involved in protecting and enforcing intellectual property rights. The right owner becomes involved in costly investigations and legal action when dealing with counterfeiters and may also have to spend further sums on product protection. 4. IMPACT TO CONSUMER Paying an excessive price for inferior products Ultimately, it is the consumer who pays the cost of unfair competition between counterfeiters and producers. Although many consumers believe they are getting a bargain when they buy counterfeits, the actual value of the product is normally much lower. Hence, they end up paying an excessive price for an inferior product. Exposed to many disastrous effects The inferior qualities of many counterfeits, particularly those relating to health and safety, have had disastrous effects. It is no longer rare to find counterfeit parts in aircraft and other vehicles causing death and injuries, or counterfeit pharmaceuticals in hospitals. For example, pharmaceuticals, electrical appliances, parts in aircraft, foods and beverages. CASES REGARDING THE COUNTERFEIT GOODS IN THE MARKET Dozens of people died in Cambodia through taking ineffective, fake malaria medicines. Law enforcement in Zambia seized fake shampoo containing acid. Body-builders and others buying steroids on the black market in Australia were sold repackaged livestock steroids as human steroids. Diseased pig meat was used in counterfeit cans of pork luncheon meat in China. In India, counterfeits of drugs were used to fight antibodies in Rh-D negative mothers. Fake crocs is being accused on insulting Muslim belief as the word Allah is print on the fake Crocs` logo. FACTORS INFLUENCING COUNTERFEITING i. Advances in technology New technology has not only benefited manufacturers of genuine products, but also counterfeiters. The photocopying machine is, for example, considered to be one of the main tools in a counterfeiters tool box. New techniques have furthermore enabled counterfeiting of what were normally considered as high-tech products, too complicated to fake. Pharmaceuticals, electronic components and rescue equipment are some examples. The counterfeiter can demand a higher price for his low-cost products since these products have a high value-added element. ii. Increased international trade International trade, including trade in counterfeit products, has increased dramatically over the last few decades. Almost all regions are both production and consumption areas for counterfeit products. Although an expansion of boundary measures would enhance the means of conflicting international trade in counterfeit goods, it is not likely to produce most important results unless matched by a related increase in the resources available to customs authorities to devote to anti-counterfeiting work. iii. Emerging markets A number of economies that were previously controlled are now being transformed into free market economies. Unfortunately, the speed of transformation has been somewhat too fast for the enforcement agencies. Markets are now emerging as both large producers and consumers of fakes. Although counterfeiting occurs more or less throughout the world, East Asia, including China, is still pinpointed as the main source of fakes. This region has increased its relative share in world trade, implying increased exports of counterfeits along with genuine products. iv. Emerging products Manufacturing now accounts for 75 per cent of total world exports. Processed, high value-added goods are naturally also more likely to be counterfeited. Electronic products, such as software and music recordings, are not included in world trade figures. These are rapidly becoming the products most affected by counterfeiting. It is difficult to predict whether counterfeiting will decrease or increase in the expected future. On the one hand, technological development is enabling counterfeiters to produce fakes relatively cheaply and easily. Top suppliers of counterfeit goods in the world include: China $ 221.7 million (81 %) India 2 million (6 %) Hong Kong $ 13.4 million (5 %) Taiwan $ 2.6 million (1 %) South Korea $1 million (

Assyrian Warfare :: essays research papers fc

Assyrian Warfare During Mesopotamian times, wars were what divided ruling periods. There were many different peoples that dominated Ancient Mesopotamia and the Assyrians were one of them. The Assyrians prospered mainly because of their divine talent to defensively resist and offensively overwhelm their enemies. At no point of Assyrian rule was there ever a time without conflict of some sort. The Assyrians were known to have a powerful, ruthless army. The army was the largest Middle East or Mediterranean fighting force that had ever been seen. It is believed that God himself promised the Israelites that if they disobeyed Him he would allow them to be taken up and carried away to foreign lands. His promise is explained in Isaiah 5:26-29. It reads, â€Å"He will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly. No one weary or stumble among them No one will slumber or sleep Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed, Nor the strap of their sandals be broken; Whose arrows are sharp, And all their bows bent; Their horses’ hooves will seem like flint, And their wheels like whirlwind. Their roaring will be like a lion, They will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar And lay hold of the prey; They will carry it away safely, And no one will deliver.† Israel’s rebellion angered God and it led to war with the invincible Assyrians. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was wiped out. â€Å"Why were the Assyrians at war so much?† is a likely question to arise when discussing these people. And in my eyes the answer is simple. For land and power. The map of the beginning of the Assyrian empire compared to the end of the Assyrian empire shows great difference. It is obvious that much expansion took place during this rule. Like the Chinese Han dynasty, there was an explosion of territory growth in the Assyrian time period. Not being able to control all the land and people was the Hans’ weakness and led to their downfall. The Assyrians had an interesting policy that eliminated this problem. They would deport defeated nations and led them to captive lands. This would destroy the individuals’ sense of nationalism and would cause them to be much more willing to submit to Assyrian rule. They figured that the less people would resist, the less problem they would have with their captives and it worked well for them. Assyrian Warfare :: essays research papers fc Assyrian Warfare During Mesopotamian times, wars were what divided ruling periods. There were many different peoples that dominated Ancient Mesopotamia and the Assyrians were one of them. The Assyrians prospered mainly because of their divine talent to defensively resist and offensively overwhelm their enemies. At no point of Assyrian rule was there ever a time without conflict of some sort. The Assyrians were known to have a powerful, ruthless army. The army was the largest Middle East or Mediterranean fighting force that had ever been seen. It is believed that God himself promised the Israelites that if they disobeyed Him he would allow them to be taken up and carried away to foreign lands. His promise is explained in Isaiah 5:26-29. It reads, â€Å"He will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly. No one weary or stumble among them No one will slumber or sleep Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed, Nor the strap of their sandals be broken; Whose arrows are sharp, And all their bows bent; Their horses’ hooves will seem like flint, And their wheels like whirlwind. Their roaring will be like a lion, They will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar And lay hold of the prey; They will carry it away safely, And no one will deliver.† Israel’s rebellion angered God and it led to war with the invincible Assyrians. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was wiped out. â€Å"Why were the Assyrians at war so much?† is a likely question to arise when discussing these people. And in my eyes the answer is simple. For land and power. The map of the beginning of the Assyrian empire compared to the end of the Assyrian empire shows great difference. It is obvious that much expansion took place during this rule. Like the Chinese Han dynasty, there was an explosion of territory growth in the Assyrian time period. Not being able to control all the land and people was the Hans’ weakness and led to their downfall. The Assyrians had an interesting policy that eliminated this problem. They would deport defeated nations and led them to captive lands. This would destroy the individuals’ sense of nationalism and would cause them to be much more willing to submit to Assyrian rule. They figured that the less people would resist, the less problem they would have with their captives and it worked well for them.

Comparing Grendel and Oedipus Rex :: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays

Parallels between Grendel and Oedipus Rex      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A messenger hurriedly arrives at a palace to tell king Oedipus, that his father, Polybus, the king of another town, has died at an old age of natural causes. The message's receptor and his queen, therefore, assume that Oedipus has escaped his fate as told by the oracle at Delphi that he should murder his father and marry his mother. There is reprieve of worry until it is revealed that the man who died was merely Oedipus' adoptive father and that Oedipus had indeed once killed his father and was married to his mother. Oedipus was not the king of his fate.    "'Pointless accident,' not pattern, governs the world, says Grendel, who, as a consequence, adopts an existentialistic stance," explains Frank Magill in Critical Review of Short Fiction. This point has been expressed in numerous critical papers by various essayists. One may wonder, however, whether this is the only way to interpret an incredibly ambiguous story in which no question is ever clearly answered nor clearly formulated. One may wonder, actually, whether the author meant for his work to be analyzed in this way at all. The author, John Gardner, spins a tale of a monster held viscously to his destiny of an unnatural death. No matter what Grendel does, his death is predetermined. Though he tries to disprove fate to himself by believing in existentialism, the belief that actions create the future, he never validates that point of view. John Gardner's purpose in writing Grendel was to express that the future is completely unavoidable.    Grendel may be paralleled to Sophocles' "Oedipus Rex" which describes the story of Laius and Jocasta, the king and a queen of Thebes, who are told by the oracle at Delphi that the fate of their newborn son is to someday kill his father and marry his mother. They believe that they can change that destiny by killing the child but their plan backfires when, unannounced to them, the child grows up far away and fulfills his destiny by eventually murdering Laius and marrying Jocasta, neither of whom he knows is his parent. "Oedipus Rex" is analogous to Grendel because in both stories the main character has a fate which is exceptionally clear but he simply does not believe it, quite on the contrary, he believes that his actions will create his future, but he is tragically mistaken.

Censorship of Pornography :: Social Issues Argumentative Censor Porn Essays

Censorship of Pornography Sex, Erotica, nude women, three some, these are some keywords for finding pornography on the internet. The censorship of pornography has a positive affect on the United States of America and is a good thing because pornography leads to crime, pornography has no positive effects on society, and censoring pornography is not against the constitution. Crimes and pornography have a direct and apparent link. Eighty-one percent of criminals rate pornography as their highest sexual interest ( ). This means that the clear majority of criminals love pornography and find it highly interesting, most other people probably rank other human beings as their highest sexual interest. When an adult book store is closed the crime rate in the surrounding areas falls significantly ( 188). Also It was found that child molesters have a higher probability of molesting a larger number of victims and it is likely that these offenders have some access to pornography or erotica. ( 189). Over all crime and pornography do have a link between them and that makes censoring it a positive idea for America. Pornography has no positive effect on society. The American population agrees that pornography does not serve a legitimate purpose. Seventy-two percent of Americans want some sort of crack down on pornography. Also Ninety-two percent of Americans want a crack down on child pornography because it has no value and is disgusting and against the law ( 179). Pornography was found to have little redeeming social value by artistic criteria and is close to worth less ( 218). The censoring of pornography is not against the United States Constitution. The reason why pornography is not included under the constitution is because it was demeaned by the United States Supreme court in 1973 to be lewd and obscene material ( 173). The first amendment was intended to protect political speech in America not the speech that includes the exploiting of women and photography of women being raped ( 183). The founding fathers did not intend for their bill of rights to be exploited in the ways that it is today they would have wanted us to have a safe and peaceful society. That would be one that does not include pornography. The opposition to the censoring of pornography will say that it is against the United States Constitution, which it is not. They will also say that it is censoring thoughts and ideas not actions.

Communication in Health and Social Care Essay

1. 1 Apply relevant theories of communication to health and social care contextsAccording to George Gerbner,he describes the three main branches of communication studies as; 1. †semiotics† The study of signs and symbols and how they combine to convey meaning in different social contexts,This branch is mainly concerned with how verbal,non verbal and aural signs and symbols combine to create messages. 2. Media effects the study of behaviour and interaction through exposure to messages,It emphasizes measuring,explaining and predicting communication effects on knowledge,perceptions,beliefs,attitudes and public opinion,It is strongly influenced by scientific methods from the fields of psychology and social psychology. 3. Message production is the study of the large-scale organization through social institutions and system,example; mass media,political organisation,government and advocacy groups. Their history, regulations,policy making impact,It is strongly influenced by scientific methods from the fields of sociology but also by the methods of political science and public affair. According to Abraham Maslows humanistic theory of learning,learning contributes to psychological health. The goals of learning includes discovery of ones vocation or destiny;knowledge of values;realization of life as precious;acquisition of peak experiences; senses of accomplishment;satisfaction of psychological needs;awareness of beauty and wonder of life;impulse control;developing choice and grappling with critical existential problems of life. Applying Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of needs in The Care Home Setting,service users needs should be met like; Freedom of abuse and neglect from the care workers and ensuring them adequate food and shelter;Free from any kind of discrimination,risks and danger to be able to feel safe;Ability to trust their care workers and receive effective communication;Respect for their rights,dignity,privacy and diversity;Helping them take control of their own lives in order to develop their full potential and reach their goal. According to John B. Watson, Behaviours can be measured,trained and changed. It also acquired through conditioning which occurs through interaction with the environment. All of our sensory work, memory work,attention,etc,are part of definite modes of behaviour. In a Care Home Setting, it explains why we need to separate service users with an agitative behaviour from a noisy environment where other service users are happily participating in a physical activities,to prevent his/her agitation to aggression which can be potentially harm to the other individuals,care workers needs to take the service user to a quiet place to settle down. Sometimes moody behaviours are the service users way to communicate what they feel so its very important on the part on the care workers to be very observant on service users mood change and act accordingly According to Sigmund Freud’s outline of psychoanalysis(1940),He compared the human mind to an iceberg in order to describe the structure of personality. The small portion of the iceberg that lies above the water represents the conscious mind,or all the thoughts,feelings,and desires that you are fully aware of. This is the aspect of our mental processing than we can think and talk about rationally. A part of this includes our memory,which is not always part of consciousness but can be retrieved easily at any time and can be brought into awareness which is called preconscious. The massive below the surface represents our unconscious mind,The reservoir of feelings,thoughts,urges and memories that outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant,such as feelings of pain,anxiety or conflict. According to Freud, the consciousness continues to influence behaviour and experience,even though we are unaware of these underlying influences. In relation to this theory at The Care Home setting,Care workers deal with different Service user with different behaviours, medical problems,communication problems,cultures and needs. It is very important to identify the individuals communication capabilities and incapabilities to be able to help them empower their weaknesses and difficulties,in that way, care workers will be able to get cooperation from the service users and establish rapport on doing their everyday task and to meet their needs and maintain their well being. According to Ulric Neisser cognition is all processes by which the sensory input is transferred ,reduced,elaborated, stores,recovered and used. In short,it means it is the branch of psychology that studies mental processes including how people think,perceive,remember and learn. It is involved in everything a human being might possibly do;that every psychological phenomenon is cognitive phenomenon. An example of this theory at the Care Home Setting where service users are suffering of dementia,Care workers needs to encourage service users to participate on ctivities such as brain and physical exercises,social gatherings and have a good diet,to stimulate their brain cells and regained its brain power. 1. 2 Undertake and evaluate at least one communication activity in Health and Social Care Organization,considering Confidentiality and Data Protection Act 1998. Communication in a Health Care Organization is very important. It is the key for the health care providers and other health agencies to carry out their responsibilities to maintain the well being of the service users. An example of this is when making a care plan for the service users,all individuals that are involve in continuing health care of the service user must contribute on making the care plan by communicating their observations, assessments and suggestions on the service users daily activities ,risks and wellness. The service user should contribute as well on making their care plan by telling their preferences,choices, wishes and needs. Otherwise, the care workers will have no idea what kind of care the service users wanted to receive. If the service user cant speak for themselves,there must be a representative to speak for their behalf,either a social care worker,solicitor or a member of their family. When the care plan has been made,it should be kept in a secure and protected filing cabinet which only authorize person can have access on the document for data protection and to maintain confidentiality on the informations written in the care plan to protect all personal informations gathered.  If the service user needs to be transferred to a new health care services,the care plan should be presented for their reference. 1. 3 Describe and explore barriers to communication with health and social care Organisations In a Care Home for vulnerable adults,the most common communication barriers that a care workers encounter are the following; difficulty of hearing,impaired eyesight,learning difficulties,memory loss,foreign language,cultural differences,stroke,emotional problems,sensory loss and others. Problem arises between care workers and service users when doing personal care tasks if these barriers mentioned are present, the task may not be completed well because of misunderstanding which resulting in cooperation from the service user. Therefore,it will never be easy for the care worker to perform the task well without the full cooperation of the service user. Often times service users disagree with some procedures if your explanation is not enough for them to understand it,or if they are not comfortable with it. To solve the problem, care workers should encourage the service user s to have an input with the care they want to receive. They might know a better way to do the task in their most comfortable and convenient way. If the service user have difficulty of communicating because of the barriers mentioned,ask them what kind of communication method they prefer and wish to use,thus giving them a choice. Explain the various methods of communication available and what would be suitable for them. Seek further advice from the specialists in the wider health care team. Care givers also consult to the clients care plan as this should contain all necessary information. Care givers need to listen attentively and take notice of what the service users are communicating and not assume what they want. 1. 4 Understand how to transmit values and the need to transmit values when communicating within health and social care Organizations Respecting the rights of the service users at the care home should be highly observe. When the preferred method of communication of a service user has been identified,which is obviously the ones that they can communicate most effectively,care workers must respect to use it or learn to use it because if they don’t,then they are of risk of not communicating effectively,distressing the service user and breaching their rights. A service user who has suffered of stroke may have communication problem such as, they can understand the care workers completely but have difficulty with speech and its likely to become very frustrated if they cannot express themselves using their preferred method of communication. Problems arises when the care worker will just assume what the service user is saying rather than giving them more time to talk or attempting to encourage them to communicate their choices,wishes,preference and needs. If this happens the service user may end up for example;served with a meal they never want, wear clothes they never picked out and go to bed when they don’t wish to,these situations shows that the rights of the service users has been taken away from them.

Importance of Management and Leadership for an Organization Essay

â€Å"Both management and leadership are needed to make teams and organisations successful. Trying to decide which is more important is like trying to decide whether the right or left wing is more important to an airplane’s flight. I’ll take both please!† (Clemmer, 2005, as cited in McLean, 2005, p.16). The aim of this essay is to answer the age old question as to whether management or leadership is more important to an organisation. Organisations, ranging from professional to social, have been in existence for centuries and the sole purpose of any of these organisations is to grow and succeed. Thus, it is without a doubt that any organisation would accomplish much without a source of management or leadership. Even though it is evident that both management and leadership are both fundamental to a successful organisation, a distinction between the two should be made; although they are both similar in definition and function they do differ in importance in and effe ct on organisations. It is contended that the implementation of good management has a greater benefit, and therefore has more importance, to an organisation than leadership because: leading is considered as an element of the management function; to manage an organisation is to sustain it whereas to lead is to direct it but if there is no management, there is no entity, which leaves nothing for leaders to lead; leadership is focused on the management of people but an organisation is made up of more than just people; and also the value of leadership depends deeply on the structure and size of the organisation in question. The term ‘good’ is often used to describe something of quality and skill; thus, good management simply means management that is of the highest quality and is effective in producing the greatest results for an organisation: â€Å"Excellent results stem from a combination of skilled management, strategic thought and a good dose of general common sense† (Honig, 1999, as c ited in Samson & Daft, 2009, p.14). Every workplace organisation, whether large or small, has a manager or person in charge; whether the appointed person is able to implement good management depends on their skill and capability. Management is the major task of any manager – it involves the use of authority to coordinate and supervise the activities of others and to ensure that tasks are being completed in an effective and efficient manner. More importantly, managers must implement the four key elements of management: planning, organising, leading and controlling in order to attain organisational goals (Bartol, Tein, Matthews & Sharma, 2008). Organisational goals, whether they are sales targets or technological developments, are put in place by managers to set out the purpose and scope of an entity. Without such goals an organisation would cease to exist as there would be no direction to grow or move forward. The process of setting goals and deciding how to achieve them is the planning aspect of the management f unction (Bartol et al., 2008). If effective management is employed, there is a greater likelihood of managers establishing better organisational goals and contingency plans to ensure the future and success of the organisation; because it will not only be goal directed but will also be prepared for unforeseen circumstances that may arise, enabling them to react effectively and efficiently (Samson & Daft, 2009). Good management also assists in the successful implementation of action plans to achieve such organisational goals by organising, allocating, arranging and regulating activities and resources within the workplace (Bartol et al., 2008). Leading and managing are terms often used interchangeably because leading is described as a core activity of any manager (McLean, 2005). Leadership involves managers using influence to motivate employees to engage in plans that work towards achieving organisational goals (Bartol et al., 2008; Samson & Daft, 2009). This suggests that leadership is intertwined within the task of management. So if good management practices are in place in an organisation, leadership is expected to follow in existence. However, the mistake should not be made to describe leadership and management as the same thing – â€Å"leadership is an element of management but is not the same thing† (Lyson cited in Robinson, 1999, p.20). To say that leading and managing is the same would be to ultimately say planning and managing is the same thing; nevertheless, planning is only a function of management, as is leading. Therefore, if an organisation were given a choice between employing either a good manager or a good leader, the good manager would be the safer bet because it would be expected that a good manager encompasses good leadership. Furthermore, the importance of and need for management in a workplace is supported by the idea that organisations are established to succeed and innovate and such is not possib le without the planning and setting of organisational goals and the attainment of these goals by organising, leading and controlling. Once good management is in practice, the four key functions, including leadership, are sure to be carried out effectively and efficiently. The profitability of an organisation is not a result of good management on its own; however, management is a major contributing factor. Every organisation is goal directed, and as ascribed earlier, management is the attainment of organisational goals with the use of planning, organising, leading and controlling (Bartol et al., 2008). The organisational goals act as an entity’s reason for existence, it strives to achieve these goals in order to grow and accomplish. Therefore it can be concluded that the focus of any organisation is to grow and move forward rather than to remain stationary and unproductive and thus there is an assumption that the life of the entity will be on going. The survival of an organisation depends on the ability of the manager to sustain it by utilizing the effective skills of good management. The manager is responsible for making informed decisions about the welfare of the organisation along with the collective resources owned. These decisions aim to not only achieve goals but to sustain and up hold the organisation to ensure its survival in today’s dynamic environment. Thus there is emphasis on an organisation to have good management in order for the entity to survive, which also acts to highlight the importance of effective management. On the other hand, leadership is implemented as the principle dynamic force to guide and motivate subordinates to attain organisational objectives (Burns, 1978, as cited in Shamas & Ofori, 2008) and ultimately bring change to an organisation as more goals are satisfied. If effective leadership is exercised within an organisation, innovation, change and transformation are easily attainable (Bartol et al., 2008). Alternatively, Slap (2010) asserts that although leadership profits and adds value to an organisation by way of innovation, it is not the purpose of introducing leadership. Rather, leadership is used as a tool to share and express important values and experiences to employees in an attempt to bring about an improved change in the workplace environment and in the attitudes held by employees. Leadership in this sense allows leaders to be more easily respected upon employees because they feel more connected with the leader, which also gives the leader greater influence to motivate and encourage hard work. Nevertheless, whichever way leadership is regarded the end result remains the same: innovation of an organisation by way of providing direction to accomplish objectives (Bass, 1990, as cited in Shamas & Ofori, 2008). â€Å"A leader innovates; a manager maintains† (Hollingsworth, as cited in Robinson, 1999, p.20); without effective management to keep the organisation alive it is likely to fail, and consequently leaders will be left taskless – there will be no goals left to achieve, no employees left to motivate and ultimately no organisation left to innovate. This strongly recognises the importance of good management and the added advantage it brings to an organisation; without good management, good leadership will be ineffective and futile. On the contrary, leadership is often considered as a much more pleasant concept in comparison to that of management: â€Å"leaders are seen as charismatic and often are admired and held in high esteem, managers frequently are thought of as the organization’s taskmasters with a whip in one hand and a bullhorn for screaming out orders in the other hand† (Kotterman, 2006, p. 13). Zaleznik (1977) and Burns (1978), as cited in Nienaber ( 2010), portray management as â€Å"mundane, uninspiring and tactical by nature† and in addition, asserting that management alone cannot guarantee the success of an organisation. Consequently, it has been argued that leadership should be favoured at the expense of management in a successful organisation (Spurgeon & Cragg, 2007, as cited in Nienaber, 2010). One of the most important aspects of leadership is the leaders’ followers (Bennis, 1989, as cited in Shamas & Ofori, 2008). Iscoe (2005, as cited in McLean, 2005) argues that people would rather follow a leader than a manger, if given the option; this is not surprising as leaders tend to focus more on the people rather than any other aspect of the organisation because in order for a leader to effectively influence and lead others they must work to gain the trust and respect of their followers. Thus, there are various positive reasons as to why leaders are commended over managers among the people, some of which are highlighted in Maccoby (2000), as cited in Shamas & Ofori (2008)., p.63: â€Å"hope of success, trust in the leader, excitement about a project or mission, or the opportunity to stretch on eself to the limit†. Unlike management, leadership is not an assigned role or title placed on someone. The task of managing a corporation is specific to the teams of managers who are formally appointed the position whereas leaders can stem from any sector of an organisation. Therefore, managers are associated with formal authority (McLean, 2005) which means people secondary to them in the organisational hierarchy may view managers as intimidating and unapproachable which further emphasises why leaders are more favourable in an organisation. Yet in reality, success isn’t easily achievable and so in order to attain it, compromise must occur. An organisation cannot survive on leadership alone, because although a leader may possess few managerial qualities, they are unable to satisfy all the tasks of a manager. Nevertheless, as every workplace organisation involves employees, it is evident that leadership is a fundamental aspect of any entity because leaders are responsible for managing the people. However, organisations are about more than just the workers, which illustrates the prevailing importance of managers to control all the remaining aspects of an organisation such as goals, plans, assets and resources. As previously mentioned, every organisation involves employees. The McDonalds restaurant is the largest fast food chain in the world, operating over 30,000 franchises in over 100 countries worldwide. It was revealed in the 2010 McDonalds annual report that the organisation employs over 1.7 million workers from all age groups across their stores. In enormous corporations such as McDonalds, with such a vast number of employees, it is expected that both leaders and managers are equally essential in running the organisation because there is an equally enormous number of duties to be satisfied. However, in contrast, a small, family-owned, local milk bar may only have, at most, three employees. Clearly leadership is not as important in an organisation of three people in comparison to that of one with over one million people, simply because such a minute organisation does not require such a deep extent of leadership. However, it is not to say that the manager of the milk bar should not possess leadership qualities because even though there are very few employees, motivation and communication of direction must still take place (Nienaber, 2010) in order for the business to thrive. Although both management and leadership are both important functions of an organisation, a number of moderating factors determine the effectiveness and importance of leadership including size of the organisation (Fiedler, 1967; Gardner et al., 2005, as cited in Shamas and Ofori, 2008) whereas, regardless of size or type, every organisation needs a person in charge. In other words, management is important and is needed in every organisation but the extent to which leadership is needed varies among different organisations. Conclusively, although leadership and management are functions that must be applied to any successful organisation, effective management has prevailing importance. Theoretically, management is defined as the attainment of organisational goals through planning, organising, leading and controlling (Bartol et al., 2008). Thus it is clear that leadership is encompassed in the task of management so if a manager can perform their task effectively, leadership is likely to follow. However the reverse is not true, as to lead is to influence, direct and motivate others to achieve goals, not to control so management is not a facet of leadership. Management is often considered as a control mechanism in an organisation which some tend to find intimidating and off putting which is why leadership is usually the preferred, softer option (Kotterman, 2006). However, the focus of leaders is often on the people but people are obviously just one aspect of an organisation which is why managers are more important because there are so many other features of an organisation to be controlled. By influencing people to complete tasks effectively and efficiently, leaders bring about change and innovation in an organisation. However, without management acting to sustain organisations in today’s turbulent environment, there is simply no place left for a leader (Hollingsworth, as cited in Robinson, 1999). Finally, the essentiality of leadership in an organisation depends greatly on the size and type of a corporation whereas management is equally important in any and all organisations. These points clearly demonstrate that good management is more important to a successfully running organisation than good leadership. All in all, if an organisation were given an ultimatum between a good manager and a good leader, the good manager is likely to prevail.