Monday, September 30, 2019

Rolesof Media

INTRODUCTIONThe media plays a very constructive role in today’s society. Media play an important role in increasing of public awareness and collect the views, information and attitudes toward certain issue. Media is the most powerful tool of communication in emerging world and increased the awareness and presents the real stage of society.In this decade of Knowledge and awareness there is a huge and grand role of media, it is all around us when we watch on Television, listen to on the radio, read to the books, magazines, and newspapers, every where we want to collect some knowledge and information and a part of this media has to present a very responsible role for our society. Without the media, people in societies would be isolated, not only from the rest of the world, but also for the total formation of creditable world.WHAT IS MEDIAMedia is one of the most powerful instruments of communication. It can help to promote the right things on right time and gives a real as well a s strong aspects of the world about what is right or wrong also it also express that how can we store and distributes the views. The world is moving towards progress in every step of life. But we cannot refuse the real fact that we all are bounded directly or indirectly with the loads of social problems and issues, which are affected by the people of the people and for the people.Social issues or matters include so many types such as poverty, violence, corruption, bribery, suppression of human rights, rape, discrimination, and crime, killing in the name of honor. Today News Channels, Newspapers, radio, internet etc. help us to estimate the realities of live and focused on the every social matters with the pure and free effect, it has a chance to explore the issues of society more openly. Media refers so many links such as mass media broadcast media, print media and the web media.We know that television and radio are considered broadcast media while newspapers, magazines and journals are formatted as print media and internet news are called as the web media. The media is an important source of information through its news segments, entertainment and allows for exchange of our ideas, suggestions and views for related matters. There is huge variety of media. The media is not only an important source of news and opinions but also entertainment. Most young people usually turn on the television for movies, educational programs other entertainment programs.However, although most of us get our news through the media as many of us have little time to read books or journals, the news presented to us can be biased and one sided because news reported on websites appears most reliable and transparent though one has to be careful about the accuracy of the facts reported. However, there is still a degree of freedom in these countries' press compared to other more conservative countries. we have access to news from all around the world and readers are invited to send their vi ews and contributions to be published in the media.The term media is derived from Medium, which means carrier. Media denotes a links specifically designed to reach large viewers. The term was first used with the advent of newspapers and magazines. However, with the passage of time, the term broadened by the inventions of radio, TV, cinemas and Internet. In the world of today, media has become almost as necessary as food and clothing. It is true that media is playing an outstanding role in strengthening the society. Its responsibility is to inform, educate and entertain the people.It helps to know current situation around the world. The media has a strong social and cultural impact upon society. Because of its inherent ability to reach large number of public, it is widely used to convey message to build public opinion and awareness, it can be used to educate people with very little cost. Imagine a classroom in every city with thousands of students being taught by just one teacher. Bu t unfortunately, because of money-making approach of media and lack of interest by government, very less work is done in spreading the education.IMPORTANCE OF MEDIA IN SOCIAL AWARENESSThe media has got a vital role in molding a good society to develop our lifestyle and move it on the right path, because it always try to side with the truth and relevant factor. It is the best tool to spread awareness in the modern society either it be political, social or economic and giving us latest sight about what is happening in our world, making us aware about our rights, creating awareness against evils in our society, what new happening around us, exposing corrupt politicians and hardcore criminals by sting operations.There is correlation between media and society to share them self about the past, present and future event on need base method of the society. We know that a long time ago we see all news, views events all these things through Radio, Banner and Cinema slide show. But now a day w e have a power to see everything of the society and to share it among the people only the good approach of media. So Media and their function have been changed as because there is a competition among the Media also. Therefore apart from the service to the society they have to earn also.From this point of view several media are taking different steps to expand their business and sometimes they are deviated from the principles for which they are functioning. What society will decide for their existences and functioning is mainly depend upon the Govt. rules and regulations by limiting their scope of works in a particular field. In my opinion several sensitive international issues should not be published through Media for which tension among them increased. Otherwise media should come in front of the society with all truth.The main purpose of this studies to explain the real feature of growing techniques of information and used it to spread the social awareness. Its limitless connectivi ty and potential has open social order and system of interaction and communication which have been made a possible way to develop the communication technology and define the social situation of awareness. We can feel the impact of social networking in every step of life. Everyone wants information timely and to the point which can be possible through the help of social media. There is various types of social networking under the connectivity of media.Here we explore the FACEWOOK a social networking site, people can assess information easily through the help of this site and user can utilize these information to their personal and professional work and behavior. Social network is used to denote the huge number of blogs and intercommunication skills to provide online social networking service which can be focused and reflecting of social network or social relations among people who share interests and activities Most social network services are web based and provide means for users to interact over the internet.They interact, share and exchange resources by social networks. It promotes free flow of information and sharing of resources beyond boundaries. My point is not any of it said above. We had a nation with so much of events happening around, which but is escalated only on the whims and fancy of the people who rules us. Few of the examples are Ram Mandir issue, Lokpal Bill, 2G scam, CWG scam, Mining scam, Land Acquisition scam, Coal Gate, Delhi Rape Case, Godhra Riots, Mumbai Riots, 26/11 Mumbai Attack, Aarushi murder case, LPG subsidy, Fuel price hike etc.All of the above issues had its on relevance in political arena and accordingly had the coverage and importance across the media and discussed upon the nation till then until when it is to be fumed and exploited. Unfortunately none of the news had a chance to be there in limelight or discussions even until its natural closure of which many are due pending. Shattering fact is that even many of the above sta ted issues out of the many left out without mentioning are yet to have a judicial closure and the culprits yet to be booked and penalized.But at the brim of its flash we had all of the print and visual media, administration, intellects, social media and even stupid common man were there on the front to protest, outrage and even ready for a national cessation. Post shelf life of the issue hardly was there any movement on the same until either there is a reference by any for personal gain (other than the relative of the person involved) or on the occasion of anniversary reminder by the media who had to fill in the prime time slot. It is time for us, to do something better for our society.Any means the realism of a fact lies with the complete closure with justice delivered not only to the victim but to the society too. Until unless the limited time outrage and mongering of issue is protracted despite of what we are forced to think and react. May this sound a bit weird as we being respo nsible-sensible citizens, it is our bona fide birth right to react on anything and everything comes across. But will make a difference if it is made to prolong it despite of the shelf life tag come along with the issue.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Free-Speech on College Campuses Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thesis Statement:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     The prohibition of hate-speech or any speech which constitutes a â€Å"clear and present danger† to students on college campuses is a good and necessary policy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Summary of Opinions:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue of free-speech on college campuses poses a complex debate. Key factors of the controversy include: the rights to personal safety and free expression, as well as factors of racial and gender tolerance. The volatile nature of the issue ensures adjudication at the highest levels and also a far-reaching historical set of precedents, none of which has successfully â€Å"answered† the issues of free-speech and civic welfare. It seems prudent that the US Constitution should provide the framework by which all policies of free-speech are reckoned. â€Å"The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states, in part, that â€Å"Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech.† This freedom is deemed a fundamental right, because it assures individual self-fulfillment or autonomy,† (Zingo 17) .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Zingo discusses how the 1st amendment serves many interests: â€Å"it is a means of advancing knowledge and searching for truth;   it gives all members of society an opportunity to participate in the political process of self-governance;   and it provides a safety valve for society[†¦] because suppression of discussion is injurious to society.† (Zingo) With that in mind, it is also useful to peruse counter-arguments which posit a more modernist interpretation of the First Amendment. â€Å"Media-law experts attempt to impose the eighteenth-century ideals of freedom of speech and press on the modern world as if no changes have taken place. Today, First Amendment doctrine assumes that governmental censorship still poses a greater and more real threat to our rational self-governing ideal than self-gratification,† (Collins, and Skover 25).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     However, the Constitutional and judicial basis for restrictions on free speech stands far aside from this contention: â€Å"the Supreme Court ruled on a case challenging speech regulation[†¦] question in every case is whether the words used are used in such circumstances and are of such a nature as to create a clear and present danger that they will bring about the substantive evils that Congress has a right to prevent. It is a question of proximity and degree,† (Zingo 18). Questions and Rhetorical Strategies Key questions: 1) What constitutes â€Å"clear and present danger?† 2) What are methods for enforcing legislation. 3) How have prior Supreme Court first amendment cases been decided? 4) How to define a hate-crime. Rhetorical strategies:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To convince that racism, sexism, and hate-crimes constitute a â€Å"clear and present danger† to students on college campuses will require evidence and citation from legal opinions and legal precedent. The â€Å"hate-crime† according to preliminary research seems to be a well-established fact, backed by substantive evidence and scientific study. â€Å"Despite the tremendous strides resulting from civil rights legislation, racism remains one of the most pressing social problems in the US[†¦] Hate crimes have been prominent on university campuses for the last two decades but vary widely in their targets and severity.† (Marcus et al.) Whether or not a college chooses to restrict the freedom of speech based on the Constitutional premise of â€Å"clear and present danger† there is a question as to whether or not prohibition of   discriminatory speech, alone, will curtail racist and discriminatory practices. â€Å"In recent years, attempts to curtail racially discriminatory activities have focused largely on speech codes to limit inflammatory presentations (Altman, 1993) but these attempts have not been well received.† (Marcus et al.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Audience   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I believe that prohibition of hate-speech or any speech which constitutes a â€Å"clear and present danger† to students is an important issue for all citizens, but especially to those who may be impacted directly by hate-crimes. Most minority students wqill probably be sympathetic to my thesis while â€Å"conservatives† will see it as an infringement of civil rights. Ironically, liberals may also view it this way, or even more ironically they may not view it this way and in so doing, they will have become sympathetic to a restraining of free-speech.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bibliography Collins, Ronald K. L., and David M. Skover. The Death of Discourse. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996. Marcus, Ann, et al. â€Å"Perceptions of Racism on Campus.† College Student Journal 37.4 (2003): 611+. Zingo, Martha T. Sex/Gender Outsiders, Hate Speech, and Freedom of Expression: Can They   Ã‚   Say That about Me?. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998. Jacobs, James B., and Kimberly Potter. Hate Crimes Criminal Law & Identity Politics. Oxford:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Oxford University Press, 2001.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

African American Contributions to American History Essay Example for Free

African American Contributions to American History Essay Africa (768) , African American (597) , African (466) , American history (69) Haven't found the essay you want? Get your custom sample essay for only $13.90/page ? Many blacks contributed to the success of our country in every war that we as a people have ever fought. In order to properly thank them for their heroic effort, I as a Hispanic Caucasian must give credit where credit is due. In order to properly do so, I must begin with the contributions of â€Å"Black America† beginning with the American Revolution and continue up until the World War II. Make no mistake blacks made contributions well past World War II, but in the interest of time and accuracy I must stay within the confines of our earlier history. One main aspect that should be analyzed is the fact that no matter how hard the struggle, blacks have always overcome adversity no matter what the cost. Of course, contributions made by blacks are not limited to war alone, but include a wide spectrum of achievements that have advanced civilization as a whole. My personal respect and thanks go to all people who have served and continue to serve this country at any capacity. But we must never forget the contributions made by our black brothers and sisters who gave their lives fighting for a cause that so greatly affected their lives as well as our well being. Charles Dickens said it best in his book A Tale of Two Cities, â€Å"It was the best of times it was the worst of times†. The American Revolution was a time of great struggle for people of all races. But, Blacks in particular understood the literal meaning of patriot rhetoric, eagerly took up the cause of American freedom, fighting bravely in the early confrontations with the British. Though the revolution freed some blacks and set the country on a course toward the abolition of slavery, political accommodation to plantation owners forestalled emancipation for many blacks in the south for 90 more years. A black man was one of the first martyrs of the patriot cause. Crispus Attucks, apparently a slave who had run away from his owner 20 years before, died in the Boston Massacre in 1770. Though facts were disputed at trials then as now, witnesses said Attucks hit a British officer with a large piece of firewood, grabbed a bayonet and urged the crowd to attack just before the British fired. Attucks and two others were killed while eight were wounded, two mortally. Blacks served at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Peter Salem, a freed slave, stood on the green at Lexington facing the British when the first battle broke out with the shot that was heard around the world. One of the last men wounded in the battle as the British escaped to Boston was Prince Estabrook, a black man from West Lexington. At least 20 blacks, including Peter Salem, were in the ranks two months later when the British attacked an American position outside Boston in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Salem has been honored for firing the shot that killed Major John Pitcairn, the British officer who led the Redcoats when they had attacked his small unit at Lexington. Unable to venture outside Boston and then threatened with cannon surrounding the city, the British left Boston for New York. As the war changed from a Massachusetts endeavor to a broader conflict throughout the colonies, the politics of race changed dramatically. Blacks had been welcomed in the New England militia, but Congress initially decided against having them in the Continental army. Congress needed support from the South if all the colonies were to win their independence from England. Since southern plantation owners wanted to keep their slaves, they were afraid to give guns to blacks. Congress ordered all blacks removed from the army, but black veterans appealed directly to George Washington, who took up their cause with John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress. Blacks serving in the army were allowed to stay, but new enlistments were forbidden. Though the Declaration of Independence declared that â€Å"all men were created equal,† many blacks soon saw more opportunity on the British side. The British governor of Virginia promised immediate freedom and wages to any slave who would join the Kings army. Hundreds flocked to the standard of the governor, Lord Dunmore, but he was denied a base on the land by the American forces and many of the blacks who joined him died of smallpox on overcrowded ships. The loyalty of blacks was a serious issue for the American leaders because blacks made up one-fifth of the two million people in the colonies. With the British soldiers already outnumbering the American troops, and recruitment difficult for the patriots, the northern colonies soon again began to enlist blacks. Rhode Island made up a regiment almost entirely of blacks. As the war continued, colonies as far south as Maryland and Virginia were recruiting free blacks for the American cause. As the war spread into the South, Congress found it needed to recruit slaves. It offered to pay South Carolina slave owners $1,000 for able-bodied male slaves. The slaves would receive no pay, but would be given $50 and their freedom at the end of the war if they served â€Å"well and faithfully. † The South Carolina Assembly threatened to leave the war, dooming the plan in the southernmost colonies. Recruitment of blacks to the American cause continued further north, but the patriots had less success than the British. The offer of immediate freedom extended by Virginia’s unfortunate loyalist governor was eventually made by the British throughout the colonies. Slaves joined the British by the tens of thousands. The fate of the loyalist blacks varied considerably. Some were captured by Americans and either returned to their masters or treated as war loot and sold back into slavery. Approximately 20,000 were with the British at the end of the war, taken to Canada or the Caribbean. Some became the founders of the British colony of Sierra Leone in West Africa. Even though the British offered slaves a better deal, many blacks served on the American side. They made up a sizeable share of the men in the Continental navy, state navies and the large force of American privateers. Blacks had long been in the labor force on ships and at seaports. On the water, then as now, skill counted for more than politics. The precise role of blacks in the revolution is difficult to quantify. Blacks in those days generally did not write. The people who did write early histories of the revolution were whites and concentrated on the efforts of white men. Also, many participants in the revolution were not specifically identified by race in the documents of the time and historians now have no way of knowing whether they were black. When blacks were allowed to serve in the American military, they often did work as laborers, sometimes in addition to regular soldier duties. Usually they were privates, though a few rose to command small groups of men. The words of the Declaration of Independence were taken literally by blacks and some whites. In, 1780, Pennsylvania became the first colony to pass a law phasing out slavery. Children born to slaves after that date were granted their freedom when they reached 28. Other northern states followed. The Superior Court of Massachusetts held in 1783 that slavery violated the state constitution, and New Hampshire also ended slavery by a court ruling. Vermont outlawed slavery and Connecticut and Rhode Island passed gradual emancipation laws. New York outlawed slavery in 1799 and New Jersey followed in 1804. The international slave trade was outlawed in 1808. Progress then came to a stop. A boom in cotton production spread the slave economy into the lower Mississippi Valley. Slave states were careful to control at least half the political power in the federal government, blocking any national movement against slavery until the Civil War. The 54th Massachusetts Regiment On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves in the rebelling territories of the confederacy and authorizing Black enlistment in the Union Army. Since the beginning of the Civil War, free Black people in general, and Black Bostonians in particular, were ready to gather arms on behalf of the Union, yet they were prevented from doing so. Popular racial stereotypes and institutional discrimination against Blacks in the military contributed to the prevailing myth that Black men lacked the intelligence and bravery necessary to serve their country. By the fall of 1862, however, the lack of White Union enlistment and confederate victories at Antietem forced the U. S. government to reconsider its racist policy. As Congress met in October to address the issue of Black enlistment, various troops of Black volunteers had already been organized, including the First South Carolina and the Kansas Colored Troops. It wasn’t until January 26, 1863; however, that secretary of war Edwin Stanton authorized the enlistment of Black troops. As a result, the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteer infantry was founded, becoming the first all-Black Union regiment raised in the north. Training began for Black volunteers at Camp Meigs in Reedville, MA on February 21, 1863. Although some members of the community voiced opposition to the prevention of Black men from achieving the rank of colonel or officer, most community activists urged Black men to seize the opportunity to serve in the Union forces. The fear many Black volunteers had about the potential racism of White officers and colonels was calmed when Massachusetts Governor John Andrew assured Bostonians that White officers assigned to the 54th Regiment would be â€Å"young men of military experience, of firm anti-slavery principles, ambitious, superior to a vulgar contempt for color, and having faith in the capacity of colored men for military service. † Andrew held to his word, appointing 25-year-old Robert Gould Shaw as colonel and George P. Hallowell as Lieutenant. The son of wealthy abolitionists, Shaw had been educated in Europe and at Harvard before joining the seventh New York National Guard in 1861. In 1862, when Governor Andrew contacted Shaw’s father about the prospect of commissioning his son as colonel of the soon-to-be organized fifty-fourth, Shaw was an officer in the Second Massachusetts Infantry. Although reluctant to accept the commission, Shaw eventually became colonel. By the time training began at Camp Meigs, Shaw and his officers began work with the soldiers whose bravery would forever change public perception of Black military skill and valor. Black community leaders across the country such as Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown served as recruiting agents for the Union army. As a result, over 1000 volunteers enlisted in the 54th Regiment, a response so overwhelming that Massachusetts organized a second Black regiment, the fifty-fifth. Men of the fifty-fourth represented twenty-four states, the District of Columbia, the West Indies, and Africa. Approximately 25% of them had been slaves, over 50% were literate, and, although as civilians they had worked in forty-six different occupations, the overwhelming majorities (55%) were common laborers. Regardless of origin, occupation, or social class, the men of the 54th Regiment both inspired Boston’s Black community and provided a symbol of pride for abolitionists across the country. Activists such as William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass visited Camp Meigs to show their support. Although the organization of the 54th Regiment resolved the conflict over Black enlistment in the Union army, the struggle of Black soldiers to gain respect in the military was just beginning. Upon arrival in the south, the Black soldiers were often treated as common laborers and the potential for their valor on the battlefield was disregarded. Upon arriving in Georgia on June 11, they were ordered by Col. James Montgomery of the Department of the South to raid the town of Darien. Reports of Black soldiers burning buildings and ravaging the homes of townspeople confirmed stereotypes of Black soldiers as un-trainable brutes. Col. Shaw found the raid on Darien barbarous and distasteful, and sent a letter to Brigadier General George C. Strong, requesting that the men be used in the planned attack on Fort Wagner, South Carolina. On July 16, the 54th Regiment fought alongside White soldiers of the 10th Connecticut Infantry in a skirmish on James Island, SC. This battle redeemed the Black soldiers’ fighting ability in the eyes of White skeptics, including General Strong, who commanded the 54th Regiment to lead the assault on Fort Wagner, scheduled for July 18. Strategically, a successful attack on Fort Wagner would allow Union forces to seize control of Charleston Harbor. Located on Morris Island, Fort Wagner protected Battery Gregg overlooking Fort Sumter. Thus, seizure of Fort Wagner was valuable because it enabled the Union to shell Sumter and close the harbor to confederate blockade runners, thereby paving the way for further Union attack on Charleston. Fort Wagner was located at the northern tip of Morris Island, and was controlled by 1700 troops and 17 artillery guns. Depleted to just over 600 men by the skirmish two days previous, the men of the 54th Regiment were ordered to lead the assault on Fort Wagner with the backing of regiments from New York, Connecticut, Maine, and Pennsylvania. Before the charge commenced, Colonel Shaw ordered the regiment to â€Å"prove yourselves as men. † Within 200 feet of the Fort, the confederates began to attack as the brave men of the 54th Regiment struggled through darkness, four-foot deep water, and marshland. Colonel Shaw, accompanied by dwindling numbers of dying men, managed to reach the top of the parapet where a bitter hand-to-hand combat ensued, the Black Union soldiers with bayonets against the White Confederate soldiers with handspikes and gun rammers. Colonel Shaw was mortally wounded with a pierce through the heart, along with a dozen of his men. Meanwhile, members of the 54th Regiment – some wounded, some dying – began to retreat; those who refused to back down were taken prisoner. As the smoke cleared, evidence of Confederate victory was immediately apparent, with 174 Rebel casualties and 1515 Union soldiers dead or wounded. Of the eleven regiments who participated in the Union assault, the fifty-forth Regiment accrued the most casualties, with 256 of their 600 men dead or wounded. Despite the heavy losses, the assault on Fort Wagner proved to the nation and the world the valor of Black soldiers in general and the men of the 54th Regiment in particular. From the ranks of the fifty-forth came stories of unfailing patriotism and undying glory. The men of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, their White officers, colonel, and allies, not only struck a blow for American freedom and unity, they also proved to the nation and the world the valor, bravery, and devotion of African American soldiers. In the sacrifice made by Col. Shaw and his soldiers, Americans witnessed, for the first time, the supremacy of equality over racism, discrimination, and ignorance. Upon his death at Fort Wagner, the body of Col. Shaw was placed in a mass grave on Morris Island along with the bodies of his soldiers. The lack of proper military burial for a man who had distinguished himself as a soldier and as a leader was intended to insult the honor of Shaw and his family, who were deemed as race traitors by Confederates and White unionists alike. However, upon learning that his son had been buried with his black soldiers, Francis Shaw stated, with dignity, that â€Å"We hold that a soldier’s most appropriate burial place is on the field where he has fallen. † This statement and the honor displayed by the Shaw family and veterans of the fifty-fourth helped immortalize Shaw and his men as symbols of the Civil War battle for unity and equality. As a result of the 54th Regiment, over 180,000 Black men enlisted under the Union flag between 1863 and 1865. AFRICAN AMERICAN MILITARY SERVICE from WWI through WWII. During the global conflicts of the first half of the 20th century, U. S. servicemen fought in Europe for the first time in the nation’s history. African Americans were among the troops committed to combat in World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII), even though they and other black Americans were denied the full blessings of the freedom for which the United States had pledged to fight. Traditional racist views about the use of black troops in combat initially excluded African Americans from the early recruiting efforts and much of the actual combat in both wars. Nonetheless, large numbers of African Americans still volunteered to fight for their country in 1917-18 and 1940-45. Once again, many black servicemen hoped their military contribution and sacrifice would prove to their white countrymen that African Americans desired and deserved a fully participatory role in U. S. society. Unfortunately, the deeply entrenched negative racial attitudes prevalent among much of the white American population, including many of the nation’s top military and civilian leaders, made it very difficult for blacks to serve in the military establishment of this period. African-American servicemen suffered numerous indignities and received little respect from white troops and civilians alike. The historic contributions by blacks to the defense of the United States were usually ignored or downplayed, while combat failures similar to those of whites and violent racial incidents often provoked by whites were exaggerated into a condemnation of all African Americans. In the â€Å"Jim Crow† world of pre-1945 America, black servicemen confronted not only the hostility of enemies abroad but that of enemies at home. African-American soldiers and sailors had two formidable obstacles to deal with: discrimination and segregation. Yet, black servicemen in both world wars repeatedly demonstrated their bravery, loyalty, and ability in combat or in support of frontline troops. Oftentimes, they accomplished these tasks without proper training or adequate equipment. Poor communications and a lack of rapport with their white officers were two additional burdens hampering the effectiveness and efficiency of African Americans in the military. Too frequently, there was little or no recognition or gratitude for their accomplishments. One of the worst slights of both wars was the willingness of the white establishment to allow racism to influence the award of the prestigious Medal of Honor. Although several exceptionally heroic African Americans performed deeds worthy of this honor, not one received at the time the award that their bravery and self-sacrifice deserved. It took over 70 years for the United States to rectify this error for WWI and over 50 years for WWII. Despite the hardships and second-class status, their participation in both wars helped to transform many African-American veterans as well as helped to eventually change the United States. Though still limited by discrimination and segregation at home, their sojourn in Europe during WWI and WWII made many black servicemen aware that the racial attitudes so common among white Americans did not prevail everywhere else. The knowledge that skin color did not preclude dignity and respect made many black veterans unwilling to submit quietly to continuing racial discrimination once they returned to the United States. In addition, the growing importance of black votes beginning in the 1930s and 1940s forced the nation’s political and military leaders to pay more attention to African Americans’ demands, particularly in regard to the military. Although it was a tedious and frustrating process, one too often marked by cosmetic changes rather than real reform, by the end of WWII, the U. S. military establishment slowly began to make some headway against racial discrimination and segregation within its ranks. The stage was set for President Harry S Truman’s landmark executive order of 26 July 1948. Another main contribution of note would be the trails and tribulations of the Tuskegee Airmen. In the 1940’s, it was still believed that Blacks were incapable of flying aircraft. This myth was dispelled with the help of the U. S. Congress. On June 27, 1939 – THE CIVILIAN PILOT TRAINING ACT was passed. This solitary ACT helped to create a reserve of civilian pilots to be called in case of War. Young black pilots were given the opportunity to train with U. S. approved programs located at TUSKEGEE INSTITUTE. The SELECTIVE SERVICE ACT OF 1940 also increased the opportunity for a broader participation of Blacks in the military when it banned discrimination in the selection and training of all American citizens because of race and color. The success of the CIVILIAN PILOT TRAINING ACT helped put the 99TH PURSUIT SQUADRON OF TUSKEGEE on the map. It was said that â€Å"the success of Negro youth in the Army Air Force would be predicated upon the success of the ‘Tuskegee Experiment. ‘† HBO’s docudrama, THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN, is a good depiction of this era of Black Americans seeking acceptance as military pilots. Because of the opportunity provided by the Civilian Pilot Training Act, the number of Blacks in the ARMY AIR FORCE jumped from 2,250 in 1941 to over 145,000 by 1944. The two major groups to see combat as AAF men were the 99TH PURSUIT SQUADRON and the 332ND FIGHTER GROUP. Out of the 332nd Group came the 100th, 301st, and 302nd Squadrons under the command of Lieutenant Colonel BENJAMIN O. DAVIS, SR. , who became America’s FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN GENERAL on October 25, 1940. By 1944, the 99th was added to the 332nd and participated in campaigns in Sicily, Rome, and Romania. The 99th and 332nd earned many DISTINGUISHED UNIT CITATIONS. These historical examples are but a small sample of the many great contributions and sacrifices made by black people in order to secure freedom and prosperity for this great nation. We owe them a debt than can never be fully repaid. If anything these great contributions should curtail any negative or racial thoughts toward such a magnanimous people. You would think that with all that has transpired throughout history, that we as a people could live and coexist together with peace and harmony. My only hope is that with time people will come to realize that we are all not that different from one another and that we can thrive together for a better future for all of us. African American Contributions to American History. (2016, Dec 16).

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Influence of Intellectual Capital on the Types of Innovative Research Paper

The Influence of Intellectual Capital on the Types of Innovative Capabilities - Research Paper Example Such a project will provide insights to organizations on how different knowledge management strategies create opportunities for organizations to achieve innovations through the use of intellectual capital (Boer and During, 2001, p. 102). Particular emphasis will be on how strategies on human resource management influence a firm’s level of innovation.   Innovation refers to changes in organizational processes or existing products aimed at creating a competitive advantage in the market. Basically, it involves the identification of opportunities and utilizing them with the intention of creating new products, services or work processes (Daft and Weick, 2004, p. 450). Research studies indicate that organizations with higher innovative capabilities have higher chances of succeeding in response to changes in their business environment. There are different forms of innovation but the most common forms include organizational innovation, process innovation and product innovation (Subr amaniam and Youndt, 2005, p. 460). Organizational innovation refers to the development of new structures and management practices. Product innovation relates to the development of new products whereas process innovation involves the development of new technologies used in the production process. The various forms of innovations have different definitions but they all have a common theme. Their common theme is that of the use of knowledge to create competitive advantages by meeting the needs of customers. The fact that innovation involves the identification and utilization of opportunities, it means that there is a continuous process of pursuing new and unique knowledge (Subramaniam and Youndt, 2005, p. 455). Literature materials on the topic of innovation emphasize that knowledge is the most important element that can ensure the success of organizations pin developing new products, technologies, and processes. The main source of innovation is attributed to be the unique knowledge po ssessed by human capital (Daft and Weick, 2004, p. 244). Human capital is also recognized as the main driver of change within the business environment. In the study of the process of innovation, numerous research studies indicate that there is a close link between the management of knowledge and people and innovation. According to Boer and During (2001, p. 122), there exist a lot of research studies that focus on the contribution of organizational knowledge on various forms of innovation. However, most of the research studies only focus on the outcomes of generic innovations such as technology patents and sales revenues from new products. Such studies tend to ignore on studying how knowledge management is connected to innovation. A number of researchers address the topic of innovation in radical and incremental terms. This, therefore, implies that there need to be further research studies on incremental and radical innovations (Subramaniam and Youndt, 2005, p. 453). This is to ensur e there are adequate literature materials on the differences that exist between radical and incremental innovations.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Sommers Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sommers Philosophy - Essay Example Majority of parents focus more on their work and give little attention to the young people. The youngster is left back with the house girl who may not be acquainted with the moral traditions. In addition, several young people waste their fruitful time watching televisions and listening to music (Sommers 89). This time would have been utilized in enhance their studies, which in turn equips them with knowledge. The young people also prefer going to such places as cinemas and swimming at the expense of going to church. Sommer’s observations are remarkably accurate for me. I am certain that I know little regarding my moral traditions. This is because I have never found time to learn my tradition. I spent most of my time watching, travelling and chatting with friends. On a normal week when I am out of school, I spent two third of my day watching movies and several television programs. I then spent the other a third socializing with friends on social sites like face book and twitter just to mention but a few. Therefore, I spent little time with my parents who are responsible with equipping me with the traditional morals. During the weekends especially on Saturdays, I hang out with friends on such places as cinemas. On Sundays, I do some cleaning and later go for swimming. Therefore, I go to church on rare occasions, and when I do, I do not carry anything to write for future reference. Therefore, after a short time all that I had learned fades away.

Impact of competitive environment and product life cycle of sony Essay

Impact of competitive environment and product life cycle of sony camera TF-1 - Essay Example The camera is also dust proof. The competitiveness in the market makes the Sony camera TF-1 innovative and progressive. The camera has a well-designed snapper, and performs better as compared to all other cameras in the industry. The company focuses on improving the resolution of the F-1 camera versions. According to GibaldI (2010, 41), Sony restructures its camera in a bid to have a competitive edge. The restructuring will help reduce the cost of manufacturing and improvement of camera quality. This company also seeks the design of camera its competitors are offering in the market (Sahlin, 2012, 61). This will help the marketing team to select the suitable camera to present in the market. In a wider sense, the marketing strategy of the Sony Company boosts the sales of the company significantly. Through the camera differentiation, consumers are able to visualize the cameras be offered in real time (Standage, 2012, 23). Sony, through the enhanced strategy of the snapper is able to widen customer base. Marketing influences the strengths and weaknesses of the Sony. The Sony Company also applies promotion to the determination of the number of clients made on a daily basis. The major goal for Sony is the maintenance of its current customers in order to boost the sales revenue. According to White (2013, 83), the marketing strategy that Sony uses is wide and varied. For instance, the cameras can be established using different design materials to ensure a new look. The camera design improves when the branding system is above board and effective. Branding, as is conventionally known can potentially change the TF-1’s look. Sony should, come up with fashionable design of camera that is able to demystify the use of other low quality cameras. The camera’s lifecycle is comprehensive because it incorporates the developmental stage of the camera and the decline stage of the camera’s performance. The

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Consumer law coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Consumer law coursework - Essay Example e time and make claims under the Sale of Goods Act based on various possible ways to resolve the issues based on the circumstances and on what they want to be done as provided for in the implied terms section 12 of Sales of Goods Act. According to the case, Bowes v Richardson & Son Ltd, the buyer was held by the Courts entitled to reject a new car seven months after delivery based on various car problems some occurring immediately after delivery and others months later. The Court held that the buyer had never had the opportunity to fully assess the repairs made on the car as so could never be held to have accepted the goods. Such case law authority is a precedent for Peter’s iTablet and Patrick’s TV cases. They both have their rights against the retailer and not the manufacturer and hence a claim is valid to make against Trusted Electricals and Aptab R Us. On the hand, Peter can make a claim on goods sold on hire purchase not through Sales of Goods Act but via the Suppl y of Goods Implied Terms Act 1973 that makes the Hire Purchase Company responsible for the quality of the goods supplied and offers him slightly different rights. Patrick is also protected under the Consumer Credit Act 1974 to decide on the best way possible to end his agreement in his cases against Barcpeds. On the first occasion, Patrick purchased a 42 inch television for his living room from Trusted Electricals. The Television was defective and also had a consequential loss as it overheated and damaged his expensive wallpaper. In order to advice Patrick, there is a need to investigate whether the sign his attention was drawn to was available at the point of purchase and that he was told about it before the acquisition. The researcher believes that Patrick was never told of this sign at the point of purchase and thus his demands are valid as required by section 13 subsection one (sale by description) where there is an implied term that the good correspond to the description. Patrick should be

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Compare and contrast the effectiveness of the flag state measures Essay

Compare and contrast the effectiveness of the flag state measures - Essay Example Flag state, port state and trade measures are implemented for promoting responsible operations of fisheries. Flag state measures in relation to a fishing vessel, are the rules implemented by the state under whose laws the fishing vessel is registered or licensed. In the case of a fishing vessel that is not registered or licensed under the laws of any state, the term refers to actions taken by the state whose flag the fishing vessel is entitled to ply2. Port state measures refers to the â€Å"inspection of foreign ships in national ports to verify that the condition of the ship and its equipment comply with the requirements for international regulations, and that the ship is manned and operated in compliance with these rules†3. Trade measures are trade related tools for improving fisheries management, including measures to monitor and enforce compliance with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), trade regulation under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and other trade-related acts4. The issue of Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing is being highlighted by the international fisheries policy agenda in recent years. This is because IUU fishing not only undermines the sustainability of fisheries management methodology both domestically and internationally thereby impacting ocean biodiversity, but also has detrimental economic and social outcomes. Hence, ensuring the sustainability of fisheries by promoting responsible fishing, is now being increasingly focused on5. Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a growing threat to sustainable fisheries management and marine biodiversity. It occurs in all fisheries whether they are operated in areas under national jurisdiction or on the high seas. A number of international policy instruments that address the management of world fishery resources, also cover the issue of IUU fishing. In spite of the

Monday, September 23, 2019

France domestic policy and international relation Essay

France domestic policy and international relation - Essay Example ce to 6.9 million by the year 2030, the largest group being the Sunni Muslims who form a significant percentage of Muslims in France (Pew Research Centers Religion & Public Life Project, 2011). Muslim domination in France dates back to the 9th century when the Muslims captured the cities of Southern France (Greenfield, 2014). In 1543, the Muslims expelled Christians from Toulon and converted Toulon Cathedral into a mosque (Gemie, 2010). France regained the city of Toulon briefly afterwards. Due to this growing population of Muslims and the rise in incidences of terrorist attacks associated with Muslims, France alongside most Western Europe countries have come up with policies to restrict the continued trend of increasing Muslim immigrants (Euro-islam.info, 2014). In 1872, France passed a law that prohibits the collection of information on race and beliefs as part of its population census (Cosgrove, 2011). This law ensured the coexistence of various religions and races in the country without fear of intimidation or domination (Therrien, 2007). The law gave assurance of the state’s impartiality and lack of keenness on religious practices. In 1901, France passed the law on association, the Laicite concept of the state’s involvement in religion started to come up (Unaoc.org, 2014). An enactment for the lack of involvement of spiritual affairs in government matters, and the lack of involvement of the state departments in religious issues. In 1905, France passed a law on the distinction of religion from the state, in order for France to adopt the policy of French Secularity. Adoption of Laicite is a core element of the constitution of France, which states meticulously that France is a secular state (Kuru, 2009). According to Presiden t Sarkozy, this issue of secularism made it a taboo to allow aspects of religion in state affairs (Christian Today, 2008). The president refers to this as negative secularism, referring to Islam in Riyadh as one of the most adorable

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Understand person centred approach Essay Example for Free

Understand person centred approach Essay P,C,A, is about how we work with the individual how we give them and show them their rights, rights that they have in life about the choices they can make and how to maintain their privacy and dignity. Looking at the person as a whole not just meeting one of their personal needs but all of their needs by listening and helping the individual to make choices. 1.2 1.3 Explain why person-centred values must and should influence all social care work The influence meets the needs of individuals by providing the best quality care and by insuring you give best care you are influencing a good quality life by treating the individual the way you would want a member of your family to b treated. 305.2 Understand how to implement a person-centred approach in an adult social care setting 2.1 Explain how finding out the history, preferences, wishes and needs of an individual contributes to their care plan Care plans are about the individuals and their preferences, needs and wishes. If done with the correct information then it gives information to others about the individual, their needs, preference’s, needs and wishes it enables the care plan to be completed accurately and reflect about the individual and their preferences, needs and wishes. 2.2 Describe ways to put person-centred values into practice in a complex or sensitive situation Person-centred value in practice would be when an individual is showing distress or being threatening behaviour because of things distressing them, you would ask them what is distressing them, if the individual cannot talk but you know their triggers which could be being asked to much in one sentence or talking to quick to them, once you have found out what s wrong you would then implement practice that has been agreed by staff and other professionals to prevent the risk of serious implications which would be self harm or harming others around them. 305.2 Understand how to implement a person-centred approach in an adult social care setting cont 2.3 Evaluate the use of care plans in applying person-centred values Care Plans are the primary source of individual’s  information. Every specialty, Physical Therapist Occupational Therapist G,P, dentist etc, do an evaluation of the individual and formulate a program of goals for the individual to complete, therapies needed, schedule of goal levels, etc. Each person interacting with the patient can refer to the care plan for any information needed. Done properly the care plan reflects a total person and how to best help them fulfil their goals. 2.4 Explain the importance of monitoring an individual’s changing needs or preferences The importance monitoring changes in an individual is to help us see when or f the individual health is deterioration i.e. their mobility/ability if they seem to be walking worse or f they find it hard to stand p to transfer from chair to chair or if you notice that they are not doing their personal care as good as they normally do, also if they need a change in help with their environment if they need extra help with walking aids or even hearing aid. 305.3 Understand the importance of establishing consent when providing care or support 3.1 Describe factors that influence the capacity of an individual to express consent To consider the influences of the capacity of an individual we would take into account their age if they are able to participate in making options for their self, if they are actually aware of choices that have to be made i.e. doctor appointments or any form of surgery and if they have the mental capacity to consent to surgery or even being seen by opposite sex professional. 3.2 Explain how to establish consent for an activity to action To be able give consent the individual is to be able to verbally consent or even write it down and sign for it or ask their representative or advocate. 305.3 Understand the importance of establishing consent when providing care or support cont 3.3 Explain what steps to take if consent cannot be readily established If it’s possible not to continue with the task until we have spoken to the C, S, L, or T, C, but write down any information relevant to the task maybe if needed to arrange a best interest meeting with advocates or next of kin to be able to continue the task. 305.4 Understand how to implement and promote active participation 4.1 Explain the principles of active participation  Active participation is a way of working that recognises an individual’s right to participate in the activities and relationships of everyday life as independently as possible; the individual is regarded as an active partner in their own care or support, rather than a passive recipient. 4.2 Explain how the holistic needs of an individual can be addressed by active participation Holistic covers all aspect of the individual’s health and well-being and base on their needs and not others as each person has their own needs and specification of care. 4.3 Explain how to work with an individual and others to agree how active participation will be implemented Whilst you are having discussions with the individual we provide encouragement from family or advocates also whilst discussing we would provide useful information that they would be able to understand and ensuring that we are using the appropriate persuasion techniques. 4.4 Explain how to promote the understanding and use of active participation It is important to engage the individual and maybe appropriate to use physical as well as visual communication aids. Enabling and support individual’s to access community resources and facilities; perhaps by way of design of suitable events. Inclusion of family members as well as friends would also encourage active participation. 305.5 Understand how to support an individual’s right to make choices 5.1 Describe different approaches to support an individual to make informed choices The different approaches we could use to help make informed choice would be discussions with providing relevant information with guidance from friends and family also with advocates and other support services. 5.2 Describe how to support an individual to question or challenge decisions  concerning them that are made by others I would use and follow the complaint procedure by speaking to my senior member of staff also write up a list of what is of concern on behalf of our people and insist on having a second opinion. 5.3 Explain the consequences of allowing the personal views of others to influence an individual’s choices The possible consequence would be lack of motivation of doing anything for you or other people, low self esteem and showing signs of stress because of lack of choice which could lead to the individuals needs not being met which in turn could mean the person is being abused. 305.6 Understand how to promote an individual’s well being 6.1 Explain the links between identity, self-image and self esteem The link between the three is if you are confident with you identity with the way you look and are then yourself image is projected throw it and you have high self esteem of yourself. If you not confident with you identity then you more than likely to lean on others and have lower self esteem. 6.2 Explain factors that contribute to the well-being of an individual The factors that contribute would be Spiritual factors that enrich lives and touch people and are uplifting on a deep level such as religion, music and art. Religious- factors such as attending church or a mosque or visits from their local religious leaders, being able to celebrate religious celebrations also having a quiet place to prey. 305.6 Understand how to promote an individual’s well being cont 6.2 Explain factors that contribute to the well-being of an individual cont Cultural- factors that respect the individual’s likes choices and preferences and that give them a sense of what is normal to them. Social- factors such as opportunities to be with others, to communicate with others, to share in group activities. 6.3 Explain the importance of supporting an individual in a way that promotes their sense of identity self image and self esteem There are multitudes of approaches for supporting an individual in a manner that promotes their sense of identity and self esteem. It is best to allow them to suggest what  they want to do or to attempt to do things their own way and provide gentle coaching to steer them along. 6.4 Describe ways to contribute to an environment that promotes well-being To promote well-being in the individual’s house/ their bedroom you would put in their room things that identity them with things that they like or are into be it their favourite ornaments or pictures to make it their 305.7 Understand the role of risk assessment in enabling a person-centred approach 7.1 Compare different uses of risk assessment in adult social care settings Types of risk assessment we follow are about mobility on what we do on outings. The different use of a risk assessment would depend on the reason of use it would evaluate the difference of preventing accidents which would lead to injuries to individuals, workers and others, it would describe the procedure and steps we would follow to help prevent accidents. Risk assessments are also to make sure we meet legal requirements. 7.2 Explain how risk assessment relates to rights and responsibilities Risk assessment is legal right to protect people from danger or harm of the surrounding area of the person. There has to be a clear guidance in what is dangerous for the person or harmful. 305.7 Understand the role of risk assessment in enabling a person-centred approach cont 7.3 Explain how risk-taking relates to rights and responsibilities Risk taking relates to rights and responsibilities in the following ways Freedom of choice, Maintaining independence, Maintaining dignity and respect of each other 7.4 Explain why risk assessment need to be regularly revised They are revised annually or if circumstances changes in people or person also in if the surroundings or equipment have changed it also ensures that we are up-to-date on what’s happening. 7.5 Explain the importance of using agreed risk assessment processes to support choice Each individual supported also staff has risk assessment’s  as part of their support plan. The risk assessment contains information about the person and type of care and support they need. It tells you how to do tasks that may need risk assessment and best option has been established, be it moving and handling has changed due to health issues or that the individual don’t like that way.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Legal And Ethical Issues In Mental Health Nursing Nursing Essay

Legal And Ethical Issues In Mental Health Nursing Nursing Essay This assignment aims to critically appraise an ethical conflict in relation to the care provided to a patient. It will explore how ethical decisions are reached and how they can directly influence patient care. To achieve this aim the author will examine a case study of a patient whose care he was involved with whilst in placement. We will look at how, after an episode of self-harm, the patient refused any medical treatment for the wound and how this posed an ethical dilemma for the nursing staff involved in their care. Using the application of the Mental Capacity Act (MCA) (Great Britain (GB) 2005) and an established model for ethical decision making, we will look at how the decision of whether or not to enforce treatment for the wound was formulated and actioned. Ethics can be seen as the study of human conduct and morality (Buka 2008). It is about people reasoning, thinking and applying a process of reflection (Adshead 2010); however these people may have opposing views, values and experiences on which to base their moral judgements to define what is the right and wrong course of action (Hendrick 2009) and the principles used to decide this, not only by the individual but also within social groups and societies. (Adshead 2010). From this we can surmise that ethics is a complex system of reflective thinking, which is used in the search for a standard that can be used to judge your own actions, or the actions of others, within your own moral code. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008) stipulates that nurses must respect a patients right to confidentiality at all times and ensure that the patient is informed about how information concerning them is shared. In accordance with this the name of the patient has been changed and permission has been sought from the patient to use them in the case study (Appendix 1). Case Study. Anitas story. Anita is a young woman with a primary diagnosis of emotionally unstable personality disorder borderline type as defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO 2010). During a one-to-one therapeutic session Anita disclosed that she was having strong urges to self-harm. As such the therapeutic session concentrated on exploring her feelings surrounding her impulses, alternative coping mechanisms to manage her thoughts of self-harm and strategies to help maintain her safety upon the ward. As she felt that the pressure of being constantly watched would unsettle her further, thus not allowing her to manage her own feelings it was initially agreed to place Anita on intermittent observation as opposed to constant within the policy on self harm produced by the service that was caring for her (Oxford Health DATE). This approach was agreed in collaboration with Anita and the wider team as a way of her taking responsibility for her own decisions. Later in the shift Anita approached staff and stated that she had overwhelming urges to self-harm and that she had acted upon them. She was taken to the clinic room where the wound could be cleaned and assessed. Anita presented with a laceration to the inside of her thigh which was deep enough to expose the adipose tissue beneath, however was not deemed by the medical staff to be life threatening. Staff explained to Anita that the wound was deep enough to require stitching although not life threatening and advised her that she would need to attend the minor injuries unit of the local general hospital for assessment of the wound. At this time Anita, due to her mental state, could not fully appreciate the nature of the wound and felt that she needed to punish herself further by refusing treatment. The nurses on duty cleaned and bandaged the wound and allowed Anita time to consider the implications of her decision further. When Anita had calmed the nurse had a discussion surrounding the implications of not having the wound sutured such as infection, Anitas possible need to attack the wound in the future and pain relief issues, However Anita maintained her decision not to have the wound sutured. Following a wider team discussion around whether Anita understood the severity of the wound, thus having capacity to make a decision to refuse treatment, the Responsible Clinician (RC) spoke to Anita and attempted to persuade her to have the wound sutured. As Anita was still refusing to have the wound sutured the RC decided that an assessment would need to be carried out to ascertain whether Anita had the capacity to decide to refuse treatment. Upon completion of the assessment it was decided that Anita did have capacity to make decisions surrounding treatment at that time, within the framework of the Mental Capacity Act (GB 2005). This decision was reached due to Anita being able to understand the information being given to her, being able to retain the information and weigh it up to make a decision to refuse treatment. Although this appeared to be an unwise decision, which felt uncomfortable to the team, it was agreed to monitor the wound, keep it clean and dry and continue to talk to Anita about her thoughts and feelings surrounding getting medical treatment for the wound. This collaborative approach allowed Anita opportunities to explore her emotions, thoughts and feelings and promote her autonomy whilst still allowing her to decide to have the wound sutured should she change her mind. The main legal and ethical dilemmas that can be extracted from this case study are whether the Anitas capacity to make decisions about her treatment should be overridden by use of the Mental Capacity Act (GB 2005) and whether Anitas ability to make autonomous decisions surrounding her care should outweigh the nurses obligation towards beneficence. The Legal Dilemma. Mental Capacity. What legal Dilemma can be hypothesised as underpinning the decision making process of the mental health professionals in this case? Anita initially made her decision to refuse treatment shortly after self-harming. Self-harm has been strongly associated with borderline personality disorder (Motz 2008) where thoughts of self-loathing and self-punishment are common precipitators; the act of self harm can be seen as a symptom of internal turmoil, an expression of internal pain or as controlling factor to maintain a level of care (Grocutt 2009). This may indicate that Anita was under a great deal of distress at the time, which could have affected her capacity to make sound decisions; however her later decision of continuing to refuse treatment was based on her own morals and values towards her body that may have included these thoughts of self-loathing and the need to be punished. Although a person, under part four Mental Health Act (GB 2007) can be treated for mental disorder without the ir consent, it is important to note that a physical problem can only be treated without consent should the person lacks capacity and treatment is deemed to be in their best interests under the auspice of the Mental Capacity Act (GB 2007, MIND 2009). To help determine whether Anita has capacity, The Mental Capacity Act (2005) sets out a two stage functional approach. Firstly the practitioner needs to ascertain whether the person being assessed has some sort of disturbance of the mind and, if such a disturbance exists then it must affect their ability to make decisions when they need to (Department of Constitutional Affairs (DoCA) 2007:45). If this is not the case then the person cannot be seen as lacking capacity under the Act (GB 2005, DoCA 2007). In considering whether Anita needed to make the decision around treatment, we can see that, as the wound was not life threatening, it was decided to allow her time to settle and re-approach the question of treatment. The Mental Capacity Act (GB 2005) is clear in expressing that capacity is time and decision specific. In deciding that the decision could be made at a later time not only complies with the Act but also promotes Anitas autonomy. As the wound could be safely managed in the s hort term upon the ward the decision to allow Anita time to weigh up the information was the correct one to make. Conflicting ethical principles and dilemmas Lakeman (2009) points out that an ethical dilemma occurs when there are a multitude of alternative courses of action to deal with a particular situation. Conflicting moral principles may create difficult ethical dilemmas for nurses by having to contravene one moral obligation to uphold another (Beauchamp Childress 2009). Anitas ability to make autonomous decisions surrounding her care should outweigh the nurses obligation towards beneficence. However this may not feel entirely comfortable for the nurse. In mental health nursing, autonomy is sometimes overridden in the interests of promoting the principle of beneficence (Lakeman 2009). Which can make the nurses ethical dilemma difficult to manage due to balancing the two valid ethical principles of autonomy (respecting and supporting decisions making) and beneficence (relieving or minimising harm in the best interest of the patient) (Hendrick 2004, Beauchamp Childress 2009). To answer the question we need to examine how the dilemma sits within an ethical theory and the principles that apply. Beauchamp and Childress (2009) devised four basic moral principles which function as guidelines for professional ethical decision making. The principles of autonomy (freedom to act on your own belief), Nonmaleficence (obligation to avoid doing harm), Beneficence (providing benefits and help) and Justice (fair distribution of benefits, risk and cost) which are derived from a duty based theory of Emmanuel Kant (1724-1804) (Beauchamp Childress 2009). Principle 1 Autonomy. Respect for autonomy flows from the recognition that all persons have unconditional worth, each having the capacity to determine his or her own moral destiny. To violate a persons autonomy is to treat that person merely as a means: that is, in accordance with others goals without regard to the persons own goals. Beauchamp Childress (2009: 103) after Kant Autonomy is the freedom and ability to act in a self determined manner (Butts Rich 2008: 42) and the right of a rational person to achieve personal decisions without any outside interference. Therefore the principle of respecting autonomy concerns the nurses acknowledgement of, and obligation in respecting, Anitas decision over her own life. It may be that Anita is already feeling a loss of autonomy or disempowerment by the very nature of being a patient upon a secure ward and being under the Mental Health Act (GB 2007) and the restriction of her basic autonomous decisions such as when to eat, sleep or who she resides with. Therefore it may need to be considered whether Anitas is refusal of treatment is something that she feels in control of, thus a way in which she feels empowered. Principle 2 Beneficence. Morality requires not only that we treat persons autonomously and refrain from harming them, but also that we contribute to their welfareà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[is therefore]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ a moral obligation to act for the benefit of others. These beneficial actions fall under the heading of beneficence. Beauchamp and Childress (2009: 197) Beneficence can be seen as actions to benefit and promote the welfare of others (Butts Rich 2008). All actions that are performed by nurses can be regarded as having a moral dimension, most of which are for the benefit of the patient (Edwards 2009). The NMC Code of Professional Conduct is clear in stating that nurses have an obligation to both protect and promote the health and wellbeing of patients as their primary consideration (NMC 2008:2) and this is no different for mental health nurses working with patients who self-harm. This statement clearly incorporates the principle of beneficence and shows that the nurses in the case study are considering whether Anita should have medical treatment for the wound enforced upon her due to the principle of beneficence as described due to the worries of the wound becoming infected if not sutured. The dilemma. When nurses experience the ethical dilemma of having to enforce treatment irrespective of a patients right to autonomy, they can be seen as working in a paternalistic manner (Butts Rich 2008). In Anitas case, the nurses worry that the consequences of the wound becoming infected is driving their desire to treat the wound irrespective of Anitas wishes. However, although the actions on behalf of nurses is clearly driven by obligations towards beneficence, nurses need to weigh up the harms and benefits of enforcing treatment before acting in such a way as to produce the best outcome for Anita (Edwards 2009). A paternalistic approach is frequently used to infringe upon a persons right to autonomy. This infringement is supported by the principle of beneficence, which is the argument frequently used to impose treatment on patients whether they want it or not (Buka 2008: 29). Should the decision to treat Anita for her self harm regardless of her wishes have gone ahead, there may have been a risk of impacting on the nurse-patient therapeutic relationship. This relationship is built upon trust as well as purposeful and effective communication (Buka 2008) and is considered to be the cornerstone of nursing care (Lakeman 2009, Pryjmachuk 2011).Therefore the nurses would need to consider future risk as part of the ethical decision making process. Enforcing treatment on Anita may produce barriers to the therapeutic relationship such as difficulties in trusting the nurse in the future, disengagement from therapeutic communication, opposition and rejection of future treatment, increased self harming behaviours due to the trauma and hostility towards others (Kettles et al 2007, Byrt 2010), all of which may stop Anita from telling the nursing team when she self-harms in future episodes of distress. Which raises the principle of Nonmaleficence (doing no harm), in thi s instance to the therapeutic relationship, wellbeing and care of Anita. The decision to manage the wound on the ward and allow Anita time to calm and consider her options is, in the authors opinion, the correct course of action to take. As the wound was neither life threatening or of such a degree that it could not be safety managed upon the ward enabled the staff to consider the possibility of allowing Anita to make an autonomous choice. In considering Anitas wishes and agreeing a management plan to care for the wound incorporates both principles of Anitas autonomy and the nurses obligation towards beneficence. Beneficence could be interpreted to incorporate the patients autonomous choice as the best interests of the patient are intimately linked with their preferences [from which]à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ are derived our primary duties towards them (Beauchamp Childress 2009:207). If the nurses obligation to act beneficently is informed by the patients choices and preferences, then the respect for the patients autonomy will ultimately override any paternalistic actions on the part of the nurse (Beauchamp Childress 2009). This would not only encourage a supportive nurse-patient relationship but also provides care that is holistic, develops Anitas confidence in being able to negotiate her care and allows her to take greater personal responsibility, thus instilling empowerment and hope, all of which improve the potential for recovery. The practice of paternalism is now generally discouraged in health care (Butts Rich) and is considered unjustifiable in cases where the patient has capacity to make a decision (Edwards 2009, Beauchamp Childress 2009). Conclusion. Every decision that a nurse makes concerning the care of a patient needs to be considered from an ethical base. Any decision made from this ethical viewpoint has a higher probability of producing the best outcome under any given circumstance. The conflicting principles of autonomy and beneficence that have been presented within this case study would both be ethically and morally correct courses of action to take. From this we can surmise that a morally correct course of action may involve two opposing principles being applicable in any one situation. Are large proportion of moral and ethical dilemmas that are faced by nurses stem from the conflicting principles of autonomy and beneficence. However, the nurses ability to critically appraise risks and benefits will help them to make decisions that are beneficial to the patient involved. In encouraging autonomy for Anita involves taking risks on the part of the nurses which may go against their principles of Nonmaleficence and beneficence. However with collaborative working practices this case study has shown that solutions can be found in even the most complicated of nursing dilemmas. Word Count 2687.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Hamlet :: essays research papers

Great literary works retain their popularity as a result of many different factors. One such factor which can lead to popularity of a work, current or consistent discussion of a work's merits, can come into play when an author or playwright leaves questions unanswered in his work. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare creates such a situation. As a result of the ambiguity of clues given throughout this play, critics may argue for or against the idea that Prince Hamlet's "antic disposition" put on as a facade to mislead the royal family pales in comparison to the disposition of Hamlet's lunatic mind, or in other words, that Hamlet in fact truly succumbs to insanity. Evidence for this opinion can be derived from Hamlet's erratic mood changes, careless slaughter of those not directly involved in the murder of his father, and interactions with the ghost of King Hamlet. For a man thought to be feigning insanity, Prince Hamlet seems to have very little control of his emotions. In fact, Hamlet admits this to Horatio, his confidant, when he says, "Sir, in my heart there was a kind of fighting / That would not let me sleep" (5.2. lines 4-5). This lack of restraint leads to Hamlet's unpredictable mood swings throughout the play. Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia easily spawns such dramatic alterations in the prince's attitude. For example, when Hamlet first suspects Ophelia acts only as the pawn for Polonius's ploys, he reacts rashly, bitterly denying that he ever loved her. "You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so / inoculate our old stock, but we shall relish of it. I loved / you not" (3.1.117-19). This massive reversal in disposition is later contrasted by another reversal when Hamlet leaps into Ophelia's open grave at her funeral to dispute Laertes and claim, "I loved Ophelia, forty thousand brothers / Could no t with all their quantity of love / Make up my sum" (5.1.252-54). These abrupt mood changes also appear in Hamlet's relationship with his mother. He seemed to believe in his mother's purity and goodness, but eventually Hamlet seems to hold a great mount of contempt for Gertrude, especially when he mocks her words, and then snidely proclaims: "You are the queen, your husband's brother's wife, / And would it were not so, you are my mother" (3.4.15-16). Such mood swings as these definitely prove, if anything, that Hamlet could not keep adequate control of his emotions.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Saccharin :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Saccharin is one of the most disputed sugar substitutes in the United States today. Since 1977, it has been regarded as potentially carcinogenic (â€Å"Saccharin†, 1999). The sweetness of saccharin compared to sugarcane is utterly amazing. When measured up to sugarcane, saccharin is 550 times as sweet in its pure state. Also, it is estimated to have a sweetening power of 375 times that of sugar (â€Å"Saccharin†, 2000)! This drug may be amazing, but some people say that it causes a dangerous disease, cancer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1879, while developing new food preservatives a young Johns Hopkins chemistry research assistant accidentally discovered that one of the organic compounds he was testing was intensely sweet. He named it â€Å"saccharum†, the Greek word for sugar. He further learned that it passed through the body unchanged and was thus a safe artificial sweetener for diabetics (Anderson, 1995). Similar sugar substitutes are used today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Saccharin, which is also known as ortho-sulpho benzimide, is a white crystalline solid derived form coal tar. Them chemical formula is known as C6H4CONHSO2 (â€Å"Saccharin†, 1999). In 1977, saccharin was banned in Canada, but it has been kept on the market in the United States (â€Å"Saccharin†, 2000). It may be legal in the United States, but warning labels are necessary on saccharin-containing foods (â€Å"Saccharin†, 2000). In 1997, a group of scientists urged the federal agency to keep the artificial on its list of cancer-causing agents (CSPI, 1997). The National Toxicology Program, NTP, said that declaring saccharin sage would, â€Å"result in greater exposure to this probable carcinogen in tens of millions of people†¦ If saccharin is even a weak carcinogen, this unnecessary additive would pose an intolerable risk to the public,† (CSPI, 1997). They felt that even if it is weak, it still is a carcinogen. Samuel Epstein, a professor of environmental medicine at Illinois Medical Center in Chicago said, â€Å"In light of the many animal and human studies clearly demonstrating that saccharin is a carcinogenic, it is astonishing that the NTP is even considering delisting saccharin, â€Å" (CSPI, 1997). Many other scientist still today believe and have proven that saccharin is a cancer causing agent (at high doses in lab animals), but still people use it day in and day out at restaurants and their homes. Still many people are trying to have it removed from the list of carcinogens. Saccharin was also test on many laboratory animals, especially lab rats. They concluded that a high dietary dose of sodium saccharin causes urinary bladder tumors in rats (Bell, 1998).

Stone Walls Of New England :: essays research papers

Introduction Stonewalls of New England are rich with history and archeologists are still trying to determine who may have built the first stonewalls or if our concept of when North America was first settled is wrong. Items of stone and metal lead archeologists to believe that the archaic period is when the Northern New England portion of America was first inhabited. There have been many different types of fences built in New England, natural debris, wood, and stone included. Stemming from these different fence types American ingenuity flourished and inventions arose. Agriculture was a big part of the fencing of America; the cultural differences of the colonists and the Indians also played a big role in the ideas of fencing and laws. Stonewalls are important to our culture as not only North Americans but also as humankind in general. Overview of the ancient history of New England The Wisconsin continental ice sheet retreated about 15,000 BC, causing the climate to warm, sea level to rise, and the habitat was changed from tundra to spruce-lichen. The Pleistocene mammals (mastodons, mammoths, and caribou) were attracted to the new habitat, this caused the Paleo-Indians or Big Game hunters to arrive armed with Clovis fluted point projectiles (Salisbury, 1982). Many sites have been found in New England that shows evidence of tool-making, ritualized inter-band exchanges and other non-hunting activities. By around 8,000 BC, the spruce-lichen forest was mostly replaced by pine and hardwoods, this evolved into other types of food causing the Paleo-Indian era to give way to the early archaic. In New England, early Archaic projectile points were found, these differ from the Paleo-Indian points because the archaic points are generally stemmed and notched for more effective specialized hunting (Salisbury, 1982). Salvatore Trento tells of one point found in Monhegan, Maine:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A tiny arrowhead or possibly a small dagger was recovered from an excavation of a rubbish heap by the island archeologist. A C14 test of the organic material associated with the deposited metal artifact gave an approximate date of 1800 BC. During the summer of 1975, William Nisbet of the Early Sites Research Society submitted a tiny fragment of the artifact to a laboratory for analysis. The results were shocking. The seemingly insignificant arrowhead was composed of copper in tin. There are no tin deposits in either the eastern of middle states of America. The closest mines are in Bolivia, but these were not worked in 1500 BC.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Minority experience

Attending a religious denomination which is exactly opposite to your belief is a new experience in my part. I am able to attend a Buddhist church. Its belief is on the teachings of Buddha. According to Buddhism, liberation is attained through understanding and practice of the Four Noble Truths: 1. There is suffering in life. 2. Suffering is caused by desire for pleasure, existence, and prosperity. Suffering and rebirth cease when one ceases such desires, leading to enlightenment, or Nirvana, a blessed state in which peace, harmony, and joy are attained. 4. The way, or path, to Nirvana is the Eightfold Path, summarized as: Right understanding Right thoughts Right speech Right conduct Right occupation Right meditation Right mindfulness Right effort The Eightfold Path is also called the Middle Way—because of its emphasis on avoiding such extremes as following sensuous pleasures on the one hand, and self-punishment on the other. The Buddhist must at all times observe the high moral principles described in the Eightfold path, which emphasizes nonviolence and the brotherhood of all. Perhaps the best-known Buddhist scriptures are the Tripitaka (â€Å"Three Baskets†), first written down in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) in authoritative edition was prepared by the Sixth Buddhist Council at Rangoon, Burma, in 1954-56. The three Pitakas are about four times as long as the Bible. In addition, according to one of the Buddhist believers say that there are two kinds of Buddhism and these are the Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism. He said that Mahayana means â€Å"large vehicle.† It is a less austere system than Theravada Buddhism and emphasizes liberation for everyone. Many Mahayana Buddhists believe in liberation through good faith and good works. Their object is not only to obtain a personal Nirvana, but to help others to that goal. The Mahayana branch has developed a system of ideal Buddhas, or enlightened ones. The most important Buddha is the Amitaba, or Amida, Buddha, to whom members can appeal for deliverance. Some Mahana Buddhists also believe in a goddess, a symbol of compassion, who is called Kwan Yin in China and Kwannon in Japan. While the name Theravada means â€Å"the way of the elders.† It is an austere religion that requires solitude, meditation, and self-mastery through which each member hopes to achieve Nirvana. Because of these requirements, the possibility of liberation is limited to a few. Many of its followers are monks and nuns who spend most of their time in meditation and teaching. Theravada Buddhism is sometimes called â€Å"Hinayana Buddhism,† Hinayana meaning â€Å"small vehicle,† but this term is not accepted by followers of the religion. This experience widens my horizon regarding the Buddhist community.   It gives me the chance to internalize why such religion exists and there are people who remain faithful to the religion.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Sony’s Environment Analysis

Executive Summary Sony Corp. acquired Ericsson’s shares in their 50-50 joint venture Sony Ericsson early this year and rebranded it into Sony Mobile, a wholly own subsidiary of Sony Corp. The aim of this audit is to analysis current situation of Sony Mobile and suggests how Sony Mobile could compete in such competitive market It started with analysis about the mobile phone market. It then gave an overview about Sony Mobile and STP analysis. This audit used Porter 5 Forces to analyse the current situation of Sony Mobile.PEST and SWOT analysis were used to determine the external macro and micro environment and Sony Mobile’s internal strength and weakness. It also analysed Sony Mobile’s main competitors in the industry and used the marketing mix to analyse its marketing strategy. Finally, the audit gave evaluation of the current situation and gave recommendations. Industry Background Market Size: The global mobile phone industry consists of all analog and digital ha ndsets used for mobile telephony (Marketline, 2009). Mobile phone industry is a very fast growing and competitive industry with many big players like Nokia, Samsung, LG, HTC, RIM, Apple, etc.According to International Telecommunication Union (2011), total number of mobile subscriber worldwide has reached 5,981 millions. The breakdown of subscription by regions extracted from ITU is as follow: Source: ITU Gartner, the world's leading information technology research and advisory company, in its report in 2012 reported that total number of mobile phone shipped in 2011 is 1,775 million units. Total sales of smartphone in 2011 have reached 491. 4 millions, around 27. 7% of total mobile phone sales. (IDC, 2011) Market Growth In 2012, mobile phone industry operating profits rose more than 44% annually (Strategy Analytics, 2012).This is a very impressive growth for any industry thanks to the creation and expansion of 3G and 4G net-works. That led to the demand for 3G and 4G mobile handset g lobally. Total number of mobile phones rose by 11. 1% (Gartner, 2012) and total number of smartphone rose by 61. 3%. (IDC, 2012) Market Trend In 2007, the first iPhone was introduced to the market and it changed the game. Apple created a new trend to the mobile phone industry, the trend of smartphone. Since then to now, Apple has sold more than 200 million iPhones, customers started to pick up smartphone instead of feature phone and producer started to follow the trend.Samsung came up with its Galaxy series, Nokia with its N series, etc. Currently, iPhone and Galaxy from Apple and Samsung are the two best-selling smartphone models worldwide. The two models are being priced quite high but multi-million of them have been sold. The two tech giant, Apple and Samsung continue to lead the market and enjoy the lion's share of global revenues and profits, thanks to the weak performance of other giant such as Nokia, Motorola and LG. Below chart showed the change in market share of top 5 smar tphone vendors. Market ShareNokia’s market share is declining year by year but still, it is holding the largest pie of the cake. Taiwanese mobile producer HTC, Korean giants Samsung and LG are becoming stronger and stronger, Research in Motion has always has its certain share in the market and Apple with its Swiss army knife iPhone, is becoming a biggest threat to all competitors in the industry. The market share of the industry is as follow: In such market, competing in this industry would be difficult enough, but to be a market leader will be even more challenging. Sony Mobile, successor ofSony Ericsson which has the financial support of Sony Corp. and the technology and market share of Ericsson, has always strived to be the top player in mobile industry. Company Background – Sony History Akio Morita & Masaru Iuka founded the Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo in 1946. It was then renamed into Sony Corp. in 1958 due to the belief that a company’s name should be as short and easy to remember as possible. Its headquarters is in Japan but its presence is all over the world and in almost any industry. Howard Stringer is currently appointed as Sony Corp. chairman and CEO.In 2001, Sony joint venture with Ericsson and introduce to the mobile phone industry a new player Sony Ericsson. The milestone marking the success of this joint venture is in 2003 when Sony Ericsson launched the camera phone. It was the combination between the famous Sony cyber shot digital camera and the Ericsson mobile phone technology. However, very soon after, in 2011, due to the significant decline in sales over several years, Ericsson wanted to withdraw from the joint venture. Taking the opportunity, instead of closing down Sony Ericsson, Sony bought Ericsson shares and it became a fully own subsidiary of Sony Corp.It is now dealing with over 2500 contractors worldwide. The current workforce of Sony is around 9400 employees under the leadership of Kunimasa Suzuki, the newly-appointed CEO of Sony Mobile Communications. Sales and Finance As indicated in its 2011 fourth quarter financial statements, Sony Mobile, formerly known as Sony Ericsson report a loss of 247 million euro. It is a decline of 374% from 2010. The lost was due to the rise in competitiveness of the market. It also reflect the unfavourable macroeconomic and the effects of the flood in Thailand in November 2011.The company have shifted from selling feature phones to smartphones. Its Android-based smartphone sales in the fourth quarter increased 65% year-on-year. Sony Mobile have the total units sale during the 2011 fourth quarter is 9 million, it is a decrease of 20% from last year. The decrease in sales is the result of the shift from feature phones to smart phones. The number of feature phones was significantly dropped due to the change in strategy but the increase in smartphone sale is too little to offset the loss in sales despite the fact that the sale in Xperia smartphones to date has reached 28 million.Sales for the quarter were approximately â‚ ¬1. 3 billion, 80% of which is from Xperia smartphones. This has emphasized the company's shift in strategy from selling feature phones to selling smartphones. The gross profit margin was 24%. It is a decrease compare to 30% the same quarter last year and 27% in the previous quarter. The decrease in gross profit margin show the difficulties of Sony in sales due to the increasing in market competitiveness with the rise of many innovative, creative and strong competitors such as Nokia, Samsung, Apple.The price competition is affecting Sony gross profit margin and it also one of the reason led to the loss of Sony Mobile during this quarter. Due to the difficulties and the shift in strategies and the restructuring program mentioned above, Sony Ericsson ended the quarter with a net loss of â‚ ¬207 million. Cash flow from operating activities during the quarter was negative Euro 26 million. External borrowings were Euro 19 milli on during the quarter. Total borrowings were Euro 742 million at the end of the quarter. Total cash balances at December 31, 2011 were Euro 442 million. Business objectives:Sony Mobile is aiming to challenge the market leaders in smartphone producers. They want to integrate Sony Corp. technology into their phones in order to compete with others smartphone vendor like Apple or Samsung. They want to gain market share any try to become number one market leader. â€Å"Sony will change† as quoted by the current President and the CEO of Sony Corp. , Sony is reinventing itself to deliver a new, unique and exciting experience for its customers around the world. Sony is now moving fully towards giving an all-in-one solution through its new array of smartphones powered by android operating system.SONY STP ALALYSIS (Segmentation Targeting and Positioning): In marketing most important things are the marketing segmentation and the marketing mix. Even if you come up with a best product and if you do not use the right marketing strategies the result can be devastating. Sony is one of the electronic companies in the world but it cannot be attributed just to the technology and the innovation. Sony's marketing segmentation consists of four different lines: 1) Mobile phones 2) Sony music 3) Sony pictures (Play Station) ) Electronics (TV, camera, walkman, computer, MP3 players) Source: http://www. consumerpsychologist. com/cb_Segmentation. html Segmentation: Sony takes an effort to understand its customers as much as possible. The marketing segmentation makes the process more efficient and effective. It divides the market into small pieces and targets people who belong to the same group and feel the same desire for a product. Sony mobile aims to target the mid-end to high-end market and they offer high quality product irrespective of the cost.Sony mobile works on the design of handset to make it more stylish. Segmentation can be done in four categories: * Demographic * Geo graphic * Psychographic * Behavioural Demographic: Marketers typically consider for a broader vision of socioeconomic characteristic as demographic variables. Demographic characteristic that marketers commonly use to segment markets include age, sex, race, education, occupation and social class. Sony mobiles have different variety of handsets. For example, Sony launched mobiles of different range i. e. Sony Xperia P, Sony Xperia S, Sony Xperia U.These new generation mobiles are targeted for young and middle aged people. As these smartphone mobiles have latest features like Reality Display powered by the Mobile BRAVIA ® Engine HD, Clear Audio and xLOUD Sony audio technologies, a next generation PlayStation for gaming, HD camera, and social networking. It is targeted for business people as it is said â€Å"Your office is where you are†, this shows that it has excellent business capabilities. Geographic: Market is divided into different regions as one or more geographic region s cause customers to differ from one region to other.Sony has different marketing strategies for different regions, as in some regions of India; more people are attracted for loud and clear music while some regions are more in social networking. For such regions Sony launched mobiles like Sony Xperia sola, Xperia P. Largest market segment is China with 1,023 million mobile subscribers. India is second with 919 million and USA top the three with 331 million subscribers. Psychographic: Psychographic factors are also been used to segment markets, as it is divided into lifestyle, motives, etc.Lifestyle analysis provides a broad view of buyers, as it is categorised like hobbies, sports, entertainment, social events, shopping and many more. For business driven customer, Sony came up with smartphone Xperia S as a tool for their business. Also for entertainment and social networking consumers, Sony’s smartphones include features to enable the same. Behavioural: Behavioural is classif ied in some categories like Brand Loyalty, Price Sensitivity, and benefit expectation. Some of the consumers look out for brand loyalty as, Sony designed the new Smartphone which target for such customers.As price is another factor, for which the consumers check, Sony came out with price of range S$650-S$750 for Xperia S, Xperia P which has latest features. Targeting: Sony mobile is currently trying to target mid-end to higher-end market by rolling out lower priced handsets. Sony mobiles use the newest and greatest technology to appeal to their customers. The people who are most interested in staying up to date with the newest technology are usually men of the ages 18-30. Sony mobiles are more targeting for entertainment with communication.They are targeting for young and middle aged group, who are more interested in new features and latest technology. Young aged group consumers i. e. 18-25, are more attracted towards Smartphone’s having features like entertainment, social ne tworking, and camera. For which Sony is targeting these age groups with Xperia’s new versions. Sony mobile communication is also targeting for business group consumers by using excellent business features. Positioning Sony Mobile is currently focusing only on the higher end of mobile phone, the smart phone segment. They position their product as high class mobile phones.With their continuous innovation in technology, they are trying to lower the cost and produce entry-level smart phone models (telecomlead, 2012) but the image of a higher class mobile phone is still their main focus. Sony Mobile has an advantage that they inherited the image and brand name of Sony Corp. When people think of Sony, they think of high class, innovative, high-tech and best quality product. Sony Mobile is trying to re-assure customer that image through their products. PORTER’s 5 PORTER’s 5 forces analysis helps to study the market’s structure which would identify the companyâ⠂¬â„¢s attractiveness and long-run profitability. . Threat of new entrants Considering the amount of capital required to setup a mobile phone manufacturing company, the threat of new entrants are relatively low. Though few companies crop up once in a while, it is not feasible to challenge big players such as Sony. 2. Bargaining power of suppliers Sony currently has got very limited number suppliers when it comes to their chips. Since android supports only specific number of chips, Sony needs to make sure that they maintain a good working relation with such companies. Qualcomm, NVidia and ARM are such company who provides required chipsets to Sony.But in terms of other parts for their mobile, they are flexible and for few parts such as camera, they have got their own manufacturing units. 3. Bargaining power of Buyers Like in majority of the companies, bargaining power of the buyers are the prime criteria to which the companies aim to cater. All the major companies are trying to endle ssly to the catch up with the customer’s demand through offering unique features. Each Customer perceive value in a different way, thus it is very important to keep up with the customer’s expectation. 4. Threat of Substitute Products/ServicesDue to high competition in the market currently, there are high numbers of choices a customer can make while selecting their mobile. Also there is no switching cost involved except for the cost of the mobile phone. Unless 5. Intensity of Rivalry among Competitors Competition is extremely fierce between the existing mobile phone manufacturers. Competitors such as Samsung, Nokia, HTC and LG are continuously coming out with new features in a regular interval. The competitors make sure their products stand out through actively promoting them even before the launch. PEST Analysis:This is a framework where the management/strategy consultants use to get an overview of the external Macro-environment in which the organization operates. PEST factors play an important role in the value creation opportunities of a strategy. These factors are usually being considered as either threats or opportunities. Political Factors: Political factors for Sony can be changed at any time. The Government holds the power to change any policies and regulations which may affect Sony at the time. Also the recession may become reduced, therefore resulting in better trades for Sony. Government decisions an affect the organization up to high extent. Even this would affect Sony’s competitors. The laws which can affect Sony Corporation would consist of new international policies. Internationally the Government may change or increase trading restrictions which would definitely change the way Sony works, because it needs to trade. Government also has the power to change minimum wage, tax, VAT etc. These are also the factors which lead Sony to rank low compared to other competitors. Sony Mobiles are present in many countries worldwide; the p olitical pressure in each of them would affect them one way or the other.Economical Factors: The economic growth has shrunk which means that the growth of the economy is negative. Economically, due to this many changes occur such as the interest and exchanges rates. Due to the recession being deducted in the near future exchange rates may also decrease, however steadily. Sony must be aware of any trading restrictions the Government has made. Since Sony is an international company the exchange rates is different to whichever country they trade with. If the exchange rates in different countries have changed, Sony works out what prices are their products being sold at and whether it would be worth it.Sony Mobile formulates new strategies with respect to segmentation and to check on with the new price of products being launched in different markets due to the changes in these exchange rates. Also low growth in the National income of most of the countries has been resulted in low demand of the firm’s products. Because of these increasing costs and problems Sony Mobile company had to reduce the size of its organisation as it was in the year 2010, the global economic climate has a negative effect on Sony mobiles and as a direct result of this it was necessary to rebuilt and reduce the size of the organisation around the world.Social Factors: Socially, Sony Corporation would be predicted to do well. The company has already gained a lot of reputation because of the quality products and services they provide. Technology has been improved by a mass majority. Sony may even have new competitors which may impact on them. Sony must ensure that they stay ahead of technology. They must be able to create revolutionary equipment for people because that what their company would rely on to stay alive. Companies such as Microsoft and Apple would also do the same. People have trends which Sony must learn so that they may create products which can relate towards them.For examp le, many young adults tend to listen to music; therefore Sony would create products which may allow people to listen to music anywhere at any time. People will have different tastes of style, trends, activities etc. Sony must also improve their work of ideas so that they can still please their customers and that they have adapted with the ageing of the company. Technological Factors: Having new technology Sony creates and innovates products for e. g. Sony’s 12MP camera in Xperia S and their Bravia engine based HD display. This is all possible due to the technological advances.With the latest technology it is possible for Sony mobiles to reduce costs, improve quality, and lead to innovation and new developments. These products benefit the company as well as its customers. Sony mobile works around the latest technology. In order to lead with their competitors they have to stay updated every time and regularly research and develop. It depends on technology so that it may provide efficient productivity of work internationally. Sony uses upgraded and new technology to increase its productivity level and to stay ahead of its competitors.Sony uses new technology to conduct its research and development which would help the business create new products using customer information and also by conducting market research. SWOT Favourable Sony’s presence around world is given the fact that it is one of those strongest established Japanese brand. It is present in almost all the countries around the world. Sony, established in 1946 one of those world renowned companies known for their innovation and quality of products till date. They have a very strong brand name and have a magnitude of products under their brand.They are the leaders when it comes to their display unit in the mobiles as well as the camera. Apple’s Iphone 4S and Samsung’s Galaxy SIII buy their camera unit from Sony. Unfavourable Unfortunately with the lack of innovation and not kee ping up with the competition, Sony is no more a leader or even in the top 5 of the mobile phone manufacturers in the world. With more people moving towards the smart phone segment, Sony has lost out to its competitors such as Samsung, Apple, HTC, etc. Sony’s adaptation to the latest mobile technology is also at its slowest.While its competitors are moving towards the next generation technology Sony is very slow with even announcing its next generation product roadmaps. Sony currently is lacking in innovation unlike till few years back. Despite having a previous generation technology their product pricing is a tad bit higher than its competitors. Opportunities Sony has got an opportunity to tap into the lower segment market with their high quality product offering. Currently all the mobile manufacturers are very focused in their higher end and higher mid value segment market.Sony who is already a marketing leader in portable gaming service can integrate such technology into th eir mobiles and offer a unique product which will set the apart from their competitors. While all of their products currently using Google’s Android OS, they should provide faster software updates to their products. These days the operating system used also one of the decisive factors while buying a mobile. Threat Currently Samsung, Nokia and HTC are aggressively releasing their new generation smartphones and promoting the same.While other manufacturers such as LG, Motorola and Research in motion are coming out with newer product of next generation smart phone in order to stay competitive. Sony’s market share is decreasing slowly and their advertisement campaign hardly has any reach to its target segment. Competitor Analysis For the completive analysis, we’ll look at the major mobile phone manufacturers in the market. We’ll look at their strength and weaknesses, strategy and objectives. Samsung Korean Giant Samsung is one of the leading mobile manufacture rs in the world.Currently Samsung is the world’s largest smart phone maker with the sales of 45 million smartphones in the first quarter of 2012. Samsung’s strong hold is with its mid segment to the high end segment products, comprising majorly of the smartphone sporting the Google’s Android OS. Samsung is aggressively competing with Apple in the top end segment of the smart phone. Samsung’s Galaxy S line is their flagship models and are one of the highest selling products in the smartphone industry. For the first quarter of 2012, Samsung holds a market share of 23. 5% and 29. 1% of global mobile phone market and global smart phone market respectively.Nokia Nokia is one of the direct competitors of Sony from the early days. Despite its declining market share, Nokia is still the largest mobile phone maker in the world. With its strong low segment models and the recent tie up with Microsoft for their Windows Mobile OS. Nokia is aggressively trying to get so me of shares in the smartphone market. They have already strategically placed their products in the mid segment and high end segment market, ranging from Lumia 610 to the Lumia 900. HTC HTC is next big competitor to Sony. HTC trademark comes from their very quick releases of the new generation products.HTC was the first to come out the initial batch of touch screen smartphones and also the first to come out with the mobile under Android platform. HTC’s current flagship product lines are their â€Å"One† Series and are aggressively promoting it all over the world. Their strategy is to release their product ahead of the competitors and gain a good amount of market share. HTC is project itself as a very good multimedia mobile and have acquired Beats Electronic. HTC also acquired majority of the stake in â€Å"VIA Technology†, one of the major chipset makers on July 6, 2011. MotorolaThe Patent powerhouse Motorola is also on decline with respect to its market share. Motorola lacks the consistency when it comes to their market share. The threat to Sony comes from the fact that Google has acquired â€Å"Motorola Mobility† and that in the near future it’ll revamped to compete with the bigger players including Apple. Currently Motorola is doing a fair amount of sales with its â€Å"Droid RAZR† product and has got couple of more release lined up for the next generation mobiles. Apple Competitor Analysis would not complete without analysing Apple. Apple’s dominance in the market with its IPhone is unbeaten.With their aggressive marketing and innovative design, they are in the lead along with Samsung. Apple currently sports a big fan following for their products and holds a very high market share in the smartphone and tablet segment. Despite having only very less number of products in their portfolio, Apple manages post a huge profit when compared to others. In the first quarter of 2012, Apple holds a market share of 24. 2% in the smart phone segment, an 88. 7% increase from the first quarter of 2011. This scenario is bound to continue for the upcoming years. Other Players:Research In Motion (RIM), LG, ZTE are other big competitors to Sony. ZTE and LG are holding a market share of 4. 8% and 3. 4% respectively in the global mobile phone market. Whereas, Research in Motion’s market share in the smart phone is down to 6. 7% and are planning on targeting the mass market instead of restricting themselves to the business class users. Thus from the above analysis, it is evident that Sony is facing with a high amount competition and is in a very tough spot. Marketing Mix Marketing Mix is a different kind of choices organizations makes in the process of introducing a product or service to the market.The 4Ps is one of the methods used to analyse the market mix. 5. 1 Product In the Fiscal year 2011, Sony began to shift the focus of its mobile phone business exclusively to smartphones. So currently Sony Mo bile Corporation has got a very low number of products under its wing. It has got only two product lines namely â€Å"BRAVIA† and â€Å"XPERIA† range of mobile phones. The â€Å"BRAVIA† branded line of phones are exclusive to their Japanese market and there are about five models under it. For rest of the world the â€Å"XPERIA† ranges of mobile phones are being sold.First introduced back in 2008, Sony after revamping their product line retained only this series which sports the Google’s Android OS. Sony currently has got about six models under the â€Å"XPERIA† series. Sony’s flagship model â€Å"Xperia S† comes with one of the best camera in the market with its 12 Mega Pixel Sensor. With their â€Å"Xperia† product line up, Sony is trying to offer an all-round functionality offering. It is also coming up with 7 new models which will target the various segment users. Sony also has got two Tablet models namely â€Å"Sony Tablet P† and â€Å"Sony Tablet S†. Currently all of Sony’s models are featuring android and are touchscreen.Sony also has got range of Accessories to support the functionality of their mobile phones such as headset, wrist strap and customized chargers. 5. 2 Price Pricing is one of the key areas to be successful in the market and is one of the frequently investigated marketing strategies as related with quality. The perception of Sony’s superior quality is still preserved with their current models and it comes at a higher cost of production. This makes their models costing higher than its competitor with the similar product. Currently Sony’s cheapest model comes at the cost of about SG$400 and their flagship model â€Å"XPERIA S† costing about SG$700. . 3 Place Sony currently retails its mobile phone through four primary channels – traditional multi-brand shops, retail chains, local stores and also through their exclusive branded stor es. Sony also sells their product online through their own web store and also through online e-commerce websites such as newegg (US), amazon (US), flipkart (India) and other country specific e-commerce portals. Sony also sells its product with tie up the national operators of the respective country. Sony mobile takes the inherent advantages of the Sony brand and strengthens the marketing field and publicity.Build an outstanding Sony branded shop in shop and point of sale and re-establish the brand image of Sony mobile market and marketing in a wide range. And realize the integration of other businesses with the Sony Group. It means selling the smart phones in Sony home appliances and other Sony line of business sales channels online shop. In order to achieve the effective integration – Sony mobile channels the resources to the Sony Group. 5. 4 Promotion Sony Mobile currently trying to establish its â€Å"Sony† brand name after the name change from â€Å"Sony Ericssonà ¢â‚¬ .Currently Sony is trying hard to be a follower and it is currently promoting its Xperia smartphone through various communications medium such as Television advertisement, press, Internet and social websites, and road shows. Sony is also actively sponsoring various public events and also through. They are also aggressively promoting their models through the network operators by providing the mobiles at a subsidized rate upon contract. Evaluation & Recommendation From the marketing audit, it is quite evident that Sony is currently facing lots of challenges, while trying to establish its revamped image with their smartphones.They have put in strategies to gain more market shares and introducing new smartphones to keep up with the recent market development. With its strong foundation, Sony can improve their positioning in the market with strategically placed steps. Sony need to focus on delivering products that would cater to wide segment of customers. They should make sure that they come out with latest technology products on par with its competitors. Sony should bring back their innovative culture they once had and focus on becoming the market leader.They should leverage on their strong foundation with the multitude technological products under them. Sony currently does not have any low cost solution; this is a very big shift from their previous strategy wherein they had products targeting all range of customers. It is recommended they try to focus on providing low cost solution and fill in the void. Currently all the major companies are focusing their resource to compete in the mid-range to high end mobile products, leaving enough opportunity in the lower end segment of the mobile market.With the right price to feature ratio in this segment, Sony can gain a very good market share that will enable to them to recapture their past position in the near future, especially in the developing countries like India where such low price solution will attract a huge number of customers. Though Sony has got an extensive distribution network, they can provide a direct to customer model through their website which can enable them to engage the customers directly without a need of the resellers; they are already doing such model through their direct stores.With more users opting to purchase their products through the e-commerce websites, such a solution will add some good value to the company. Sony should make sure their products are marketed properly such a way they highlight the target feature for the respective target group. Thus with right products and marketing strategy, Sony Mobile Corporation can make sure that they reach their objectivity of gaining more market share. LIST OF REFERENCE Fourth quarter mobile phone industry overview | asymco. 2012. Fourth quarter mobile phone industry overview | asymco. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www. asymco. om/2011/01/31/fourth-quarter-mobile-phone-industry-overview/. Global mobile statistics 2012 Part A: Mobile subscribers; handset market share; mobile operators | mobiThinking. 2012. Global mobile statistics 2012 Part A: Mobile subscribers; handset market share; mobile operators | mobiThinking. [ONLINE] Available at: http://mobithinking. com/mobile-marketing-tools/latest-mobile-stats/a#subscribers. Gartner Says Worldwide Smartphone Sales Soared in Fourth Quarter of 2011 With 47 Percent Growth. 2012. 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