Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

The movie response that will be covered in this essay will be on the film â€Å"Wall Street Money Never Sleeps †. It was directed by Oliver Stone, released during 2010 and is the sequel to the 1987 film â€Å"Wall Street†. The film starts with the release from jail of Michael Douglas' Gordon Gekko before cutting to a rather elaborate plot involving Shia LaBeouf as the young trader with (some) scruples, who's rising in a world that just happens to be collapsing at the same time, as investment banks run by the likes of Frank Langella and Josh Brolin teeter under the weight of the 2008 financial crisis. The story then carefully weaves in more and more to Gekko (who, conveniently, also happens to be LaBeouf's future father-in-law, a dad to LaBeouf's on-screen fiancee, Carey Mulligan) (Zeitchik, 2010). Greed seems to be Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps theme, reckless and over the top risky behaviour has lead to the bubble in the housing prices to burst due to the actions of Wall Street firms. Shia Labouf played by Jake Moore works for the Lehman Brothers-esque Keller Zabel and is mentored by managing director Lewis Zabel. He receives a bonus of $1,450,000, before a late-night treasury meeting, which reveals that Keller Zabel is on the verge of collapse. This brings up an important ethical issue on how much bankers and traders receive in bonuses, irrelevant of the financial climate. After the collapse of several large banks during the financial crises of 2008, many are still paying their employees substantial bonuses. Many argue that the UK government have pumped billions of pounds into the banking sector, and has bailed out both Royal Bank of Scotland and Loyds Banking Group. As a result they should have greater say in how much the banks pay out in bonuses, however the banks argue that they cannot dramatically reduce bonuses without the risk of losing top staff to banks based overseas, which are under less pressure to cut payments. Even if bonuses are cut, salaries have risen significantly to compensate, by up to 40% in some cases. This is one of the many flaws, which has been allowed to occur within the banking industry, to the point where it has become the norm (Peston, 2011). One of the most prominent ethical issues presented in this movie is the idea of insider trading, which is the trading of stock with hidden information that the general publics is not informed about. It began with rumours being spread on â€Å"Zabel† by Bretton James who runs the rival bank Churchill Schwartz, which caused the rumours to become true, and Keller Zabel to be on the verge of collapse. Bretton James then insults Lewis Zabel by offering him $3/share when the firm was trading the previous week at $75/share. Zabel claims that this was revenge for letting Jame’s company go under eight years ago. These series of events causes Zabel to commit suicide by throwing himself under a subway. To avenge his mentor Shia Labouf releases rumours on Churchil Shwartz, which caused their shares to drop down 8% in pre market trading costing them $120million. Insider trading can be a very powerful tool within the financial sector; it can be used to make large profits as well as destroying others. As illustrated in the movie, Lewis Zabel took his life due to the results of Insider trading. It’s a criminal offence in most countries, however as Shia Labouf said it’s â€Å"hard to prove†, this is due to the difficulty of trying to prove what a person has heard via word of mouth. Because Insider trading is illegal, insiders who wish to exploit price sensitive information collaborate with other traders to make it harder to trace the trades back to the person who is known to have access to the information. This is called an Insider Ring. The term â€Å"moral hazard† is mentioned several times throughout Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. It’s first mentioned during the treasury meeting, when they are deciding whether to bail out Keller Zabel, if they bail them out what’s to say it wont occur again. Moral hazard is the idea that an individual can alter their behaviour if they know they are insured against some of the outcomes, for example if a car is not insured you would take more care than if it was. The reason moral hazard comes up several times throughout the movie is because it’s often used within the context of banks and sub prime mortgages. This is due to the fact that before the 2008 financial crises sub prime mortgage lenders were making reckless lending decisions, they lent many mortgages to people who were unlikely to be able to pay them back. This led to large-scale mortgage defaulting, which caused many banks to go under and cause the economy to suffer. However many banks were bailed out by governments in order to reduce the economy suffering further, which is effectively rewarding them for bad economic decisions (What is Moral Hazard, 2007). The issue of lack of corporate governance is apparent in the movie, its connected to the reasons why Keller Zabel and the other banks began to fail. A definition of Corporate Governance is a â€Å"set of relationships between a company’s directors, its shareholders and other stakeholders. It also provides a structure through which the objectives of a company are set, and the means of achieving those objectives and monitoring performance, are determined† (OECD). Events such as soaring pay packages for top bank executives which are often driven by extraordinary risk taking rather than real sustainable profits, weaknesses in risk management, board oversight, understatement of bad loans can all be linked to poor corporate governance (Corporate Governance failure to blame for banking crises, 2009). Money laundering is another un-ethical issue, which Wall Street brings about. Gordon Gekko reveals to Shia LaBeouf that he has $100million in a Swiss account under his daughter’s name, which she will be entitled to when she turns 25. Gordon suggests that him and his daughter travel to Switzerland sign the account over to LaBeouf’s name and he in return gives Gordon the money so that he brings it to the States in order to avoid the RAS getting involved, which is Money Laundering. To conclude there are many ethical layers within Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, such as unjustified salaries, poor corporate governance, insider trading, moral hazard and money laundering. These issues are very real, and still go on in our daily lives. We continue to inflate these â€Å"bubbles† until eventually they will burst, and repeat the process. Albert Einstein said, â€Å"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results†. This seems to be very true of the banking industry and the lack of thought of the consequences to their actions. Gordon Gekko presented us with a question, â€Å"Is Greed Good? † I believe Greed can never be good.Bibliography †¢ Corporate Governance failure to blame for banking crises. (2009, 02 24). Retrieved 05 2011 from Professional Pensions: http://www.professionalpensions.com/professional-pensions/news/1441283/corporate-governance-failure-blame-banking-crisis †¢ DREA. (2010, 10 30). Movie Review of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. Retrieved 05 2011 from Businesspundit: http://www.businesspundit.com/movie-review-of-wall-street-money-never-sleeps/ †¢ Insider Trading. (n.d.). Retrieved 05 2011 from Moneyterms: http://moneyterms.co.uk/insider-trading/ †¢ Kenny, J. (2009, 02 25). Corporate governance failure driving banking crises. Retrieved 05 2011 from FTadviser: http://www.ftadviser.com/InvestmentAdviser/Investments/AssetClass/Equities/News/article/20090225/2d2a7d74-034c-11de-a6db-00144f2af8e8/Corporate-governance-failure-driving-banking-crisis.jsp †¢ Peston, R. (2011, 01 07). Bank bonuses ‘to run to billions in 2011†². Retrieved 05 2011 from BBC NEWS: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12131092 †¢ What is Moral Hazard. (2007, 12 11). Retrieved 05 2011 from Economicshelp: http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/economics/what-is-moral-hazard/ †¢ Zeitchik, S. (2010, 05 14). Cannes 2010: â€Å"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps' issues its wake-up call. Retrieved 05 2011 from Los Angelese Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/05/wall-street-money-never-sleeps-cannes-oliver-stone.html

The Use of Mythological Allusions in Margaret Atwood’s Poetry

Julie Mewhinney ENG4U1 October 16th, 2012 J. Edwards Mythology: Because I’m Too Jaded to Write about Love An allusion is a casual or passing reference to a famous historical or fictional character. In poetry, allusions are often used to help reinforce a point or characterize the speaker or the addressee. In the case of Margaret Atwood’s poems, â€Å"Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing† and â€Å"Sekhmet Lion-Headed Goddess of War†, allusions are used to empower and change the way we view the female speaker. This is especially obvious in â€Å"Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing†.The poem is about a stripper, which is considered to be quite a degrading job in today’s society. Normally such a protagonist would be looked down upon and pitied by the readers, and yet through allusions to Helen of Troy (a woman widely considered to be the most beautiful of the ancient world, and also the sole cause of the Trojan War according to myth) the speak er comes off as superior to women with â€Å"respectable† jobs, and also to the men who watch her, when you would think it would be the other way around.In using lines such as â€Å"I don’t let on to everyone, / but lean close and I’ll whisper: / My mother was raped by a holy swan† (Countertop, 59-61) Atwood references Helen of Troy’s links to the Gods of Greek mythology (her father was Zeus; he had appeared to Helen’s mother in the form of a golden swan and raped [or had consensual sex with, depending on the version of the story that you read] her), and makes her speaker seem otherworldly and goddess-like in doing so.Instead of feeling ashamed of herself for her employment, the speaker feels superior in that she can make so many men swoon, much like Helen of Troy, and also in the knowledge that they cannot lay a finger on her; â€Å"I hover six inches in the air/ in my blazing swan-egg of light. / You think I’m not a goddess? / Try me. / This is a touch song. / Touch me and you’ll burn. † (Countertop, 78-83). Atwood uses these allusions to aid in the acceptance of the feminist view on such a controversial subject as stripping or prostitution.In â€Å"Sekhmet, Lion-Headed Goddess of War†, Atwood references the Egyptian goddess of war and destruction, Sekhmet, daughter of the god Ra, and various other Ancient Egyptian deities, most notably Osiris. The speaker in this poem seems to be Sekhmet herself, or at least a statue of her, much like in â€Å"Siren’s Song†, where the sirens are the speakers. In mythology, Sekhmet is the daughter of the sun god Ra, who unleashes her upon the world to bring vengeance upon those who have rebelled against him.She goes crazy with blood-lust and begins to kill everyone resulting in her being tricked into drinking red dyed beer by the men of the day in order to stop her killing rampage. With a bit of cleaver emphasis, and a feminist viewpoint, Atw ood turns Sekhmet into a proud and fearsome warrior queen, who is not content to sit in a museum with the god â€Å"†¦who wouldn’t hurt a fly† (Sekhmet, 2), Osiris, and who would like to go back to the days when she was worshipped, not just shown to children learning about cultural diversity.Both of these poems utilize strong female characters in their allusions, most probably because Atwood tends to write from a feminist viewpoint and likes her woman to have ower over the men, as opposed to in the majority of society, where the view is quite patriarchal, and the men tend to hold power over the women. Helen of Troy, the femme fatale who caused one of the greatest conflicts of the ancient world, and Sekhmet one of the most revered, and certainly the most feared warrior of the Egyptian empire are strong, untouchable and confident in themselves, just the sort of woman that Atwood believes all women should strive to be like.Because of these references, we do not see a degraded stripper who is taunted and looked down upon, or a lonely and forgotten goddess sitting in a museum gathering dust. Instead we see an unattainable woman of unsurpassable beauty, above the people who sneer at her, confident in her own skin, and a proud, fierce warrior goddess who remembers her glory days but still knows that she will never be forgotten.Margaret Atwood uses allusions to mythological figures to the highest degree, giving protagonists that would normally be seen as weak or pitiful characteristics of such influential women; she empowers her speakers with these allusions, using them to show us a different, stronger side to cliche characters that we thought we already knew. Works Cited Atwood, Margaret. â€Å"Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing. † Morning in the Burned House. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. Print. —. â€Å"Sekhmet, Lion-Headed Goddess of War. † Morning in the Burned House. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995. Print.

Information Security Essay

†¢What is the difference between a threat agent and a threat? Threat and Threat agent is on page 11. †¢What is the difference between vulnerability and exposure? Exposure page 10. Vunerability page 11. †¢How has the definition of â€Å"hack† evolved over the last 30 years? †¢What type of security was dominant in the early years of computing? Secure physical locations, hardware, and software from threats. Means of badges, keys, and facial recognition by security guards. †¢What are the three components of the C.I.A. triangle? What are they used for? Confidentiality, integrity, availability. Confidentiality page 13. Integrity page 13(bottom) and 14. Availability page 12. †¢Among the five components of an information systems, which are most directly affected by the study of computer security? People I believe †¢What paper is the foundation of all subsequent studies of computer security? It began with Rand Report R-609, sponsored by the Department of Defense, which attempted to define multiple controls and mechanisms necessary for the protection of a multilevel computer system. Page 5 and 6 for more on rand. †¢Who is involved in the security development life cycle? Who leads the process? Senior executive: Champion leads the process. Page 30 shows all of them. †¢Who is ultimately responsible for the security of information in the organization? Chief information security officer page 29 at bottom †¢What is the relationship between the MULTICS project and early development of computer security? †¢What was important about Rand Report R-609? †¢Who decides how and when data in an organization will be used or controlled? Who is responsible for seeing these wishes are carried out? †¢Who should lead a security team? Should the approach to security be more managerial or technical?

Advanced applied quantitative methods in finance Essay

Advanced applied quantitative methods in finance - Essay Example Financial time series have features that are represented well by models with dynamic variances. In this part, we focus at modeling the financial time series of the Italian Stock market index as well as the Spanish stock market index. We thus intend to examine the volatility in the Italian Spanish markets by understanding the change in commodity prices over a period of time. Finally we aim to present the various processes through which financial decisions are taken by aid of volatility modeling. Uses regression to provide possible estimates of the disturbance variances at each sample point and the original relation is then re-estimated by the weighted least squares procedure that corrects for the heteroskedasticity. The data is a time series data that includes 4255 daily market index prices for the Italian stock market spanning over the period 12/31/1997-22/01/2014 we also have the Spanish stock market data that includes 7122 daily market index prices spanning from 1/5/1987 to 4/22/2014 The series are characterized by random, rapid changes and are said to be volatile. The volatility seems to change over time as well. There has been upward and downward effects in volatility for the Italian market while the time series plot for Spanish market shows somehow an upward increase with slight variations (decreases) in between the years. The variations in volatility could be as a result among other factors, political factors or the international market changes. The histograms of the empirical distribution of the series are given below. For both the two market indexes, we observe that the series are leptokurtic. That is, they have lots of observations around the average and a relatively large number of observations that are far from average; for the Italian market index, the centre of the histogram has a high peak and the tails

The earning inequality in Israel Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The earning inequality in Israel - Assignment Example Often, the media houses have covered this story focusing on issues relative to Israeli’s economy. The United States, a close follower of Israel’s practices, has acted against the discrimination challenge in the past as it reflects negatively on the countries well-built reputation (Plaut, 2014). Naturally, Israel is the only state in the Middle East lacking an apartheid regime and looking at its success, as a developed country; it faces no threats from rivals and defamers. This condition makes Israel’s practices a dream for most of the western countries. A decade ago, discrimination was the country’s most pressing challenge but today, things have taken an influential step. The most worrying characteristic of Israel is the growing income inequality. It became prevalent a few years ago and in 2015, it attracts the attention of most states, organizations and international corporations (Filut, 2015). As from April 2015, Israel ranks at number 15 in labor productivity of the international economies. This fact is from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) most recent report. Israel has had a record increase in labor productivity for a limited time with more than three million people in the country having standard jobs. World’s leading countries such as China, United Kingdom or even South Korea are yet to attain Israel’s current labor productivity. However, the OECD claims as much as Israel has made improvements, the country’s economy is in an awkward position because they are 4% out of their constant track as depicted in the past two decades (Filut, 2015). The economic growth continues to increase gradually because of the variations in labor productivity - over three times that of the major emerging markets. This might seem impressive but China, Indonesia, Brazil and Russia have had over 100% productive increase in less than a decade, which shows they are most likely to surpass Israel in due time (Matthew,

Religious Belief versus Intellectual Acceptance Essay

Religious Belief versus Intellectual Acceptance - Essay Example Theology is the organizing and systematizing of the doctrines of a religion to make them consistent with each other and relevant to the rest of life. It means the evaluation and correction of doctrine. One doctrine is not just as good as another unless it gives equal expression to the same belief, equal in the sense of being as true to experience and as easy to understand in the terms of its expression. A detached study of doctrines in relation to knowledge as a whole is undertaken in the philosophy of religion (Foster, 2000). Some doctrines do not change with changing a life but remain constant because the aspect of the experience to which they refer remains constant. An example, to be discussed more fully later, is the doctrine of the two natures of Christ. Working with the facts of Jesus' humanity and the conviction of his Deity as well, the Church after rejecting doctrinal formulations expressed in terms of dual personalities, or dual wills, or Divine spirit inhabiting a human body, settled on the doctrine of the two natures; namely, that Christ was fully man and fully God, yet one person (Willard, 2000). The doctrine of the two natures of Christ is held to this day because a better formulation of the central conviction has not been found. And, of course, insofar as there is similarity of belief and culture, there will be similarity of doctrine--hence, the degree of consistency within a particular religion that sets it apart from other religions. For example, in the doctrine of the Trinity--that God is one in three persons--person means something quite different from our contemporary idea of a person. Failure to appreciate this often makes people think that Christianity affirms the existence of three Gods. Or again, Protestants affirm their faith in the "holy Catholic Church," even though for many of them the first association of the word catholic is with the Roman Catholic Church rather than with the universal body of Christian believers, as they really define it.

Global warming Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Global warming - Research Paper Example All these have contributed to increased production which threatens the environment. In a study released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (as qtd. in Kim et al. 64), scientists are one in saying that the world must take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but achieving this will cost a lot for the global economy. The estimated cost will be about 500 to 550 parts per million (ppm) carbon dioxide (CO2) which, when converted to the global GDP, is approximately 5%. The IPCC estimated that by 2050, the global mitigation toward stabilization is â€Å"between 1% gain and 5.5% decrease of global GDP† (qtd. in Kim et al. 64). Globalization has negative effects. Standardization and adaptation result in the choice of countless products. Markets are integrated and widened. The result is a unified spectrum of consumerism, multiple products invading supermarkets and retailers that are competing for the best. The world needs to create a green environment, an atmosphere f ree of the pollutants to control sea temperatures and protect the ecosystem and the ozone layer. The world’s program of activities has worsened the dim scenario. We depend much on fossil fuel as eighty percent of energy comes from fossil fuels. Our dependence on fossil fuel and coal as energy source exacerbates the situation. This essay will focus on greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) produced by vehicles and non-moving structures like plants and industries as one of the causes of global warming. First, definitions and concepts of global warming are provided and will be followed by a discussion on gas emissions of vehicles and industries. Literature Review The Earth’s ecosystem, to include the forests, fisheries, wetland and fresh water resources, are about to lose significance to human existence. Global warming and climate change must be given attention by policy makers. Business and organizations should focus on sustainable and green environment. Air pollutants are incre asing because of our use of fossil fuels for energy, continuous deforestration, and industries increase greenhouse gases that produce the greenhouse effect. GHGs trapped in the atmosphere exacerbate the greenhouse effect directly as they interact with radiation, but indirect effects are produced in the form of chemical transformations and when gases are mixed with other gases. A gas can affect cloud formations and atmospheric processes that affect the radioactive balance of the earth. Other gases like â€Å"carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen (NOx), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs), indirectly affect land and/or solar radiation absorption, because they share in the formation of substances in the atmosphere with a climate change impact† (Giuffre and Grana 67). Concepts on Global warming Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a greenhouse gas as it is released and stay concentrated in the atmosphere. It constitutes about 77% of the produced global greenhouse gas emissions. This concentration in the atmosphere creates global warming, which in turn creates the ozone hole. The ozone hole is caused by global warming and not the other way around. Reducing CO2 is the best way to reduce global warming (qtd. in Reinfried et al. 156). Other gases that trap heat in the atmosphere include methane (CH4),

Hallenges and potential advantages in adopting the International Research Paper

Hallenges and potential advantages in adopting the International Financial Reporting Standard for - Research Paper Example Besides that, the users of the financial statement of the SMEs are also benefitted from this, since the information provided can be compared with the international standards as the SMEs are also seen to deal with the venture capital firms, credit rating agencies, customers, suppliers, financial institutions and investors who are operating outside the home countries of the SMEs. However, the extant IFRSs cannot be used to meet the need of SME financial statement comparable to the international standard as they are designed especially to meet the financial reporting needs of the large businesses, that are operating in the globalised financial market and very little in regards to the economic compliance burden on the smaller businesses (Devi, 2003; IASB, 2009; Thompson, Sian & Roberts, 2006). Moreover, the SMEs cannot be considered as the smaller version of large businesses, which suggests the way that users will utilize the financial statement and accounting expertise along with their ability to bear the cost of financial reporting, which also differs from those of the large publicly traded companies (IASB, 2009). There are enough literatures that provide evidences regarding the appropriateness of IFRS for the SMEs (Chand, Patel & Cummings, 2006; Eierle, Haller & Beiersdorf, 2007; MAZARS, 2008; Sian & Roberts, 2008; Fu? lbier & Gassen, 2010; Neag, Masca & Pa?scan, 2009; Van Wyk & Rossouw, 2009) but there is need of additional research, since most of the researches were restricted only to some specific context. Therefore, this research focuses on the advantages and challenges that the SMEs of UAE will face on adopting the IFRS. Research Question The research question that this study will try to answer is the benefits that the small and medium sized enterprises, along with the suppliers of fund, will enjoy due to closure of the information gap. This information gap is produced as most of the SMEs are following non-standardized financial reporting techniques in UAE, which makes the evaluation of the performance of the enterprises more difficult. Literature Review Factors that lead the SMEs to adapt to the IFRS While developing the IFRS for the SMEs, the IASB has taken into consideration the important firm-level aspects. IASB has argued that there is a requirement for the global SMEs to prepare their financial reporting as per the international standards because of the users of their financial statement and the international structure and activities, in which the SMEs are engaged (IASB, 2009). In this context, the board has argued that the extant IFRS fails to meet the need of the financial reporting of the SMEs compared to the international standards, since they are complex in nature and poses significant amount of economic burden and compliance on the SMEs. Therefore, the following sections look at the prior literatures and highlight the characteristics of the firm, which will attempt to find the necessity of IFRS for the SMEs and its appropr iateness for financial report

Research paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Research Paper Example In one of their photos, Brady and Gardner covered a scene where many soldiers lay dead following a struggle in the civil war front and it created an impression of the fierceness of the battle that took place between the people and the soldiers. From the photo of Brady and Gardner, it was clear that there killing that happened in the time of the battle were so many and it reflected that many soldiers from the southern and the Union army lost their lives. The photo, however, covered a small section of the war front as an indication of the issues of the civil war in the course of the antagonism between the government side that opposed slavery and the southern states armies that wanted to advance it. Following the American civil war, there were various events that followed in order to address the issues of that resulted as well as to establish frameworks to prevent any occurrence of a similar situation in future. A report on the events of the war was prepared that outlined the main issue s that caused the emergence of the civil war in an otherwise a peaceful country so that the future would be able to be better. In the report, the political stand about slavery of the then elected presidents of United States (US), Abraham Lincoln is said to have triggered the mayhem. In his presidential campaigns, Lincoln had promised that he would contain the spread of slavery and finally abolish it, a move that was not allowed by many people from the south who depended on slaves for their work (Clark and Neely 138-139). When the southern states that supported slavery realized the election of Lincoln as the US president would have a negative impact on slavery, they formed a group by bringing together armies from their different states to frustrate the attempt of the president. Immediately they attacked Fort Sumter, an army garrison at Charleston in South Carolina the Union army, that opposed slavery prepared to attack. This triggered the need to respond to the attack from the govern ment side led by the president Abraham Lincoln so that they can contain the forces that opposed the government’s attempt. This meant that war had to begin so that to abolish slavery, which became the main goal of the civil war after the contention of different soldiers from different states. In the war, southern states wanted to overpower the government so that to advance the slavery but the northern side focused on routing them and attain the abolishment of slavery in America. When the report of the war was written, it focused on the importance of the war in the US and it proposed various things thing that could be done in future so that the conditions could be better for other people. One of the suggestions of the report was the protection of the battlefields as important historical places in the lives of Americans who did not exist during the war and those who lived far from them. The report also gave highlights on the things that the government ought to do to ensure susta inability of the program of protecting the battle field so that they maintain the places for a longer time than they and to remain relevant to the future generation (Civil War Sites Advisory Commission 3-27). According to the photos of Antietam battlefield, many soldier died at the battle field and this could be an indication of the fierceness of war

Preformance Managemant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Preformance Managemant - Essay Example For instance, there are assumptions that managers might undertake when taking evaluation of an employee. Sometimes, the responses from an employee may not be reflective of the potential and skills that he possesses. Thus, at this point, it is expected that the manager would assume faulty quotes for the employee’s service within the organization. At some point, the main essence of performance appraisal or management may not be fulfilled because the manager may be biased or have an opinion which is built before the appraisal process (Cardy and Leonard). As per research, another reason which has been noted to affect managers is the psychological underpinning of performance management. At some point, managers may feel that they are insecure about their own positions because performance management requires a lot of evaluation and understanding. It should be noted that managers feel burdened with the strategic planning of needed for performance management within an organization (Cardy and Leonard). Finally, the most important reason behind resistance of managers towards performance management is the fact that they would have to set targets for their subordinates. As a result, it is expected that some of the subordinates would show resentment towards the managers. Therefore, an air of miscommunication arises that does not make the team and manager feel confident or communicative about each other (Cardy and Leonard). Other than this, it is noted that managers would focus on day to day achievements of the individuals. But it is ineffective because managers should look at employees as team members. It is due to this reason that they stay motivated and communicative within an organization. Secondly, managers believe that all employees are similar which only false assumptions are. Managers need to understand that all employees have different responsibilities and skills. Thirdly, managers often

Transactional Leadership VS. Transformational Leadership Essay

Transactional Leadership VS. Transformational Leadership - Essay Example According to some sources, this technique of leadership is comprises of four key aspects. The relationship between the person in charge and the populace depends on the swap over level. Therefore, the great exchange value translates to stronger relations. The barter approach is another characterizing the above leadership. This is because the leader expects returns for the services rendered to the people (Beerel, 2009). The leader pursues outlay gain economic trade in order to meet people’s substance and intuitive needs in return for constricted services by inferiors. Additionally, transactional leadership does not change the organizational structure. Therefore, it is evident that this form of leadership system is all about necessities, state of affairs and loot. According to James Macgregor, transformational leadership theory is built on a clear vision of the people’s goals. In the above system, leaders and supporters work in unison thus progressing to greater heights in the business performance (Lussier, 2009). The strength of their dream and character enables such to motivate other workers thus achieving the organization’s goals easily. Similarly, the transformational leadership also encompasses of four aspects. One of them is the individualized contemplation. This entails the submission of support and encouragement to the workers. In order, to further maintain good relations, leaders uphold open lines of contact in order to encourage the employees to share their views on all issues. In addition to the above, the transformational leaders ought to recommend direct acknowledgment of other individual’s contributions (Lussier, 2009). Secondly, the rational inspiration transformational leadership utilizes each other’s resourcefulness. This is made possible as workers endeavor to discover new habits, which create opportunities. Thirdly, there is the element of heartening enthusiasm. Transformational leaders encompass a clear vision that

Western philosophy Essay Example for Free

Western philosophy Essay Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. [1][2] Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. [3] In more casual speech, by extension, philosophy can refer to the most basic beliefs, concepts, and attitudes of an individual or group. [4] The word philosophy comes from the Ancient Greek (philosophia), which literally means love of wisdom. [5][6][7] The introduction of the terms philosopher and philosophy has been ascribed to the Greek thinker Pythagoras. [8] Contents [hide] 1 Areas of inquiry 1. 1 Epistemology 1. 2 Logic 1. 3 Metaphysics 1. 4 Moral and political philosophy 1. 5 Aesthetics 1. 6 Specialized branches 2 History 2. 1 Ancient philosophy 2. 1. 1 Egypt and Babylon 2. 1. 2 Ancient Chinese 2. 1. 3 Ancient Graeco-Roman 2. 1. 4 Ancient Indian 2. 1. 5 Ancient Persian 2. 2 5th–16th centuries 2. 2. 1 Europe 2. 2. 1. 1 Medieval 2. 2. 1. 2 Renaissance 2. 2. 2 East Asia 2. 2. 3 India 2. 2. 4 Middle East 2. 3 17th–20th centuries 2. 3. 1 Early modern philosophy 2. 3. 2 19th-century philosophy 2. 3. 3 20th-century philosophy 3 Major traditions 3. 1 German idealism 3. 2 Pragmatism 3. 3 Phenomenology 3. 4 Existentialism 3. 5 Structuralism and post-structuralism 3. 6 The analytic tradition 4 Applied philosophy 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 7. 1 Introductions 7. 2 Topical introductions 7. 3 Anthologies 7. 4 Reference works 8 External links Areas of inquiry Philosophy is divided into many sub-fields. These include epistemology, logic, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics. [9][10] Some of the major areas of study are considered individually below. Epistemology Main article: Epistemology Epistemology is concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge,[11] such as the relationships between truth, belief, and theories of justification. Skepticism is the position which questions the possibility of completely justifying any truth. The regress argument, a fundamental problem in epistemology, occurs when, in order to completely prove any statement P, its justification itself needs to be supported by another justification. This chain can do three possible options, all of which are unsatisfactory according to the Munchhausen trilemma. One option is infinitism, where this chain of justification can go on forever. Another option is foundationalism, where the chain of justifications eventually relies on basic beliefs or axioms that are left unproven. The last option, such as in coherentism, is making the chain circular so that a statement is included in its own chain of justification. Rationalism is the emphasis on reasoning as a source of knowledge. Empiricism is the emphasis on observational evidence via sensory experience over other evidence as the source of knowledge. Rationalism claims that every possible object of knowledge can be deduced from coherent premises without observation. Empiricism claims that at least some knowledge is only a matter of observation. For this, Empiricism often cites the concept of tabula rasa, where individuals are not born with mental content and that knowledge builds from experience or perception. Epistemological solipsism is the idea that the existence of the world outside the mind is an unresolvable question. Parmenides (fl. 500 BC) argued that it is impossible to doubt that thinking actually occurs. But thinking must have an object, therefore something beyond thinking really exists. Parmenides deduced that what really exists must have certain properties—for example, that it cannot come into existence or cease to exist, that it is a coherent whole, that it remains the same eternally (in fact, exists altogether outside time). This is known as the third man argument. Plato (427–347 BC) combined rationalism with a form of realism. The philosophers work is to consider being, and the essence (ousia) of things. But the characteristic of essences is that they are universal. The nature of a man, a triangle, a tree, applies to all men, all triangles, all trees. Plato argued that these essences are mind-independent forms, that humans (but particularly philosophers) can come to know by reason, and by ignoring the distractions of sense-perception. Modern rationalism begins with Descartes. Reflection on the nature of perceptual experience, as well as scientific discoveries in physiology and optics, led Descartes (and also Locke) to the view that we are directly aware of ideas, rather than objects. This view gave rise to three questions: Is an idea a true copy of the real thing that it represents? Sensation is not a direct interaction between bodily objects and our sense, but is a physiological process involving representation (for example, an image on the retina). Locke thought that a secondary quality such as a sensation of green could in no way resemble the arrangement of particles in matter that go to produce this sensation, although he thought that primary qualities such as shape, size, number, were really in objects. How can physical objects such as chairs and tables, or even physiological processes in the brain, give rise to mental items such as ideas? This is part of what became known as the mind-body problem. If all the contents of awareness are ideas, how can we know that anything exists apart from ideas? Descartes tried to address the last problem by reason. He began, echoing Parmenides, with a principle that he thought could not coherently be denied: I think, therefore I am (often given in his original Latin: Cogito ergo sum). From this principle, Descartes went on to construct a complete system of knowledge (which involves proving the existence of God, using, among other means, a version of the ontological argument). [12] His view that reason alone could yield substantial truths about reality strongly influenced those philosophers usually considered modern rationalists (such as Baruch Spinoza, Gottfried Leibniz, and Christian Wolff), while provoking criticism from other philosophers who have retrospectively come to be grouped together as empiricists. Logic Main article: Logic Logic is the study of the principles of correct reasoning. Arguments use either deductive reasoning or inductive reasoning. Deductive reasoning is when, given certain statements (called premises), other statements (called conclusions) are unavoidably implied. Rules of inferences from premises include the most popular method, modus ponens, where given â€Å"A† and â€Å"If A then B†, then â€Å"B† must be concluded. A common convention for a deductive argument is the syllogism. An argument is termed valid if its conclusion does indeed follow from its premises, whether the premises are true or not, while an argument is sound if its conclusion follows from premises that are true. Propositional logic uses premises that are propositions, which are declarations that are either true or false, while predicate logic uses more complex premises called formulae that contain variables. These can be assigned values or can be quantified as to when they apply with the universal quantifier (always apply) or the existential quantifier (applies at least once). Inductive reasoning makes conclusions or generalizations based on probabilistic reasoning. For example, if â€Å"90% of humans are right-handed† and â€Å"Joe is human† then â€Å"Joe is probably right-handed†. Fields in logic include mathematical logic (formal symbolic logic) and philosophical logic. Metaphysics Main article: Metaphysics. Metaphysics is the study of the most general features of reality, such as existence, time, the relationship between mind and body, objects and their properties, wholes and their parts, events, processes, and causation. Traditional branches of metaphysics include cosmology, the study of the world in its entirety, and ontology, the study of being. Within metaphysics itself there are a wide range of differing philosophical theories. Idealism, for example, is the belief that reality is mentally constructed or otherwise immaterial while realism holds that reality, or at least some part of it, exists independently of the mind. Subjective idealism describes objects as no more than collections or bundles of sense data in the perceiver. The 18th century philosopher George Berkeley contended that existence is fundamentally tied to perception with the phrase Esse est aut percipi aut percipere or To be is to be perceived or to perceive. [13] In addition to the aforementioned views, however, there is also an ontological dichotomy within metaphysics between the concepts of particulars and universals as well. Particulars are those objects that are said to exist in space and time, as opposed to abstract objects, such as numbers. Universals are properties held by multiple particulars, such as redness or a gender. The type of existence, if any, of universals and abstract objects is an issue of serious debate within metaphysical philosophy. Realism is the philosophical position that universals do in fact exist, while nominalism is the negation, or denial of universals, abstract objects, or both. [14] Conceptualism holds that universals exist, but only within the minds perception. [15] The question of whether or not existence is a predicate has been discussed since the Early Modern period. Essence is the set of attributes that make an object what it fundamentally is and without which it loses its identity. Essence is contrasted with accident: a property that the substance has contingently, without which the substance can still retain its identity. Moral and political philosophy Ethics, or moral philosophy, is concerned primarily with the question of the best way to live, and secondarily, concerning the question of whether this question can be answered. The main branches of ethics are meta-ethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics. Meta-ethics concerns the nature of ethical thought, such as the origins of the words good and bad, and origins of other comparative words of various ethical systems, whether there are absolute ethical truths, and how such truths could be known. Normative ethics are more concerned with the questions of how one ought to act, and what the right course of action is. This is where most ethical theories are generated. Lastly, applied ethics go beyond theory and step into real world ethical practice, such as questions of whether or not abortion is correct. Ethics is also associated with the idea of morality, and the two are often interchangeable. One debate that has commanded the attention of ethicists in the modern era has been between consequentialism (actions are to be morally evaluated solely by their consequences) and deontology (actions are to be morally evaluated solely by consideration of agents duties, the rights of those whom the action concerns, or both). Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill are famous for propagating utilitarianism, which is the idea that the fundamental moral rule is to strive toward the greatest happiness for the greatest number. However, in promoting this idea they also necessarily promoted the broader doctrine of consequentialism. Adopting a position opposed to consequentialism, Immanuel Kant argued that moral principles were simply products of reason. Kant believed that the incorporation of consequences into moral deliberation was a deep mistake, since it denies the necessity of practical maxims in governing the working of the will. According to Kant, reason requires that we conform our actions to the categorical imperative, which is an absolute duty. An important 20th-century deontologist, W. D. Ross, argued for weaker forms of duties called prima facie duties. More recent works have emphasized the role of character in ethics, a movement known as the aretaic turn (that is, the turn towards virtues). One strain of this movement followed the work of Bernard Williams. Williams noted that rigid forms of consequentialism and deontology demanded that people behave impartially. This, Williams argued, requires that people abandon their personal projects, and hence their personal integrity, in order to be considered moral. G. E. M. Anscombe, in an influential paper, Modern Moral Philosophy (1958), revived virtue ethics as an alternative to what was seen as the entrenched positions of Kantianism and consequentialism. Aretaic perspectives have been inspired in part by research of ancient conceptions of virtue. For example, Aristotles ethics demands that people follow the Aristotelian mean, or balance between two vices; and Confucian ethics argues that virtue consists largely in striving for harmony with other people. Virtue ethics in general has since gained many adherents, and has been defended by such philosophers as Philippa Foot, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Rosalind Hursthouse. Political philosophy is the study of government and the relationship of individuals (or families and clans) to communities including the state. It includes questions about justice, law, property, and the rights and obligations of the citizen. Politics and ethics are traditionally inter-linked subjects, as both discuss the question of what is good and how people should live. From ancient times, and well beyond them, the roots of justification for political authority were inescapably tied to outlooks on human nature. In The Republic, Plato presented the argument that the ideal society would be run by a council of philosopher-kings, since those best at philosophy are best able to realize the good. Even Plato, however, required philosophers to make their way in the world for many years before beginning their rule at the age of fifty. For Aristotle, humans are political animals (i. e. social animals), and governments are set up to pursue good for the community. Aristotle reasoned that, since the state (polis) was the highest form of community, it has the purpose of pursuing the highest good. Aristotle viewed political power as the result of natural inequalities in skill and virtue. Because of these differences, he favored an aristocracy of the able and virtuous. For Aristotle, the person cannot be complete unless he or she lives in a community. His The Nicomachean Ethics and The Politics are meant to be read in that order. The first book addresses virtues (or excellences) in the person as a citizen; the second addresses the proper form of government to ensure that citizens will be virtuous, and therefore complete. Both books deal with the essential role of justice in civic life. Nicolas of Cusa rekindled Platonic thought in the early 15th century. He promoted democracy in Medieval Europe, both in his writings and in his organization of the Council of Florence. Unlike Aristotle and the Hobbesian tradition to follow, Cusa saw human beings as equal and divine (that is, made in Gods image), so democracy would be the only just form of government. Cusas views are credited by some as sparking the Italian Renaissance, which gave rise to the notion of Nation-States. Later, Niccolo Machiavelli rejected the views of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas as unrealistic. The ideal sovereign is not the embodiment of the moral virtues; rather the sovereign does whatever is successful and necessary, rather than what is morally praiseworthy. Thomas Hobbes also contested many elements of Aristotles views. For Hobbes, human nature is essentially anti-social: people are essentially egoistic, and this egoism makes life difficult in the natural state of things. Moreover, Hobbes argued, though people may have natural inequalities, these are trivial, since no particular talents or virtues that people may have will make them safe from harm inflicted by others. For these reasons, Hobbes concluded that the state arises from a common agreement to raise the community out of the state of nature. This can only be done by the establishment of a sovereign, in which (or whom) is vested complete control over the community, and is able to inspire awe and terror in its subjects. [16] Many in the Enlightenment were unsatisfied with existing doctrines in political philosophy, which seemed to marginalize or neglect the possibility of a democratic state. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was among those who attempted to overturn these doctrines: he responded to Hobbes by claiming that a human is by nature a kind of noble savage, and that society and social contracts corrupt this nature. Another critic was John Locke. In Second Treatise on Government he agreed with Hobbes that the nation-state was an efficient tool for raising humanity out of a deplorable state, but he argued that the sovereign might become an abominable institution compared to the relatively benign unmodulated state of nature. [17] Following the doctrine of the fact-value distinction, due in part to the influence of David Hume and his student Adam Smith, appeals to human nature for political justification were weakened. Nevertheless, many political philosophers, especially moral realists, still make use of some essential human nature as a basis for their arguments. Marxism is derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Their idea that capitalism is based on exploitation of workers and causes alienation of people from their human nature, the historical materialism, their view of social classes, etc. , have influenced many fields of study, such as sociology, economics, and politics. Marxism inspired the Marxist school of communism, which brought a huge impact on the history of the 20th century. Aesthetics Main article: Aesthetics Aesthetics deals with beauty, art, enjoyment, sensory-emotional values, perception, and matters of taste and sentiment. Specialized branches. Philosophy of language explores the nature, the origins, and the use of language. Philosophy of law (often called jurisprudence) explores the varying theories explaining the nature and the interpretations of the law in society. Philosophy of mind explores the nature of the mind, and its relationship to the body, and is typified by disputes between dualism and materialism. In recent years there has been increasing similarity between this branch of philosophy and cognitive science. Philosophy of religion Philosophy of science Metaphilosophy Many academic disciplines have also generated philosophical inquiry. These include history, logic, and mathematics. History Main article: History of philosophy See also: Western philosophy, Eastern philosophy, and History of Western philosophy Further information: Philosophical progress Many societies have considered philosophical questions and built philosophical traditions based upon each others works. Eastern philosophy is organized by the chronological periods of each region. Historians of western philosophy usually divide the subject into three or more periods, the most important being ancient philosophy, medieval philosophy, and modern philosophy. [18] Ancient philosophy Main article: Ancient philosophy Egypt and Babylon Further information: Babylonian literature: Philosophy and Ancient Egyptian philosophy Main article: African philosophy There are authors who date the philosophical maxims of Ptahhotep before the 25th century. For instance, Pulitzer Prize winning historian Will Durant dates these writings as early as 2880 BCE within The Story of Civilization: Our Oriental History. Durant claims that Ptahhotep could be considered the very first philosopher in virtue of having the earliest and surviving fragments of moral philosophy (i. e., The Maxims of Ptah-Hotep). [19][20] Ptahhoteps grandson, Ptahhotep Tshefi, is traditionally credited with being the author of the collection of wise sayings known as The Maxims of Ptahhotep,[21] whose opening lines attribute authorship to the vizier Ptahhotep: Instruction of the Mayor of the city, the Vizier Ptahhotep, under the Majesty of King Isesi. The origins of Babylonian philosophy can be traced back to the wisdom of early Mesopotamia, which embodied certain philosophies of life, particularly ethics, in the forms of dialectic, dialogues, epic poetry, folklore, hymns, lyrics, prose, and proverbs. The reasoning and rationality of the Babylonians developed beyond empirical observation. [22] The Babylonian text Dialog of Pessimism contains similarities to the agnostic thought of the sophists, the Heraclitean doctrine of contrasts, and the dialogues of Plato, as well as a precursor to the maieutic Socratic method of Socrates and Plato. [23] The Milesian philosopher Thales is also traditionally said to have studied philosophy in Mesopotamia. Ancient Chinese Philosophy has had a tremendous effect on Chinese civilization, and throughout East Asia. The majority of Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn and Warring States era, during a period known as the Hundred Schools of Thought,[24] which was characterized by significant intellectual and cultural developments. [24] It was during this era that the major philosophies of China, Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, and Taoism, arose, along with philosophies that later fell into obscurity, like Agriculturalism, Chinese Naturalism, and the Logicians. Of the many philosophical schools of China, only Confucianism and Taoism existed after the Qin Dynasty suppressed any Chinese philosophy that was opposed to Legalism. Confucianism is humanistic,[25] philosophy that believes that human beings are teachable, improvable and perfectible through personal and communal endeavour especially including self-cultivation and self-creation. Confucianism focuses on the cultivation of virtue and maintenance of ethics, the most basic of which are ren, yi, and li. [26] Ren is an obligation of altruism and humaneness for other individuals within a community, yi is the upholding of righteousness and the moral disposition to do good, and li is a system of norms and propriety that determines how a person should properly act within a community. [26] Taoism focuses on establishing harmony with the Tao, which is origin of and the totality of everything that exists. The word Tao (or Dao, depending on the romanization scheme) is usually translated as way, path or principle. Taoist propriety and ethics emphasize the Three Jewels of the Tao: compassion, moderation, and humility, while Taoist thought generally focuses on nature, the relationship between humanity and the cosmos ( ); health and longevity; and wu wei, action through inaction. Harmony with the Universe, or the origin of it through the Tao, is the intended result of many Taoist rules and practices. Ancient Graeco-Roman Ancient Graeco-Roman philosophy is a period of Western philosophy, starting in the 6th century [c. 585] BC to the 6th century AD. It is usually divided into three periods: the pre-Socratic period, the period of Plato and Aristotle, and the post-Aristotelian (or Hellenistic) period. A fourth period that is sometimes added includes the Neoplatonic and Christian philosophers of Late Antiquity. The most important of the ancient philosophers (in terms of subsequent influence) are Plato and Aristotle. [27] Plato specifically, is credited as the founder of Western philosophy. The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead said of Plato: The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. I do not mean the systematic scheme of thought which scholars have doubtfully extracted from his writings. I allude to the wealth of general ideas scattered through them. [28] The main subjects of ancient philosophy are: understanding the fundamental causes and principles of the universe; explaining it in an economical way; the epistemological problem of reconciling the diversity and change of the natural universe, with the possibility of obtaining fixed and certain knowledge about it; questions about things that cannot be perceived by the senses, such as numbers, elements, universals, and gods. Socrates is said to have been the initiator of more focused study upon the human things including the analysis of patterns of reasoning and argument and the nature of the good life and the importance of understanding and knowledge in order to pursue it; the explication of the concept of justice, and its relation to various political systems. [27] In this period the crucial features of the Western philosophical method were established: a critical approach to received or established views, and the appeal to reason and argumentation. This includes Socrates dialectic method of inquiry, known as the Socratic method or method of elenchus, which he largely applied to the examination of key moral concepts such as the Good and Justice. To solve a problem, it would be broken down into a series of questions, the answers to which gradually distill the answer a person would seek. The influence of this approach is most strongly felt today in the use of the scientific method, in which hypothesis is the first stage. Ancient Indian Main article: Indian philosophy. Further information: Hindu philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, Jain philosophy, and Upanishads The term Indian philosophy (Sanskrit: Darshanas), refers to any of several schools of philosophical thought that originated in the Indian subcontinent, including Hindu philosophy, Buddhist philosophy, and Jain philosophy. Having the same or rather intertwined origins, all of these philosophies have a common underlying themes of Dharma and Karma, and similarly attempt to explain the attainment of emancipation. They have been formalized and promulgated chiefly between 1000 BC to a few centuries AD. Indias philosophical tradition dates back to the composition of the Upanisads[29] in the later Vedic period (c. 1000-500 BCE). Subsequent schools (Skt: Darshanas) of Indian philosophy were identified as orthodox (Skt: astika) or non-orthodox (Skt: nastika) depending on whether they regarded the Vedas as an infallible source of knowledge. [30] By some classifications, there are six schools of orthodox Hindu philosophy and three heterodox schools. The orthodox are Nyaya, Vaisesika, Samkhya, Yoga, Purva mimamsa and Vedanta. The Heterodox are Jain, Buddhist and materialist (Carvaka). Other classifications also include Pashupata, Saiva, Rasesvara and Pa? ini Darsana with the other orthodox schools. [31] Competition and integration between the various schools was intense during their formative years, especially between 500 BC to 200 AD. Some like the Jain, Buddhist, Shaiva and Vedanta schools survived, while others like Samkhya and Ajivika did not, either being assimilated or going extinct. The Sanskrit term for philosopher is darsanika, one who is familiar with the systems of philosophy, or darsanas. [32] In the history of the Indian subcontinent, following the establishment of a Vedic culture, the development of philosophical and religious thought over a period of two millennia gave rise to what came to be called the six schools of astika, or orthodox, Indian or Hindu philosophy. These schools have come to be synonymous with the greater religion of Hinduism, which was a development of the early Vedic religion. Ancient Persian Main article: Iranian philosophy Persian philosophy can be traced back as far as Old Iranian philosophical traditions and thoughts, with their ancient Indo-Iranian roots. These were considerably influenced by Zarathustras teachings. Throughout Iranian history and due to remarkable political and social influences such as the Macedonian, the Arab, and the Mongol invasions of Persia, a wide spectrum of schools of thought arose. These espoused a variety of views on philosophical questions, extending from Old Iranian and mainly Zoroastrianism-influenced traditions to schools appearing in the late pre-Islamic era, such as Manicheism and Mazdakism, as well as various post-Islamic schools. Iranian philosophy after Arab invasion of Persia is characterized by different interactions with the old Iranian philosophy, the Greek philosophy and with the development of Islamic philosophy. Illuminationism and the transcendent theosophy are regarded as two of the main philosophical traditions of that era in Persia. Zoroastrianism has been identified as one of the key early events in the development of philosophy. [33] 5th–16th centuries Europe Medieval. Medieval philosophy is the philosophy of Western Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages, roughly extending from the Christianization of the Roman Empire until the Renaissance. [34] Medieval philosophy is defined partly by the rediscovery and further development of classical Greek and Hellenistic philosophy, and partly by the need to address theological problems and to integrate the then widespread sacred doctrines of Abrahamic religion (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) with secular learning. The history of western European medieval philosophy is traditionally divided into two main periods: the period in the Latin West following the Early Middle Ages until the 12th century, when the works of Aristotle and Plato were preserved and cultivated; and the golden age[citation needed] of the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries in the Latin West, which witnessed the culmination of the recovery of ancient philosophy, and significant developments in the field of philosophy of religion, logic and metaphysics. The medieval era was disparagingly treated by the Renaissance humanists, who saw it as a barbaric middle period between the classical age of Greek and Roman culture, and the rebirth or renaissance of classical culture. Yet this period of nearly a thousand years was the longest period of philosophical development in Europe, and possibly the richest. Jorge Gracia has argued that in intensity, sophistication, and achievement, the philosophical flowering in the thirteenth century could be rightly said to rival the golden age of Greek philosophy in the fourth century B. C. [35] Some problems discussed throughout this period are the relation of faith to reason, the existence and unity of God, the object of theology and metaphysics, the problems of knowledge, of universals, and of individuation. Philosophers from the Middle Ages include the Christian philosophers Augustine of Hippo, Boethius, Anselm, Gilbert of Poitiers, Peter Abelard, Roger Bacon, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, William of Ockham and Jean Buridan; the Jewish philosophers Maimonides and Gersonides; and the Muslim philosophers Alkindus, Alfarabi, Alhazen, Avicenna, Algazel, Avempace, Abubacer, Ibn Khaldun, and Averroes. The medieval tradition of Scholasticism continued to flourish as late as the 17th century, in figures such as Francisco Suarez and John of St. Thomas. Aquinas, father of Thomism, was immensely influential in Catholic Europe, placed a great emphasis on reason and argumentation, and was one of the first to use the new translation of Aristotles metaphysical and epistemological writing. His work was a significant departure from the Neoplatonic and Augustinian thinking that had dominated much of early Scholasticism. Renaissance The Renaissance (rebirth) was a period of transition between the Middle Ages and modern thought,[36] in which the recovery of classical texts helped shift philosophical interests away from technical studies in logic, metaphysics, and theology towards eclectic inquiries into morality, philology, and mysticism. [37][38] The study of the classics and the humane arts generally, such as history and literature, enjoyed a scholarly interest hitherto unknown in Christendom, a tendency referred to as humanism. [39][40] Displacing the medieval interest in metaphysics and logic, the humanists followed Petrarch in making man and his virtues the focus of philosophy. [41][42] The study of classical philosophy also developed in two new ways. On the one hand, the study of Aristotle was changed through the influence of Averroism. The disagreements between these Averroist Aristotelians, and more orthodox catholic Aristotelians such as Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas eventually contributed to the development of a humanist Aristotelianism developed in the Renaissance, as exemplified in the thought of Pietro Pomponazzi and Giacomo Zabarella. Secondly, as an alternative to Aristotle, the study of Plato and the Neoplatonists became common. This was assisted by the rediscovery of works which had not been well known previously in Western Europe. Notable Renaissance Platonists include Nicholas of Cusa, and later Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. [42] The Renaissance also renewed interest in anti-.

History Of The Nike As A Company

History Of The Nike As A Company Founded as an importer of Japanese shoes, NIKE, Inc. (Nike) has grown to be the worlds largest marketer of athletic footwear and apparel. In the United States, Nike products are sold through about 20,000 retail accounts; worldwide, the companys products are sold in about 110 countries. Both domestically and overseas Nike operates retail stores, including Nike Towns and factory outlets. Nearly all of the items are manufactured by independent contractors, primarily located overseas, with Nike involved in the design, development, and marketing. In addition to its wide range of core athletic shoes and apparel, the company also sells Nike and Bauer brand athletic equipment, Cole Haan brand dress and casual footwear, and the Sports Specialties line of headwear featuring licensing team logos. The company has relied on consistent innovation in the design of its products and heavy promotion to fuel its growth in both U.S. and foreign markets. The ubiquitous presence of the Nike brand and its Swoosh trademark led to a backlash against the company by the late 20th century, particularly in relation to allegations of low wages and poor working conditions at the companys Asian contract manufacturers. General Usage of PEST PEST is part of business environment, which consider by external environment. Political environment is the starting point, many other sources of macro-environmental forces. The result of political decision-making can often be seen as the governments economic policies and legislation. It is important to know is that the political and legislative environment related to the marketing of great significance, and may have a marketing strategy on the development are directly related. (Geoff Lancaster, 1993) Closely related to, and intertwined with, the political / legal environment is the economic environment. The marketing strategist must understand the variety of economic variables that will shape marketing plans. Factors such as rates of inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, industrial output, levels of disposable income and the balance of payments are just some of the factors of potentially major concern to marketing management because they, in turn, influence costs, prices and demand. Once again, not just domestic but international economic developments and trends must increasingly be considered. Consequently, marketing strategy needs to take account of the à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¹Ã…“ebb and flowà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ of economic factors in a global setting. (Geoff Lester, 1993) Changes and trends in the sociocultural environment present significant challenges to the strategic marketing planner. Peopleà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s basic beliefs, attitudes and values are shaped and conditioned by the society in which they grow up. Their general behaviour, including of course their purchasing behaviour, is profoundly influenced by societal and cultural norms. Core cultural and social values are firmly established within a society and are generally difficult to change. If and when they do change, they do so only slowly. In the short term, therefore, they should be treated as parameters within which marketing strategies need to be formulated. However, over a period of say 20 to 30 years, we can expect some social and cultural values to have changed dramatically. (Geoff Lester, 1993) Technology is a major environmental influence upon marketing strategy. This influence is manifested in a variety of ways. For example, developments and breakthroughs in technology are the basis for new products and sometimes new industries. Home computers, compact disc players, video recorders and instant cameras are just a few of the product which have emerged in recent years. Biotechnology, information technology and energy conservation are just a few of the new industries. (Geoff Lester, 1993) Benefit of PEST PEST use is very important. A company needed it to operate in a country.In a country where political instability makes the future of a company changes.The time when the political stability, a natural and smooth operation of the company, by a government tax will be relatively low. nike company has stores in the world, so different in every country has the political will of nike companys works. nike company is a foreign company must be delivered to import taxes, but if the political stability, the company naturally pay low taxes. Each country has different rules, for example, is still in Muslim countries can not have exposed any advertising, so the nike company must in each country in different ways to do publicity.When the countrys economic good times, can also help greatly improve the companys sales.But when the recession will certainly affect all of the companies and people. Nike economy will affect the company.When a countrys economic good time, companies can purchase a lot better than the economy can also help the company publicity. Nike items sold by the company are about to peoples needs, such as clothes, shoes and more. So a good national economy will affect the companys operations, such as a country needs more clothes, then the company will be shipping for the national needs. But if the recession when the nike company lowered the price so people will continue shopping to maintain the economy. Community is one of them will affect a companys future. When a company started, is that the people most in need of support. In an upper class society, people will spend money on things they need the body. But in a nasty society, people need only basic needs. Sell nike shoes company is based, in a society where everyone needs to wear shoes so the community will also affect the companys business. Different ages have different needs such as athletes need shoes so the company will make different models for the athletes shoes. If more young people to that country, the company will launch a variety of different comparison slippers or shoes and so on. Upper-class society needs are different, they need is more noble, so the company will look better shoes. In a traditional society, is not to be exposed toes, so the company will have different nike shoes available. When the nike companys needs to the needs of society will naturally open up. Technology on are important to every company, this wi ll affect the companys future direction. nike companys technology has always been unchallenged for all aspects of the shoe is its own unique design. nike shoes for each of the company have put a lot of human and material resources to enable people to wear more comfortable. Former shoe factory are artificial, and now the nike company not only uses the machine also uses computer technology to produce more product information better and better products out. nike shoe companies each have mentioned the spelling of the highest, so that people wear comfortable, so people are very reliable company works. PEST on the nike company has some influence. So good a company need to control these environmental factors. With these factors, nike company makes business better. For example, if the economy is good, political stability, higher living standards, technological progress, which will make the company a lot of room for improvement. 2) Organizational structure Organizational structure in each company will have not the same. It is used to solve a companys management, every stage has a different job, different departments have different methods of management. This is the reason for the organizational structure. Not the same as in the organizational structure of the organization of methods, such as a: tall organizational structures, Flat organisational structures, Functional structures, Product structures, Division sturctures, Customer structures and so on. These are used in the operation of companies of different sizes. Now I introduce the Tall organizational structures, the organization belongs to multi-layer structure, for example, a stage that only two to three of the men, while men have only every two to three subordinates. Many companies will use this structure, because the management is easy, less friction between colleagues, every department to do their own business. Although this is a tall structure, important decisions are often the highest authorities to the report, be carried out must also be approved. So this is what one of the disadvantages often are elongated because of the time to wait for high-level decisions, which will have missed the best time. Also, if you need some high -level consultation, the need to address the underlying lack of communication was found between them. Tall organizational structure When a technology developed at the competitive big tall organizational structure of society can no longer be used in a big company, so many companies have changed into flat organizational structure. The reason is simple, this structure is to multi-layer system . In this organization, a department can have at least seven subordinates, so this will make the efficiency faster and work faster. Because more people to manage, so the head of each layer must have enough experience, and it does not require any management decision should be the highest level to decide. When a large company need to expand the market, this structure can be easily controlled by hand. For example, in a branch where only one in charge to control. This company wants to know the natural turnover of each will be more convenient. In each charge under the leadership of the response can be directly subordinate level can also be spread to shorten the time, the efficiency faster. flat organizational structures can be deleg ate power to local manager. In a busy society, people need something faster and more convenient, so the separation of powers on by the competent body that will be more easy to get the customers heart. To make a decision quickly, the efficiency to better the people demand for higher. Conclusion Therefore, the rapid progress in this society that every company must accelerate the pace can not be left behind. tall organizational structure has already been replaced by flat organizational structure in large companies, only a small company can use. In many of the environmental factors in different markets require a different management structure. Organizational structure of is to allow a company to s operations more convenient.

Financial Services Regulation Literature Review

Financial Services Regulation Literature Review Literature review on financial services regulation Consider whether flexibility in implementation of financial services regulation can undermine legal certainty. Does a move towards principles-based regulation of financial services presage a regulatory creep without a statutory grounding or does it allow regulators to keep pace with the financial services market? Introduction Regulation is often unpopular, and may be viewed as unnecessary. However, the existence of market failure is a reality in certain markets that needs to be corrected by some form of government intervention. In the financial services industry, for example, there is clearly a need for some kind of regulation as demonstrated by, for example, the Nick Leeson affair or the Enron scandal. Yet such cases also demonstrate the failure of regulation – the regulatory systems in place did not succeed in preventing these two debacles. Hodgson (2006:247) takes a positive view of regulation, or at least of the right kind of regulation, arguing that ‘[r]egulation can and should be a necessary, proportional and beneficial approach to the organisation of society. It lets us police the supply of goods and services and maintain standards and resolve complaints within a properly established legal framework, but without inappropriate political involvement or, in most cases, resort to the court s.’ Financial services regulation in the UK – objectives In the UK, the Financial Services Authority (FSA) has four statutory objectives: market confidence (maintaining confidence in the financial system); public awareness (promoting public understanding of the financial system); consumer protection (securing the appropriate degree of protection for consumers); and reduction of financial crime (reducing the extent to which it is possible for a business carried on by a regulated person to be used for a purpose connected with financial crime). In addition, the FSA is guided by a set of principles to which it must adhere. For example, it must use its resources efficiently, and any restrictions it imposes on an industry must be proportionate to the expected benefits of the restrictions. Furthermore it should avoid stifling innovation where possible. This means that the FSA must allow for different means of compliance in order not to unduly restrict firms and industries from launching new products and services. In addition, the FSA should help to maintain the competitive position of the UK internationally. In order to promote competition among the firms that it regulates, the FSA should avoid creating any unnecessary regulatory barriers to entry or expansion in any of the markets it regulates. Hodgson (2006:251) explains that the ‘FSA was set up to do rather a lot of things: to promote market confidence and public awareness of financial services (meaning encourage savings), protect consumers and reduce financial crime. It is also required to maintain the international success of Britain’s financial sector, promote competition whilst minimizing any adverse effects, and weight the costs and benefits of its own actions. Plenty of scope for conflicts of interest there.’ An assessment of the move to more principles-based regulation must examine how such a move is likely to impact on all of the objectives of the FSA. Principles-based regulation and rules-based regulation Cunningham (2007) explains that since the Enron scandal and other debacles in the financial services industry, there has been a trend to categorise rules-based regulatory systems as bad, and principles-based regulatory systems as good. However, he argues that the distinction being made between â€Å"rules-based† and â€Å"principles-based† systems is false and misleading. Cunningham (2007:3) claims that while an individual provision in a regulatory system may be â€Å"rules-based† or â€Å"principles-based†, these ‘classifications are too crude to describe or guide the design of corporate law, securities regulation or accounting systems.’ That is to say the terms are not scalable to the level of an entire system. Instead, Cunningham (2007:4) points to ‘the necessity and value of combining rules and principles and the difficulty of designing systems warranting classification as rules-based or principles-based.’ While it may be the case that any regulatory system is necessarily a hybrid made up of a mixture of â€Å"rules-based† and â€Å"principles-based† individual provisions, that does not mean that some systems are not â€Å"more rules-based† or â€Å"more principles-based† than others. Indeed this notion ties in with the reality of the UK financial services regulatory system. As will be seen below, the system is already a hybrid of â€Å"rules-based† and â€Å"principles-based† approaches, and it is moving towards â€Å"more principles-based† regulation. Regulatory creep There are various definitions of regulatory creep. The Better Regulation Task Force (2004:3) define it as ‘the process by which regulation is developed or enforced in a less than transparent fashion and not in accordance with our five Principles of Good Regulation.’ The BRTF (2004:5) goes on to identify four examples of how regulatory creep may occur when regulation takes place without transparency. In the first place, ‘a lack of clarity about the intention of regulation, particularly goal-based regulation, both on the part of regulators and those being regulated, can lead to unnecessary compliance burdens.’ Secondly, the way that guidance ‘is developed and used can influence enforcement activity and compliance, again leading to unnecessary burdens that bring little benefit to those the original regulation was designed to protect’. Thirdly, it is argued that ‘enforcement activity can induce over compliance in those being regulated’ and finally, ‘ombudsmen’s rulings can have wider regulatory implications’. Jones (2004:6), on the other hand, points out that ‘there is a positive aspect to creep. Formal responsibilities may leave gaps in enforcement. Shifting priorities and creative interpretation of a regulator’s brief may be necessary to tackle newly emergent issues.’ Moving towards more principles-based regulation: the case of the UK The first point to make is that in the UK, Principles-based regulation has existed since 1990, and the eleven high-level Principles for firms (see box 1) have been in place since 2001 (FSA 2007a:4). The FSA is now talking about a ‘more Principles-based approach’. This shift is based on a move towards broad-based standards instead of detailed rules together with an increased focus on outcomes-based regulation and an increase in senior management responsibility. According to the FSA (2007a:4), ‘Principles-based regulation means, where possible, moving away from dictating through detailed, prescriptive rules and supervisory actions how firms should operate their business. We want to give firms the responsibility to decide how best to align their business objectives and processes with the regulatory outcomes we have specified.’ Moving towards more principles-based regulation: pros and cons There are clear advantages to a principles-based approach to regulation, but such an approach also carries certain risks (of which regulatory creep is just one). The challenge is to achieve the right balance between principles and rules. As the BRTF (2004:6) explains, ‘part of the attraction of goal-setting regulation is its flexibility and we do not want to discourage this. Nor do we want to discourage the use of guidance as a useful alternative to regulation for driving up standards. But where does guidance as a useful alternative in driving up standards end, and regulatory creep begin?’ In this section, I will review the pros of a move towards more principles-based regulation, and I will then outline the various risks or cons associated with such a move. One major advantage of more principles-based approaches to regulation is increased flexibility and responsiveness to innovation and market developments. de Serres et al (2006:32) find that ‘financial system regulation has a statistically significant influence on output and productivity growth as well as on firm entry, via the impact on industrial sectors relying more heavily on external sources of funding. The economic impact is also found to be substantial enough to matter, yet sufficiently small to remain credible.’ This highlights the need for financial system regulation to minimise unnecessary regulatory barriers to entry or expansion in the financial services market. According to the FSA (2007a:5), a principles-based system is likely to be more durable than a rules-based system precisely because of its flexibility. ‘Financial markets are constantly changing. Continuous innovation and new product development are important ways in which the financial services industry generates benefits for consumers and markets. It is important that regulation can respond rapidly to the pace of change in markets and so allow them to continue to develop for the benefit of their users. We believe regulation that focuses on outcomes rather than prescription is more likely to support this development and innovation. Any set of prescriptive rules is unable to address changing market circumstances and practices at all times, and it inevitably delays, and in some instances prevents, innovation.’ Another benefit of more principles-based regulation is that it should provide greater freedom for firms to develop their own approach to compliance. According to the FSA (2007a:7), a more principled-based approach does in practice mean ‘giving firms increased flexibility to decide more often for themselves what business processes and controls they should operate.’ In addition, a move to principles implies less need for detailed rules which leads to a simplification of the rules or handbook. The FSA (2007a:8) views a simplified handbook as a side benefit of a move to more principles-based regulation, rather than a key driver behind the move, additionally arguing that, ‘reducing the overall size of the Handbook, however desirable, does not in itself deliver principles-based regulation. Even a substantially reduced Handbook will still be regarded by many as a daunting prospect. We should therefore not measure our success in achieving principles-based regulation by the number of Handbook pages or the number of rules they contain, but by the effect that the Handbook review, together with other initiatives, achieves over time.’ Perhaps one of the most important potential advantages of a move to more principles-based regulation, if properly implemented, is a greater degree of substantive compliance as individuals and firms come to comply with outcomes and the general principles rather than on the detailed rules – as the spirit of the law is prioritised over the letter of the law. Another key advantage is the increased engagement of senior management. The FSA (2007a:12) explains that ‘Moving towards principles-based regulation has significant implications for how we work with firms on a day-to-day basis We are looking for firms to take greater responsibility for how they meet their regulatory obligations. This responsibility in many cases will be taken on at senior management and Board level, using the various materials that will be available and, where necessary, conversations with us†¦ Firms will see a difference in how we behave towards them. We will give greater recognition to firms’ own management and controls and this will be reflected in areas such as capital requirements and supervisory intensity. Well controlled and managed firms that engage positively and openly with us should expect to experience real benefits from our more principles-based approach in the form of a regulatory dividend, for example relatively lower levels of regula tory capital, less frequent risk assessments, greater reliance on firms’ senior management or a less intensive risk mitigation programme.’ Finally, proponents of a more principles-based approach argue that it should lead to more efficient solutions to regulatory problems. This, however, depends on the system for the resolution of any such problems and could in fact be more or less efficient with a more principles-based approach, depending on how that system is designed and implemented. A major risk associated with a move to principles-based regulation is the lack of certainty or predictability. This is a risk that needs to be managed carefully in order to ensure that firms and individuals understand their obligations in the absence of specific rules as to how they should act. The FSA (2007a:12) acknowledges the need to address this risk and explains that ‘with a less prescriptive Handbook we are convinced that we must go further than we have been inclined to in the past in responding to firms’ queries. We will need to work with firms and the practitioner panels to find the right balance in achieving this.’ Accountability issues are, arguably, also more likely to arise in the absence of detailed rules. Wilson (2007) explains that the FSA approach to accountability and governance issues has always been principles-based, explaining that ‘we take a strong interest in how firms govern and organise their affairs because we take the view that if you get this right, much else follows. In doing this, our approach is generally to ask for explanations as to why the structure put in place offers the necessary challenge and level of control, and where such explanations are unconvincing, to seek change that achieves a better outcome.’ There may also be certain legal obstacles to a more principles-based approach to regulation. Obviously any regulatory body needs to remain within the law, and in the case of the UK FSA this includes, for example, EU law. It is important to recap at this stage that a move to more principles-based regulation does not mean the abolition of all detailed rules. Indeed the FSA (2007a:20) cites European legislation as one of the challenges or constraints that will remain as they move in the direction of a more principles-based system of regulation. Finally, and most pertinent to this review, is the increased risk of regulatory creep with a move to a more principles-based system of regulation. The BRTF (2004:11) identify two principal means through which a principles-based approach may lead to regulatory creep. The first of these is through a possible proliferation of guidance and overzealous enforcement. ‘High level goal-setting objectives may need further clarification. Goalsetting regulation can leave a vacuum that Government, regulators and industry will seek to fill with guidance. The guidance may stray beyond the original intention and/or it may be applied prescriptively by regulators and those being regulated.’ The second occurs if insufficient thought is given to how firms will demonstrate compliance with the principles, or if compliance staff lack adequate skills. ‘Regulators argue that it is their job to prove noncompliance and that there is no legal requirement for duty holders to demonstrate compli ance. However, compliance should not be a guessing game. Those being regulated do need to understand what is required of them in practice.’ Conclusion Clearly there are some advantages to Principles-based regulation of financial services, but there are also some risks. There will always be a place for rules in regulation, and the key to successful Principles-based regulation is to know when it is appropriate to rely on Principles, and when to specify detailed rules. Reliance on principles requires the provision of consistent advice to firms, and a commitment to ensure the regulator’s accountability mechanisms are not bypassed. These requirements in turn point to the need to ensure that compliance staff are sufficiently skilled and trained. The OECD (2005:4) highlights the need to pay ‘close attention to the institutional setting, with a view towards fostering accountability, transparency and trust’ in order to achieve high quality regulation. This is the case whether a more rules-based or a more principles-based approach is taken. As the BRTF (2004:14) points out, ‘[i]t is not only goal-setting regulation that can lead to regulatory creep. A lack of clarity about the scope of any type of regulation can lead to regulatory creep.’ A move to more principles-based regulation has the potential to presage a regulatory creep without a statutory grounding as well as the potential to allow regulators to keep pace with the financial services market. The aim of any such move must be to realise this latter potential whilst avoiding the former. Bibliography Better Regulation Task Force (2004) Avoiding Regulatory Creep. October 2004. London: Better Regulation Task Force. Cunningham, L. (2007) A Prescription to Retire the Rhetoric of â€Å"Principles-Based Systems† in Corporate Law, Securities Regulation and Accounting. Boston College Law School Legal Studies Research Paper Series, Research Paper 127, 13 March 2007. de Serres, A. et al. (2006) Regulation of Financial Systems and Economic Growth, OECD Economics Department Working Papers, No. 506. Paris: OECD Publishing. FSA (2007a) Principles-based regulation: Focusing on the outcomes that matter. April 2007. London: FSA. FSA (2007b) FSA Handbook, Release 065, May 2007 Hodgson, P. (2006) The Rise and Rise of the Regulatory State. The Political Quarterly 77(2) April-June 2006. pp247-254 Jones, C. (2004) ‘Regulatory Creep: Myths and Misunderstandings’, in Risk and Regulation, No 8 Winter 2004 p.6 OECD (2005) Designing independent and accountable regulatory authorities for high quality regulation. Proceedings of an Expert Meeting in London, United Kingdom, 10-11 January 2005. Paris: OECD. Wilson, S. (2007) Supervision in a Principles Based World. Speech given to the FSA Retail Firms Division Conference, London, 27 February 2007 (available from http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Communication/Speeches/2007/0227_sw.shtml)

Organ Donation Essay examples -- Papers Organ Donor Medical Health Ess

Organ Donation Organ donation is a topic which contains many conflicting views. To some of the public population organ donation is a genuine way of saving the life of another, to some it is mistrusted and to others it is not fully understood. There are some techniques that can be used to increase donation. Of these techniques the most crucial would be being educated. If the life threatening and the critical shortage of organs was fully understood by the public, organ donation would more likely be on the rise. An effort is needed throughout the world to make people aware of the benefits this process contains. Advances in medical technology have made it possible to save someone?s life by a process of organ donation. However, the scarcity of available organs is bringing the beneficial process down. By becoming an organ donor, people engage in improving someone else?s life at no cost. Although the question of religious or moral cost comes into effect, virtually there is no physical cost of becoming an organ donor. Organ donation should be seen as the "gift of life" but there are not enough logical explanations to explain this phrase. Whether people are donors, non-donors or recipients, all the public should be aware that organ donation is for the common welfare. Organ Donation-Why People Become Donors The main reason an individual becomes an organ donor is to give someone the "gift of life." By giving someone this privilege a person feels they are adding to another person?s life. Some reasons people give this gift is simply from having a kind heart, they may find the other person?s use for the organ more important than their need or maybe just because they just have no use for t... ...ic is underway. This effort is referred to as the Coalition on Donation and Advertising Council. The goal of this coalition is to ensure every individual in the U.S. understands the need for organ donation and accepts it as a human responsibility. Organ Donation-Ways to Increase Awareness organ donation is in serious need for more participants. Medical technology has made it possible to give people a second chance at life and our public population is bringing this chance down. Educational efforts remain most important to increase the success of donation. The public needs to recognize the benefits of such a process. The role of a family must also improve. Although families have the authority to refuse donation of their deceased one, they also have the opportunity to give a person a second chance of life, or better said the ?gift of life."