The Ethics of Human Resources

Ethics in business may involved everything including hiring decisions, pricing decisions, strategic decisions, and so on. The need for a process for making ethical decisions in business is great. There are a large number of instances where ethical decisions are necessary in business operations, and corporations find that they can get themselves into trouble even when they are trying to be ethical if they do not have a strong and effective procedural structure to guide employees in making such decisions. The Human Resources department must operate with ethical standards that are clear and that address the kinds of issues this department will face. The HR professional handles more than hiring and firing of employees, also being responsible in some degree for orientation, training, union negotiations, decisions regarding compensation, special programs for addressing workplace problems, and so on. All of these tasks must be infused with an ethical structure that helps HR professionals make good decisions. Hallier and Leopold (1996) note the nature of defining the problem of characterizing the personnel function by pointing out that the terminology is â€Å"ambiguous, contradictory and controversial† (p. 46) and yet as a discipline on which a good deal is placed: At its most ambitious, however, HRM has been seen and promoted as a set of beliefs and practices which are radically different from those of traditional personnel management. Most significantly, the management of the workforce is seen as central, if not the key, to competitive advantage (Hallier & Leopold, 1996, p. 46). To a degree, the distinction made between personnel and HRM is only a matter of terminology, yet more respect is accorded HRM than the personnel function in the literature. Human Resource Managers will have to respond to a number of demographic changes in coming years, each requiring some special consideration, including older workers, minority groups, and single and childless couples. Managers will have some guidance in these areas from legislation passed to cope with the changes and to both protect workers and define the rights of business to make certain decisions. The breadth of issues facing HR professionals is indicated by Lachnit (2002) when she writes, How does your company treat employees when they bring management bad news or unpopular opinions? Are your organization's core values real, or are they just pretty words to be inscribed on corporate trinkets (para. 5). There is no doubt that the relationship between the worker and the average company has been changing for some time, with less job security and more flexibility for the company. This has created particular problems in the public eye, notably a perception that older workers are not being treated fairly (as one analyst notes, â€Å"Age discrimination is the most frequent type of discrimination complaint; it is not only unlawful, it is bad business† [Age discrimination in the workplace, 2005]) or that minorities may not be given sufficient opportunity if affirmative action programs are outlawed in the future. Managers may have to develop more creative ways to achieve diversity and to incorporate demographic changes into their thinking, but they first have to recognize the scope of the problem and the need for creative solutions. Human resource development (HRD) has three important components–training, education, and development. When the three are properly coordinated, HRD has a positive effect on worker productivity and so on the productivity of the company. Training improves the performance of workers and so increases their motivation, and as they work harder and produce more, the company profits. HRD is also dedicated to seeing to it that skills do not become obsolescent. Employees may have their skills upgraded through added training and education, and this benefits them in terms of promotion. Workplace diversity is another issue that will remain important. A recent survey among members of the International Association of Business Communicators found that diversity was one of the most critical challenges faced by these communicators (Geddie, 1999, pp. 27-30). These professionals found that cultural and language diversity can pose significant barriers to effective communication, but there are other factors which can be equally daunting. In addition to cultural and language diversity, the American workplace is increasingly made up of individuals with varying degrees of technical competence as well as educational backgrounds. Mergers can bring together employees from different corporate cultures as well, and overcoming differences in corporate cultures can sometimes be as difficult as overcoming differences in national origin. Translators can address the differences between languages and culture, but cannot help a company when it merges with another organization and needs to synthesize a new corporate culture. In these situations, the best approach is to develop a corporate communication strategy which should be in accordance with the company's overall strategic goals and objectives (Geddie, 1999, p. 38). Diversity training also needs to take into account the various levels of the organization. It is common, for example, for companies to provide diversity training at the low and mid? levels of an organization, but to ignore the executive level. Despite the gains which have been made by minorities and women, the executive level in many companies remains largely white male, and there is sometimes the belief that diversity training and effective interpersonal communication training is not needed at these levels (Flynn, 1999, p. 52). Leadership is required throughout organizations, but it is necessary in the HR department as these changes are implemented in order to assure that the changeover is smooth, that needs are met, that laws and regulations are fulfilled, that workers are satisfied and motivated, and that the needs of both workers and employers are met to the degree possible. The HR professional has a role in this process. The Human Resources professional has to understand human behavior and is also involved in shaping that behavior, and this is why Human Resources can be called a behavioral science. The HR professional has to be capable in several areas of human behavior, including communication and motivation Warnick (1993) discusses the importance of communication for the Human Resources professional, which he says is the single most difficult profession in the business world today. In part, he says this because of the communication requirements placed on the professional. He states that employees expect the professional to take up their cause and resolve issues in their favor; line executives expect him or her to take care of â€Å"people problems† no matter what the cause; and top management expects him or her to keep the company out of legal problems and to maintain high employee morale. The HR professional must advise management on a variety of issues but especially in areas that concern laws or guidelines involving employee rights. The need to keep the company out of legal problems begins with the HR professional's job of advising and counseling employees to ensure that they do not feel the need to appeal to any of the many government agencies that now exist to provide redress. In these two roles, however, there is a potential for disaster because they are conflicting roles. The model for civil law in the U. S. is adversarial, and this is true in labor law as well. Warnick asks how it is possible for the HR professional to advise management and still maintain confidence in management's possible legal position while at the same time advising employees about what's in their best interest? The professional who gives too much weight to either side will lose the confidence of the other. The HR professional is a communication facilitator who is management's spokesperson and the employees' advocate. He or she is expected to play a peacemaker role. Communication between management and employees is the responsibility of human resources. When management decides that a change is needed, Human Resources announces, explains, and justifies the change. Human resources also takes the concerns of employees and employee issues to management for consideration, review, and possible redress. Employees expect human resources to serve as their advocate and to plead their cause to management.

Communication and Assisting Service Users

How to communicate and assist service users on how to do what they can not do After the handing over, we are assigned to service users in other to support them with their personal care needs. In the morning, i knock at the service users doors and say morning to prepare them to get ready for a wash. For those that are unable to have access to toilet facilities, i apply a manual handling by supporting them in movement from the bed to the toilet by using hoist or wheelchair which must be in good standard and for those who are able; I make sure they use the toilet.Communication comes in many ways, you can communicate with service users verbally, body language or eye to eye contact. The process of care and communication to provide a good care is something which should be carefully planned to meant to be helping the service user, it is very important to know the well being response to individual needs to provide right care that the service user benefit from and contribute to overall improv ement in care plan.So after providing the help for those who are able and unable to help themselves, I then give report in the hand over book to enable the staff taking over from me knows where problems are and how resident have been and what they need. This is where communication comes in, to instruct somebody to do something verbally or through hand written in the hand over book or care plan.During the process of personal care, some of the service users are very aggressive or they have a challenging behaviour response to the service you are rendering to them, you calm them down or go away for some minutes and then come back to them and make sure all these is written in the hand over book or your care plan for the staff to know what is happening and how to go about it.I also communicate with the service users while giving them a wash, i ask them if they had good sleep and also ask them for the colour or type of cloth he or she would like to wear. After washing and dressing up, i ta ke the resident to where he or she will sit for his or her breakfast. When is coming to food, every resident own identity to what they like or dislike. By following these, individual needs are met and these promote the well being of service user.That is open flexible approach. When dealing with service user’s food, the first thing you do is to wash your hand, make sure the area is clean, don’t forget to get your apron on and make sure you get to the service user according to their needs and you must write everything in the care plan or hand over book, how the service user ate and drink to enable the staff the well being of the service user.After all these, the activities of the day begins, some like watching television, playing ball, games, i even assist them in reading news papers and also chart with them. At the end of the day, I give reports on what has happen during the shift, things that need to be extra vigilant about and how the residents are generally in the bo ok of hand over and care plan.

An analysis stem cell research

An analysis stem cell research Do the benefits of using embryonic stem cells for medical and research purposes outweigh the disadvantages associated with loss of life? Problem: Embryonic stem cells result in loss of life Embryonic stem cells are unspecialised cells that have the ability under certain conditions to create any of the different types of tissue in early human growth and can renew themselves through cell division1. The ability of stem cells to specialise into over 220 types of cells in the adult human body is what interests scientists and provides potential to create a variety of clinical therapies to cure disease2. Embryonic stem cells are harvested from fertilised human embryos that have either been donated or have been created artificially in a laboratory. Embryos are created by in vitro fertilisation and donated for research with the donor’s consent2. The embryoblast, the inner cell mass, of the blastocyst is removed and is placed into a culture dish containing a controlled culture of nutri ents that allow the cells to divide and create stem cell lines that are managed and shared amongst researchers3. Fig. 1 – A microphotograph of human embryonic stem cells4. Scientists are studying the use of stem cells in medical research to harness how they differentiate into specialised cells that make up the tissues of the human body2. Many diseases occur due to problems associated with cell differentiation so better knowledge about what happens in cells can help prevent these problems in the future2. In addition creating new tissues can help to repair damage caused by disease or the creation of new cells can assist patients who have deficiencies such as the inability to create insulin in the case of diabetes patients or have damaged or diseased organs. Such therapies could also reduce the demand on transplant organs and loss of life as many people die waiting for a transplant. Stem cell therapies hope to reduce morbidity for such people in the future. Stem cells are also u sed to test drugs before testing on live animals and humans2. In order to use embryonic stem cells, in researching and developing such therapies, a living human embryo, which would otherwise have the potential to develop into a baby in the right conditions, is destroyed by removing stem cells when it is about 4 to 6 days old. Destroying embryos in this manner has resulted in controversy over the sanctity of human life versus the potential to treat a number of human diseases. The sanctity of human life in arguments about embryonic stem cell research follows similar rationale to those that oppose abortion. Various religious groups see life as sacrosanct and hold that life is precious and the harvesting of embryonic stem cells and the resulting destruction of the embryo brings life to an end albeit to a collection of cells with potential to develop into a person4. Research using embryonic stem cells is still fairly recent. A few clinical trials are currently underway that are investiga ting the safety of the use of the techniques and stem cells in restoring spinal cord function and others in retinal stem cells being used to treat eye disease2.

Personal and professional development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Personal and professional development - Essay Example Early warning scoring was immediately undertaken to determine the severity of the condition based on observable symptoms. The patient scored 6 on the EWS and the attending physicians immediately prescribed a salbultamol nebulizer and oxygen therapy. After 15 minutes, based on clinical observation, the patient’s condition improved. His respiratory rate was lowered to 23 and heart rate at 123 bpm. However, his blood pressure dropped further to 95/55mmHg. Despite exhibiting signs of improvement, the patient’s EWS rose to 8 and contravened the clinical observations. The intensive care specialist was immediately called in to intervene. In the case described above, there was a need to develop reflective practice in nursing care delivery especially in emergency cases. Relying on observable symptoms may not be enough to make a correct diagnosis and decision. The intent of this discourse is to demonstrate the effective use of reflective model framework to execute the Greenwood’s Level 2 (2002) framework for reflection. Greenwood’s (2002) framework for reflection is composed of six stages. The first involves a description in detail of the event. The second stage includes how assumptions, beliefs, values and attitudes of an individual are reflected in his/her actions. Stage three is evaluation. The nursing care practitioner evaluates if the measures employed are consistent with nursing care delivery standards. Stage four is analysis of the event. This involves more detailed inquiry on the items evaluated in the previous stage on which aspect of nursing-related theories were relevant in the choice of action taken. Stage five is synthesis. At this stage, the individual already developed his own insights. The nursing practitioner is also able to view the situation at all angles. It is also at this stage that the individual developed alternatives to the actions undertaken previously to improve outcomes. Finally, the nursing

Obese Chirdren Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Obese Chirdren - Essay Example The health care sector and the federal government of America has a challenge to fund initiatives and programs to prevent overweight and obesity. Researches to determine the best preventive measures for childhood obesity explore the environment, food, and behavioral practices in terms of engaging the body physically. However, the theoretical framework tends to limit overweight and obesity to foods alone. Fast foods are always palatable to the mouth and children enjoy partaking them without considerations on the fatty and cholesterol levels in the foods (Freemark, 2010). The theoretical model highlights other causative agents that lead to the prevalence of childhood obesity. The parents should feed their children cholesterol free foods to avoid the risks of contracting obesity. Obesity is a blend of genetic and environmental causes. Poskitt and Edmunds (2008) prove that 70 to 80 percent of obese children have one of his or her parents obese. In addition, a 20 to 40 percent of obese children have both parents obese. Since the parents live together with the children, it is clear that the environment induces obesity (Poskitt & Edmun, 2008). As a leading cause of death, validating the obesity theories through research and studies is critical and essential. Rowe, S. B., Borra, S., & Kelly, L. J. (2003). Obesity as a Public Health Crisis in America. Cereal Foods World, 48(3), 120-122. Retrieved from

Jessica;s Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Jessica;s Law - Essay Example That is why most states have passed some sort of variation of Jessicas Law in their area. However, there are still some sectors of society that argue that the law will do our children more harm than good in the long run mainly because these sexual offenders more often than not commit their acts on family members thus making the law inapplicable to the children living in the homes of these predators. They claim that Jessicas Law does nothing to protect those children (Simerman, J.). Nothing could be further from the truth, as Jessicas Law mandates that all sexual offenders be forced to register with the state and live a minimum of 2,000 feet of children. Those opposed to the law thinking that the children are not protected in their own homes obviously have the wrong idea as to how the law is applied to the offenders. The 2,000 minimum rule means that the offender would have to live practically out of state and the lifetime electronic tagging means that the police will constantly be able to monitor their movements and prevent another crime from happening to a child. â€Å"... the Proposition would not focus on the real problem—dangerous sex offenders—but would instead waste limited resources tracking persons who pose no risk. The new law would create an expensive tracking system for thousands of registrants who were convicted of minor, nonviolent offenses, perhaps years or decades ago. Law enforcement’s resources should be directed toward high risk individuals living in our neighborhoods. â€Å" The current state of predator laws in some states is so murky that a sexual offender can actually find a way around the registration law and even worse, get around the location tracking by simply not having a permanent address. Even more sickening is the fact that some probation officers even advise these dangerous criminals as to how to get around the law. There are even certain situations wherein the predator

Do we need a world treasury to finance peace Essay

Do we need a world treasury to finance peace - Essay Example On the national level these workers are funded for their efforts towards restoring peace. However, in a global perspective, financial resources towards peace-keeping are scarce. In this context, creating a World Treasury would be the first step in working towards global harmony. A WORLD TREASURY: Jan Tinbergen, co-recipient of the first Nobel Prize for economics, observed that almost every ministry at the national level corresponded to some international organization, with the exception of a treasury. Yet without a treasury, which collects taxes and uses them to finance all the other ministries, any government would soon collapse. He therefore proposed the creation of a World Treasury, which could finance peacekeeping, development and protection of the global environment. A World Treasury could raise revenue by auctioning global resources. It would be the logical institution to perform this essential role. Of course, an international board or an elected world parliament, should oversee the proper use of the funds raised in this way and ensure accountability at all levels. Such a method to help finance U.N. peacekeeping operations and sustainable development has five advantages: First, it frees financially pressed governments from paying ever higher contributions. Second, it gives the United Nations and its family of international organizations a more reliable source of funds to meet urgent global needs. Third, it avoids divisive and difficult negotiations over how much each country should contribute, since the richer countries naturally end up paying a higher share. Fourth, it uses market principles to improve the efficiency of allocating scarce resources. And fifth, it helps prevent possible future wars over those resources. (Fischer, Dietrich, p.12). Financing the peace movement and the peace operations from the World Treasury will become imperative. The funds will be used globally for peace-keeping. PEACE

How to lose your weight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to lose your weight - Essay Example We try sometimes to keep attending the gym or going for five laps around the field every day. But, how many times do we find ourselves missing due to many excuses and being tired? All these only show us how much we struggle to lose weight, by putting on the willpower, but many a times we are weakened by our programs and weaknesses. Everyone likes being lean, especially ladies. Being lean helps us to live healthily with less susceptibility to dangerous diseases such as obesity, high-blood pressure, heart attack and cardiac arrest among others. We, therefore, employ various practices to help us lose weight to achieve this state. However, some of the practices we employ have other effects on us, if we dont do them right. In this essay, our main focus will be on some practices we employ to help us lose weight and their possible effects on our health. One main reason people gain weight faster is the excess amounts of food they intake, especially the carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are rich in calories that can make us fat very fast. To help us avoid increasing weight due to excess intake of carbohydrates, we can kill our appetite to allow us take less food and eat appropriately. Adequate portions of food should be taken, and this should be balanced for a balanced diet. We should reduce the number of times they eat per day and get used to leaner diets. A lot of proteins should be included in every food portions one would server. In as much as this method works to help people lose weight, some people overdo it, which causes negative effects to their health. Instead of just reducing the quantities of food that they take, some people end up starving since they want to lose weight faster. Starving has negative effects that will leave one very weak and susceptible to many diseases still. Conditions such as ulcers may also come in when one starves too much. Some people also decline to take carbohydrates and any food portion with fat at all. This may also make one grow

Write a critique of an article of your choice.(optional topic) Essay

Write a critique of an article of your choice.(optional topic) - Essay Example The article gives them the knowledge of a child’s character and how they may see what they read in the stories they choose. The professionals will be able to see how ideas that they have fit into social contexts of the people around them.(Bosmajian,2005,p103) Children’s literature is a field that assumptions will have to be made to understand what the child thinks about their collective and personal values and issues they have. The article is about ‘the implied reader’ and how what they read tells us each a different idea of what is read. It is all in how we look at what is around us and the choices we make and interpret to bring meaning. (Bosmajian, 2005, p. 103) In summary this article is about how children’s literature can be used by professionals to help children find out about themselves through what they read. The readers will learn what makes them learn what they see and use that learning as they grow. According to Freud, â€Å"he saw that this is a therapeutic release for the author and a critical relationship between child and play and poet and language.† (Bosmajian, 2005, p.104) Freud also thought that desires and what society wants is a conflict and that we must make substitutions and make displacements and still be able to take our ideas and make one image to tell about ourselves. Jung thought â€Å"it is a therapeutic process that begins with recognition of the loss of original wholeness due to self-inflation or alienation of the ego.† (Bosmajian, 2005, p. 105) It is about the connections that we make between what we read and see that we make our choices known. Horney, Abraham, Klein, Winnicott and Lacan believe in Ego Psychology and object relations themes. They believe that we all need to self actualize ourselves to improve our identities through language and what we read. Lacan also

Parents separating Essay Example for Free

Parents separating Essay Third-person objective narration in Raymond Carver’s short story â€Å"Popular Mechanics† gives the reader distance from the characters and allows the reader’s imagination to shine through. The story itself provides little detail and ambiguity between dialogue and action, thereby demonstrating the lack of identity of the characters and the universality of the story. Indeed, the complete lack of exposition or setting-up of the plot leaves the reader in the middle of the story when it starts – actually, all of â€Å"Popular Mechanics† is action with no before or after. Not only does this show the commonality of the experiences in the short story, but the action of the story also shows how difficult it is for people to go through a divorce, and also how separating parents often use their children as ammunition against one another during times in which they are going through relationship drama. Since the story is so broad, it shows that fights in relationships, some of which can be both physical and verbal and often dependent on using children as weapons, are common and can occur among anyone. Primarily, the narrator gives little to no detail about anything throughout â€Å"Popular Mechanics,† allowing the story to be more universal and showcase the troubles of parental fights on children as it occurs across the country. In fact, the greatest detail is in the first paragraph when the narrator describes the weather. Not only is this not a terribly significant place to provide detail, especially in a story that has a plot that revolves around a tragic relationship and a violent struggle over a young child, but the weather also sets the tone for the rest of the story. Indeed, the weather heavily foreshadows the rest of the story when Carver writes, â€Å"But it was getting dark on the inside too. † Not only is this about as specific as this story gets, but it also alludes to the coming challenges in the relationships between the two unnamed characters over their relationship and their child. Nothing else is said about the setting of the story, thereby forcing the reader to place the coming conflict in a location and time period: indeed, this story could take place anywhere in the world and at any time. Because of this, there is an element of universality to this story – because of the lack of detail and the broad generality of the subject matter, there is nothing tying this story to any specifics or concrete ideas. Because of this, the reader understands that these types of situations are pervasive in relationships, and that the generality of the fight and struggle in â€Å"Popular Mechanics† is applicable to many relationships in the world, especially in the violent uses of children in the story. Further, because there is no exposition or context for this story, even less can be attributed to its characters, thereby allowing the child abuse to be even more attributable to universal characteristics. Generally, stories have a set-up – you receive information in some form or the other in order to understand the situation before the primary plot action occurs. Here, though, that is not the case. The closest thing to a set-up of this story is â€Å"He was in the bedroom pushing clothes into a suitcase when she came to the door. Im glad youre leaving! Im glad youre leaving! she said. Do you hear? † which is an extremely quick introduction to the conflict of the story. Indeed, neither the man’s nor the woman’s names are given, and their beginning in this story is a fight. The reader never sees what leads up to the fight, what their lives were like before the fight ever occurred, or who is right in the situation. Actually, either the man or the woman could have more justification for their actions in this story, but the reader cannot know that. Because of this, the reader must form arbitrary associations and opinions about these people they actually know nothing about. Through this, we see that conflicts in relationships and the use of children in these conflicts can be associated with many different couples. Another way that Carver forces his readers to create their own visions of the story is through his lack of descriptions for the characters that actually use their child as a weapon. Nothing is known about either of them: not only do they not have names, but they have no understandable characteristics or personality qualities. However, they each take enough action that a reader could identify with one character more than the other, or could view a certain character in a particular way. Indeed, the male desperately wants to get control of the baby, and even goes as far as when â€Å"He crowded her into the wall then, trying to break her grip. He held on to the baby and pushed with all his weight. † We have no information about what the conflict over this child is exactly, but by seeing the man physically exert tremendous force on the woman in order to secure the child for himself certainly makes him seem less sympathetic. Still, the story does not condemn either the male or the female, especially as the woman attempts to physically gain control over the child at the end as well. Instead, it indicts both for the terror in their relationship, especially as it exists toward their child. Finally, the high drama of the situation forces the reader to have some investment in the story and realize how terrible the situation is that the child is in. As previously stated, there is little to no context of this story, thereby making it impossible for the reader to fully understand the situation. However, because there is so much at stake in this story, the reader becomes invested in a different manner. Not only is this couple splitting up in a clearly difficult and emotional way, but there is a child involved, and clearly nothing has been decided for the most positive scenarios of any of the people in any of the situations. In fact, the situation is cleared up because of physical force between the two people, and the story ends with the phrase â€Å"In this manner, the issue was decided. † The issue is decided because of the violence directed toward the child, and that the two people in the relationship use their child as a weapon makes the situation incredibly dramatic, forcing the reader to be invested in the child’s life and the relationship between the two protagonists. Raymond Carver’s â€Å"Popular Mechanics† is vague and has little to no detail, but this allows the reader to become invested in a particular manner and demonstrates the abuse that children go through because of parents separating. Because of the lack of detail and information regarding the characters, the reader is forced to imagine and place their own experiences inside the story more than they otherwise would, making the story more universally applicable than a story with vastly more detail. Indeed, it shows that domestic violence and conflict exists in many different types of situations and among different types of people. Further, the lack of exposition further reduces the reader’s accurate knowledge of the situation while the extreme drama of the story causes the reader to become more invested and judge the actions of the characters in the story more deeply. All of this together provides a story that provides the minimum amount of information that a story can have to still be a story, but also provides unique relationships between characters and readers, and shows how pervasive, widespread, common, and problematic domestic conflict between men and women can be, and primarily how this conflict uses and abuses children as a weapon in these conflicts.

Who is to blame for the Deepwater Horizon rig incident?

Who is to blame for the Deepwater Horizon rig incident? On the 20th of April 2011 explosion at Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 workers and led to the largest oil spill in the petroleum industrys history. Apportionment of blame is likely to be contested in the law courts for years to come. Who i.e. which stakeholders do you consider has to share some responsibility for the accident or do you consider it an ultimately unpreventable accident, in todays global economy? Trying to get out of the PR wars on the oil spill, 4 month after the tragedy on September 8th, 2010, BP issued its own internal 234-page report. BP cited at least eight errors of judgment and equipment failures that caused the explosion that sank the rig. BP concluded that a complex and interlinked series of mechanical failures, human judgments, engineering design, operational implementation and team interfaces contributed to the incident. The company accepted only shared responsibility for the explosion and pointed fingers at its contractors Halliburton, which provided cement for the blown-up Macondo well, and Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon. Transocean assailed the BP report as self-serving, contending that BPs fatally flawed well design set the stage for the rig explosion 50 miles off the Louisiana coast. Halliburton, which did the well cementing, said it found a number of substantial omissions and inaccuracies in the report and remains confident that all the work it performed was completed in accordance with BPs specifications. BPs internal investigation report was met with criticism by watchdog groups who questioned the companys motives. Wenonah Hauter, executive director of non-for-profit organization Food Water Watch told IPS News Agency: BP is distributing the blame and deflecting responsibility for the incident so they can justify their continued operation in the Gulf. Rather than accept the blame and financial consequences for its disaster, BP is continuing to point fingers at everyone it can, said Kieran Suckling, executive director of the conservation group Center for Biological Diversity. BP is clearly trying to limit its financial liability by blaming other companies and denying there was criminal negligence, Suckling said. If the Department of Justice concludes that BP was criminally negligent, its fines under the Clean Water Act will quadruple from 1,300 dollars per barrel to 4,300 dollars. That is more than a 10- billion-dollar difference. One month after the accident on May 21 President Barack Obama established the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. The Commission examined the relevant facts and circumstances concerning the root causes of the Deepwater Horizon explosion and developed options to guard against, and mitigate the impact of, any oil spills associated with offshore drilling in the future. This included recommending improvements to federal laws, regulations, and industry practices. A final report on the Commissions findings was presented to the President on January 12, 2011. According to the report, the Macondo blowout was the product of several individual missteps and oversights by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean, which government regulators lacked the authority, the necessary resources, and the technical expertise to prevent. Halliburton and BPs management processes did not ensure that cement was adequately tested. Halliburton had insufficient controls in place to ensure that laboratory testing was performed in a timely fashion or that test results were vetted rigorously in-house or with the client. In fact, it appears that Halliburton did not even have testing results in its possession showing the Macondo slurry was stable until after the job had been pumped. It is difficult to imagine a clearer failure of management or communication. BP, Transocean, and Halliburton failed to communicate adequately. Information appears to have been excessively compartmentalized at Macondo as a result of poor communication. BP did not share important information with its contractors, or sometimes internally even with members of its own team. Contractors did not share important information with BP or each other. As a result, individuals often found themselves making critical decisions without a full appreciation for the context in which they were being made (or even without recognition that the decisions were critical). Decision making processes at Macondo did not adequately ensure that personnel fully considered the risks created by time- and money-saving decisions. Whether purposeful or not, many of the decisions that BP, Halliburton, and Transocean made that increased the risk of the Macondo blowout clearly saved those companies significant time (and money). There is nothing inherently wrong with choosing a less-costly or less-time-consuming alternative-as long as it is proven to be equally safe. The problem is that, at least in regard to BPs Macondo team, there appears to have been no formal system for ensuring that alternative procedures were in fact equally safe. The report summarized that the accident of April 20 was avoidable. It resulted from clear mistakes made in the first instance by BP, Halliburton, and Transocean, and by government officials who, relying too much on industrys assertions of the safety of their operations, failed to create and apply a program of regulatory oversight that would have properly minimized the risks of deepwater drilling. It is now clear that both industry and government need to reassess and change business practices to minimize the risks of such drilling. BPs claim about disaster in the Gulf of Mexico to be the unavoidable accident was actually driven by a reckless pursuit of profits and selfish disregard for our planet. QUESTION 2: If you were Tony Hayward, how would you have acted in the immediate aftermath of the accident? It is easier to say what I would have done being a CEO of BP after analyzing what Tony Hayward did wrong during the incident in the Gulf. BPs handling of the Deepwater Horizon crisis under its former CEO Tony Hayward may be seen as a textbook case of how not to manage an enterprise in a period of reputational crisis. On June 17 Tony Haywood stonewalled the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation by refusing to provide information he knows as chief operating officer. He was recorded telling a camera man to get out of there during a photo-op on the shores of Louisiana. Haywards summer of PR disasters culminated in his public declaration that Id like my life back, and he went to participate in the JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island yacht race off the Isle of Wight in the UK, while Gulf residents struggled with the effects of the spill. He was widely criticized for his comment which was perceived as selfish and he later apologized for it on BP Americas Facebook page. President Obamas chief of staff Rahm Emanuel wryly observed on American network news that I think we can all conclude Tony Hayward is not going to have a second career in PR consulting. In an interview on NBC on 8 June, 2010, Barack Obama said that Hayward wouldnt be working for me after any of those statements, referring to the remarks BP CEO made following the spill. In a lecture at Stanford Business School in May 2009 Hayward declared to the business students that our primary purpose in life is to create value for our shareholders. Later his statements that focused only on the individual corporate remit have also been quoted outside the context of the full lecture. Haywards point of view is in line with Milton Friedman who wrote in his famous 1970s article in The New York Times Magazine, that the one and only social responsibility of business, is to increase profits for shareholders. General idea of Friedman was that only people can have responsibilities, but not businesses. The people who are hired by business owners have a responsibility primarily to their employers, to meet their desires which in most cases are profits. General public view the company as a whole representative and if CEOs mistake leads to an error is social judgment, the public will judge the whole company, not just this person. It has been proven time and whilst CSR has yet to be harnessed to create a significant positive difference to profits, a negative policy can destroy profits. The costs BP saved by taking risky decisions at Deepwater Horizon have finally gone to many other stakeholders residents of the Gulf, government, business owners. BP cut corner after corner to save a million dollars here and a few hours there, said Henry Waxman, whose committee was investigating the Deepwater Horizon accident in the US. And now the whole Gulf Coast is paying the price. Some theorists believe that CSR stops businesses performing to their full potential and crippling the economy. My opinion is that an effective CSR policy together with efficient marketing and clear business strategy could help a business grow to larger profits whilst also benefitting society. Ironically enough, Tony Hayward was one of the key proponents of CSR in 2005, giving a speech about corporate responsibility and its increasing importance at BP. This was when Lord Browne was CEO and CSR was gaining more attention. But since mid-2007 many factors have weakened under Tony Haywards leadership, including contractor fatalities and greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental and safety fines spiked upward in 2009 and hydrocarbon flaring has nearly doubled since 2007. Summarizing the answer, if I was a CEO of BP I would spend all my time in the US to see whats happening on a regular basis and actively communicate with US administration for coordination of clean-up efforts. I would not lie about the size of catastrophe from the beginning and will not try to bribe ecologists in attempts to hide the actual result of the oil spill. The leader is always needed at the time of crisis which Tony Hayward has failed to be. QUESTION 3: If you were a member of the BP board what would you be recommending at this point that BP should do about the disaster unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico? BP lost $95 billion in market capitalization within a few weeks of the Deepwater Horizon explosion, with its stock priced back to 14 years. There was a clear disproportion between the companys market losses and even the most pessimistic estimates of cleanup costs that never exceeded $30 billion this was an indication of the costs of this reputational risk crisis to BP. While firms today recognize the value of brand definition as a competitive advantage in the marketplace, reputation remains an often underestimated component of a companys value. Corporations experiencing a public crisis, such BP in 2010 undergo what is termed reputational distress. This concept was first coined by Stephen Greyser, Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Business School, and describes the critical period following a crisis event when a companys management is at risk of losing the confidence of the markets. Reputational distress can result in significant impact upon a firms market capitalization, as well as its corporate reputation, in correlation to how the crisis response of the firms management is represented in the markets and the mass media. Brand Finance Plc, the worlds leading brand valuation consultancy, estimated that the fallout from the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon rig has caused BPs brand value to plummet by $7.4bn, representing a 61% fall (or  £72m per day). Having spent many millions on promoting its Beyond Petroleum strapline and positioning itself as the most environmentally friendly of the oil companies, this disaster has had a highly detrimental impact on its brand value globally, especially in the US. In contrast to BP, the actions of Johnson Johnson in the case of the Tylenol tampering scandal represent a best practices example of how a firm can successfully manage reputational risk. Employing a crisis strategy defined by aggressive transparency, Johnson Johnson retained public and market confidence, resulting in the value of its shares quickly rebounding from immediate losses and the Tylenol brand actually becoming the industry leader shortly thereafter. Reputational risk management can therefore represent not only a challenge, but an opportunity. Traditionally in CSR the Bottom Line refers to the financial and economic responsibility of the company that is making profits. Recently introduced by John Elkington (1994) Triple Bottom Line model gives a wider view of responsibilities of organizations which obviously encompasses financial aspects and also environmental and social impacts of the company. The utilization of the triple bottom line allows companies to evaluate their success not only in their economic field but also in the environmental and social ones. BP currently remains a member of United Nations Global Compact. This is a high-profile CSR scheme, which requires firms to adhere to 10 principles which require to take a precautionary approach to environmental challenges, promote environmental responsibility, and encourage the development of clean technology. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico appears to provide evidence that BP has not adhered to the principles and could undermine its credibility as a signatory to the Compact. According to Mary Ann Ferguson, professor of PR at the University of Florida, when a company has a good reputation, people will appreciate its high-fit CSR program. But if BP tries to use high-fit CSR to further its public image, it may do itself more harm than good. Before you develop any high-fit CSR program, evaluate your companys reputation first so you dont just wreak further harm. Once the company name is tarnished, high-fit CSR tends to produce only skepticism. In other words, it backfires. If I was a member of the BP board at the time of the scheduled board meeting in London in May 2010, first of all I would recommend that the board meeting should be convened in Louisiana, preferably carrying part of it on one of the support vessels, engaged in the oil spillage liquidation operation, so that all board members can see for themselves, what has happened and received first hand information from the emergency operations crew. The second part of the board meeting should have been carried on the shore in Louisiana, and representatives from the key stakeholders in US such as regulators, environment protection agencies, NGOs, fishing community, should have been invited to this meeting. This little step, which wouldnt cost much would have helped to change the public perception of the companys approach to the problem. Secondly, Tony Hayward should have been removed by the board at this meeting, and a new interim CEO with specific drilling and disaster management experience should have been appointed at this time, showing BPs dedication to liquidate the disaster, thus bringing someone with hands-on approach instead of discredited CEO. At this time I would also suggest that the company start providing accurate estimates of the amount of oil spilling from the well, instead of trying to deceive the media and professionals. BPs move with lowering estimates of the oil spillage has done more damage than good. The inconvenient truth is less harmful that the sweet lies. The next step would be stop putting blame on subcontractors Halliburton and Transocean and start working together trying to find fast and solid solution of the problem. BP looked really silly with its biased internal report which has put most responsibility for the disaster to its contractors. Wasnt it BP the owner of the rights to the well, who selected those contractors in the first place? I am sure that BP has done their due diligence before hiring these companies. Last, but not least is to start paying serious attention and investing significant funds into disaster liquidation in the communities along the Gulf. BP has to draw attention of primarily US as well as world media to the efforts which company is undertaking in the sea and on the ground along the affected coast. Capping the well is no doubt a high priority, but dealing with the local stakeholders and environmental damage is no less important task, which provided to the company as being one of the most difficult ones. Stakeholder management is equally important, and saving the environment and providing other opportunities to the people which have lost their income source is critical. If I was a member of the board of BP at that time, I would put as much efforts and funding into this exercise as I would into capping of the well, if not more. Such proactive approach would help BP in the future when dealing with individual or class lawsuits, coming their way, as US is one of the most liti gious countries in the world. QUESTION 4: Why do you think BP attracted such opprobrium? Hayward, and BP in general, initially downplayed the spill, stating on 17 May 2010 that the environmental impact of the Gulf spill would likely be very very modest and calling the spill relatively tiny in comparison with the size of the ocean. On 27 May, Haywood changed his assessment, calling the spill an environmental catastrophe in an interview with CNN. Hayward earned the nickname Tone-Deaf Tony for his far from the truth assertions. Then after the explosion, BP denied there was a leak until it became painfully obvious. When they could no longer hide that fact, they low-balled the estimate of the leak at 5,000 barrels a day, which is probably low by a factor of 20. When Hayward met with members of the U.S. Senate shortly after the accident, he asserted that BP intended to meet its obligations up to its $75 million liability cap under the U.S. Oil Pollution Act. Haywards assertion that BP was protected by limited liability under U.S. law, coming at a time when thousands of fishermen and tourism workers in Gulf states were being laid off due to the oil spill, so angered the senators with whom he met that within days legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate to raise the damage cap facing BP from $75 million to $10 billion. BP sprayed more than 1 million gallons of chemical dispersants Corexit 9500 and 9527 into the Gulf since the oil spill began in a reckless effort to make the oil disappear from public view. BP threatened clean-up workers theyd be fired if they spoke to the media, also the company ordered workers showing up with respirators and other protective gear to remove it or be fired. Cleanup workers have been complaining of dizziness, nausea and other symptoms ever since then. Dispersants only alter the chemical and physical properties of the oil, making it more likely to mix with seawater than deposit on the shoreline. So what the dispersants do is re-direct the oil, making its impact perhaps less so on birds and shore-dwelling animals, but more so on fish, coral reefs, oysters and other marine life that live in the deeper waters. Also, when the dispersants mix with the crude oil, a third far more toxic product is produced called dispersed oil which has been shown to be more toxic than the sum of its parts. Toxicologists can only guess what the full extent of the damage will be, and its likely it wont show up in full for years or decades. Before BP could stop the oil leaking at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, it unleashed $100 million in ad spending, largely on network TV, to stem the damage to its image. But it also started spending heavily where it had never spent much before: buying ads in Googles search results. Nearly $3.6 million in the month of June alone were spent by BP, which pushed the company into the upper echelon of search advertisers, in a league with ATT, Expedia, Amazon and eBay. When people searched for oil spill theyll be directed to BPs damage control page that shows the companys Gulf of Mexico Response and cleanup efforts, instead of the massive amounts of damage that was still ongoing. In the CNN interviews, Deepwater Horizon workers described a corporate culture of cutting staff and ignoring warning signs ahead of the blast. They claimed BP routinely cut corners and pushed ahead despite concerns about safety. The rig survivors also said it was always understood that you could get fired if you raised safety concerns that might delay drilling. CNN interviews also revealed that BP had ordered a shortcut on the day of the explosion designed to speed drilling, as the rig was five weeks behind schedule and one day of its operation had an estimated cost of $750,000. All these facts are not surprising as BP is no stranger to environmental crime. Over the past two decades, BP subsidiaries have been convicted of three crimes in Alaska and Texas, including two felonies. Also BP holds the dubious honor of receiving the stiffest fine in history for work safety violations 760 fines as of June 2010, while Exxon Mobil has had just one. In 1991 BP was cited as the most polluting company in the US based on EPA toxic release data. The company has been charged with burning polluted gases at its Ohio refinery (for which it was fined $1.7 million), and in July 2000 BP paid a $10 million fine to the EPA for its management of US refineries. During the last couple of years before the Gulf accident BP became more profitable: Tony Hayward received a 40 percent pay increase in 2009 based on BPs improved performance. The company announced earnings of $5.6 billion for the first quarter of 2010, more than double the same quarter in 2009. But BP failed to fix the one problem that continues to get it into trouble: a reactionary management culture that puts an emphasis on cutting costs and efficiency while neglecting preventative maintenance. BP has been chronically unable or unwilling to learn from its mistakes according to analysts, competitors and former employees. QUESTION 5: Looking ahead 3-4 years, how do you think the disaster will affect BP? Will it: (a) have no significant, long-term impact on the business? (b)Result in BP becoming a much smaller company? (c)) Result in BP being bought by the Chinese, Qataris etc ormerged with another international oil company? (d) Be the catalyst for BP to move irrevocably beyond petroleum and becoming a new form of global energy business, based eventually in renewable energy? The BP oil spill has set a new precedent for both environmental damage and corporate irresponsibility. According to BP official there was a good reason why the Macondo well was being drilled in the first place. Its because the world badly needs the oil and gas that reside beneath the seabed of the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic and other oceans in order to meet inexorably growing energy demand. BP pushed technology to the limit in the remotest reaches of Alaska and the deepest waters of the Gulf of Mexico the tough stuff that others cannot or choose not to do, as Tony Hayward once put it. Last year there was a serious debate as to whether the Deepwater Horizon incident will lead to bankruptcy for BP. Project failures such as the Deepwater Horizon can have enormous consequences on the value of BP shareholders, including many pensioners in the UK and current and past employees and may even jeopardize survival of the enterprise. BP have been paying not only for all environmental and economic damages from the blowout, but will also be facing years of claims, negotiations and litigation. The company is still facing legal suits from Edinburgh and Merseyside pension funds for the loss of value that emanated from an Alaskan pipeline spill in 2006. Gulf of Mexico claims will last much longer. According to Bloomberg, BP took charges totaling US$40 billion in the second and third quarters of 2010 to account for the cost of the Gulf spill. The company announced in July 2010 it would sell between $25 billion and $30 billion of assets, and has sold fields in Argentina, Colombia, Pakistan, the U.S. and Vietnam. BP interests in Algeria, Alaskas Prudhoe Bay and Canadian pipelines may be next up on the block. According to offshoreenergytoday.com, since taking charge in October, new CEO Bob Dudley has taken asset sales to $22 billion to pay costs from the worst US oil spill, reorganized management and cut the deal with Rosneft to give the company access to Russias untapped Arctic reserves. The share price has recovered about 60 percent from Junes post-spill low, in part on expectations that the dividend will return at 50 percent of the previous level. Recently BP has reinstated the dividend that was suspended after the spill as higher oil prices and improved refining margins lifted its earnings. It is unlikely that BP will be acquired by other major oil companies ExxonMobil or Royal Dutch Shell. BP executives held talks with a number of sovereign wealth funds including funds from Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Qatar and Singapore, for creation of a strategic partnership to avoid takeover. Now BP continues to be Europes second-biggest oil company and the biggest producer of oil and gas in the US. Financial Times said that before the accident, the US had been the principal focus of the groups strategy, with deepwater oil production in the Gulf of Mexico at its heart. It was a source of oil and gas reserves in a region with an apparently stable legal and tax framework, and was a place to develop techniques that could then be deployed around the world. The BP oil spill has brought attention to the issue of greenwashing. This term was coined by New York environmentalist Jay Westerveld (1986) and means deceptive use of green PR or green marketing in order to promote a misleading perception that a companys policies or products are environmentally friendly. BP entered the greenwashing playing field spending 200 million dollars on rebranding the company in 2000. BP TV ads were focused on themes of biofuels, alternative energy and carbon footprints, closing with a green, flower-like logo and the slogan Beyond petroleum. According to Kate Sheppard, a writer at Foreign Policy (3 May 2010), despite all BP has spent on rebranding, the company hasnt done nearly as much to move beyond petroleum as its campaign implies. In fact, BP has been turning away from investments in nonfossil energy, last year cutting investment in alternative sources from $1.4 billion to $1 billion. Weeks before the spill, BP announced that it was shuttering its solar manufacturing plant in Maryland, it closed the doors of its much-hyped UK Alternative Energy headquarters in 2009. The company brought in $73 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2010, but only about $700 million of its business was alternative energy sources like wind and solar. The company has also spent a lot of time and money convincing political leaders that offshore drilling is clean, safe, and environmentally friendly while at the same time actually fighting against safety measures that might have prevented the horror in the Gulf. Green Energy Reporter said that BP plans to invest $1 billion in 2011 in its renewable energy business, roughly the same amount it invested last year. In 2008 BP was awarded a satirical prize, the Emerald Paintbrush award, by Greenpeace UK. The award was given to BP in order to highlight its alleged greenwashing campaign. Critics point out that while BP advertises its activities in alternative energy sources, the majority of its capital investments (more than 90%) continue to go into fossil fuels linked with major environmental challenges on a global scale. BP will definitely not make steps to becoming a new form of global energy business based on renewable energy until it can get the same tremendous profits from oil and gas. After the incident Bob Dudley has identified improving BPs safety practice and performance as one of his highest priorities. As it mentioned in BPs internal investigation report, it was possible for BP to drill deepwater wells safely. It is vital for the companys future that it can live up to that aspiration. In his latest speech on March 08th 2011 at CERA Week Conference in Houston Bob Dudley said: BP is sorry. BP gets it. BP is changing. Were strengthening safety, growing value and working to earn trust. The lesson for large companies is that whilst cost and time savings are certainly key initiatives, senior management and the Board need to ensure that they do not happen at the risk of brand and stakeholder relationships. Only by remembering this disaster and pushing for the truth to be brought to the surface the truth about what BP was hiding we can prevent a similar event from occurring in the future.

Fairy Tales and Gender Roles Essay example -- Fairy Tales Gender Socia

Fairy Tales and Gender Roles Some things about fairy tales we know to be true. They begin with "once upon a time." They end with "happily ever after." And somewhere in between the prince rescues the damsel in distress. Of course, this is not actually the case. Many fairytales omit these essential words. But few fairytales in the Western tradition indeed fail to have a beautiful, passive maiden rescued by a vibrant man, usually her superior in either social rank or in moral standing. Indeed, it is precisely the passivity of the women in fairy tales that has led so many progressive parents to wonder whether their children should be exposed to them. Can any girl ever really believe that she can grow up to be president or CEO or an astronaut after five viewings of Disney's "Snow White"? Bacchilega (1997, chapter 2) chooses "Snow White" as a nearly pure form of gender archetype in the fairytale. She is mostly looking at Western traditions and focusing even more particularly on the two best known versions of this story in the West, the Disney animated movie and the Grimm Brothers' version of the tale. However, it is important to note (as Bacchilega herself does) that the Snow White tale has hundreds of oral versions collected from Asia Minor, Africa and the Americas as well as from across Europe. These tales of course vary in the details: The stepmother (or sometimes the mother herself) attacks Snow White in a variety of different ways, and the maiden is forced to take refuge with a number of different kinds of unlikely protectors robbers, assassins, giants, and fairies as well as those adorable Disney dwarves (Bacchilega, 1997, p. 29). Each version of "Snow White," no matter how different the surface details, shares several factors in common that are central to the way gender is described and used in so many Western fairytales: The heroine has a wondrous origin, she is innocent, she is persecuted at the hands of a jealous older woman, she is apparently killed (or dies) and she is then resurrected (Bacchilega, 1997, p. 31). The most striking of these elements is female jealousy, because while it is certainly not essential to the plot, it is a ubiquitous element of these stories. Fairytales, like other commonly performed cultural texts, must be seen in some sense as methods of instruction. We tell stories to our children to entertain and amuse them, to ... ...bmissive. When the princess gets tired of dealing with all the terribly obnoxious princes that her parents keep sending to her in an effort to get her married off, she turns Prince Swashbuckle into a gigantic warty toad. "And when the other princes heard what had happened to Prince Swashbuckle, none of them wanted to marry Smartypants... and so she lived happily ever after (Cole, 1986, p. 29). And in the recent film version of "Cinderella," ("Ever After"), the orphaned girl saves herself both through physical bravery and by preaching socialist principles to the aristocracy. When the prince finally realizes that he wants to marry her and that she may be in terrible danger, he rushes off to the castle of the villain only to meet the heroine just after she has vanquished the villain herself. "What you thought I needed to be rescued?" she asks, thereby completely rewriting her gendered role. Works Cited Bacchilega, C. (1997). Postmodern Fairytales: Gender and Narrative Strategies. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. Cole, B. (1986). Princess Smartypants. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Rohrich, L. (1970). Folktales and Reality. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University. Fairy Tales and Gender Roles Essay example -- Fairy Tales Gender Socia Fairy Tales and Gender Roles Some things about fairy tales we know to be true. They begin with "once upon a time." They end with "happily ever after." And somewhere in between the prince rescues the damsel in distress. Of course, this is not actually the case. Many fairytales omit these essential words. But few fairytales in the Western tradition indeed fail to have a beautiful, passive maiden rescued by a vibrant man, usually her superior in either social rank or in moral standing. Indeed, it is precisely the passivity of the women in fairy tales that has led so many progressive parents to wonder whether their children should be exposed to them. Can any girl ever really believe that she can grow up to be president or CEO or an astronaut after five viewings of Disney's "Snow White"? Bacchilega (1997, chapter 2) chooses "Snow White" as a nearly pure form of gender archetype in the fairytale. She is mostly looking at Western traditions and focusing even more particularly on the two best known versions of this story in the West, the Disney animated movie and the Grimm Brothers' version of the tale. However, it is important to note (as Bacchilega herself does) that the Snow White tale has hundreds of oral versions collected from Asia Minor, Africa and the Americas as well as from across Europe. These tales of course vary in the details: The stepmother (or sometimes the mother herself) attacks Snow White in a variety of different ways, and the maiden is forced to take refuge with a number of different kinds of unlikely protectors robbers, assassins, giants, and fairies as well as those adorable Disney dwarves (Bacchilega, 1997, p. 29). Each version of "Snow White," no matter how different the surface details, shares several factors in common that are central to the way gender is described and used in so many Western fairytales: The heroine has a wondrous origin, she is innocent, she is persecuted at the hands of a jealous older woman, she is apparently killed (or dies) and she is then resurrected (Bacchilega, 1997, p. 31). The most striking of these elements is female jealousy, because while it is certainly not essential to the plot, it is a ubiquitous element of these stories. Fairytales, like other commonly performed cultural texts, must be seen in some sense as methods of instruction. We tell stories to our children to entertain and amuse them, to ... ...bmissive. When the princess gets tired of dealing with all the terribly obnoxious princes that her parents keep sending to her in an effort to get her married off, she turns Prince Swashbuckle into a gigantic warty toad. "And when the other princes heard what had happened to Prince Swashbuckle, none of them wanted to marry Smartypants... and so she lived happily ever after (Cole, 1986, p. 29). And in the recent film version of "Cinderella," ("Ever After"), the orphaned girl saves herself both through physical bravery and by preaching socialist principles to the aristocracy. When the prince finally realizes that he wants to marry her and that she may be in terrible danger, he rushes off to the castle of the villain only to meet the heroine just after she has vanquished the villain herself. "What you thought I needed to be rescued?" she asks, thereby completely rewriting her gendered role. Works Cited Bacchilega, C. (1997). Postmodern Fairytales: Gender and Narrative Strategies. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania. Cole, B. (1986). Princess Smartypants. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Rohrich, L. (1970). Folktales and Reality. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University.

Bastille Day :: essays research papers fc

"Bastille Day, on the Fourteenth of July, is the French symbol of the end of the Monarchy and the beginning of the French Revolution" (www.hightowertrail.com). It is very much like Independence Day in the United States because it is a celebration of the beginning of a new form of government. There are several factors that led to the Revolution. King Louis XV and King Louis XVI both led extremely extravagant lives. They spent a lot of the government's money on luxuries even while the government had some financial problems. One of the government's main jobs back then was to protect their country from, and manage wars. In the Seven Years War against England, France spent large sums of money on the war effort but they still lost the war and had to give up their colonies in North America. Many French citizens regarded this loss as a major humiliation. The population was divided into three estates. The Third Estate, also known as the commoners was made up of the bourgeoisie, wage earners and the peasantry. They were the majority of the population. The Second Estate was for the nobility. The First Estate was composed of the clergy. The Upper Clergy were very wealthy and powerful and therefore they related to the First Estate. The Lower Clergy related more to the Lower Estates. "The first two states enjoyed privileges over the Third Estate. Although they were the richest, they were exempt from taxes. They were also the only members in society who could hold positions of importance such as Officers in the army" (www.members.aol.com). This caused great discontent within the Third Estate. In 18th Century the peasant population increased dramatically. This growth in population increased the demand for more land. Land was being divided into smaller and smaller sections to cope with this problem. Eventually some sections of land were not even enough for a peasant to support his own family. The wars in America left France in huge debt. To try and pay this debt the nobility increased taxes on the peasants, which further increased their resentment towards the nobility. Poor harvests in 1787 and 1788 led to a food shortage. The peasants could barely feed themselves let alone pay taxes. The peasants started to threaten violence if their situation wasn't improved. There was an increased competition from British textile manufacturers. This left many people without jobs, and a huge increase in unemployment. Bastille Day :: essays research papers fc "Bastille Day, on the Fourteenth of July, is the French symbol of the end of the Monarchy and the beginning of the French Revolution" (www.hightowertrail.com). It is very much like Independence Day in the United States because it is a celebration of the beginning of a new form of government. There are several factors that led to the Revolution. King Louis XV and King Louis XVI both led extremely extravagant lives. They spent a lot of the government's money on luxuries even while the government had some financial problems. One of the government's main jobs back then was to protect their country from, and manage wars. In the Seven Years War against England, France spent large sums of money on the war effort but they still lost the war and had to give up their colonies in North America. Many French citizens regarded this loss as a major humiliation. The population was divided into three estates. The Third Estate, also known as the commoners was made up of the bourgeoisie, wage earners and the peasantry. They were the majority of the population. The Second Estate was for the nobility. The First Estate was composed of the clergy. The Upper Clergy were very wealthy and powerful and therefore they related to the First Estate. The Lower Clergy related more to the Lower Estates. "The first two states enjoyed privileges over the Third Estate. Although they were the richest, they were exempt from taxes. They were also the only members in society who could hold positions of importance such as Officers in the army" (www.members.aol.com). This caused great discontent within the Third Estate. In 18th Century the peasant population increased dramatically. This growth in population increased the demand for more land. Land was being divided into smaller and smaller sections to cope with this problem. Eventually some sections of land were not even enough for a peasant to support his own family. The wars in America left France in huge debt. To try and pay this debt the nobility increased taxes on the peasants, which further increased their resentment towards the nobility. Poor harvests in 1787 and 1788 led to a food shortage. The peasants could barely feed themselves let alone pay taxes. The peasants started to threaten violence if their situation wasn't improved. There was an increased competition from British textile manufacturers. This left many people without jobs, and a huge increase in unemployment.

Essay --

1. Definition of Acid and Bases: 1.1 Arrhenius definition of acid and base: Arrhenius Acid: The substance or a compound which gives H+ ions in aqueous solution Arrhenius base: Base is a substance or compound that produces OH- ions in aqueous solutions. Chemists have known for some time that the H+ ion doesn’t exist in aqueous solutions as an independent species. The modernized Arrhenius definition of acid is that they are substances that produce H3O+ ions in aqueous solutions. It did not take longer for chemist to find other problems with the Arrhenius definition. In practical terms, the OH- ion is far from being the only base. 1.2 Bronsted-Lowry definition: Bronsted-Lowery definitions acid and a base, consider the net ionic equation for any Arrhenius acid-base reaction in water: H3O+ + OH- 2H2O When it reacts, the H3O+ ion gives up a proton, passing it to the OH- ion. This means that H3O+ is a Bronsted-Lowry acid in this reaction. The OH- in turn accepts the proton, making it a Bronsted-Lowry base. The advantages of the Bronsted-Lowry definitions are that they cover acids and bases other than H3O+ and OH- .Consider: HSO4- + PO43- SO4- + HPO42- During this reaction the HSO4- ion donates a proton and is therefore an acid. The reaction ion turns the HSO4- ion into the SO4- ion. The PO43- ion becomes the HPO4- ion during the same reaction. That is, the PO43- ion accepts a proton, which means that it is acting as a base. 1.2.1 Bronsted-Lowery Acid-Base Reactions: Conjugate Acids and Bases: Conjugate Acid: When a proton (not a hydrogen atom or â€Å"hydrogen† but a proton, H+) is added to a molecule or ion, its conjugate acid forms. Exampl... ...near to neutral if not that particular drug or medicine may cause irritation in body tissues. †¢ Fermentation process requires a specific pH for the best results. The pH during a fermentation process changes by itself due to fermentation process so buffer play important role in controlling this pH change. †¢ Buffers are also used in foods to maintain the acidity of the food in order to preserve the flavour and appearance of food. †¢ Dyes in textile industries play an important role in giving colour to different fabrics. Colour strength of dyes is closely associated to narrow pH range which is maintained by using different buffer systems. pH above or below this narrow range will affect the colour imparting ability of different dyes. †¢ In Leather industries narrow range of pH control of tanning and dyeing baths determine the texture and colour of the finished product.

Are You Afraid of the Dark

ARE YOU AFRAID OF DARK ? Prologue: In Berlin, Germany, Sonja Verbrugge receives an alarming instant message from her husband, Franz. He tells her to flee the house and go to the Artesemia Hotel, a hotel for women only. The message ends abruptly without explanation and the terrified Sonja heads for the Artesemia as Franz had instructed. At a street corner in mid-flight, she is pushed into the street. As if on cue, a double-parked limo leaves its space and heads right for her, knocking her to the ground. A passing ambulance stops for her and as she is strapped onto a gurney, the attendant calls Sonja by name.Before she can react, a hypodermic needle slides into her arm. In Paris, France, Mark Harris waits on the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. Within two years young Kelly rises to the top of the modeling profession. In addition to her looks, she possesses an air of untouchability, which attracts men. She returns to Philadelphia to visit her mother, who thanks her for the money sh e sends every month. Her stepfather, however, makes it clear that Kelly is no longer welcome in their home. Before she leaves town, Kelly visits Mrs. Houston at the library and thanks her for changing her life.Kelly returns to Paris, where she meets a man named Mark Harris. Mark, like many men, approaches Kelly with the hopes of getting to know her. Kelly is put off by him at first, but Mark is persistent, sending her flowers and gifts and finally, a beautiful dog named Angel. Kelly and Diane sit in a coffee shop across the street from KIG. Diane tries to explain that she and Kelly have the same problem and may be able to help one another. Kelly is still reeling from Tanner's insinuations about her dead husband and a woman named Olga and does not really wish to know what Diane might have to say about her husband.When Kelly sees Diane's face on the coffee shop's television and hears her televised image describe the details of Altieri's homicide for the cameras and courtroom, her eyes widen in fear. The not guilty verdict is announced and Anthony Altieri answers the reporters' questions. He indicates that he plans to retire and â€Å"clean up a few old debts. † Kelly knocks over her†¦.. As Harry Flint waits for the women in the penthouse suite, he recalls office functions previously held there. Three times a year KIG hosts â€Å"board meetings† in the suite, which are actually orgies with eautiful prostitutes supplied by Tanner's money. Flint gets turned on thinking about the orgies and plans to take out his lust on Kelly and Diane when they arrive. Unaware she is walking into a trap, Diane exits the elevator and walks down the hall towards the penthouse. She is momentarily delayed by a bellboy who is blocking the hallway with his luggage cart. In that moment, Kelly gets off the elevator and sees Diane in the hall. They quickly realize that neither of them set up this meeting. They stare at the door to the penthouse†¦Now that Kelly and Di ane know who their husbands intended to visit in Washington, they decide to visit Senator Van Luven themselves. They call her office from a pay phone repeatedly, until the receptionist finally agrees to give the senator a message. They wait for two hours at the pay phone before it rings. Senator Van Luven is on the line, sounding irritated. Diane quickly identifies herself and explains that her husband and Mark Harris were murdered to prevent them from seeing the senator. The senator recalls seeing their names in her appointment book.Someone had called her office and cancelled the men's visit; afterward she learned they had both died. Diane has Senator Van Luven's attention now. Van Luven instructs them to take the next red-eye to New York†¦. CHARACTERS Diane Stevens Diane Stevens is a sensitive, artistic soul who has achieved both personal and professional happiness. An acclaimed artist on the New York scene, her still-young marriage to Richard Stevens provides her with a thou ghtful, caring soul mate and, she expects, a long and happy future together.Trouble first arrives in her life when she accidentally witnesses a brutal mafia murder. With her husband's encouragement, Diane bravely does the right thing and testifies against the mafia. Thus she blames herself when she receives the news of Richard's death, thinking that the mafia killed him in retribution for her testimony. A highly spiritual individual, Diane begs her departed husband's spirit for forgiveness and then immerses herself in the grieving process. Wanting nothing more than to fade away from society and lick her emotional wounds, Diane is brought†¦..SUMMARY: Are You Afraid of the Dark? is an action-filled thriller which takes the reader on a tour of the playgrounds of the rich and famous. Tanner Kingsley takes white-collar crime to new heights by using his billion-dollar think tank corporation to create a machine for himself, which can control the weather. Prima is actually the brainchi ld of Tanner's older brother, Andrew Kingsley, who heads up the Kingsley Group think tank. Andrew initially creates Prima in the hopes of addressing the environmental problem of global warming.Andrew's brother, Tanner, is not as concerned with solving the world's problems as his older brother. Instead, Tanner dreams of turning the philanthropic Kingsley Group into a supercharged think tank devoted to earning profit and power. He is a megalomaniac of the highest order, who intends to hold the world hostage once he has perfected the Prima project. First, he needs to get his brother Andrew out of the way. Tanner secretly sabotages a dangerous experiment with which Andrew is involved and Andrew's resulting exposure to toxic gases leaves him severely brain-damaged.Now Tanner is free to explore his power-hungry goals as the sole head of the think tank, which he renames Kingsley International Group, or KIG. Unfortunately for Tanner, four of the scientists under his employ at KIG manage to figure out what Prima can do, despite his best efforts to keep them in the dark. When the scientists learn that Tanner does not intend to give Prima to the government, they realize that he intends to use it for more sinister purposes. The scientists plan a rendezvous in Washington, D. C. here they intend to reveal Prima's existence and purpose to Senator Van Luven, a member of the Senate Select Committee on the Environment. Before they can meet with the senator, all four men are killed. Tanner doesn't stop there; he goes after the men's families as well, just in case the scientists talked to their loved ones about Prima. Sonja Verbrugge is killed in Berlin, Germany. Her husband had worked for KIG Berlin and was one of the four men scheduled to meet with Senator Van Luven in Washington. Lois Reynolds is attacked in Denver, Colorado, just a few miles from where her brother Gary's airplane mysteriously crashes.The other two scientists killed by Tanner are Richard Stevens and Mark Harri s. Their unsuspecting wives, Diane and Kelly, are about to become Tanner's next targets. Both women have barely recovered from the initial shock of the news of their husbands' deaths when Tanner goes after them. The unsuspecting women should make easy targets for the practiced assassins who Tanner hires. However, time after time, the assassins miss their targets. With a combination of ingenuity and luck, the women escape several death traps and together resolve to learn the secret that got their husbands killed.Diane Stevens and Kelly Harris are unlikely heroines for an action thriller. Diane is a sensitive artist and Kelly is a glamorous supermodel. The women may be inexperienced investigators, but with their beloved husbands' deaths as motivation, they quickly pick up Tanner's trail. Kelly and Diane learn about the other related deaths and escape the country to visit the scenes of the crimes. They travel to Berlin, Germany, where Sonja Verbrugge was killed and Paris, France, where Kelly's husband Mark met his untimely death.They are hampered at every turn by Tanner's thugs, Greg Holliday, Vince Carballo and the exceedingly bloodthirsty Harry Flint. Unable to learn anything in Europe, the two heroines return to the United States, where they visit the site of Gary Reynolds's plane â€Å"accident. † They discover that Gary's sister Lois is still alive after escaping a firebomb and from Lois the ladies finally learn about the existence of Prima. Intending to finish what their husbands started, the two women make an appointment with Senator Van Luven. They plan to disclose to her the details about the Prima project.Unfortunately, the women don't realize they are walking into the same trap Tanner had so effectively set for their spouses. Senator Van Luven turns out to be Tanner's co-conspirator and his girlfriend. In a showdown at the senator's home, Tanner sets his goon, Harry Flint, on the trapped women. Kelly and Diane manage to elude Flint's clutches an d the women go straight to the press with details about Prima. This forces Tanner to destroy his prized weather machine, but he has one more surprise in store for Kelly and Diane. He has secretly built a second Prima in the French Polynesian islands.Tanner and Senator Van Luven escape on Tanner's private jet, leaving Prima I set to self-destruct. They intend to hold the world hostage with the power of Prima II. Tanner makes the critical mistake of underestimating his brain-damaged brother Andrew, however. Tanner leaves Andrew behind to die in the Prima explosion. Andrew, even with his mental disability, realizes his brother has become an evil man. As his final act, Andrew sets Prima to destroy the KIG jet with Tanner and Van Luven inside. With Tanner Kingsley dead, his vast conspiracy collapses.Kelly and Diane have survived their ordeal and set about reclaiming the pieces of their lives. Point of View The point of view in Are You Afraid of the Dark? takes the form of third person na rration. This third person narrative is also omniscient, but only to a certain degree. In order to maintain the suspense, author Sidney Sheldon must withhold certain facts from his otherwise omniscient narration. However, the narrator is easily able to see inside the minds of every character, from major to minor and reveals as much of their thoughts as appropriate.In this way the reader is able to learn about Diane Stevens's and Kelly Harris's relationships to their husbands. The men die at the very outset of the novel, thus it is only through the recollections of the female protagonists that the reader is able to get a sense of the dead men's characters. Interestingly, this semi-omniscient narrative†¦.. Conspiracy A big-brother style conspiracy is at the heart of this action-suspense novel by noted author, Sidney Sheldon. Sheldon, like other conspiracy writers, plays on the natural fear all human beings have of the unknown.Conspiracies seem more frightening to many people than open hostility because it is difficult, if not impossible, to defend oneself against an unknown enemy. The most chilling parts of any conspiracy stories are the moments in which the conspiracy can actually be seen. These fleeting glimpses of a powerful enemy can be more frightening, psychologically, than confronting a powerful enemy face to face. For Kelly this moment first arrives in her hotel room. When an unseen man lies to her to gain entrance into her suite, she is terrified. Although she does not yet know the scope of the plot against her,†¦..

Position Argument In Marriage Essay

Marriage is a ceremony or an act completed through contract by which man and woman become husband and wife. It is a loving, caring relationship that provides intimacy and security to all couples. It is entered into because of ensuing political, economic and other advantages and not just of mutual affection. It is viewed legally as civil unions, a legal status and a social institution that simplifies and organizes crucial matters for the partners. Many research studies show that a good marriage is both men’s and women’s bet for living a long and healthy life especially in the area of adult health and well-being.   A leading social scientist name James Q. Wilson explains that persons of the same age who are married have happier life than those who are unmarried. Married people on general are better off and significantly enjoy higher levels of physical and mental health and enjoy greater emotional support and tend to be healthier than those who are either single, divorced or living together. (Wilson 2002) MARRIAGE AND GENDER ISSUES Dr. Robert Coombs of UCLA made a review on recent empirical studies published on how marriage affects adults’ well-being. In his review it shows that there is an intimate link between marital status and personal well-being. On aspect of alcoholism, Coombs review found that there are only fifteen percent of the chronic problems drinkers are married as compared to the fifty five percent who are either divorced or separated. On the other hand, single men are more than three times as likely to die of cirrhosis of the liver. (Coombs 1991) Married people also tend to have long and healthy life. As reported by Erasmus University in Rotterdam married people have lowest morbidity rates, while divorced people show highest morbidity rates. Dr. Coombs’ research review agrees with these findings, as he comments â€Å"virtually every study of mortality and marital status shows that the unmarried of both sexes have higher death rates, whether by accident, disease, or self-inflicted wounds†. (Coombs 1991) Dr. Benjamin Malzberg conducted a research and he concludes that married population in general has much low rates of mental disease than any of the other marital groups. Another research conducted jointly at Yale University and UCLA that supports Dr. Malzbeg findings. Consistent with other researches conducted, result of the joint research also concludes that married persons enjoy better health than the unmarried and founds that the highest rates of mental disorder are among the divorced and separated. The lowest rates are among the married and average rates among the single and widowed. (Malzberg 1996) One the best results of the research conducted of impact of marriage is that it offers general happiness. Married person has significantly higher level of happiness than persons who are not married. What about the homosexuals do they have rights to enter into marriage? Maybe yes or maybe no. Same-sex marriage is a term for a governmentally, socially, or religiously recognized marriage in which two people of the same sex live together as a family. However, the legitimacy of marriage depends on the authoritative definition of marriage. ARGUMENTS SUPPORTING GAY AND LESBIAN MARRIAGE Prof. Sally Haslanger in his arguments in support to gay and lesbian marriage has point out two (2) issues to consider. The issues on equality and issues on promoting good values that leads to good life. These issues are supported by arguments of marriage as normative ideal, the potential of gay marriage for undermining traditional gender norms, and the unjust displacement of gays and lesbians. On first argument: Marriage as normative ideal. The state has an obligation to promote â€Å"valued ways of living†; that is why marriage is viewed by the state legally as civil unions, a legal status and a social institution that simplifies and organizes crucial matters for the partners. It is ideal for how sexuality, companionship, affection, personal economics and child rearing are being organized and put to order. Marriage also promotes â€Å"personal and social flourishing† in ways that are indifferent to other sexualities of the couple. Therefore, the state has an obligation to promote homosexual and heterosexual marriage. (Haslanger 2006) However, the groups of conservative and anti same-sex marriage are opposing this idea. A Conservatives objection to Haslanger first argument relates that gay and lesbian sex is not good for the individuals involved on it and it is not good for the society. Second argument: The potential of gay marriage for undermining traditional gender norms.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Traditionally and on social norms societies are being dominated by males. It is supported by the strict separation of gender roles and the gendered division of labor. By legalizing same-sex marriage traditional gender norms and male domination are being challenge. Homosexuals have already been accepted during the 19th century that they are essentially different from heterosexuals. The concept as a kind of naturally fixed third sex. On the other hand, same-sex marriage is an effective way to fight against injustice like violence against women. (Haslanger 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The conservatives agrees that our society currently live under male domination but they believe that is was just exaggerated. Conservatives points out that distinct gender roles do not necessarily support that male are more dominant. It’s just that in society genders are separate but does not necessarily mean that they are not equal.   (Haslanger 2006)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another objection to the second argument states that gays and lesbians are stereotypes. That they are dangerously uncontrolled, predatory, insatiable, narcissistic and self-indulgent. Therefore, gays and lesbians are considered unfit for assuming gendered familial roles, producing children and cannot sustain long-term stable relationships. (Haslanger 2006) Third argument: Reversing the unjust displacement of gays and lesbians. Arguments on these issues were structured as a response to DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). This act was understood that marriage should only be between one man and one woman and become as a family that is considered as foundation of the society.   This one man and one woman marriage are considered â€Å"fit† for establishing the foundation of society and are therefore â€Å"essential citizens†. Further, those who enters into marriage that differ from DOMA policies are therefore â€Å"unfit† and inessential citizens. With regards to gays and lesbians in relation to DOMA, gays and lesbian therefore lack the special status of   â€Å"essential citizens† and same-sex relationships are not merely a â€Å"lifestyle choice†. Approving same-sex relationship weakens the society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Advocates of same-sex marriage disagree to the arguments stated above they feel that they are being displace and discriminated. Gays and lesbians believe that the state should continue to treat marriage as a pre-political institution but include them as one of the society’s foundation. Moreover, the state to consider marriage as a â€Å"lifestyle† choice and grant them rights similar to heterosexual marriage. SUMMARY Legal and moral case for gay and lesbian equality should be given due account by the state for them to feel that they are given equal treatment by the state and the society as a whole.       Works Cited Coombs, Robert â€Å"Marital Status and Personal Well-Being: A Literature Review,† Family Relations 40 (1991) 97-102. Haslanger, Sally. â€Å"Moral Problems and the Good Life†. (2006) Malzberg, Benjamin. â€Å"Marital Status in Relation to the Prevalence of Mental Disease,† Psychiatric Quarterly 10 (1996): 245-261. Stanton, Glenn T. â€Å"Why Marriage Matters†. Retrieved 9 October 2007 from Wilson, James Q. â€Å"The Marriage Problem: How Our Culture Has Weakened Families† New York: Harper Collins, (2002), p. 16.

Humans are… what, in Dick’s narrative?

Phillip K. Dick's sci-fi classic delves into a futuristic world where Earth has been ravaged by radiation from the fallout of the so-called â€Å"World War Terminus†. He explores the notion of humanity's struggle for survival in this diminished environment and incorporates their interaction with the bio-synthetic andriods which serve as mere human slaves in the off-world colonies. This essay will attempt to explore how this author has raised questions into what it exactly is to be ‘human' and how the humans portrayed in this novel can be seen as ‘un-human' when compared to their android and sub-human counterparts. The setting and scene of this novel is of a dystopian world, where many of the human inhabitants go to live in Off-World colonies such as New New York, and avoid the radiation cloud that has infested Earth. The existence of outlawed androids who seek refuge on Earth, are indistinguishable from humans and can only be identified as an android by composing certain ‘tests' such as the Voight Kampff empathy test or a bone marrow examination. This gives the feeling that humans cannot tell who their enemies are when their enemies are among them, a notion that follows the paranoia of the cold war period that xisted at the time Dick wrote this novel. The radioactive fallout has caused not only the people to emigrate out of Earth, but have made the genes of some humans to deteriorate. When this decay has passes a certain level, it is detected by a mandatory testing from the state and people who do not manage to pass this test is deemed as â€Å"specials†. They are looked down upon as sub-humans and are restricted from emigrating out of Earth in fear of â€Å"poisoning† the gene pool of the new colonies. Thus, there are three distinct groups in Dick's society, being that of humans, specials and androids. The specials and the androids are seen as inferior to the humans due to their lack of â€Å"humanness†. The specials, who were once humans, have essentially lost their rights to do human things such as emigrating, voting and even starting up a family of their own, all due to the fact that their genes have been tampered by radiation. Similarly, the androids who are physically identical to humans and simulate the way humans act to a point where it is indistinguishable, are still considered non-humans due to the fact that they were created by humans only for the purposes of slavery. The protagonist Deckard, journeys through the struggle to survive and quite fittingly represents the overall human struggle to find solace in an unforgiving world of â€Å"kipple†. Equipped with his lead codpiece, which protects him from his genes to deteriorating, Deckard is employed to retire androids, which have illegally escaped to Earth. By undertaking this mission, he is essentially doing a very â€Å"human† job although it does require the slaughter of sometimes-innocent androids that pose no threat in any way. The â€Å"threat† may be of humanity's fear of androids overcoming their built-in age limit of 4 ears and become a super-race to rival humankind. Since the androids have no empathy and do not hesitate to kill humans, the humans hunt down the androids that have escaped to Earth and kill them before they themselves get killed. Thus, it can be seen that to preserve humane values like empathy, the humans have to resort to murder without remorse like the androids in order to avoid being killed by them. Initially it is clear that between the two main characters of the novel, Deckard and Isidore, which one of the two is considered more human. There is no doubt that Deckard is more human than Isidore ccording to the distinctions that are placed within the society. Deckard is the human, who has the ability to emigrate and to reproduce, works for the police department and although owns a fake animal, takes care of this fake animal nonetheless in order to evoke empathy towards â€Å"nature†. Isidore on the other hand does not have the rights that Deckard and other humans have, does not have an animal of his own whether real or fake and lives in an isolated building surrounded by kipple. To make matters worse, Isidore is not only a special but has also been branded a â€Å"chickenhead†. This may imply that, although Isidore seems culturally enriched and sophisticated due to his vocabulary and his ideologies towards himself, humans and Mercer, he lacks common sense as evident when he mistakes a real cat for an android during his work as a delivery man. However, throughout the course of the novel there is a gradual role reversal between the two individuals. It can thus be seen as a whole, that the portrayal of humans, specials and androids do not fit in with their original levels of humanity. The humans are shown as lacking the human values through the acts of Deckard. The specials, originally humans but genetically decayed and considered sub-human, still show their possession of humanity through Isidore, and sometimes convey more humanness than the humans themselves. Lastly, the androids that are non- humans that have been built by humans still display some of the characteristics that define humanity although also displaying a lack of these same characteristics at other times. The distinctions between the three categories seems to blur due to the changing perceptions of the specials and the androids, throughout the novel. One of the most important elements of humanity which is conveyed in Dick's novel is empathy. The Voight-Kampff test, which is employed by Deckard to distinguish from humans and androids, is in fact an empathy test and the importance of empathy as a human characteristic is further emphasised by the use of empathy fusion boxes reoccurring throughout the novel. This empathy box allows fusion between the artificial â€Å"God† in Wilbur Mercer and functions as a combination of recreation and religion, used to prove to the users themselves that they are able to empathize with another person. This trait is omething that androids are unable to simulate as seen in Roy Batty's failed attempts of fusion. It is rather ironic that humans rely on machines to become one with their human self, at the same time detesting androids from existing among them. As the novel develops, Deckard is shown drifting apart from his wife Iran, the only person to whom he seems to have any real relationship with. This is significant since Deckard is portrayed as the ultimate loner, an image similar to that of detective Phillip Marlowe in his noir genres. When he is speaking with his neighbour, his attitude is a mixture of a desire o get rid of him and a desire to show off. On the whole, Deckard seems somewhat lacking when it comes to emotions. At times he seems to have no emotions at all while other times he seems uncertain to know what to feel. Isidore, on the other hand, shows a longing to interact with others and rid of his empty loneliness that has plagued him ever since he was deemed as a special. When he realises that he has finally received some new neighbours, he immediately takes a cube of margarine, the most suitable thing he could think of, as a welcoming gift to his fellow tenants. Although the reluctant android Pris hinks little of this â€Å"chickenhead†, Isidore tries his best to help her and her friends as best as he can, letting Pris to move in with him so he can â€Å"take care of her†. Throughout this whole experience, Isidore empathises with the loneliness that he feels that his new friend must be suffering from, just like he himself does. He does his best to get Pris and her android friends as comfortable as possible, unlike Deckard who has little to no feelings for anyone besides himself. It can obviously be seen, the role reversal between Deckard the human and Isidore the special is taking place. Isidore is, in fact, the person in the novel who displays the largest portion of the characteristics that are considered â€Å"human†. He immediately reacts as if it is his responsibility to be a helpful and comforting host to his new neighbours and he empathizes with the androids when told that they are being pursued by a bounty hunter. Initially, Isidore believes that these androids are regular humans beings and that the bounty hunter is some cruel monster machine, but when he later realises that his new friends are the androids themselves, his feelings of friendship and empathy towards them does not hange, even with this knowledge. That is friends are androids does not alter his perception, and has no relevance to his attitude towards them; only their relationship with him is all that matters to him. This may be due to the fact that since he has being isolated for such a long time, he does not care whether his friends are â€Å"fake†, or maybe it is because he is a â€Å"chickenhead† and is too nieve to see that his friends are actually outlaws and pose a potential threat towards the society. However, the fact that he does not consider someone to be worth less or to be less human just because they happen to belong to a articular â€Å"race† shows that he has a genuine feeling of understanding of others when being discriminated against. The only time he does not seem to empathize with his new android neighbours is when Pris pulls off the legs of a real spider they have found. It can be seen that not only does she show her lack of empathy and inhumanity whilst performing this act, she also seems to enjoy seeing Isidore's anguish. Thus Isidore shows that he has strong empathy for whomever or whatever gets hurt, be it man or spider. From the actions of Deckard, whether it be that he does not use his empathy box as often as he should, is growing frustration and unemotional relationship with his wife or his act of sleeping with the android Rachel while contemplating to kill her shows his total lack of humanness for a person who is supposed to epitomise humanity in this novel. When compared to the actions of Isidore and his regular sessions with his empathy box and genuine concern and empathy towards his android neighbours when hearing that they are being hunted by a bounty hunter, he seems much more in touch with human qualities even when being classified as a special and a chickenhead. When Deckard is compared also with some of the raits that the androids show, it may be said that androids value and undertake human characteristics more than humans themselves. Roy Batty, the leader of the escaped Nexus-6 androids, has tried to achieve fusion both for himself and others so he can gain the sense of belonging and assimilating into this society. Luba Luft has an unbelievably talented singing voice and appreciates such cultural things as the opera and the arts, while being intrigued by the realist paintings in the theatre as she can see that it mirrors the sufferings of her own life. Even Deckard himself realises that this android does not deserve o die as she is a wonderful performer and is doing good rather than harm towards the society. The Rand Corporation's â€Å"daughter† Rachel is supposed to be incapable of emotions but claims to love Deckard and is prepared to do Deckard's dirty work in order for him to love her back. There does exist a contrasting factor, since she offers to kill one of her fellow Nexus-6 so it reverses the original perception that she is totally innocent of being inhumane. It is also seen that she may have merely seduced Deckard for her own ends, as instructed by her creator, Rand. Nonetheless, when compared to Deckard, who is considered human by society but is very cold and unfeeling with people such as Isidore and Rachel, who are considered sub-human and non-human respectively but display much more emotion, the roles of each class and the way they ought to act seems contradictory. On the whole, Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep conveys a sense that the characteristics that define a human being can be present in both androids and supposedly, deteriorated humans. In the same way, humans that are considered â€Å"real humans† by society may be lacking these characteristics. Thus the boundary between human and non-human seems to be very vague.