A Cultural Review of Germany in the 1940’s According to Essay Example for Free

A Cultural Review of Germany in the 1940’s According to Essay It has been said, to understand the present a person must know and understand the past. Focusing on that quote specifically to understanding the past is what The Diary of Anne Frank allows the reader to do. There are many different cultures around the world and many cultures within cultures. Looking specifically at Germany in the time period of the 1940’s, the reader can see that there in fact is a culture within in a culture. The great thing about this piece of literature is that it is the actual person in the culture writing what is going on during that time frame. The Diary of Anne Frank lets the reader dive into a part of history that the culture was different from any other and experience what it was like to be a Jew in the 1940’s in Western Europe. It is sort of ironic how during that time period there were people living in peace and people living in turmoil. This diary only tells about her experience while she is hiding out, but it also gives reference to what is going on outside her family’s hide out. So from that point of view the reader can get the view of what the culture was like while Jewish people were hiding out and what is was like to be taken away and put in a concentration camp. Living in peace may mean how the German people are living because they do not have to face persecution from the government or it could mean how the Jewish that are living in hideouts are at peace because they have not been sent to a concentration camp yet. On the other hand living in turmoil can mean that the Jewish people are living fear of being caught and taken to a concentration camp and that the people that are already in the camps are already in turmoil. When it is said that someone is living in fear means that they are fearful because something may happen to them. In this case it is the fact that they could be taken away from their families if they are caught in hiding. In Anne Frank’s case, she is afraid because she wants to be an actress and those dreams may never come true. It is also the fear of not knowing. Being in suspense of not knowing what is going to happen is sometimes worse that what actually is going to happen. While Jewish people are living in hideouts there is no doubt they are living in fear. The reader can tell that in fact all of the residents with Anne Frank are living in fear because every time something happens they assume that it is the Green Police coming to get them. Living in the concentration camps is living in hope. Not knowing what is going on outside the fence of the camp is left up to the imagination of the person looking out it. Sometimes the only way to move on in life, especially living in a concentration camp, is to hope for something better. Just like when it comes to religion, people believe that there is a higher power. It gives them hope to move on to the next day because if there was no higher power to believe in and give a cause for living then in fact what would be the reason to live. The reader can see this evidence because the father of Anne Frank tells everyone that they do not have to live in fear anymore and they can live in hope that the war will end. It may be far fetched to say that freedom was still available to the Jewish people. But while hiding out there was still some freedom that they could enjoy. Meal time was something that everyone looked forward to during the day. Just being able to eat was such a moral booster. Even though it was just maybe a potato and bread, it still had an effect that gave them strength to move on to the next day. Life in the German concentration camps was equally unbearable. After arriving, the Jews found the camps weren’t much better than the railway’s cattle cars. Row after row of barrack-style houses stood in the center of these camps. Inside each barrack there was little more than beds, three or four high with little space between them and hardly any room in which to move. There was little food and water there too. Thousands in the camps died from starvation, disease, and exposure to the elements. Others were shot at the whim of the Nazis guards. Those Jews that worked had their lives spared but were fed only enough to keep them alive. No one knows for sure how many children were killed but it is estimated at between 1. 2 and 1. 5 million. The children that survived did so because they were hidden in homes, basements and convents or lived with Christian families who concealed their identities. By the end of the war six million Jews had been killed in one way or another inside and outside concentration camps across Europe. Never in human history had so many been killed because of who they were. Jews not immediately selected for extermination faced a living death in the concentration camp, which also included non-Jewish inmates, many of them opponents of the Nazi regime. The SS, who ran the camps, took sadistic pleasure in humiliating and brutalizing their helpless Jewish victims. They get up at 3 am. They have to dress quickly, and make the bed so that it looks like a matchbox. For the slightest irregularity in bed-making the punishment was 25 lashes, after which it was impossible to lie or sit for a whole month. Everyone had to leave the barracks immediately. Outside it is still dark or else the moon is shining. People are trembling because of lack of sleep and the cold. In order to warm up a bit, groups of ten to twenty people stand together, back to back so as to rub against each other. There was what was called a wash-room, where everyone in the camp was supposed to wash. There were only a few faucets and there were 4,500 people in that section. Of course there was neither soap nor towel or even a hand-kerchief, so that washing was theoretical rather than practical. In one day, a person there came a lowly person indeed. They used to get half a liter of black, bitter coffee. That was all they got for what was called breakfast. At 6 a. m. a headcount and they all had to stand at attention, in fives, according to the barracks, of which there were 22 in each section. They stood there until the SS men had satisfied their game-playing instincts by humorous orders to take off and put on caps. Then they received their report, and counted us. After the headcount work started. They went in groups some to build railway tracks or a road, some to the quarries to carry stones or coal, some to take out manure, or for potato-digging. latrine-cleaning, barracks or sewer repairs. All this took place inside the camp enclosure. During work the SS men beat up the prisoners mercilessly, inhumanly and for no reason. They were like wild beasts and, having found their victim, ordered them to present their backside, and beat them with a stick or a whip, usually until the stick broke. The victims screamed only after the first blows, afterwards they fell unconscious and the SS men then kicked at the ribs, the face, at the most sensitive parts of a person’s body, and then, finally convinced that the victim was at the end of their strength, The SS would order another Jew to pour one pail of water after the other over the beaten person until they woke and got up. A favorite sport of the SS men was to make a boxing sack out of a Jew. This was done in the following way: Two Jews were stood up, one being forced to hold the other by the collar, and an SS man trained giving him a knock-out. Of course, after the first blow, the poor victim was likely to fall, and this was prevented by the other Jew holding him up. After the fact, Hitlerite murderer had trained in this way for 15 minutes, and only after the poor victim was completely shattered, covered in blood, his teeth knocked out, his nose broken, his eyes hit, and they released him and ordered a doctor to treat his wounds. That was their way of taking care and being generous. Another customary SS habit was to kick a Jew with a heavy boot. The Jew was forced to stand to attention, and all the while the SS man kicked him until he broke some bones. People who stood near enough to such a victim often heard the breaking of the bones. The pain was so terrible that people, having undergone that treatment, died in agony. Apart from the SS men there were other expert hangmen. These were the so-called Capos. The name was an abbreviation for barracks police. The Capos were German criminals who were also camp inmates. However, although they belonged to us, they were privileged. They had a special, better barracks of their own; they had better food, better, almost normal clothes. They wore special red or green riding pants, high leather boots, and fulfilled the functions of camp guards. They were worse even than the SS men. In each section stood a gallows, for being late for the head count, or similar crimes, the camp elder hanged the offenders. Work was actually unproductive, and its purpose was exhaustion and torture. At twelve noon there was a break for a meal. Standing in line, we received half a liter of soup each. Usually it was cabbage soup, or some other watery liquid, with-out fats, tasteless. That was lunch. It was eaten in all weather under the open sky, never in the barracks. No spoons were allowed, though wooden spoons lay on each bunk probably for show, for Red Cross committees. One had to drink the soup out of the bowl and lick it like a dog. From 1 p. m. till 6 p. m. there was work again. I must emphasize that if we were lucky we got a 12 oclock meal. There were days of punishment when lunch was given together with the evening meal, and it was cold and sour, so that our stomach was empty for a whole day. Afternoon work was the same: blows, and blows again. Until 6 p.m. At six there was the evening headcount. Again we were forced to stand at attention. Counting, receiving the report. Usually we were left standing at attention for an hour or two, while some prisoners were called up for punishment parade-they were those who in the Germans eyes had transgressed in some way during the day, or had not been punctilious in their performance. They were stripped naked publicly, laid out on specially constructed benches, and whipped with twenty-five or fifty lashes. The brutal beating and the heart-rending cries all this the prisoners had to watch and hear. In conclusion, the reader can see that life, even though hard, was easier in the hideouts than it was in the concentration camps. Even if everything was still the same except the physical abuse then life would still be easier in the concentration camp. The Diary of Anne Frank gives us great insight to life while hiding out. Unfortunately she was unable to give us an account for the camps because she eventually died before the camps were liberated. But the saying, to understand the present a person must know and understand the past, is really true in these events. Hopefully for some culture history will not repeat itself.

Ethical Issues In Marketing Vulnerable Customer Groups

Ethical Issues In Marketing Vulnerable Customer Groups Ethics are defined as the set of principles which guide a persons conduct towards being morally right. When a person is faced with some moral dilemma, the choice that the person makes largely depends upon the values and ethical principles that person holds. It is over and above just being legal. Due to being dependent upon the personal values and principles a person holds, ethical code of conduct cannot be described in absolute terms. Like in all the disciplines of life, recognizing and quantifying what is ethical in marketing and what is not is difficult. In a broader sense, ethics in marketing mean implementing standards of moral rights and wrongs and of fairness in the marketing practices of an organization. The main objective of any business is said to be shareholders wealth maximization. In order to achieve this objective, the organization has to perform better than its competitors and create a competitive advantage for itself. This competitive advantage is mainly dependent upon the perception the customers hold of the products or services of the organization. An organization can create competitive advantage by means of its marketing decisions, behavior and practices. This includes aligning its marketing mix as per the customers requirements. The organization will gain competitive advantage only when the customer will perceive the marketing mix i.e. product, price, place and promotion to be of value. The focus has increased towards being ethical in marketing practices mainly due to two reasons. First, when an organization works ethically, the customers tend to develop more positive perception and attitude towards its products and services and the organization as a whole. This leads to long-term positive relationship with the customers. When the marketing practices of an organization depart from being ethical and the standards that are considered to be acceptable by the society are not followed, the organization taints its own image. It may lead to bad publicity for the firm, dissatisfied customers, lost business, lack of trust, and in some case even a legal action. Second, ethical abuses lead to pressure from either the society or the government for the firms to be more responsible. Since such ethical abuses do occur, people tend to believe that such marketing practices abound. As a result of this, consumer interest groups and some professional associations exert influence on marketing practices and keep them checked. An indicator of this is several regulations that have been designed just to protect the consumers rights. However, in order to be good to some stakeholders the organizations may sometimes make decisions which are not good for other stakeholders and effectively turn against those stakeholders interests. The ethical issues may not be only in terms of consumer, but they may also be for other stakeholders like the suppliers, employees, distribution chain etc. Categorizing Ethical Issues in Marketing Ethical issues in marketing can be categorized as follows: Unethical Product and Distribution Practices Several product-related issues, especially regarding the quality of products and services raise questions about ethical conduct in marketing. The most frequent complaints are voiced regarding the products which are of unsafe nature. Other than this, the problems are regarding poor quality of product or service, product/service not containing what is promoted or the product/service becoming obsolete or going out of style before they are used. The company which is making products that is of poor quality or is potentially unsafe for its consumers may jeopardize its image and develop a reputation for poor quality products or services. It may also put itself in situation of product claims or legal actions. Sometimes, however, the changes in an industry itself occur and the products become obsolete so fast that the consumers may misinterpret it as planned obsolescence e.g. in computer industry. Ethical issues may arise in the distribution process as well. Since the marketing personnel and sales representatives are evaluated mostly on the basis of sales performance, they may face performance pressure and this pressure may lead to ethical dilemmas. This may lead to unethical practices like pushing sale for products with higher commission, exerting influence on vendors to reduce promotions for competitors products, or making false promises regarding shipment dates and quantities. Deceptive Marketing Practices Deception is making the customer believe in the value provided by the product/service which it actually doesnt provide. It may take the form of misrepresentation or omission of key facts or misleading practices. This may also involve omission of important terms and conditions of sale and bait-and-switch selling techniques in which a product/service is offered usually at a lower price and the customers are then encouraged to buy more expensive items. Selling the potentially hazardous products without disclosing the dangers is also considered as deceptive and unethical marketing practice. There may also be packaging deception which is mislabeling regarding the content, weight, size, or use information of the product. Offensive and Objectionable Materials and Marketing Practices The promotional materials, advertisements and publications that are perceived as objectionable may create strong negative reactions for the organization. Such things may be perceived as objectionable or even offensive for some when they contain material which is related to certain stereotypical images, sex, or religious practices. Some things may carry different meanings in different locations and religions which may also be problematic if not handled properly. When people find the products or the promotion and advertising media as objectionable, they may force the vendors to stop carrying the product. So, it is in the interest of the company to screen such things and make them suitable so as to match to the tastes and preferences of their target market. Direct marketing also involves objectionable practices ranging from minor irritants like the frequency and timing of sales calls, letters or e-mails, to the ones that are even illegal. The practices that may raise ethical questions are persistent and annoying telemarketing calls, sales disguised as contests, use of mailing lists containing personal mail IDs, junk mails etc. However, there have been some steps and regulations to control these practices like Do not call registry to avoid telemarketing calls etc., but they are not sufficient and much needs to be done in this regard. Marketing Research and Benchmarking This is another area in which ethical questions may arise. Consumers and entities being benchmarked may consider it an invasion on their privacy. They are usually resistant on giving out personal information. However, in order to obtain correct and better data, researcher may act by unfair means. The same may happen in case of benchmarking. In some cases, the questions may be modified in a way to gain information which the respondent would not be willing to share otherwise. The organizations have to impose ethical standards for themselves in such instances. Ethical Issues in Marketing to Vulnerable Customer Groups The vulnerable customer groups include children, elderly, certain minorities, and religious groups. These customers may be influenced comparatively more easily as they have either less knowledge about these practices or they are vulnerable in terms of their minority or religion. Children have always been important marketing target for certain kind of products. However, in recent times more and more marketing efforts are being focused on children. Children have great influencing power while making any purchase decision. But, generally, their knowledge is less developed and limited about the products, media, advertisements, and the selling strategies adopted by the firms. Due to these reasons, they are more likely to be attracted to the strong images projected towards them and the psychological appeals directed towards them. Ethical questions arise in such environment when children are exposed to questionable practices e.g. advertisements attracting them towards products which are potentially harmful like alcohol and tobacco. The advent of Internet and direct marketing practices to market the products to children has become a major ethical issue in todays environment. There are very less, almost negligible, controls which can supervise the content which goes over the web sites. The marketers can present objectionable and misleading material to the minors without any regulation. Due to all these issues, there is increasing need to control the content being presented to children. It requires higher levels of regulations for marketing to children. Ethical Issues in International Marketing There is a relationship between the culture of a country and the perceived ethical perceptions of the citizens of that country. Due to globalization of the markets and hence the marketing practices, the marketers have to deal with the ethical issues arising in cross-cultural scenario. In this cross-cultural environment, the marketer may have to choose between entirely different set of ethical norms and values. A marketer may not wish to leave her own ethical values and adopt the cross-cultural values and this may pose the ethical dilemma. A practice which is generally accepted as being right in one country may be completely unacceptable in another. The situation gets more complex due to lack of clearly defined ethical standards and code of conduct. Major ethical problems in international marketing are as follows: Small or large scale bribery Bribery is mostly considered to be an unethical practice. However, in some countries it may be acceptable to get some work done or speed up the process. Gifts/Favors/Entertainment These include items like gifts, personal travels etc. which may be intended to get some job done. However, it may be considered just as a gift in some cultures, it may also be considered as being a source of influence in other cultures. Pricing The ethical issues regarding this include unfair price differentials, pricing to eliminate local competition by selling products at prices which are well below those in home country, or adopting pricing practices which are illegal in home country but are legal in host country like price fixing arrangements and forming cartels. Products/Technology This may involve ethical issue of selling the product/service which is banned in home country but not in the host country or which is inappropriate or unsuitable for people in host country to use. Questionable commissions to Channel partners This may include unethical practices like paying unreasonably high commissions to channel partners like dealers, distributors, sales personnel etc. to carry the products of this firm and restricting the products of competing firms. Involvement in political affairs This includes the issues of exertion of political influence by multinationals, or indulging in marketing practices in countries which are at war with the home country. Cultural differences There may be potential misunderstandings as some practices may be considered as right in one culture and immoral or even illegal in another. Reasons behind Ethical Issues in Marketing For any ethical issue arising in marketing, first we need to understand the reason of its emergence. Following are the reasons or ethical dilemmas or tensions due to which ethical issues arise: Consumer Autonomy vs. Marketing Effectiveness The consumer should be autonomous and should be allowed to make free choice about the product/service. At the same time, the marketing effort should be effective which means that it should help the organization to achieve the intended financial results and to do so affect the consumer behavior. Most of the times, the effectiveness criteria which can be described as achievement of sales goals takes preference over the consumer autonomy. The problems arising out of this type of tension may include misleading advertisements, concealment or misrepresentation of critical information etc. This can best be explained by the example of Amazon.com which offered different prices to different customers on the same day. The concept of differential pricing is perfectly in sync with the marketing effectiveness. However, it was against the concept of consumer autonomy. Consumer Choice vs. Consumer Protection Consumers should be given alternatives to choose from as per the consumer choice concept. Consumer protection says that the consumer should be protected from abuse. Consumers may not always choose the product which is good for them. This is especially true for consumers like children, elderly or poverty-stricken. Target marketing to such vulnerable consumers is an example where these two goals diverge. Target marketing is a core concept of marketing. However, when it involves vulnerable consumer segment, it may attract criticism. This raises a question that the product is serving the distinct needs of the segment or taking advantage of their vulnerability. Consumer Satisfaction vs. Revenue Growth Firms should increase their profits and they should also focus on delivering satisfaction to their customers. Most of the times these two objectives can go hand-in-hand. However, sometimes these objectives diverge because fulfilling the requirements and obligations of current customers may come in way of incremental revenue generation. E.g. If a firm discovers a fault in its product, should it recall it, offer free or discounted replacement or use the same resources for further revenue generation. If a recall is not done it may cause reduction in customer satisfaction. There have been several instances in which companies have forsaken their revenues for customer satisfaction. The latest example in this can be taken from Honda recalling almost 7 lakh Jazz and City cars globally due to a defect. However, there have also been the cases where companies chose not to act even after detecting the defect and the customers have suffered due to this. Customer Participation vs. Total System Efficiency As per the marketing theory, entire marketing process from product development to communication and distribution should be made as efficient as possible. It also says that the consumers should participate in the process. However, to gain more efficiency, the processes require standardization which may not be quite engaging for the customers. Customer Welfare vs. Price Discrimination In industries having high fixed costs and expiring capacities, like airlines, hotels etc., price discrimination is very important to maintain profitability. In such cases, the firms should try to capture the consumer surplus by exercising price discrimination. On the other hand, the firm should also contribute to consumer welfare and price discrimination is believed to reduce this consumer welfare as it results in increased price dispersion for the products/services. Ethical issues such as predatory pricing occur due to this reason. Predatory pricing initially offers lower prices to the customers, but subsequently it leads to reduced innovation, variety and increased prices. Selling branded goods at price premium is also considered as being an ethical issue due to this particular reason. Employee Satisfaction vs. Short-Term Profit Employee satisfaction has often been related to customer satisfaction which in turn leads to the success of an organization. If the organization maintains conditions such as ethical climate in the organization, then it may lead to improved employee satisfaction and service quality. However, this may come in conflict with the profit goal of the organization to maintain its competitive advantage. This may lead to situations where companies take advantage of their employees, avoid safety and health standards and go against labor unionization. There have been cases when companies have put the health and safety of their employees just in order to maintain their profits and earnings. Collaborative Supplier Relationships vs. Short-Term Cost Control Longer term relationships with suppliers enhance the firms results. The smaller the number of suppliers, i.e. the more collaboration a company has with its suppliers, the better the results of a firm are. However, the mass merchandisers take so much margin out of small suppliers that the small suppliers are forced to leave the business. Hence, such things lead to ethical issues. Changing Perception to Resolve the Ethical Issues in Marketing Ethical issues cannot be resolved easily due to the fact that there are no concrete guidelines regarding what is ethical and what it not. However, a marketer may try to resolve the ethical dilemmas she faces by applying some logics which are different from generally followed logics. Following are some of the ways that may help in resolving some of the ethical issues arising in marketing: Changing perception about the unit of exchange Changing perception about unit of exchange between the organization and consumer from just being a product or service to the benefit of than product or service may help a company make better ethical choice. Where a product focus makes a company think that since the product is intended for a particular segment, it will always provide benefit to the segment, a benefit focus makes the company think in terms of actual benefit that is being provided to its consumers. E.g. while marketing an alcoholic or tobacco product; the marketer may think that there is a good demand for the product, so the consumer should be provided with additional choice. However, when the focus is on benefit being provided to the consumer, the company may take responsible action like also providing information about the health hazard of such products. With this logic, a firm would not sell a potentially harmful product to its customers with conviction that they are do ing it for harmful purposes. Customer as a Co-Creator of Service Generally a customer is regarded as only a recipient of products or services. The marketer segments the customer, places its products, and distributes and promotes to the customers. However, if the marketer involves the customer and does things in interaction with the customer it may work to reduce two potential ethical dilemmas of consumer autonomy vs. marketing effectiveness and consumer participation vs. total system efficiency. When the customer is working in collaboration with the marketer, more transparency can be introduced which will further lead to marketing efficiency. E.g. in case of differential pricing, with collaborative actions more transparent discounting may be introduced which will further allow the customers to make informed choices. Such an approach makes sure that deception or any other type of manipulation with consumers judgment doesnt happen. When the consumer is co-creator of service, the perception of marketer will shift from making the process as efficient as possible to making it of more value to the customer. Value determination from producer to consumer Recognizing the fact that value is determined by the consumers may help the firms decide between societal benefits and mere profit maximization. This helps in resolving the ethical dilemmas of consumer welfare and price discrimination. The companies may look closely at the totality of their value proposition including all its consequences like social and environmental consequences. Instead of focusing on the product and its functional benefits, the value is determined from the perspective of consumer. Here, as long as the price discrimination is transparent, the choice made by the customers reflects the perceived value she attached with the choice. It reflects the notion of consumer welfare in the terms of customers perceived value of status, quality, convenience, innovation, variety and assurance. This logic also shows that the price premiums charged by companies are evidence of customers willingness to pay more for the trust inspired by the brand name. Firm-Customer Interaction As per this concept, the customers should be active participants instead of just being acted upon. This reduces the tension between the goals of satisfying current customers and working for incremental revenues. It also works to reduce the firm-supplier tension of collaborative relationships and profit maximization. These ethical dilemmas get diluted because the firm recognizes the value of customer relationships and this is willing to invest in the same. An example of this is the implied meaning of a brand as being a promise. There is a moral obligation for a company to deliver what a brand promises. Failure to deliver that value may harm the consumer perception and hence the firm-customer relationship. On the other hand, fulfillment of this leads to the strengthened relationship between the firm and the consumer. Recognizing the source of economic growth Traditionally, the firms consider the wealth to be the things which they own i.e. the resources which can be acted upon. However, the firms should consider that the main source of their economic growth is the skills and knowledge of the employees which act on these resources. This recognition may help in reducing the ethical dilemma of employee satisfaction vs. short-term profit. What an organization should do? Following are some guidelines that an organization may adopt in order to be ethical in its marketing practices: Take responsibility First and foremost, an organization should be able to take the responsibility of its actions. The organization should make sure that any marketing decisions and actions meet the customers needs and are able to satisfy them. In addition to this, these marketing decisions and actions should also cater to the broader needs of the society. The responsibility also extends to the employees and other organization that the firm deals with like suppliers or dealer agencies. The organization should not choose to encourage the unethical behavior in terms of any of these stakeholders. Recognize your customers rights Any organization has specific duties towards its customers: The customers should be able to expect that the products and services they intend to use are fit accordingly. The communication regarding the products or services should not be deceptive. The organization should intend to work in good faith. The organization should have appropriate policy to handle the grievances a customer might have. The organization should be considerate about the rights and interests of vulnerable groups and should not exploit them. Balance the Customer Interests with Marketing Needs Marketing has a number of objectives ranging from providing information about the product/service, stimulating the demand and boosting the sale, emphasizing the product value and differentiating the product from those of competitors. Hence, it may get difficult for an organization to strike a balance between these objectives of marketing with the ethical commitment to the consumer for providing honest, clear and unambiguous information. The situation may be aggravated if the business conditions are not good. However, the organization should focus on the long-term benefits in terms of better branding and customer loyalty while taking decisions on ethical issues. Recognize the inherent possibility of Ethical Issues Ethical issues arise when the interests and viewpoints of different stakeholders like the organization itself, customers, employees, and society etc. clash. Such issues are, however, very prominently inherent in certain industries or with certain kind of products e.g. tobacco and alcohol products. The organization should consider whether to advertise for them, to what extent to advertise and what the target customers for the advertisements should be. But, in such industry, no matter what decision an organization takes, it may have to bear the brunt of social ethicality merely be being in the particular industry. Be Environment-Friendly Green issues have come to prominence and have become major point of concern in recent times. Several organizations have made changes in their methods in order to be environment friendly. Some have even adopted special practices to give back to the environment. However, when the organizations try to improve the perception of their products/services by communicating these practices to the customers and other stakeholders they tend to get skeptical about the motives and claims of the organization. The organization should be able to promote such motives and claims so these are accurate and are able to be substantiated. Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility Conventionally, customers are primarily influenced by the product/service features, price and availability while making a choice about the product/service. However, with growing concerns about sustainable practices, environment-friendliness and social responsibility, there is one more dimension which has started influencing customer decisions. This dimension is of the policies a company adopts for its products and services. Customers are getting increasingly sensitive about the production processes, and the level of social responsibility with which organizations deal with their employees, invest their money, or indulge in other activities. Customers tend to prefer the products/services from a company which is relatively more socially responsible. Hence, it is a benefit for the organization to be ethically correct for its customers. In order to gauge the level of social responsibility of the organization, it should consider following factors: Are the products safe and being manufactured with sustainable materials, processes and under responsible conditions? Are the advertising practices being followed honest, clear and socially acceptable? Does the product provide value for money to the customers along with providing profits to the organization? Is the organization indulging in unethical selling practices? Does the organization ensure fair access to its products and services through its distribution channels? Is it easy for customers to get their issues resolved and does the organization meet customer requirements? Review all the aspects of marketing The organization should review all aspects of marketing including product design, pricing, distribution and promotion. Product Design and Development The organization needs to consider how the product will be produced i.e. the methods of manufacturing, materials and other resources to be used in the production. The company should assess whether the all these things including the production process are safe or they have any impacts on society or environment. The organization should also consider the potential use of the product/service. It needs to consider whether the product has the potential of being exploited and misused. The organization should take into consideration, the disposal of the product after it has been used. Pricing The prices of the products/services should provide value to the customers. It should not necessarily be the lowest price on the market. However, the company should be able to convey the value to the customers that they are getting for the price they pay. Packaging and Labeling Packaging has an important role in terms of brand identity and is very critical for sale. However, there are growing concerns with regards to packaging due to environmental impacts of the discarded packaging. The organization should also ensure that the labeling provides clear information regarding the use of the products. If there are some potential health or safety hazards associated with the product, they should be clearly brought to notice of the customer through means of labeling. Distribution In terms of distribution, the organization should make sure that the products are freely accessible to the customers without any discrimination e.g. of geographies. If the business is heavily dependent upon retailing, there may be another set of ethical issues that may arise. With growing concentration of retail business, retailers have gained considerable power to exert influence over the customers as well as the suppliers. The retailer may get involved in unethical practices like stocking products for only some of the companies who pay them more margins. All these issues should be tackled carefully and the power of influence should be divided carefully.

Gibbons v Ogden Decision Fair or Unfair :: essays papers

Gibbons v Ogden Decision Fair or Unfair The decision in the Gibbons v. Ogden case is, in my opinion, a very just and fair one. Many believe it to be the first anti- trust decision in U.S. history. The economic results cannot be over-estimated, a different decision could have resulted in completely different circumstances than with which we are accustomed to today. The free flow of commerce, which we seem to almost take for granted in modern economics and business, may have never been a possibility without decisions such as this. Monopolies did not allow for equal division of business and therefore was unjust. If all men are created equal they should be given equal opportunities. The New York Livingston-Fulton monopoly clearly subjected any potential competition to harsh conditions that would make it impossible for them to keep up in their business. Travel by steamboat was much faster than any other means in the time of this case and to give complete control to only one partnership was unfair. Under the constitution Congress has the right to regulate commerce. Although the monopoly was a form of internal state trade regulation it directly impacted on inter-state trade after a number of states passed laws to come back at the New York monopoly. Therefore, Congress had the right to intervene and end the monopoly. To completely understand the impact of the Gibbons-Ogden decision it is necessary to understand the situation surrounding it. In 1798 Robert R. Livingston secured an exclusive twenty year grant from the New York legislature. By the terms of this grant he could exclusively navigate by steam the rivers and other waters of the state, provided that within two years he should build a boat which would make four miles an hour against the current of the Hudson River. The legislature had no faith whatsoever in the project but the decision was still made against the many jeers. The terms of the grant were not met and it was renewed in 1803, this time to Livingston and his new partner, Robert Fulton. It was renewed once more in 1807 and finally that August Fulton’s steamboat made its first successful trip from New York to Albany. The following year the Legislature, fully aware of the practical significance of Fulton’s achievement, passed a law stating that for each new boat navigated on New York waters by Fulton and Livingston that they should be provided with a five year extension to their monopoly, which may not exceed thirty years.

The Bear :: essays research papers

The Bear A parody by Fritz Karl Wilhelm Mueller The wind wailed through the towering pines of Grand National Park. The sun illuminated the landscape. Those pines were more than five hundred years old. They stood unchanging like the forest itself. The animals lived in a flawless balance with nature. No humans had ruined this pristine wilderness for some time. The trails overgrew with shrubs. Gathering, clouds brought an ominous dread to the forest. It became darker by the minute. Suddenly, lightning brightened the terrain. As the rain pummeled the forest, most of the animals darted in fear. Not all the animals were terrified of the storm. The bear roared in delight. The master of the animals in this forest was the bear. The bear was hardy. His general color is black above and brownish dark below. His legs were very powerful. He could use his hind legs to stand upright. His front legs could get to hard to reach places. He had a keen sense of smell and hearing but a less well developed sense of sight. This bear had an omnivorous diet. The bear liked eating fish, termites, ants, honey, fruit and nuts. The bear could catch his meals with incredible speed. Trees, water or land did not stop him from his prey. This bear preferred to be alone. He did not like to share food or care for the young. Caring for the young would be left to his mates. Yet he possessed much wisdom. The bear saw a new animal in the forest today. The other animals in the forest were afraid of this new animal. This new animal walked on two feet. It was about six feet tall. The new animal also wore clothing. How was the bear to know that this new animal was a human? The bear started to walk towards the human in curiosity. The human noticed the bear. Then the human took out a gun. The human fired the gun at the bear. The bullet barely skimmed the bear. The bear immediately took off. Although the bears' stomach growled in hunger, he did not care about fish, insects, honey or fruits. The bear only needed to survive. The human started to pursue the bear. The bears' only hope for survival was to run deeper into the forest. The bear would have to go through precarious and craggy terrain if he went deeper into the forest.

Criminal Activity Then and Now Essay -- Criminal Justice, Law

Criminal Activity Then and Now Criminal justice is composed of many lateral departments that help us as a society to better understand the process that is started when criminal activity is suspected. We will examine how individuals learn how to commit crime and what motivates them to do so. This paper will discuss the steps that are taken once a crime is determine and how the Criminal Justice System is put into place to help solve and come to some type of resolution for the crime. This paper will further discuss the types of deterrence that are placed into society minds to help curve criminal behavior and activity. After reading this paper the reader should have a better understanding on how the Criminal Justice System works and why it is needed help promote a safe environment for our society. In order to understand what crime is we must first look at the definition of what criminal activity is. The term crime comes from a classification of wrongdoing that were established by state or Congress as a felony or misdemeanor, which is committed against a public law. Crime is defined as all deviance involving violating norms, but some norms attract the attention of the authorities. Acts that have been declared illegal by some authority are called crime (Curry, Jiobu, & Schwirian, 1999). Crime develops from the wanting of certain things that attract or bring attention to certain individuals. A subject that is involved in breaking the law or a moral can be considered a criminal suspect according to the law. Crimes can range from violating less serious traffic code, which is basically a breach of a charter that is imposed by a city and up to the more serious things like murder. Anything that goes against the penal system of a country i... ..., 2010). Criminal Justice is composed of many lateral departments that help us define and better understand how crime can come about in our society. Crime can be learned and used to help one satisfy their personal gain and utilized to replace what is missing. Crime can be reduced by developing rules that enhance the social support that is needed to help families and the community educate them to keep their surrounding safe. By implementing custodial control and punishment can deter some crime but not eliminate it altogether. The criminal justice system is not a system that will stop crime but more of guidelines that come with committing crimes. Our society deserve to live in a safe and healthy environment and by providing policies and rules that help regulate criminal activity will ensure our society that crime will be prosecuted and carried out to the fullest.

How is childhood presented in Games at Twilight Essay

There are many similarities between the ways that childhood is presented in these two short stories. When acting as a group, the children are frequently portrayed as cruel and aggressive. In ‘The Red Ball’ the young boy is given a variety of cruel names by other children due to his thin frame, for example ‘Thinny Boney’ and ‘Match-stick foot’. This shows the brutal honesty of children of a young age. In ‘Games at Twilight’ the children are rough and belligerent, shown by ‘the shoves became harder’ and the frequent quarrelling of the children over who will be It in their game of hide and seek. In ‘Games at Twilight’ the children are frequently shown in an animalistic light. The author’s use of vocabulary reveals this, for example ‘wild’, ‘maniacal’, and ‘snarling’. Words such as ‘prey’, ‘stalked’ and ‘pounded’ relate to hunting in the animal kingdom, and therefore reinforce the author’s portrayal of children as animalistic. In ‘The Red Ball’ Bolan is said to have ‘waited like a small animal’, so children are again compared to animals. The fact that the children in both stories play their games in large groups could represent the packs that animals exist in in the wild. By using animalistic images the authors are able to reinforce their portrayal of children as cruel and aggressive. Childish games seem to hold great significance to the children in both stories. In ‘Games at Twilight’ the author says that the children are desperate to start their business – ‘the business of the children’s day which is – play’. By making the children in the story so dependent on games the author suggests that the children have basic, immature values, since play is not an adult business. In ‘The Red Ball’ games also hold a great significance for the children – it is Bolan’s ability to play cricket well that gains him acceptance amongst the other children. It is obvious that friendships are built when games are participated in, as Bolan steals money from his parents to buy a red cricket ball in order to be more highly thought of by his friends. It is interesting to see that the games in both of the stories are carried out outdoors. In ‘The Red Ball’ the author writes ‘the boys played cricket until the fireflies came out’. In ‘Games at Twilight’ Raghu is described as ‘crashing and storming in the hedge wilder’. Thus the children in both stories are more closely linked to nature, reinforcing the authors’ portrayal of them as animals. In both stories the main characters are portrayed as outcasts. In ‘The Red Ball’ the young boy watches other children play cricket from the outskirts of the park, and in ‘Games at Twilight’ young Ravi hides alone, only to find that the other children have ‘quite forgotten him’. The difference between the stories is that the young boy in ‘The Red Ball’ is eventually accepted by his peers and revered by them – he becomes their ‘star’ bowler and therefore essential for their game. In ‘Games at Twilight’ we are led to believe that Ravi will eventually be accepted by the other children for winning the game of hide and seek – ‘he †¦ smiled to himself †¦ at the thought of so much victory’. However Ravi never achieves such victory as the other children forget about him – ‘having disappeared from the scene, he had disappeared from their minds. Clean.’ By using such a short sentence, ‘clean’, the author is stressing the fact that Ravi was forgotten by his peers, and therefore emphasises his insignificance to the other children; he is bottom of the pecking order. In ‘Games at Twilight’ young Ravi is portrayed as rather unintelligent and cowardly. He is frequently described as fearful – ‘Ravi shook †¦ with fear’. His desperation to be accepted by his siblings shows that he is not highly thought of, and is also somewhat pathetic. Thinking that he will win the childish game of hide and seek he thinks that ‘nothing more wonderful had ever happened to him’. His unimportance is confirmed in the final sentence of the story – ‘he lay down full length on the damp grass †¦ silenced by a terrible sense of his insignificance’. In ‘The Red Ball’ Bolan is portrayed as a somewhat more intelligent, wise individual. He is capable enough to understand that by replying when he is called offensive names by the other children, he will be labelled with those names. He is also able to comprehend more difficult family situations, and shows perception and intelligence when the author writes – ‘it was one of those moments when he felt as if he had held his mother in front of him as a sort of shield to save himself from a rain of blows’. In conclusion, the presentation of childhood in the two short stories, ‘Games at Twilight’ and ‘The Red Ball’ varies. The main characters, when alone, are portrayed as more innocent individuals, whereas when in larger groups, the children seem to be more cruel and hostile. ‘Games at Twilight’ offers the less favourable impression of children overall, frequently incorporating animalistic images into the story to describe the children.

Determination Of Vitamin C Content Of Tablet Essay

ABSTRACT In this experiment, the vitamin C content of a commercial tablet is determined and compared with the manufacturers’ specification. Vitamin C is water-soluble and is an enantiomer of ascorbic acid. (Commercial vitamin C is often a mixture of ascorbic acid and other ascorbates.) Ascorbic acid, C6H8O6, is a reducing agent that reacts rapidly with iodine (I2). As the iodine is added during the titration, the ascorbic acid is oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid, while the iodine is reduced to iodide ions as shown in the following equation. Ascorbic acid + I2 (aq) ———–> 2I- (aq) + dehydroascorbic acid Due to this reaction, the iodine formed is immediately reduced to iodide as long as there is any ascorbic acid present. The amount of ascorbic acid is determined by the stoichiometry of the equations and the difference between the total amount of iodine present and the amount that reacts with the thiosulphate. This method is suitable for use with vitamin C tablets, fresh or packaged fruit juices and solid fruits and vegetables. INTRODUCTION Vitamins are a group of small molecular compounds that are essential nutrients in many multi-cellular organisms, and humans in particular. L-Ascorbic acid was first isolated as a pure substance by Albert Azent-Gyorgi and Charles Kingin 1928 (Pauling, 1970), an anti-oxidant and free radical scavenger, is found ubiquitously in fruit and vegetables such as citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines etc.), melons, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, potatoes and turnips, its quantitative determination is especially important in the production of wine, beer, milk, soft drinks and fruit juices, where it can be a quality indicator (Gerrior & Zizza, 1994)] .Given the essential role played in the human diet and necessary to growth and repair of tissues in all parts of human body .It is necessary to form collagen an important skin proteins ,scar tissue ,tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C  is essential for the healing of wounds, and for th e repair and maintenance of cartilage, bones and teeth (Mcevoy, 1993) one of the several ways of determining the ascorbic acid content of a solution is by titration. Figure structure of vitamin c (ascorbic acid) Titration is a volumetric analysis and is one of the basic analytical techniques in chemistry which enables one to quantitatively determine how much of a specific substance is contained in a given sample. This technique is involved in almost every aspects of our daily living such as life sciences, clinical chemistry, water pollution, industrial analyses etc. In order to make meaningful titration analysis, one has to understand and learn the principles involved. Several types of titration techniques are now available but, two general types which are still in much use are acid-base and reduction-oxidation (Redox). Acid-base titration involves the neutralization reaction and the products are generally salt and water. Redox titrations involve the titration of an oxidizing agent (or oxidant) with a reducing agent (or reductant) or vice versa. Oxidation process involves loss of electrons while reduction process involves gain of electrons. Thus an oxidizing agent is one which accepts electr ons while a reducing agent is one which loses the electrons. There must be a sufficiently large difference between the oxidizing and reducing capabilities of these agents for the reaction to undergo completion with a sharp end point. MATERIALS AND METHOD 250-mL conical flask Vitamin C tablets 400-mL beaker KBrO2 solution 50-mL, 25ml and 10ml measuring cylinder 10% KI solution 50-mL burette with stand 2.0 M H2SO4 solution Glass stirring rod Starch indicator Analytical balance A. STANDARDIZATION OF SODIUM THIOSULPHATE 1. A standard titration setup was framed up using a stand, a burette clamp and a white tile Figure 2 setup for titration (Courtesy of http://www.chemteach.ac.nz) 2. A burette was rinsed with distilled water and then with the given sodium thiosulphate solution. 3. With the stopcock closed, the rinsed burette was fully filled up with the sodium thiosulphate solution and then the stopcock was opened so that the tip of the burette was also allowed to be filled up. The initial burette volume was recorded to an accuracy of 2 decimal places 4. A 25.00cm3 pipette was rinsed with distilled water, and then with KBrO3 solution. 5. 25.00cm3 of standard solution of KBrO3 was transferred to a clean conical flask using the rinsed pipette. 6. Using a 25cm3 measuring cylinder, 25ml of 2M H2SO4 was transferred into the conical flask containing the KBrO3 solution. 7. Using a 10ml measuring cylinder, 5ml of 10% KI solution was also added to the conical flask containing the KBrO3 solution. 8. Immediately, the reaction mixture in the conical flask was titrated with the sodium thiosulphate solution until a pale yellow solution was observed. 9. A few drops of starch solution were added to the pale yellow solution in the conical flask. 10. Titration of the mixture was continued until the solution changed from dark blue to colorless. The final burette reading, accurate to 2 decimal places, was recorded. the volume of the sodium thiosulphate solution added was calculated 11. Apart from the first trial, 2 more successive titrations were carried out. The burette was refilled in between runs when the volume remaining was not enough for a complete titration. B. ANALYSIS OF VITAMIN C TABLETS Figure 3 vitamin c tablets (Courtesy of lule.blogspot.com) 1. A tablet of vitamin c was transferred into a 250ml conical flask and  approximately 40cm3 of 2M H2SO4 was added. The tablet was then crushed to dissolve until a solution formed. 2. Using a measuring cylinder, 10cm3 of 10% KI solution was added to the tablet solution and 25cm3 of standard KIO3 solution was pipetted in to the flask. 3. The solution was then immediately titrated with standard thiosulphate solution in the burette until the dark color changed to the original color of the tablet. 4. This procedure was repeated with 2 more samples of the tablet. 5. The volume of sodium thiosulphate used in each titration was recorded and the average volume was calculated. RESULTS AND CALCULATIONS TRIALS INITIAL READINGS FINAL READINGS TITRE VOLUME AVERAGE TITER 1 0.85 33.60 32.75 32.33 2 0.80 33.10 32.30 3 14.85 46.80 31.95 Table results from standardization of sodium thiosulphate (A) Number of moles of KBrO3 in 25cm3 solution = [this formula is used because the molarity of the solution is given and the volume is known]  0.00964Ãâ€"0.025=0.000241mol Mass of KBrO3 solution used= [this formula is used in deriving the mass of a substance when the no. of moles is given (or derived)]=0.000241molÃâ€"167g/mol=0.040247g= 40.25mg Concentration of KBrO3 = No. of moles of Na2S2O3 required for one titration = 0.00241molÃâ€"6= 0.01446mol Moles of I2 liberated = 2.41Ãâ€"10-4 moles Concentration of Na2S2O3= 0.298mol/dm3 TRIALS INITIAL READINGS FINAL READINGS TITRE VOLUME AVERAGE TITER 1 8.80 11.70 2.90 3.43 2 11.70 15.20 3.50 3 15.20 19.10 3.90 Table 2 results from vitamin C analysis (B) Brand of vitamin C: Cenovis Manufacturer’s specification of vitamin c tablet: 1000mg of vitamin c per tablet Molar mass of vitamin C (C6H8O6) = 12Ãâ€"6+1Ãâ€"8+16Ãâ€"6=176g/mol Balanced Equation for reaction = KIO3+5KI+3H2SO4→ 3I2+3H2O+3K2SO4 Number of moles of KIO3 in 25cm3 solution = 0.00100 mol Moles of I2 produced by 25cm3 of KIO3= 0.00100Ãâ€"3= 0.003 moles No of moles of Na2S2O3 needed to react with excess I2 Moles of I2 that reacted with sodium thiosulphate No. of mole of Na2S2O3 = No. of mole of original I2 – no. of mole of excess I2 =0.000723- 0.0005=0.000223mol No. of mole of I2 that reacted with ascorbic acid = 0.006-0.0005 = 0.0055 Mass of ascorbic acid = 176Ãâ€"0.0055= 0.92g =920mg CONCLUSION The experiment was successfully carried out and the results were encouraging. The analysis of the vitamin c content of the Cenovis tablet was carried out using titration. The vitamin c tablet was crushed into a conical flask and specific amounts of KI and KIO3 were added. The solution was then titrated with standard thiosulphate solution until the required color was derived. The results were recorded and calculations to determine the amount of ascorbic acid in each tablet was also successfully done. However the results  from the experiment showed different values from the manufacturer’s specifications. The manufacturer (Cenovis) claims that each vitamin c tablet contains 1000mg of ascorbic acid while this experiment shows otherwise. After calculations were done, the experiment found each vitamin c tablet to be containing about 920mg of ascorbic acid which is below the manufacturer’s specification. However this error could be as a result of different factors; 1. The ma nufacturer of the tablet made wrong analysis of the tablet. 2. This experiment contained errors which arose from wrong reading of instruments, wrong calibration of instruments, or errors in uncertainty. Works Cited Gerrior, S., & Zizza, C. (1994). Nutrient content of the U.S food supply, 1909-1990. Washington D.C: U.S department of Agriculture. Mcevoy, G. (1993). Drug information the american hospital formulary service. American society of health-system pharmacist. Pauling, l. (1970). vitamin c and the common cold. studymode.js. (2010). commercial vitamin c tablet analysis. Retrieved from studymode: http://www.studymode.com/essays/Commercial-Vitamin-c-Tablets-Analysis-470526.html