Advertising Bias Essay

Marketing and advertising companies are constantly playing on gender roles and stereotypes. Both men and women are portrayed in certain ways to help make products seem more attractive to the same or opposite sex. Men are pictured as lazy, dumb slobs while women are pictured as gentle, beautiful, sexual, and submissive. In children’s ads, boys are shown as rough and interested in action games while girls are more quiet and interested in dolls. Though these stereotypes are not always true, they are what Americans have come to accept about gender and society. Advertisements depend upon painting evocative pictures about these stereotypes in order to entice the consumer to buy the product. Many ads use a sloppy, idiotic, couch potato to appeal to women in products that are commonly used by women such as cooking items and cleaning products. By using the male stereotype, women tend to feel empowered or that they have the upper hand when the usually â€Å"dominant† male is depicted as inferior. While downplaying the male role has become more accepted as a show of politically correct sexism, it is still politically incorrect to do such to women. See more: My Writing Process Essay Some view this as an unfair double standard. Role reversal is often utilized in advertising with women as the focus of the ad. The most common use of stereotyping with women is ads is using them to promote or sell a product through sexual appeal. Whether to a male or female audience, women are portrayed as extremely beautiful and sexy and often in suggestive poses. It attracts men for the obvious reasons, and attracts other women because they aspire to be a certain way or have a certain beautiful quality or feature. Women are also advertised as gentle and submissive in contrast to males. Feminists are against these types of stereotyping because they believe it itemizes women. In society males and females are picked on for their underlying qualities. These qualities have become so widespread and commonplace, today they are considered stereotypes. Companies use these to attract buyers with the idea that they are somewhat better than the opposite sex in some way. The underlying nature in ads points out flaws of men and women and uses them to exploit certain behaviours or mannerisms that will help sell a product with its image.

Managing Oil Wealth: An Exploration Of Lessons Emerging Oil Nations Can Learn From Norway And Uk

Abstract Several oil producing and exporting countries have fallen under the pitfalls of the resource curse phenomena and the â€Å"Dutch disease’. Research studies have explored extensively in this area with most studies taking the view that resource rich countries experience slow economic growth compared to resource poor countries. Contrary to what should constitute common sense, countries that are endowed with abundant natural resources experience unbalanced economic growth compared to countries with fewer resources Against this popular view, this proposal seeks to demonstrate how emerging economies in Africa can escape the resource curse. In particular, the proposal seeks to demonstrate how oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK can assist emerging oil nations like Ghana and Uganda to manage their natural resources. The paper identifies important literature sources which will be reviewed and outlines the methodological framework that will be used. The paper also identifies some of the limitations to its research approach and highlights ways in which reliability, validity and research limitations are to be addressed. Introduction The impact of natural resources on economic and social development of a nation has been a controversial discussion for decades. Whilst oil exploration is associated with wealth creation and economic development, the nexus between oil, conflict and democratic failures is widely documented in literature (Basedau & Lay 2009). Despite evidence that oil exploration can act as a catalyst for development, many of the resource-rich countries have not benefited from oil production but have instead experienced great poverty and unstable living conditions, a phenomenon known as the ‘resource curse’. Nigeria and Angola are prime examples of the resource curse. Despite being the largest oil producers in Africa and despite generating higher revenues from oil booms, Angola and Nigeria still remain amongst the poorest countries in the world. The natural endowment in both of these nations has not been positively correlated with economic growth and social progress (Andre 2010). In Angola, for instance, majority of its population still live in extreme poverty, living on less than $2 per day (Hammond 2011). Similarly in Nigeria, despite having explored substantial oil for 50 years, oil production has not translated to substantial socioeconomic development and poverty rate remain extremely high with majority of the population living on less than US$1 per day (Muller 2010). In fact, the current poverty rate of 50% in Nigeria far exceeds that before the oil boom (35%) (Mahler 2010). Further, oil exploration in Nigeria has led to chronic internal instability and violent conflicts (Muller 2010). Recently, Uganda discovered commercially viable oil deposits in the Albertine Graben region which will see the country joining the club of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) (Bainomugisha et al. 2006). The discovery of oil in Uganda has raised hopes that the country will generate substantial growth from the oil revenues and escape the fangs of biting poverty. Similarly, in December 2010, Ghana joined the ranks of oil exporting countries. Just last year, the average oil production in Ghana was reported at 68,000bbl per day (Kapela 2012). This production is expected to continue over the next 20 years. Problem statement With the emerging countries such as Uganda and Ghana positioning themselves to join the club of oil producing and exporting countries (OPEC), it remains unclear whether the pitfalls that have faced may of the resource-rich countries in Africa will similarly affect these economies. How can the emerging economies leverage their oil wealth to become economic stars without succumbing to the pitfalls of the ‘resource curse’(Bainomugisha et al. 2006). Whilst the availability of commercially viable oil resources may present these economies with an opportunity to boost their growth and reduce the biting fangs of poverty; the nexus between oil exploration and conflict and governance issues is widely documented. Can Ghana and Uganda find a way out of the resource curseHow would these economies address issues of governance, accountability and transparency which have seen resources in many of the oil producing nations in Africa becoming a curse instead of a blessingThese are some of the questions that linger in the minds of many people especially considering that countries like Angola, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea have not been able to escape the resource curse (Bainomugisha et al. 2006) Research aims/ objectives: The specific objectives of this study will be as follows: To explore the potential challenges new oil nations such as Ghana and Uganda might face in oil and gas wealth management To critically examine and evaluate the oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK. To study the differences and similarities of the petroleum policies of Norway and UK. Literature review A number of research studies have explored extensively in the area of resource curse. Before examining some of these studies, it is worthwhile to first consider the resource curse thesis and explain what is meant by the popular ‘Dutch disease’. As such the literature will first begin with a description of the resource curse phenomena and the so called ‘Dutch disease’. This shall be followed by an analysis of transparency and accountability, good governance, revenue management and fiscal policies which have enabled Norwegian government to limit the ‘dutch disease effects and to build a competent national oil industry. Resource curse and the Dutch disease The two terms ‘resource curse’ and the ‘Dutch disease’ are somewhat related. Both presumably arise from resource riches but take on different forms. On the one hand, resource curse refers to a phenomenon in which countries that are rich in natural resources tend to experience slow growth despite their abundant and rich resources. Contrary to what should constitute common sense, countries that are endowed with abundant natural resources experience unbalanced economic growth compared to countries with fewer resources (Cotet & Tsui 2009). On the other hand, the Dutch disease is a term used by scholars to describe a phenomenon in which exports of the resource result in a rapid contraction in the non-resource traded goods sector (Larsen 2004). In essence, the ‘Dutch disease’ describes a situation where in export of natural resources bring about appreciation in real exchange rate which make exportation of non-natural resource commodities difficult (Andre 2010). This has been particularly the case in Angola where oil exploration has led to the reallocation of productive factors and an appreciation in real exchange rate. As a result, most of the sectors have either declined or stagnated with exception of the oil sector. A large volume of literature have explored on the resource curse phenomenon, often linking the extraction of natural resources to conflicts, corruption, civil war and economic decline. For example, studies by Humphreys (2005), Ross (2006) and Fearon (2005) have found natural resources as providing both finance and motive for armed conflict. Auty (2001) also points out that resource rich countries have since the 1960s underperformed in terms of economic growth, often being outperformed by the resource-poor countries by a considerable margin. Similar findings have been reported by Sachs & Warner (2001), Gylfason et al. (1999) and Leite & Weidmann (1999). Recently, a study by Neumayer (2004) which explored on the relationship between natural resource abundance and economic growth, with growth measured in terms of ‘genuine income’ (GDP less the depreciation of natural capital), produced the same results. Studies by Ross (2006), Fearson (2005) and Humphreys (2005) have similarly provided evidence supporting the resource curse thesis. Indeed a large number of authors have shown that the resource curse thesis is a demonstrable empirical fact. This thesis has become a popular view and is even encountered in the popular press. Scholars have widely acknowledged this view as a fact. Rather than critically exploring this causal relationship further to determine other variables that may be shaping this relationship, most of the scholars have instead researched the various ways through which the decline in growth is manifest (Cotet & Tsui 2009). As such, there exist relatively fewer studies that dispute the resource curse hypothesis. Against the popular view, this proposal argues that nothing is inherently cursed about oil and that oil exploration does not have to take a grim picture as has been the case in the past. The UK and Norway have responsibly managed their oil exploration activities and bore sustainable, fully integrated economies and stable welfare societies (Bainomugisha et al. 2006). Similarly, it is possible for Uganda and Ghana to avoid the so-called resource curse and to translate their oil discovery into sustainable gains. Transparency and accountability Corruption is without doubt a huge problem that has continued to hinder growth and development in resource rich countries. It is central in explaining the resource curse phenomena. Two prominent contributions by Mehlum et al. (2006) and Robinson et al. (2006) point out to corruption as key issue, in the form of rent seeking and patronage. However, there is an emerging consensus that transparency and accountability can help curb corruption and other dysfunctions of resource-rich developing countries (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). A number of initiatives have been undertaken to improve transparency and accountability in resource rich countries. For example, the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has been developed to increase transparency in revenues generated from extractive industries such as oil and minerals (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). Other initiatives include the Transparency obligation initiative of the EU, and The IMF Guide on Resource Revenue Transparency. The proposal, however, does not seek to elaborate on these initiatives in detail as it is beyond the scope of study. Whilst there is strong empirical evidence pointing to the relationship between transparency and less corruption, it should be recognized that transparency on its own is not sufficient to address the resource curse. The effect of transparency on corruption is in fact conditional on education (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). At an individual country level, it is difficult to illustrate the conditional effect of transparency. However, if we a draw comparison between countries such Angola and Liberia, it becomes easier. Both countries have become more transparent following the end of the civil wars. Despite being transparent, the level of corruption has only been reduced in Liberia, as measured by the Kaufmann control of corruption index (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). Angola, on the other hand, has not seen any significant improvements. Furthermore, transparency may not necessarily address issues of corruption and may instead further exacerbate this problem. For example, whilst transparency makes it possible to identify corrupt officials, it can as well make it easier to identify relevant officials that may be bribed. That is, it reveals to potential bribers persons who can be contacted in order to acquire an unfair advantage. The identification effect may thus dominate the detection effect thereby further exacerbating problems of corruption. Whilst transparency is one of the ways through which countries can avoid the resource curse, at present, there exist no systematic studies exploring the relative impact of transparency in comparison to other feasible policies (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). Whether transparency is more appropriate to other policy alternatives thus remains an issue for further research. Good governance The issue of transparency and accountability is closely tied with good governance. Recent studies exploring the resource curse phenomena have stressed the importance of having in place good governance to ensure transformation of resource rents into favourable development outcomes. In particular, two prominent contributions see good governance as key to avoiding the resource curse. According to Mehlum et al (2006), resource rents tend to draw skilled workforce out of productive activities and into rent-seeking. As such, the key to addressing this problem is to increase attractiveness of the productive sector by having in place good institutions. Sharing a somewhat similar view, Robinson et al. (2006) argues that patronage is the main cause of resource curse. Hence, they suggest that the key to avoiding it is putting in place institutions that will limit the government’s ability to distribute public sector positions to political supporters. Revenue management Democracy is yet another issue of great importance. Studies by Ross (2001) and Aslasken (2007) have shown that oil hinders democracy. These authors have attributed this hindrance to the rentier effect. Since governments have control over substantial revenues from oil booms, they can hinder democracy through patronage, that is, by providing its supporters with certain advantages such as public sector positions. In order to address the resource curse, there is need for proper management and optimal use of revenues. Natural resources are exhaustible in nature and as such may be rendered obsolete. Measurements of permanent income thus have to take account of these characteristics. Spending must be based on present value of expected revenues, having taken into consideration uncertainty of the prices and the time of resource depletion (Kolstad & Wiig 2008). In other words, revenues ought to be saved and properly managed to ensure a permanent stream of income. Fiscal policies Fiscal policies also have an important role to play in addressing the problem of resource curse and the â€Å"Dutch disease† which can be minimized through decoupling of fiscal policy from revenue fluctuations. This is made possible through containment of fiscal spending, inflation and containment of nominal exchange rate appreciation (Coutinho 2011). Norway is a prime example of a country that has benefited from its fiscal policies. To avoid overspending its oil revenues, Norway adopted fiscal guidelines in 2001. Norway’s fiscal guidelines include a rule that ensures that the central government’s non-oil structural deficit is within 4% of the expected real return on Petroleum Fund assets (Coutinho 2011). This conservative approach which the Norwegian government has taken has enabled it to counter the uncertainty of its oil wealth. As pointed out by Jafarov & Moriyama (2005), Norwegian’s oil revenue policy has enabled the country to limit the Dutch disease effects by protecting the non-resource sectors from the impact of fluctuations in petroleum prices. Whilst the Norwegian oil policy could be regarded as a prime example of a successful policy framework, Humphrey & Sandbu (2007) have pointed out that the institutional restrictions imposed by Norway’s fund on policy makers are weak and may not be effective in environments with weak institutional framework. Nonetheless, the Norwegian oil policy has enabled the country to built a competent national oil industry which has been well-managed up to date (Ryggvik 2010). UK and Norway as oil and gas countries. The UK and Norway are prime examples of countries which have successfully managed their natural resource wealth. In particular Norway, which is currently the second largest export of oil across the world, shows no symptoms of a resource abundance curse. However, one factor that may be pointed out that differentiates the experience of Norway from the other oil producing countries is the timing of natural resource discovery. Unlike many other OPEC countries, the discovery of oil occurred at a time when Norway was already a developed country (Mehboob 2012). Nonetheless, the Norwegian government has successfully managed its natural resources, escaping the resource curse which has afflicted many of the OPEC countries. In fact, Norway was ranked as number one in the democracy index by a recent UK economic intelligence report. This decision was based on a number of criteria including transparency, accountability, election freedom and fairness, influence of foreign powers and ability to implement policies (Campbell 2012). Voluminous research has also shown that good policies and good governance have been central to the success of Norwegian oil sector. From this lengthy literature survey, two observations can be made. First, whilst there is strong evidence pointing to the association between natural resource abundance and adverse outcomes on the economy, the evidence is by no means conclusive. The second observation is that there are no adequate accounts for the role of social forces or political environments in shaping development outcomes. Research has tended to take a reductionist approach, explaining development performance solely in terms of the size and a country’s endowment of the natural resources. Although a consensus is emerging that the relationship between a country’s resource wealth and development outcomes may be shaped by certain political and social variables; scholars have tended to ignore these variables and instead taken the view that resource rich countries experience slow growth compared to resource poor countries. Contrary to this view, this proposal demonstrates how emerging economies in Africa can escape the resource curse which has afflicted many of the petro-countries. Whilst there is strong evidence linking the ‘resource curse theorem’ with poor development outcomes in many of the resource rich countries in Africa, emerging economies such as Uganda and Ghana can avoid this phenomena by ensuring good governance, transparency and accountability, effective revenue management and implementing fiscal policies that would help build competent national oil industries. The UK and Norway are prime examples of countries that have successfully managed their oil wealth. Emerging economies can learn from these two countries. Research questions This research study seeks to address the following research questions: How can new and emerging oil nations ensure realization of oil and gas policies to avoid the resource curse How can the oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK assist emerging oil nations like Ghana and Uganda Research methodology Research strategy/Approach Whether one is familiar with a dissertation topic or not, it is important to have in a place a research strategy that will help the researcher to collect the necessary data for analysis. In this regard, a research strategy is a methodological approach that is taken by the researcher to investigate a particular research issue. As defined by Saunders et al. (2009), it is a general plan that guides the researcher in investigating a particular research issue. In a similar vein, Bryman (2008) defines research strategy as â€Å"a general orientation to the conduct of research† (pp698). Saunders et al. (2009) further states that a particular strategy has to be selected based on research objectives and questions, extent of existing knowledge about the topic under study, time and availability of resources, and the philosophical underpinnings of the researcher ( Saunders et al. 2009, p.600). Based on this criterion, different research strategies may be employed by the researcher. Whilst there are various research strategies, Saunders et al (2009) and Yin (2003) acknowledge that a large overlap exists among these strategies. As such, of great importance would be to select the most advantageous strategy. Among the most commonly used research strategies are survey, experiment, case study, ethnography, grounded theory, cross sectional studies and participative inquiry among others. The proposed dissertation seeks to employ a case study research strategy. While examining the overall emerging economies in Africa, the study will devote particular focus to Uganda and Ghana as the case studies. Rationale for selecting case study research approach According to Robson (2002), a case study research strategy refers to a research strategy that involves an observed investigation of a particular phenomenon within a real life context (Robson 2002: p.178). Case study is considered ideal for the proposed dissertation as it allows the researcher to focus on the specific context, and for in-depth investigation of the issue at hand. Further, Case study research has been preferred over other research strategies as the research questions take the form of ‘how’. This research study has been developed to answer to the research questions: 1. how can new and emerging oil nations ensure realization of oil and gas policies to avoid the resource curse2. How can the oil wealth management policies of Norway and UK assist emerging oil nations like Ghana and Uganda? It is evident that the research questions predominantly consist of ‘how’ type of research questions, hence suited for a case study research. Chetty (1996) also points out that case study research is important as it leads to the observation of new insights that would otherwise not have emerged with other research strategies such as surveys. The qualitative case study will explore the oil and gas management policies and theories in Norway and UK, and examine how emerging nations, particularly Uganda and Ghana, can learn from these countries which have built competent oil sectors. The case study strategy is expected to capture the complexity surrounding management of oil wealth in these emerging economies. Qualitative method A number of scholars have differentiated between qualitative and quantitative research. One of the key issues that have been used to draw distinction between the two is the nature of data. With quantitative research method, the data is hard, objective and standardized. But with qualitative method, the data is rich and deep (Corbetta 2003). Bickman et al. (1998) and Maxwell (1998) have further added interactivity as one of the features of qualitative research. The nature of data needed for the proposed dissertation is rich and deep. The richness of the information is necessary in order to identify the current management practices employed by Norway and the UK in the management of their oil wealth which will then be reflected in designing an applicable management model for emerging countries such as Uganda and Ghana. Data collection The research question: ‘how can new and emerging oil nations ensure realization of oil and gas policies to avoid the resource curse?’ requires an extensive amount of investigation. As such in-depth interviewing is deemed more appropriate for this study. Interviews will be used as the primary source of collecting data. Interviews will be conduct with key informants in Norway and the UK who will shed a light on the policies governing the management of oil and provide an explanation as to how these economies have been able to escape the resource curse phenomena and the ‘Dutch disease’. The interviewees will comprise of key informants in the oil industry such as the local leaders and policy practitioners, international and national diplomats, and policy drivers in transnational agencies, consultants and experts in the oil industry. A total of 30 respondents will be interviewed. Further, a desk study will be conduct to supplement the primary data. This will involve collecting secondary qualitative data which will be derived from previous research studies. Both documentary and on-line material related to the research topic will be reviewed. The secondary qualitative data will be obtained from archival documents, official government publications, policy papers, statistical data and several other publications including books and academic journals. Peer reviewed journals will include the European Economic Review, Journal of Peace Research, Cyprus Economic Policy Review, Journal of Conflict Resolution, The Economic Journal, and Journal of Development Economics among others. This secondary information will supplement the primary data collected and improve accuracy and validity of the research findings. Data analysis The data obtained from in-depth interviews is rich in detail, contextually laden and subjective. Such data must be reworked or reduced to represent major themes that describe the phenomenon under study. As such, thematic analysis has been chosen as the main approach to analyzing the qualitative data in the proposed in dissertation. As defined by Saunders et al. (2009), thematic analysis refers to quantitative content analysis that involves the identification of patterns and themes within data. Thematic analysis is particularly common with qualitative research. It involves identification of a number of emerging themes which reflect the textual data. Whilst it may sound easy, thematic analysis require the researcher to be familiar with their data in order to provide insightful analysis. Data familiarization is thus key to thematic analysis. Limitations of qualitative research Whilst positive that research objectives of this research can be achieved, there certain challenges that may be encountered with the methodological approach. As pointed out by Bryman (2004), qualitative findings tend to rely much on researchers often unsystematic views on what is important and significant, and research findings may be influenced by the researcher’s biases. Moreover, the findings obtained from a qualitative case study may not be generalizable given the set of few respondents. The scope of qualitative research is often limited to single cases and as such, it becomes difficult to generalize the findings. Also, respondents may choose to provide false information which may affect the accuracy of the findings. Despite these criticisms, qualitative research has been chosen as the research approach in the present study. Generalizability, validity and reliability The researcher will avoid the bias associated with qualitative research by deliberately seeking data from various sources including official government documents, policy papers and other relevant secondary sources. This secondary information will be used to supplement the findings obtained from the primary interviews. Ethical considerations A number of ethical issues may arise with interviews with key informants. Given the secrecy of information of this nature, some participants may not be at liberty to reveal certain sensitive information. However, the researcher assured the participant about confidentiality of their information. Another ethical concern relates to the issue of utilizing secondary sources without the author’s permission. To address this concern, the researcher is going to acknowledge the contributions made by the original authors of the secondary sources in the proposed dissertation. Conclusion Clearly, we have seen that many resource rich countries especially the African countries such as Nigeria and Angola have suffered from ‘resource curse’ and the ‘Dutch disease’. Despite being the largest oil producers, these resource rich countries still remain at amongst the poorest in the world. Their natural endowment has not been positively correlated with economic growth and social progress. We’ve also seen a close and strong link between ‘resource curse’ and corruption, bad governance, lack of accountability and transparency, poor revenue management and poor fiscal policies. On a lighter note, we’ve seen some of the resource rich countries which have been able to escape the ‘resource curse’ and ‘Dutch disease’. We’ve seen that the UK and Norway have successfully managed their natural resources. This is explained by the fact that they have pursued good policies in some areas and have enjoyed the advantages of having resource rent. However, we’ve noted that unlike many other OPEC countries, the discovery of oil occurred at a time when Norway was already a developed country. This perhaps point to the differentiated experience in the management of oil wealth between Norway and other oil producing countries. Nonetheless, we argue that the emerging economies such as Ghana and Uganda can learn from Norway and the UK, and leverage their oil wealth in order to emerge as economic stars without succumbing to pitfalls of the resource curse. Clearly, this research is of paramount importance and would contribute significantly to the management of natural resources. Resource requirement To successfully execute this dissertation, the researcher intends to use a variety of secondary sources. In particular, articles and academic journals would inform this analysis. The internet, online-library and computers would aid in the data collection and analysis. There is a plethora of literature on management of oil wealth. The dissertation will thus be based on a critical review of published literature such as journals, articles, and textbooks. In addition, the researcher intends to review press releases, government documents and annual work plans such as the 2012 Work Plan of Environmental Management in the Oil and Gas Sector. This would ensure that the dissertation is consistent, professional and of the highest quality. Given the great deal of research conducted on this topic, the researcher is positive the dissertation will be successfully accomplished without much cost or future hindrance. Further, frantic efforts and time would be devoted towards analyzing the published literature and augmenting it with the primary data collected. Timetable/ Gantt chart Activity September October November December January weeks 12341234123412341234 A review of prior studies and any relevant literature draft of the literature review research design and strategy Design of interview questions Communication with key informants and scheduling of interviews Interviews with key informants Data collection Data analysis (Thematic analysis) composition of the draft of the project submit to tutor for the revision final check of the data and accuracy of the written project final submission Reference Andre, G., 2010. The management of the Angolan oil revenues: are there any chances to change course of the ‘resource curse’University of Dundee Aslaksen, S., 2007. Oil, democracy and country fixed effects. Mimeo, Department of Economics, Trondheim: Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Auty, R. M., 2001. ‘The Political Economy of Resource-Driven Growth’. European Economic Review, 45 (4-6): 839-846. Bainomugisha, A., kivengyere, H. and Tusasirwe, B., 2006. Escaping the oil curse and making poverty history: a review of the oil and gas policy and legal framework for Uganda. ACODE Policy Research Series, No. 20 Basedau, M. and Lay, J., 2009. ‘Resource curse or rentier peaceThe ambigous effects of oil wealth and oil dependence on violent conflict’. Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 46 (6), pp.757-775 Bickman, L., Rog, D. J., and Hedrick, T. E. 1998. â€Å"Applied Research Design: A Practical Approach† in Bickman and Rog., D.J., (eds.) Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage publications. Bryman, A., 2008. Social research methods, 4th edition, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Burnham, P. and Gilliand, L., K., Grant, W. and Layton-Henry, Z., 2008. Research methods in politics. 2. ed., Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Campbell, 2012. A tale of two petro-states: Norway manages its oil wealth much better than Canada does. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Chetty, S., 1996. ‘The case study method for research in small- and medium-sized firms’, International Small Business Journal, 15(1), 73-85. Corbetta, P., 2003. Social research: theory, methods and techniques. London: Sage publications. Cotet, A.M. and Tsui, K.K., 2009. Resource curse or malthusian trapEvidence from oil discoveries and extractions. Ball State University and Clemson University Coutinho, L., 2011. ‘The resource curse and fiscal policy’. Cyprus Economic Policy Review, vol. 5 (1), pp. 43-70 Fearon, J.D., 2005. ‘Primary Commodities and Civil War’, Journal of Conflict Resolution 49 (4): 483–507. Gelb, A. and Associates, 1988. Oil Windfalls: Blessing or Curse, New York: Oxford University Press Gylfason, T., Herbertsson, T.T. and Zoega, G., 1999. ‘A Mixed Blessing: Natural Resources and Economic Growth’, Macroeconomic Dynamics 3: 204–25 Hammond, J.L., 2011. ‘The resource curse and oil revenues in Angola and Venezuela’. Science and Society, Vol. 75 (3), pp.348-378 Humphreys, M., 2005. ‘Natural Resources, Conflict and Conflict Resolution’, Journal of Conflict Resolution 49 (4): 508–537. Jafarov, E. and Moriyama, K., 2005. The Norwegian Government Petroleum Fund and the ‘Dutch Disease’, IMF Staff Country Report No. 05/197 (Norway– Selected Issues), Chapter III, Washington, DC, Kapela, J.M., 2012. Ghana‘s new oil: cause for jubilation or prelude to the resource curse. Duke University Kolstad, I. and Wiig, A., 2008. ‘Is transparency the key to reducing corruption in resource-rich countries?’ World Development, vol.37 (3), pp.521-532 Larsen, E.R., 2004. Escaping the resource curse and the Dutch diseaseWhen and why Norway caught up with and forged ahead of its neighbours. Discussion papers no. 377. Norway, Research Department Leite, C. and Weidmann, J., 1999. 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Revenue transparency to mitigate the resource curse in the Niger DeltaBonn International Center for Conversion Neumayer, E., 2004. ‘Does the â€Å"Resource Curse† Hold for Growth in Genuine Income as Well?’ World Development 32.10: 1627–40 Robinson, J. A., Torvik, R., and Verdier, T., 2006. ‘Political foundations of the resource curse’. Journal of Development Economics, 79, 447– 468. Robson, C., 2002. Real World Research: A Resource, for Social Scientists and Practitioner-Researchers. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. Ross, M.L., 2006. ‘A Closer Look at Oil, Diamonds, and Civil War’, Annual Review of Political Science 9: 265–300. Ross, M. L., 2001. ‘Does oil hinder democracy?’ World Politics, 53, pp. 325–361. Ryggvik, H., 2010. The Norwegian oil experience: a toolbox for managing resourcesCentre for Technology, Innovation and Culture (TIK-CENTRE) Sachs, J. D. and Warner, A.M., 2001. ‘The Curse of Natural Resources’. European Economic Review, 45, pp.+ 827-838. 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Explain how far the New York Courts have extended the case Brady v Research Paper

Explain how far the New York Courts have extended the case Brady v. Maryland and its requirement for a prosecutor to turn over exculpatory evidence to the defense - Research Paper Example The prosecution allowed this but hid the statement in which the companion admits to the actual killing. The petitioner did not notice that statement was missing until after his sentence. After the denial to receive evidence by the prosecution issues of oppression rose that the prosecutor denied the petitioner right to the due process of law. The Maryland court of appeal remanded the case requesting for a new trial, a new trial however was only for the question of punishment This case involved both Brady and Boblit; both found guilty of first-degree murder. In the trials the petitioner( Brady), when the prosecution denied him the evidence in which Boblit admitted to the actual killing he appealed to the Maryland court of appeal which requested foe the new trial. The basis for this trial was the question of punishment, the question of punishment in Brady and Boblits case was a murder committed in an incidence of robbery. The punishment to the crime of murder in Maryland was death or life imprisonment This case brought rise to the Bradys rule, which represents a limited departure from the existing pure adversary model. This is due to the fact that the prosecutor role transcends to that of the adversary. During the litigation of the Bradys crime, that defense should always examine whether the prosecution team acts consistently with the aim to assist the defense in that making of the case or whether it is acting strategically. The Brady versus Maryland case brought about some of the rules used in different courts in New York; this rules resulted from the failure of the prosecutor to provide the information needed by the defendant. In this case as per the fourteenth amendment, due process states that the turnover all the information is a major requirement. The amendments due process states that the suppression of evidence by the prosecution upon request by the defendant, evidence

Economic opinion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economic opinion - Essay Example In the book it is concluded that owners of private equity reduce more jobs than the other firms, however, the net impact is minimal and following a private company taking over a firm, it their people who take over as directors who fare bad in terms of retention of jobs. Also according to the book, research shows that wages decrease in a span of two years following the private-equity buyouts even though there is an increase in productivity. This proposes that financial profits from high output are being changed into returns for owners instead of salary hits for the workers. Also, whereas some private-equity companies market themselves to be union friendly, some are unfriendly and still others are opposed (Weber 1). According to the authors of the book cited in the article, there are a number of things that distinguish the private-equity companies from those that are traded publicly. One is that such companies have great amounts of debts. Approximately, privately equity companies run with approximately 70 percent debt and 30 percent equity. This ratio is basically reversed by the public firms which has approximately 30 percent of to their capital from bonds, as well as other liabilities (Weber 1). The article also states that whereas the inventors in the public companies are mostly distinct from those who manage the company, the private-equity owners are the ones who manage the companies despite being the investors. This builds incentives for the owners manage the operational decisions for the short-term profits to the owners. Partly owing to this, the private-equity companies are most expected to file for liquidation as compared to the public companies, which result to notable loss of jobs at the individual firms (Weber 1). Private equity as a type of organization has its basis in venture capital. The type that is most common is the leveraged buyout (LBO) and this is the one that is under challenge. The

Child maltreatment and abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Child maltreatment and abuse - Essay Example Psychologists have concluded that many children who have been facing abuse and maltreatment from a very early age tend to suffer these diseases along with other mental health problems as they grow up. Child abuse has been regarded as one of the reasons for arising mental problems. During early days of childhood, the brain is developing and the child is learning new things. If the system of the brain is disrupted at this age and the child goes through unusual events, it affects the mental health of the child as time passes. If a child is abused at the hands of adults, he tends to lose trust in the people around him and thus, is never able to develop qualities such as love, trust and care for others around him (Regehr and Glancy, 2010). In the documentary we see that Beth wants to kill her brother, mother and father because she has lost trust at a very early age. She was tortured and sexually abused because of which she was never able to develop the qualities of loving and caring for others. She wanted to see others around her in pain as she never learned to bond with people. Such children face trauma and abuse in the early days of life and thus, they do not develop a conscious because of which they can easily hurt or even kill other people. These children do not have the ability to love or accept love. They treat others the way they have been treated in their lives (Child of Rage, 1992). Welsh (2012) explains that the abuse in childhood may shrink some of the important sides of the brain. This reduced volume of the brain explains the problems that these children face at the later stages of their life such as depression, addiction of drugs and other mental disorders. Survivors of child abuse can be treated in many ways as science has concluded. The development in the research study of these survivors shows that there are better ways in which these children can

Performance Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Performance Art - Essay Example This paper shall focus on performance artists and how they have been affected by various incidents and happenings. It shall highlight performance artists Marina Abramovic, Yoko Ono, and Stuart Brisley. This paper is being carried out in order to review the impact of performance art on art itself, and how these artists have impacted on the evolution and development of art in general. Each artist’s personal and professional history will first be presented, followed by a description of their significant work or performance art. Their more significant work/s shall then further be described or discussed in relation to significant incidents in their lives. Body Performance art refers to a performance which is exhibited to an audience; the performance may or may not be scripted, or it may also be carefully orchestrated or even spontaneous (Carlson, 1996, 3). In some cases, it may be performed live or taped with the performer being absent or present. It may include the situation which involves the four basic elements: time, space, performance’s body or presence in a media, and the relationship between the performer and the audience (Carlson, 1996, 4). It can happen anytime at any venue for any period. The performance of the artist exhibits the artist’s particular work of art. Three performance artists who have had a significant impact on art and on performance art shall be depicted in this essay. Marina Abramovic was born in Belgrade, and is based in New York as a Serbian performance artist (Stiles, et.al., 2008, 3). Her career first started in the 1970s and since then, she has been active in the arts for more than three decades. She has mostly been known for her performance art, exploring the relationship of the performer and the audience, the possibilities of the mind, as well as the limitations of the human body (Stiles, et.al., 2008, 5). She is considered to be the ‘grandmother of the performance art.’ In one of her earliest perfor mances, she sought to evaluate rituals and gestures, using knives and tape recorders, jabbing the knives between her fingers and each time she cut herself, she would use a different knife (Stiles, et.al., 2008, 4). In this performance, she was able to review the mistakes of the past and her previous attempts. In this performance, she sought to understand the state of consciousness of a performer and how it was actually possible to push him into actions which he could never normally do (Stiles, et.al., 2008, 6). In her next work, she considered how to create the energy caused by extreme body pain. In this performance, she cut off her nails, toenails, and hair and tossed it into a flaming star (Richards, 2009, 6). She considered these acts of purification as against the political traditions of her past; with the star representing the communism that dominated her home country for many years. To culminate her performance, she leapt across the flames into the centre of the burning star. She however passed out from lack of oxygen, but it took a while for her audience to realize such unfortunate circumstance (Richards, 2009, 7). This incident implied how physical limits can also limit performance; in this case, her passing out limited and curtailed her performance and what she wanted to convey in her art. For the years that followed, she also attempted to test the state of consciousness and whether it could also be made part of a performance (Westcott, 2010, 18). In her performance, she took a pill used by catatonic patients. This pill caused her to go into seizures and other uncontrollable movements (Westcott, 2010. 13). She recalls that while she did not have any control over her body, her mind was clear and lucid and she could observe what was actually

Role of the a3b4 nicotinic receptor in drug addiction and in the Essay

Role of the a3b4 nicotinic receptor in drug addiction and in the antiaddictive action of novel ibogaine analogs - Essay Example The abnormalities that produce addiction, however, are wide-ranging, complex, and long-lasting. They may involve an interaction of environmental effects, for example, stress, the social context of initial substance use, and psychological conditioning. Many factors, both individual and environmental, influence whether a particular person who experiments with drugs will continue taking them long enough to become dependent or addicted. For individuals who do continue, the drug's ability to provide intense feelings of pleasure is a critical reason (Kalivas and Volkow, 2007). Historical and social factors are keys to the understanding of addictive disorders. These factors affect the rates of addictive disorders in the community, the types of substances abused, the characteristics of abusive users, the course of these disorders, and the efficacy of treatment. Addictive substances aid expression of several human functions that can enhance both individual and social existence. On the individual level, desirable ends include the following: relief of adverse mental and emotional states, relief of physical symptoms, stimulation to function despite fatigue or boredom, and â€Å"time-out† from day-to-day existence through altered states of consciousness. Substance use and dependence cause a significant burden to individuals and societies throughout the world. The World Health Report 2002 indicated that 8.9% of the total burden of disease comes from the use of psychoactive substances (World Health Organization, 2004). The report showed that tobacco accounte d for 4.1%, alcohol 4%, and illicit drugs 0.8% of the burden of disease in 2000. Much of the burden attributable to substance use and dependence is the result of a wide variety of health and social problems, including HIV/AIDS, which is driven in many countries by injecting drug use. Over the past decade, use of addictive substances has infiltrated its way into the mainstream culture in certain countries. Younger people in particular seem to possess a skewed sense of safety about these substances, believing rather erroneously that they are safe and benign. Meanwhile, addictive substances are posing a serious threat to the health, social and economic fabric of families, communities, and countries. For many countries, the economic burden is relatively new, but

Topshop Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Topshop Case Study - Essay Example trendy, moderately-priced apparel (Biesada, n d) that has grown remarkably from humble beginnings to 300 stores in the UK and over 100 in international territories. The brand gained its iconic status in 1994 when it took over a 90,000 square feet space at London Oxford Circus where it remains to date (â€Å"About Us - Topshop,† 2011). The London Oxford Circus shop alone attracts over 200,000 shoppers per week and as such has earned Topshop the accolade to be considered as the world’s largest fashion store on the high street. Topshop’s phenomenal success can be traced back to 1985 when Jane Shepherdson, then the director of Topshop, decided to take the company in a new direction. Jane put up a team of 16 stylists and made them travel the world in search of new fashion ideas. This team moved from trendy neighborhoods, to catwalks to flea markets in places as diverse as Tokyo, Paris and New York looking for fashion trends to interpret (Coco, n d). Using the un ique ideas they had encountered Jane’s team of stylists revolutionalized Topshop into a fashionable and trendy boutique. Since 2000, Topshop’s covetable collections have been made available over the Internet through www.topshop.com, which draws tens of thousands of anxious shoppers. Topshop is owned by Arcadia Group, UK’s largest privately-owned clothing retailer. The Arcadia Group owns six other high street best-known fashion brands namely: Topman, Dorothy Perkins, Burton, Evans, Wallis and Miss Selfridge. Cumulatively Arcadia Group has more than 2,500 outlets (â€Å"About Us,† n d). Topshop is their flagship brand. All the same, as the global economy is recovering from the recession, the fashion industry is experiencing intense rivalry. Sir Philip Green, the owner of Arcadia Group, believes that the fashion houses likely to emerge stronger from this current environment would be the ones who are focused on having good store environments, fresh products and ‘newness’, at low prices. Sir Green says, â€Å"It’s not going to be just about price, it’s going to be about ‘price and nice’† (Hawkes, 2008). Does Topshop’s retail strategy encompass â€Å"price and nice†? Industry at a glance The fashion industry has dramatically evolved over the past few decades. Fashion products that used to be luxury items are now considered as basic commodity products and are bought by almost all segments of the society (Mazaira, Gonzalez, & Avendano, 2003). Some of the factors that may contribute to this growing demand for fashion products are the continuous low prices brought about by an increasing number of target markets and transfer of manufacturing sites to developing countries especially in Asia. With an increasing number of players in the industry, the rivalry is intense. Topshop’s main competitors are Zara, H&M and French Connection (Biesada, n d). The fashion industry is also characterized by consumers with a strong buying

Digital Telecommunications and Networks Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Digital Telecommunications and Networks - Essay Example In the signal amplification of analog systems, noise is amplified with the analog signal. Thus, the signal-to-noise ratio deteriorates for each time an analog signal is amplified. Digital regenerators, on the other hand, reproduce an entirely new digital signal from a sample noisy digital signal. The signal-to-noise ratio of this new digital signal has the same signal-to-noise ratio as the original signal. Thus, digital signals can be transmitted over longer distances than analog signals. Pulse Code Modulation is simply digitally coding analog signals. It consists of sampling analog information signals and then converting them to a serial n-bit binary code for transmission over a physical medium. With PCM, each code has the same number of bits and requires the same length of time for transmission. The presence or absence of a pulse within a specific time slot indicates either a logic condition of 1 or 0 respectively. Wayne Tomasi, in his book Electronic Communications Systems, outlined how a simplex PCM system is integrated in telephony: An analog input signal passes a band pass filter which limits it to the standard voice-band frequency range of 300Hz to 3000Hz. The sample and hold circuit periodically converts samples of the analog input signal to a multilevel Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM) signal. The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) converts these PAM signals to parallel PCM codes. These parallel PCM codes are then converted to serial binary data in the parallel-to-signal converter. Finally, the serial binary data are then outputted onto the transmission medium as serial pulses. At the receiver's end of the transmission medium, the serial pulses pass through the serial-to-parallel converter. The digital-to-analog converter then converts parallel PCM codes to parallel PAM signals. Finally, the hold circuit which is a low pass filter, converts parallel PAM signals to the original analog sig nal (408). Time Division Multiplexing is the transmission of information from multiple sources to one or more destinations using the same facility but at different transmission times. The following are the fundamentals of how Time Division Multiplexing is integrated in telephony as summarized by Wayne Tomasi: In a 2-channel PCM-TDM system, each channel's input is sampled and then converted to an eight-bit PCM code. While the PCM code of channel 1 is transmitted over the transmission medium, channel 2 analog input signals is sampled and converted to a PCM code. And when the PCM code of channel 2 is transmitted, it is channel 1 that then undergoes analog input sampling and conversion (453). C.) Describe the main operating principles of CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology and GSM (Global System Mobile) technology in mobile communication. Code-Division Multiple Accessing is a cellular telephone system based on spread-spectrum technology. It uses a unique code rather than a frequency or time assignment to differentiate users from one another. With CDMA, the base station uses

Holocaust Memorial by Peter Eisenman and Emmaly Reed Essay

Holocaust Memorial by Peter Eisenman and Emmaly Reed - Essay Example However, one believes that it should have commemorated all the affected Jews during that time, since, according to the Jewish Virtual Library, the memorial serves as a means â€Å"to preserve the memory of those who suffered† (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum par. 2) and it is just fitting to title the memorial as designed for all the Jews who suffered during the Nazi regime.One strongly believes that the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. saved virtually the same purpose as the museum in Berlin: to remember the Jews as a race and as one who the Germans have done injustice to, regardless of where the crimes and atrocities were committed. Unlike slavery and genocide, the Holocaust crimes were magnanimous in nature and their memory leaves an indelible mark to the lives of the remaining Jews who survived.The personal account of the experiences of Emmaly Reed could just be taken in their context since as a spectator; one could not validate the veracity and accuracy of the information that was relayed (Emmaly Reed, Holocaust Survivor). If indeed they were true, she must have suffered tremendously and that fact that she survive was a manifestation of a miracle.

Humorits Essay Example for Free

Humorits Essay Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were and why not†, said by George Bernard Shaw (miscellaneous quotes). In society today, many people go about with things and don’t ask why they do such matter. In the article, â€Å"Corn-pone opinions† by Mark Twain, he uses a good example: he states that â€Å"fashion has established itself: it is admired, now, and no one laughs†. In other words, fashion is created, and people go along with it and never ask why they do so. Alain de Botton argues that humorists are not to entertain but â€Å"to convey with impunity messages that might be dangerous or impossible to state directly†. In agreement, humorists play a vital role in society. As an illustration to how humorists play a vital role in society is in the article â€Å"A Modest Proposal† by Jonathan Swift, who creates a plan for eating Irish babies. Swift, is criticizing the English for their abuses against the Irish. Swift thought that eating the Irish babies would solve the â€Å"Irish problem†. However, the plan is ridiculous because it is used to describe how the Irish is being treated. The meaning thats being read in the article is that English dont value the Irish life. Instead of Swift saying so, he uses the comparison of eating babies and the abusing of Irish people. For this purpose, criticisms are being made and people dont realize them but they send a strong message. Another example of how humorists play a vital role is society is in the article ‘Corn-pone Opinions†, Twain shows another example by stating â€Å"Our table manners, and company manners and street manners change from time to time, but the changes are not reasoned out; we merely notice and conformed†. In this quote Twain tries to describe the fact that many things are changing and no one take the time to notice it; they just gone along with it. In addition, society does not realize things that is going on. They just feel that when something is being said or done that it may be the right thing so they just go along with it because they feel they need self-approval from one another and never notice that it is affecting our society.

Social Policies Poverty And Social Exclusion

Social Policies Poverty And Social Exclusion This essay will discuss Poverty and social exclusion. There will be a brief explanation of the terms that will be used throughout the essay. As we know, there are many writers who express their views; therefore references will be used to explore different writers understanding on certain subjects. Firstly it will focus on poverty and discuss different meanings in relation to poverty. Then secondly, it will look at different policies that have been an influence on poverty and social exclusion. Thirdly, it will consider all different factors that link to poverty and social exclusion. Finally, it will summarise the answer to the original question and discuss what has been covered throughout the essay. Social Policy is a subject that relates to the welfare state, human well being and other factors that influence human well being. It includes many policies relating to: housing, education, benefits and other related policies that are put in place for the welfare of state and its people. Social Policies have been changing from time to time; therefore as social workers, it is important to be up-to-date. Policies are implemented by all people: employees, workers and general public. They promote and improve the welfare state as well as human living. This will be looked at in more detail later on. The concept of Poverty can be described in two ways: the state of an individual whom may not be able to acquire the basic necessities such as: food, shelter and warmth. Another definition of poverty is when a certain part of society feels or is excluded. Blakemore and Griggs discuss that: One way of seeing poverty as relative is to say that people who have incomes below half the national average are poor (2007 p: 98). This could mean that one may have the basic necessities but lack involvement within the community, social life or living a luxurious lifestyle, which is also known as Relative poverty. It is important that society is made aware of what poverty is and the role of different Social policies that are administered to tackle poverty and related issues such as social exclusion. Social Exclusion itself is the result of poverty in most cases. One of the best definition that describes social exclusion was expressed by Child Poverty Action Group by Walker and Walker(2007): Social exclusion refers to the dynamic process of being shut out, fully or partially, from any of the social, economic, political and cultural systems which determine the social integration of the person in society. Social policies were created for the purpose of stability and equality in society. One of the main aims was to change the environment the individuals live in and to enhance their lives, through which social inclusion would be applied. Although there are different Policies, there principles remain the same throughout all administered policies, which is to promote Equality through three processes: Fairness, Equity and Equal of Opportunity. In the early 1940s, Beveridge report was put in place to reform social policy. Beveridge introduced child benefits, taxation and benefits for those who are unemployed. This was done through a weekly contribution of those who worked. It shows with admirable clarity and directness how involuntary poverty can be abolished from British social life by a redistribution of about one-tenth of the national output of goods and services in favour of those citizens whose needs are greatest (Owen, 1943, p743). Another policy that was introduced later in 1990s was The Third Way. This policy focuses on two aspects: to make work pay and to strengthen responsibility and community. It conveys the message that the reform of welfare systems is a moral enterprise that requires personal and emotional commitment by those engaged in its implementations (Jordan, 2000). This involved focusing more on means- tested benefits and provide more support to low- wage workers through a tax system. The welfare programme looks at reformation by adopting tough enforcement methods in which the public is directed towards getting trained, qualifications and employment. Bailey (2006) looks at the employment, poverty and exclusion. He touches upon the topic of welfare benefits and labour market. He discusses that Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD) policy statements have increased its focus on individuals having positive financial motivation to work, and move away from welfare benefits. They have introduced support through personal advisers for those who are unemployed. Also, Levitas (1998) mentions that although unemployment has had a negative impact on individual welfare, the Government argues that it is encouraging people to work, as it promotes the necessity of social inclusion through paid work. Social exclusion is the result of poverty, as mentioned earlier. However poverty is linked to many complex factors that play a huge part in peoples lives. Majority of the factors are linked to one another, this creates more of a cycle that is hard to break unless policies are not implemented. Pierson mentions that Social exclusion is a process that deprives individuals and families, groups and neighbourhoods of the resources required for participation in the social, economic and political activity of society as a whole (Pierson 2002:7). Some of the components to social exclusion are: low income, unemployment, poor housing, and poor environment. Adams (2002) discusses that the higher risk of unemployment and low pay, the more likely they are to face poverty in comparison to other population. Several people who are unemployed suffer from deprivation in many areas. For many people, employed work and its loss have great significance, since they define themselves, and achieve social status. Vast people and families do care if they earn money and provide for the family. This involves the self esteem as well as their perception of their own status. In relation to this, Adam also discusses that unemployed people are more likely to experience poverty than others, all because of their low benefit entitlement, which would disable them from social activities. Since social workers are asked to develop a critical understanding of employment policies, it is important to understand such issues that relate to unemployment. Sheppard (2006 p: 17) mentions that there are factors such as: neglect of proper care, drug abuse, crime as well as families and parents that are single and broke contribute towards excluding people socially. Those people were classed as outsiders due to the amount of inadequate socialisation. He emphasised on the fact that parents are the central and that more commitment in childcare should be made to tackle the social exclusion issue. Sheppard also includes the argument that poverty brought many excluding effect: low levels of food and nutrition, mental as well as physical poor health and not to mention deprived environments. Therefore even if they maintained their hopes and desires to enter a more socially accepted lifestyles, it would be with such great difficulty. He uses the example of a homeless person applying for benefits without an address. Payne (2006) focuses on the mental health element. She relatively talks about how Department of Health identifies mental health problems as one of the factors that influence poverty that associate with social exclusion. Payne also explores people with mental health should be included rather than excluded as social exclusion and poverty will only increase the mental ill health, therefore through this way, mental ill health could be decreased. In relation to this, strategies are set out to identify ways of getting people with mental ill health to explore the working environment; housing and community involvement, which may influence their mental ill health in a more positive way. As we can see, Social Exclusion is a widespread subject that covers many areas of Poverty. The question still arises: Are Social Policies the product of history and not logic. This essay has looked at different policies and approaches that have been made to improve the welfare state. This essay may have justified that it is the product of history and not logic. However, some may argue that Social Policies are the product of history and logic combined together. Either way, this essay surely proves that policies have been and will change from time to time for the purpose of a better welfare state.

Vidal Business Strategy Overconfidence

Vidal Business Strategy Overconfidence Introduction During the annual business plan meeting regarding the shower gel brand Vidal, it was decided for 2017 to decline the 1+1 promo quantities in an effort to achieve better profitability versus last year. From the arguments that were presented, i believe that the team has overestimated the probability for the latter scenario to happen, since the decision might has been impacted by overconfidence. The aim of this report is a) to present arguments that justify the latter, b) to detect the source of this bias and c) to recommend de-bias techniques that will be proved useful also for the future. The case Vidal, in a short period of time became the 3rd player into the segment, with a continuous growth. Last year it gained +3.5 points in terms of market share and a +30% increase in value sales. Managers pointed that the key drivers of success were: a) the great value for money product b) the highest rate of 1+1 promo intensity c) the investment on distribution and traditional advertising. The team concluded that the objective to penetrate the market was completed and there is an opportunity to achieve better profitability and ROI at the end of 2017. This could happen by a 20-25% reduction in 1+1 promo quantities. Following this strategy, managers estimated that they can retain at least last years value sales, which in combination with the lower cost of selling goods will improve the brands profitability. The greatest ally that will support the latter is products excellence and consumer loyalty. More specifically, they considered that the combination of products low price (2ndlowest) and quality is so unique, that by reducing the 1+1 promo, consumers will be directed towards the regular product. Moreover, after the distribution expansion the team estimated that the products superiority versus competition will attract new consumers. I feel that both scenarios are overconfident and their probabilities should be reassessed for the following reasons. Initially, the findings of a qualitative research indicated that Vidal is a value for money product, but still lacks in terms of packaging. Most consumers considered the packaging as old fashioned and correlated it with Private Label. Additionally, they indicated some practical issues during the usage which are capable to restrain both users experience and perceptional quality. From a quantitative perspective, it was noticed that 55% of Vidals revenues were generated from the 1+1 quantities whereas the regular product presented a sharp increase in 3 out of 5 variances, mainly because of distribution expansion and not from gaining consumers from other players. Private Labels are leaders into the segment while in 2016 presented a substantial growth. From the data report, I noticed that the second player had around -40% lower price during some periods that are not supported from their 1+1 promo wave. From the latter I suspect that they might invested in price reductions in order to constrain PLs growth since they are more expensive. As a consequence I would like to underline that: Private labels are growing significantly in a price sensitive segment. Maybe by reducing 1+1 quantities we might push our consumers towards them, since we are highly correlated and more expensive. Palmolive might has realized the threat of PL and might has adapted its strategy by offering price reductions. The initiative to reduce our investment under these circumstances might also outflow consumers towards them. I think that the team has overestimated the regular products competitive advantage compared with competition and underestimated the importance of 1+1 promo. I believe that the source of this bias is generated by the teams motivation to improve profits since its a key performance indicator for both the companys and managers growth. During this effort managers knew that is not feasible to increase investment in order to boost sales and consequently they thought about a cost reduction strategy. The initial feedback about the very good results might boosted their confidence, whereas the fact that the brand has experienced only successes might constrained them to consider alternative scenarios. In order to improve the decision making process I would like to recommend some techniques of reducing overconfidence. The first is related about the importance of counter-argumentation. This means that managers when taking a decision should consider reasons why this decision might goes wrong. If the latter is difficult then they could ask from outsiders to express their opinion. For example in our case before approving the decision all the team members is recommended to list a number of reasons why the 1+1 reduction could not lead to increased profitability. In case that no one could think about any reason then, the Sales force should provide some input, since they have excellent sense of the market and its dynamics. Secondly, I would indicate the importance of feedback. The company is operating since 1970 while is consisted form experienced and new members. It is a great opportunity to exploit the companys knowledge by creating a case-study library that will host all the companys past successes and failures. Once a year we could organize the Sarantis-Training-Academy, in which managers will be assigned with cases, and they will be asked to provide their input for each strategy by assigning probabilities about their favored hypothesis. Afterwards, they will be informed about the real outcome and managers will be aware if they are overconfident or not. Finally from now on, I recommend that the Brand manager should be accountable for every decision. After every business plan meeting he will be responsible to present the proposals on the board of directors. The fact that he will have to present the ideas to seniors and experienced members might help him to enhance both self and group-criticism and reducing overconfidence. Conclusion The marketing team might has overestimated the probability of their scenario regarding the brands strategy of 2017, whereas this time has neglected also the normative approach. The excellent launch in combination with the fact that Vidal has experienced only successes might boosted the level of confidence. In order to improve the decision process this report has proposed 3 debias techniques (feedback, consider-the opposite and accountability) that according to the behavioral research seem to eliminate overconfidence. Part B Introduction Overconfidence might be proved a deleterious element for the decision making process since it does not only evokes people to overestimate their probabilities about the favored scenario but it also can cause catastrophic consequences. For example, in a study that examined the effect of overconfidence on newsvendors forecasts, showed that the higher the overconfidence the faster the profit loss (Crosson and Ren, 2009), while nowadays overconfidence seems to be a key driver for many start-up failures. This report is based on previous studies, and aims to underline the causes that triggered overconfidence to the Vidals marketing team while in parallel is focusing to provide a series of debiasing techniques in an effort to eliminate its effect. Overconfidence and Success In Vidals case I feel that the successful launch among with the wide recognition of the teams efforts, might have boosted their level of confidence. This relationship between success and overconfidence has lot of similarities with the case of Ducati. More specifically, in 2003 Ducati entered the motorcycle racing circuit MotoGP without having high expectations. During this effort, the team was focusing on data analysis and was gathering continuous feedback from the drivers for its improvement. At the end of the first year, Ducati surpassed every expectation and gathered the 2nd place, whereas for next year the team targeted the 1st place. This time the differentiated point was that the team stopped looking deeply into the data and receiving feedback. They considered that now their experience was enough in order to create an even better motorbike. Once a team member indicated you look into the data to understand whats going wrong and not why you are performing well. The next year Ducati did not covered expectations and performed even worse than the previous year. (Gino and Pisano,2011). Similarly, like on Ducatis case, it is remarkable how the Vidals marketing team after its successful launch didnt look deeply into the data, since so far it was a key principle prior taking any action. Additionally, the team seemed overconfident not only about their predictions but also about the products characteristics and performance. There are findings which show that success can inspire overconfidence. For example in a recent study, Hilary and Menzly (2016) found that analysts becoming overconfident when they achieve accurate forecasts as they tend to rely more on private information and to neglect markets reaction. As a consequence they perform less accurate predictions in the future. Additionally, when a trader achieves successful performance he becomes overconfident as he tends to revise his perceptional skills higher than the expected. The latter leads him not to use important information even though he might has a good database (Gervais and Odean, 2001). Walter and Ferrier (2004) stated also that success could generate overconfidence while it makes managers intolerant on new prospects. Since, success inspires overconfidence, it is important for managers to examine and understand the causes of success (Gino and Pisano,2011). Definition and Sources of Overconfidence Plous (1993,p.217) stated that no judgement decision is more prevalent and more catastrophic than overconfidence. In order to support this rationale in his book are some examples of the negative consequences of overconfidence. One of them is the destruction of Pearl Harbor, since Americans considered impossible the scenario for someone to conduct a proper attack in that location. Similarly, NASA, before the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in 1986, had estimated that the risk of failure was 1/10,000. Overconfidence might has different forms. The first is related when someone overestimating the probability of the favored outcome to occur (Griffin and Varey, 1996), while the others are related when people consider themselves to be better than others, or when someone overestimates his skills or performance (overestimation) (MooreHealy,2007). I believe that in Vidals case both types are valid. This happens because the team might overestimated the probability to retain the amount of 2016 value sales by neglecting critical information, while they have excellent perception about the products potential. Russo and Shoemaker (1992) stated that a major cause of overconfidence is a persons difficulty to imagine all different outcomes that an event could have (availability bias).Due to this deficiency people become overconfident regarding their predictions as they have fewer paths to consider. In Vidals case the team could not envision different consequences of the cost reduction strategy, whereas the fact that the brand had only successes, might restricted the teams effort to recall or envision different scenarios. Another cause of overconfidence according to Russo and Shoemaker is anchoring. They stated that managers are anchored to one value or idea without making any adjustments, As a result they might generate sales forecasts before setting and adjusting their confidence rates. A prior study of Tversky and Khaleman (1974) confirmed this relationship by also stating that people tend to underestimate the risk of failure. The fact that cost reduction was the first thing that crossed the teams mind, might be due to an association based error. People are not used to think hard and usually trust the judgment that comes first into their mind (Kalheman,2003). Here, the first thing that the managers noticed was that Vidal had by far the highest promo intensity, while they might recalled from their semantic memory that cost reduction is a common and direct way to improve profitability. Arkes (1991) stated that people can think reasons to support their judgments much faster than the contradictory ones. The latter in combination with the fact that supportive reasons are greatly cued can cause overconfidence. Debiasing Techniques and Limitations Lichtenstein and Fischhoff (1980), stated that people are usually overconfident, but in an experiment that they conducted they found that feedback could improve participants calibration. Calibration is the skill to assign probabilities that equals the correct estimations (Sharp et.al, 1988). Performance feedback is one out of four types of feedback (outcome, process, environmental, performance) that are related with judgmental predictions, and can be divided into two subtypes (scoring-rule and calibration feedback)(Benson Onkal, 1992). In 1987, Arkes conducted an experiment between 2 groups in order to detect the effect of feedback. The 2nd group was informed that will have easy questions to answer while the 1st group was told that the questions were difficult. However, in reality both questions were difficult. After the first 5 questions the second group had higher confidence but same accuracy ratio with the first group. During the next sessions and after the second group received the discouraging feedback the members expressed less confidence and better accuracy. Similarly, in a recent study in which participated 57 students it was founded that performance feedback reduced overconfidence and lead to more accurate predictions (Al-Harthy 2016). Moreover, Richards (2015), examined as well the effect of feedback. This time the sample was consisted from 171 MBA students with 5 years of working experience. The participants were asked to assess themselves in 5 areas and afterwards to participate in a 3-hour assessment regarding their skills (problem solving, decision making, leadership, teamwork and planning).After the assessment, they participated in a pedagogy course in order to understand the essentials of behavior in relevance with the above skills. In parallel, they were being involved with many tasks such as: feedback and discussions with students. At the end of the semester the subjects repeated the same assessment. It was found that participants initially were overconfident in their self-assessment but after the feedback and the training cou rse their overconfidence level was reduced. Russo and Shoemaker(1992) pointed out the importance of feedback in companies since its a fast and cheap way to reduce overconfidence. He proposed that, companies should provide the employees with actual past cases where the result is known and to ask them to provide their guesses combined by their confidence level. With this method that was applied also successfully in Shell in order to train its junior gemologists, the employees learn to assess their level of confidence in relevance with their job and to identify if they are overconfident or not. However, all the above do not mean that feedback is always effective. Meikle et.al (2016) stated that this method is not suitable for people who have vested interest in seeing the world in a biased way. More specifically, a study in which participated football fans showed that feedback was not able to improve their accuracy on predictions since most of them still had preferences towards their favorite team (Massey et.al,2011).Additionally, the scoring-rule feedback (subtype of performance feedback) in which the forecaster gets rewards or penalties according to the outcome of his prediction doesnt show to reduce overconfidence (Fisher,1982). Finally, its important to indicate that this method is less efficient on overconfident CEOs, as they tend to show greater resistance on feedback which restricts them from improving calibration (Chen,et.al,2014). Feedback is useful for improving the decision making process since one of its characteristics is to warn that something, goes wrong or it might go wrong Thaler and Sunstein (2008). Kahneman (2003) stated that an outsiders view can provide more accurate predictions while it is less possible to provide unrealistic estimations. This happens because the outsiders view can provide safety against favored predictions that have less probabilities than the expected to happen (Kahneman Lovallo,1993). The outsiders can exploit knowledge from previous experiences by taking also into account the problems unique characteristics and data. As a result, since many people are overconfident, it is recommended for important decisions to ask either from an outsider to share his opinion or the decision maker to try to think like an outsider (Bazerman, 2013). This means that the decision maker should either think of reasons why his scenario might go wrong or to ask from others to provide counterarguments (Russo Shoemaker,1992). The latter might be proved helpful since considering the opposite scenario is capable to reduce the high levels of confidence (Soll et.al 2013).In a study that was conducted by Koriat et.al (1980), it was found that when subjects wrote down contradicted reasons and alternatives against their selected answer, they showed less confidence and better calibration. One way that might lead to this direction and to reduce overconfidence is accountability. The fact that the person is accountable for the decision, will lead him to enhance his pre-emptive self-criticism as he will have to present the decision and its rationale to others (Larrick, 2004).This mechanism will lead him to improve the decision quality and to assess more objectively the alternatives (Tetlock et.al, 1989). In a study that was conducted by Tetlock Kim(1987) the subjects participated in a person-perception process. The participants after receiving responses from each test taker they were asked to submit a short personality brief and to retake the test. This time they had to predict the responses of each test taker by assigning probabilities and level of confidence. It was found that subjects that they were told (before the test), that the researcher would like to have a detailed interview about their answers, to show more appropriate levels of confidence and better accuracy. Similarly in a recent study that participated 71 student students in a computer-based laboratory showed that accountability reduced significantly overconfidence (Jermias,2006). However, Brown (1999) stated that accountability might lead managers to take decisions that are most favorable to their peers, while the great amount of information could cause the lost-pilot effect if it will not being used properly (Larrick,2004). Accountability, does not seem to improve calibration in organizations in which the answer to the question what is a good decision is maddeningly subjective (e.g advertising agencies), whereas it is more effective in preventing rather reversing judgmental biases (Tetlock Kim 1987). The positive effect of overconfidence recommendations Contrary to all the above, overconfidence does not have solely negative effects. As Goethe wroteFor a man to achieve all that is demanded of him he must regard himself as greater than he is. Bernardo and Welch (2001) stated that overconfident entrepreneurs are more likely to explore their environment and to provide additional information to their social group while overconfident managers are more willing a)to take risk decisions b)to devote more effort and c) to motivate the team to accomplish its goal (Gervais et.al,2002). Finally, Taylor and Brown (1998) indicated that overconfident and optimistic people are more positive, happier and they have excellent ability for caring about others. Since overconfidence has also a positive side, Russo (1992) recommends that managers should distinguish between deciding and doing. This means that the decision process should be combined by realism and rationality, whereas the implementation of the decision should take advantage of the motivational benefits of overconfidence. As a result, its important for the decision makers to realize what they do know and what they dont, while the ones who are implementing the decision should indulge overconfidence when they think that will be proved beneficial for the performance. Conclusion Overconfidence when impacts the decision process could have negative consequences. However, it has some advantages that can be exploited from the ones who are implementing the decision. Since the decision process is critical, it is suggested to eliminate this effect by using three debiasing techniques. Performance feedback seems to improve calibration, whereas when people are thinking about why their decision might go wrong, they tend to reduce overconfidence. Finally, in special cases accountability seems to enhance self-criticism and to lead to a more rational way of thinking. References       Al-Harthy, I. (2016). Prediction Accuracy: The Role of Feedback in 6th Graders Recall Predictions. International Education Studies, 9(3), 212. doi:10.5539/ies.v9n3p212 Arkes, H. (1991). Costs and benefits of judgment errors: Implications for debiasing. Psychological Bulletin, 110(3), 486-498. doi:10.1037//0033-2909.110.3.486 Arkes, H., Christensen, C., Lai, C., Blumer, C. (1987). Two methods of reducing overconfidence. Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes, 39(1), 133-144. doi:10.1016/0749-5978(87)90049-5 Bazerman, M. (2013). Becoming a first-class noticer. 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A comparative study of the ways in which Richard Cameron and Thomas :: English Literature

A comparative study of the ways in which Richard Cameron and Thomas Hardy apportion justice and sympathy towards the male characters. In 'Can't stand up for falling down' Cameron is looking at the boundaries of drama and braking them, most of the play consists of monologues, we are told of events by the female characters rather then, as is traditional in theatre, being shown them. Cameron uses this to form an intimacy between the audience and the female characters, allowing the audience to empathise with them, justify their actions and isolate the male characters. In contrast to this Hardy, in the novel, uses his authorial voice to try and manipulate the reader's sympathies and sense of justice whereas Cameron, although he tries to guide the audience, ultimately leaves them to decide upon their own opinions. The way the writers describe their characters form the basis of how they are perceived and influences whether the readers and audience want to bring them to justice or sympathise with them. Thomas Hardy is a very dramatic writer and conjures up scenes in the mind's eye of his readers. In the novel 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' Hardy describes Alec and Angel's physical and personal characteristics making them more rounded characters and allowing the reader the ability to form complex emotions about them such as sympathy. Hardy uses the over spiritualised Angel to personify the average 'new' 1890's man. He rejects Christianity and embraces logic rather then the sensual. He therefore falls prey to his emotions. He sees Tess as a thing of beauty and idealises her, portraying in his mind and convincing himself that she is a perfect goddess; therefore he does not love her for who she really is. Angel's character is presented as being gentle with Tess and interested in her thoughts rather then just her looks, which is in direct contrast to Alec. All we had heard about Tess previously from the other characters in the novel is that "her fortune is in her face." but Tess wants to be accepted for herself and Angel encourages her without pushing her. "You sir can raise up dreams with your music and drive all such horrid fancies away." Hardy shows this as Tess's belief about Angel as her saviour. This description is in direct comparison to Hardy's original description of it as "dim and flattened" showing that whilst Tess is easily pleased by Angel, Hardy is not so; this encourages the readers into Hardy's own view. In 'Tess of the d'Urbervilles' Alec is presented as a moustache-curling, melodramatic, cardboard-cut-out villain. Hardy uses him to represent both the unjust differences between the treatment of women and stereotyping of women in what was perceived to be an new

John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums and D.H. Lawrences The Odour of Ch

John Steinbeck's 'The Chrysanthemums' and D.H. Lawrence's 'The Odour of Chrysanthemums' Women in the 1900s were given little attention. John Steinbeck and D.H Lawrence however have chosen to base their short stories on a single woman character and around a type of flower, which is the chrysanthemum. Though written by male writers, both stories give an insight of the feelings and actions of a female character in that time period and how chrysanthemums can mean an entirely different obsession towards the two main characters. John Steinbeck's 'The Chrysanthemums' is about a tinker who confronts Elisa Allen while she was working on her prized chrysanthemums. Elisa was impressed of the tinker's freedom and his way of life. The tinker offers his service, repairing pots and pans, to Elisa, but she refuses at first. However, the tinker does not give up and tells Elisa about a customer that would be interested in her chrysanthemums. Elisa's attitude instantly changed and after her discussion with tinker she finds some work for the tinker to work on. Elisa's husband, Henry, takes her out later to the city for dinner. To her dismay she finds her lovely chrysanthemums dumped by the roadside by the tinker. D.H Lawrence, however, writes about Elizabeth Bates and her children who wait for the return of Walter, husband and father, who is late in his homecoming. Elizabeth has a brief meeting with her father. Not waiting any longer, Elizabeth and her children have dinner. Elizabeth puts her children to sleep and then goes out to look for her husband. It turns out that the husband had an accident and is now dead. Elizabeth's mother in law visits her and together they clean the dead Walter, while reminiscing the past.... ...not be offered to strangers. However, in 'Odour of Chrysanthemums,' Elizabeth realises she has never really known Walter and is ashamed to handle him. She experiences fear for she is aware that she has no control over her destiny and that she cannot escape death. Both stories do not have a happy ending, but instead deal with different aspects of life. 'The Chrysanthemums' with society and trust, whereas 'Odour of Chrysanthemums' with fate and death. I feel that John Steinbeck offers a better ending because it teaches us not to trust strangers with ease and gives us the message that we should be happy with what we have, not to envy others. Then again, the ending in 'Odour of chrysanthemums' is also true but I feel that it is too harsh. It is a fact that every creature will encounter death but death should not be Elizabeth's or anyone's 'ultimate master.'