Halliburton Essay Example for Free

Halliburton Essay One of the most important functions for any organization to succeed in any particular direction is planning. Planning is an activity that enables companies and their employees to understand the company’s purpose and its strategic direction so that they can align themselves to it. This paper will discuss the importance of planning at Halliburton Company and analyze the extent to which it impacts the legal, ethical and CSR issues in the organization. Furthermore, it will discuss three factors that have an influence on the company’s strategic, tactical, operational and contingency planning. Halliburton Company was established in 1919 in Houston, Texas with a second headquarter in Dubai, UAE. Currently employing over 50,000 people, it is a huge multinational and global leader in the energy services sector operating in more than 70 countries. Using its technological edge in its operations and assistance from its world-class human resource, Halliburton has demonstrated outstanding growth and development in the energy sector over the past several decades. Its focus on innovation dates back to its early years when its founder, Erle P. Halliburton initiated his oil well cementing business by building a wooden mixing box only by hiring a wagon, a team of mules and a pump in Oklahoma. Careful planning and effective strategies have enabled Halliburton to remain as the market leader in the energy sector for almost a century now. Its planning strategies are comprehensive, focused on global changes and follow the â€Å"Think globally, act locally† theme. Halliburton management realizes the fact that for global survival it is essential to adopt different methodologies in different countries. For this purpose, it operates from 2 headquarters – Texas, the oil hub of the West and Dubai, the trading hub of Asia and Europe. â€Å"The number one priority of Halliburton is to provide competitive, safe and superior quality products and services†. Halliburton management maintains that in order to ensure business continuity they must explore the unexplored parts of the world for newer energy reserves bringing in environmental concerns. Thus, there are several instances when Corporate Social Responsibility and other issues have an impact on the planning of Halliburton and its strategy planning. There are often differences in the legal framework of different countries, for example, the British and American laws pertaining to environmental exploration have different clauses. This results in differences in the local planning of future steps to be taken by Halliburton in maintaining its market position and extending its operations. Ethics also play a key role in shaping up its policies and plans for the future. Environmental concerns, consideration for animal and plant wildlife are some of the factors the Halliburton management takes into account when planning its activities. For example, if oil exploration in the Sahara will result in extinction of the sub-Saharan tigers living in the region, the company will develop an alternative plan. Global companies as large as Halliburton have to manage their activities and operations collaboratively; sometimes the ethical and legal frameworks of adjacent countries can render certain actions legal in one nation and illegal in another nation. Thus corporate planning is a very extensive process at Halliburton which involves considerable amount of consideration given to regional subsidies of the company. Though corporate social responsibility and legal issues dominate the effect on the planning activities of Halliburton, ethical considerations also sometimes require plans to be modified. For example, Halliburton’s operations in Saudi Arabia have to be controlled differently than its operations in the US. The ethics standards and beliefs in the two countries are different and regulate different practices. For instance, daytime operations during the fasting season where the temperature is very high is not restricted by law. Even the workers may be willing to work, but ethics and moral standards suggest that Halliburton operations should be continued at night during those days. There are several factors which affect the course of action of companies. Often we see changes in the stock market leading to important strategic planning changes in companies. However, most of these are short-term plans and do not affect the vision of the company by a significant degree. Some of the most important factors which have a contribution towards the company’s strategic, tactical, operational, and contingency planning are as follows: Potential Energy Reserves: Halliburton thrives on its energy reserves and constant exploration of newer energy sites. Its strategic and international planning is based upon the potential energy reserves of a region. A region where there are high energy reserves would naturally be an area for long-term planning for Halliburton management while a exit strategy may be prepared for a dried up site in Japan. Its strategy is the key to business continuity and profits and thus takes into account the future business that can be generated from a particular region. Taxation and Corporate Laws: The reason why Nevada is the registered as the corporate head office of thousands of companies is because of its tax-friendly laws. Halliburton’s expansion and acquisition strategies are dependent on the corporate taxation and regulations that are enforceable in a particular state or country. These laws influence to a great degree the company’s operational and contingency panning as well. Avoiding over-taxation requires careful hindsight in operational and acquisition activities. Companies like Halliburton need to have effective planning strategies in order to save huge amounts in taxation and legal fees. Culture: The culture of Texas may be very oil-friendly however, that may not be the case in Brazil. The differences in culture, customs and therefore the code of ethics is important for Halliburton to realize and respect. Companies not caring about these factors often face problems in the long-term. Nike could not stop the sweatshop crisis news from coming into the media which caused hundreds of thousands of dollars loss to the company and several protests were lodged against the company till it finally winded up its operations. Halliburton’s planning should take into account the resident cultural practices and base its plan according to them – violation of local culture is often taken very strongly by the people and is revoked at some point or the other.

Husserls Phenomenology Essay Example for Free

Husserls Phenomenology Essay Why is phenomenology such an important branch of philosophical thought in terms of understanding media and its social, political, and technological impact? Phenomenology is the philosophical thought that focuses on the structure of subjective human consciousness. This philosophical movement was founded by Edmund Husserl who â€Å"wants to describe our experiences as they are given from a first person perspective† (Zahavi, 2003, p. 13). Husserl describes the conception of reality in 3 parts. Firstly there’s the world and its external beings, this being the world around us made up of other things and other people. Secondly we have ourselves, and thirdly we have our subjective consciousness, the way we perceive the world around us. Husserl divides phenomenology into two parts, the noesis and the noema, the noesis being the part of an experience which explains the activity, be it an emotion, perception, judgement, or imagination. The second part is the noema, which is the way we perceive the experience, our own meaning of it, the way we conceive it. This study can be differentiated from Kant’s method of analysis which focuses on reality consisting of objects and events as they are understood by subjective human consciousness. The two main divisions of Kantian phenomenology are the noumena and the phenomena. The noumena are things independent of the mind; an object or event that exists without the use of human senses, while the phenomena are any observable occurrences. Kant theorises that what we experience through our senses questions what roles we play in terms of truth and reality. Both Kant’s and Husserl’s interpretation of phenomenology are important branches of philosophical thought when understanding media and it’s social, political, and technological impact. The political impact that media has is stretched further than the democracy of governments. The politics that media focuses on can vary from contestants on a television show to the Presidential debates of the United States. When we watch any form of politics on an edited television show, all we’re seeing is what’s presented to us; the phenomena, we experience what is given to us. It is only by our senses that we’re able to perceive what’s happening on the show. This relates to Kant’s method of analysis which states that what we experience through our senses allows us to question truth and reality. Only what we see on television enables us to question this. What is edited out or what happens back stage is the noumena, it’s not perceivable by our senses and therefore according to Kant we’re unable to comprehend it. The X Factor relies heavily on humiliation in its audition process to get viewers. Many of the advertisements for the X Factor auditions show hopeful contestants being booed or laughed at on stage by the audience. Spin off shows called â€Å"The X Factor: Best and Worst Auditions† are created purely for our entertainment. Although it may seem that the media is using a contestant’s pain for their own gain, it is argued that â€Å"by now, those appearing on reality TV should have acquired a basic understanding of its textual codes and mode of production, and should therefore be prepared for any possible outcomes†(Watts, 2011, p. 36). When schadenfreude, â€Å"enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others† (Merriam-Webster), is shown on television, the audience is faced with an ethical dilemma. They have to decide based on the phenomena around them what is right or wrong. It is up to the individual audience member to decide whether they feel the contestant is able to understand the codes of reality TV and whether the humiliation is acceptable or not. One contestant on the 2012 X Factor auditions, Zoe Alexander, was highlighted in the media due to her vulgar outburst on stage after the judges slammed her down for singing a song by an artist (Pink) for whom she had previously been a tribute act for. After saying she wanted to move away from being a tribute act and focus on her own career, she went on to sing a song by the artist Pink. According to what was shown on television, the contestant made a bad choice and was ridiculed on stage for it. She was jeered at and this resulted in her swearing at the judges and throwing her microphone on the ground. The audience were left with feelings of embarrassment for her; from what was presented to them the audience could only see her outburst. The political division of the show was between this contestant and the X Factor, and the audience had clearly picked a side. After the audition had been aired on television it soon came out that the contestant had been told to sing a Pink song by the X Factor production team prior to her audition. In interviews after the show Alexander stated â€Å"When the judges rejected me I realised I had been manipulated by the X Factor for the previous six weeks. They lured me in, coaxed me and even chose my song all with the intention of setting me up for a fall. †(Daily Mirror). It was only after the audience had become aware of the back stage antics that they were able to switch their political viewpoint to that of the contestant. The impact that media has on politics is shown through the way the media is able to influence the minds of audiences by only showing certain parts of the story. Parts of the show were edited out in order to create a political imbalance between the show and contestant. After the contestant told her side of the story, the audience realised that â€Å"There is now good reason to believe that there is a surprisingly vast range of ways the scene around you could have been visibly different from the way it actually is†(Noe, 2006, p. 191). The noumena, which was not something the audience could understand, was what was edited out of the show, as we could not sense it, it was independent of our minds. According to Kant, as soon as we become aware of it, it becomes a part of our phenomena and is now an observable occurrence. By understanding phenomenology it’s clear that it is an important part of the political impact that media has. Kant’s thoughts on phenomenology relate much to Platonism. The allegory of the cave is a metaphor to describe that what we believe to be reality may not be complete, and that illumination is needed for us to see the truth. Plato explains that the freed prisoner â€Å"wouldn’t be able to see a single one of the things he was now told were real† (Plato, 2006, p. 280). Plato gives us four levels of knowledge: shadows, objects, ideas, and forms, â€Å"in the first place, shadows, and in the second place, reflections† (Plato, 2006, p. 244) The first two levels are within with the realm of sense, shadows are things we have interaction with but no knowledge of, and objects are able to be perceived with knowledge but they still rely on senses to be seen. The next two levels eradicate senses and rely on intelligence. Ideas and forms are reflections of the lower levels and are seen as the ‘intelligible world’. In a similar way, Kant theorises that reality exists on many levels, with the phenomena being what we can sense, and the noumena being what we cannot sense, independent of the mind. Both Plato and Kant agree that knowledge is primarily reliant on sense but does not have to rely on sense alone, and that reality exists on a series of levels. The concept of realism has made huge advancements in technology over the last decade. With great progression in technology, media such as video games and cinema have transformed immensely in terms of how real they appear to their targeted audiences. New technology such as 3D cinema and D-Box enables audiences to be transported even further into the world of the film by creating a false sense of reality. By wearing 3D glasses and sitting in a stimulation chair, the cinema is able to allow the audience to be absorbed into the world of the film even further than ever before. These technological advances exhibit the power phenomenology has to intensify the experiences of watching a film or playing a game. Certain media are created to illuminate our phenomena by their transmission and the form that certain media take, â€Å"What we know of the world  (including cinematic representation) has to do with our experience of phenomena, that is, the way things appear to us. †(Casebier, 2009, p. 4) According to Husserl, knowledge â€Å"remains within experience† (Husserl, 2012, p. ), so all we know of cinema and videos games is merely a recreation of what we already know from our experiences. However it isn’t just cinema that does this, advancements in technology have enabled other media to do the same; 3D televisions and mobile phones are created for the same reason, to create a fabricated reality, a place where people can have all of the fun without any of the responsibility. Video games are created with a goal to make an interactive world which can be perceived similar to real life but without the consequences that comes with reality. Racing games are made with cars that look and sound more realistic to appeal to audiences, stimulation controllers to enable you to feel like you’re actually driving a car, but when you crash your car you’re able to start another race, when in reality there would be serious consequences. However, the question of truth and reality regarding technology can be argued against. Plato states that the representation of reality is not as clear as we may think it is. Plato states that â€Å"the quickest way is to take a mirror and turn it round in all directions, before long you will create suns and stars and earth† (Plato, 2006, p. 70). When he is told that this will only create reflections and not reality, Plato states that an artist would do the same with a paintbrush. This allegory shows that what’s real and what’s true is hard to determine because everything is a representation of the ultimate reality. Therefore the images created in technology such as video games and cinema can be seen as a construction or representation of an ultimate reality, what we perceive as real life experiences. As Husserl states â€Å"Natural knowledge begins with experience† (Husserl, 2012, p. ), it is from our experiences of real life that we’re able to even comprehend the constructed reality that is shown in media such as video games and cinema. However, being too involved in these types of simulated realities can be dangerous, they can distort our minds by making us confused between the difference of what’s true and what’s real. What is acceptable in a simulated video game such as Grand Theft Auto, such as beating people up, shooting people, stealing cars, woul d not be acceptable in real life. A distinction is needed in the mind between what is real and what is true. These experiences show the importance that phenomenology has in terms of understanding the impact media has on technology. Husserl states that human experiences are subjective, and this is true especially when referring to photography and the social impacts that certain media have on the world. Photographs are a special type of image, one that holds a subjective experience personal to the people who are in them and the people who took them. â€Å"It is not merely the likeness which is precious in such cases – but the association and the sense of nearness involved in the thing. (Sontag, 2001, p. 183) Instagram is a social networking app which allows users to upload pictures onto a database which is viewable by ‘followers’. Similar to social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter, users can follow each other and comment on pictures that are uploaded. With the invention of such social applications personal photographs no longer serve as just memories or subjec tive images, they also serve as a way to exhibit your experiences to your social circle: your friends and family. The way we communicate and share with each other has been changed. No longer do photographs have to be developed and stuck in an album for everyone to see them, now you can upload a picture onto Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any similar social networking sites and it can be viewed by hundreds of people from your social circle at the same time. By sharing our experiences socially we’re able to project our experiences into the minds of others; â€Å"We behold the living experiences of others through the perception of their bodily behaviour† (Tymieniecka, 1983, p. 300). Even though pictures that are ploaded onto social networking sites are able to be sensed by others in terms of being able to see them, they will be not be aware of the meaning behind the pictures. The noumena of the pictures will be the meaning behind them; the memories and emotions that are attached with the image will not be visible to everyone who looks at it, only the people who have previous knowledge of the image will be able to have a deeper understanding of what it’s about. No matter how much you look at a photograph it will have different memories and connotations for each person who views it. The way we communicate with each other has changed in many others way than just photography. The impact media has on society is seen through the change in our communication with each other with tools such as Whatsapp and Skype. With the use of just a mobile phone you’re able to communicate with other people in so many different ways; We’re no longer limited to just calling or texting each other, now we’re able to video call, send pictures, on Facebook people are able to send each other virtual animals to each other; media has impacted the way we communicate so much so that the levels of communication are unlimited. Through doing so we’re expanding our experience of communicating with each other and therefore according to Husserl we’re expanding our knowledge of each other. The level of impact media has on communication is clear because through new methods of communication comes more information we have of each other. Phenomenology is important for understanding media and its impact on many aspects such as politics, society, and technology. Both Kant’s and Husserl’s analysis of phenomenology are vital branches of philosophical thought when thinking about the influence that media has. Through politics, media is able to hide certain aspects of the truth in order to manipulate the minds of the public. Kant’s theory of the phenomena and noumena is shown here as what the audience perceive as the truth is merely a part of it; the parts that are kept out are the noumena. What’s not perceivable by our immediate senses becomes independent of the mind. When it comes to technology, the impact that media has refers mainly to realism. The question of what is true and what is real comes into place. Media such as video games and cinema are able to create other worlds of reality in which people are absorbed into. Husserl states that it is through experience that knowledge is made, so media takes the experience that we have in the real world and build upon to create realities that are more idealistic to live in; Worlds in which people are free to do as they choose without any consequence. The only consequence of this is if people become so involved in these created worlds that they’re unable to distinguish between reality and constructed reality in the form of games or cinema. Through social issues it’s clear that phenomenology is an important issue in terms of how much of an impact media has. Social network sites enable people to share their experiences with their friends and family. Photographs no longer have to be shown to others in a physical album, now they’re visible all over the world. Husserl tells us that it is through others being and their bodily behaviour that we’re able to understand them. Therefore it’s clear that the impact that media has on society is the change of how we communicate with each other. By having new ways of talking to other people, there’s also new ways of understanding each other. Phenomenology shows that with a wider experience of communication, we’re gaining knowledge of whom and what we communicate with. Kant and Husserl both have different methods of analysis according to phenomenology, but ultimately they’re both concerned with the way the world appears to us and our subjective understanding of the world around us.

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders | Analysis

Anti-Social Behaviour Orders | Analysis Our society gives us the right to live in a safe and secure community. But along with these rights, we have some responsibilities. We all have a responsibility towards our neighboursand we must treat them respectfully in the community. Also for the security and betterment of the society, the antisocialists should know that their behaviour will not be accepted and action will be taken against them if they continue with their behavior. Such behavior often includes aggression and hostility which often results in to physical or verbal abuse. They might refuse to follow the rules of a situation or disregard the power of a superior (Farrington Coid 2003). An ASBO (Anti Social Behavior Order) is specially designed for children 8-17 year olds whose existing behaviorshows signs of future offending activities. The community works together to stop this offending behavior through educational, diversionary activities and family support. The main aims of the community are to reduce the number of youngsters from entering the criminal system, to improve attendance of the identified groups at school and to minimize the factors that would help someone lead to an offensive behavior(Great Britain: National Audit Office 2006). The scale of the problem Of all the problems which most affect neighborhoods up and down the country, antisocial behavior has perhaps the maximum potential to affect the quality of community life. It has been very difficult to find accurate statistics on the nature and popularity of antisocial behaviour. There are some current methods such as self-report studies, victim surveys and data gathered through police, courts, fire service and other criminal justice agencies through which data on antisocial behaviour are gathered (McAtamney Morgan 2009). These sources of information are considered useful but they are restricted in their capability to provide a precise description of antisocial behavior. Such sources often involve incidents that are unrecorded since they are difficult to notice and do not get in contact with the courts.Further, it also depends upon the type of incident being examined. The more popular an incident is, the more people will fight against it. Also antisocial behaviours such as being rude and abusive are difficult to define and no agencies are responsible for collecting data on it. It is considered to be an important problem of the society since more and more people are getting involved in it. Such patterns are shown in early ages such as 13 to 14 years. At this age, antisocial acts include stealing something from someones house or getting involved in a fight with a classmate or been suspended from school. Such behaviors may lead to dangerous anti-social behaviors at a later age. Researches show that some of the antisocial acts are common such as cigarette use or skipping school and these acts might not have the possibility to lead to dangerous acts in the future (Melton Borough Council 2013). All of this is of course is not possible without the effective enforcement of ASBO by the court. People who are insistent on harassing the society should be punished accordingly. Those who continue to bring fear, distress and misery to local communities should not go unpunished. Sentences should reflect the seriousness of the crime and do so in a consistent manner. The police play an important role in this regard and could help improve quality of life of the community (Millie 2008). The rationale for making this a key concern after 1997: Now the question is, why was antisocial behavior made a key concern after 1997? As it is generally believed and also several studies have proved that if special attention is not given towards this matter it can lead to serious crimes. According to NACRO (2002), this theory is termed as contagion theory. This theory suggests that the presence of evil or destruction leads to more destruction or evil. Wilson and Kelling have termed this contagious effect as the broken window. As it is generally believed that a building with a broken window means that no one cares about the building so this will lead to more broken windows and this shows that breaking more windows does not really cost anything. Further, antisocial behavior can be costly for communities. It affects the stability of an areas market. It alsoaffects the success of local businesses and can be costly to repair. This repair can be in terms of financial and human resources. A proper record for the damages is not kept since there are limited sources for the collection of data. But acts such as neighbor nuisance, destruction of property and criminal damage can be estimated. Furthermore, antisocial behavior can affect the lives of the executors which would in return also affect their families. They can be excluded from school, expulsed from their homes and become involved with the criminal system (Spalding 2011) A discussion of the key initiatives undertaken to deal with this problem, starting with the 1997 Crime Disorder Act (ASBOs) and the subsequent development of this approach CR- ASBOs, dispersal orders, the Respect Agenda etc The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 was passed in December 1997 by both Houses; Commons and Lords and also received Royal Assent in 1998. A number of key issues were discussed in this Act, which include the introduction of Anti-Social Orders, Parenting Orders, Sex Offender Orders, increasing the Local Authority responsibilities for crime reduction etc. Here we will be discussing the main area of interest that isAnti-Social Behavior Orders (ASBOs)(UK Parliamanet Publications and records 2005). Anti-Social Behavior Orders: According to Part I of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, the type of behavior that is generally thought of as being antisocial is raucous, irritating or intimidating behavior which often takes place in community areas.This kind of behavior can also pull out to sabotage and graffiti. Further this behavior includes dealing and buying drugs on the street, dumping rubbish and disposing of cars. Begging also comes under the anti-social umbrella. The Crime and Disorder Act was modified in to a civil remedy called the Anti-Social Behavior Orders or ASBOs in order to engage in with the government to tackle unacceptable activities that were impacting the quality of community life. According to the Act, any person who might have engaged in anti-social behavior is to be taken care of by the Magistrate or the Sheriff. As mentioned above, anti-social behavioris defined by the Actas a conduct which caused or was likely to cause alarm, harassment or distress to one or more persons not of the same ho usehold as him or herself and where an ASBO is seen as necessary to protect relevant persons from further anti-social acts by the defendant. An ASBO can include a ban from entering a specific area or talking to certain people according to different individuals it is made in respect for. Violation of an ASBO is considered a criminal offence and conviction may lead to a minimum of two, or a maximum of five years detention. Though most of the ASBOs are issued in respect of the types of behaviors pointed out earlier but there have been circumstances in where the ASBOs have been issued in more unusual situations. This has led to severe condemnation. For example, in February 2003, a 16-year-old boy was forbidden from showing his tattoos,in public anywhere in the country. In July 2003,an 87-year-old man received an order for being rude and sarcastic to his neighbors. He was the oldest recipient for an order. Further in December 2004, a man became the first farmer to become the recipient of an ASBO when he was ordered to keep his pigs and geese under control. This happened because the people living near his farm complained that his animals had escaped and caused damage to their properties (Clarke, 2003). It is an official implementation which carries the full force of legal execution. It was generally believed that ASBO is only used for adults but recently it has been discussed that it can be applied to any individual who is over the age of ten years. An ASBO needs a minimum time of two years to be placed and can be reviewed if your behavior has improved. It is only placed in an area where a certain anti-social behavior is reported. According to the UK government website young offenders can be fined up to 250-1000 pounds. You can also get a detention and training order (DTO) for up to 24 months whereas adults are fined up to 5000 pounds or five years of imprisonment or both (Farrington Coid, 2003). Anti-Social Behavior Orders may be used in several situations that pertain to ongoing anti-social behavior. ASBOs are used when someone has been warned several times and even then, social behavior is not improved. However, in many cases, there are solutions which are less severe and less strict than ASBOs, which will be different according to each situation. However, these ordersmay not be equally suitable in every situation. For example, if you have been in disagreement with your neighbors over who owns the boundary between your houses, but your neighbor hasnt shown any anti-social behavior, an ASBO would not be the right way to deal with this problem and the court probably would not grant one anyway. CR-ASBOs A CR-ASBO is a Criminal Anti-Social Behavior Order. It is a social or civil order;the main reason for its existence is to protect the community from anti-social behavior. It can be obtained much quicker than an ASBO. But they are not taken in to court until the criminal court is concluded.A Crasbo order is issued when a conviction is made on criminal proceedings. The parties responsible for serving an order are the Criminal Courts(Millie 2008). These orders are received by individuals who are convicted of criminal offence or anti-social behavior. This order describes the anti-social behavior in the crime for which they are condemned for. For example a Crasbo was received by Fred Bloggs which was placed by the CPS. It forbids him from entering Waterside in Stratford. Another reason for the existence of Crasbo is to encourage local people to become enthusiastically involved in reporting crime and anti-social behavior which would in return help to put together and shelter the community(Millie 2008). The main difference between a CRASBO and an ASBO is that a Crasbo is receivedafter a criminal conviction is made. A Crasbo is unique to all cases. The convicted will have a set of prohibitions unique to his case to thwart anti-social behavior from re-occurring and to guard the society from such acts. A Crasbo could result in banning the individual from any of the following:(Millie 2008). * Committing any anti-social acts * Connecting with certain people * Leaving home after a certain time * Entering defined areas in the community * Entering specified buildings, shopping areas etc Just like an ASBO, the breach of a Crasbo is also considered a criminal offence. And the maximum punishment is 5 years of imprisonment for adults. Dispersal Orders Section 30 of the Anti-Social Behavior Order provides local authorities to tackle anti-social behavior committed by groups of people. Such orders are placed on certain areas at different times. The areas could be as small or as large as necessary, as long as there is evidence of anti-social behavior there. If an area is under a dispersal order the police are allowed to separate or move groups of two or more people from that area. The police have been given authority to do this if they have a reason to believe that the group has or might harass, intimidate, alarm or distress any member of the public(Spalding 2011). The groups asked to be dispersed by the police wont be allowed to reunite in that area in the next twenty four hours. If someone violates the order, it will be regarded as criminal offence and could result in a fine of up to  £5,000 or custody for up to three months. A senior police officer makes the decision about the order and this order can be placed on an area for up to six months. The validity period expires after six months but a new order can be put in place if there were enough reports regarding groups causing criminal behavior(Spalding 2011). Respect Agenda Tony Blair launched the Respect Agenda in United Kingdom in 2005. The basic aim of this agenda was to help central government, local agencies and citizens to work together in an effective manner to tackle the problems caused by anti-social behavior. Till now the most common recipients of the ASBOs are young people. These young people are often considered a nuisance to the community by bad behavior problems such as drinking, minor theft etc, due to which they are banned from certain areas for specific periods of time. A report by Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JSF) discusses three main reasons as to why these young people or even adults behave anti-socially. The first reason was a decline in moral standards and family values. Secondly, there are some families that have become disengaged from the society. Thirdly, that these young people were always considered as kids and not given a chance to act like grownups (Clarke 2003). Neighborhood management is a new form of neighborhood renewal strategies. It also addresses the problems of anti-social behavior. It also focuses on community involvement; which benefits the community, brings the individuals closer and values them. Various community programs are held in order to empower the residents and keep them participated in such community acts. Strengths The main mechanisms that have been deployed to tackle anti-social behavior include the following strengths(Clarke 2003): * Improvement in the quality of life of the community. * Gives values to the residents and in result they actively participate in preventing anti-social activities. * The Respect Agenda specifically focuses on the youth by funding youth clubs and college sports teams etc * Peoples aspiration and expectation levels are raised. Weaknesses Since the introduction of the ASBO, debate has bounded it for several reasons(Clarke 2003). * Little restriction by courts on what can be termed as anti-social behavior. * Often lawful behavior is criminalized. * The penalties are open ended. * Effect of ASBOs on children and young people. Conclusion The antisocial behavior continues to be performed on adolescents. This is in opportune. Firstly, the agencies should work in partnership with other public bodies and community groups to ensure safer and stronger communities. This can be done by taking positive actions focused at the diminution of crime and disorder and humanizing the quality of life for everyone. The young children should at least once be given warning letters or home visits when involved in anti-social acts because a lot of young people have been taken in to custody who do not deserve to be there. The Dispersal Order should ensure that the restrictions and powers of the Order are well publicized to everyone, including the young people and their parents. The Respect Agenda must not only be focused on young people but should look at a broader perspective. It should create a balance in the relationships that exist between young and old to create the respect element. It should be linked to broader policy making even at the local community level (Clarke 2003). The government published a paper regarding the abolishment of ASBOs and some other court orders. These would be replaced by CBO and CPI. CBO is Criminal Behavior Order and would focus on criminal conviction in stead of the CR-ASBO, whereas CPI is Crime Prevention Injunction responsible for other cases, where someone is not convicted. The white paper says that most of the feedback regarding this new system is positive, whereas some were concerned about the funding. This new system simplifies the much complex old system and is majorly accepted by the public.Both of these unlike ASBOs need to have optimistic necessities as well as exclusions. The breach of a CBO is a criminal offence followed by a maximum prison sentence of five years. However, breach of a CPI would result in ridicule of court for which the penalty can be either a heavy fine or two years in prison(McAtamney Morgan 2009). The government has also issued Designated Public Place Orders which pose a restriction on public drinking because of the nuisances that have been experienced earlier. This Order can limit to certain areas over specific time periods. The police will have the power to regulate the consumption of alcohol in a certain area. Previously the government made a large amount of information regarding the problems people faced in the anti-social behavior area. All this information was available online.In May 2008, the government produced an Anti-social behavior guide, which gave information on a range of remedies. Although this information is still available on the archived versions of the Home Office, yet it has not been updated.The present Government has recently issued a White Paper promising to replace 19 of the orders to just six (UK Parliamanet Publications and records 2005).

Environmentalism in Watership Down by Richard Adams Essay -- essays re

The small group of rabbits that left their original warren, Sandleford, to find a new home often uses their little spare time to listen to stories generally told by Dandelion. These stories are often about the Thousand Enemies and how they are a threat to the rabbits, especially El-ahrairah. Humans are presented as one of the â€Å"Thousand.† The author of the book, Richard Adams, displays man in a negative way because of this. Man is portrayed as violent, nonsensical, and abusive to the natural way of life. In the book, Watership Down, Richard Adams portrays the life and style of man in a negative way. In both their old warren and on their journey, the group of rabbits encounters urban development and the city life which relentlessly interfere with their plans. The inciting point is the cause of sub-division development ("Literature in Brief Information about Watership Down.") and humans post a notice in the field where the rabbits live that says: â€Å"THIS IDEALLY SITUATED ESTATE, COMPRISING SIX ACRES OF EXCELLENT BUILDING LAND, IS TO BE DEVELOPED WITH HIGH CLASS MODERN RESIDENCES BY SUTCH AND MARTIN, LIMITED, OR NEWBURY, BERKS† (Adams 8). This residential construction ignites Fiver’s â€Å"visions† which causes the group to leave Sandleford Warren. In a later chapter, Holly and Bluebell seek out Hazel and his group and voice their willingness to join. At the same time, Holly relays the story of what happened in their old warren, Sandleford. Men with the white sticks in their mouths and made the air turn bad to kill the rabbits. Soon after, bulldozers flattened the area, with no regard whatsoever for the well-being of the rabbits. Richard Adams could be seen as taking use of development to get his rabbits to a better place, but such vio... ... them technically part of the man. Because of their connection to man, Richard Adams exposes animals like cats and dogs, which are man’s possessions, in a distasteful way. All in all, Richard Adams has a very negative view when it comes to man: human development and their creatures. His writing really gets into the mind of a rabbit, and through these rabbits he celebrates the natural, undisturbed world in which the rabbits live ("Literature in Brief Information about Watership Down."). Whether the rabbits simply hear about humans or even encounter them, they are generally displayed in a bad way. There may be a few times when there is a caring human, or a courteous animal, but that occurs very rarely. Richard Adams, in his book Watership Down, celebrates the natural created world before humans â€Å"destroyed† it. Websites used: www.answers.com/topic/watership-down-2

Alcohol Essay -- essays research papers

Many pregnant women are not aware of the complications that are involved with pregnancy. The greater majority of young women see pregnancy as a way of bringing a life into the world but do not use precaution in their dietary habits to prevent the destruction or inhibition of such a life. Most pregnant women continue on their drinking and drug abuse binge right throughout their pregnancy. They do not think ahead to the inexplicable damage that it could do to their fetus. What they do not know is that when a woman drinks while pregnant it could do damage, and pose problems not only to herself, but to the fetus that she is carrying. The problem? FAS, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. According to many physicians it is the leading cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States today. Douglas A. Milligan states that, "FAS is the single greatest cause of mental retardation in the U.S. today". ( Seachrist, p. 314) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was first named and treat ed and found in the late 1960's. This condition results from the toxic effect of alcohol and its chemical factors on the developing fetus and its brain. The alcohol enters the bloodstream though the placenta and then the damage begins to occur. FAS consists of a characteristic pattern of abnormalities resulting from the exposure that the fetus has had with alcohol during early development. There have been many reports linking alcohol use and fetal deficiencies in growth that emerged from France in the late 1950's. Not until the 1960's was the correlation made between the number of defects and the increasing amount of babies born with the syndrome. The term Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was coined to describe the pattern of the abnormalities found in some children born to alcoholic women. It clearly was very noticeable and distinctive in the recognition of itself and was distinct from all other patterns of malformation in the fetus; there was a significant association found between the alco hol consumption rates during pregnancy and a lower general cognitive index of these children. Being further studied in the 1970's under the heading as a birth defect that occurs, FAS was one of the most common causes of birth defects. Researchers said that it occurred in almost 1 of every 500 to 1 in every thousand births.( Seachrist, p. 314) There is a major thing that causes difficulty in the diagnos... ...cose from mother to fetus. Several studies have shown that with the human placental tissue alcohol directly obstructs the transport of both these substances. These are two essential substances that, through research with rat embryos, have proven that the depravity of such causes malformations of fetal tissue's energy sources. The materials needed for cell proliferation, growth, and differentiation are also affected in this. The supplemental glucose thus becomes only minimally effective because of the lack of diminution of fetal growth retardation. (Michaelis and Michaelis, p. 21) Included within the nutritional deficiencies that occur are the loss of vitamins B6 and A. There is noted decrease in the transfer of B6 from an alcoholic mother to her fetus through the placenta. This vitamin is especially important in the development of the fetus because it functions as protein metabolism. There exists also a possible defect in the metabolism of folic acid. The lack of which during the gestation period produces malformations in the fetus. The last vitamin deficiency that I will note revolves around the receiving of vitamin A from the alcoholic mother to the fetus via the placenta. Alcohol Essay -- essays research papers Many pregnant women are not aware of the complications that are involved with pregnancy. The greater majority of young women see pregnancy as a way of bringing a life into the world but do not use precaution in their dietary habits to prevent the destruction or inhibition of such a life. Most pregnant women continue on their drinking and drug abuse binge right throughout their pregnancy. They do not think ahead to the inexplicable damage that it could do to their fetus. What they do not know is that when a woman drinks while pregnant it could do damage, and pose problems not only to herself, but to the fetus that she is carrying. The problem? FAS, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. According to many physicians it is the leading cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States today. Douglas A. Milligan states that, "FAS is the single greatest cause of mental retardation in the U.S. today". ( Seachrist, p. 314) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was first named and treat ed and found in the late 1960's. This condition results from the toxic effect of alcohol and its chemical factors on the developing fetus and its brain. The alcohol enters the bloodstream though the placenta and then the damage begins to occur. FAS consists of a characteristic pattern of abnormalities resulting from the exposure that the fetus has had with alcohol during early development. There have been many reports linking alcohol use and fetal deficiencies in growth that emerged from France in the late 1950's. Not until the 1960's was the correlation made between the number of defects and the increasing amount of babies born with the syndrome. The term Fetal Alcohol Syndrome was coined to describe the pattern of the abnormalities found in some children born to alcoholic women. It clearly was very noticeable and distinctive in the recognition of itself and was distinct from all other patterns of malformation in the fetus; there was a significant association found between the alco hol consumption rates during pregnancy and a lower general cognitive index of these children. Being further studied in the 1970's under the heading as a birth defect that occurs, FAS was one of the most common causes of birth defects. Researchers said that it occurred in almost 1 of every 500 to 1 in every thousand births.( Seachrist, p. 314) There is a major thing that causes difficulty in the diagnos... ...cose from mother to fetus. Several studies have shown that with the human placental tissue alcohol directly obstructs the transport of both these substances. These are two essential substances that, through research with rat embryos, have proven that the depravity of such causes malformations of fetal tissue's energy sources. The materials needed for cell proliferation, growth, and differentiation are also affected in this. The supplemental glucose thus becomes only minimally effective because of the lack of diminution of fetal growth retardation. (Michaelis and Michaelis, p. 21) Included within the nutritional deficiencies that occur are the loss of vitamins B6 and A. There is noted decrease in the transfer of B6 from an alcoholic mother to her fetus through the placenta. This vitamin is especially important in the development of the fetus because it functions as protein metabolism. There exists also a possible defect in the metabolism of folic acid. The lack of which during the gestation period produces malformations in the fetus. The last vitamin deficiency that I will note revolves around the receiving of vitamin A from the alcoholic mother to the fetus via the placenta.

Government Taxation Essay -- Taxes

There are two things in life that are certain: death and taxes. In today's world, the majority of our government's income comes from taxation. A tax is not a voluntary payment or donation, but an enforced contribution imposed by government (Mikesell, 2011). Taxes are an amount of money collected from citizens, and they are used to provide public goods and services to benefit our communities. Taxes are amounts established in a political process of structured laws to determine how the collective cost of government services will be distributed among elements of the market economy. The two most important tax policies are the level of taxation, or how much taxes should be, and the structure of the system, or how revenue is to be raised (Mikesell, 2011). To better understand taxation and its purposes, this paper will discuss in detail the different tax structures- income taxes, sales taxes and property taxes and describe their advantages and disadvantages based on equity, economic ef fects, collectability, and transparency. In the United States, taxes have been around even before the nation was founded. The criterion for taxes was proposed in a 1776 guide of taxation for a market-based economy by Adam Smith in the Wealth of Nations (Mikesell, 2011). During the Civil War, the government relied on excise taxes but they didn’t generate sufficient revenue, so the first income tax was enacted in 1861. By 1895, the tax was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, and in 1913 the 16th Amendment was passed which gave the United States the power to tax personal income and resolved the revenue problem (Mikesell, 2011). During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the government added unemployment compensation and social security progr... ...l never be levied fairly because the world is turning into the â€Å"haves† and the â€Å"have-nots†. Works Cited Davidson, C. (2006, July 24). The history of taxes. In Yahoo Inc. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/45350/the_history_of_taxes.html?cat=37 Ellis-Christensen, T. (2010, September 10). What is retail sales tax? In Wise Geek. Retrieved November 21, 2010, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-retail-sales-tax.htm Holetzky, S. (2010, September 26). What is property tax? In Wise Geek. Retrieved November 23, 2010, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-property-tax.htm Mikesell, J. (2011). Fiscal administration: Analysis and applications for the public sector (8th ed.). Boston Pollick, M. (2010, August 2). What is income tax? In Wise Geek. Retrieved November 21, 2010, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-income-tax.htm

Demarcation in Philosophy of Science Essay

The demarcation problem in the philosophy of science is about how to distinguish between science and nonscience, and more specifically, between science and pseudoscience (a theory or method doubtfully or mistakenly held to be scientific). The debate continues after over a century of dialogue among philosophers of science and scientists in various fields, and despite broad agreement on the basics of scientific method. The demarcation problem is the philosophical problem of determining what types of hypotheses should be considered scientific and what types should be considered pseudoscientific or non-scientific. It also concerns itself with the ongoing struggle between science and religion, in particular the question about which elements of religious doctrine can and should be subjected to scientific scrutiny. This is one of the central topics of the philosophy of science, and it has never been fully resolved. The Purpose of Demarcation Demarcations of science from pseudoscience can be made for both theoretical and practical reasons. From a theoretical point of view, the demarcation issue is an illuminating perspective that contributes to the philosophy of science. From a practical point of view, the distinction is important for decision guidance in both private and public life. Since science is our most reliable source of knowledge in a wide variety of areas, we need to distinguish scientific knowledge from its look-alikes. Due to the high status of science in present-day society, attempts to exaggerate the scientific status of various claims, teachings, and products are common enough to make the demarcation issue pressing in many areas. The demarcation issue is therefore important in many practical applications such as the following: Healthcare: Medical science develops and evaluates treatments according to evidence of their efficiency. Pseudoscientific activities in this area give rise to inefficient and sometimes dangerous interventions. Healthcare providers, insurers, government authorities and – most importantly – patients need guidance on how to distinguish between medical science and medical pseudoscience. Expert testimony: It is essential for the rule of law that courts get the facts right. The reliability of different types of evidence must be correctly determined, and expert testimony must be based on the best available knowledge. Sometimes it is in the interest of litigants to present non-scientific claims as solid science. Therefore courts must be able to distinguish between science and pseudoscience. Environmental policies: In order to be on the safe side against potential disasters it may be legitimate to take preventive measures when there is valid but yet insufficient evidence of an environmental hazard. This must be distinguished from taking measures against an alleged hazard for which there is no valid evidence at all. Therefore, decision-makers in environmental policy must be able to distinguish between scientific and pseudoscientific claims. Science education: The promoters of some pseudosciences (notably creationism) try to introduce their teachings on school curricula. Teachers and school authorities need to have clear criteria of inclusion that protect students against unreliable and disproved teachings Ancient Greek Science An early attempt at demarcation can be seen in the efforts of Greek natural philosophers and medical practitioners to distinguish their methods and their accounts of nature from the mythological or mystical accounts of their predecessors and contemporaries. Medical writers in the Hippocratic tradition maintained that their discussions were based on necessary demonstrations, a theme developed by Aristotle in his â€Å"Posterior Analytics†. One element of this polemic (passionate argument) for science was an insistence on a clear and definite presentation of arguments, rejecting the imagery, analogy, and myth of the old wisdom. Aristotle described at length what was involved in having scientific knowledge of something. To be scientific, he said, one must deal with causes, one must use logical demonstration, and one must identify the universals which ‘inhere’ in the particulars of sense. Criteria for Demarcation: Logical Positivism also known as Verificationism * Held that only statements about empirical observations and formal logical propositions are meaningful, and that statements which are not derived in this manner (including religious and metaphysical statements) are by nature meaningless. * The Viennese philosophers who introduced the positivist paradigm effectively laid the groundwork for the modern philosophy of science and one of its most important strands of thought. The early Positivists favored a rather strict approach to the demarcation and strongly affirmed the empirical nature of science, meaning that questions that cannot be empirically verified or falsified are irrelevant to scientific thought. * These philosophers, who called themselves logical positivists, argued that to produce a meaningful claim, one must always return to the tangible observations that result from that claim. * By the late 1970s, its ideas were so generally recognized to be seriously defective. Falsifiability * Proposed by Karl Popper. In his monumental book, â€Å"The Logic of Scientific Discovery† he proposed the idea that scientific hypotheses must be falsifiable; unfalsifiable hypotheses should be considered pseudoscience. Popper’s emphasis on falsifiability changed the way scientists viewed the demarcation problem, and his impact on philosophy of science was enormous. * Popper’s demarcation criterion has been criticized both for excluding legitimate science and for giving some pseudosciences the status of being scientific. Postpositivism * Thomas Kuhn, an American historian and philosopher of science, is often connected with what has been called postpositivism. * In 1962, Kuhn published The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, which depicted the development of the basic natural sciences in an innovative way. According to Kuhn, the sciences do not uniformly progress strictly by scientific method. Rather, there are two fundamentally different phases of scientific development in the sciences. In the first phase, scientists work within a paradigm (set of accepted beliefs). When the foundation of the paradigm weakens and new theories and scientific methods begin to replace it, the next phase of scientific discovery takes place. Kuhn believes that scientific progress—that is, progress from one paradigm to another—has no logical reasoning. He undermines science as a whole by arguing that what is considered science changes throughout history in such a way that there is no objective way (outside of time or place) to demarcate a scientific belief from a pseudoscientific belief. Science, Kuhn argues, is like politics: institutions believe that certain ways are better than others at different points throughout history; however, it is impossible to be more or less certain of our basic assumptions about the world. Within a democracy (a specific political paradigm) there can be progress: an economy can grow, schools can be built, and people can be given healthcare. However, if a revolution occurs and the country becomes socialist, the government is not inherently better or worse than before, but simply begins to follow a different set of assumptions. Paradigm shift * A paradigm shift is a phenomenon described by philosopher Thomas Kuhn in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. * Kuhn posited a process to explain the persistence of incorrect ideas, and the seemingly rapid and sudden abandonment of these ideas when they finally are rejected. * People tend to believe in what they know, and science is basically conservative. A current â€Å"paradigm† or theory is difficult to dislodge. It takes either a large volume of evidence, or a particularly powerful single piece of evidence to overturn major scientific theories (scientific revolution). When this occurs, it is called a â€Å"paradigm shift†. Lakatos’ research programs * Imre Lakatos combined elements of Popper and Kuhn’s philosophies with his concept of research programs. Programs that succeed at predicting novel facts are scientific, while ones that fail ultimately lapse into pseudoscience. Feyerabend and Lakatos * Kuhn’s work largely called into question Popper’s demarcation, and emphasized the human, subjective quality of scientific change. Paul Feyerabend was concerned that the very question of demarcation was insidious: science itself had no need of a demarcation criterion, but instead some philosophers were seeking to justify a special position of authority from which science could dominate public discourse. Feyerabend argued that science does not in fact occupy a special place in terms of either its logic or method, and no claim to special authority made by scientists can be upheld. He argued that, within the history of scientific practice, no rule or method can be found that has not been violated or circumvented at some point in order to advance scientific knowledge. Both Lakatos and Feyerabend suggest that science is not an autonomous form of reasoning, but is inseparable from the larger body of human thought and inquiry. NOMA * The concept of Non-overlapping Magisteria is a relatively recent attempt at proposing a clear demarcation between science and religion. It explicitly restricts science to its naturalistic foundations, meaning that no conclusions about supernatural phenomena like gods may be drawn from within the confines of science. â€Å"As to the supposed ‘conflict’†¦between science and religion, no such conflict should exist because each subject has a legitimate magisterium, or domain of teaching authority—and these magisteria do not overlap.† Criteria based on scientific progress Popper’s demarcation criterion concerns the logical structure of theories. Imre Lakatos described this criterion as â€Å"a rather stunning one. A theory may be scientific even if there is not a shred of evidence in its favour, and it may be pseudoscientific even if all the available evidence is in its favour. That is, the scientific or non-scientific character of a theory can be determined independently of the facts†. Instead, Lakatos proposed a modification of Popper’s criterion that he called â€Å"sophisticated (methodological) falsificationism†. On this view, the demarcation criterion should not be applied to an isolated hypothesis or theory but rather to a whole research program that is characterized by a series of theories successively replacing each other. In his view, a research program is progressive if the new theories make surprising predictions that are confirmed. In contrast, a degenerating research programme is characterized by theories bein g fabricated only in order to accommodate known facts. Progress in science is only possible if a research program satisfies the minimum requirement that each new theory that is developed in the program has a larger empirical content than its predecessor. If a research program does not satisfy this requirement, then it is pseudoscientific. According to Paul Thagard, a theory or discipline is pseudoscientific if it satisfies two criteria. One of these is that the theory fails to progress, and the other that â€Å"the community of practitioners makes little attempt to develop the theory towards solutions of the problems, shows no concern for attempts to evaluate the theory in relation to others, and is selective in considering confirmations and disconfirmations†. A major difference between his approach and that of Lakatos is that Lakatos would classify a nonprogressive discipline as pseudoscientific even if its practitioners work hard to improve it and turn it into a progressive discipline. In a somewhat similar vein, Daniel Rothbart (1990) emphasized the distinction between the standards that should be used when testing a theory and those that should be used when determining whether a theory should at all be tested. The latter, the eligibility criteria, include that the theory should encapsulate the explanatory success of its rival, and that it should yield test implications that are inconsistent with those of the rival. According to Rothbart, a theory is unscientific if it is not testworthy in this sense. George Reisch proposed that demarcation could be based on the requirement that a scientific discipline be adequately integrated into the other sciences. The various scientific disciplines have strong interconnections that are based on methodology, theory, similarity of models etc. Creationism, for instance, is not scientific because its basic principles and beliefs are incompatible with those that connect and unify the sciences. More generally speaking, says Reisch, an epistemic field is pseudoscientific if it cannot be incorporated into the existing network of established sciences. Rejection of the Problem * Some philosophers have rejected the idea of the demarcation problem, such as Larry Laudan. Others like Susan Haack, while not rejecting the problem wholesale, argue that a misleading emphasis has been placed on the problem that results in getting stuck in arguments over definitions rather than evidence. Laudan * Larry Laudan concluded, after examining various historical attempts to establish a demarcation criterion, that â€Å"philosophy has failed to deliver the goods† in its attempts to distinguish science from non-science—to distinguish science from pseudoscience. None of the past attempts would be accepted by a majority of philosophers nor, in his view, should they be accepted by them or by anyone else. He stated that many well-founded beliefs are not scientific and, conversely, many scientific conjectures are not well-founded. 3 Major Reasons why Demarcation is sometimes difficult: * science changes over time, * science is heterogeneous and; * established science itself is not free of the defects characteristic of pseudoscience