Punishment: Forms and Functions Essay

In a contemporary society where crime takes place we expect the state authority to dispense justice in the form of punishment to maintain social solidarity. There are many forms of punishment that can be given to an offender, each with their own functions for the offender and society itself. Imprisonment is one of the most widely used forms of punishments globally, the ideology of imprisonment globally tends to remain the same. There are several functions of imprisonment and whether it is an effective method of punishment is widely argued by sociologist. To remove the offender from society, as to keep society safe is one function that stands out, by putting the offender in a high security environment you take away their freedom to commit offences towards the public again. However it could be argued that prison is deemed an unsafe environment for the offender itself as an institution, for many it’s an environment where they have to adapt to survive, in which case becoming a bre eding more criminals as a result of this or producing victims. Alternative punishment such as house arrest or probation would be more suitable in the face of the offender’s personal safety, whereby they are still paying for the crimes they have committed, with limitations on their freedom, however they are much safer. Statistics show that 50% of offenders that are released from prison are likely to reoffend within 3 years, which is the same rate as those who are given these alternative punishment. With 3% of the American population in prison and a large majority of those likely to reoffend within 3 year of release, they should be looking for alternative approaches to prison that takes into account the safety of the offender. However it could be argued that prison is there to be tough and that the people in there are criminals and should be treated as such. An alternative approach to prison that has be found to be particularly successful across America in reducing the number of young people entering prison and reducing the reoffending rate s are correctional facilities, which implements army regimes, with an aim to instil discipline, self-control and work ethic into juveniles. This form of punishment works based on the idea of giving young people who have committed the change to go through a programme or carry on with their sentence. This form of punishment works based on the idea of deterrence as mentioned in item B, which in the case of this form of punishment where it is heavily applied it is successful proven by the low rates of reoffending after graduation from correctional  facilities. However it can be argued it’s difficult to prove the effectiveness of deterrence, because only the offenders who weren’t deterred by possible consequences of the actions will come to face the enforcement of the punishment, therefore it does not tell us why others do not offend. Making punishments based on deterrence is based on a key concept that offenders choose to obey or disobey the law having calculated the possible gains and consequences of their actions. It could be argued that all forms of punishment are based on deterrence, we have punishment to deter the public from committing crimes, and it forces society to conform. Over the many centuries that there have been prison systems there have been changes in the way offenders have been treated, one concept that is present in today’s prison system is the idea of rehabilitation, this is aiming to reform the offender to give them the support and skills they needs to be able to go back into society once they have served their sentence, and in turn stop them reoffending. This as a function of punishment is generally very positive, it’s helping the offender, their still contained in a high security environment away from the public however for many offenders they tend to be uneducated or lack vocational skills which has left them unsupported previously, with rehabilitation they’re able to gain these skills so they can go out and get jobs, meaning they’re less likely to lead criminal lives when they’re released from prison. However Rothman 1973 rejects the idea of rehabilitating offenders, he believes that due to the environment they’re in with officers holding huge amounts of power over them, they’re left with little free will and are forced into these programmes. However it’s often found that many offenders, especially women and ethnic minorities, take well the programmes having been discriminated against in education and in the work place so having had less opportunism before prison. 30 mins When assessing the functions and forms of punishment one key aspect I think is important to take into consideration is the role of the crime itself and how that plays out in punishment. Imprisonment, can be a harsh environment, however can be an opportunity for offenders to reflect on the crime they’ve committed and who they’ve committed it against. Restorative justice also gives offender this opportunity to reflect on the harm they’ve caused  through programmes such as victim offender medication, which studies show has a high satisfaction rate for those involved, high victim participant rates, meaning a large proportion of victims who can will take up the opportunity to talk to the victim of their crime, and importantly reduced criminal behaviour by offenders (cumbhert 1994). However a major criticism of victim offender mediation is that it’s difficult in terms of victims of brutal crimes such rape of with relatives of murder victims. Item B refers to t he use of execution as a form of punishment, whereby countries such as the USA still enforce the death penalty, the UK uses the alternative of life imprisonment for brutal crimes such as murder or rape of a minor. Deterrence is a prominent concept when discussing death penalty, the idea is that if you take a life where the death penalty is used as a form of punishment, your life will be taken, however research from the death penalty information centre suggests that the use of capital punishment has no effect on the rate of murder case, when they compared states that used the penalty there wasn’t much difference between the number of murder cases and in some year It was higher for states with the penalty. In the UK we abandoned capital punishment and replaced it with life imprisonment, which some argue to be unfair on the victims and believe in the take a lie give a life ideology. However when you take into consideration a lifetime imprisonment and was that would actually be like, living with hundreds of criminals for a lifetime, in isolation, without many rights, it could be argued that the offender would endure more suffering, therefore the punishment is right for what they’ve done, and they’re serving the time for their crimes. Prison is a form of punishment which is a theme throughout, Foucault provides an explanation for why prison is so prominent as a form of punishment in our society. In previous years sovereign power was prominent, whereby punishment would be handled by those in power of the land, i.e. the king or queen, this would be done in a manner of cruelty and brutally aiming to punish the body for the crimes that have been committed. In our society we have moved towards disciplinary power whereby punishment is handed out by the authorities, it’s done so with an aim of disciplining the mind, making them correct their own actions. The idea of self-discipline comes into play in prisons where by prisoners are being watched by guards so act accordingly, in time they will begin to act this way without the guards being there in  case they are being watched. There are many forms of punishment and many functions of those punishments, and whether a punishment is successful depends on what the aim is and who the punishment is applied to. For example many argue that a fine is a suitable punishment for speeding and acts as a deterrent for reckless driving.

Mass society system

The problem is the fact that society tends o associate culture with concepts, such as fine arts, literature, classical music, philosophy, etc. All these are manifestations which belong to a subdivision of culture known as high culture. Nevertheless, what about other signs of culture, such as television, movies or magazines? Are they not cultural signs? To my mind, evidently they are. In fact, high and popular culture are closely related, due to the fact that nowadays, most of the manifestations of popular culture are originated In signs of high culture. Certainly, the UK Is not an exception. For that reason. Wrought these nines I would like to prove my point by two examples (one from literature and the other from music) and finally, I will give you a contrastive perspective with examples of the same fields of study. The first example is related to literature. From time immemorial, this field of knowledge has been related to erudite people, simply because at very ancient times In hist ory, literature could be known and studied by literate ones. Clearly, they were not too many; In fact, they were a sort of elite. Just wealthy people had access to formal education and knew how to read and write properly.However, time went by and being an educated person became more affordable. In most of the constitutions worldwide, being educated is compulsory; it is a right for everyone. For that reason, in relation to this area, that is to say literature, little by little people started to know the classics such as Homer, Plato, Tolstoy, Verne, among others. In these terms, with Shakespeare. Among their master pieces we can find â€Å"Romeo and Juliet†, â€Å"A Midsummer Night's dream†, â€Å"Hamlet†, â€Å"Macbeth†, and â€Å"King Lear†. Most of them are recognized all over the world for thousands. But, are Shakespearean works presented n low cultural manifestations?Indeed, there are multiple references of Shakespeare in popular culture. For I nstance, there are several movies based on his works like: â€Å"Gnome and Juliet†, â€Å"Shakespeare In love† or â€Å"Warm bodies†; which Is Inspired In the â€Å"Buff The Vampire Slayer†; a popular television program in the nineties. Moreover, we can recognize the Shakespearean influence in Disney movies like â€Å"The Beauty and the Beast†, in which Belle reads to the Beast a quotation from â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† or in the movie â€Å"The Nightmare Before Christmas†, in which the main character Jack makes clear reference to the scene of the skull in â€Å"Hamlet†.Finally, we have the â€Å"Lion King†, which is entirely based on Hamlet's story since: Scar kills his brother (as Claudia kills his brother, the King); then Mafia's ghost visits Samba (as the King's ghost visits Hamlet) and at the end of the movie Samba is encouraged by Timing and Puma to take revenge for his father's death (exactly as Restaurants and Guil elessness did in Hamlet). The second case is located in the field of music. This is the case of â€Å"Queen†, in particular, the case of its vocalist, the great Freddy Mercury.Perhaps, now you are wondering, how this rock and roll musician can be influenced by high culture music? At the very beginning, when he was a child, he was formally trained on piano; in which he was quite skilful. In addition, some people who were closed to him, said that he used listening classical music; like Chopin and Mozart, moreover, he was even pretty interested in opera; having a large collection of opera recordings. Other example of it was a comment of one his friends named Chris Smith, who said that Freddy piano style was very Mozart.In fact, in my point of view, this influence is Leary noticeable in songs of his band like â€Å"Bohemian Rhapsody'; in which there is an exquisite mixture of rock music, touches of classical piano and the magnificent contributions of the lyrical choir; or in the song â€Å"Love of my life†, in which we can listen features of classical music as the arpeggios, which are not very common in rock and roll style. The last two examples are valid according to its own perspective. Nevertheless, there is a different point of view, which is related to a social system known as â€Å"Mass society'.People, who have studied this system, have established that high culture has en replaced by low culture. This cultural replacement has been helped, enormously, by mass media or the widespread of popular education. These ones have caused a progressive deterioration in population's tastes, that is to say, that year after year people's tastes are more unsophisticated and that is the reason why they replace high cultural elements for those which are part of the popular tradition. For instance, a quite clear example of this situation is the amount of people who listen to classical music.In fact, a survey of ‘The Reader's Digest' says things like a th irty three recent of people have never listened to classical music, or that a thirty nine percent of the survey respondents, assure that they do not like listening to this type of music. Other good evidence of it could be the preference for some books, especially, ‘Best sellers'. The best example is â€Å"Harry Potter†. This saga is one of the most successful in the I-J and in the whole world; adolescents were avid to read every single word.However, would have they the same desire to read the classics of literature by themselves? According to this, we could confirm that popular culture is not reflected n high cultural manifestations, there is not a kind of legacy or continuity from one to the other, there is Just a substitution process; sadly, high culture has been left aside. As a conclusion, through the development of the present document and taking undeniable that elements related to the field of high arts such as: literature, classical music, visual arts, etc. Re ma nifested in expressions of popular culture like: movies, television programs, newspapers, magazines, among others. Even though, it is important to take under consideration, that there is not Just one perspective in relation to this matter. In addition, we have the point of view according to the phenomenon of â€Å"Mass society system†, which indicates that, progressively, low culture is replacing high cultural manifestations; reducing population's taste.

Causation and Intervening Acts in Criminal Law Essay

According to Robin J.A. in Malette v Shulman[1], â€Å"the right of self-determination which underlies the doctrine of informed consent also obviously encompasses the right to refuse medical treatment. A competent adult is generally entitled to reject a specific treatment or all treatment, or to select an alternate form of treatment, even if the decision may entail risks as serious as death†¦The doctrine of informed consent is plainly intended to ensure the freedom of individuals to make choices concerning their medical care. For this freedom to be meaningful, people must have the right to make choices that accord with their own values regardless of how unwise or foolish those choices may appear to others.†[2] R v Blaue[3], a famous causation case in criminal law, brings to foreground a thought-provoking debate about whether an individual’s religious beliefs and other psychological values could be included in the ‘thin skull’ rule and whether the refus al to take lifesaving medical treatment breaks the chain of causation that exists between the defendant’s wrongdoing and the purported outcome of that wrongdoing. The facts of the case are as follows – Blaue, the defendant, stabbed a woman numerous times after she refused to have sexual intercourse with him. She was a Jehovah’s Witness and was therefore not in favour of blood transfusions. After the stabbing, she was taken to a hospital and was told that she urgently needed to have a blood transfusion, without which she would die. Owing to her religious beliefs, she refused to consent with the suggested treatment. As a result, she died in the hospital. While giving the judgment, Lawton L.J. stated that â€Å"those who use violence on other people must take their victims as they find them.†[4] This, according to him, not only includes victims’ physical characteristics, but also their emotional, psychological and spiritual values and beliefs. This decision has proved to be extremely controversial and gives rise to various debates. Most understand the rationale behind the court’s judgment and agree that the defe ndant is, as a matter of fact, criminally liable for causing the injury. After all, the victim was at the receiving end of several stabbings, imposed by the defendant, who clearly had an intention of causing serious bodily harm, if not death. However, some feel that the death was the result of the victim’s refusal to carry out the blood transfusion. They feel that the defendant should not be responsible for the unusual, irrational and unjustified religious beliefs of the victim. In addition, the defendant could not have possibly foreseen her backing out of receiving medical treatment in the hospital. The Blaue case creates many doubts about the doctrine of causation in criminal law. Was Blaue responsible for the victim’s death or was it an act of the victim, since it was her decision to refuse a blood transfusion? If we conclude that Blaue is indeed responsible for her death, another question comes to mind: Why is the victim not responsible for her own death? First and foremost, it is a fact that the victim sustained injuries due to numerous stabbings and it was Blaue who had inflicted them upon her. Her not taking any steps to save herself did not instigate her death. Secondly, there is an application of the ‘thin skull’ rule in this case. An important principle of the law of causation is that defendants must ‘take their victims as they find them.’ This means that if a defendant pushes someone and because they have a thin skull, they crack their head and die, the defendant will be liable for causing their death. The Court of Appeal in Blaue indicated that the decision could be seen as a ‘thin skull’ example. It was established that the ‘thin skull’ rule goes beyond the physical characteristics of individuals, also including a person’s moral and religious beliefs. Thirdly, the victim’s decision to not undergo blood transfusion, which would have clearly saved her life, was based on profound religious views and hence, did not constitute a novus actus interveniens. That is, it was not an intervening act. Nevertheless, the judgment has been critisised on various grounds. Why was the vict im’s decision to refuse medical treatment seen as a subsisting condition rather than an intervening cause? Would it have been the same if the refusal was due to a fear of needles or the fact that she could not bear the pain and thought dying was the only way to end the agony? A decision steered by religious beliefs is a moral choice, that is, a free decision. Why should the defendant endure the responsibility if the victim makes a free choice to kill herself any more than he should if, weakened by the injury, the victim took a controversial choice to end her life with dignity rather than enduring pain and life-long humiliation? Thus, to understand the Blaue case, we not only need to take into account causation in criminal law, but also the two doctrines which apply to the concept of proximate causation; the ‘thin skull’ rule and the principle of novus actus interveniens. Causation – In criminal law, individuals that are guilty of a crime are penalised for the harm they cause if both the physical and the mental element of committing an offence is present. There must be a valid connection between an individual’s conduct and the result alleged to constitute an offence. The causation requirement attaches criminal responsibility to those individuals whose conduct is sufficient enough to bring about serious bodily injury or death. In Hallett[5], the accused assaulted a man and left him on a beach. Over the next few hours, the man drowned. The court concluded that Hallett’s contribution to his death was more than minimal to hold him responsible for it. However, in Blaue, the defendant was found to be the substantial and operating cause of the woman’s death. That is, his stabbings is why she was admitted to a hospital in the first place. ‘Thin skull’ rule – The defendant must take the victim as he finds him or her and this means ‘the whole man and not just the physical man.’ This rule applies irrespective of whether the defendant is aware of the condition in the victim. On one hand, there are instances where the victim suffers from a pre-existing condition which renders him or her more vulnerable to injuries. On the other hand, there are cases where the victim does not take medical treatment to heal wounds and suffers serious harm as a result. A defendant cannot escape liability for a victim’s death as a result of an abnormal ity present in the victim or an internal, subsisting belief of the victim. It is his fault that he caused harm in the first place. In R v Hayward[6], a man chased his wife into the street shouting threats and kicked her. She collapsed and died from an unusual thyroid condition which made her susceptible to physical exertion and fear. He was convicted of manslaughter because he aggravated her pre-existing condition by physically assaulting her. This case is a good example of the ‘thin skull’ rule applying to the physical characteristics of an individual. The fact that he could not possibly foresee her dying is not an excuse. However, can a victim’s religious beliefs constitute a thin skull? With reference to Blaue, according to Hart and Honorà ©: â€Å"The question is not whether it is reasonable to believe that blood transfusion is wrong, but whether a person whose life is in danger can reasonably be expected to abandon a firmly held religious belief. The answer must be surely no.†[7] Religious beliefs and convictions are an inte rnal characteristic of individuals, which is deeply rooted in their way of thinking and life. It is intrinsic to every person. Hence, people cannot be held legally accountable for possessing such sentiments. Novus Actus Interveniens – The general principle is that an intervention by a third party will break the chain of causation if it is ‘free, deliberate and informed.’ In R v Kennedy[8], Kennedy prepared a syringe for the victim, who injected himself and died due to an overdose. Kennedy was convicted of unlawful manslaughter. The act of the victim, in injecting himself with the drug, was an intentional, free, deliberate and an informed action. Thus, the drug dealer is not guilty of unlawful manslaughter. In contrast, in R v Dear[9], the defendant slashed the victim repeatedly with a knife. The victim died two days later. The defendant appealed against his conviction for murder, arguing that the chain of causation had been broken because the victim had committed suicide either by reopening his wounds or because he had failed to take steps to stop the blood flow after the wounds had reope ned themselves. The court dismissed the appeal and held that the real question was whether the injuries inflicted by the defendant were a substantial and operating cause of the death. The victim’s death resulted from excessive bleeding from the artery, which was triggered by the defendant when he attacked the victim. In Blaue, the refusal to get treatment does not break the chain of causation, despite the fact that it was informed and deliberate, because having such a belief is involuntary and requisite. According to Hart and Honorà ©, â€Å"the question to be decided is whether the decision to refuse treatment is not merely deliberate and informed but also a free one. In view of the high value attached in our society to the matters of conscience, the victim, though free to accept any belief she wished, is not thereafter free to abandon her chosen belief merely because she finds herself in a situation in which her life may otherwise be in danger. So it was not her free act to refuse a transfusion.†[10] It was reasonably foreseeable that a Jehovah’s Witness would refuse a blood transfusion. The victim had no choice due to her religion. It was not a free decision because, in a way, she was bound by it. It could be said that she simply let the wound take its natural course. Moreover, the death was caused due to the bleeding arising from the penetration of the lungs, which was brought about by the stabbings. The substantial and operating cause test does not take into account a victim’s distinct characteristic. So long as victim died of internal bleeding due to the wound administered by Blaue, we need not ask further questions. However, if the principle of ‘taking your victims as you find them, including their beliefs’ is applied to more cases, it would have varying results. Let’s assume that X assaults Y. Y ends up committing suicide because she is mentally unstable or because she hopes to get X behind bars. Another example could be that X shoots Y on his left leg. Y could go to the hospital but decides to remove the bullet by himself. Unable to do so and still refusing medical treatment, he dies. Should X ‘take’ Y’s unstable, vengeful or negligent behaviour? Is that justified or is it unfair? ——————————— [ 1 ]. Malette v Shulman [1991] 2 Med LR 162. [ 2 ]. Jerome Edmund Bickenback, Canadian cases in the philosophy of law, 4th edition, at 160 to 161. [ 3 ]. R v Blaue [1975] 1 WLR 1411. [ 4 ]. Michael T. Molan, Sourcebook on Criminal Law, 2nd edition, at 67. [ 5 ]. Hallett [1969] SASR 141. [ 6 ]. R v Hayward (1908) 21 Cox 692. [ 7 ]. Denis Klimchuk, Causation, Thin Skulls and Equality (1998) at pg. 126. [ 8 ]. R v Kennedy [2007] UKHL 38. [ 9 ]. R v Dear [1996] Crim LR 595. [ 10 ]. Alan Norrie, Crime, Reason and History: A Critical Introduction to Criminal Law, at pg. 143.

Cigarette smoking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cigarette smoking - Essay Example Further, it showed that 17% of youth in university and colleges used tobacco products in 2011. It is significant to understand that cigarette smoking causes various illnesses. Therefore, unless Americans change the habit of smoking cigarette, they will eventually die because of the illnesses associated with the use of tobacco. Cigarette kills more American citizens than suicide, AIDS, illegal drugs, car accidents, and alcohol combined. For instance, cigarette smoking accounts for more than 80% of lung cancer mortalities. Cancer of the lungs is the main cause of deaths related to cancer in both women and men and is one of the difficult cancers to cure or treat. Apart from lung cancer, other health problems that cigarette smoking brings include stroke, bronchitis, and heart diseases. In addition, cigarette smoking can destroy a woman’s reproductive organs or even lead to infertility since the use of tobacco is associated with greater risk of miscarriage and decreased fertility. Cigarette smoking implies that the smoker will die young than those who do not smoke. For instance, the CDC found out that cigarette smoking shortened women smoker’s life by 14.5 years and male smokers by 13.2 years. Summarily, the effects of smoking are many in that they pose many health problems to the smoker by damaging all important body organs, which eventually leads to death. In order to curb the increasing rate of cigarette smoking, people should be educated to understand the risks of tobacco products.

Stop. Think. Action Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Stop. Think. Action - Essay Example The study has been supported with the storyline and flowchart, all of which elucidate the tools and techniques I applied to overcome the situation in a creative way. Since I strongly believe in divergent thinking, because of its offering multidimensional alternative solutions of the challenges and problems (Hudson, 1967), I have described its application in my professional life as well as its outcomes in my personal career growth, which has been elaborated in the following lines. I had been appointed as a HR manager at a real estate corporate firm, which could not be regarded as an established organisation at the time of my getting recruited at there. Since the company offered commission-based employment to the professionals, almost 90% of the employees were commission-based sales personnel, who would obtain 30% of the business they had generated for the company. Hence, the company would pay more heed and respect to the personnel, who tend to bring business and finances through clients and customers. Despite the fact that the company had appointed me against the monthly salary, its financial condition appears to be stating that I would also have to carry out some business deals as a real estate agent to ensure my salary to be paid. One of the firm’s directors also indirectly hinted the same that generating payments for the salary-based employees could be challenging for the company. I had got that job after over five and half years of unemployment. Since I had very bitter experience of leading the life of a jobless person, I did not want to lose it at any cost. Besides, I was well aware of the reality that my survival depends upon getting involved into business generating activities. Consequently, I pounced into a divergent thinking plan to escape getting fired at the hands of the management. I developed my personal SWOT analysis, where I regarded my graduate degree in sociology as one of my most

JS MILL ON LIBERTY ASSIGNMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

JS MILL ON LIBERTY ASSIGNMENT - Essay Example That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant. He cannot rightfully be compelled to do or forbear because it will be better for him to do so, because it will make him happier, because, in the opinions of others, to do so would be wise, or even right.† (Mill, Pg. 18) Suicide is a personal decision that does not physically harm other individuals. Mill’s Harm Principle clearly applies to self-defense and strives to protect the individual liberty of each of us. As long as our decisions do not affect another’s liberty or life then why must we be harnessed by another’s morality? That is the question that an anonymous 80 year old from Ohio is posing as well. This is the question to be addressed in the following paper. The letter written in June of 2003 outlined the thoughts of an 80 year old individual. Through the letter one can easily grasp that they have lived a full life, which their life is complete and they simply wish to spare their children whom they love greatly the pain and suffering of a long drawn out fight against various cancers. The author of this letter says, â€Å"What I don’t understand is why people think it is wrong for someone like me to just call it a day, throw in the towel.† (Anonymous. Pg.1) the principle moral issue with this is the individual’s right to life, and the individual’s right to their own life. Mill’s clarifies his principle as affecting adults in the â€Å"maturity of their faculties† (Mill, Pg. 19) by his own declaration one’s personal â€Å"good, either physical or moral, is not sufficient warrant† (Mill, Pg. 18) to prevent another from taking their own life into their own hands. The argument most often heard is that suicide affects the family, and yet we see that the true d etriment here per the anonymous authors letter is the continuance which would cost additional monies and anguish from watching as one you love slowly and painfully drifts away. Mill’s point is that society or state has not the right to impose moral standards on an individual if that individual is not harming another physically. The argument can be made that by making it illegal to take decide when one should die, they are in fact presenting ownership of the individual. The very liberty that is proclaimed of body and soul is than repressed at the point of death if one dies as a result of one’s own hand. Mill’s presents the argument that each individual is the proper guardian of their own health; he states that this includes body, mental and spiritual. â€Å"Mankind is great gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to them, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest.† (Mill, Pg. 24) The anonymous older gentleman outlines this by directly asking why it is someone else’s prerogative as to when he should end his own life. An individual’s liberty must include the freedom to decide when they die if they so choose. Unfortunately, the argument has been made that society must care for all lives within its grasp, and even more unfortunately, this is not the social argument as much as the state based society argument. They are able to make the case that the physical health and wellbeing is the prerogative of society and the state and cannot be left in the hands of the individual.

Johnthan Edward 1703-1758 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Johnthan Edward 1703-1758 - Essay Example Such beliefs lead us all toward a common good and teach us a better way of life. Religion is also quite complex and difficult, at times, to understand. Theologians attempt to make sense of this difficult subject in an effort to bring people closer to an understanding of the divine nature of the world. While many such famous theologians come from Europe, Jonathan Edwards was born and raised right here in America and is still consider to be one the greatest and most intellectual theologians that ever lived. Jonathan Edwards lived a relatively short life of only 55 years. During his life, however, he contributed many things to American culture, and to the spiritual lives of people around the world. He was quite a smart child, entering Yale College when he was only 13 years old. At that time, Yale was still a seminary instructing students with a Biblical background. During his college years, he quickly began his career as a spiritual and theological writer and graduated as the Valedictor ian in his class. By the time he graduated, he seemed to have already formulated a philosophy of life that he would use as the foundation of his future writings that are still well read today. What follows is a brief, yet thorough, description of the theological and intellectual influence of John Edwards on America. The Writings of Jonathan Edward Jonathan Edwards spend much of his time leading various churches in the Connecticut and New York area. In early adulthood, he learned a lot from his grandfather, who was seen as a spiritual man in the New England area. His grandfather, then, had a huge influence on the philosophy that Edwards would begin to adopt through his studies at Yale and beyond. Not only did people in New England really like Edwards as a person, his great influence probably came from his writings. He wrote volumes of books in intellectual and theological topics during his all to short life. As Phillip Sinitiere wrote, â€Å"Edwards was known both from his large net work or correspondents and through his voluminous writing ministry† (744). He wrote about such concepts as the extent of sin, the importance of ethics and virtue, they dynamics of the human will, and the nature of mission work (Sinitiere 745). There are many scholars who contend that Jonathan Edwards is America’s greatest philosophical theologian. This would put him up there with such European philosophers as Martin Luther. More than being just a theologian, however, it should be pointed out the Edwards contributed a great deal to the intellect of those who read his works. His writings were both deep and profound. Many people still study his works because they are complex, yet so revealing about the world in which we live. It is amazing any time someone who lived 300 years ago is still mentioned today. Edwards is not only mentioned, but studied as if he is still around and living today. That speaks volumes of the respect he must have had while he lived, worked, and wrot e in the New England area. As people continue to study the various writings of Jonathan Edwards, they have discovered that he spoke a great deal about ethics. This conversation is still as relevant today as it was when he first wrote. Philip Quin wrote that Edwards ha â€Å"something to contribute to contemporary conversations and debates in ethics† (300). This shows us that people today are still discussing his view on ethics. Conversations about ethics are

Managing for future Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Managing for future - Assignment Example Part I: Analysing the environment Corporate social responsibility Tata steel is one of the firms which were the first to have a fully fledged corporate social responsibility program, not only in India but also around the world. This began with its founder in the early 20th century, who in his own words said that â€Å"In a free enterprise, the community is not just another stakeholder in business but is in fact the very purpose of its existence" (Srivastava, 2012, p. 20). In the current time, Tata Steel Ltd. has a well grounded corporate social responsibility program which includes community development, environmental sustainability, employee relationships etc. This has made Tata to be recognized around the world due to its pioneering in this area (Mahesh, 2001). According to Mahajan (2003), Tata Steel Ltd. today spends between 5 and 7 % of its after tax profits to facilitate corporate social responsibility activities. This is a commendable amount of money to spend in corporate soci al responsibility programs. In this case study, commissioned and selected for studying the topic of CSR by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), it becomes very clear that Tata is one of the firms which have taken corporate social responsibility in a very serious way. ... to identify the impact on the community in which the project is being carried out. This helps in influencing the way Tata Steel Ltd. operates its project especially with regard to the impact on the community and the environment. An evaluation of Tata Steel Ltd’s corporate social responsibility programs indicates its dedication in terms of making sure that its operations don’t affect the community in a negative way. However, there are a number of issues which come up as one looks closer. The first issue is that although Tata Steel Ltd. has invested a lot in corporate social responsibility programs, these programs are mostly directed towards philanthropic programs to the communities. Offering scholarships, healthcare services and other community programs is just a very small part of the problem especially for a big firm like Tata Steel Ltd (Puneet, 2011). Tata steel has activities which are very destructive to the environment and it is necessary for the firm to be able to look beyond just having philanthropic programs. Although Tata Steel Ltd. states clearly in its CSR policies that its CSR goes beyond just philanthropic projects, it does not seem so in practice (Wilson, 2012). It is possible that despite the many corporate social responsibility programs that Tata steel has, the long term effects of its operations will exceed the benefits achieved by the community through Tata’s corporate social responsibility programs. This indicates that there are issues which must be looked at in a very serious way in order to close this gap. Tata must look beyond just having good corporate social responsibility programs and look at the ways in which it can deliver a more practical and useful CSR programs. Environmental

MPH502 - Introduction to Public Health Module 4 - Case Essay

MPH502 - Introduction to Public Health Module 4 - Case - Essay Example Health indicators involve a careful analysis of mortality and morbidity rates of various groups (ethnic, racial or others), their life expectancy, standards of life, birth rates, records of prevalence of specific diseases, information about the access of a particular group to medical and health facilities, financial backgrounds of groups, educational standards and so on. The health disparities that exist between various groups are mainly the result of genetic variations, environmental factors and specific health behaviors. These are the most influential and useful indicators of health disparities that prevail in the ethnic and racial groups in the US. The causes of these differences also involve the lack of healthcare facilities available to a particular group, discrimination on the basis of gender, race, financial and social grounds etc. inadequate knowledge and educations, environmental differences and other reasons of this type. The diverse population of the United States requires careful attention to be managed properly when it comes to such delicate matters as health and life. In order to improve the health conditions, it is important to eliminate the health disparities that exist. Some ways are to utilize the information of death rates of groups and improve policies in order to eliminate the factors that are causing deaths in that particular group. Moreover, the accessibility to healthcare facilities must be available to all groups regardless of their racial, religious and cultural differences. Education is a must to improve the long term conditions of health for such a diverse population. Hence, educational facilities and their availability with proper guidance to the parents and students is also a factor to consider. There are certain environmental factors which are leading to adverse health outcomes in certain racial and ethnic groups. These environmental issues (both physical and social) are difficul t to be handled

Enterprise and Innovation in Practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Enterprise and Innovation in Practice - Essay Example The company was formed in 1938 by Byung-chull lee as a grocery, and later into a textile in 1947 (Michell, 2011). The company started a diversification strategy that became the company’s growth strategy, swiftly expanding to securities, insurance and retail business. The company further developed a redevelopment strategy with the key focus being industrialization, following Korea destruction after the Korean War. In 1960, Samsung ventured into the electronics industry with the creation of divisions focusing on electronics. These included the Samsung electro-mechanics, Samsung semiconductor and telecommunications that produced black and white TV sets. The growth strategy continued in 1980 when Samsung ventured into telecommunications industry, building telephone switchboards, phone and fax systems and mobile phones. This resulted in heavy investments in research and development, which resulted in cross border expansions to places like New York, England and Portugal. Byung-chull ’s death in 1987 led to the split of the Samsung group into four business groups; engineering, construction, electronics and high-tech products. Growth throughout the 1990s saw Samsung secure high profile construction projects like the Burj Khalifa Tower in UAE. Samsung underwent a reorganization in 1993 that entailed selling off of some auxiliaries and downsizing, with a growth focus on electronics. This made Samsung the largest LCD panels’ manufacturer in the globe (David and Foray, 2005). In 2011, Samsung acquired Sony’s stake in their 50-50 LCD supply partnership and took full control. The future’s focus for Samsung is centered on electronics, mobile and biopharmaceuticals. The most common imperative for firms and businesses entails the need to grow. All firms need to grow, and those that do not struggle to find new human resources and capital. The reason is that, a firm that does not grow is an unattractive investment, and will only