Barack Obama’s Policies on Globalisation Essay

Barack Obama born to a Kenyan Father and an American mother in the city of Hawaii, The Democratic Party presidential candidates has actually come up with Globalisation policies can actually be described in short has the best, and one of its kind. The Illinois senator globalisation policies actually seek to sort out some mess that has resulted from poor bilateral trade agreement that has many Americans workers to suffer. Many policies which are currently in place like the NAFTA agreement which has done more harms than good to the Americans people. Globalisation can be defined as an activity geared towards harmonizing or blending by which human beings are joined together to form a community, and they co exist together. It includes both the technological, political factors, socio – cultural factors. In a wider perspective globalisation can also be said to be economic globalisation that is mixing national economy with the with the international economy through investments directly to foreign, flows of capital, technology spread and lastly through trade. Barack Obama’s globalisation policies The target of Mr. Obama administration will be to make globalization be for the good of America and its citizen. Furman further noted that globalization is causing a lot of challenges although it is actually the source of the Economic strength of the country. (America). Despite the benefits of globalization being noted inequality and insecurity has actually continue to grow. (WWW. BBC. COM) According to Jason Furman the director of Obama’s economic policy, if Barrack Obama wins he will come up with an administration that will evade the US policies of trade, his administration will be designed to help the America’s to over come their sceptism that that is coming up on globalisation. Despite people expressing fears about his fealty to the current trade deals that he is planning to reorganise. For example North America Free Trade Agreement his going to be renegotiated so as to improve the life of the labour and to protect the environment. Furman further believes Obama is a free trader with full commitment towards the international trading. The public are suffering to the extend of the NAFTA; this has coasted the country millions of jobs. For international trade to be improved Obama’s administration will have to move away from the some trade policies but will still try to keep the World and the international trade rules. The Obama’s administration will try to recalibrate the country’s approach towards globalisation. This will be achieved through: amendment of the trade policies which will mainly focus on boosting the middle class investment, which he views as the Economic engine of the country. (Furman 2008) Obama will also try to restore the investment by the public in scientific research. He will boast the education of the middle class; he will also come up with the system of universal heath insurance. Mr. George Bush tax cuts will be eliminated so as to push for the, redistribution of the fiscal. (Furman 2008) Barack Obama will support the economy wide cap and the system of trade that will try to reduce the amount of carbon emitted because of the Climate change. He believes that the market mechanism has worked well and Consumers and business people who put in place effective and efficient measures to curb the climatic changes will be given incentives. If put in place it is expected to transform the economy of America particularly in rural areas, where the generation of renewable energy is expected to increase leading to the creation of jobs for millions of Americans. Farmers, ranch owners, forest owners who are going to put in place measures for grass restoration or measures that will take away carbon dioxide or any harmful gas from the atmosphere. (www. barrackobama. com) In energy sector Barrack Obama together with his running mate Joe Biden is planning to improve the energy sectors through coming up with measures that is aimed at streamlining the industry. Amongst the changes he his planning to come up with is: Obama is looking forward to providing a short stint relief to citizens facing the pump problems. Creating over five million jobs in the next ten years by putting over one hundred and sixty billion US dollars into investment, Saving more oils than the one to be imported in the next ten years using the current consumption rate, designing as car that will be manufactured in the country,. It will be designed such that it will be ton cover over one hundred and fifty miles using one gallon of petrol or diesel. By 2012 ten percent of the electricity will be generated from the renewable source. (www. barackobama. com) Obama also noticed with great concern that the high rise of the energy cost is affecting all the Americans families heavily to help curb this problem Obama is proposing: providing emergency measures immediately he takes over the presidency office, cutting the prices of fuel by swapping heavy and light crude (energy) by actually reliving oil from the reserve of the petroleum (www. barrackobama. com) America is facing two main challenges, these are: America over reliance on foreign oil and the continued climate change. All these are originating from the reliance on fossil fuel which emits a big percentage of carbon. To solve the problem of climate change which has caused rise in sea level, melting of ice caps, severe drought, changes in weather pattern, and extinction of some species of some animals and plants, Obama plans to: reduce the green house effects by reducing the gas emitted through implementation of trade and cap programme, he will ensure that America will be in the forefront in fighting the climatic changes. Obama’s Government will invest in future energy and to come up with over five million jobs for the Americans big percentage of . Revenues generated from issuing of permit or license of the Cap and trade will be invested into the energy sector, this will be aimed towards doing away with the on the reliance on fossil fuel and to champion the usage o a technology that emits a small carbon percentage. The investment will be mainly on: research, promotion of the new technology Obama is also looking forward towards encouraging automobiles companies to come up with vehicles that consume less fuel. (www. presidential debate. com) Obama’s government will increase tax from import coming from China if they don’t want to rude in dollars. This will increase the economy of the US because US dollar will be on high demand. Obama’s government will not just sign any trade agreement they will fast look at the impact the agreement is likely to have towards the America people. Tax code will be changed by Obama’s government by shutting down loopholes that are giving companies to shift their works abroad, this will include amongst them: tax benefit will be denied to America companies that will move abroad to avoid paying taxes to the America government. He plans to introduce corporation that is going to reward organizations that come up with quality jobs with incentives like paying a few tax. Obama’s government will encourage companies to allocate more than ninety percent of its manufacturing process in the country in the event that its goods and services are widely consumed in the country. Whatever profit they earned they will be encouraged to reinvest more than fifty percent in the country. Companies will also ensure that their workers have a good health care and standard health insurance that will be suitable for all the workers. They will also ensure that workers have a smart security during retirement. On Trade Obama’s government will reject any trade that makes only the people on top to be rich. A good trade should in corporate all the people. The goal of trade will be to work for its entire people. His government will reject CAFT because in CAFTA the workers needs have not been put into consideration. His Government will continue to conquer with the Peru Free trade agreement because in it the labor laws and the environment have been considered widely.In his Government globalization benefit will be spread by trade instead of implementing it when making the America workers to suffer. Reference: Luce. E. (2008):-Obama seeks to square circle on globalization:- Washington. Obama. B. (2002) :- my father’s dream:-Oxford publishers, page 12 WWW. BBC. COM(retrieved on 4th November 2008) WWW. CNN. COM(retrieved on 4th November 2008) WWW. BARACKOBAMA. COM (retrieved on November 2008) WWW. PRESIDENTIALDEBATE . COM (retrieved on 4th November 2008) WWW. The guardian. com (retrieved on 4th November 20008)

Gestalt Reflection Essay

During the short history of psychology many influences played a role in the development of Gestalt psychology. â€Å"Gestalt psychology is an approach to psychology that focuses on the organization of perception and thinking in a â€Å"whole† sense rather than on the individual elements of perception† (Feldman, 2010) This essay will talk about the main influence that played a central element in the evolution of Gestalt psychology and also explain each of the gestalt principles of perceptual organization. A major influence on Gestalt psychology was the intensity of the behaviorist revolution that was brewing in the United States alongside the revolution that was taking place in Germany. As time went on psychologists wanted to challenge Wundt’s approach of structuralism. The Germans became dissatisfied with the assumption that introspection could reveal the structure of the mind, thus leading to the Gestalt revolution in Germany. Wundt Believed in investigating the immediate experiences of consciousness, including beliefs, emotions, volitions and ideas, â€Å"internal perception†, or the self-examination of conscious experience by objective observation of one’s awareness.† (Feldman, 2010). Gestalt Psychologist was against this hypothesis. Gestalt psychologists believed that people don’t look at objects as individual lines, curves, forms and other designs; they perceive them as solid objects. (Schultz, 2011) They based their theories on something we know now as Gestalt Principles of Perceptual Organization. Gestalts came up with their school of thought, and these five elements played a role in defending their theories. The Gestalt Principles of Perceptual Organization are Proximity, Similarity, Closure, figure and ground and Continuity. â€Å"These are a series of principles that describes how we organize bits and pieces of information into meaningful wholes.† (Feldman, 2010) The Law of Proximity states that humans tend to group units or shapes visually together if they are near to each other. If the items are far apart, they are separate. ‘The Law of Closure states that human perception looks to ensure perfect, solid figures, yet if there are breaks or missing pieces of data it can still close gaps and provide the missing data.’ (Feldman, 2010) The Law of Similarity States that if objects or units look similar to one another, and so they will be visually perceived as part of a group, social system or  blueprint. The Law of Continuity, states that humans seek relationships between units and therefore will follow the shapes and lines beyond their ending point. The Law of Figure and Ground states principle states that human perception separates an object from its environment. In Conclusion, there were many influences that aided in the development of Gestalt psychology. Gestalt psychologist stated their argument and provided key evidence that defended their theories. The five principals are useful because people use them in our everyday life. Bibliography Feldman, R. S. (2010). Psychology and your Life. In R. S. Feldman, Psychology and your Life (p. 456). New York. Schultz, D. P. (2011). A History Of Modern Psychology. In D. P. Schultz, A History Of Modern Psychology.

Penetrating and Blunt Abdominal Trauma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Penetrating and Blunt Abdominal Trauma - Essay Example The author discussed, in detail, the various medical interventions done on the patients and their possible complications that arose during the duration of their hospitalization. As for the health assessment procedure rationales mentioned in this journal, Eckert discussed a flow of the procedures. Observation as to the patient's appearance upon encounter is to be done first. Presence and location of wounds as well as the depth and entrance and exits sites for penetrating wounds should be noted. Next, the author noted that auscultation is to be done prior to palpation as to prevent alteration of bowel sounds due to manipulation (p.53). Presence or absence of bowel sounds should be done comprehensively, covering all 4 quadrants. Nurses should check the quality, frequency and any abnormality in the bowel sounds. Auscultation over major blood vessels not only in the abdominal area but also in near regions that may be affected such as the femoral vessels should be checked. Palpation will e licit the presence of abdominal tenderness, rebound tenderness, guarding, texture of abdomen and any irregularities. Several organ injury scales were discussed by Eckert. Among the scales mentioned that were being used in the nursing practice were the 6-level Liver Injury Scale, the 5-level Splenic Injury Scale, 5-level Kidney Injury Scale, and 5-level Pancreatic Injury Scale. The Penetrating and Blunt 3 population discussed in this journal is the patients with abdominal trauma. Most, if not all of the cases in this journal were emergency or acute cases. I think that among the strengths of this journal is the comprehensiveness and practicality of this journal to nursing practice. Its use of case studies gives the reader a picture of what is to be encountered in the emergency rooms or intensive care units in the hospital setting. It was very thorough in explaining the different procedures done on the patient and each of its rationale. The journal introduces to the reader some information on the anatomy and physiology of some of the vital abdominal organs which are commonly affected in abdominal trauma. This is most helpful to nursing students who are still beginners in the field for them to have an idea of the interplay between these organs. This journal also gives information on the ancillary procedures usually done on the patients, highlighting the most pertinent or practical for each case or organ. For example, the author stated that the CT scan is the most sensitive diagnostic tool for most abdominal trauma injuries and between th e FAST scan and the diagnostic peritoneal lavage (DPL), the FAST scan is more utilized in most emergency cases because it is non-invasive and inexpensive compared to DPL. Also to be commended is the use of some visuals such as pictures of the different interventions. It also made use of some flow charts or concepts maps in nursing assessment in specific situations and included the indications for surgery and admittance to the ICU. This article was able to capture my interest because it is easy to understand and very thorough in explaining the various assessments, procedures and treatments involved in patients with

GENETIC VARIATION IN B-TYPE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE PATHWAY AFFECTS BNP Research Proposal

GENETIC VARIATION IN B-TYPE NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE PATHWAY AFFECTS BNP LEVEL in the diagnosis of Heart failure - Research Proposal Example To help establish the outcomes, the study will be embedded on extracting DNA samples from 80 patients undergoing elective cardiac catheterization and analyzing with exclusion done on patients with elevated troponin. This will be driven by a detailed data collection including laboratory, standard demographic, catheterization and echocardiographic data. The Genotype will be evaluated at 19 loci on five BNP’s pathway relevant genes (Knowles, Erickson, Guy et al, 2003). To access the incremental influence of the genetic variants, the researcher will employ the Multivariate linear regression of logBNP model adjusted for clinical variables. The proposal will thus try to help properly incorporate the use of NPs to improve the levels of accuracy with respect to decisions made in an emergency setting to curb the missed incidence of diagnostic failures for HF. This will be measured by reduced cases of fatigue, dyspnea, and fluid retention that are all predisposing factors to HF based on cardiac dysfunction hence presenting difficulties in diagnosing HF. The missed incidence are hence strongly correlate to highly significant mortality increases, presenting the need for designing effective diagnostic tools with higher degrees of specification and sensitivity that if employed, can help weed out the increased cases of HF missed diagnose s and particularly, in the busy Heart failure is characterized by its typical but non-specific symptoms like fatigue, dyspnea and fluid retention caused by dysfunction of cardiac which present daunting challenges for diagnosis of HF culminating into increased missed incidence hence higher mortality rates. For this reason, the topic has captured the attention of various researchers to help design effective mechanism and approaches that can be used during diagnosis to detect this catastrophic cardiovascular disease quickly and accurately. For instance, to gauge the potentiality of NPs in augmenting the clinical judgment and/or standard

Web Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Web Development - Essay Example As the house is nearly due the opening, he requested a live-functioning web site in high standard, with user friendly and easy navigation characteristics. In this report, the experience of developing the RS Holiday House website is reflected and based on the skill areas learned in the workshop sessions. The project goal was, also to explore alternate techniques, implement functions using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript and allow us to submit online by making the website more user-friendly. The priority area was to develop a website to display information about the business that the RS Holiday House offers and the ability to book a reservation. The creation process is represented in the plan outlined below. The process of web development varies from developing the easiest static pages with plain text to the highly complex web based electronic businesses, social network website or Internet applications (Alexander, 2009), (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005), and (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2005). The planning process begins with the consultation between the client and the developer. In this phase of the website development, I have gathered customer requirements. At this stage, a discussion was carried out with the customer regarding his requirements. I also analyzed the main areas that will be addressed or covered in the website. This process was a good practice which, I have learned in the project conducted earlier on in week three. During this period, I had the opportunity to try out both sides of a client and a developer role. Knowing now how to ask right questions to find out clients requirements helped me to know how to prepare myself for this project. The outcome of the client-deve loper consultation was that the website should work on the highest standard. It should also be simple but, modern. One of the client’s requirements was that the customer would be able to book a reservation right away from the website. As the business

Asian American Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Asian American Studies - Essay Example The Chinese were one of the first Asians to migrate to the U.S. Although only a few Chinese lived in Hawaii in the early 19th century, a large number of Chinese came to Hawaii and inland in the 1840s. The Chinese relocates to the United States for various reasons. Some were looking for refuge from revolts and wars in the mid-19th century (Ling 21).Others were looking for a greener pasture in terms of jobs. The first Chinese immigrants were perhaps laborers. Huge numbers of them migrated to the U.S. as skilled laborers when the fast growth of the West required cheap labor. Some of the Chinese were also attracted by the likelihood of riches. Majority of the Chinese immigrants in the 19th century were males. They dreamt of earning a decent income in the U.S. and afterward going back to China eventually. Married women stayed in China to take care of domestic duties like caring for their children and the parents of their husbands. Moreover, Chinese in cities were mostly working in the ser vice industry. Chinese in the urban neighborhoods were very secluded from mainstream U.S. A large number of Chinese American was raised speaking only their own native language and seldom socializing with Whites. Chinese immigrants were eventually hired in other industries such as mining, construction, etc. On the other hand, just like the Chinese, the earliest Japanese immigrant arrived in the U.S. in the 19th century. Also, similar to the Chinese, they arrived as peasants; but, not like the Chinese, many Japanese settlers became plantation laborers in Hawaii. Inland, a large number of Japanese who were originally hired as agricultural laborers eventually became independent, entrepreneurial farmers and traders. In urban areas, they built small communities where they may interact and help each other, speak their mother tongue, and eat accustomed food (Min 10). After Japanese men had secured themselves in the U.S., they get their wives from Japan, and their wives helped them in farms and businesses. Japanese migrated to the United States to live and raise families. On the other hand, a small number of Filipinos settled in the U.S. prior to the turn of the 20th century. Majority of early Filipino settlers after 1898 were already American citizens, the period that the U.S. gained the Philippines at the end of the Spanish-American War (Min 12). Filipino immigrants were looking for work in Hawaiian plantations and in the mainland. They also worked as service or domestic workers. In the early 20th century, a large number of Filipino laborers formed labor unions, but their attempts to acquire wage raise were countered with aggression by their employers and White colleagues who did not want any competition. More open to intermarriage than other Asian Americans, particularly Japanese and Chinese, Filipino males also inflamed racial violence and resentment by marrying White females. Since many Filipinos worked in the agricultural sector and plantations, they did not form enclaves in the cities (Ling 94). Because of their geographical distribution and their tendency to intermarry, Filipino immigrants eventually became more integrated in the United States than other Asian Americans. Similar to other Asian Americans, majority of early Korean settlers in the U.S. started their voyage to the mainland serving in Hawaiian plant

Juvenile delinquency Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Juvenile delinquency - Essay Example And with the change in the family values in the modern world the pressure exerted on the juveniles according to the nature of their families has increased. Usually it is seen that the children who have a small family tend to make friends outside i.e. in their schools. These children then tend to get involved in peer activities which can at times result in delinquency. Thus family size can matter in curbing or increasing the rate of delinquency in the juveniles. Similarly the way the juveniles are being treated at their homes is also a strong factor in determining that a child would get involved with criminal activities or not. For e.g. child from a divorced couple may be more likely to get involve with these activities. Divorce is an important aspect which can lead to a distortion in the behavior of parents which can further lead the children to go into a state of trauma. This trauma can therefore lead to the involvement of children in unusual activities of criminal nature. On the ot her hand it can be noted that children who have been provided with proper care and treatment in their homes are less likely to be involved in such activities. Furthermore the social class to which the child belongs also plays an important role in determining his future. By social class here it is meant as to which class of the society does he belong to, i.e. race, ethnicity and status. Race and Ethnicity can be important in the lives of children as nowadays all over the world there is a widespread discrimination amongst certain castes. This discrimination can lead to negligence of the children by his other peers or teachers which may lead to distortion in his behavior. School plays an important role in the life of a child as it is the first public institution to which he is exposed in life. And if his first experience in school is loaded with taunts and abuses then he may land up in getting involved in criminal activities.

Does it seem as though parenting values have changed Essay

Does it seem as though parenting values have changed - Essay Example With the modern technology, many books on parenting, an individual may expect parenting now to be much better and easier compared to fifty years ago. The kind of society where confusion and all manner of immorality exist among parents and children, leave people wondering whether the parenting values have also positively changed with the changing world. In order to instill values in a child, the parents have to be the example to their children but what is happening in the society currently proves the opposite. This trend emerged greatly after the Second World War. With modernity and economical strains, most parents work day and night to provide for their children material needs and forgetting the most important aspect of parenting which involves instilling values. Absentee parents can have negative impacts on their children (Raiford, web). An ever-absent parent cannot instill discipline or values such as respect for others in a child. Most research show that parent’s absenteeis m can even lead to psychological trauma in children, which may extend to adulthood. Any child or person with psychological problems may develop some behaviors that are not admirable in any society set up such as a careless attitude towards life (Raiford, web). According to statistics, there have been an increasing number of divorce cases across the nation. Divorce cases where children are involved rather expose the kind of irresponsibility and lack of parental values among parents in the society. Divorcing especially when the children are still young will always have a negative impact on the children’s well being. Research show that children raised by single parents suffer emotionally and may develop certain habits to adulthood. It is quite evident that most parents no longer know what they want for their children in future and fail to consider the welfare of their children before divorcing. Being together as a family is important in the development of children and building s trong personality in these children (Chambers, 55). It is upon parents to know the values they want their children to acquire and it is upon them to instill these values (Reasoner and Marilyn, 4). Parents who consider divorce without concrete reasons seem to have lost or changed the meaning of parental values. The increased immorality among our teenagers raises alarms and leaves people wondering if by any chance parental values still exist in the modern world. Teenage alcoholism and smoking are common phenomenon among American children even though it may have serious health repercussions. Researchers have blamed the problem on parents. It is upon the parents to guide their children towards making the right choices in life. Making the right choices is a value that a parent can only instill in a child if they were the example. For instance, with alcoholic parents, there are high chances of a child picking the habit from the parents since children are greatly influenced by nature of th e family set up. According to Jacob, adolescent children and adults tend to have similar drinking patterns with their parents (205). It is a fact that children with alcoholic or smoking parents do pick the habits at a tender age. In the early days, high school and birthday parties were occasions where age mate met to discuss and share their experiences but today it is the exact opposite. Children become adults in such parties drinking and smoking themselves even to a point of death. It is with no doubt

Wal-Mart is the Low-Price Leader Research Paper - 1

Wal-Mart is the Low-Price Leader - Research Paper Example According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2011), the average unemployment rate across the United States remained steady for February and March 2011 at an estimated 8.8%. Thus, while working for a company like Wal-Mart may not be ideal, it may be one of the few forms of employment that many Americans are able to secure under the current economic circumstances facing the country today (Glasmeier, 2006). Unfortunately, the retailer is taking obvious advantage of the desperation of customers and employees. In remaining a major force in the retail industry, gaining power through the economic crisis on multiple levels, the actual costs behind its low prices are definitely not a part of the organization’s publicized marketing strategy (MSNBC, 2005). However, there has been a great deal of research presenting information suggesting the low prices come at very high costs, not only to the employees but by extension the customers, through poor customer service and an overall negative shopping experience (Glasmeier, 2006). Unless changes are made to the way employees are treated, and protections are allowed—even if they do not come in the form of unions—these employees will only continue to grow more and more disgruntled to the point where customers are turned off by the overall experience and even those who may not be able to afford it, will go elsewhere. These customers do not need to be made to feel bad about their shopping experience, Wal-Mart has an opportunity that they are failing to realize. At this point, they have a massive market share, which will most likely return to what it was prior to the 2008 economic collapse, in the next couple of years when the economy bounces back from its brief devastation; based on historical data (Microsoft, 2011). However, without implementing a training program that drives customer loyalty through employee satisfaction, Wal-Mart has the potential to lose their significant gain, to competitors like Target, when unemployment rates are down and the economy is booming once again (Microsoft, 2011).     

Why might some SME owners give more preference to family involvement Essay

Why might some SME owners give more preference to family involvement in the management of SMEs compared to others - Essay Example ssary ambition to devote their skills in ensuring that the businesses survives the threats of the environment to achieve growth and the overall maximisation of profits (Eisenhardt 2009, p. 78). The following discussion shall evaluate on the several aspects that SME owners evaluate to resolve on the appointment of family members to the management of the businesses as of importance. With the growing competition and the need to grow the segments of operations in order to yield and accrue the benefits born to economies of scale, SME owners acknowledge that managerial positions should be directed to family members since they have a stake in the businesses. Small microenterprise businesses contribute to the biggest percentage of all global businesses. Therefore, competition is evident for each of the business seeks to prosper in growth and profitability over other common and many other entities with similar production and market objectives (Habbershon, Williams, & MacMillan2003, p. 87). SME owners are knowledgeable of the fact that other similar businesses in their segment of operation may engage in unethical ways to amass relevant, but secret information that will serve for the benefit of the competitors. The practice of appointing learned family members to such positions is the fact that the owners are knowledgeable of the positive influences such individuals bear (Gomez-Meja, Nunez-Nickel, & Gutierrez 2011, p. 90). Notably, the appointment of family members following a certain protocol of tangible and intangible forms of incentives serve for the benefit of the organization since such managers realize the importance in ensuring successful outcomes and limited threats to their organisations (Martà ­nez, Stà ¶hr, & Quiroga, 2007, p. 90). Agreements signed entitle an individual to manage the SME as a family business and further as an honourable job position with its interest after some time without necessarily being physically active (Eisenhardt 2009, p. 88). This helps

Processes of negotiation Essay Example for Free

Processes of negotiation Essay In simplest terms, negotiation is a discussion between two or more disputants who are trying to work out a solution to their problem. Negotiations typically take place because the parties wish to create something new that neither could do on his or her own, or to resolve a problem or dispute between them. The parties acknowledge that there is some conflict of interest between them and think they can use some form of influence to get a better deal, rather than simply taking what the other side will voluntarily give them. When parties negotiate, they usually expect give and take. While they have interlocking goals that they cannot accomplish independently, they usually do not want or need exactly the same thing. This interdependence can be either win-lose or win-win in nature, and the type of negotiation that is appropriate will vary accordingly. The disputants will either attempt to force the other side to comply with their demands, to modify the opposing position and move toward compromise, or to invent a solution that meets the objectives of all sides. The nature of their interdependence will have a major impact on the nature of their relationship, the way negotiations are conducted, and the outcomes of these negotiations. Mutual adjustment is one of the key causes of the changes that occur during a negotiation. Both parties know that they can influence the others outcomes and that the other side can influence theirs. The effective negotiator attempts to understand how people will adjust and readjust their positions during negotiations, based on what the other party does and is expected to do. The parties have to exchange information and make an effort to influence each other. As negotiations evolve, each side proposes changes to the other partys position and makes changes to its own. This process of give-and-take and making concessions is necessary if a settlement is to be reached. If one party makes several proposals that are rejected, and the other party makes no alternate proposal, the first party may break off negotiations. Parties typically will not want to concede too much if they do not sense that those with whom they are negotiating are willing to compromise. The parties must work toward a solution that takes into account each persons requirements and hopefully optimizes the outcomes for both. As they try to find their way toward agreement, the parties focus on interests, issues, and positions, and use cooperative and/or competitive processes to come to an agreement. Planning for Negotiations Effective planning is crucial to meeting negotiation objectives. If the parties are to reach a stable agreement, specific events must take place before the parties ever come to the table. 1. Parties must frame the problem, and recognize that they have a common problem that they share an interest in solving. Frames are the conceptions that parties have of the situation and its risks. They allow the parties to begin to develop a shared definition of the issues involved, and the process needed to resolve them. When the frames of both parties match, they are more likely to focus on common issues and have a common definition of the situation. The way in which parties define the problem can shape the rest of the planning process. 2. In the early stages of framing, negotiators must also determine their goals, anticipate what they want to achieve, and prepare for the negotiation process. They must define the issues to be discussed and analyze the conflict situation. In many cases, negotiators can appeal to research or consult with experts to help them develop a complete list of the issues at stake. 3. Negotiators often exchange and negotiate the list of issues to be discussed in advance. Consultation between negotiators prior to actual negotiation allows them to agree on the agenda of issues to be discussed, as well as the location of the negotiations, the time and duration of the sessions, the parties to be involved in the negotiations, and techniques to pursue if negotiation fails. Negotiators should also agree on principles that will guide the drafting of a settlement, the procedures to be used in negotiations, and the formula by which a general agreement is to be reached. 4. After assembling issues on an agenda, the negotiators must prioritize their goals and evaluate the possible tradeoffs among them. Negotiators must be aware of their goals and positions and must identify the concerns, desires, and fears that underlie their substantive goals. They must determine which issues are most important, as well as whether the various issues are linked or separate. Once they have determined the relative importance of the issues, parties need to decide the order in which issues should be discussed. Different situations suggest different answers to that question, and different negotiators and mediators prefer one approach over the others. 5. Negotiators that are operating on behalf of a constituency should consult with their constituents as well as with the other side to ensure that the constituents needs and priorities are included in the negotiations. 6. The next step is for negotiators to define specific targets with respect to the key issues on the agenda. Parties should try to figure out the best resolution they can expect, what counts as a fair and reasonable deal, and what is a minimally acceptable deal. They should also be aware of the strongest points in their position and recognize the strongest points in the other sides position. 7. Because negotiations typically involve more than one issue, it is helpful for negotiators to anticipate different ways of packaging issues. They can balance the issues they regard as most important by being more flexible about items they deem less important. 8. Planning for negotiation also involves the development of supporting arguments. Negotiators must be able to present supporting facts and arguments, anticipate how the other side will respond to these arguments, and respond to the other partys claims with counter-arguments. 9. Finally, planning involves assessing the other partys priorities and interests and trying to get a better idea of what that party is likely to want. Negotiators should gather background information about the other partys current needs, resources, and interests. This can be done through preliminary interviews or consultations with those who have done business with the other party in the past. In addition, negotiators need to understand the other partys objectives. Negotiators should be aware of the other partys negotiation style, reputation, and the strategy and tactics they commonly use. They should investigate that partys past behavior in related settings, determine his or her organizational position, and find out whom he or she admires and whose advice carries weight. An individuals past negotiation behavior is a good indication of how he or she will behave in the future. Also, negotiators should understand the other partys alternatives. If the other negotiator has strong alternatives, he or she will probably be willing to set high objectives and be willing to push hard for these objectives during negotiation.

Importance of Social Responsibility Disclosure

Importance of Social Responsibility Disclosure 1.0 Introduction Though some of the country around the world is rich in resources, but there are still have a possibility that ran out of the resources. Beside that, there are also a large number of countries around the earth that lack of resources. Because of this, as a people living in this earth, we should protect the resources from exhaust. We should not be so selfish and should cherish the resources, so that other people could also enjoy use of the resource. As a big community, we should not think ourselves interest only, we should also think for others. Think that everyone can has a chance to use the resources and also how to value the resources so that others have a chance to use it. We can start doing social responsibility to ensure that the limited resources are not run to waste. As an opening of this introduction, we begin by defining social responsibility. Social responsibility can be defined as a theory from the perspective or ideological whereby a specific entity, being the person, organization, government, corporation, non-profit organization and etc., has a responsibility to make good decision and take sustainable action that will develop benefit of the society and enhance the welfare and interests of the public. In another meaning, we also can define social responsibility as whatever a specific entity done, the intention is to improve the welfare or the interest of the society. Although it is not mandatory for the entity to accomplish social responsibility, but the entity should also has some conscience. In addition to protect their own benefit, the entity should also concern the society’s welfare and interests. In the beginning of the introduction, we have defining the social responsibility. Now we will look on what is corporate social responsibility. Corporate social responsibility is the social responsibility that implements by an organization. Corporate social responsibility is about how a company using their own knowledge intelligently to earn profit for the company beside that still can protect the interest of society. They are not only being concerned with their own benefit, but they also concern with the interest and welfare of the society. Corporate social responsibility also gives a picture of how a company supervises their business processes to generate an overall positive impact to public. The initiation of corporate social responsibility involves several issues that related to company’s concern behavior in its social atmosphere except the company’s economic sphere which the company traditionally associates with. To implement corporate social responsibility, the organization must take in mind of the society welfare in beside to fulfill its own benefit in doing the business. The organization should not be self-interested in consider that the interest of the organization is their main objective. They should not think that increase stock price and short-run profit is the most important thing to the company. Service the society also an important objective and it is as important as the profit of the company. The company also should concern with the society ethically other than earning profit and increase stock price. The company’s stakeholders are not only the shareholders and investors, but also include the employees, customers, government, communities, suppliers, and special-interest group. So the company should also concern other stakeholder’s interest and what they are desired for. Commonly, the company using their own policy as a built-in, self-legalize instrument which incorporate into their business model to monitor the business processes and activities, so that their business obedience to the law and regulation, ethical standard, and international norms. It also ensures that the company not only pays attention to their profit and stock price but also the interest and welfare of the society. Implement social responsibility not only bring benefit to the society, but also give benefit to the company. Because implement social responsibility can add value for the positive image of the company. Public listed companies in Malaysia nowadays are required by Bursa Malaysia to disclose their social responsibility in their annual report. They can built their own corporate social responsibility report or refer to Bursa Malaysia’s corporate social responsibility framework. The report is not mandatory to follow, it is just a reference. When operate in businesses, there are several main areas that firms should concern and responsible for. It is because the businesses will give some impact on these main areas. According to Vinsign website, there are six main areas of social responsibility, which is community and environment, the employees, governments, consumers, providers of finance and other organizations or groups. For example, the firm should concern about environmental issue, such as rainforests disappearing and they can take action by reducing using paper or do not waste any paper when doing businesses or help the government to plant more trees. For employees’ issues, they should treat every employee fairly and should concern about their safety during work, welfare, training and development. Corporate social responsibility disclosure discloses information on what the firms have done for the sake of the community. It also shows the disclosure of firms’ action on what they have been contribute to the welfare of the society and what they will do in the future for the welfare and interest of the society. Usually the disclosure is disclosed in a social responsibility report and publishes in company’s website or annual report of public listed companies. For public listed company in Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia has ruled them to disclose their social responsibility disclosure in their annual report. It is mandatory for them to disclose in annual report recently and most of them comply with the rule to create a good image to the society and government. Corporate social responsibility disclosure is very important to company’s stakeholder. The stakeholders of the company always take note to the disclosure because the disclosure shows what the company plan to do and have done for the welfare of the society. A recently report shows that most of the investors are invest in firms that have involve greatly in social responsibility. With actively involve in the activities of social responsibility, the company can increase their positive image emerge to the society. It can bring advantage to the companies with having increasing number of investors invest in the company and attract more supplier cooperates with them. Some companies disclose their social responsibility voluntarily. According to â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure in Malaysia† written by several author, companies are disclosing their social information for various reasons. The reasons can be classified into three broad categories, which is pressure from the government and market, enhancing corporate image, and top management awareness. Companies also disclosing their social information because of they think that they should informing the public what they have done for the public and will done for the sake of the public. Before companies release the social responsibility disclosure in their report, they have to think about the question of how much information should they publish in the report, how much information are enough to the viewer of the report and which information are useful to the viewer of the report. It is very important for the companies to think about the questions because the interest groups are based on the information to make certain important decision making. Different groups of stakeholder look for different type of social responsibility information. For example, employees and future employees of a company are more concerned with human resource issues in the social responsibility report. The public and government are more concerned on philanthropic issues in the report. The quantities of the information are not regarded as important, qualities of the information disclosed by companies are more think greatly of to the stakeholders. In spite of quantities of the information disclosed, useless information disclose to stakeholder will not help them in certain decision making. According to â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure in Malaysia† written by several author, companies in Malaysia are more concern in human resources issues. Useless or unclear social responsibility information will lead to some problems, such as damage companies’ image, penalties from government and dissatisfied of stakeholders. When this situation happens, the company may lose their intellectual capital and most of the investor decides not to invest in the company since the company cannot fulfill their expectation for the information from the report. Large firm in this research mainly refer to public companies listed in Bursa Malaysia. Bursa Malaysia has built a corporate social responsibility framework for the public company as reference which has mentioned earlier in this research. According to Bursa Malaysia website, it mainly focuses on four main areas, which is environment, community, marketplace, and workplace. Bursa Malaysia encourages public listed companies to involve in corporate social responsibility and disclose it in annual report. Why public listed company been encourages to involve in corporate social responsibility? According to Bursa Malaysia, they believe that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is key to sustainability. Bursa Malaysia say that â€Å"sustainability is a process and it is a business approach used to create long term value by seizing the opportunities and managing risks that emerge from the economic, environmental and social developments†. For example, by protecting the environment, it can help in conserve the natural scarce resources from being destroy or no need to confront with the situation of some resources become extinct. This can help the company to use the natural resources everlasting and the next generation also can enjoy it. Social responsibility involvement are very important to the public listed company and also others small and medium company in Malaysia. It is because social responsibility involvement can help increase competitive advantage of the company compare to others company in same sector. Involve in social responsibility activities can also improve the relationship between the company and the society. Other than become distinctive compare to other company and enhance the relationship with the society, social responsibility activities also can increase public image of the company, increase the stock price of the company, and can help to solve problems that the community faces. Involving in social responsibility activities bring a lot of advantages to company but still many companies are not willing to involve in social responsibility activities and disclose it. It is mainly because most of the companies think that social responsibility is not so important to them, profit of the company are their priority. Unfamiliar with what information to disclose are also one of the reason they rarely involve in social responsibility activities. Most of the companies are not sure which information is important to stakeholders although the company involves in social responsibility activities. 1.1 Problem Statement The problem in corporate social responsibility is that not every public listed company in Malaysia is sincere in voluntary involves in social responsibility. As a large company which listed on Bursa Malaysia, the company is required by Bursa Malaysia to disclose corporate social responsibility in their annual report in recently year. Some of the small company even didn’t implement social responsibility because of the company thinks it is not their obligation to implement it and for small firm, social responsibility disclosure are not mandatory. They are not aware of the advantages that the social responsibility brings to them and importance of the social responsibility information to the society. Some of the company didn’t disclose social responsibility because of they not sure what to disclose and how much information should disclose. Even though some companies have made the respective disclosure, the information they disclose may be irrelevant and as the result it is not useful to the stakeholders. 1.2 Objective The objective of this research is to find out the important of the social responsibility and social responsibility disclosure to different sector among public listed companies. This can understand through the involvement of the public listed company in the social responsibility and their key disclosure areas. The study aims to study how different of industries disclose their social responsibility activities and further to evaluate their awareness to the social responsibility. It also aims to study how willing are the public listed company disclose their social responsibility activities to the society without conceal anything from the society. The higher the willingness that company discloses their social responsibility information, the more the information that company will disclose. Not merely disclose what the company plan to do in the future, but also what the company have done that achieve from previous year social responsibility activities planning. Another objective is to find out the relationship between size of firm and the extent of corporate social responsibility practices. This study is to see whether it is the truth that the larger the firm is, the greater the involvement of the firm in the social responsibility. Whether it is only large firm will involve in social responsibility and disclose it out to the stakeholders or not. 1.3 Contribution The contribution of this research is to increase the number of companies and the willingness of companies to participate in social responsibility practices. From this research, the company will find out the importance of involvement in social responsibility activities and advantages that social responsibility activities bring to them. So that, the public listed company is more wiling to involve in social responsibility activities and disclose the information to its stakeholder. Beside that, the public also can see how corporate social responsibility will improve their living and enhance their welfare and interest. The community will more appreciate what the company has done for them and then will have more and more investor wiling to invest in the company. 1.4 Conclusion In conclusion, corporate social responsibility is about how you should as a corporation. Although, corporate social responsibility in nowadays is still not much concern by the public listed company, but in the future they will identify the importance of social responsibility. From this awareness, the company is more willing to involve in social responsibility activities and disclose the information to the society. From the advantage that the community receives from the social responsibility, they will become more concern with the issue of the social responsibility. Thus, the community acts as a watchdog to concentrate on what the public listed company plan to do and what they have done for the welfare of the society. The company views the community as an important stakeholder, so the company is more willing to improve the community’s living. Community can survive without business but business cannot exist without community. Chapter 2 Background of Study Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) was established on 1 March 1993 under the Securities Commission Act 1993, the Securities Commission is a self-funding statutory body with investigative and enforcement powers. It reports to the Minister of Finance and its accounts are tabled in Parliament annually. The SCs many regulatory functions include: Supervising exchanges, clearing houses and central depositories; Registering authority for prospectuses of corporations other than unlisted recreational clubs; Approving authority for corporate bond issues; Regulating all matters relating to securities and futures contracts; Regulating the take-over and mergers of companies Regulating all matters relating to unit trust schemes; Licensing and supervising all licensed persons; Encouraging self-regulation; and Ensuring proper conduct of market institutions and licensed persons. Underpinning all these functions is the SCs ultimate responsibility of protecting the investor. Apart from discharging its regulatory functions, the SC is also obliged by statute to encourage and promote the development of the securities and futures markets in Malaysia. Bursa Malaysia is an exchange holding company approved under Section 15 of the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007, which is regulate by Securities Commission Malaysia. It operates a fully-integrated exchange, offering the complete range of exchange-related services including trading, clearing, settlement and depository services. Bursa Malaysia today is one of the largest bourses in Asia with just under 1,000 listed companies offering a wide range of investment choices to the world. Companies are either listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad Main Market or ACE Market. In assisting the development of the Malaysian capital market and enhancing global competitiveness, Bursa Malaysia is committed to maintaining an efficient, secure and active trading market for local and global investors. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a central management concern at Bursa Malaysia. For Bursa Malaysia, CSR means integrating open and transparent business practices into our business operations which are based on ethical values and respect for employees, communities and the environment. The way they do business is designed to deliver sustainable value to the society at large and to all stakeholders, including their shareholders. On 5 September 2006, Bursa Malaysia launched a CSR Framework as a guide for Public Listed Companiess in implementing and reporting on CSR. The Bursa Malaysia CSR Framework looks at four main focal areas for CSR practise – the Environment, the Workplace, the Community and the Marketplace, in no order of priority. With effect from 31 December 2007, all public listed companies are required to disclose their CSR activities or practices (and of their subsidiaries) and if there are none, a statement to that effect. Listing Requirements (Appendix 9c, Part A (29)). Listing Requirements (Appendix 9c, Part A (29)) is about description of the corporate social responsibility activities or practices undertaken by the listed issuer and its subsidiaries or if there are none, a statement to that effect. Failure to comply with any of these Requirements will amount to a breach in respect of which actions may be taken or penalties may be imposed or both. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Framework for Malaysian Public Listed Companies The Bursa Malaysia CSR Framework is in fact a framework, and not a template. This framework does not tell the whole story of CSR and neither does it have all answers. It is a bit like running shoes: One size does not fit all. The CSR Framework is basically a set of guidelines for Malaysian Public Listed Companies (PLCs) to help them in the practice of CSR. As the Prime Minister mentioned in the 2006 budget speech, from now on, all PLCs are required to disclose their CSR activities. Some PLCs may be doing corporate social responsibility even without realising it. The directive from the Prime Minister is really an opportunity for logical thinking about CSR. It is meant to encourage Malaysian PLCs to become more engaged in being socially responsible, and to make the way they approach the process of CSR, part of the way they normally work and think. According to Bursa Malaysia, CSR means it is not about how a firm spends money, but about how the firm makes money. CSR is defined as open and transparent business practices that are based on ethical values and respect for the community, employees, the environment, shareholders and other stakeholders. It is designed to deliver sustainable value to society at large. There is no universal approach to CSR. Companies are free to adopt what suits them. CSR is not about compliance or philanthropy or public relations. It often involves cultural transformation in a company as it integrates CSR concepts into its operations and decision making. Vitally, CSR involves communicating the company’s actions to its stakeholders and encouraging their feedback. The Bursa Malaysia CSR Framework looks at 4 main focal areas for CSR practice. They are: the Environment, the Workplace, the Community and the Marketplace, in no order of priority. The Environment When looking at the environment, CSR can focus on a variety of issues. Most of the people worry about energy, how to use it more efficiently and how to reduce the way its emissions damage the climate. Here in Malaysia, bio fuels have become a topical issue. There are other aspects as well. Companies live amongst some of the richest biodiversity in the world. Protecting the flora and fauna is essential. The Community Companies live within the community. They depend on the community in many ways and the community depends on them. Supporting employee involvement in community issues enriches the community and the company. Supporting education, such as adopting a school, is another possible activity. Companies can be creative in looking at how they can contribute to children, youth development and the under-privileged. The opportunities for company interaction with the community are vast. The Marketplace The Marketplace is where companies find important stakeholders – their shareholders, suppliers, and customers. Companies can interact responsibly with this group in a number of ways, such as supporting green products or engaging in only ethical procurement practices. Helping to develop suppliers and other vendors is another way of contributing. Raising the standards of Corporate Governance within the company so that it meets shareholder expectations is a further consideration. The Workplace Companies draw their employees from society and so everything they do with their staff needs to be socially responsible, whether they are dealing with basic human rights or gender issues. A quality work environment and health safety are obvious considerations, as is the way in which, if companies believe in CSR, they inculcate in their employees, the values which the company holds dear. Ideally, companies should consider all 4 CSR dimensions when crafting their own visions. But that does not mean a company must do everything. For some companies there will be focal areas or initiatives that do not apply. The important thing is that the company uses the framework to help it identify its choices and priorities. Individual CSR initiatives will depend on the nature of each company’s business, its inclinations, and its resources. However, sometimes a company will adopt initiatives that may even have indirect impacts. Like most PLCs, Bursa Malaysia is exploring the framework to see what suits companies best as an exchange. 3.0 Introduction There are some different points of view of the corporate social responsibility definition from several parties. Corporate social responsibility is defined as the duty of the organisation to respect individuals’ rights and promote human welfare in its operations (Manakkalathil and Rudolf, 1995; Oppewal et al., 2006). According to Carrol (2000a), businesses not only have the economic responsibility of being profitable and the legal responsibility to follow the laws or ground rules that guide their ability to achieve their economic requirements, but they also have ethical responsibilities that include a range of societal norms or standards. From this two definition, it can see that individuals’ rights and human welfare is more important than profit earning and organization is try to balance them, so that the interest of public did not deprive. Malaysian Government’s point of view by our Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Abdul Razak in a corporate social responsibility conference held in June 2003 at PWTC, Kuala Lumpur referred to corporate social responsibility as â€Å"a concept whereby corporation integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and their interactions with stakeholders on a voluntary basis†. It is a process of providing information which does not have purely financial implications designed to discharge social accountability. Companies should recognize their corporate social responsibilities not only to their shareholders but also to the society they operate in. This sustainability concept calls for a company to operate in a responsible manner that takes full account of their business impact on the environment, people and the community. Corporate social responsibility can also be defined as the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 1999). In general, CSR embraces all organizational activities relating to the organization and society. These may include employees support (safety, job security, profit sharing, employee participation, treating employees fairly and equitably etc.), community support (activity involved in education, health and housing related supportive activities, philanthropic activities), product/services support (product/service quality, product safety, delivery, research and development etc.), and environmental support such as; sustaining the eco-friendly environment, producing environmentally friendly products, waste management, recycling etc. (Staples, 2004; and Sen a nd Bhattacharya, 2001). In the last decade Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an issue that has increasingly attracted attention from the business, political, and public spheres (Brammer, and Palevin, 2004). In emerging capital markets, such as Malaysia, this issue also tends to be a strategic issue for public listed companies. Malaysian firms incorporate CSR into their corporate governance agenda to become good corporate citizens in the Malaysian capital market. They also seek to increase the pool of enhancement in the recognition and profile of corporate domestic firms who can gain better recognition from the perspective of international and local investors. Furthermore, the push towards better CSR practices is also important to be consistent with the overall national agenda, particularly in achieving Vision 2020, meeting the objective of the National Integrity Plan and as a tool for generating greater economic and capital market growth (Corporate Governance, 2004). Tay Kay Luan (2005a), cited the Malaysian government’s stand on CSR issues is that all organisations in the country should take account of the economic, social and environmental impacts of their activities, and should be encouraged to act and address the key challenges which arise from these impacts on their core competencies. Moreover, the government is taking stand that the existing legal framework and regulations are sufficient to improve corporate behaviour. Gray et al. (1987) define social reporting as â€Å"†¦ †¦the process of communicating the social and environmental effects of organisations’ economic actions to particular interest groups within society and to society at large. As such, it involves extending the accountability of organizations (particularly companies), beyond the traditional role of providing a financial account to the owners of capital, in particular, shareholders. Such an extension is predicted upon the assumption that companies do have wider responsibilities than simply to make money for their shareholders†. Chan (2002), Godfrey et al. (2000), and Gray et al. (1996) describe corporate social disclosure as voluntary reporting of social and environmental information relating to an organisation’s interaction with its community, shareholders, physical and social environment to outsiders through corporate annual reports. Although the disclosure is based on corporate’s voluntary, but it as been motivated to disclose in recent year. According to Godfrey et al. (2006), corporate social responsibility is motivated by legal regulation, management accountability and shareholder activism. Voluntary corporate social disclosure gives information to the public regarding a company’s activities that relates to the community. Companies that operate in a developed world have moved to include sections on social issues within their annual reports. These sections give information on their responsibility towards reducing hazardous impacts on the environment, improving waste management, showing compliance with Environmental Quality Regulation 1989, better efforts to protecting their employees and other social issues affecting the public. The disclosures were towards an increasing trend. However the level of disclosures itself are still low. (Teoh Thong,1984; Foo Tan,1988;Ho,1990 and Shireenjit Zuaini 1 998). The Malaysian government’s incentive to further promote corporate social responsibility (CSR) among public listed companies (PLC) is very encouraging in Malaysia. The honorable Dato’ Seri Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia, in his keynote speech at the Corporate Social Responsibility Conference on 21 June 2004 had made it clear that CSR helps improve financial performance, enhance brand image and increases the ability to attract and retain the best workplace, contributing to the market value of the company. The growth of public awareness about CSR has put pressure on corporations, profession and governments to increase the amount of social information in corporate reports. More recently, in the 2007 budget speech, the Malaysian Former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has stressed the importance of corporate social responsibility reporting by requiring companies to disclose their CSR activities in the annual report. Corporate social reporting is one approach how companies published or disclosed their corporate social responsibility activities. One way to reduce the gaps between company and its stakeholders is by reporting the activities to the stakeholders or through additional disclosure. Teoh and Thong (1984) pointed out that the philosophy of the top management and legislation were the primary factors contributing to corporate social awareness in Malaysia. More recently, Malaysian executives and managers were found to have positive attitudes towards corporate social responsibility, although the extent of their involvement in corporate social responsibility is lower today than it was a decade ago (Abdul Rashid Ibrahim, 2002). Mohammad Jamil, Alwi, and Mohamed (2001) similarly found that CSR disclosure in Malaysia is generally low, especially with regards to fair business information. This also appears true for environmental information (ACCA, 2002). The level of CSR was again confirmed to be low in recent studies conducted by SRI (2003) and Ramasamy and Hung (2004). Since in Malaysia, corporate social responsibility is voluntary, the choice of social issues reveals the Government’s priority or the particular responsibility which companies have. Therefore by having corporate social responsibility, the company would have better reputation and this would increase its chances to secure contracts from the Government as it is seen as being socially responsible. Companies would be able to attract and retain good employees which would in turn benefit them financially in the long run. Corporate social responsibility may be able to strengthen stakeholder relations as reporting promotes corporate transparency and instills greater confidence and trust

Can the physical attractiveness of a defendant lead to differing sentences

Can the physical attractiveness of a defendant lead to differing sentences Abstract The purpose of the investigation was to see if the physical attractiveness of a defendant has an influence of the severity of prison sentences given for a crime of fraud. An opportunity sample consisting of 10 males and 10 females taken from sixth form students at school aged 16-18 was used. A crime vignette was given to participants with a photo of the physically attractive defendant or physically un attractive defendant attached. Participants had to state whether they thought the defendant was guilty or not guilty. Participants were then told that the defendants were found guilty and were asked to assign a prison term that they felt the defendant deserved. The Chi-Square and T-Test were used to analyse the results. Observed Value of T= 30.88: Critical value at p Project Brief PB1: The aim is to see if Sigall Ostroves (1975) findings that the physical attractiveness of a defendant and the nature of the crime can lead to differing sentences are applicable to this current time period. Alternative hypothesis: The more attractive defendant will receive a lower sentence for burglary than the less attractive defendant. Null Hypothesis: There will be no difference in length of sentences given to the attractive defendant and the non attractive defendant. PB2: A directional hypothesis is being used as past research by Sigall Ostroves (1975) has shown that physical attractiveness does have an effect on the length of a sentence giving to the defendant. PB3: The chosen research method will be experimental using an independent measures design. So each group will be tested in a different condition one group will be shown a picture with a physically attractive defendant and the other group will see a picture with a non attractive defendant. PB4: Advantages Confounding variables minimised Study is in a controlled environment so the variables can be manipulated Disadvantages No control of participant variables as due to individuals differences the participants may not find the pictures attractive. There maybe a social desirability bias as participants may put what they think is the norm or socially desirable rather than what they actually think. There maybe investigator and participant effects. PB5: Demand Characteristics Participants may respond in accordance to experimenters desired response i.e. the experimenter may influence the participant in the way in which he states the scenario of the crime or by subconscious gestures. Age Group Bias All participants are between the age of 16-18 so results may not be external valid as other age groups may have different results and respond differently. Participant Bias Participants may give into social norms and may no give there true opinion when rating. They may rate pictures higher or lower than they really feel. PB6: Single Blind The participants and the experimenter will be told that the study is on studying something other than what there doing so the participants and the experimenter wont be able to guess the aim of the study. Standardise Instructions All conditions of the study are given the same standardised instructions so investigator bias is eliminated. Social Desirability Bias The results will be anonymous and confidential, giving the chance for the participants a option to withdraw at any time so the participants may not feel the need to put what the experimenter may see as the norm. PB7: 5% level of significance PB8: Deception Not telling the participants the true nature of the study by using a single blind technique. This will be overcome by debriefing the participants at the end of the study to ensure that the participants are happy. Privacy The pictures will be taking from websites which are on public domains so anyone can access them. Informed Consent Participants will be asked if they want to participate and told the basic procedures as well i.e. giving the right to withdraw etc. Withdrawal Participants will be able to withdraw at any time during the study and will be told this throughout the study. Debrief The participants will be fully debriefed as to the true aims of the study has been completed after the study. Observation The participants will not be observed. Confidentially None of the participants names will be taken and they will not be observed during the study so the results will remain anonymous. Introduction The Halo effect (Dion Walster, 1972) is the tendency of a characteristic such as physical attractiveness to influence an individuals perception of persons qualities such as intelligence, social status and personal traits. Research has found that attractive people are attributed with more positive characteristics due to the Halo Effect. Dion Walster (1972) conducted an experiment called What is Beautiful is Good and found that individuals who are seen as physically attractive are assumed by particpants to have more socially desirable personalities than those who are less attractive, and it is also assumed that attractive individuals lives will be more successful and enjoyable than individuals who are less attractive. So attractive individuals are assumed to be more sociably desired. Dion et als (1972) findings indicate that stereotyping due to individuals physical attractiveness does occur as physical attractive individuals were regarded to have more socially desired qualities and p ersonalities, and were expected to have greater personal success in there life. These results have also been supported by Griddin Langlois (2006) and Feingold (1992) who found that unattractive people are perceived to hold more negative attributes. The Halo effect has been applied in research into other areas of society. For example in school or workplaces. As a study on attractiveness in school found by Clifford Walster (1973) and Landy Sigall (1974) found that two essays which had exactly the same content were marked differently. This was belived to be due to them having pictures of the students on the essays and the more attractive person received a higher grade even though the essays were the same. This shows that physical attractiveness does affect peoples way of thinking in real life settings. Another study has shown that the halo effect has an effect in job interviews as it has been found by Dipboye, Arvey, Terpstra, (1977) and Landy Sigall, (1974) that the more attractive individuals where more likely to get the jobs offered than the unattractive individuals even though they did the same on the tasks to get the interviews. Baron and Byrne (1997) found that attractive defendants are more likely to receive lighter sentences and gain the sympathy of the jurors rather than unattractive individuals. This is believed to be due to the Halo Effect What is beautiful is good. Sigall Ostrove (1975) also found that participants who were shown an attractive photo of a defendant charged with burglary recommend almost half the average sentence of those show no photo or an unattractive photo. Stewart (1980) also found that attractive defendants tended to receive lighter sentences and were less likely to receive prison sentences than unattractive individuals. These results were further supported by Efrans (1974) study as Efran (1974) found that juries were not as certain about the guilt of attractive defendants, and therefore gave them lighter sentences/ punishments. However it has been found that there were different factors which influence the sentence giving to an attractive individual. For example the attractivene ss of an individual didnt have much of an effect on sentences when the crime was seen as very serious. Sigall Ostrove (1975) also found that attractive defendants were charged with a higher average sentences when fraud was the crime rather than the unattractive individuals or defendant with no photo. Their results showed that when the crime committed wasnt related to physical attractiveness (e.g. burglary) the participants would give lighter sentences to the attractive defendant rather than to the unattractive defendant. In contrast when the crime was related to attractiveness (e.g. swindle), the physically attractive defendant would receive a worse sentence. The Halo Effect explains these findings in that when crimes are not related to attractiveness, the attractive participants may be seen as good due to the Halo Effect and positive stereotyping. For the physically attractive crimes the juror may feel that the attractive individuals used there attractiveness as a natural advantag e to further promote themselves in society. Fraud is regarded as deceitful and is related to attractiveness thus more attractive defendants would be punished more severely. Aim: This study will replicate Sigall Ostroves (1975) study to provide further support for previous findings see if the physical attractiveness of a defendant and the nature of the crime can lead to differing sentences in this current time period. Alternative hypothesis: The more attractive defendant will receive a lower sentence for burglary than the less attractive defendant. Null Hypothesis: There will be no difference in length of sentences given to the attractive defendant and the non attractive defendant. Method: Method and design In the experiment the IV is the physical attractiveness of the defendants and the DV was the judgement that the participants gave the photos of the physically attractive defendant and unattractive defendant i.e. guilty or not guilty. An independent group design is being used so one group of participants will be tested with the physically attractive photo of the defendant and the other group will be tested with the unattractive photo of the defendant. A questionnaire was given to the male participants so ratings of the photographs of the females could be collected and so the best voted picture would be used as the physically attractive defendant and the worse would be used for the unattractive defendant. Researchers One A level student collected data. Target population and sample An opportunity sample consisting of 10 males and 10 females taken from sixth form students at school. The students who were available at the time were asked to participate in the study. All participants took part in the study and none of them declined. Apparatus/materials Pilot Study Ten photographs were selected from the websites Hot or Not and RatePeople.com labelling them 1 10. All photographs were put on to A4 pieces of paper (one per page of paper). All photos were of passport shots so the defendants were looking straight at the camera and the defendants were between the ages of 20-40. This was controlled so the participants view of the defendants didnt change due to the pose the defendant was doing or because they thought the defendant was to old and frail to go to jail or to young etc. There was as little jewellery or clothing in the pictures as possible so it wouldnt distort the participants view on the pictures as it may make the participant think the defendants were more or less attractive in the photos creating extraneous variable so this was done so it was only the defendants attractiveness being taken into account. Main Study In the main study a scenario was given to participants (see Appendix 1) and the participants had to state whether they thought the defendant was guilty or not on the participant response sheet (see Appendix 2). Two photos were used in the main study from the pilot study (the best rated photo and the worst rated photo) which were used as defendants. The best voted picture was used as the physically attractive defendant and the worse was used for the unattractive defendant. An example of one of the photographs use is shown in Appendix 3. Standardised procedures Pilot Study The participants were taken into different rooms when completing the task so they werent distracted from other students. The standardised instructions (see Appendix 4) were read to participants and consent was given. Male participants were shown the photographs of the females, and the females were shown the photographs of the men. The participants were asked to rate each of the photographs on a scale of 1 10, with 10 being most attractive and 1 being not very attractive. The participants wrote their ratings on some paper with spaces for the ratings for the 10 photographs No names were asked for. An example of a participant response is shown in Appendix 5. Main Study The best rated photo and the worst rated photo were than used as defendants. The best voted picture was used as the physically attractive defendant and the worse was used for the unattractive defendant. A different set of participants where given scenarios and asked if they would give a sentence to the defendant given to them and told to right down there answer on the participant response sheet. One group was given the physically attractive photo whereas the other group was given the unattractive photo. Participants after the task were thanked and debriefed (see Appendix 6). Controls Investigator bias was minimised by using standardised instructions. The Single blind technique was used so researcher bias, participant bias and demand characteristic were avoided by asking someone else to observe the participants during the task and telling the observer not to look at the participants while theyre doing the task to avoid participant reactivity. Participant bias was avoided by telling the participants to rate members of a opposite sex because the males may find it more difficult men in terms of physical attractiveness. Ethics Informed consent was gained as participants were given standardised instructions and told that they had the right to withdraw at any time and that their answers would remain anonymous. There was minor deception as the participants werent told the aim of the study but this was dealt with as the participants were debriefed at the end of the study. The ethical issue of using photos of people without there consent was dealt with as the photos used were put on websites where the people want there photos to be rated thus are available to the public. Results: Descriptive Statistics Summary table of the data to show the total number of guilty verdicts given to physically attractive and physically non-attractive defendants. Participants had to state whether they found the defendant given to them guilty or not guilty. A bar chart was drawn to display the results visually. The raw data given is in Appendix 7. The Sentences Given To The Defendants Physically Attractive Physically Non-Attractive Guilty 7 8 Not Guilty 3 2 Bar chart to show the difference between the number of guilty verdicts given to attractive and non-attractive defendants in getting sentences or not. Summary table of the data to show mean prison sentences in months awarded to the attractive and non-attractive defendants by the participants. A bar chart was drawn to display the results visually. The raw data given is in Appendix 7. The Mean Length Of The Sentences Given To The Defendants Physically Attractive Physically Non-Attractive Average 21.9 Months = 1.8 Years 63.6 Months = 5.3 Years Bar chart to show the difference in the length of sentences given to the attractive and physically non-attractive defendants. Results: Inferential Statistics The Chi-Square Test and T-Test were used to analyse the results. The Chi-Square Test was appropriate for the data at a nominal level of measurement in a from of categories and the data collected from independent measures. Chi Square = 0.26 Degrees of freedom = 1 Critical value at p As the observed value of chi-square was smaller than the critical value at a 5% level of significance, we cannot reject the null hypothesis and so it must be retained. The T-Test was appropriate for the data that was at a interval level of measurement in the form of numerical data as the data collected was from independent measures. Observed value of T = 30.88 Degrees of freedom = 1 Critical value at p As the observed value of T is higher than the critical value of T at a 5% level of significance the null hypothesis can be rejected. Discussion Explanation of findings The findings of this investigation found that the physical attractiveness of a defendant can lead to differing sentences. Overall the physically attractive defendant received a lighter sentence than the physically unattractive defendant. The T-Test was significant at the 0.05 level of significance supporting the assumption that the Halo effect will effect peoples views on whether a defendant is guilty or innocent. Relationship to background research There has been lots of research into whether the physical attractiveness can influence an individuals perception of persons qualities. Early research such as Stewart (1980) found that attractive defendants tended to receive lighter sentences and were less likely to receive prison sentences than unattractive individuals. Baron and Byrne (1997) also found that attractive defendants are more likely to receive lighter sentences and gain the sympathy of the jurors rather than unattractive individuals. This study supports these earlier findings and in addition shows that this bias can lead to differing prison sentences being awarded to defendants even when the crime committed is the same. This could be due to the halo effect which gives the tendency of a characteristic such as physical attractiveness to influence an individuals perception of persons qualities such as intelligence, social status and personal traits. This creates beautiful stereotypes which doesnt fit with the criminal stereotype such as scars, looking dirty etc. Although the results could be because the participants generally believed that the physically attractive defendant was guilty and the physically unattractive defendant wasnt. Limitations and modifications The study lacks ecological validity as in real life the participants would be in a jury and so there would be a discussion between 12 people of varying ages on what the punishment the defendant should receive. In this experiment 6th form students were used aged between 16-18 and they made the decisions on there own rather than discussing the defendants punishment. To improve this a simulated jury could be used where the experimenter asks 12 participants to act as a jury and discuss the sentence. Due to the participant sample used there was an sample bias as the study was on an opportunity sample of 6th form students. So the results can not be generalised to the whole population. There may have also been a problem due to demand characteristics as participants may have guessed the aims of the study and may have known what results were expected and answered accordingly. Another limitation of the study was that the experimenter knew the participants, so this may have lead the participants to write down what they thought the normal answer would be and not what they actually thought. So there may have been an social desirability bias. This could be dealt with by using a different target population and sample. Another limitation of this study is that some participants didnt find the unattractive defendant guilty as they didnt believe that she would be able to get people into bed and so voted her not guilty. Some participants also stated that they didnt believe that there as enough evidence to charge the defendants. Another limitation of the study was individual differences as the study used independent measure design and some participants said they found the unattractive defendant guilty as they didnt like her whereas some participants said they found the attractive defendant guilty as she was attractive whereas some said it was because she looked more promiscuous. Another way to make future results more reliable is to do the study again but make the participants be in groups of 12 like a real jury and see if the same results are found. This will be more reliable as in a real life juries would discuss the punishment before given defendants sentences. Implications and ideas for future research To make the results more reliable a larger sample size could be used as this would mean that more data could be analysed and this may leads to different results. Also a different age range may also lead to different results as the older people may take it more seriously. The important implications of this research shows that there is a bias in sentences given to defendants and to get rid of this bias juries may have to make there decisions by just looking at the research and maybe not be able to see the defendant in court as theres a screen in front of them and there voice is changed.

Fan Violence: Whos To Blame? Essay examples -- essays research papers

â€Å"These people want to hurt you. It’s frightening. You feel like you’re in a cage out there†. Reggie Smith, (Berger, 1990). Spectator violence at sporting events has been recorded throughout history. People who have power over the events, often team owners, indirectly influence the amount of spectator violence by encouraging the factors contributing to violence, in order to benefit themselves. Sale of alcohol, encouraging crowd intensity, creating rivalries, and targeting social groups, are factors affecting the degree of spectator violence and can be proven to be influenced by the owner’s actions. Therefore the blame for spectator violence can be attributed to whoever has power over the sport. Many historians suggest that an increase in spectator violence coincides with the commercialization of sports. Anthropologists agree that in societies where games were not for profit, they were enjoyed as celebrations of physical skill without competitiveness or violence between players or spectators (Berger, 1990). However, when people gained power or financially from the sporting events, spectator violence increased (Berger, 1990). Public spectacles and games were part of the Roman Empire. Each emperor had an amphitheater and the size of the crowd reflected the emperor’s wealth or power. The emperor through crowd excitement could influence spectator violence to such an extent that gladiators could be killed or freed depending on the crowd’s effect on the emperor (Robinson, 1998). The emperor encouraged the Roman working class, â€Å"to forget their own suffering, by seeing others suffer,† while the senators, and emperor would benefit financially from gambling p rofits (Robinson, 1998). With the commercialization of sports, owners’ profits increased with alcohol sales. Beer drinking has been an integral part of sports since the late 1870’s. Chris van der Alie noticed that his saloon did well when St. Louis Brown Stockings were in town. As a result, he decided to sell beer at the games. On February 12, 1880, Alie signed a contract with the Browns allowing him to sell alcohol on their property (Johnson, 1988). During a game on July 6, 1881, the first alcohol related brawl broke out in the crowd, injuring twenty spectators and killing two (Johnson, 1998). The signed contract with the Browns’ was a financial bonus for the owner, however permitting alcohol to be sold, might h... ...ger, G. (1990). Violence And Sports. New York: Library of Congress-in-Publication Data Johnson, O. (1988 August 8). Sports and Suds. Sports Illustrated, pp. 70-72 Atyeo, D. (1979). Blood and Guts. New York: Paddington Press Chapman, A. (1988, January 19). Violence Jeopardizes Tourney. Newsday, p. A4 Davidson, K. (1983, May 3). Study Links Boxing, Homicide. Newsday, p. A7 Berger, M. (1982). Sports Medicine. New York: Crowell Hazelton, L. (1989, April-May). British Soccer: The Deadly Game. New York Times Magazine, pp. 40-43 Robinson, L. (1998). Crossing The Line. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Taylor, R. (1992, June 16). Football and its Fans. St. Martin’s Press, p. B3 <a href="http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/baseball/bol/features/flashbacks/06_04_1974.html">http://cbs.sportsline.com/u/baseball/bol/features/flashbacks/06_04_1974.html Schumacher, E.F. (1975). Small is beautiful: Economics as if people mattered.New York: Harper and Row Tiger, L. (1970). Men In Groups. New York: Vintage. Bonney, N., & Giulianotti, R. (1994). Football Violence and Social Identity. New York: Routeledge Oliver, C. (1971). High For The Game. New York: Morrow.

The Life of Daniel Defoe Essay -- English Literature Authors Daniel De

The Life of Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe was easily one of the most influential and accomplished English author/writer of all time. Not only is Daniel Defoe considered as the founder of the English novel along with Samuel Richardson, but he was also a critical figure in European journalism and political commentary. Defoe has produced as much as 200 works of non fiction and 2,000 short essays in various periodical publications. In addition to over half a dozen full length novels such as Robinson Crusoe, a tale of a shipwrecked sailor stranded on a remote island. Defoe has done more than anyone else in his lifetime; he was a merchant, business owner, soldier, editor, journalist, and writer. Much of his life he was oppressed because of his religion, beliefs, and political and social ideals, because of his opposition to the church and state he was jailed and imprisoned many times. Defoe's writing reflected the fast growth of the English Middle class with new business opportunities in 1600-1700. Daniel Foe was born in London sometime in 1660 to an English butcher and candle merchant James Foe. He later changed his surname to Defoe, probably to return to his old foreign family name. His father was a Dissenter, a Presbyterian protestant who was not a part of the established Anglican Church. Defoe's mother died when he was 10, and his father sent him to boarding school. At the time Dissenters could not attend Cambridge and Oxford universities(unless they take an oath to the Church of England), in fact at the time Dissenters were prosecuted slightly by the Catholic who were the majority of the country. Dissenters had to send their children to dissenting academies. At the age of 14 Defoe went to attend a dissentin... ...and economic surroundings effected human nature. His novels are important in history because they mark an important break from traditional long poems and dramas. Defoe created reality of what we are reading by presenting realistic details and conditions. Defoe's complex lifestyle contributed to his understanding of people and the world. Annotated Bibliography "Daniel Defoe @ Catharton" . Biography of Daniel Defoe expressing his involvement with religion and politics. Books and Writers Online. . Biography of Daniel Defoe quoting and describing the work that he has published and produced. With a list of work along with dates. Daniel 'The True-Born Englishman' Defoe - Incomptech . Summery of important events in life of Daniel Defoe. His imprisonment and struggle by the Catholic church. "Daniel Defoe" World Book Encyclopedia. 234. 1992.

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Definition: Surfactant flooding is injection of one or more liquid chemicals and surfactants. The phase behaviour properties in the oil reservoir is effectively controlled by the surfactant, which then help to mobilize the trapped crude oil by reducing interfacial tension (IFT) between the injected liquid and the oil. So for the oil to move through the narrow capillary pores a very low oil or water IFT is needed. Surfactant flooding also increases the economic productivity. In order to improve the properties of the surfactant solution, co-surfactants are being mixed up into the liquid surfactant solution. This co-surfactant actually acts as a promoter or as an active agent in the mixed surfactant solution. This is to provide optimal conditions with respect to temperature, pressure and salinity. Reservoir has a certain physical characteristic, thus due to this characteristics e.g. adsorption; the binding of molecules to the rock and trapping of the fluid in the pore structure, considerable losses of the surfactant may occur. The stability of the surfactant system at reservoir cond...