Ethnic Diversity Essays - Social Inequality,

Ethnic Diversity Affirmative action can be defined as action taken to compensate for past unfairness in the education of minorities. The current system of affirmative action allows universities to admit applicants from certain ethnic and minority groups with lower credentials. The main purpose of affirmative action is to produce a diverse campus population that is comparable to today's society. The use of race as a facto by which someone is admitted to college in the long run will compromise the quality of the university. Implicating affirmative action to solve the problem of diversity on today's campuses has lead to the creation of problems. The discrimination against Caucasian and Asian American students a long with the toleration of lower quality work produced by African American students and other minority students is an example of the problems caused by Affirmative Action. Although affirmative action intends to do good, lowering the standards by which certain racial groups are admitted to colleg e is not the way to solve the problem of diversity in America's universities. The condition of America's public schools is directly responsible for the poor academic achievement of minority children. Instead of addressing educational discrepancies caused by poverty and discrimination, we are merely covering them up and pretending they do not exist, and allowing ourselves to avoid what it takes to make a dent in them--augmenting Head Start, improving high schools and spending more equally among schools (Jacoby 36). The implication of racial preference has given high schools permission to replace the tradition of achievement with a culture of entitlement. The feeling of the absence of enthusiasm for achievement is illustrated by John O'Sulllivan editor of the National Review hen he said, Restoring high standards in high school will take time; but it will not even begin until the corrupting influence of racial preference is removed. By not admitting under qualified minority students to America's premier universities, for example Stanford, hey have not been sent to exile. There are an enormous amount of top quality schools which they can attend and still achieve their dreams. Students admitted under the affirmative action plan are accepted with SAT scores 200 to 300 points lower than that of their Asian American and Caucasian competitors. The undergraduate admission process at the university of California at Los Angles is based on two standards. These standards are academic rating which are test scores and grades second are the supplemental ratings. These sees the students socioeconomic or educational disadvantages. UCLA then ranked each perspective student from 1, the highest, to 6, the lowest. UCLA accepts 40 to 60 percent of their students strictly on academic premise, but they do not achieve desirable diversity with theses students. The second group of students accepted contains those whose combine academic and supplemental rating give them an overall high sco re. In this group students with a low academic and high supplemental rating could till be acceptor. Of the 6,801 students accepted on their academic criteria lone, only 77 or about 1 percent were African American. Of Asian American and Caucasian students 81 percent had an academic rankings of one or two. For the African American and Mexican applicants less than 13 percent of those admitted had an academic rankings of 1 or 2. UCLA is significantly lowering the standards by which they are accepting minorities in order to achieve diversity. It is ludicrous to try to establish racial report nationalism in university entrance as a test of a system's excellence. The most important thing is the number of students who graduate with good marks. Once admitted, the performance among affirmative action students and other students differs. Among white and Asian American students, at lest 80 percent of them graduate within 5 years. Less than half of the enrolled African American students graduate in that amount of time. In the class of 1990 admitted at UCLA, the average Caucasian grade was just above a B while the African American average was just above a C. It is unreasonable to think that the students admitted through affirmative action will be bel to produce the same quality work that the better qualified students can. Studies done at the department of education how that Hispanics will leave college early

Ethical Considerations in Respect of Advertising, Sales Promotion, Pricing, Product Packaging and Obsolescence Essay Example

Ethical Considerations in Respect of Advertising, Sales Promotion, Pricing, Product Packaging and Obsolescence Essay Example Ethical Considerations in Respect of Advertising, Sales Promotion, Pricing, Product Packaging and Obsolescence Paper Ethical Considerations in Respect of Advertising, Sales Promotion, Pricing, Product Packaging and Obsolescence Paper Assignment: Ethical considerations in respect of advertising, sales promotion, pricing, product packaging and obsolescence. 2011 Introduction Ethics is concerned with what is right and what is wrong. Ethics relate to moral evaluations of decisions and actions as right or wrong on the basis of commonly accepted principles of behaviour (Dibb et. al. , 1997), in other words, ethics are the moral principles and values that govern the actions or/and decisions of an individual or group. They serve as guidelines on how to act rightly and justly when faced with moral dilemmas. Sometimes the line between what is considered ethical and unethical is difficult to distinguish since what is right and wrong differs depending on such factors as nationality, culture, sex etc. Ethics is individually defined and may vary from one person to another. Many people wrongly assume that only actions that violate laws are considered unethical. Some activities can be unethical even though no laws are violated, for example, it can be considered as unethical activity for companies to aggressively promote unhealthy food to children though such promotional practices are generally in the world not viewed as illegal. It is believed that good marketing is ethical marketing. Practicing ethics in marketing means deliberately applying standards of fairness, or moral rights and wrongs, to marketing decision making, behaviour, and practice in the organization. While the most basic ethical principles have been codified as laws and regulations to conform to the standards of society, marketing ethics goes beyond legal and regulatory issues. Ethical marketing practices and principles are the main that establish trust, which will help to gain and maintain the reputation of the company and to build long-term marketing relationships. The purpose of this assignment is to define and explain ethical marketing considerations in respect of advertising, sales promotions, product quality, packaging, obsolescence, pricing and consumer manipulation. Promotion and advertising Some marketing activities may create ethical issues, for example, false, misleading and negative advertising, manipulative or deceptive sales promotions etc. An ethical issue is an identifiable problem, situation or opportunity requiring an individual or organisation to choose from among several actions that must be evaluated as right or wrong, ethical or unethical. Any time any marketing activity causes customers to feel deceived, manipulated or cheated, a marketing ethical issue exists, regardless on the legality of that activity (Dibb et. al. , 1997). The visibility of advertising, coupled with its role as persuasive communication, results in it being the area of marketing most affected by ethical issues. The major ethical issues in advertising and sales promotion are their misleading or deceptive aspects and the social harm attributed to advertising. Unethical actions in advertising can destroy the trust that customers have in the company. First to mention is false, deceptive or misleading advertising. As advertising has the potential to persuade people into commercial transactions that they might otherwise avoid, many governments around the world use legal regulations to control false, deceptive or misleading advertising. An advertisement is deceptive if there is a representation, omission or practice that is likely to mislead consumers in a material way – and is therefore ethically wrong. Advertisers must be able to substantiate claims about product performance. Second to mention is advertising that involves ambiguous statement – statements using words so weak that the viewer, reader or listener must infer advertisers’ intended messages (Dibb et. al. , 1997). Third to mention is advertising that involves violence, profanity and propaganda of sex. Fourth to mention is attack advertisements that unfairly denigrate competitors, so called negative advertising. In negative advertising, the advertiser highlights the disadvantages of competitor products rather than the advantages of their own. Sales promotion Personal selling as a type of sales promotions is to be mentioned regarding ethical issues, because some consumers may perceive salespeople as an unethical when persuading and pressing to purchase the products that they neither need nor want, so called high-pressure selling. A common problem in personal selling is judging about what types of sales activities are acceptable and what are not. Although most sales people are ethical, some do engage in questionable actions, such as aggressive and manipulative tactics, or not telling the customers the truth about the product, or making customers to believe that they will get more value than they actually do. Deceptive or misleading promotion â€Å"includes practices such as overstating the products’ features or performance, luring the customers to the store for a bargain that is out of stock, or running rigged contests† (Kotler et. l. , 2002). Pricing Ethical pricing means such type of pricing so as to avoid taking undue advantage of the highly price-inelastic demand for a product (Schoell, 1990). Price fixing (bid rigging), predatory pricing (dumping), failure to disclose the full price associated with a purchase, price discrimination, price skimming, price cartels and price wars are typical ethical issues in pricing policies. Most of the pricing policies mentioned above are illegal. The emotional and subjective nature of price creates many situations in which misunderstandings between the seller and buyer cause ethical problems. Marketers have the right to price their products so that they earn a reasonable profit, but ethical issues may crop up when company seeks to ear high profits at the expense of its customers. (Dibb et. al. , 1997). Product packaging Deceptive packaging includes exaggerating package contents through subtle design, not filling the package to the top, using misleading labelling, or describing size in the misleading terms (Kotler et. l. , 2002). Product obsolescence Product obsolescence can be planned and functional, planned obsolescence means a strategy of causing products to become obsolete before they actually need replacement (for example, electronics, fashion and computer industry) (Kotler et. al. , 2002), but functional obsolescence occurs when technological breakthroughs render an existing product out-of-date. Three types of planned obsolescence exist: postponed, internationally designed and fashion or style. Postponed obsolescence means holding back and adding product improvements until present inventories run out or demand falls out sharply. Internationally designed obsolescence involves designing a product, or a critical part, to wear out within a given period of time. Fashion or style obsolescence is psychological – new model cars make last year’s models obsolete (Schoell, 1990). References: Dibb, S. , Simkin, L. , Pride, W. M. , Ferrell, O. C. (1997), Marketing, Concepts and strategies, Third European edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, U. S. A, pp. 738-49. Kotler, P. , Armstrong, G. , Saunders, J. , Wong, V. (2002), Principles of marketing, Third European edition, Pearson Education Limited, Edinburgh, England, pp. 43-68. Schoell, W. F. , Guiltinan, J. P. (1990), Marketing contemporary concepts and practices, Fourth edition, Allyn anb Bacon, Massachusetts, pp. 27-29, 60-64, 313, 649.

Oil and the U.S. economy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Oil and the U.S. economy - Assignment Example The US remains very dependent on these foreign oil reserves for its functioning economy which leaves us helpless to disruption. The US consumes more than 25% of the world’s oil and this is going up by 2% every year; 57% of this oil being consumed is imported from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Mexico (Churchill). What this means is the US is built around the use of oil for cheap, reliable energy. The US economy, from its most basic consumer base, cannot survive without it for very long. Despite the US’s clear dependence on foreign oil the US is less dependent on this oil as it was in 1973 and 1980. According to the New York Times, â€Å"the energy used for each dollar of gross domestic product in 1980 was almost 70 percent greater than it is today. While we have collectively wrung our hands over the decline of manufacturing in the country, it has also reduced the relationship between energy prices and growth† (Goolsbee). The US commuter is more dependent than ever though. People live farther from their work and drive more. Because fuel efficiency standards in the US stopped going up in 1990, fuel inefficiency creates a higher demand among US commuter for oil to fill their tanks. When oil prices go up dramatically like in summer of 2008 the US commuter was forced to make difficult choices, and the economy scaled back because the consumer was left in shock by such high prices. This oil shock was right before the economic downturn (Panzner). On the stock market commodity prices and stock prices have an interesting relationship. When commodities go down in value, stocks usually go up in value (Mitchell). This relationship causes some people to look at oil prices in relation to the US economy as a whole when thinking about where the US economy will be going. Oil prices are a big commodity that many analysts look at, and if oil prices change, commodities in general change. This is because oil

Are American cultural myths just that--Myths Research Paper

Are American cultural myths just that--Myths - Research Paper Example This myth can be traced back to the origin of America. However, in today’s scenario, how much this myth still holds true today will be considered in this paper. America originated to provide opportunities to its entrants; however, it has not fulfilled its promise to its full extent. This fact cannot be denied that America accommodated all who entered its territories but the resident will see progress and success is not wholly true. Franklin Benjamin, in his article, â€Å"America as the Land of Opportunity† (1751), explains that America was a new land, which had space for many entrants and offered people with their bright futures. The land was very accommodative and the level of people’s profession increased with their struggle in the profession as Franklin Benjamin (1751) informs that America was a place, â€Å"where no Man continues long a Laborer for others, but gets a Plantation of his own, no Man continues long a Journeyman to a Trade but goes among those n ew Settlers, and set up for himself† and so on. Every person who entered the new land had an opportunity to see himself and his family prosperous and successful. American dream is an interrelated term with the myth of America as a land of opportunity. ... There was chance for one’s family to receive better educational, health and other facilities. The American dream allowed the new settlers to enjoy their lives the way they liked. They were given all the opportunities to lead a happy life with all the facilities that they required. There were no restrictions for the new settlers in terms of exercising their religious practices, promoting their cultures and making use of their own languages due to which, America is a multicultural country today where we can find people from diverse cultures all over the world (Cullen 126). This provides the original definition of America as a land of opportunity. Eighteenth century saw the early settlers in America while with the passage of time, people from different nations came for settling purposes to America (Brueggmann 51). These people also showed interest towards transforming their luck. They had high rated ideas about their future success and development. America as a new land offered i ts dwellers with all the chances that it could provide. However, when people assembled in America to a large extent, they faced the same deprivations as others faced in their own countries. Pete Davis (2009) explains about America’s being a land of opportunity as an image that is incorrectly built as he informs that other nations provide better facilities to their residents in terms of mobility as compared to America. People are not able to transform their status altogether because of economic problems that shift from one generation to other. According to Pete Davis (2009), â€Å"if you're born poor in America, you're likely to remain poor† because

Therapies Approaches Essay Example for Free

Therapies Approaches Essay What are the major strengths and weaknesses of the following approaches to therapy? (A) Psychoanalysis: The main goal of psychoanalysis is to resolve internal conflicts that lead to emotional suffering. Traditional psychoanalysis called for three to five therapy sessions a week, however, treatment may still go on for years for the sake of increasing the application and the accuracy of the analysis of the behavioral development of the clients attended with through the said therapy. Today through the application of the new approaches of psychology, the said therapy has already been briefed to be able to give ample and accurate solutions to issues that clients are supposed to take into consideration. This therapy is then noted for its capability to analyze the different factors that contribute to the situations that clients are primarily involved with. However, with the lengthened way of applying the process, finding solutions becomes less applicative in this manner of psychological approach. (B) Person-centered therapy: Individual-focused, this is the characteristic of this particular approach. Since it is individual, the subject becomes more concise and much easier to identify. Having to deal with the issue through the singularity of the subject actually notes the possibility of being more specific with the solutions that are formulated along the application of the therapy. However, being individually centered makes the approach less broad. (C) Behavior therapy: Behavior centered therapy incites the importance of approaching the problem through knowing who and how the person or the client is dealing with the situations that he is facing in life. Through this therapy, the examination of the situation shall be based on the ideal character of the person being dealt with. This makes the process of understanding the problem more accurate and more efficient. (D) Cognitive therapy: This therapy actually notes the process of using the attitudes and reactions of the clients to be able to create the most possible solution available for the problem to be answered. Considerably, cognitive therapy is actually an approach that estimates the specific manner by which people react to the different issues that they deal with everyday. Although effective in many ways, it is indeed noticeable how this particular therapy is subjected to some issues since people change every now and then. (E) Drug therapy: Medication may not be as effective as expected all the time. At some point, this process may even result to a more complicated problem that could be due to overdose. Although helpful, too many limitations should be considered in pursuing this particular approach in psychological therapy. References: Samuel E. Wood, Ellen Green Wood, and Denise Boyd. (2007). Mastering the World of Psychology (3rd Edition) (MyPsychLab Series). Allyn Bacon; 3 edition.

Angry and Ignorant: Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College Essay

â€Å"Ignorance is bliss†. The line from Thomas Gray’s poem, Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College, published in 1747, has lasted throughout the ages due to its omnipresent applicableness. This is especially seen in the public’s view on war before World War II. Before pictures and news reports from the World Wars were publicized, the United States home front did not see a problem with going to war. All they had heard from the war was propagandize success. However, some people, like poets Carl Sandburg and Nan Braymer, knew the true brutality of war. In Buttons and Five Day Requiem for Vietnam, Sandburg and Braymer both use aggressive diction and imagery to portray different themes; Buttons creates a theme that people are often ignorant to things that are unpleasant, and Five Day Requiem for Vietnam creates a theme that loss of control can lead to anger. The aggressive diction in Buttons reflects the attitude towards war during World War I. In this time, pictures and information about the brutality of war were just getting out to the public, but most did not pay attention. Sandburg says the buttons, which represented the soldiers, were â€Å"shoved† around the map, showing that people were ignorant to the trials of war. If the people at home knew what the soldiers were going through for them, they would be more considerate to the buttons. Even the way the map was â€Å"slammed† up onto the board outside the newspaper stand was not showing it the recognition and respect it deserves. Because the people did not understand the unpleasant happenings of World War I, they did not show proper respect to the map and the buttons. Likewise, Braymer uses aggressive diction in Five Day Requiem for Vietnam to express the anger that the fighting soldie... ... devices of imagery and aggressive diction, Sandburg and Braymer both create different themes. Sandburg uses the devices to convey that people are often ignorant to that which is unpleasant to hear, and Braymer conveys the theme that loss of control can lead to anger. Even though the poems were written about World War I and Vietnam, the themes created are still seen in human nature today. There is always a problem that people choose to ignore instead of working to improve, and there will always be people lashing out due to manipulation. This reveals how, even with societal developments, human nature will never really change. Works Cited "Carl Sandburg Poems - Buttons." Carl Sandburg Poems - Buttons. Andyy Barr Productions, 1998. Web. 04 Nov. 2013. "Voices Education Project." Nan Braymer: Five Day Requiem for Vietnam. Marilyn Turkovich, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2013.

Has the Time Come to Legalize Drugs? Essay

Legalization of drugs — long an issue championed mainly by fringe groups — is rapidly moving to the mainstream in Latin America. Last week’s surprise statement by former Mexican President Vicente Fox in support of â€Å"legalizing production, sales and distribution† of drugs made big headlines around the world. Fox, a former close U.S. ally who belongs to the same center-right political party as President Felipe Calderà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n, rocked the boat at home by indirectly criticizing the very premise of Calderon’s all-out military offensive against Mexico’s drug cartels, which has cost 28,000 lives since 2006. Calderon immediately responded that he opposes legalization of drugs, although he has opened a dialogue with political parties about the future of his country’s anti-drug policies. The left-of-center Party of the Democratic Revolution announced that it supports â€Å"de facto legalization† of drugs. Fox’s statement, first published Saturday in his blog, went far beyond a 2009 joint declaration by former Presidents Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil, Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and Cesar Gaviria of Colombia. In that statement, the three former leaders questioned the effectiveness of the U.S. war on drugs and proposed de-criminalizing possession of marijuana for personal use. While the three centrist former presidents’ proposal amounted to not prosecuting people for consuming marijuana, Fox’s proposal calls for legalization of all major drugs — the whole enchilada. In an extended interview, Fox told me that he is making his proposal because drug-related violence in Mexico has reached intolerable levels, and because the experience of other countries such as the Netherlands has shown that allowing drug sales has not significantly driven up drug consumption. â€Å"Prohibitionist policies have hardly worked anywhere,† Fox told me. â€Å"Prohibition of alcohol in the United States [in the 1920’s] never worked, and it only helped trigger violence and crime.† Since possession of small amounts of marijuana has already been decriminalized in Mexico, what’s needed now are bolder steps, such as legalizing drug production and using the taxes it generates to fund anti-drug education programs, he said. â€Å"What I’m proposing is that, instead of allowing this business to continue being run by criminals, by cartels, that it be run by law-abiding business people who are registered with the Finance Ministry, pay taxes and create jobs,† Fox said. Fox called for a reversal of Calderà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n’s decision to send the army into the streets to fight the drug cartels because â€Å"the army is not prepared to do police work, and we are seeing day to day how the army’s image is losing ground in Mexico† as a result of this war. Why didn’t you come out with this proposal when you were president? I asked. Fox responded that legalization was often discussed in Cabinet meetings during his presidency, but that the urgency of such a measure has increased since â€Å"because of the extraordinary cost we are paying in a drop in tourism, a drop in investments and a lack of attention to education and health.† In a separate interview, White House drug czar R. Gil Kerlikowske told me that drug legalization is a â€Å"non-starter† in the Obama administration. Kerlikowske disputed the idea that alcohol prohibition drove up crime in the United States in the 1920s, arguing that there were no reliable crime statistics at the time. And he rejected the notion that there has been no major increase in drug consumption in the Netherlands. â€Å"In the Netherlands, consumption did go up. In fact, the Netherlands has been in the process of closing down hundreds of the marijuana cafes that had been in existence because of the problems that are occurring,† he said. My opinion: I’m not convinced that a blanket legalization of drugs would work because government regulation of the cocaine and heroin businesses in countries that already have high corruption rates would result in greater official corruption. On the other hand, it’s clear that after four years of Calderà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n’s U.S.-backed war on drugs, the cartels are smuggling more drugs, killing more people and becoming richer. Perhaps the time has come to take a step-by-step approach and start a serious debate about passing laws that would regulate legal production of marijuana, alongside massive education campaigns to discourage people from using it. Then, we could see who is right and consider what to do next. (c) Miami Herald. Miami Herald content is the intellectual property of Miami Herald. Any copying, republication or redistribution of Miami Herald content is expressly prohibited by federal law. Miami Herald shall not be liable for any errors or delays in content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/08/12/1772336/has-the-time-come-to-legalize.html Commentary Number 1 The question raised in this article is a complex one. Mexican President Felipe Calderà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½n’s hesitancy at enforcing drug-legalization policies is understandable, as the legalization of drugs in a drug-war-torn country such as Mexico can be beneficial or adverse from an economic point of view. One might argue that such measures would bring about a series of negative externalities on the public such as harmful health effects. A majority believes that the legalization of drugs will increase crime rates; most people under the influence of narcotics are prone to violent crimes. However, the reasons ex-President Vicente Fox has for de-criminalizing drugs appear to outweigh the adverse effects. The law of demand states that as price falls, the quantity demanded rises, and as prices rise, quantity demanded falls. This illustrates that legalization of drugs will reduce the profit criminals make. Every time the government takes hold of a drug dealer and the products he is selling, supply of the drug to the illegal drug market is reduced. If there is a reduced supply, there is an increase in price of the good. Drug-addicts are helpless, and thus they will buy the drug for the higher price, giving the criminal dealer more profit. Every time the government thinks it is winning its drug war, it is actually losing; the illegal state of these drugs aids the dealers, harming the government. Figure 2 Price elasticity of demand of a good is a measure of the extent to which the quantity demanded of a good changes when its price changes. As is illustrated on Figures 1 and 2, due to the fact that drugs are a necessity to drug-addicts, they are willing to buy pretty much the same quantity of the drug at any price, thus making the price elasticity of demand of drugs inelastic (when the quantity demanded remains similar as the price changes). If drugs are legalized, the government can benefit from its demand price inelasticity by taxing on drugs, and thus making more profit that can be allocated accordingly. Drug consumers will not care whether they are paying more than they should be and will buy the legal drug at the price it is sold legally. Other people will notice why the drug is inelastic, and will avoid them due to its addictive dangers. Thus, the absence of undercover drug dealing will show people the dangers of drugs and lead to consumers and producers providing less of the drug once the government starts taxing, thus leading to a smaller population using them. The most beneficial aspect of drug legalization in Mexico would be taxing on the drug. As demand for drugs is inelastic, the tax revenue raised will be large. Additionally, the deadweight loss (fall in total surplus consumers and producers make) will be smaller as the consumers will not consume less at first even though producers will produce at a less quantity. These are shown on Figure 3. The consumers will pay more taxes as they desperately need to buy the drug, and eventually will try and consume less when they become financially diminished. They will seek rehabilitation, and thus shrink the market for drugs. If the government correctly uses the revenues raised by taxing on drugs to promote healthcare and drug rehabilitation, the Mexican economy can cause a decline in overall drug sale and use. Figure 3 In conclusion, Mexico’s ex-President Vicente Fox should proceed with convincing the government to legalize drugs, as this measure will not only reduce consumption and production of these harmful products, but also promote society and the economy by raising revenue to enhance health and other aspects of the economy that need betterment.