Saturday, September 7, 2019
Enviromental problems in Haiti Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words
Enviromental problems in Haiti - Essay Example e, flooding in Mapou and Fond-Verettes caused the death of over 2,000 Haitians in May 2004 and only 4 months later, in September 2004, 3,000 people died after Tropical Storm Jeanne / Forum on the Environmental Crisis in Haiti, 2004 /. Haiti is an island, which constitutes 1/3 of Hispaniola, and occupies 1,770 km of coastline. Due to the climate and geographical situation the island had extremely rich flora and fauna, but in the last century great climate changes occurred, which caused the change of the whole general view of the island. One of the greatest problems of Haiti is deforestation of major territory of the island. Over 98% of all forests covering the island were destroyed, which entailed serious consequences like massive land erosion and sedimentation, which in its turn had the gravest possible effect on marine resources / Haiti and San Andrà ©s Join COSALC, 2006 /. Now when we look at the natural picture of the Haiti island we would see a grave picture: of previously rich forests only 1.5 % survived, 15,000 hectares of arable land become unsuitable every year, almost all water sources are seriously contaminated, rich biodiversity of Haiti was greatly influenced and destroyed /Paryski, 1996 /. The worse is that that the biological problems of Haiti go beyond the problems of the single island but threatens the environment of neighboring islands. For example, the same environmental problems are now also experienced in the Dominican Republic. The whole Hispaniola felt that the population of wintering and breeding birds reduced sharply and coral reefs disappear sharply /Paryski, 1996 /. Now let us dwell in more detail on the problems of the environment of Haiti. It should be also remembered that these problems are for the most part common with the other small island developing states. The first problem concerns land resources, which decrease considerably due to the bad-considered land use policy, great number and density of the population and the influence
Friday, September 6, 2019
The Utilitarianism approach Essay Example for Free
The Utilitarianism approach Essay 1. What do Act Utilitarianism believes? How do their beliefs differ from those of Rule Utilitarianism? According to Aggabao (2013), act utilitarianism (AU) capture that people must implement that deed that well bring about the greatest benefit for all people who concerned. Act utilitarianism believes that each situation is different from other situations. On other word each situation is unique and non-repeatable. So each individual has to try to avoid about the greatest number of good consequences for greatest number of people in specific situation and time. For example, teachers, who try and make their best to avoid their students with a greatest amount of their knowledge, are moral and act utilitarianists. This behavior from those teachers will lead to the greatest good consequences. Students will be able to answer their papers very well without any help from any sources (of course in specific time which is the semester and in specific situation which is the effort of teachers to teach students.). The differences between AU and RU are coming from what their beliefs involved. Act Utilitarianism (AU) believes that each situation is different. In contrast, rule utilitarianism (RU) believes that is people should reside and chase that the rule, of the place where they live, that will lead to great benefits for all concerned. For example, everyone should follow the traffic laws. If everybody follow these rules, that will bring about the greatest good consequences for greatest number of people. Act Utilitarianism requires simple rational thinking because the situations are different naturally, while Rule Utilitarianism requires rational, reasonable, and complex thinking from individual to establish between the rules. While RU control the generating greatest good, in AU greatest good are achieved automatically as a consequence of the actions.
Thursday, September 5, 2019
Concepts of Power and Resistance
Concepts of Power and Resistance Power and Resistance Where there is power, there is resistance, and yet, or rather consequently, this resistance is never in a position of exteriority in relation to power (Foucault, 1978: 95-96). In human sciences one of the main issues has always been the relationship of resistance to power. Where there is power, there is resistance; power affirms that there exists resistance and visa versa. But before starting to think about resistance, we have to take in mind that power is no longer considered a unitary, constant force that emanates from a particular social class or institution, rather it is seen as a more tenuous fabric of hegemonic forms (Constable, 2007: 11). Foucault (1978: 95-96) questions our assumption that power is always and essentially repressive, he wants to show how power also can be positively in a way that it can produce forms of pleasure, systems of knowledge, goods, and discourses and that it not only works negatively, by denying, restricting, prohibiting and repressing (Abu-Lughod, 1990: 42). The focus within studies of resistance recently shifted from large-scale collective revolts to more unlikely forms of resistance such as subversions and small or loca l resistances which do not especially aim to overthrow the system and which do not result from ideologies of emancipation (Abu-Lughod, 1990: 41). Hence both concepts have turned to be more complex than initially supposed, but this makes it even more interesting and more widely applicable to various situations where people try to construct their life within structures of power. Resistance The term resistance has been used by many scholars to describe a wide range of actions and behaviours in all aspects of human social life and in different settings. Hollander and Einwohner (2004: 534) illustrated how everything from revolutions to hairstyles has been described as resistance. Consequently following from the diversity of actions and behaviours which used to be named as resistance, they found in their analysis of the concept that there is little agreement on the definition (ibid: 234). Therefore it is important to outline the range of characteristics that can exist within the concept of resistance. First of all the scale whereat the resistance occurs has not always the same size; acts of resistance may be for example individual or collective, widespread or limited to local areas. Levels of coordination are also variable, in some situations there will be a higher extent in which the resisters intentionally act together, than in other. Thereby the targets where resistance is directed to also differs, they vary from individuals to groups and from organizations to institutions and social structures. As well the direction or goals are variable, while resistance mainly is understood to be aimed at achieving some sort of change, sometimes it is possible that the behaviour described as resistance aims to constrain change. Finally, while resistance is generally understood to be a political action, some writers suggest that resistance can also be identity-based (ibid: 536-537). Action and Opposition After having observed the dimensions of variation of resistance Hollander and Einwohner (ibid: 537) tried to describe the core elements of resistance to see how all these phenomena can be described with the same term. They identified action and opposition as two core elements within the discussions of resistance where authors seem to agree on. Resistance is not a quality of an actor or a state of being, but involves some active behaviour, whether verbal, cognitive, or psychical, and another component common to almost all uses is a sense of opposition. After having identified these core elements, the lines of disagreements became clearer, which made them realize that several debates of resistance above all differed in their position on two central issues: recognition and intent (ibid: 537). Recognition and Intention Acts of resistance are not always equally visible, their variation in visibility becomes clearer when we analyze the contrast between everyday resistance and more (and more obviously contentious) forms of political mobilization. Sometimes the intention of resistance is to be recognized, while other resistance is purposefully hidden, so recognition depends in part on the goals of the people who resist (ibid: 540). While Scott (1985) in his book about modes of everyday resistance among peasant workers argues that resistance need not to be recognized as such and that it may remain relatively invisible to the powerful, other scholars define resistance as necessarily provoking recognition and even reaction from others (Hollander Einwohner, 2004: 541). This level of recognition also varies depending on the two different groups of others who can identify an act as resistance, to wit targets and observers. The first group contains those to whom the act is directed and the second group can comprise the general public, members of the media and researchers (ibid: 542). After the question if oppositional action must be readily apparent to others, and if it must in fact be recognized as resistance, Hollander and Einwohner wonder if the actor must be aware that she or he is resisting some exercise of power and intending to do so for an action to qualify resistance (ibid: 542). Also on this matter scholars do not completely agree, roughly classified Hollander and Einwohner (2004) distinguish three different views. The first group of scholars believes that the actors conscious intent is a core element to be able to classify certain behaviour as resistance. The second group thinks that measuring intent is difficult or even impossible, as resistance not only arises in public, but also privately. People in these cases may be conscious of oppression and may intend to resist in some fashion, but this will not be visible and therefore impossible to measure. Following to the last group of scholars we must not focus on the intent, as resistance can occur cons ciously or unconsciously, concentrating on intent will neglect important forms of resistance (ibid: 542). Types of Resistance Hollander and Einwohner (2004) didnt want to define the verities and the falsities among all possible meanings and contends of the term resistance. Therefore they decided to analyse the various opinions to see if it would be possible to describe different forms of resistance without judging what is wrong and what is not. They already observed that all scholars seemed to agree that resistance implied oppositional action of some kind. Leaving discords about whether resistance must be intended by actors or whether it must be recognized by targets and/or observers. They therefore argue that it is useful to think of resistance in terms of distinct types, each defined by a different combination of actors intent, targets recognition, and observers recognition. Not all scholars will agree that all behaviours summarized in Table 1 should be called resistance, but it will help to emphasize again the core elements of resistance. The first type, overt resistance, comprises for example social movements and revolutions, and individual acts of refusal. It is visible behaviour, which is recognized by both targets as observers as resistance and is also intended to be recognized as such. Covert resistance refers to acts as gossip and subtle subversion in the workplace; they are intentional but go unnoticed by their targets. However they are recognized as resistance by culturally aware observers. These two forms of intentional forms of resistance are followed by some unintentional forms of resistance. The first one is recognized as resistance by both the observers as the targets but is not meant as such. And the second one contains so called self-defined targets who may be the only ones who recognize certain behaviour as resistance (target-defined resistance). A separate category contains externally-defined resistance, these are acts of resistance that are neither intended nor recognized as resistance by actors or their targets, but are labelled by third parties. The last two forms of resistance go to a certain degree unnoticed by others. If recognized by their target but unrecognized by third-party observers, they have called it missed resistance. If an actors intent ional act goes unnoticed by both targets and observers alike, it may be classified as attempted resistance (ibid: 544-547). Interaction Understanding the interaction between resisters, targets, and third parties plays a central role in the comprehension of resistance. Resistance is socially constructed; resisters, targets, and observers all participate in this construction (ibid: 548). Of course often there is no overall agreement on the question if certain behaviour can be seen as resistance or not. What one observer (or participant) sees as resistance, another may see as accommodation or even domination this does not only happen between the different participative groups but also within the parties there is variation. Resistance is a complex set of thoughts and behaviours (Ortner, 1995: 175). Dichotomizing resistance and dominators ignores the fact that there are multiple systems of hierarchy, and that individuals can be simultaneously powerful and powerless within different systems (Hollander Einwohner, 2004: 548). In her article about resistance and the concept of dà ©brouillardise (a way of social manipulation) used by Auvergnat farmers in rural France, Deborah Reed-Danahay (1993: 223) describes how Kondo (1990: 221) based on her research in Japan also emphasizes the intertwining of power and meaning, so that no one can be without power. Everyday Resistance After appointing the different types of resistance, it is necessary to take a first glimpse into possible forms of resistance among undocumented migrants to see on what kind of forms we have to continue focussing. First of all, it is obvious that undocumented migrants wont participate in any overt form of resistance (i.e. demonstrations) because it probably endangers their precarious situation. Therefore it is not very likely that the target of the resistance will recognize their acts as such. It will also vary if the acts are intended as resistance. Consequently, it is more likely that possible forms of resistance among undocumented migrants will be: covert resistance, attempted resistance and externally-defined resistance. Especially the first two forms of resistance are familiar to Scotts concept of everyday resistance. He describes: What everyday forms of resistance share with the more dramatic public confrontations is of course that they are intended to mitigate or deny claims made by superordinate classes or to advance claims vis-à -vis those superordinate classes. Where institutionalized politics are formal, overt, concerned with systematic, de jure change, everyday resistance is informal, often covert, and concerned largely with immediate, de facto gains (Scott, 1990: 32-33). Scott points out different expressions of everyday resistance: foot dragging, dissimulation, false compliance, smuggling, etc. He refers to these practices as hidden transcripts (Scott, 1990) that are not easily visible in official transcripts and those on-stage behaviours controlled by elites (Reed-Danahay, 1993: 222). He described the existence of a too strongly focus on official and public transcripts of culture resulting in an underestimation of subordinated people and argued for a look into the unofficial transcripts to see the variety of forms of resistance taking place in this area of social life (ibid: 223). Though, Reed-Danahay (ibid: 223) points at a, ly to her, disturbing simplification [by Scott] by describing resistance as something which can be found in the hidden transcripts of the weak while only conformity becomes visible in the public transcripts of both the weak and the strong. This derives from the fact that he sees ideology as a coherent message, while there is c ontradiction and ambiguity in any discourse (ibid: 223) Everyday Practices Similar to Scotts everyday resistance is Michel de Certeaus (1984) concept of everyday practices. He divides strategies and tactics and explains why many everyday practices are not strategic but tactical in character. A strategy is the calculus of force-relationships which becomes possible when a subject of will and power can be isolated from an environment. Strategies possess their own place which forms a starting point from where relations with the outside can be generated. Tactics on the other hand, do not possess their own place, so the other cannot be singled out as a visible totality. Tactics constantly manipulate events to turn them into opportunities. De Certeau (ibid: xix) describes: A tactic insinuates itself into the others place, fragmentarily, without taking it over in its entirety, without being able to keep it at a distance. Everyday practices are a gathering of ways of operating characterized by victories of the weak over the strong and consisting of clever tricks, knowing how to get away with things, hunters cunning, manoeuvres, polymorphic situations, etc (De Certeau, 1984: xix). Tactics produce a certain movement within the system. They show to what extent it is possible to use intelligence to consort power within the daily struggle. Strategies, on the contrary, have a rather ambiguous relation with power. They use the instruments of the power for their own purposes. Hence, the structure of power where the strategies compete against at the same time sustains them (De Certeau, 1984: xviii). Scotts concept of everyday resistance, consisting of practices as foot dragging, dissimulation and smuggling tends to be more similar to strategies than to tactics. While De Certeaus concept of ways of operating (or everyday practices), like knowing how to get away with things, are more tactical in character. We could say that strategies aspire to undermine the structures of power and thus are more saturated with a notion of resistance, whereas tactics not only aim to resist, but also comprise an accommodating component. Cunning Despite their differences, De Certeau and Scott are concerned with the same kind of behaviour. Reed-Danahay (1993: 222) presupposes to use the concept of cunning to refer to this behaviour. ly to her, Detienne and Vernants (1978: 3-4 in Reed-Danahay: 1993: 222) description of the Greek quality of metis summarizes accurately the significance of cunning: [it] combine(s) flair, wisdom, forethought, subtlety of mind, deception, resourcefulness, vigilance, opportunism, various skills and experience acquired over the years. It is applied in situations which are transient, shifting, disconcerting, and ambiguous, situations which do not lead themselves to precise measurement, exact calculation, or rigorous logic (1978: 3-4; quoted in Scott 1990: 164 in ibid: 222). Also De Certeau (1984: xix) is conscious about the connection between metis and his ways of operating. Together with cunning, metis refers to the idea of Goffmans concept of making do in difficult situations and overcoming hardships (Reed-Danahay, 1993: 223). ly to Reed-Danahay, resistance suggests a mechanical metaphor of solid bodies coming into contact. Unlike resistance, cunning includes some fluidity in social life, leaving room for play or manipulation (ibid: 223). Dà ©brouillardise Reed-Danahay therefore speaks of a more complex notion of power and resistance, where forms of power lay both with agents of the dominant culture and with the resisting people themselves (ibid: 224). In her fieldwork in a mountain valley in the Auvergne region of central France she describes how people from a place fictionally named Lavialle have adopted a stance of resistance to agents who threaten their cultural autonomy. She shows how these farmers use the French concept of dà ©brouillardise as a manner to talk about social manipulation expressing accommodation, resistance, cunning, ways of making out and ways of making do (ibid: 221). Dà ©brouillardise connotes both resisting domination and other forms of social manipulation or even partial accommodation. It is a form of everyday resistance and it is a way of taking advantage of a situation that presents itself. Dà ©brouillardise has a dual nature, it consist of both making out and making do and is associated with both defensi ve postures and coping strategies in everyday life (ibid: 224). Conclusion Migrants and Resistance Abu-Lughod and romanticizing resistance With the concept of dà ©brouillardise Reed-Danahay tries to cover the gap between theory and practice. This is viable because the villagers she observes are actually using the concept in their ordinary language. According to her dà ©brouillardise refers to a more complex form of power than the theories of Scott (ibid: 224). Dà ©brouillardise Accomodation The ethnographic literature also contains examples of positive values associated with behaviours interpreted as everyday resistance when no native term or vocabulary for it is present. (223) Even while resisting power, individuals or groups may simultaneously support the structures of domination that necessitate resistance in the first place. Various authors have referred to this complexity as accommodation (e.g., Sotirin and Gottfried, 1999; Weitz, 2001), ambiguity (Trethewey, 1997), complicity (Healey, 1999; Ortner, 1995), conformity (St. Martin and Gavey, 1996), or assimilation (Faith, 1994).These authors stress that a single activity may constitute both resistance and accommodation to different aspects of power and authority (Hollander Einwohner, 2004: 549). Nevertheless it is easy to romanticize resistance as Abu-Lughod says, to view its forms as signs of ineffectiveness of systems of power and of the resilience and creativity of the human spirit in refusal to be dominated, to focus on successful forms of resistance and neglecting to consider accommodation, passivity or acquiescence adequately (In: Constable, 2007: ). It is only valuable if we can find a way between romanticizing resistance and portraying young migrants as passive oppressed victims.
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Babbit Essay -- Essays Papers
Babbit The depressing tragedy known as Babbitt, by Lewis Sinclair, accurately portrays the convention of life in the 1920ââ¬â¢s. Sinclair precisely evokes the conformity and orthodox life styles that shaped a growing culture. Man, in the 1920ââ¬â¢s, is caught in a lifestyle where he is continually fed on what to think. Lewis cunningly explains the constraints of convention that plagued George Babbitt, and mocks society as a whole for its lack of liberal views. Babbitt throughout the novel seems to be trapped in a maze, and is told by ââ¬Å"the machineâ⬠when to turn. Only when Babbitt revolts against conservative America does his life change, but the question is was it for the better? The economy is booming with success, and your wealth portrays ones position in society. George Babbitt is infatuated with having the latest ââ¬Å"gadgetsâ⬠and technology in his home, as is the rest of Middle-class America. Lewis portrays society as a group of self-centered people who must have the best of everything (sounds similar to our world today). Middle-class America is disturbingly the same to the last detail in the 1920ââ¬â¢s. Life begins for Babbitt waking up to an unappreciative family, and a typical fake show of affection from his wife. Babbitt realizes his life is dull and mundane. Even the kiss from his wife is typical. Babbitt, like most men in the 1920ââ¬â¢s, finds his home not as a haven but as a depressing reality of what his life has really become. Babbitt recognizes he is disgusted with his life, and that he doesnââ¬â¢t even love his wife. Only when Babbitt escapes his home does he find satisfaction. Babbitt is found in his community as a role mode l of every businessmen, even the mechanic at the gas station commends him for organization. Babbitt temporarily feels relief when freedom encompasses his life, but later in the novel Babbitt illustrates that even ââ¬Å"businessâ⬠is shaped by society. Just as business is shaped in Zenith, so are the women who live there. Women in the novel are accurately portrayed as they were in the 1920ââ¬â¢s. Lewis presents two different scenarios in the novel, but both of these cases can follow the same mannerisms. First, Lewis depicts the loving housewife. Myra, Babbittââ¬â¢s wife, continually comforts Babbitt throughout the whole novel. Myra even accepts the blame when Babbitt decides to cheat on her. Women are depicted throughout the novel as inferior when... ...e hand of social order is telling them this is ââ¬Å"ok.â⬠That is why liberal views in Zenith are so quickly extinguished. The superior class wants people to think that there always must be a lower class because that is the way God has planned it, which in retrospect sustains their rank as the higher class forever. Itââ¬â¢s ironic that this idea is still relevant today. In conclusion, Babbittââ¬â¢s revolt toward society had actually changed nothing. He went back to not loving his wife and continuing his job as a realtor. His popularity recovers from his era of revolt. Babbitt regains his place in the world by allowing society to influence his life. He stops fighting and this is the simple reason why his life is a tragedy. How does Babbitt analyze the successfulness of his life? He never took complete control and experienced freedom in any of his actions. He only valued the acceptance of others, rather than what was true to his heart. Babbitt life had no meaning, since he constantly let the constraints of society shape it. One must wonder if society in the 1920ââ¬â¢s could have changed by reading this novel. This is not probable, considering that society is the same today as it was 80 years ago.
Tuesday, September 3, 2019
The Relationship Between Slavery and Freedom Essay -- Slavery Essays
The Relationship Between Slavery and Freedom For Edmund S. Morgan American slavery and American freedom go together hand in hand. Morgan argues that many historians seem to ignore writing about the early development of American freedom simply because it was shaped by the rise of slavery. It seems ironic that while one group of people is trying to break the mold and become liberated, that same group is making others confined and shattering their respectability. The aspects of liberty, race, and slavery are closely intertwined in the essay, 'Slavery and Freedom: The American Paradox.' The contradictions between slavery and freedom are very apparent throughout history. America started out with the intentions of becoming separate and equal. To become this kind of nation they needed a crop that would give them something to trade with the other countries. The most obvious choice was tobacco and to produce this demanding crop they used a lot of slave labor. Morgan states 'To a very large degree it may be said that Americans bought their independence with slave labor (122).' America was so obsessed with being free and equal it looks like they would go to any length to obtain it. Another example would be certain slave owners. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington all owned slaves. This is interesting especially with Jefferson who had a major role in republican liberty. Another contradictory point made by Morgan is how England which prides itself in the l...
Monday, September 2, 2019
Economic impact of WTC attacks Essays -- essays papers
Economic impact of WTC attacks Terrorism is an increasing global threat that was illustrated by the recent attacks on the World Trade Center buildings in New York. It was a highly organized attack and investigations have shown that besides the United States, planning also took place in different countries of Europe and Asia. These attacks are set to affect far more people than the American government it was intended to harm. Over five thousand people are believed to have died as a direct result of the attacks and many more deaths are expected due to the various consequences of this tragedy. In this essay I shall attempt to cover the far-reaching consequences of this terrorist attack, focusing mainly on the cultural, social and economic aspects. I shall begin by covering the economic consequences that in my opinion far outweigh any of the others. In the wake of the September 11 attacks close to 250,000 job cuts have been announced, and a nine-year record high of unemployment claims have been reported in America. This number could have been even higher had it not been for the luxury of variable pay . By some estimates cuts in variable pay saved some 1.4 million jobs , that is 1 percent of the working population of America. Another study has found that these cutbacks will result in as much as a $30 billion drop in income for the first quarter of 2002 . This in turn will likely lead to a reduction in consumer spending that would have an adverse effect on the American economy. According to the Commerce Department retail sales fell 2.4 percent in September, much to the shock of Economists who did not expect a drop of this magnitude. Equally surprising to them is the apparent change in consumer attitude in October, which has shown an increased willingness to spend money and has reduced pressure on the economy. Aside from the above-mentioned costs of the attacks there is also the cost of renovating the damaged areas of the pentagon which is estimated at between $700 and $800 million. The collapse of the World Trade Center towers caused damage to surrounding buildings and the developer who leases the site has plans to rebuild the towers which will be an extremely expensive endeavor. The government of the United States has also promised compensation for the victims and their families in return for not suing the Federal government or the airlines. Some peop... ...ed political or patriotic messages. Johnnie Hargis who had been working in the library for 22 years said he had never heard of the policy and that he was the only one punished. In conclusion, although a tragic event, the overreaction of many people has only worsened the situation. In a time when people should join together to fight ignorance and be more understanding of different cultures a handful of people are only making things worse by their warped sense of justice. It is the year 2001, anti-Muslim sentiment in the west and anti-American sentiment in the Muslim world should not be tolerated if we are to be a true global community. Bibliography Daniel Eisenberg; Paying To Keep Your Job; Time magazine; October 15, 2001; Vol. 158 No. 17. Geoff Hiscock; World Bank warns of poverty, child deaths; www.cnn.com; October 2, 2001. Federal deal ensures victims' compensation; www.cnn.com; September 24, 2001. Lisa Barron; Global airlines losses could top $10 billion; www.cnn.com; October 9, 2001. This research paper also includes some information from various other articles at CNN.com that although helpful were not significant in the composition of this assignment.
Sunday, September 1, 2019
Globalization and cultural diversity Essay
The forces of globalization are actually encouraging creation and promotion of cultural diversity to avoid enclosing oneself in a boring single type of culture. Today the products of cultural diversity in the global world are universally enjoyed by all peope. The arguments given by prominent critics like Thomas Freidman shows that there is no dominant culture under global jurisdiction though the aspect of globalization is derived from the American culture. In economic sector firms in company have attempted to sell their products in abroad nations without necessarily affecting the culture in their homeland. In the process the countries involved benefit by buying of ideas and materials from each other and shape them to suite their culture. Cultural diversity has helped a lot in borrowing of good aspects which steer growth in the country engaged in trade. Globalization has led to cultural diversity where life is conceptualized as composed of four issues which include dedication to learning, contribution to the society and family, reflection on what has been learned and then conceptualize it spiritually. Globalization has been driven about by forces of trade and capitalization in pursuit and economic development in home country, which in turn yields good paying jobs or improved living standards. There is curiosity among young people who wishes to know more and more about life in the global world to accept and be accepted and to be informed more of what they really donââ¬â¢t know. In the process of globalization, it is also evident that our cultural ethnic and societal diversities are put to the extreme ends because we want to perceive a unipolar vision of the world around us (http://www. newint. org/issue172/keynote. htm). Background information about Unilever Company Unilever is a multinational corporation formed to offer the greatest percentage of consumer products in form of foods beverages cleaning agents and other personal care products. This company has created job opportunities to more than 180,000 people in the whole world. Although in each branch there is a manager, Unilever Company has the same directors and effectively operate as a single business. Currently the chairman of Unilever Company and affiliate companies is Michael treschow, with Patrick Cescan being the group chief executive. Its products are sold widely in the whole world and their shares are listed on the worldââ¬â¢s stock exchange markets (http://www. amazon. co. uk/review/product/1403944539? showViewpoints=1). The creation of Unilever Company is traced back in the year 1930 through merging of two companies, that is, British soap maker lever brothers and Dutch margarine producer which became as a palm oil company and maintained the importation of both margarine and soaps in large quantities. Its new ventures were launched in Latin America. Unilever Company grew bigger and purchased many companies which were in the line with the products which they were purchasing. In the year 1996, Unilever bought Helen Curtis industries which gave it a high boost as a powerful company in United States shampoo and deodorant market. In 2000 the company absorbed American businesses, best foods hence strengthening their ties in the market in North America and extended its food brands. Today the company has opened many branches in different countries and has continued to grow widely in the market industry. Recently the company has started a five year vitality company initiative to improve the products in maturity stage which are declining in terms of their sale in the market. Today unilever has ventured in various fields including agricultural sector and tea products. In the year 2008 it was honored at 59th annual technology and engineering. Emmy awards for outstanding achievement in advanced media because of creative nature of giving interactive commercial advertising delivered through digital set up top boxes for its programs axes (http://www. newint. org/issue172/keynote. htm). Corporate governance Unilever has a body and chief executive headed by Patrick cescan which is supposed to steer the organization towards maximization of profit and improve the image of the company like any other profit making organization. Unilever Company is engaged in making sure that it operates at its lowest costs and earning the highest revenue. Unilever Company has got also a chairman who is the head of all the brands in the company. There are also other officers including managers in different brands. Still in its jurisdiction there are other staff officers who are concerned with the welfare of the company in larger community. Today the company owns about 400 brands which are found in local countries which fall in the category of food and beverages home and personal care which are almost found in the whole world. Cultural diversity in the unilever company Just like any other multinational company unilever company uses aggressive policies to market their goods which is reflected in the public image. It prefers to remain largely anonymous hiding behind the hundreds of brand names and products they sell. Unilever uses television and other prominent Medias to advertise their products so that people can get to know their presence. Unilever Company has element of destroying cultural diversity and make the world more uniform. The tactics used in making profits include centralization of production and sell the same products across the nation boundary. Regardless of whom you are whether an African American Indian unilever has greatly improved the worldââ¬â¢s tastes and their goods are replacing the organization in different countries who find rough to compete with Unilever products. The effects of unilever company on the worlds economy are experienced in south ail London when it closed it closed its branches whereby many employees weââ¬â¢ve rendered jobless hence the is a tragic outcome Multicultural societies across the border face a formidable political task to turn racial religious and tribal differences into strength . even in the countries experiencing strong political wrangles and clashes that has been recorded a high rate of promotion and cultural diversity. Some of the multinational companies which have established good ties sin the economic sector like IBM, GE and unilever use cultural diversity as one of their key elements in success in business are aimed at finding means and ways of harmonizing it (http://www. kmtalk. net/article. php? story=20070103041059823). One of the most important aspect of globalization is ability to boost economy in third world countries by investors from developed countries investing in those developing ones. unilever companies has developed various packs in their products which are marketed in different countries. The marketing of these products helps the government in the state to earn revenue from the abroad countries. For instance unilever has developed a program called Trumbull tax abatements which has managed to pull off several major changes of its own in different countries. One of its major changes is to boost financial position in local services. The Trumbulls boost up the local property tax by bringing expansion in the continent city. Unilever has also put numerous knowledge management initiatives in place across the border. This is meant to identify new opportunities for investment by first considering the market structure and consumer needs in every state. Unilever Company has put in place a communication strategy in personal, informal and more structured in organizational level. For the purpose of ensuring community success Unilever Company through knowledge management group. (CMG) has put in place a more formal frame work to help ensure the effective and efficient operation of the firmââ¬â¢s communities of practice. The community framework in unilever advocates for certain principles within which the company coops operates in order to ensure added advantage to the business value. The principles under which it works can be classified into four. This includes deliverable people operations and leverage. To strike the difference between communities of practice is defined around knowledge domain and this is where the company laid its production basis strategy. The identified deliverables should contribute to the expected results. The deliverables can be knowledge wise, Such as improved insights, training program and good practice. While business deliverables can be specific innovations, safety improvements and the like in the business (http://www. amazon. co. uk/review/product/1403944539? showViewpoints=). The people pillar concerns about roles and responsibilities of the cop members to the communities. They are experts who are recognized as such both inside community. They should effectively represent both the geographical and local versus cooperate resources. There are also activists who are supposed to continually review the roles of community for the members to fill. The people pillars address the other stakeholders and sponsors apart from the community who are necessary to validate resources for the members. The operation pillar is centered on community functions. This forms a platform for free expression of members to effectively express themselves every group is free to set its rules itself. The organization has also developed guidelines for activist training. This training is aimed at creating awareness of the importance of the community in building understanding of cooperative activities. The training offers knowledge on communities practice and ways of sustaining these communities. Unilever organization has recognized the effects of its products on to people and the diversity in cultural background. They place people at the centre of the business and everything they do. The organization has also majored a lot in the area of environmental and society growth especially in agricultural sector nutritional hygiene and personal care on the production in creation which care of different tastes and preferences and also in the sector of science and technology in making their products. Having recognized customer income differences from different countries unilever has packaged their goods in different quantities to enable them reach all consumers in different income levels. Unilever has been also received critics from different countries due to harm caused by their production either through consummation or advertisement. For example in India unilever has been accused of climbing contaminated toxic mercury in tourist sites and the surrounding . protected nature reserve and pambar ,shola in timilnadu and southern India this spills from the industry leads to health hazards which inturn can cause a lot of health problems (http://www. newint. org/issue172/keynote. htm). In UK it has been accused of misleading advertisement on cholesterol lowering margarine and flora proactive. this has a lot of negative impacts on the linage of the company when it failed to do so. All in all unilever has got advanced communication channels and is always to change from the accusation put on it. Multicultural societies across the border face a formidable political task to turn racial religious and tribal differences into strength even in the countries experiencing strong political wrangles and clashes that has been recorded a high rate of promotion and cultural diversity. One of the most important aspect of globalization is ability to boost economy in third world countries by investors from developed countries investing in those developing ones.unilever companies has developed various packs in their products which are marketed in different countries. References Information on Unilever Company, available at: http://www. newint. org/issue172/keynote. htm, accessed on July 10, 2008 Cultural diversity in the Unilever Company available at: http://www. amazon. co. uk/review/product/1403944539? showViewpoints=1, accessed on July 10, 2008 Cultural diversity and success in business, available at: http://www. kmtalk. net/article. php? story=20070103041059823, accessed on July 10, 2008
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