Shame The Emotions And Morality Of Violence - 937 Words

In â€Å"Shame: The emotions and morality of violence,† James Gilligan, a professor of Psychiatry at New York University, argues to make a point that shame can lead to violence in a certain amount of people. After working and interviewing with two convicts in a prison, he learns that there are three preconditions to be met before being considered violent. The first is to not show their feelings of being ashamed due to it threatening their masculinity. The second is that they can’t counteract shame with their social status, achievements, friends and family. The last is not to feel love, guilt, or fear. These preconditions make Gilligan more understanding of the inmates and their lives. Gilligan follows his observance of the preconditions by explaining that the incidents that trigger shame are embarrassment or trivial acts. Examples of trivial incidents are such as a dirty look or accidentally spilling coffee on someone. The professor insists that the more trivial an inci dent is the more shame one feels. It then triggers a larger urge of violence within a person. Thus idea follows his belief that violence is psychological rather than biological. He concludes his research by reminding us that violence is like a disease and society needs to treat is as an epidemic with a public health approach. Author James Gilligan wrote â€Å"Shame† to show the relation of shame and violence. His motive is to achieve a better understanding of why people are violent. He creates an authoritative moodShow MoreRelatedThe Importance of Jacks Character in Goldings Novel Lord Of The Flies1139 Words   |  5 Pagesby the negative emotions which turn him bitter. This is first shown when Ralph is voted for as leader and Jack is humiliated but is repeated many times throughout the novel. Jack keeps control by violence and aggression, shown in chapter one just before he goes exploring with Ralph and Piggy: Jack snatched from behind him a sizeable sheath-knife and clouted it into the trunk. The buzz rose and died away The boys are quiet when Jack uses violence, and this is reinforced Read MoreThe Relationships Between the Father and the Son Essay1392 Words   |  6 Pagesof the head man. but becomes abuser and dangerous man in his family specailly with his wife, we know this because in the story it says Anil saw the bruise on her shoulder, where Appa, returning home drunk last night, had hit her. this shows the violence relationship between the mother and the father, which totally shows no love and no respect. However, Anils father shows lot of love and care for Anil at the end of the story, he say you will study hard and be an engineer, or a doctor, or a lawyerRead MoreIs Humanity Really Frankenstein s Monster?1619 Words   |  7 Pagesof human morality. Moreover, in The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Jekyll has an epiphany when he â€Å"recognizes the thorough and primitive duality of man†, referring to this divide between morality and intelligence (Stevenson 62). He discovered that intelligence is split between â€Å"the moral and the intellectual†, which explains why Holmes and Frankenstein have lost their sense of morality because their quest for knowledge overpowered their moral identity. Unfortunately, morality is independentRead MoreTorture : Torture By Jean Amery1254 Words   |  6 Pagesphysical and mental being. The tortured and the raped are treated as objects rather than people. As Amery states, â€Å" the tortured person is only a body, and noth ing beside that â€Å" meaning the torturer, and similarly the rapist, have no empathy for human emotion, thought, or sense of pain. This traumatic event, Amery argues, leads to the loss of trust in the world. Torture’s main difference from other types of punishment and injury is it’s component of human suffering. In every other event of bodily injuryRead MoreAnalysis Of Hurricane Irma1199 Words   |  5 Pagesis classified as the deeper meaning of a story that is not evident on the surface, but shines through implicitly (Chip). I believe this concept of original sin is what Mr. Tucker was referring to, using the iceberg theory, when he told us about the shame he felt that it takes disaster for the community to come together. It is perceived that to be allowed into the gates of heaven one must give all he or she has to the poor. This idea services as the gift of grace. St. Augustine teaches us that â€Å"graceRead MoreUse Of Their Physical Body Essay1941 Words   |  8 Pagescould be that physically sticking out one’s tongue allows you to feel whatever emotion may have caused such a react ion. For instance, it is somewhat common knowledge, or at least common folklore, that if you start smiling, it will make you feel happier. If the physical act of portraying an expression causes the emotion to come about, then perhaps biting your tongue will cause a similar reaction, even if the intended emotion is unknown. This seemed to be what the participants were hoping, as they wouldRead MoreThucydides at His Best Essays1418 Words   |  6 PagesPericles describes Athens greatness by saying, our city as a whole is a lesson for Greece. He not only has great things to say about the city but can be seen since there in view around them is the glory of Athens, its great buildings. He puts emotions into the people by describing the vast empire, the ancestors and forefathers who fought and made it bigger, their daily achievements in making it even greater. It sounds like an Athens that was built through generations of hard work and is thisRead MoreEssay about Suicide in Hamlet1448 Words   |  6 Pagescontrary to your own best interests. In today’s society suicide is highly looked down upon. But Shakespeare used suicide and violence in almost all of his most popular plays. Many of his tragedies used the element of suicide, some accomplished, others merely contemplated. Shakespeare used suicide as a dramatic device. A character’s suicide could promote a wide range of emotions: horror, condemnation to pity, and even respect. Some of his suicides could even take titles like the noble soldier, the violatedRead MoreHuman Development Theory In Frankenstein1737 Words   |  7 Pagessecond stage teaches the â€Å"Autonomy vs shame† phase after the infant stage is completed. Erikson believe that children should be taught the basic ways of caring for themselves. In other words, the child has an opportunity to build a healthy attitude about life. However, those who don’t have that opportunity, sometimes feel shameful that they can’t perform the things that others do. As a result, this can lead to disobedience and unethical acts that can result in violence. This is shown within the book. ThatRead MoreThe Things They Carried By Tim O Brien1441 Words   |  6 PagesPeople tell stories so they can understand each other in a better way, to share experiences, this is a way to keep the memories that might have faded alive. Storytelling becomes an interpretation of memoir and catharsis. Stories involve both data and emotions and this is part of his amazing narrative strategy. He uses repetition as one of his narrative strategies and he also uses a particular style as the author and another Tim O’Brien as a fictional character. He test readers to believe or not believe

Cell Phone Speech Free Essays

Good afternoon my friends. Before I start it, I want all of you to remember when we were on elementary school. Have youbrought cell phone to school? If you have, what type of cell phone that you brought? Is it a black andwhite cell phone? Or maybe you’ve brought colorful cell phone? For me, in elementary school, Ihaven’t brought cell phone. We will write a custom essay sample on Cell Phone Speech or any similar topic only for you Order Now But I’m sure that now all of you have brought cell phone to anywhereyou go, so do I. This afternoon, I’d like to discuss about the effect of cell phone for us as universitystudents. To start it, I’ll tell you about the common function of cell phone, after that I’ll tell about theadvantages and disadvantages, and then its bad and good effect for university student. Finally, I’llgive my own perspective in the end of my speech. First, I’ll talk about the function of cell phones. I’m sure that all of you have known that the functionof cell phone is for communication. As we know that nowadays most of people in this world,especially teenagers, can’t live without cell phones. It is shown by data fromPew Research Center’sInternet American Life Project (Lenhart, Ling, Campbell, Purcell, 2010)that 75% of 12? 17-year-olds own cell phones. Cell phone is different with telephone. If a telephone just used for calling, acell phone can be used for calling and texting. In this era, cell phone’s texting has become a basiccommunication between people, especially for teens. More over, for teens who still given money bytheir parents will choose texting than calling, because the fact is texting is cheaper than calling. Thisday, there are many types of cell phones, and most of that new brand cell phones are completedwith internet connection. So, we can not just texting and calling, but we can emailing, surfing, orsharing something through internet in cell phone. Next, every gadget in this world exactly has advantages and disadvantages. Now, I’ll tell you aboutthe advantages and disadvantages of cell phones. Because we are Medical Faculty students, so I’lltell the advantages of cell phones that related to health. Do you know that cell phone can help us totake care our healthy? Ya, cell phone can do it. We can communicate with a nutrition advisor orsearching about healthy life style with cell phone. I have an experience about it. Yesterday, I was sick,and with cell phone I can call my sister, so she can bought me some medicines. And everyday, mymom always remembering me to drink my medicine, so I can be health again like now. Beside theadvantages, cell phones also has disadvantages. Related to health, cell phones can make eye strainbecause of lack of sleep. Cell phone also can disturb mental health, for example someone can bebullying through cell phone texting and that can make mental be down. The last thing I wanna tell to all of you is the effect of cell phone for us as university student. I’m surethat everyone in here have your own cell phone, right? I’m also sure that your cell phone give someeffects that change your behavior. One of that effect is dishonesty. Center on Media and ChildHealth in 2007states that The Pew Internet American Life Project found that 39% of cell usersages 18-29 say they are not always truthful about where they are when they are on the phone. Iagree with that statement because sometimes I do that too, especially if I am on the phone withsomeone who I hate. I’ll lie to her/him because I hate them. Yeah something like that. But rememberone important thing : Don’t ever lie to your parent! Maybe next time all of you will find and feel theother effect from cell phone by your self. Now, I wanna end my speech here. One sentence from me,a thing will be a good thing if the person who wear that thing is good. So, let be a good person tomake all the things better. How to cite Cell Phone Speech, Essay examples

No Exit free essay sample

An existential hero is one who stands by their decisions, won’t let others decide for them, and is responsible. No Exit’s characters unfold the sins the have committed with each other but none of them accept responsibility for their choices. They blame all of their choices on circumstances. The reason this room is considered existential hell is because they are being punished for being existential cowards. The punishment forces them to constantly look for mirrors that mirror to the others their refusal to accept responsibility for their choices. No Exit stresses â€Å"bad faith† and how it develops Sartre’s fundamental argument that â€Å"Hell is other people. † Sartre evokes torture simply with three people in an empty room. Inez is uneasy because every time Garcin looks at her she automatically thinks that he is judging her and consequently blames Garcin for â€Å"stealing her face. † Also, Estelle and Garcin cannot let go of their pasts or take responsibility for their past choices. We will write a custom essay sample on No Exit or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Garcin even states that his â€Å"fate is an evaluation of his past actions by other people. † However, Inez chooses to live in the present and look at her past as meaningless. Inez never justifies her existence as the actual person she was in her past. She chooses her â€Å"essence in the present. † Only Inez asserts her existence. She does this through being responsible and confronting her suffering. This supports Sartre’s belief that â€Å"life begins on the other side of despair. Inez contributes to the greater meaning of the work by standing out and confronting her responsibility and suffering unlike the others, especially, in an existential hell. This teaches us, that even in a hell-like state one can still be strong.

Labor Day Essays - Charade, Films, , Term Papers

Labor Day Labor Day Charade Peter Noel plays fast and loose with the facts to attack me [At Each Other's Throats, October 6]. I did not march behind a racist float in a Labor Day Parade in Broad Channel, Queens, as he wrote, which he knows since he told one of my staff members that he has my statements strongly and publicly condemning that grossly racist float. In fact, I was at the front of the parade campaigning among the people who were watching, and left when it started raining. The float was at the very end of the parade. Had I seen it, I would have loudly protested before leaving. Noel tries to cover his falsehood by seeming to give my side, writing that Hevesi later denied he was aware that the float was part of the parade. That makes me sound like a weasel. As if I marched behind this float, but now I'm trying to claim that I didn't know it was part of the parade. That is not what happened, and it is not what I said. I have fought against bigots of every type and every color. I denounced Joseph Kovner, the Jewish council member from Deer Park, New York, when he called State Comptroller Carl McCall a Harlem nigger, and demanded Kovner's resignation. I condemned the bigotry of Queens council member Julia Harrison when she attacked Asians, and I supported her Asian opponent in the last election. I have gone to Queens to confront school board member Frank Borzellieri and his campaign of hate against racial minorities and gay men and lesbians. And I attacked Khallid Muhammad as the leading anti-Semite, anti-Catholic and anti-gay bigot in America. Disagree with my positions all you want, but do not use falsehood and distortion to try to paint me as a racist. Alan G. Hevesi Comptroller City of New York Peter Noel replies: It doesn't matter if Alan Hevesi was at the back or the front of the parade. The truth is that he was at a racist parade, and was exposed. It strains credulity that he was not aware of the float carrying white men in blackface parodying the murder of a black man in Jasper. This was not the mammoth West Indian Parade or the St. Patrick's Day Parade. This was a tiny parade in a predominantly white, backwater enclave in Queens. Is this the same Alan Hevesi who could not separate Khallid Abdul Muhammad, the messenger, from the message of the Million Youth March? Hevesi's dilemma is that he doesn't know how to undo the political harm he has done to the African American community. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ahoy Vey What the hell is Karla Jay talking about? [Queers Ahoy: The High Price of Gay and Lesbian Travel, September 29] Maybe the ignorant, racist/colonialist/imperialist tourist who wants to travel, but not see? Such tourism--gay or straight--should be examined. These cruises and packages often have exclusive beachfront properties in places like Jamaica, leaving locals with less and less seafront access. Why not stay home? Go to Florida. Why the Nile, or the Bahamas, or Thailand? Clearly, not for the history, culture, or the people. In Jay's discussion of sex, she blatantly disregards the populations of several travel destinations. Was it that she was writing about gay clients of the sex trade--not straight businessmen with poor Thai women--that allowed the Voice to print this article that disregards the lack of economic and social mobility that exists for young Thai men? In the piece, a travel agent is quoted as stating of Thailand that the sex is very readily available and elderly gentlemen are the delight of young Thais. Really? Finally, Queers Ahoy and queer package trips themselves assume terrible things: that straight and gay people cannot be social partners (one man in the article laments the possibility of having dinner with straight people); that gay people have not carved out niches wherever they live in the world; that as a traveler you have no interest in meeting locals and finding out how they live; that you can act any way you like wherever you go in the world. Queer, or loving the same sex, means different things all over the world. Find out instead

Use of ~ Kana at the End of Sentence

Use of ~ Kana at the End of Sentence For new students learning Japanese, youll eventually come across sentences ending with kana. Sometimes from the context, its difficult to tell what kana means. How does it translate into a sentence? Heres the basic breakdown of this unusual Japanese sentence structure (unusual to English speakers, at least): When you see Kana at the end of a sentence, it is essentially inferring the English equivalent of I wonder. Its a relatively casual expression, and used quite often in conversation. Instead of just asking the question, its a way of couching it a bit, to encourage the listener to wonder as well.   Here are some examples: Ashita yuki ga furu kana.明æâ€" ¥Ã©â€º ªÃ£ Å'é™ Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£ â€¹Ã£  ªÃ£â‚¬â€š I wonder if it will snow tomorrow. Ano hito wa supein-jin kana.㠁‚㠁 ®Ã¤ º ºÃ£  ¯Ã£â€š ¹Ã£Æ'šã‚ ¤Ã£Æ' ³Ã¤ º ºÃ£ â€¹Ã£  ªÃ£â‚¬â€š I wonder if he/she is Spanish. ~ kashira 㠁‹ã â€"ら can be replaced with ~ kana, though it is used only by females. Kore ikura kashira.㠁“ã‚Å'㠁„㠁 Ã£â€šâ€°Ã£ â€¹Ã£  ªÃ£â‚¬â€š I wonder how much it is. Dou shita no kashira.㠁 ©Ã£ â€ Ã£ â€"㠁Ÿã  ®Ã£ â€¹Ã£ â€"ら。 I wonder what happened. Here are some more phrases with ~ kana. Nani o kite ikou kana.ä ½â€¢Ã£â€šâ€™Ã§ â‚¬Ã£  ¦Ã£ â€žÃ£ â€œÃ£ â€ Ã£ â€¹Ã£  ªÃ£â‚¬â€š What shall I wear? Mattete kureru kana.Ã¥ ¾â€¦Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£  ¦Ã£  Ã£â€šÅ'る㠁‹ã  ªÃ£â‚¬â€š I wonder if he/she will wait for me. Machiawase-basho machigaeta kana.Ã¥ ¾â€¦Ã£  ¡Ã¥ Ë†Ã£â€š Ã£ â€ºÃ¥   ´Ã¦â€°â‚¬Ã©â€"“é â€¢Ã£ Ë†Ã£ Å¸Ã£ â€¹Ã£  ªÃ£â‚¬â€š I wonder if I am waitingin the wrong place. Okane, ato ikura nokotteru kana.㠁Šé‡‘〠Ã¥ ¾Å'㠁„㠁 Ã£â€šâ€°Ã¦ ®â€¹Ã£  £Ã£  ¦Ã£â€šâ€¹Ã£ â€¹Ã£  ªÃ£â‚¬â€š I wonder how much money I have left. .æ  ¥Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã£  ¯Ã£ â€žÃ£ â€žÃ£ â€œÃ£  ¨Ã£ â€šÃ£â€šâ€¹Ã£ â€¹Ã£  ªÃ£â‚¬â€š I wonder if next year will bringsomething good. To ask the question and add an element of doubt or uncertainty I wasnt sure whether it would snow you would add  Ã£  ®(no) forming nokana.

ALZHEIMERS Essays - Cognitive Disorders, Psychiatric Diagnosis

ALZHEIMER'S Brian Foster Health March 2, 1999 Alzheimer's disease was first described by Alois Alzheimer. Alois Alzheimer was a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist and he first described it in 1906. The disease was first thought to be a rare condition affecting only young people, and was referred to as presenite dementia. About 10 percent of the United States population over the age of 65 is affected by Alzheimer's disease, and up to 45 percent of those over the age of 85 may have the disease. Up to 2 million people suffer from it, or one percent of the population. During the early stages of the disease, a person forgets daily events, but they can still recall things that happened many years ago. Memory loss worsens during the later stages of the disease, when patients forget events from earlier years, patients cannot care for themselves, and some patients can become bedridden. Most patients die from infection or chronic disease 8 to 10 years after getting the disease. The cause of Alzheimer's disease still remains mysterious. People with a family history of the disease though, have a better chance of getting it themselves. Carriers of a specific version of the apolpoprorein E gene (apo E gene) are more likely to develop the disease. Alzheimer's disease is diagnosed by examining brain tissue under a microscope to see hallmark plaques and tangles, which is only possible after the patient dies. There are some ways that you can find out if you have the disease when you are alive, but it might not be 100 percent sure. You rule out other problems that could cause memory loss like a stroke, depression, alcoholism, and the use of certain prescription drugs. A thorough examination, which includes specialized brain scans is another way of diagnosing it. A patient could be given an evaluation called a neuro pschological examination. There is no known cure for Alzheimer's disease. Treatment focuses on lessening symptoms and attempting to slow the course of the disease. Drugs that increase or improve the function of brain acetylcholine, and the neurotransmitter that affects memory, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to help treat Alzheimer's disease. Preliminary studies say that anti-inflammatory drugs could prevent inflammation. There is evidence that the female hormone estrogen, may prevent or slow down the course of the disease. Coping with a loved one's decline and inability to recognize familiar faces causes extreme pain. Caregivers go through tons of pain and develop health and psychological problems because of so much stress. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Academic American Encyclopedia, Vol. I; Grolier, Inc., Danbury, CT. 1987. 2. Compton's Encyclopedia. 1992. 3. World Book Encyclopedia, World Book, Inc.; Chicago, IL 60661. 1992. 4. Microsoft-Encarta Encyclopedia, Microsoft Corporation. 1993-1998.

Global Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Global Strategy - Essay Example These are ownership, location and internalization. Ownership is analogous to Porter's competitive advantages and is concerned with ownership of "such things as proprietary technology, superior marketing skills, economies of scale in production, superior management skills, and other firm-specific capabilities". Location is ability of a company to use location advantages in reducing manufacturing costs. Finally internalisation deals with whether activities are performed in the company or outside the company. This case study done by Liu, H. and Li, K. (2002) discusses Haier, a leading Chinese company specialising in home electronics. This company in its short time has grown from a small enterprise employing 600 people to its present status as a leading multinational enterprise (MNE) which is in the Fortune 500. Haier's path to internationalisation has been unique and highly effective. According to Liu, H. and Li, K. (2002) the analysis of its internationalisation strategy can be viewed in terms of the environment - strategy - performance framework. The environment being classified into two classes of positive factors collectively referred to as the impetus and the negative factors collectively referred to as constraints. The end of the cold war which came as a result of collapse of communism in Europe created an international environment with reduced polarisation. At the same time China was liberalising and opening its market in the 1990s. China has had the longest sustained economic growth since the 1980s. The annual average growth rate has been more than 8% for more than 20 years. Haier's history of growth started in 1984 with the appointment of current CEO Zhang Rulmin. At that time China's economy was drastically changing. Competition among the domestic producers of home appliances was hotting up. Liberalisation of the economy brought foreign players to compete in an already saturating market. The admittance of China into the World trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001 opened the floodgates. Many companies from developed countries were rushing to enter the Chinese market. Not willing to compete using a price war Haier was forced to look outside China for further growth in its business. The external constraints on Haier in its internationalisation strategy were lack of financial resources. The company was under-equipped and under-financed. For the company to expand it had to develop innovative strategies for financing its overseas expansion. The Government was supportive of Haier and allowed them to form a bank and use it as a vehicle of financing its own expansion abroad. The Japanese firms which internationalised followed two generic paths as shown in the diagram below. Figure 1 Internationalization paths for Japanese Companies, Liu, H. and Li, K. (2002) The Type I path was popular as it allowed the company to use the ventures in developing countries to acquire skills for international operation. These skills are used to enter developed countries. This strategy also favors a low cost strategy where the lower costs of manufacturing in developing countries are used to service the market in developed countries. The Type II strategy which starts with entrance into developed markets and then expansion into

Museum Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Museum Marketing - Assignment Example The primary role here is to correlate people and material things, so that the museum becomes an important site for the development of new forms of experience, memory and knowledge. As a transport museum, Coventry boasts of the largest arrays in its display of road transport mediums, cars, commercial vehicles and buses, apart from motorbikes and cycles. Through its plethora of galleries like the Introductory Gallery, Landmarques and Boomtime Boomtwon, among many others, this museum has the scope to tap markets other than automobile lovers. This can be done by adopting a certain level of media culture and displaying its millions of archive and ephemera objects in a way that appeal to the sensibilities of even the most average person by showcasing trends like now and ten as well as others like tours that involve no instructions. Set in the place where British automobile and transport was born, this museum displays collectibles that are mostly from a personal collection or gifts apart from the purchased items. (www.transport-museum.com) Having traced the journey from denial to discovery (Rentschler, 2002), museum marketing depends largely on presenting facts in a way that grab interest and offer experiences that most cultural industry based organizations would term as marketing orientation. With a new emphasis on skills and market presence, there is now a concerted effort towards driving resources to create museum visibility in the most unusual places. In thus regard, marketing activities concerning a museum seek to promote a ceratin sense of intrinsic values that will offer motivation to the most unlikely individuals as far as transport and automobiles are concerned, and turn them into visitors. This paper will study the methodology which can be adopted to increase the audience base and market the museum effectively. Coventry has a 303, 475 strong population (www.wikipedia.com) Apart from this, it is strategically situated between the Midlands and Birmingham with a proximity to London. Considering the fact that the Coventry has a large influence from the Midlands, owing to the fact that this is where Britain's tryst with transport really began, it is imperative for the museum's marketing managers to identify the niche crowd that subscribes to the concept of ethnicity, as the Midlands have a large variation in their population in terms of Asian and other communities. This has strong implications towards further research to find out the level of visitation to the museum. The museum is also in dire need of a complete refurnishing plan. This is owing to the problem that it does not, in its present form, cater to the sensibilities of emerging lifetsyle profiles as well as interest areas. Since the 1990s, museums including the Coventry, have seen a surge in studies revolving around experience of visitors and motivation. This laid the foundation for audience research (Doering, 1999; Thyne, 2001) as well as visitor learning (McManus, 1993). It was found that will factors like more upmarket ways that contribute to overall segmentation. These may include profiles that make statements about one's lifestyle or other such factors. (Todd and Lawson, 2001). The focus of museums has also come to include the area of multicultural audience studies, in a bid to include visitors from various walks of life. In this case, my

Wine Wars Essay Example for Free

Wine Wars Essay Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old â€Å"We have the people, expertise, technology and commitment to gain global preeminence for Australian wine by 2025. It will come by anticipating the market, influencing consumer demand, and building on our strategy of sustainable growth. † — Sam Toley, CEO of Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation. â€Å"By phasing out the buyback of excess wine and increasing incentives for farmers to uproot their vines, the EC reforms will only bring in the New World’s agro-industry model. We need to protect the age-old European model built on traditional vineyards. † — Jean-Louis Piton, Copa-Cogeca Farmers Association. In 2009, these two views reflected some of the very different sentiments unleashed by the fierce competitive battle raging between traditional wine makers and some new industry players as they fought for a share of the $230 billion global wine market. Many Old World wine producers—France, Italy, and Spain, for example—found themselves constrained by embedded wine-making traditions, restrictive industry regulations, and complex national and European Community legislation. This provided an opportunity for New World wine companies—from Australia, the United States, and Chile, for instance—to challenge the more established Old World producers by introducing innovations at every stage of the value chain. In the Beginning1 Grape growing and wine making have been human preoccupations at least since the times when ancient Egyptians and Greeks offered wine as tributes to dead pharaohs and tempestuous gods. It was under the Roman Empire that viticulture spread throughout the Mediterranean region, and almost every town had its local vineyards and wine was a peasant’s beverage to accompany everyday meals. By the Christian era, wine became part of liturgical services, and monasteries planted vines and built wineries. By the Middle Ages, the European nobility began planting vineyards as a mark of prestige, competing with one another in the quality of wine served at their tables – the first niche market for premium wine. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Professor Christopher A. Bartlett prepared the original version of this case, â€Å"Global Wine Wars: New World Challenges Old (A),† HBS No. 303056, which is being replaced by this version prepared by the same author. This case was developed from published sources. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Copyright  © 2009 President and Fellows of Harvard College. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545-7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to www. hbsp. harvard. edu/educators. This publication may not be digitized, photocopied, or otherwise reproduced, posted, or transmitted, without the permission of Harvard Business School. 910-405 Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old Wine Production Tending and harvesting grapes has always been labor intensive, and one worker could typically look after only a three hectare lot. (1 hectare. = 2. 47 acres) The introduction of vineyard horses in the early 19th century led to vines being planted in rows and to more efficient tending and allowed one person to work a plot of 7 hectares. Yet despite these efficiencies, vineyards became smaller, not larger. Over many centuries, small agricultural holdings were continually fragmented as land was parceled out by kings, taken in wars, or broken up through inheritance. During the French Revolution, many large estates were seized, divided, and sold at auction. And after 1815, the Napoleonic inheritance code prescribed how land had to be passed on to all rightful heirs. By the mid-19th century, the average holding in France was 5. 5 ha. and was still being subdivided. (In Italy, similar events left the average vineyard at 0. 8 ha. ) While the largest estates made their own wine, most small farmers sold their grapes to the local wine maker or vintner. With payment based on weight, there was little incentive to pursue quality by reducing yield. Some small growers formed cooperatives, hoping to participate in wine making’s downstream profit, but grape growing and wine making remained highly fragmented. Distribution and Marketing Traditionally, wine was sold in bulk to merchant traders—negociants in France—who often blended and bottled the product before distributing it. But poor roads and complex toll and tax systems made cross-border shipping extremely expensive. In the early 19th century, for example, a shipment of wine from Strasbourg to the Dutch border had to pass through 31 toll stations. 2 And since wine did not travel well, much of it spoiled on the long journeys. As a result, only the most sophisticated negociants could handle exports, and only the rich could afford the imported luxury. Late 18th century innovations such as mass production of glass bottles, the use of cork stoppers, and the development of pasteurization revolutionized the industry. With greater wine stability and longevity, distribution to distant markets and bottle aging of good vintages became the norm. Increased vine plantings and expanded production followed, and a global market for wine was born. Regulation and Classification As the industry developed, it became increasingly important to the cultural and economic life of the producing countries. By the mid-18th century in France, grape growing supported 1. 5 million families and an equal number in wine-related businesses. Eventually, it accounted for one-sixth of France’s total trading revenue, and was the country’s second-largest export. The industry’s growing cultural and economic importance attracted political attention, and with it, laws and regulations to control almost every aspect of wine making. For example, Germany’s 1644 wine classification scheme prescribed 65 classes of quality, with rules for everything from ripeness required for harvesting to minimum sugar content. (Even in 1971, a law was passed in Germany requiring a government panel to taste each vineyard’s annual vintage and assign it a quality level. 3) Similar regulations prescribing wine-making practices also existed in France and Italy. Rather than resisting such government classifications and controls, producers often supported and even augmented them as a way of differentiating their products and raising entry barriers. For example, the current French classification system was created by a Bordeaux committee prior to the 1855 Exposition in Paris. To help consumers identify their finest wines, they classified about 500 vineyards into five levels of quality, from premier cru (first growth) to cinquieme cru (fifth growth). 2 Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old 910-405 Because it helped consumers sort through the complexity of a highly fragmented market, this marketing tool soon gained wide recognition, leading the government to codify and expand it in the Appellation d’Origin Controllee (AOC) laws of 1935. These laws also defined regional boundaries and set detailed and quite rigid standards for vineyards and wine makers. 4 Eventually, more than 300 AOC designations were authorized, from the well known (Saint Emilion or Beaujolais) to the obscure (Fitou or St. Peray). (A similar classification scheme was later introduced in Italy defining 213 Denominazione di Origne Controllate (or DOC) regions, each with regulations prescribing area, allowed grape varieties, yields, required growing practices, acceptable alcohol content, label design etc. 5) Later, other wine regions of France were given official recognition with the classification of Vins Delimites de Qualite Superieure (VDQS), but these were usually regarded as of lower rank than AOC wines. Below VDQS were Vins de Pays, or country wine inexpensive but very drinkable wines for French tables, and increasingly, for export. These categories were quite rigid with almost no movement across them. This was due to a belief that quality was linked to terroir, the almost mystical combination of soil, aspect, microclimate, rainfall, and cultivation that the French passionately believed gave the wine from each region— and indeed, each vineyard— its unique character. But terroir could not guarantee consistent quality. As an agricultural product, wine was always subject to the vagaries of weather and disease. In the last quarter of the 19th century, a deadly New World insect, phylloxera, devastated the French vine stock. From a production level of 500 million liters in 1876, output dropped to just 2 million liters in 1885. But a solution was found in an unexpected quarter: French vines were grafted onto phylloxera-resistant vine roots native to the United States and imported from the upstart Californian wine industry. It was the first time many in the Old World acknowledged the existence of a New World wine industry. It would not be the last. Stirrings in the New World Although insignificant in both size and reputation compared with the well-established industry in traditional wine-producing countries, vineyards and wine makers had been set up in many New World countries since the 18th century. In the United States, for example, Thomas Jefferson, an enthusiastic oenologist, became a leading voice for establishing vineyards in Virginia. And in Australia, vines were brought over along with the first fleet carrying convicts and settlers in 1788. Nascent wine industries were also developing at this time in Argentina, Chile, and South Africa, usually under the influence of immigrants from the Old World wine countries. Opening New Markets While climate and soil allowed grape growing to flourish in the New World, the consumption of wine in these countries varied widely. It became part of the national cultures in Argentina and Chile, where per capita annual consumption reached about 80 liters in Argentina and 50 liters in Chile in the 1960s. While such rates were well behind France and Italy, both of which boasted per capita consumption of 110–120 liters in this era, they were comparable with those of Spain. Other New World cultures did not embrace the new industry as quickly. In Australia, the hot climate and a dominant British heritage made beer the alcoholic beverage of preference, with wine being consumed mostly by Old World immigrants. The U. S. market was more complex. In keeping with the country’s central role in the rum trade, one segment of the population followed a tradition of drinking hard liquor. But another group reflected the country’s Puritan heritage and espoused temperance or abstinence. (As recently as 1994, a Gallup survey found that 45% of U. S. respondents did not drink at all, and 21% favored a renewal of prohibition. ) As a result, in the pre-World War II era, wine was largely made by and sold to European immigrant communities. 3 910-405 Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old In the postwar era, however, demand for wine increased rapidly in the United States, Australia, and other New World producers. In the United States, for example, consumption grew from a postprohibition per capita level of 1 liter per annum to 9 liters by 2006. In Australia the rate of increase was even more rapid, from less than 2 liters in 1960 to 24 liters by 2006. This growth in consumption was coupled with a growing demand for higher quality wines, resulting in a boom in domestic demand that proved a boost for the young New World wine industry. Challenging Production Norms. On the back of the postwar economic boom, New World wine producers developed in an industry environment different from their European counterparts. First, suitable land was widely available and less expensive, allowing the growth of much more extensive vineyards. As a result, in 2006, the average vineyard holding in the United States was 213 hectares and in Australia 167 hectares, compared to an Italian average of 1. 3 hectares, and 7. 4 hectares in France. 6 Unconstrained by tradition, New World producers also began to experiment with grape growing and winemaking technology. In Australia, controlled drip irrigation allowed expansion into marginal land and reduced vintage variability. (In contrast, irrigation was strictly forbidden in France under AOC regulations. ) The larger vineyards also allowed the use of specialized equipment such as mechanical harvesters and mechanical pruners which greatly reduced labor costs. Innovation also extended into viniculture where New World producers pursued techniques such as night harvesting to maximize grape sugars, while innovative trellis systems permitted vines to be planted at twice the traditional density. Other experiments with fertilizers and pruning methods increased yield and improved grape flavor. These innovations, when coupled with typically sunny climates, freed New World farmers from many of the stresses of their counterparts in regions like Bordeaux where the rainy maritime climate made late autumn harvests risky, and held wine producers hostage to wide year-to-year vintage variations. New World wine companies also broke many wine making traditions. Large estates usually had on-site labs to provide analysis helpful in making growing and harvest decisions. In the 1990s, some experimented with a reverse osmosis technology to concentrate the juice (or must), ensuring a deepercolored, richer-tasting wine. (Ironically, the technique was developed in France, but most French producers deplored it as â€Å"removing the poetry of wine. † Needless to say, it was a forbidden practice under AOC regulations. ) New World wine makers also developed processes that allowed fermentation and aging to occur in huge, computer-controlled, stainless steel tanks rather than in traditional oak barrels. To provide oak flavor, some added oak chips while aging their popular priced wines—another practice strictly forbidden in most traditional-producing countries. The economic impact of these and other innovations became clear in a comparison of the costs of production in the Langedoc region of France with the Riverina district in Australia, both big producers of popular priced wines. The French cost per tonne of â‚ ¬238 was 74% higher than the Australian cost of â‚ ¬137. 7 And South American grape costs were even lower, driving down the price of popular premium wine in Europe to â‚ ¬2 a bottle, while the French vins de pays was priced above â‚ ¬3. (Exhibit 1 shows the cost composition of a bottle of French wine. ) Reinventing the Marketing Model Beyond their experiments in growing and winemaking, New World producers also innovated in packaging and marketing. While the European targeted the huge basic wine market by selling the popular liter bottle of vin de table, the Australians developed the innovative â€Å"wine-in-a-box† package. Employing a collapsible plastic bag in a compact cardboard box with a dispensing spigot, the box’s 4 Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old 910-405 shape and weight not only saved shipping costs, it also made storage in the consumer’s refrigerator more convenient. More recently, Australian producers began replacing cork stoppers with screw caps, even on premium wines. The logic was based not just on economics, but also on the fact that many wines, particularly the delicate whites, were susceptible to spoiling if corks were deficient. From their earliest experiences in the marketplace, New World producers learned the value of differentiating their products and making them more appealing to palates unaccustomed to wine. Several early products developed for unsophisticated palates were wildly successful—Ripple in the United States and Barossa Pearl in Australia, for example—but were dismissed by connoisseurs as evidence of the New World’s inferior winemaking skills. Yet these experiments provided valuable lessons in branding and marketing— skills that were rare in this industry prior to the 1970s. With wine showing the potential for mass appeal, in 1977 Coca-Cola acquired Taylor California Cellars. Other experienced consumer marketers such as Nestle, Pillsbury, and Seagram followed, and conventional wisdom was that their sophisticated marketing techniques would finally crack the last major largely unbranded consumer product. But the challenge proved more difficult than expected, and within a decade the outsiders had sold out. Yet their influence endured in the consumer focused attitudes and the sophisticated marketing skills they left behind. The other major change driven by New World companies occurred in distribution. Historically, fragmented producers and tight government regulations had created a long, multilevel value chain, with service providers in many of the links lacking either the scale or the expertise to operate efficiently. (See Exhibit 2 for a representation. ) In contrast, the large New World wine companies typically controlled the full value chain, extracting margins at every level and retaining bargaining power with increasingly concentrated retailers. And because their name was on the final product, they controlled quality at every step. To traditionalists, the New World’s breaks with established grape-growing and wine-making ways were sacrilege. They argued that in the drive for efficiency and consistency, and in the desire to cater to less sophisticated palates, New World producers had lost the character that came with more variable vintages made in traditional ways. And they were shocked that many of these â€Å"engineered products† were sold using appellation names— Chablis, Burgundy, Champagne, and so on. In response, the European Community (EC) passed regulations making such practices illegal. New World wine makers gradually adjusted by identifying their wines by the grape variety used, and eventually consumers recognized and developed preferences defined by the varietal name—cabernet sauvignon versus merlot, or chardonnay versus sauvignon blanc, for example. Indeed, many seemed to find this easier to understand than trying to penetrate the many complex regional designations that each of the traditional wine-producing countries had promoted. The Judgment of Paris On May 24, 1976, in a publicity-seeking activity linked to America’s Bicentenary, a British wine merchant set up a blind-tasting panel to rate top wines from France and California. Despite the enormous home field advantage of an event held in Paris with a judging panel of nine French wine critics, the American entries took top honors in both the red and white competitions. When French producers complained that the so called â€Å"The Judgment of Paris† was rigged, a new judging was held two years later. Again, Californian wines triumphed. 8. The event was a watershed in the industry. The publicity raised awareness that the New World produced quality wines, to the great shock of those who dismissed their innovative approaches. It was also a wake-up call to traditional producers, many of whom began taking their new challengers 5 910-405 Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old seriously for the first time. Finally, it gave confidence to New World producers that they could compete in global markets. In short, it was the bell for the opening round in a fight for export sales. Maturing Markets, Changing Demand â€Å"The Judgment of Paris† signaled the start of many disruptive changes in wine industry during the last quarter of the 20th century. More immediately alarming for most traditional producers was a pattern of declining demand that saw a 20% drop in worldwide consumption from 1970 to 1990, and a subsequent flattening of demand. When combined with radical changes in consumer tastes, consolidation in the distribution channels, and shifts in government support, these trends presented industry participants with an important new set of opportunities and threats. Changing Global Demand Patterns. The most dramatic decline in demand occurred in the highest-consumption countries, France and Italy. In the mid-1960s, per capita annual consumption in both countries was around 110 to 120 liters; by 2005 it was about 50 litres. Key causes of the decline were a younger generation’s different drinking preferences, an older generation’s concern about health issues, and stricter drunk-driving penalties. Simultaneously, steep declines occurred in other major of wine drinking cultures—Spain dropped from 60 liters to 35, Argentina from 80 to 30, and Chile from 50 to 15. (See Exhibit 3.). During the same period, demand was growing in many wine-importing countries, although not fast enough to offset losses in Old World wine countries. From 1966 to 2005, per capita annual consumption in the United Kingdom rose from 3 to 20 liters, in Belgium from 10 to 26 liters, and in Canada from 3 to 10 liters. Even more promising was the more recent growth of new markets, particularly in Asia where consumption in China, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Thailand grew at double digit annual rates through the 1990s. In fact, by 2005, China had emerged as the worlds fifth wine consuming nation ahead of Spain, Argentina, and the U. K. (Exhibits 4 and 5 lists the world’s major consuming and producing nations). It was this shift in market demand that escalated the competition for export sales into a global wine war. (See Exhibit 6 for import and export data. ) Shift to Quality, Rise of Fashion Partially offsetting the overall volume decline was a growing demand for higher-quality wines. While the basic segment (less than $5 a bottle) still accounted for half the world market in volume, the premium ($5 to $7) and the super-premium ($7 to $14) now represented 40% of the total—and more than 50% of the market in younger markets such as the United States and Australia. (Exhibit 7 shows one version of price segmentation as defined by a leading industry analyst. ) The trend was worldwide. Even in Old World wine countries where total demand was in decline, consumption of premium wine kept rising. Despite government subsidies, per capita consumption of basic wine in the EU fell from 31 liters in 1985 to 18 liters in 2005, while demand for quality wine increased from 10 liters to 15 liters. In that same 20 year period, jug wine sales in the United States declined from 800 million to 600 million liters, while consumption of premium wines increased from 150 million to 600 million liters. With the shift to quality, a greater fashion element began to influence demand. The decline in importance of working families’ daily consumption of locally produced table wine was offset by upscale urban consumers who chose bottles on the basis of grape variety, vintage, source and increasingly fashion. The 1980s’ emphasis on lighter foods led to an increase in demand for white 6 Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old 910-405 wines, making white wine spritzers (wine with soda water) a fashionable drink in the United States market. By the late 1980s, white wine represented over 75% of U. S. sales. This all changed following the 1991 publication of a medical report identifying red-wine as a partial explanation of the â€Å"French paradox†Ã¢â‚¬â€ low rates of heart disease in a population well known for its love of rich food. Featured on the U. S. television show 60 Minutes, the report soon led to an increase in demand, with red wine’s market share growing from 27% in 1991 to 43% five years later. Even within this broad trend of red versus white preference, the demand for different grape varieties also moved with fashion. During the white wine boom, chardonnay was the grape of choice, but by the late 1990s, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc were emerging white wine fashion favorites. In red wine, a love affair with Cabernet Sauvignon was followed by a mini-boom for Merlot, which in turn was succeeded by a demand spike for Pinot Noir. Such swings in fashion posed a problem for growers. Although vines had a productive life of 60 to 70 years, they typically took 3 to 4 years to produce their first harvest, 5 to 7 years to reach full productive capacity, and 35 years to produce top quality grapes. But New World wine regions had the capacity and the regulatory freedom to plant new varieties in new vineyards and could respond. For example, in the 1990s, the California acreage planted with chardonnay increased 36%, and merlot plantings increased 31%. As these various demand trends continued, the rankings of the world’s top wine companies underwent radical change. Despite their relative newness and the comparative smallness of their home markets, New World companies took nine slots in a list of the worlds top 15 wine companies, a list previously dominated by Old World companies. (See Exhibit 8 for the listing). Increasing Distribution Power Because marketing had typically been handled by their negociants, most Old World producers were still isolated from such fast-changing consumer tastes and market trends—particularly when they occurred in distant export markets. Equally problematic was their lack of understanding of the rapidly concentrating retail channels. In contrast, because most large New World wine companies controlled their distribution chain from the vineyard to the retailer, they were able to sense changes in consumer preferences and respond to shifts in distribution channels. Furthermore, the New World companies were able to capture even more economic advantage by him and reducing handling stages, holding less inventory, and capturing the intermediaries’ markup. Even the transportation economics that once favored European suppliers’ proximity to the huge United Kingdom market changed. As trucking costs rose, container-ship rates fell, making the cost of shipping wine from Australia to the UK about the same as trucking it from the south of France. Size also gave New World companies bargaining power in the sophisticated negotiations that a concentrated retail sector now demanded. For example, following the huge wine surpluses flooding the market in the early 2000s, Australian producers used their cost advantage to drive prices lower. But equally important in the battle for volume sales was their ability to respond to retailers’ need for a consistent supply of strong brands at a good price/quality ratio. 9 In the face of this head-on competitive challenge, the French tried to defend their position through frequent promotions. 10 But they were hampered by their lack of consumer knowledge and marketing skills. The Old World suppliers’ problems became clear from their dealings with Tesco, the worlds largest wine retailer with wine sales of ? 1. 5 billion in 2007. To maximize sales, Tesco emphasized that it wanted to work with creative suppliers. Dont just bring the deals, bring me innovation,† said Dan 7 910-405 Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old Jago, Tesco’s Wine, Beer, and Spirits division head. If you want your prices to rise, you have to persuade customers why they should pay more. 11 While a handful of icon brands prospered at the top of the market based on image and quality, the fragmentation of Old World vineyards forced most to compete at the low end on price. When some chose to take on the New World brands under the umbrella of the AOC’s reputation, it soon became clear that they lacked the skills or resources to succeed in the last growth middle market. Tesco’s Jago complained that despite its once strong reputation, the Bordeaux â€Å"brand† was losing sway with younger consumers. Heaven knows Ive tried to help them, but our consumers have such infinite choice that they dont need to make [Bordeaux] part of it. 12 Ascendancy in of Brand Power. For years, the wine industry appeared ripe for branding. The extreme fragmentation of the European industry (Bordeaux alone had 20,000 producers) meant that few had the volume to support a branding strategy. Historically, only the handful of Old World producers whose wines achieved icon status—Lafite, Veuve Cliquot, and Chateau d’Yquem, for example—were recognized brands. But these appealed to the elite, who represented only a tiny fraction of the global market. In providing the consumer confidence that branding offers, government-supported classifications such as France’s AOC had been only partially successful. Their value was weakened not only by their complexity (in 2009 there were 327 designated AOC regions), but also by the erosion of consumers’ confidence in the classification scheme as an assurance of quality13. For example, Burgundy’s most famous vineyard, Chambertin, had its 32 acres divided among 23 proprietors. While most produced the high-quality wine that had earned its grand cru status, others rode on that reputation to sell—at $150 a bottle— legitimately labeled Chambertin that wine critic Robert Parker described as â€Å"thin, watery, and a complete rip-off. †14 As interest in wine extended beyond educated connoisseurs, new consumers in the fast-growing premium wine segment were faced with hundreds of options and often insufficient knowledge to make an informed—or even a comfortable—choice. Government classification schemes required them to have an understanding of the intricacies of region, vintage, and vineyard reputation, and even if they found a wine they liked, chances were that by their next purchase, that producer was not stocked or the new vintage was less appealing. Unsurprisingly, survey data in the early 1990s showed that 65% of shoppers had no idea what they would choose when they entered a wine store. Yet even in 2009, despite many attempts, no brand had been able to capture as much as 1% of the global wine market, in contrast to soft drinks, beer, and liquor, where global brands were dominant. Although European producers and their importing agents had successfully launched several mass appeal brands in the 1960s and 1970s (e. g., Blue Nun, Mateus, Liebfraumilch), a decade later New World producers had made branding a routine part of wine marketing. For example, by sourcing grapes from multiple vineyards and regions, Australian wine maker Penfolds built trust in its products by ensuring the vintage-to-vintage consistency that branding demanded. It then leveraged its trusted brand name by creating a hierarchy of Penfolds wines that allowed consumers to move up each step from $9 to $185 wines as their tastes—and their budgets–developed. (See Exhibit 9. ) New World producers who built their marketing expertise in their home markets during the 1960s and 1970s, learned how to respond to consumer preferences for the simpler, more fruit-driven wines that were easy to appreciate. They then took those wines and the marketing and branding skills they had developed at home into the export markets. By 2007, New World companies claimed 14 of the world’s top 20 wine brands. (See Exhibit 10). 8 Global Wine War 2009: New World versus Old 910-405. The Government Solution The radical shifts in demand proved extremely challenging to Old World producers. First, there was often no new land available to plant, particularly in controlled AOC regions. Equally restrictive were the regulations prescribing permitted grape varieties and winemaking techniques that greatly limited their flexibility. So, for example, when fashion switched away from sweeter white wines, the German wine industry which was constrained by tight regulations on sugar content, watched its exports drop from over 3 million hectoliters in 1992 to under 2 million just five years later. But the biggest problem was that declining demand at home and a loss of share in export markets had caused a structural wine surplus popularly called the European wine lake. The EU’s initial response was to pay farmers to uproot their vineyards, leading to 500,000 hectares (13% of production) being uprooted between 1988 and 1996. A parallel â€Å"crisis distillation program† provided for the EU to purchase surplus wine for distillation into industrial alcohol. An average of 26 million hectoliters (15% of total production) was distilled annually in the decade since 1999. In a 2006 reform proposal, the EU aimed to uproot a further 200,000 hectares equal to the size of the US wine industry and gradually phase out crisis distillation. Critics contended that despite their intent to move towards more market-driven policies, the EU regulators were still dealing with challenges from the supply-side perspective of the grape growers.

The Ethics of Cloning :: Persuasive Essay, Argumentative

The Ethics of Cloning Regardless of what our future holds, it will be based on the decisions we make today.   Those decisions can be made using the Utilitarian Theory which states that we are doing good for the greatest number of people.   Using Rule Utilitarianism "which maintains that a behavioral code or rule is morally right if the consequences of adopting that rule are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. (IEP)" is justifably noted that if a consensus is formed on the basis of rules that govern cloning, and these rules are broken, the appropriate punishment will result.   This is because cloning a human will not benefit the society as a whole, it would do more harm than good.   We all have rules that govern our society over what is right or wrong and we know that these rules are set forth to maintain order.   We have laws because it benefits the majority of the people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Principles of Consequences state that when looking at the end result, the correct action will be the action that produces the greatest amount of happiness (Ursery).   To decide if human cloning produces the greatest amount of happiness we have one question still in need of an answer is "Are human embryos really human?" Well, the term 'human' proceeding the term 'embryo' should adequately answer the question. The embryo are cloned from human tissue, contain human DNA, thus there is likely a 100 percent chance that the embryos are indeed human, as opposed to being tadpole embryos. Therefore, biologically speaking a clone is no less a human than you or I. And using that human for tissue simply because he/she was cloned rather than conceived does not validate the notion, nor skip around the moral and ethical implications of taking the life of another human being.   Death is not a happy occasion therefore it does not produce the greatest amount of happines to the majo rity of the popluation.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The bad consequences out way the good, therefore we cannot assume that the benefit of human cloning will solve life's problems.   To this day we have yet to find a cure for the common cold.   This is because most diseases have a way of surviving, as did the human race during the ice age.   Everything finds a way to adapt to it's environment and if the benefits major benefit for cloning is to cure diseases, then we are at a loss.

Analysis of the Feasibility of Cultural Relativity, Ethical Subjectivism

The cultural relativity argument is based upon the following premises. (1) Societies differ in their standards of rationality on both empirical and normative aspects. (2) What counts as an empirical fact and a social fact and the bases by which societies were able to judge them as such are said to vary across societies. (3) Rationality is deeply intertwined with our cognition of the world. (4) Facts do not go beyond our capacity to know.Such assumptions lead to the conclusion that there is no such thing as a common body of social fact that corresponds to a shared human standard of cognition. If such is the case, it therefore follows that there are several bodies of fact each relative to the standards valid to the society in question. In relation to this James Rachel contends that a minimum conception of rationality requires that â€Å"we try to guide our conduct by reason while giving equal weight to the interests of each individual† (qtd in McNiven 131).The possibility of suc h is evident if one considers that (1) moral judgments must be based upon good reasons and (2) morality requires â€Å"the impartial consideration of each individual’s interests† (McNiven 131). If such is the case, it thereby follows that since a relativistic world view is based upon a conception of relative standards for the validation of social views hence a relativistic framework assumes that the different conceptions of morality [since these must necessarily be based upon the structural framework of a culture].If such is the case, such a perspective thereby fails to adhere to the second provision of a minimal conception of reality, which gives credence on the aspect of impartiality. It follows from this that cultural relativism thereby fails to meet the standards of a minimum conception of morality.2. During the last twenty years or so, a number of ethicists have found some value in ethical subjectivism, despite its flaws. How might some of its assumptions be helpf ul in making moral decisions?Ethical subjectivism is based on the assumptions that (1) there are no valid grounds to support the notion of the existence of objective moral truths and (2) moral conceptions of right and wrong are relative in nature (Mills and Polanowski 134). In a sense, ethical subjectivism may thereby be seen as enabling the renunciation of moral absolutism, which is based on the assumption that reason stands as the grounds for he formation of moral judgments.David Hume contends that such a perspective fails to account for the influence of desire in the formation of moral judgment. In relation to this, Mills and Polanowski contend that such an assumption shows the manner in which â€Å"moral ideals achieve their reality only within consciousness as the subjective product of moral valuation† (137). The importance of such is evident if one considers instances wherein rationality decrees the elimination of life whereas subjective morality opts for enabling the c ontinuance of life [e.g. cases of euthanasia].3. Gregory Pence claims the arguments against SCNT are weak. Do you agree? Why or why not?Gregory Pence claims that creating an embryo through the process of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) is deemed as problematic due to the possible harm that it may cause. Such possible harms range from those considered as enabling â€Å"harms to society or the institutions of the family† (Pence 77). The main concern however lies in its effects upon the child [physical harm as a product of birth defect and psychological harm], which is a product of the aforementioned method.At the onset, it is important to note that such harms are based upon preconceived and invalidated conceptions of possible outcomes in the future. In a sense, they may be considered as somewhat fictitious projections of possible occurrences as a result of a particular methodology that has resemblance to other methodologies that enabled or caused physical or psychological harm upon an entity. Pence, thereby argues that he failure of the aforementioned criticism may be traced to their assumption of either of the similarity of SCNT to other methodologies [e.g. cloning] which has led to the harm of entities or to the assumption that such a process will scar a child. Such assumptions [against SCNY], however, as I reckon fails to consider Pence’s arguments.Works CitedMacNiven, Don.   Creative Morality.   London: Routledge, 1993.Mills, Jon and Janusz Polanowski.   The Ontology of Prejudice.   U.S.A.: Rodopi, 1997.Pence, Gregory.   Brave New Bioethics.   London: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002.

Aristotle Biography Essay

Philosopher (c. 384 BCE–c. 322 BCE) Synopsis Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was born circa 384 B.C. in Stagira, Greece. When he turned 17, he enrolled in Plato’s Academy. In 338, he began tutoring Alexander the Great. In 335, Aristotle founded his own school, the Lyceum, in Athens, where he spent most of the rest of his life studying, teaching and writing. Aristotle died in 322 B.C., after he left Athens and fled to Chalcis. Early Life Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was born circa 384 B.C. in Stagira, a small town on the northern coast of Greece that was once a seaport. Aristotle’s father, Nicomachus, was court physician to the Macedonian king Amyntas II. Although Nicomachus died when Aristotle was just a young boy, Aristotle remained closely affiliated with and influenced by the Macedonian court for the rest of his life. Little is known about his mother, Phaestis; she is also believed to have died when Aristotle was young.After Aristotle’s father died, Proxenus of Atarneus, who was married to Aristotle’s older sister, Arimneste, became Aristotle’s guardian until he came of age. When Aristotle turned 17, Proxenus sent him to Athens to pursue a higher education. At the time, Athens was considered the academic center of the universe. In Athens, Aristotle enrolled in Plato’s Academy, Greek’s premier learning institution, and proved an exemplary scholar. Aristotle maintained a relationship with Greek philosopher Plato, himself a student of Socrates, and his academy for two decades. Plato died in 347 B.C. Because Aristotle had disagreed with some of Plato’s philosophical treatises, Aristotle did not inherit the position of director of the academy, as many imagined hewould.After Plato died, Aristotle’s friend Hermias, king of Atarneus and Assos in Mysia, invited Aristotle to court. During his three-year stay in Mysia, Aristotle met and married his first wifePythias, Hermias’ niece. Together, the couple had a daughter, Pythias, named after her mother. Teaching In 338 B.C., Aristotle went home to Macedonia to start tutoring King Phillip II’s son, the then 13-year-old Alexander the Great. Phillip and Alexander both held Aristotle in high esteem and ensured that the Macedonia court generously compensated him for his work. In 335 B.C., after Alexander had succeeded his father as king and conquered Athens, Aristotle went back to the city. In Athens, Plato’s Academy, now run by Xenocrates, was still the leading influence on Greek thought. With Alexander’s permission, Aristotle started his own school in Athens, called the Lyceum. On and off, Aristotle spent most of the remainder of his life working as a teacher, researcher and writer at the Lyceum in Athens. Because Aristotle was known to walk around the school grounds while teaching, his students, forced to follow him, were nicknamed the â€Å"Peripatetics,† meaning â€Å"people who travel about.† Lyceum members researched subjects ranging from science and math to philosophy and politics, and nearly everything in between. Art was also a popular area of interest. Members of the Lyceum wrote up their findings in manuscripts. In so doing, they built the school’s massive collection of written materials, which by ancient accounts was credited as one of the first great libraries. In the same year that Aristotle opened the Lyceum, his wife Pythias died. Soon after, Aristotle embarked on a romance with a woman named Herpyllis, who hailed from his hometown of Stagira. According to some historians, Herpyllis may have been Aristotle’s slave, granted to him by the Macedonia court. They presume that he eventually freed and married her. Regardless, it is known that Herpyllis bore Aristotle children, including one son named Nicomachus, after Aristotle’s father. Aristotle is believed to have named his famed philosophical work Nicomachean Ethics in tribute to his son. When Aristotle’s former student Alexander the Great died suddenly in 323 B.C., the pro-Macedonian government was overthrown, and in light of anti-Macedonia sentiment , Aristotle was charge with impiety. To avoid being prosecuted, he left Athens and fled to Chalcis on the island of Euboea, where he would remain until his death.

Get the Lead Out of Hunting

Get the Lead Out of Hunting The Lead Problem Throughout modern firearms’ evolution, lead has been the material of choice in the manufacture of ammunition. The high density of lead and its deformation characteristics give it desirable ballistic properties. For hunting purposes, lead is used to make the small, round shot packed in shotgun shells, and is the main component in the bullets used in rifles. What makes lead less than ideal, however, is that it is quite toxic. In 1991 in the United States (and in 1997 in Canada) lead shot was banned for waterfowl hunting. Up until that point, tons of lead shot had been raining on wetlands all over the continent each hunting season. As ducks were foraging for food in the sediments at the bottom of wetlands, they would ingest lead shot and many would eventually die of acute lead poisoning. Bird hunting upland, for example for pheasant, grouse, or quail, was not included in the 1991 ban. With upland hunting, the shot used does not become concentrated in discrete locations and it was not believed to be problematic to the degree waterfowl shot was. The same might have been believed for rifle bullets, which are to this day mostly made of lead. However, there are real environmental and health hazards associated with the use of lead for any type of hunting, and many hunters are changing their habits accordingly. How Lead Bullets Work In hunting rifles, the lead bullet is shot at high pressure into the target. At that point the collision with the flesh of the animal deforms the bullet, turning it into a wide, flat blob, killing the animal quickly if the shot is well placed. However, there is a key problem with lead bullets: when the bullet hits its target, it looses energy by deforming and breaking up, with dozens of small lead fragments ending up lodged in the entrails and the meat of the animal. These fragments can be as small as sand grains, and they are often found over a foot from the wound channel. Environmental Effects When a hunter guts a large mammal, the lungs, kidneys, digestive track, and other organs are left in the field, and with them tiny lead particles. These â€Å"gut piles† are fed upon by scavengers like foxes, coyotes, ravens, red-tailed hawks, eagles, and many other birds and mammals. The small lead bits are accidentally ingested as well. A very small lead fragment in an animal’s gut will be dissolved by the digestive juices, elevating blood lead levels to several parts per million, which is enough to kill a bird as large as a bald eagle. Anyone who has been in rural areas on opening day of a deer hunt can appreciate how many gut piles are left behind in the woods and imagine how many scavengers must have elevated lead levels in their blood.   Health Effects Traditionally, when big game hunters butcher their quarry they carve out the meat about two inches around the entry and exit wounds. When researchers used portable x-ray equipment to look at deer carcasses killed by rifle, they found very small lead fragments far away from the bullet wounds. These fragments then end up in the meat consumed by humans. Even packaged ground venison examined with x-ray technology showed a peppering of very small lead particles, small enough to be unnoticed by the unsuspecting eater, but large enough to cause dangerous health effects. Even at low concentrations, lead in adult humans interferes with renal function, affects learning and thinking, and disrupts our reproductive system. In children, nervous system development is impacted, and there is no such thing as a safe blood lead level. In communities getting a substantial proportion of their protein from wild meat, blood levels with significant lead levels are commonly found. The Solution For shotgun shells, various non-lead materials are now available for upland small game hunting, including steel, bismuth, and tungsten. For large game hunting, all-copper rifle bullets are now on the market for most calibers, and are gaining rapidly in popularity. These bullets retain their mass when entering an animal, without losing small pieces like lead does. Non-lead ballistic characteristics are very acceptable for most hunting situations, and the modern copper bullets have been field proven to be at least as lethal as conventional bullets. The only disadvantage of non-lead bullets is their cost, which is on average about 40% higher. In 2008, California banned lead ammunition in areas where California Condors live, as lead was identified as one of the major threats to that species’ existence. The ban will be extended to the entire state by 2019. For More Information Web resource discussing the science: Hunting with Non-lead. United States Geological Survey. Lead Poisoning in Wild Birds.

Environment factors affect evolutionary change Essay

Environment factors affect evolutionary change - Essay Example As there is more selection of a particular trait that is inherited by the species, there is more regression. In the case of no heritability, there is no regression as new variations are produced. In reality, what usually happens is something that is a middle path. This can be seen in the experiment that is seen in Evotutor. Here, when the parameter of selction is placed at five, that of regression is 3.25. however, when the parameter of selection is reduced to 3.0, that of regression reduces to 1.95. This enables a better understanding of the ways in which selection works. Variation is another aspect that is changed through the ages and leads to evolution. When there is greater variation in a society, there is greater change in the following generations of the species. When there is very less variation, the reverse happens. However, another important aspect of this is the way in which the variations are distributed. If a large part of the variations happens in the case of a particular trait, then evolution and selection would proceed in that direction, leading to the development of subspecies and then different species altogether. This can be seen in the histogram that Evotutor provides. When the level of variance in a society is placed at 125, the division between different colors reads different numbers where the variations within the population are divided into different permutations and combinations. This is seen in the constant change that the graphic shows while analyzing the data. However, when the level of variance is increased to 720, the var iations within the populations are much more diffuse. No single variation has a hegemony and this can be seen in the constantly changing leader in the

Are all waste products simply resources that have not been used yet Essay

Are all waste products simply resources that have not been used yet - Essay Example Waste products are made resources by the process of section, transportation, recycling and treatment. In addition, the system disposal is applied in determination of the number of recycle bins required to facilitate garbage collection at the curb. Nevertheless, the paper focuses on determining whether the waste products can be considered resources that have not been exploited. There has been a significant growth of governmental investment, among industrial sectors leading to increases of interest concerning Municipal Solid Waste MSW management projects. In this case, MSW management offers a vital opportunity for conversion of waste materials to resources. On the other hand, in order to convert waste materials to resources, there is need to understand the current situation experienced in MSW management (Hongtao & Yongfeng, 2001, 255). In fact, there are substantial factors playing a vital role in generation of MSW, which entail economic development, consumption rates, administrative s ystems, urban population and geographic location. However, the most important factors include the urban population and economic situation, which are considered a contributor to improvement of MSW quality. Waste products have been converted to resources through MSW for the last twenty years, thereby resulting to a change in the waste composition and an increase for waste. Therefore, value of waste based on increases of reusability is influenced by impacts of MSW components. Moreover, this entails domestic fuel used and other living standards, which are associated with the levels of composition. Some of identified sources of MSW include residential, municipal, institutional, commercial, and other attributes of the city that entail size, location and economic condition. There are high recyclable content gathered through MSW in exclusive residential districts; for instance, there are percentages of kitchen waste, ash and dirt, which are lesser than regular to inhabited district (Hongtao & Yongfeng, 2001, 259). On the other hand, there are other fractions of kitchen residue, thereby making up a higher portion of waste disposed by residential district. There is waste gathered from neighborhood as a high moisture content that has a lower calorific value. Historically, there is influence of waste composition based on the living standards of people living is various regions. Therefore, management of MSW has become a global issue due to its significance based on judgment made by mayors, county executives and city and country council broads. In fact, this decisions made by these actors has led to a significant impact on the emissions of greenhouse gas (GHG), thereby contributing to climatic changes (Weitz, Thorneloe, Nishtala, Yarkosky & Zannes, 2002, 1001). Waste caused CH4 emissions emanating from decomposition of biodegradable elements present in waste streams such as food scraps, yard trimming and papers, they have led to increased potential for global climatic chang es (Weitz, Thorneloe, Nishtala, Yarkosky & Zannes, 2002, 1002). Moreover, this is associated by the release of GHG, which is debated in the country and in other countries around the world. MSW management program is applied as a resource for reduction of GHG emission, whereby it is