To what extent does demographic change in the UK represent more of an opportunity than a threat to UK businesses free essay sample

The UK economy is constantly changing for various reasons such as improvement in medicine and increased globalisation leading to people living longer and the UK economy becoming more diverse culturally. Whether or not it provides an opportunity or a threat to a business will largely depend upon how the management of the business decides to attempt to change because of the change of the demographics. The largest change to the UK demographics would be the overall increase in the average age of the country, because of the innovation in medicine keeping people alive for longer and people not getting sick for long. This could provide many opportunities for a firm in the UK, either in sales or the management of the firm. A firm could change the demographics of its target audience to an older generation, in order to potentially increase sales. For example there has been a large increase in mobile phones designed specifically for an older market, with many utilities that would be useful to the older generation, such as larger buttons and a â€Å"help me† text button. We will write a custom essay sample on To what extent does demographic change in the UK represent more of an opportunity than a threat to UK businesses? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On the other hand this does provide some threat to firms in the technological industry; with firms having to work harder to gain the attention of the main target market of teenagers and young adults. However, while the over average demographic of the UK is growing older this is also countered by the fact that the whole economy is growing in general. The overall population has increased from 55million to almost 70 million over the last 50 years, and the growth is exponentially growing because of the increase presence of globalisation and the free movement of labour across all EU countries. This means that while the average age of the population has increased substantially, the overall market has increased by near the same rate. This means that while the market that are unpopular with the older generation, such as the technology industry, will have stayed about the same size; or maybe even grown a bit. This means that the there is little threat to firms operating in these markets because of the change in the average age of the economy, and could potentially be in a better position because of it. The only thing that will affect them is that they potentially have a new market to enter and potentially earn money from. The change in the average age could potentially cause a problem though for employers because of increased pension pays. With people living longer resulting in people being retired for a substantially longer time, it results in people living for longer and claiming pension for much longer. This could cause problems for firms because of increased costs leading to firms struggling to break even. This also causes great stress on the NHS and other public funded medical establishments resulting in the government having to spend more and more money on these services, resulting in less money or higher taxes for UK firms. However, the older age could also provide a benefit to UK firms, with an increased amount of potential employees. For example BnQ currently employ a large amount of older people to work in their stores, rather than teenagers and you adults. This is because they found out that, in their case at least, that customers preferred an older store assistant rather than a younger one, finding that they were friendlier, more helpful and overall increased the level of customer service. However, not all industries can utilise the older generation as employees, such as the technology industry who need to have the younger generation as employees because of their involvement with technology. Another change in the UK demographics would be the increased amount of people in the UK from eastern European countries. With the UK being part of the European Union there is free movement of labour and capital throughout Europe; and because England has substantially better living conditions than some of the countries in Eastern Europe many migrants have come to England in search of jobs. This could provide large benefits to firms in the UK because these workers do not demand the same amount of money as the equivalent UK worker (because they have been brought up with less money and value it more so than UK residents) while also having a better work ethics, on average, than UK residents. The migrants are also more likely to take the jobs that UK workers view as â€Å"beneath them†, such as strawberry picking. This leads to huge reductions in costs to the firms working in these industries who can benefit from this cheap labour, having large reductions to the cost of production. Also the increase in the supply of employees means that potentially the average wage rate could reduce, with a larger amount of people vying for the same job the firms can get away with paying less. This coupled with the fact that the UK is currently in a recession, with large unemployment throughout the world, means that the firms have huge amounts of people to choose from when employing people. The increased amount of migrants in the UK economy also provides a new market for firms, with the migrants wanting national delicacies to eat. This has resulted in large amounts of eastern European food shops opening throughout the UK, and even large supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury’s increasing the prominence of their â€Å"world food† section of the business with particular emphasis on Eastern European food. However, while the increased level of migrants is in general a huge opportunity for UK firms, it does also come with large levels of capital flight from the UK. A large amount of migrants are single people hoping to support and provide a better level of living for their family back home. This means that a large amount of their wages are sent back to their home countries, leading to the demand increase caused by the migrants being relatively low, and by extension the multiplier effect caused by the spending of the wages in the UK being lost as well. Another change in the UK economy is the increased level of unemployment. This could prove beneficial to firms in the UK because they can get away with paying lower wages to the jobs, and when looking to employ new people they can offer lower wages and be more specific about the needs of the job. They can look around more and look for the best person for the job with ease, with huge interest in most jobs that are available. However, this large level of unemployment has also lead to a large decrease demand throughout the UK, because people are less likely to spend the money that they earn and save, or they do not have the money to spend at all. This has caused overall demand to fall, with people saving whatever money that they earn just in case. This has coupled with the overall lack of confidence in the economy has caused demand to further fall, leading to the economy becoming overall stagnant; even shrinking recently causing the UK economy to go into another recession. In conclusion the changes in demographic overall provide a huge opportunity to firms in the UK, with new markets growing very quickly and the overall UK economy growing substantially in a short amount of time. However, these opportunities are overshadowed by the current economic climate in the UK causing large scale fear about the economy; meaning that these opportunities aren’t available.

A Brief History of the African Country of Kenya

A Brief History of the African Country of Kenya Fossils found in East Africa suggest that protohumans roamed the area more than 20 million years ago. Recent finds near Kenyas Lake Turkana indicate that hominids lived in  the area  2.6 million years ago. Cushitic-speaking people from northern Africa moved into the area that is now Kenya beginning around 2000 BC. Arab traders began frequenting the Kenya coast around the first century AD. Kenyas proximity to the Arabian Peninsula invited colonization, and Arab and Persian settlements sprouted along the coast by the eighth century. During the first millennium AD, Nilotic and Bantu peoples moved into the region, and the latter now comprises three-quarters of Kenyas population. The Europeans Arrive The Swahili language, a mixture of Bantu and Arabic, developed as a lingua franca for trade between the different peoples. Arab dominance on the coast was eclipsed by the arrival in 1498 of the Portuguese, who gave way in turn to Islamic control under the Imam of Oman in the 1600s. The United Kingdom established its influence in the 19th century. The colonial history of Kenya dates from the Berlin Conference of 1885 when the European powers first partitioned East Africa into spheres of influence. In 1895, the U.K. Government established the East African Protectorate and, soon after, opened the fertile highlands to white settlers. The settlers were allowed a voice in government even before it was officially made a U.K. colony in 1920, but Africans were prohibited from direct political participation until 1944. The Mau Mau  Resist Colonialism From October 1952 to December 1959, Kenya was under a state of emergency arising from the Mau Mau rebellion against British colonial rule. During this period, African participation in the political process increased rapidly. Kenya Achieves Independence The first direct elections for Africans to the Legislative Council took place in 1957. Kenya became independent on December 12, 1963, and the next year joined the Commonwealth. Jomo Kenyatta, a member of the large Kikuyu ethnic group and head of the Kenya African National Union (KANU), became Kenyas first President. The minority party, Kenya African Democratic Union (KADU), representing a coalition of small ethnic groups, dissolved itself voluntarily in 1964 and joined KANU. The Road to Kenyattas One-Party State A small but significant leftist opposition party, the Kenya Peoples Union (KPU), was formed in 1966, led by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a former Vice President, and Luo elder. The KPU was banned shortly after and its leader detained. No new opposition parties were formed after 1969, and KANU became the sole political party. At Kenyattas death in August 1978, Vice President Daniel Arap Moi became President. A New Democracy in Kenya In June 1982, the National Assembly amended the constitution, making Kenya officially a one-party state, and parliamentary elections were held in September 1983. The 1988 elections reinforced the one-party system. However, in December 1991, Parliament repealed the one-party section of the constitution. By early 1992, several new parties had formed, and multiparty elections were held in December 1992. Because of divisions in the opposition, however, Moi was reelected for another 5-year term, and his KANU party retained a majority of the legislature. Parliamentary reforms in November 1997 expanded political rights, and the number of political parties grew rapidly. Again because of a divided opposition, Moi won re-election as President in the December 1997 elections. KANU won 113 out of 222 parliamentary seats, but, because of defections, had to depend on the support of minor parties to forge a working majority.In October 2002, a coalition of opposition parties joined forces with a fact ion which broke away from KANU to form the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC). In December 2002, the NARC candidate, Mwai Kibaki, was elected the country’s third President. President Kibaki received 62% of the vote, and NARC also won 59% of the parliamentary seats. Source US Department of State Background Notes.

Anne of Hanover, Princess of Orange

Anne of Hanover, Princess of Orange Known for:  Second to bear the British title Princess Royal Dates:  November 2, 1709 -  January 12, 1759Titles Include:  Princess Royal; Princess of Orange; Princess-Regent of FrieslandAlso known as:  Princess Anne of Hanover, Duchess of Brunswick and Là ¼neburg Background, Family: Father: George IIMother: Caroline of AnsbachSiblings: Frederick, Prince of Wales; Princess Amelia Sophia; Princess caroline Elizabeth; William of Cumberland; Mary of Hesse-Cassel; Louise, Queen of Denmark Marriage, Children: husband: William IV of Orange-Nassau (married March 25, 1734)childrenCarolina of Orange-Nassau (married Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilburg, 1760)Princess Anna of Orange-Nassau (died weeks after birth)William V, Prince of Orange (married Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia, 1767) Princess Royal Anne of Hanover became part of the British royal succession when her grandfather succeeded to the British throne as George I in 1714. When her father succeeded to the throne as George II in 1727, he gave the title Princess Royal to his daughter. Anne was heir apparent to her father from her birth until 1717, when her brother George was born, and then again from his death in 1718 until the birth of her brother William in 1721. The first woman to hold title of Princess Royal was Mary, eldest daughter of Charles I. The eldest daughter of George I, Queen Sophia Dorothea of Prussia, was eligible for the title but was not given it. Queen Sophia was still alive when the title was given to Anne of Hanover. About Anne of Hanover Anne was born in Hanover; her father was at the time electoral prince of Hanover.   He later became George II of Great Britain.   She was brought to England when she was four. She was educated to know English, German and French, to understand history and geography, and in more typical female subjects, such as dance.   Her grandfather supervised her education from 1717, and she added painting, Italian and Latin to her subjects. The composer Handel taught music to Anne. A Protestant successor to the royal family was considered essential, and with her eldest surviving brother being much younger, there was an urgency to find a husband for Anne.   Her cousin Frederick of Prussia (later Frederick the Great) was considered, but her younger sister Amelia married him. In 1734, Princess Anne married the Prince of Orange, William IV, and used the title Princess of Orange instead of Princess Royal.   The marriage won wide political acceptance in both great Britain and the Netherlands.   Anne apparently expected to remain in Britain, but after a month of marriage, William and Anne left for the Netherlands.   She was always treated with some suspicion by the Dutch citizenry. When Anne first became pregnant, she wanted to have the child in London, considering the possible position of the child in the royal succession.   But William and his advisors wanted the child born the Netherlands, and her parents supported his wishes.   The pregnancy turned out to be false.   She had two miscarriages and two stillbirths before she  was pregnant again with her daughter Carolina born in 1743, her brother had finally married and her mother had died, so there was little question but that the child would be born at The Hague. Another daughter, Anna, born in 1746, died a few weeks after birth.   Annes son William was born in 1748. When William died in 1751, Anne became regent for their son, William V, since both children were underage. The power of the ruler had declined under her husband and continued to decline under Annes regency. When a French invasion of Britain was expected, she stood for neutrality of the Dutch, which alienated her British support.   She continued as regent until her death in 1759 of dropsy.  Her mother-in-law became Princess Regent from 1759 until she died in 1765.   Annes daughter Carolina then became regent until 1766 when her brother turned 18. Annes daughter Carolina (1743 - 1787) married Karl Christian of Nassau-Weilberg.   They had fifteen children; eight died in childhood. Anne of Hanovers son William married Princess Wilhelmina of Prussia in 1767. They had five children, two of whom died in childhood. Bibliography: Veronica P.M. Baker-Smith  A Life of Anne of Hanover, Princess Royal. 1995. More womens history biographies, by name: More womens history biographies, by name:

In Shawshank Redemption movie, King explores the idea of Karma that Essay

In Shawshank Redemption movie, King explores the idea of Karma that is, the idea that what goes around comes around, or as the - Essay Example The guards would beat them up and damage their cells and later ask them to do the entire repair (The Shawshank Redemption). Apart from being beaten, these prisoners had to do everything. When prisoners are beaten senselessly, it proves to other inmates that they do not have to respect one another. Beating up the prisoners also hurts them both physically and mentally. The warden went as far as supporting behavior that was not called for in the prison. However, the guards and the warden failed to recognize that one may not play with Karma. As it is known that â€Å"we reap what we sow,† this is what the warden and the guards had sowed and it was clearly coming back to them. As opposed to the fellow inmates, Andy possessed a sense of self-worth. Some of the other inmates tried to rape him and beat him up, but he managed to withstand all those harsh treatments even though he suffered lacerations and bruises (The Shawshank Redemption). He managed to quietly befriend Red and his tea m of friends. Once they became friends, they formed a dreadful group that always stuck together. There is a lot of prison violence and conflict throughout the movie (The Shawshank Redemption). The worst conflict was when the warden ordered the murder of Tommy who had information that would prove that Andy was innocent. Andy had not been doing the taxes of the warden. When Andy was informed of what the warden did, he got emotional. Andy decided to plan his escape that would set him free and give him a chance to expose the evil warden and the guards. In the Shawshank prison, the warden permitted the guards to torture and even to murder their prisoners. As a warden, he has the responsibility of bringing justice, but when he discovered that he had the opportunity to free Andy from wrongful accusation, he destroyed the evidence that would set Andy free. Apparently, the evidence that he destroyed was the murder of a man by the name of Tommy. When Andy discovered that he had nothing left t o prove his innocence, he became devastated. Karma became quite significant when Andy managed to escape from the prison. Andy wrote a letter to the local newspapers that described how immorally the convicts were treated and even beaten to death in the prison (The Shawshank Redemption). The journalists and the police turned up within some minutes once the information had been read and revealed. This shocked the warden and he got scared and later committed suicide. In the beginning of the movie, the warden displayed the characters of Christian men. He ensured that the Shawshank prisoners had the Bibles, and he familiarized the prisoners with his favorite Bible verse, â€Å"Salvation Lies Within.† The warden and Andy both had conversations regarding this Bible verse; however, Andy disrupted the conversation in an encouraging manner. When the warden discovered that Andy had been concealing in the Bible the tool which assisted him to flee, his jaw dropped. No one knows how people may react to what they are told and how the precise opposite may set them free. The film depicts that everyone gets what he deserves. The warden and the guards received their punishment just like they mistreated the inmates (The Shawshank Redemption). People may dance through life doing evil things to others and even mistreating others, and they may think that they may have a smooth life. Andy was an innocent man who was convicted for a crime that he did not commit. This subjected him to a life that he did not deserve.

Agricultural marketing system Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Agricultural marketing system - Term Paper Example re of related to proper financial counseling and training in agricultural economics, management requires time dedication and ability for an employee to keenly understand the issue of marketing majoring in agricultural field of practice (Martin, 1991, p. 53). In order to gain from agricultural input supplies, the organization should not only sell the products but also train the users on how best to hold and use the specified products supplied. However, being a business oriented organization, it is better to stock supplies that contain the products that are required (Prasad, 2005, p. 15). Until this time, I had never realized any complication being that It is not connected to the internet to reduce products costs globally. In the food industry, the key challenge that most people face is lack of adequate food preservation equipment. However, food stuffs are getting more expensive hence high living standards within the same city (Meulenberg, 1995, p. 46). In order to come up with genuine work you have to be able to communicate your ideas, through the numerous struggles. Organizations like world food program should be encouraged as they create conducive atmosphere for most of the products. Through proper record keeping the system intermediaries are likely to assist in establishment (Martin, 1991, p. 39). The module covered the retailers in food and agribusiness, through an amicable way all the workers are supposed to be engaged in service industry (Prasad, 2005, p. 34). Through some commitment it would be unable to travel home with a perception that it is wise not to attend to the daily chores as the customers who are unable to access goods and services from the local pubic would benefit from the any function (Meulenberg, 1995, p.48). Being a busy day full of cookery and the kind and nature of products that are likely to be sold to traders who are likely to retain links, it is not possible to have everybody resting on such an occasion that requires services from

The Issue Of Cultural Relativism Human Rights Essay

The Issue Of Cultural Relativism Human Rights Essay When it comes to human rights, the issue of cultural relativism is widely discussed. Majority of the human rights literature encompasses the western and non-western argument on what best illustrates what human rights should be. As a result of these debates, comes the discussion of cultural relativism. Cultural relativism, at first glance, seems like quite a reasonable argument towards safeguarding different cultural groups. However when we begin to analyse the cultural relativism theory, we come to find that it is not quite as reasonable or even as practical as it seems to be. Cultural relativism seems to not only ignore human rights violations, but actually seems to approve them. Furthermore, it hardly disapproves any cultural or religious practices. Cultural relativism ignores the necessity to oppose violations and other human rights, and also ignores the freedom of choice to do so. This paper seeks to prove that there is no conceivable claim in supporting cultural relativism, and will discuss and analyse the issue of conflict between human rights and cultural relativism. This will provide some insight on how some scholars, anthropologist, philosophers, and political scientists have debated over this issue and how some of them have questioned the validity of cultural relativism in relation to human rights. I will discuss both cultural relativism and universal human rights and analyse the conflicts that have risen between them and their ensuing practices, as well as give examples to show the absurdity of the cultural relativist claim. I will conclude by p roviding evidence that shows that cultural relativists are indeed human rights violators, as well as show that their notion on cultural relativism proves to be highly contradictory and unreliable, now and in the future. The Human Rights Debate: Cultural Relativism versus Universalism 2.1 What is Cultural Relativism? The idea of Cultural relativism was developed by Franz Boas (1858-1942) in 1911. Robert Redfield described cultural relativism as values expressed in any culture are to be both understood and valued only according to the way people who carry that culture see things. Melville Herskovits gives an even more elaborate definition of cultural relativism as a philosophy which, in recognizing the values set up by every society to guide its own life, lays stress on the dignity inherent in every body of custom, and on the need of tolerance of conventions though they may differ from ones own. He continues by going on to say that each culture is said to constitute a total social world that reproduces itself through enculturation, the process by which values, emotional dispositions, and embodied behaviours are transmitted from one generation to the next. From the descriptions above, we can therefore say that cultural relativism is the principle by which a human beings beliefs should be perceived in accordance with his or her own culture. This concept of cultural relativism came about during discussions about the origin of human rights. There are quite a few ideas and claims that have led to the concept of cultural relativism, one of them being Kants argument that human beings are incapable of gaining unmediated knowledge of the world, and that the human mind interferes with all our experiences of the world, thus structuring our perceptions universally. However Herder disagreed with Kants argument saying that human experiences were mediated by cultural structures as well. As a result of this debate between Kant and Herder, came the belief of ethnocentrism. The Universal Human Rights Doctrine The Universal Declaration of Human Rights set the pattern for the contemporary conception of human rights.It was established as a result of the World War II atrocities as a means of protecting citizens and residents of various states. The conflict between the universal human rights doctrine and cultural relativism came about during the establishment of the Universal human rights doctrine in 1948. The conflict arose due to the theory that there was some kind of dominance over some cultures, and that the universal human rights doctrine come from European or Western philosophy. This doctrine was the Universalist approach to human rights that placed value on individuals. On the contrary, some theorists believe that the enactment of these human rights is not the only way that human rights exist. There is the theory that people are born with natural, God-given rights and that God is the absolute law-maker who bestowed upon us some basic human rights. For this reason itself, cultural relativism critics therefore argue that there should be no exception to the universal claim to human rights as some of these rights are already natural and God-given. 2.3 Cultural Relativism versus Universalism Now that we have defined cultural relativism and the universal declaration of human rights, one question comes to mind based on the two theories. Can universal human rights exist in a multicultural world? In other words, can the concept of cultural relativism really coexist with the notion of universal human rights? Naturally, cultural relativists argue that there are indeed moral justifications underlying the claim that various practices and beliefs differ from society to society and should be accepted as being relative to other cultural beliefs. For example, women in some cultures that undergo female genital mutilation are regarded as clean and pure. One culture may believe that there is indeed some moral justification towards this practice, as women who dont go through the cut are considered unclean and are seen as outcasts in their societies. On the other hand, a different cultural group may practice eating of dead bodies as a ritual. Cultural relativists would therefore claim that one cannot justly say which culture is right or wrong as this proves to be relative within different cultures. It is therefore possible to say that, from the cultural relativist point of view, there is no particular truth in what is right or wrong but rather the truth depends on what a particular culture believes is right or wrong. This observation in turn then brings me to my next point. If the views of the truth on what is right or wrong is relative, then the issue of morality definitely plays a huge role in this debate. Our moral beliefs indicate the kind of environment or culture we grew up in. Therefore, if we were born in Somalia, we would believe that it is morally right to go through female circumcision as a rite of passage. However, if we grew up in the western world, then we would not believe in female circumcision. We can therefore see the relativists argument of cultural relativism in this case, because if cultural relativism exists, then naturally, morality will also be relative. Additionally, to support his stance, the relativist will also argue that tolerance comes into play when it comes to cultural relativism. Contemporary society is often referred to as a multicultural world, with people from various cultures increasingly becoming accustomed to interacting with people from other cultures. As a result of this, the ability to learn to respect and tolerate different cultural practices and beliefs has developed. In todays society, people have shown an increased reluctance to criticise other cultures for various reasons. One of these reasons could be the fear of history repeating itself. An example of this is the European invasion of different parts of the world, including Africa, Asia and America, in the name of spreading Christianity and education. The aftermath of this resulted in slavery, apartheid and many other violations. The reluctance to criticise other cultures in this case arises from the fear of making the same violations as in the past. Another reason why there is the reluctance to criticise other cultures is that people feel the need to be tolerant of other cultures. Truth be tol d, tolerance is indeed essential for the sake of living in this multicultural world of ours peacefully. However, one should not feel obligated to tolerate particular cultural beliefs, especially if it involves some form of human rights violation. However, relativists can argue that tolerating these different cultural practises has led to the acceptance of some of these various practices especially in the western world, for example, the Muslim veil. The contradiction here comes about when these same Muslim women are undergoing various human rights violations as a result of their cultural beliefs, for example, female genital mutilation. In this particular case, is it possible for relativists to defend human rights as well as justify cultural relativism? This surely indicates some contradiction in the cultural relativism theory, for one cannot support cultural relativism and defend human rights at the same time. It is true that people from different cultures have different ideas of what is right and what is wrong. Warburton describes moral relativism as values held by a particular society at a particular time.However, moral relativism, just like cultural relativism can also be perceived in different ways by different cultures. In other words, relativists see that moral values are valid only within some cultural boundaries. Some examples illustrated by anthropologists as morally acceptable in some cultures and condemned by others are polygamy, genocide and sexism. Consequently, the moral difference in these cultures brings about the issue of ethics. Ethical relativism also promotes the belief that morality is, and cannot be universal. Moral relativism is therefore justified by relativist through various examples. For instance, practices regarding clothing and decency. This can be justified by one culture in that it is their moral obligation and duty to have women dress in a decent manner so a s not to compromise their ethics. Some cultures would therefore agree with these practises under the moral principle that it is the duty of society to protect the women of their society. With that beings said, I do not believe that there is any logical connection between cultural relativism and tolerance as is illustrated in the relativism point of view. Furthermore, I disagree with moral relativism because despite some moral beliefs being culturally relative, there are other beliefs that are not relative. Practices such sexism and dressing depend on the local customs and traditions. However, violations such as torture, slavery and genocides, should definitely have universal moral standards. Therefore not all practices should be deemed as being relative just because some practises are deemed as being so. The Asian Values Argument Today, there has been a tremendous improvement over the years towards the universal system of human rights. There is now the increased need for accountability and responsibility for individuals and society. However, this is not the case in Asian societies. The Asian society claims to come from a culture with an exceptional set of values. This was done while they criticised western ideas and culture. According to Asian values, human rights are culturally specific, communities take precedence over individuals, social and economic rights take precedence over political and civil rights, and rights are a matter of national sovereignty.This concept has therefore been celebrated by relativists, and used as an example to support the relativist theory of cultural relativism. The issue of Asian values was brought about during discussions by East and South Eastern government leaders. The Journal of Democracy explains that the basis of Asian values is said to contribute to high growth rates to certain cultural traits. These characteristics include hard work, frugality, discipline and team work. Western democracy hinders rapid development.With that being said, it was easier for relativists to justify their rejection towards universalism because there was an increase in economic growth in the Asian region that accompanied this debate. In the 1970s, some countries in the Sub Saharan region had tried to oppose these liberal views of the Western world. This proved to be unsuccessful as they did not harbour the same economic results as their Asian counterparts. In addition to this, as a result of the tremendous economic growth in the Asian region, the Asian values debate received the attention and even admiration of the international community. Asian authoritaria ns argue from a position of economic and social success. This has therefore presented a challenge towards the universal theory of human rights because developmentalists have used the concept of Asian values to justify cultural relativism, and have even presented evidence that has shown tremendous success in some Asian states. In spite of this, the Asian values argument has still proven to promote various human rights violations. An example of these human rights violations is the situation of the Harijans, or the people outside the Indian caste system, who had the lowest social status? The Harijans, are also referred to as the untouchables of the Caste System. In more economically advanced Asian states, the use of soft authoritarianism is said to be sufficient. Additionally another way in which cultural relativism in conjunction with the Asian values argument poses a threat toward universalism is the issue of technology. As we embrace the growth of information technology, we see that this improves globalisation as communication and other forms of interaction are enhanced. However, in states such as Malaysia and Singapore, there has been an establishment of authoritarian interferences by the government, where services such as the internet are being monitored or even blocked. This poses a potential risk and hindrance towards globalisation. In spite of the Asian values seemingly strong argument, the Asian regions success seems to have been short-lived as the decline in economic growth has somewhat changed the way in which the international community views their Asian values argument. With that said, if we really take all this into consideration, it is possible to see that it is ridiculous to create standards of morality based on these societies as every society perceives morality according to their own interests and interpretations. It is also quite impossible to permit these major differences in the interpretation of human rights standards, if they are to protect individuals. The Asian Values argument is therefore highly irrelevant, as we can see, because the Asian society places its citizens lives at risk as it violates various human rights in the name of Asian values and attempting to justify their actions as being culturally relative. Criticism of Cultural Relativism We live in a world where cultural relativism is constantly questioned and debated. As earlier stated, relativism came about as a result of arguments on ethical issues. In support of cultural relativism, Benedictexplains that cultures are coexisting and equally valid patterns of life, which mankind has created for itself from the raw materials of existence.According to Benedict, all cultures are equally valid as they embrace different views on morality and ethics. However, Kluckhohndisagreed with Benedicts doctrine on cultural relativism saying that this excluded any kind of moral criticism, his argument being that if one accepted Benedicts theory, then they could not, complain about any kind of evil against humanity including slavery, communism, terrorism and many other forms of evil.The perception of cultural relativism is that peoples rights depend on their nationality, culture, and religion. Therefore according to relativist, the rights of people in Nigeria are different from thos e in China or anywhere in the world. Namazie gives the following examples to demonstrate the absurdity of these cultural relativist claims; [1] An 18-year-old woman was burnt to death by her father after having refused to marry the man he had chosen, in Germany. The courts gave her father a reduced sentence, saying he was practicing his culture and religion. [2] In Iran, women and girls are forcibly veiled under the threat of imprisonment and lashes, and cultural relativists say that it is their religion and must be respected. [3] In Holland, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs states that Irans prisons are satisfactory for third world standards, allowing the forcible return of asylum seekers. With each of these examples, among all other forms of evil against humanity, we can clearly see that cultural relativism promotes these crimes. Namazie goes on to argue that the basis of the cultural relativist debate opposes the imposition of western views onto non-westerners. How, then, is it that when it comes to using the telephone, or the car, the mullah does not say it is western and incompatible with Muslim society?It is therefore safe to say that these countries are using the claim to cultural relativism as an excuse to get away with various human rights violations. Relativists using the imposition of western culture as an excuse does not hold water as these same countries still use western ideas in different aspects of their lives. Furthermore, these countries are, in fact, quite westernised societies. The fact that these are former colonies of the British and French empires, who now speak western languages, is proof of their westernisation. In addition to this, Namazie goes on to say that in respect to cultural relativists, there should be a clear distinction between human beings and human beliefs and cultures. She adds that human beings are the element of importance in the universalism-relativism argument and not their beliefs. She adds that human beings are sacred and worthy of the highest respect and it is human beings that are meant to be equal and not their beliefs.The reason as to why cultural relativism is deemed as racist and discriminatory is because, while the universal human rights doctrine aims to protect human beings as being the most sacred creature, relativists are seen as merely choosing to forgo the human being and are only worried about protecting their culture, which in most cases harms the human beings in their societies. Cultural relativism also promotes minoritism, as different cultures embrace the classification of people in their societies. For example, the Caste system of Hinduism which rejects equal treatment of different caste members in Hindu society. As stated earlier, these individuals are denied various rights such as education, healthcare and jobs. Cultural relativism, in turn, denies the victims of these situations any access to universal standards. Furthermore, since cultural relativism supports groups of cultures, it logical to say that individual rights in these cultures are disregarded. This means that individuals have no say in anything as society speaks for them and decides what is right or wrong for the individual. Moreover, Universalists believe that cultural relativism has caused more harm than good towards cultures. An example of this is the war in between Israel and Palestine. The Israeli culture claims that they are fighting to get their holy land, Jerusalem, back. However, th is war has killed thousands of Muslims in the name of doing what is culturally right in accordance with the relativist theory. In the past, anthropologists were not afraid to show their discontentment about various unjust practises such as Apartheid against South Africans and the acts of genocide performed by the Nazi. Today, however, they have not spoken against similar practises that endanger human life such as female circumcision and even genocide in Rwanda and Sudan. How, then is it possible for one to rely on a theory that contradicts itself in this manner? If we therefore reflect on these relativist theories, cultural relativism just seems very unrealistic and impractical. Conclusion All in all, although we learn about the virtue of tolerance from the cultural relativism theory, it is safe to say that the reason why we believe it is so important to be tolerant of other cultures is because we are also want to experience our own freedom, thus we do not want other cultures to criticize our own. Nobody wants to have their freedom restricted, and therefore if we want to enjoy the freedom to enjoy our beliefs we would not dare to limit the freedom of the beliefs of cultures we do not agree with. Furthermore, we can clearly see how overall, the cultural relativism theory seems to make sense. However, under careful scrutiny, it does not make for sound argument. It is obvious to see, just as Rachels argues, that the mere fact that there is no real truth when it comes to morality due to the difference in cultural beliefs, proves to show that the cultural relativism argument attempts to extract the definition of morality from the simple basis that people do not agree with it in the first place. While different countries have the right to demand their rights in various ways, there are fundamental doctrines that should be made universal. Dress, Language, food and other minor beliefs and traditions can vary, and cultures should be allowed the freedom to practice them. However practices such as slavery, sexism, female genital mutilation, and infanticide, among other human rights violations must be held up to universal standards. Cultural relativism is therefore not an answer to human rights concerns, nor will it be in the future.

A considerate of contemporary management function Essay

A considerate of contemporary management function of the employer-employee relationship The six journal articles that have been looked at stem from the original Locke, (1982) article. Frederick W. Taylor popularised of scientific management. The essay will discuss 5 aspects of Taylor’s ideas about scientific management and show how understandings of contemporary management functions and the employer-employee relationship have been developed from Taylor’s ideas. What was Taylor’s idea about the management? Management involves coordinating and overseeing the work activities of others so that their activities are completed efficiently and effectively. The ideas about the relationship between employer and employee have been developed from a nother. Retain critical employees is important and necessary. According to the Fitz-enz(1997), the company average losses 1 million with every 10 people who is the managerial and professional employees. In addition, the total cost of least a former employee at least a year of wages and benefits, up to two years of unpaid salary and benefits. This is a huge economic loss with a company loses a number of critical employees. As a manager, we must give employees adequate physiological, safety, love, esteem. One of the advice is managers should look into a way to motivate employees to achieve a satisfactory and unmet needs through activities and exercises. Managers have a responsibility to create a suitable environment to inspire employees to their fullest potential. If no such right environment, will lead to a big difference such as lower job satisfaction, lower productivity, lower profit with a company. How to effectively improve the relationship between managers and employees? Taylor given 4 methods. (a) Scientific management: In Principles of Scientific Management (1911)Fredrick Winslow Taylor, the â€Å"Father† of scientific management utilises scientific methods to define th e â€Å"one best way† for a job to be done (b) Scientific selections. Taylor advocated selecting only â€Å"first class†(i.e., high aptitude) men for a given job because their productivity would be several times greater than that of the average man. (c) Money bonus. Taylor claimed that the money is what employees want most, he thinks employees should be paid from 30% to 100% higher wages for to do his job. (d) Management responsibility for training. Taylor thought that most contemporary managers should fully accept the notion that training new employees is their responsibility. My understanding about the  employer-employee relationship has also been shaped by these articles. I have learnt that (1) Scientific management can focus speed of production, low cost production and availability of an unskilled workforce. In addition, today’s use of scientific management can use time and motion studies to increase productivity, hire the best qualified employees and design incentive systems based on output. Equity theory is a theory of social comp arison effect on employees. This theory appears to be very common, but it is very important. Equity theory refers to the rate of employees with their work output and input compared with others. Time input includes the time of the work, work habits, work experience, work attitude, and so on. When they found unfair, they usually can’t change the rate of others, can’t change their input, so employees will find ways to change their output. This may mean that they will reduce their work time or effort to work. Then, the manager can use the equity theory to motivate employees. Managers can use a more open system of remuneration paid for employees to understand each position and every effort should position relative to how much salary can be get. (2) Scientific selections: Everybody have their own good aspects, based on each person strengths and rational allocation of work. As a result, not only can bring effectively produce but also can make person enjoy their work. According to the Wren (1979) notes that Taylor focuses on scientific selection can promote the develop ment of industrial psychology and personnel management and other areas. (3) Money bonus: How to influence people? The most common method is money bonus. Such as up wages, bonuses, benefits. These things are the most effective way to influence the work of passion and power of a work. Through the Vroom’s (1946) expectancy theory, we can find that an employee will play his better efforts when he is convinced that his efforts would be better evaluated. And these evaluations will bring him more rewards such as bonuses, salary increases. These rewards will meet staff personal goals. Individual employee attitudes and enthusiasm in their work will determine to a large extent a company’s performance. According to the Porter (1968) and Lawler’s expectancy model of motivation, this model proposes two factors that determine spending on a number of tasks energy. The first is the personal rewards from work to get. These returns will be the psychological perception of employees is their own work to be sure. The second is that these returns will be formed job satisfaction. (4) Management  responsibility for training: The staff training is an essential element of human resource management. Managers can’t ignore their training responsibilities. Understanding management system in staff training in this area can help you build an effective training system to help you prepare new employees for their work To sum up, from the six articles considered, scientific management can not only getting the most output from the least amount of inputs but also focus on those work activities that will help the company reach its goals. Taylor’s idea has shaped modern employer-employee relationships. Work is still specialised, personal are still trained. The quality of work is still rewarded in bonuses, as well as other. Reference: 1.Three chapters in The Ideas of Frederick W Taylor: An Evaluation’. 2.Wren, D. A. The evolution of management thought (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley, 1979. 3.Towards a unified model of employee motivation / Darren J. Elding, Andrew M. Tobias and David S. Walk [Chichester, West Sussex, England] : John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2006 4.Kotter, John P. What effective general managers really do / John P. Kotter Boston [etc.] : Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University, 1982 5.Managing in the new millennium : understanding the manager’s motivational tool bag / Patricia M. Buhl Burlington, Iowa, etc., National Research Bureau, etc.], 2003 6.A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for employee retention within organiz Hollywood, FL : Journal of American Academy of Business, 2004