Reality and Truth free essay sample

War is hell, but thats not the half of it, because war is also mystery and terror and adventure and courage and discovery and oiliness and pity and despair and longing and love. War Is nasty; war is fun. War Is thrilling; war Is drudgery. War makes you a man; war makes you dead. The truths are contradictory. War Is grotesque. But In truth war Is also beauty. (394) OBrien beliefs give an array of meanings of war. He also emphasizes In the end, with the example of interpretations of war, that truth is contradicting. Truth is contradicting because there is more than one truth. Truths are based a persons reality, however reality is also based on truth; one cannot survive without the other. In relation with OBrien ND Naifs, Sacks also offers a truth and reality relationship. In truth, all of Sacks correspondents were partially disabled or handicapped. We will write a custom essay sample on Reality and Truth or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In order for them to feel like they are not disabled, they create imaginations, their own reality, in order to fulfill themselves as regular people in society. An individual deprived of one form of perception could totally reshape himself to find a new center, a new identity (Sacks 476).Even though Sacks says Hull, a man who lost vision In his middle age, describes himself as someone who reshapes himself, all the other patients also reshape homeless In order to live as normal people. They Interpret the truth of blindness, and use it to make another reality. In the end, reality becomes truth to the people because becoming a visual person who is blind becomes true in their own world. In all texts, the authors interpret and experience truth and reality simultaneously; one concept cannot be experienced without the dependence of the other.Through forms of communication, such as language, truth and reality are shown as mutually dependent. In How to Tell a True War story, Tim OBrien recollects his experience of telling the war story and at the end of his storytelling, a woman and always a woman would approach him and tell him she liked the war story. In response, he says Ill picture Rat Kyles face, his grief, and Ill think, You dumb ooze. Because she wasnt listening. It wasnt a war story. It was a love story (396). Stereotypically, women are seen to be more sensitive than men; however, she did not empathic with him at all.He also uses the word ooze, Like Rat, to show his animosity for her misunderstanding of his story. Through OBrien, he conveys that his reality, only the events of the story because he said it was true and it occurred. For OBrien, his reality is that the feelings and the understanding portrayed in the Near story is the truth, and not the actual events. For this example, OBrien indicates that truth is dependent on reality. Conversely with OBrien, Naifs and Sacks believe that communication can be limitless. For Sacks, he uses many examples of people ho lost one of the five human senses who can communicate with people by amplifying the other senses. For the blind, Sacks emphasizes that they use language as a mediation to communicate. Blind children, it has often been noted, tend to be precocious verbally, and may develop such fluency in the verbal description of faces and places as to leave others (and perhaps themselves) uncertain as to whether they are actually blind (483). Sacks expresses that with the art of language, a person who IS blind can be equally presented as one who is sighted.He includes (and perhaps themselves) to show that language is so powerful that it gives an alternate reality: hat blind people are Just as visual as sighted people. However, truth is not realized through this reality as it was through interpretation. In Sacks example, reality is dependent on truth instead, because the alternate reality of blind people are like sighted people is false. The reality Sacks conveys is that blind people only use language as a mediator. Cognition, which includes thought and memory, is described by the three authors as an example where the relationship of truth and reality exist n.Sacks discusses the thought and memories of three people. I have now read here memoirs, strikingly different in their depictions of the visual experience of blinded people: Hull with his acquiescent descent into images deep blindness, Torte with his compulsive visualization and meticulous construction of an internal dismal world, and Tendered with her impulsive, almost novelistic, visual freedom, and specific gift of kinesthesia. (481) Here, in Sacks example, reality is dependent of truth because these three people must have been blind before they experience dissimulation derived from the minds eye.However, the experience each person has is different. They have a reality which becomes true to them, making truth depend on reality. The thoughts of Sacks correspondents has given them truth through reality. Like Sacks, OBrien offers truth-reality association. Rat, who is OBrien friend, refers to the fish as dead kook fish (387) and the water buffalo as a PVC (Tim OBrien 393). OBrien clearly shows the kook and the PVC to show Rats thought of the animals; he sees them as the enemy. The truth is that these animals cannot really be the enemy, because it would Just be an absurdity.

buy custom Perspective Ancient Dance References essay

buy custom Perspective Ancient Dance References essay Dance existed since the ancient times, and its purpose went through many variations. In the ancient times, it had the use of curing people of stress in their life. Therefore, it acted as a relaxant. It helped people to cope with their daily struggles in life and the crises that they experienced. In fact, presently there is a branch in psychology dedicated to dance and movement therapy. In this view, watching a performance can also be a therapeutic method in the field. Dance is an art of expressing inner personality and feelings that go beyond the field of language and the boundaries it encloses itself, (Ramona, 2008). It is thought that there is a profound link between the bodys movement and facial expressions and the emotions that a person experiences. Noted psychologists William James established the fact that if one makes movements that express joy the person will experience joyous emotions., and the vice versa is also true in this case. Most of the time dance is a performance for entertainment but sometimes it expresses emotions that language cannot explain. One form of ancient dance that endures until today is the Zar ritual from Africa. This ritual constitutes forms of spirituality that some may mistake for witchcraft. It is a form of dance where the person releasing jinn or genies believed to cause emotions of discouragement or depression. These cases especially focus toward the woman. The ritual takes place as the patient in this case goes through specific dance moves and percussive rhythms guided by a leader known as a hadra with the help of her fiends until the point of exhaustion. The community of the women, who participate along with her, experience the same feeling of alleviated stress. This dance led scientists to believe that movements done during its erformance release bodily hormones that downplay the effects of depression. Another form of ancient dance is belly dancing, which happens to have its roots deep within the history of the world and is currently evolving. It is a composition of folklore dances, and dances that evolved later. The basic emphasis, although, that it encourages is the spreading of joy and happiness for the alleviation of stress. The art expresses deep, serious emotion and women of middle age and above receive great appreciation, for they are the ones best able to perform the dance. Furthermore, a performer can do it at their late stages in life, whereas other dances like ballet require certain age groups. As unlikely, as it seems strip dancing was a form of ancient dance. The dance characterizes itself by almost naked women in clubs that dance round a pole in order to gain male attention. There are several rules although, in these strip clubs. They have a lower tolerance to disturbance as compared to the usual drinking premises. Whatever a person does; they do not have permission to touch any stripper. If they wish to express their pleasure at the performance of one stripper, they should stuff money inside their garments (bra or g-string) to get their attention. Strippers can give a person regular lap dances, but the people must control themselves. In history, there are mentions of strip dancing in ancient Egypt and before this time, (ArticlesBase, 2011). It is the erotic style of this dance, which gave rise to well-known belly dancing in the ancient days, which is so popular today. The other more conventional dances were common in Europe. These dances were common in occasions and events. The earliest known forms of dance in this era were the line or chain dance. This form of dance was a Pre-Christian ritual and wass widespread throughout Europe up to the Middle Ages, (Eliznik, 2005). There are few remnants, which remain although in the western part of Europe. In the southeastern part of the continent, they remained the major form of dance. There was the influence from the west on newer dance forms, but the Ottoman Empire soon put a stop this fact. Most of the western European countries put in a break from the social forms of dance, and this led to the decrease of many of the older forms with small areas retaining the culture. Dance was, therefore, very much a part of the lives of the people of old. In Egypt, workers moved according to the rhythm of the percussions and songs sung by performers on the street. There were street dancers to entertain passersby and hired to perform at dinner parties, though dance in public was a practice restricted to the poor and no noble Egyptian would allow they to do the same. Although, belly dancing is similar to many of the erotic dancing that the Egyptians practiced, much of their dancing was a bit more technical. They included an assortment of movements. These included hops and leaps as well as 180-degree turns. Their feet were also bare at the time. It seems that their form of dance was quite athletic and required as a certain amount of agility. That goes to reason why the dance remained restricted to certain classes of individuals. The dances were not as the others practiced for the release of stress, in that their own movement was entertaining the individual. These were more performance-based in that they required an amount of skill that a noble person could not possess. It was also common for the women performers to dance while naked or almost naked for the nobles as entertainment. It is no wonder that erotic dancing had some of its roots in ancient Egypt. Buy custom Perspective Ancient Dance References essay

Volunteer Wok Experience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Volunteer Wok Experience - Essay Example As the paper highlights the achievement of any plan depends on valuable team cohesion by members of the group. In our group, the objectives of the project are outlined for members to discuss them. This enables members to demonstrate harmony in principle. Besides, the group consistently demonstrates self-consciousness as it performs its research project. The achievement of this is pegged on the adoption of an explicit, clearly agreed upon, and binding approaches. Additionally, group engages in many discussions where every member is inspired to participate in. During such discussions, everyone’s idea is listened to carefully and subsequent reactions given. Whenever a member takes the discussions off the track, he or she will be politely reminded about the subject matter. This study outlines that this group discussion portrayed some of the basic theories that characterize groups. The shares a common purpose based on the requirements illustrated on the objectives of the project. Each time a disagreement arises within the group, it is good and benefits the group. The reasons for the disagreements are keenly examined before the group members commit to resolving them. The rest of the group does not reprimand the disagreeing member. Instead, the dissidents provide the rational behind his or her disparity in opinion. The group looks for a way to move forward when members cannot resolve the disagreements themselves. They make sure that such disagreements are not given a chance to block the progress of the group.

Pivot Tables Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Pivot Tables - Assignment Example Excel also allows you to generate charts from the data in your pivot table which can be very handy in comparisons. Similarly, Pivot Tables are interactive means of summarizing the data, allowing you to add or delete fields in the contingent (summary) tables. This is especially useful when a sample has to be chosen from a specific characteristic of the population which endows various other characteristic as well that are irrelevant. Pivot Tables are also dynamic which can automatically recalculate the data based on addition or elimination of new fields. This feature is really helpful in saving time and effort of the data collector. Pivot tables are also easy to change if the data from original source is changed. As a result, these tables are really important when the changes in data are quick and frequent. These tables can help you to keep your records updated at all times and can be used when the original data keeps on changing. Multiple worksheets are really handy in grouping and summarizing data. A collection of two or more worksheets is called group worksheet. In order to group two or more work sheets, you need to first click the tab of first worksheet, then you press and hold shift key and click the tab of the other worksheet that you want to group.

Civil society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Civil society - Essay Example Locke however, believes that rights and obligations are the main propellant of problems that civil society faces while working under a given government. Moreover, Locke provided wide analysis on the state of nature in his second treatise which had an impact on the civil government. His work was written in the year 1680, the time of exclusion crisis in England. He believed that the existing men are free to order the prevailing actions as well as disposing persons and their possessions (Edwards, 12-18). This argument was due to the bounds law of nature availed in England and he suggested that the possessions and actions taken could fit well in line with the law. Locke analyses the state of law in a very well understandable way. He maintained that the state of nature has a specific law of nature that governs it and the prevailing law leads to a specific reason. Moreover, his views on the state of nature went against the norms of Christian believes entitling unlike hobbies and dependent philosophy that was not underscoring prior to the theology norms. The first treatise of Locke tried to adventure the norm Anglicans and Protestants and he had a mind to establish and make people understand as to why two treatise governments should be allowed to overthrow monarchy personnel who were there to abuse the trust that had been set to the people believe. Good governance is what people needs. This is only through the provision civil rights based on the nature and labor at large. The problems and challenges that civil society faces as per Locke desire is the dissolution of government which makes governance hard to deliver its manifesto well. The rights and obligations are the main propellant of problems that civil society faces while working under a given government. Locke provided wide analysis on the state of nature in his second treatise which had an impact on the civil government. Other problems are the political society which nurtures inequality due to tribalism and nepo tism among the society groups. Poor governance, lack of democratization process that provides a link between citizens and the state are other problems faced by civil society. However, when a given state provide well established governance, employ democratization process and enhance preservation of the society’s records, then this will help to solve this civil society problems availing as per Locke observation. Drawing primarily on Rousseau and Madison on how existence of political factions threaten and undermine civil society we find that, a lot has to be done to eliminate this aspect. Rousseau proposed a specific subject of argument in his scholarly works suggesting that, man is born free and an aspect of slavery should not be a threatening statue that civil society has to be accounted to. Rousseau challenged the work analyzed by Locke basing his argument on the origin of hobbies. He claimed that taking people away from socialization and forcing them away from their society undermines the rights of civil society. In his writings he suggested that according to the nature people are neither good or bad and therefore modern society should be blamed on blemishing the pure people through threatening their lives. In addition, Rousseau suggested that the level of sovereignty is indivisible and this is a

Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumers

Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on Consumers 1.1 Research Background and Motivations Throughout the history of cosmetics (Appendice B), substances of all sort were utilised to produce products to enhance beauty and social lives, however with time certain substances were found to be hazardous, dangerous and poisoness. The cosmetic industry of the twenty-first century has evolved to adopt a more structured model of regulations in regards to which substances may and may not be utilised in the manufacturing of products. However, it is an industry that has become accountable to consumers and society in terms of how the products are produced (Eg. No testing on animals, chemical free, etc) and the effects of these products on consumers, society and our environment. Thus, CSR is becoming a vital issue in determining a companys performance and how it manages its economic, social and environmental impacts, as well as its contribution to society. CSR can be best explained as business practices or strategies that has the aim of satisfying the financial interests of organisations while positively impacting society (Foran et al., 2005). Though, CSR may involve certain investments for an organisation, it can also provide a source of opportunity and may; in certain circumstances; lead to building and sustaining competitive advantage. Many research on CSR has focused on the organisational business side and few have focused on the influence of CSR on consumers. However, consumers are essential to the success of CSR and understanding their attitudes towards CSR can enable companies to determine if their CSR business strategies are efficient, and the extent to which consumers are affected by these. Companies have also realised that consumers are making consumption decisions based on their personal ethical values, and according to Tallontire et al. (2001) ethics in consumption choices has become a growing phenomenon that underpins ethical trade activities. Many studies by scholars and practitioners when identifying and assessing the components of CSR, often refer to Archie B. Carrolls CSR pyramid (Ibrahim Parsa, 2005; Schwartz Carroll, 2003). However, there is very limited research in regards to the concept of CSR relating to that of consumer behaviour, and more precisely taking into account factors such as consumers attitudes and ethical beliefs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding of the concept and role of CSR, and explore how it is applied by the main local players within the CCI in France. The study focuses on examining the extent to which CSR affects consumers attitudes, and how their ethical beliefs may influence their attitudes towards CSR. 1.2 Context of the Problem Defining the problem is one of the most important steps in the research process and enables to indentify the specific marketing decision area that will be clarified by answering some research questions (Koerner 2006; Zikmund 1989). Growing pressure from governments, NGOs and consumer movements for companies to account for their impact of business operations on society and the environment; has lead more companies to invest in CSR initiatives and in managing more efficiently their SRI. However the issue arises in understanding whether consumers are actually aware of CSR practices adopted by companies, to which extent do they consider these when making a purchase decision, how are their attitudes affected, and in which manner do their ethical beliefs play a role in their decision making and their perception of CSR. 1.3 Research Aims and Objectives 1.3.1 Aims The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the role of CSR and its affect on consumers attitudes and ethical beliefs, within the CCI in France. The study also aims to determine if an association exists between CSR, consumers attitudes and ethical beliefs, and whether this may have an influence on consumers purchase behaviour. 1.3.2 Objectives Research Objectives provide guidelines in determining which steps must be undertaken in the research and if objectives are achieved the research information is considered sufficient to solve the problem (Hair et al. 2006). The main objectives of this research are the following : (1) To provide facts about the demographic characteristics of consumers who purchase colour cosmetics, as well as insights into their purchase behaviour, (2) To provide a better understanding of the role of CSR and examine the different frameworks, approaches to CSR, (3) To explore to which extent CSR affects consumers attitudes and whether consumers ethical beliefs plays a role, (4) To examine if relationships exists between consumers attitudes, ethical beliefs and Carolls four dimensions of CSR, (5) To determine what are the factors and information sources considered important when judging a company, and; (6) To determine what are the social issues consumers are most concerned about. 1.4 Hypotheses The previous research objectives constitute the basis for establishing the hypotheses of the study in order to measure the effect of CSR on ethical beliefs and consumers attitudes within the Colour Cosmetics industry in France: H1. There exists a positive relationship between Ethical beliefs and Awareness of CSR H2. There exists a positive relationship between Ethical beliefs and Feelings towards companies adopting CSR H3. There exists a positive relationship between Ethical beliefs and Considering CSR in purchase decision H4. There exists a positive relationship between Ethical beliefs and Ethical purchase behaviour H5. There exists a positive relationship between the Affective component of attitudes and Awareness of CSR H6. There exists a positive relationship between the Affective component of attitudes and Considering CSR in purchase decision H7. There exists a positive relationship between the Affective component of attitudes and Ethical purchase behaviour H8. There exists a positive relationship between the Cognitive component of attitudes and Considering CSR in purchase decision H9. There exists a positive relationship between the Cognitive component of attitudes and Ethical purchase behaviour The development of these hypothesis will be reviewed in Chapter 3, Section 3.6 of this dissertation. 1.5 Scope and Limitations This dissertation will cover the concept of CSR and will investigate the relationship between CSR and consumers attitudes and ethical beliefs. The study will also providing a brief overview of the main companies present in the local French market, and the extent to which they adopt CSR policies. The sample unit is limited to that of French consumers, having the following characteristics : female consumers , above the age of 18 years old and residing in France. Consideration must be taken that the author has attempted to present references the most frequently cited in the literature reviewed. The author attempts to make the link between the concept of CSR and consumers attitudes and ethical beliefs, hence for the purpose of this study, the models applied have been limited to that of the CSR Pyramid Model proposed by Carroll (1979) , and the Tricomponent Attitude Model. However, there is very limited research that exists linking these two models, and thus the literature reviewed may be limited in certain areas. 1.6 Organisation of the thesis The dissertation was divided into six chapters: Chapter One, provides the significance of the study, context of the problem, aims and objectives, states the hypotheses, scope and limitations of the study, and the present organisation of the thesis. Chapter Two, presents facts and informations issued from the secondary and exploratory research in regards to the CCI, and CSR practices of the main players within the local French market. Chapter Three, consists of a review of relevant literature and theoretical models in regards to the concept of CSR, implementing and measuring performance of CSR. It will also provide relevant literature reviewed in regards to linking CSR to consumer attitudes, and thus will also address the theory of attitudes, through the Tricomponent Attitude Model. Chapter Four, presents the research philosophy, research methodology and methods adopted for collecting, analysing and discussing the relevant data obtained for the purpose of this study. The design and implementation of the questionnaire survey, and the reliability, validity, limitations and ethics of the research will also be adressed. Chapter Five presents research findings in regards to primary data collection, and presents the results regarding the validity of the stated hypotheses. Chapter Six, provides the final conclusions of the study conducted, limitations and future recommendations. References, bibliograpgy, appendices, s, graphs and tables follow Chapter Six. chapter 2 : colour cosmetics industry review This chapter will define cosmetics in the context of this dissertation and will also present an overview of the CCI in France (section 2.2, and Appendice C), as well as its main players (Section, 2.3 and Appendice D). CSR practices adopted by the main local players and whether these companies provide a CSR policy will also be addressed. 2.1 Defining Cosmetics According to the current EU legislation cited in Morganti Paglialunga (2008), a cosmetic product is ‘any substance or preparation intended to be placed in contact with the various external parts of the human body with a view exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appearance and/or correcting body odours and/or protecting them or keeping them in good condition. The word ‘cosmetic in greek derives from the word ‘kosmetikos and the meaning allocated is ‘to make for beauty, especially of the complexion, or beautifying. The meaning over time has evolved into that of ‘ masking, concealing, cover up or that of camouflaging . Cosmetics consists of products such as personal care creams, makeup, perfumes, deodorant, shampoos, etc. The term ‘make-up is more often used when speaking of colour cosmetics and according to Oumeish (2001) means ‘to use cosmetics and apply them to color and beautify the face, and to other parts of the body. This dissertation will be focusing on the Category of Colour Cosmetics, which involves: (1) facial make-up, (2) eye make-up, (3) lip products, and (4) nail products. 2.2 Colour Cosmetics Industry in France The French Colour Cosmetic dominates the European market and 15,7% of the European market value. It holds the second largest market value in Europe behind that of the United Kingdom. (Euromonitor International, 2009). The local French market is largely dominted by major players such as LOreal SA that holds 38,80% of total market shares, followed by Chanel S.A with 13,40% and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vitton S.A with 9,40% of market shares (Datamonitor, 2008). Other players present in the local market include Estee Lauder, Beiersdorf-Nivea Beautà ©, Clarins S.A, Coty, Yves Rocher, and Shiseido. (Appendice C) The colour cosmetic market consists of 4 subsectors, that of (1) facial make-up, (2) eye make-up, (3) lip products and (4) nail products. The facial make-up category dominates the sector with 36,40% of market value, followed by eye make-up with 34,40%, lip make-up with 19,70% and nail make-up with 9,40%. The fastest growing category in 2008 were facial make-up which had a growth of 4% and eye make-up, by 3% (Euromonitor International, 2008 2009). According to Datamonitor report (2008), distribution of products are mainly through Supermarkets/Hypermarkets, with 45,7% and specialised retailers with 39,5% of the markets distribution, and other channels of distribution represent 14.8%. Many French women are now more inclined to mix premium and mass brands (Euromonitor International, 2009). However with increase awareness of consumers attitudes towards toxic chemicals having negative aspects on health, the premium segment is becoming more popular amongst females who are in search of more safe to use products, and environemntally friendly. The legal environment also oversees the French industry by adopting strict regulations towards ingredients which are allowed to be utilised in the cosmetic product, or those that may be considered dangerous in regards to health aspects. Examples such as adoption of Directives 93/35/CEE (1993), Directives CEE (2004), European International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients. Since 2009, the European Union has also put legilsatives in place banning animal testing within the E.U and also sale of any product that has been prior tested on animals (Kumar, 2005). 2.3 Colour Cosmetic Companies and CSR Practices The following will provide a brief overview of the 3 major colour cosmetic players in France (LOreal, Chanel and LVMH), and discuss whether these companies have adopted CSR activities within their business strategy, and will state if a formal (written, printable report of their CSR policy) or informal CSR policy (only available on their corporate website) has been adopted. Other players present in the local market such as Estee Lauder, Beiersdorf-Nivea Beautà ©, Clarins S.A, Coty, Yves Rocher, and Shiseido, are also presenetd, in Appendice D of this dissertation. LOreal S.A In France, LOreal S.A accounts for 38,80% of total market shares (Datamonitor 2008). It is the worlds second largest manufacturer of cosmetics and toiletries. LOreal operates through three business divisions: cosmetics, the Body Shop, and dermatology. Its main colour cosmetic brands are : LOreal Paris, Gemey Maybelline Garnier, Lancome and The Body shop. LOreal acquired The Body Shop in March 2006, which enabled to position itself in the ethical cosmetics market, to reinforce this positionment. LOreal also acquired a leading french company Sanoflore, which is specialised in organic cosmetics. This strategy enables LOreal to develop into the organic and natural cosmetics market (Euromonitor International, 2009). LOreal invests largely in CSR practices, and provides a formal CSR policy which enables to support its disclosure and transparency to the public in regards to its business operations. LOreal addresses an extensive lists of social and ethical issues such as contributing to the society and community, addressing issues of sustainability, preserving the environment, labour and human rights, actions against animal testing, donating to charities and natural disasters, developing education, supporting medical research, adopting ethical standards throughout the entire company and subsidaires, its employees and having strict ethical requirements for its suppliers. Chanel S.A was established in 1924 by Coco Chanel, and is owned by the Swiss company Pamerco. It is a privately held company and is not obligated to release any financial results. It is specialised in a wide range of products such as fashion, watches, eye wear, fragrances and beauty products. In France, Chanel S.A accounts for 13,40% of total market shares in the cosmetics market. It operates in Europe, Asia and USA (Datamonitor 2008), with the highest shares of market value in that of Western Europe (Euromonitor International 2009). Its colour cosmetic products are distributed unders the brands Bourjois and that of Chanel. In order to improve financial results due to the economic downturn, community projects such as ‘Mobile Art Tour have been stopped in order to focus investments on other strategies. However, no information in concerns to CSR practices nor that of any formal CSR policy was publicly available on their corporate website. However, it cannot be assumed that they do not invest in CSR, but may have chosen not to make publicly available their CSR policies. LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vitton S.A Is an international group of companies with principal activities focused on the production and sale of luxury goods. Its main divisions are : wines and spirits, fashion and leather goods, fragrances and cosmetics, jewelry and selective retailing sectors. LVMH operates about 1,859 stores worldwide (Datamonitor 2008). In France, LVMH group accounts for 9,40% of total market shares in the colour cosmetics market (Datamonitor 2008). Its main brands in the colour cosmetic segment include : Christian Dior, Guerlain, , Hard Candy, Benefit Cosmetics, Urban Decay, Fresh, Make Up for Ever and Dior Addict. (Datamonitor, 2009, LVMH Group 2009). LVMH adopts an informal CSR policy which is publicly available on their corporate website. The company is largely invested in the french community and believes in promoting french culture, art and heritage. It allocates important investments towards community projects, and is involved in many initiatives to promote french cultural heritage. chapter 3: literature review and theoretical framework 3.1 The Concept of CSR The section 3.1 will provide the literature review in regards to the background of CSR, its purpose, how CSR is defined, implementing CSR and monitor CSP, as well as the criticism of the concept. It will also focus on presenting the different dimensions of CSR through Carrolls CSR Pyramid Model (1979). 3.1.1 Background of CSR During the eighteenth century companies took little responsibility for their impact of business operations. According to writings of the Scottish philosopher of the eighteenth century, Adam Smith (1776) many corporations limited their operations according to the rules of pure competition. This gradually evolved and companies started taking full responsibility for their business impact on society, the community and the economy. Many academics believe that the roots of CSR originated from nineteenth century U.S industrialist, Andrew Carnegie, in his writings from the ‘Gospel of wealth, where he was the first to express publicly his beliefs that that the most fortunate members of society should ensure that money was used to aspire the less fortunate members (Carnegie Corporation New York). The early twentieth century, saw businesses adopt more responsibility in regards to society and the community which was mainly represented by CP. According to Carroll (1999), and Hopkins (1999) cited in Leal (2007), the discussion about SR of businesses began to become more prominent from the 1930s, with authors like Chester Barnard, J.M Clark, Theodore Kreps and Merick Dodd. Prior to the 1960s, business ethics was rather left to theologians to discuss issues of fair wages, unfair labor practices, and the morality of capitalism (Lantos, 2001). From the 1960s, companies were more focusing on generating profits that outweighted largely over moral principles. It was during this era that consumers began to manifest their mecontentment against unethical business behaviour. During the 1960s Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winner in economics in 1976, raised an issue by stating that the ‘only obligation a business had was to generate profits for its sharehlders. It was only during the 1970s, that the concept evolved when CP was supplemented by corporate initiatives and activities, and businesses taking a more responsible attitude towards societal needs. It was considered that companies should not pursue profit without taking into consideration business ethics, acting in a social responsible manner and being a good corporate citizen. In the 1980s, R. Edward Freeman (in contrast to the views by Milton Friedman), argued on the issue that CSR is a question of managing stakeholders, and that values and ethics are necessarily a part of doing business. The last decades, growing interest has been more towards environmental issues (Eg. Global warming, climate change, pollution index, etc), and how companies are addressing such issues through adoption of sustainable development. 3.1.2 CSR in France In France, the concept of CSR surfaced during the late nineteenth century. Early twentieth century, professional organisations as well as commercial undertakings have been adopting texts containing social standards that employers must observe (Segal et al., 2003). During the 1980s, the concept was mainly issued from the idea to combine economic and social policy, and on the basis of promoting the concept of the ‘corporate citizen. There was great involvement on the part of undertakings in civic life, such as lobbying to exert an influence on the decisions made by the public authorities or providing sponsorship to support social, cultural and sporting activities (Segal et al. , 2003). According to Segal et al. (2003), the CSR movement from the United States did not reach France until the early 1990s, however, companies in France referred more to the term ‘corporate citizenship (in french ‘citoyennetà © dentreprise), which was more familiar to them, than CSR. Due to cultural differences, some aspects of the CSR concept as it was constructed by Anglo-American background, did not adapt well into the French cultural landscape, such as the idea that all stakeholders should be taken into account, or the fact of a responsibility that merely complements that of companies. This is explained by the fact that the State and the Law are regarded as the only guarantors of a principle of SR that applies to all, whereas initiatives emanating from civil society are perceived as campaigns and suspected of concealing vested interests (Segal et al. ,2003). CSR, in France is exercised within an increasingly precise legal framework, particularly because the law encourages undertakings to adopt standards of SR. It is a frequent custom for the people in France, to turn to the public authorities demanding that they ‘face up to their responsibilities and lay down the laws recognising a new social problem and addressing it, rather than provide laws that define minimal thresholds for companies (Segal et al., 2003). 3.1.3 The Purpose of CSR With the increasingly pressure received from Governments, NGOs, consumer movements, activists, shareholders, the public and the media has lead companies to account for their social and environmental impacts of their activities. As a result the twenty-first century is seeing CSR emerging as an important area in business strategies. Advocates of CSR have used four main arguments to justify the reason for CSR : (1) moral obligation of companies in adopting an ethical and responsible behaviour; (2) sustainability in terms of the TBL, (3) license to operate in terms of companies identifying social issues important to stakeholders and taking approrpiate related decisions, and (4) reputation by investing in cause-related marketing campaigns (Porter Kramer, 2006). Porter Kramer (2002), also suggest that CSR practices can provide economic benefits if the social improvement has been related to the companys business. Companies often willingly engage in socially responsible behaviour because it enhances shareholder value by keeping a business on the right side of the law (Martin, 2002). Companies can serve shareholder interests while also serving those of a larger community. Most CSR practices implemented by firms are largely based on Philanthropy activities, and used as a purpose to promote the the corporate image. It can also contribute to improving the community by developing education, health, provide safe products, preserve the environment, improve employment, and on the long-term can aid in building strong ties with governments, official organisations, partnerships, and build trust within the community. According to Burke and Logsdon (1996, p. 496), ‘CSR (policy, program or process) is strategic when it yields substantial business-related benefits to the firm, in particular by supporting core business activities and thus contributing to the firms effectiveness in accomplishing its mission. 3.1.4 Defining CSR There is no formal universal definition of the concept of CSR. Many believe it concerns what corporations give back to society in return from the benefits they have gained, others tend to believe it is based on how ethically corporations behave, towards society and the environment, and in regards to its stakeholders. Often, CSR is also referred to as the ‘triple bottom line in which it refers to the corporations financial, social, and environmental performance in conducting its business. There have been numerous attempts by organisations, institutions, corporate executives and academics to clarify the constructs and concept of CSR (Dahlsrud, 2008, Lantos 2001, Tywoniak Bartlett, 2008, Van Marrewijk 2003, 2005), resulting in many definitions towards a more humane, more ethical and transparent way of doing business (Van Marrewijk 2003, 2005). Prior research by Dahlsrud (2008), reveal that there is not ‘one standard definition of CSR but that a variety of definitions exist. In his research he anyalysed 37 definitions of CSR, and results showed that, even though most definitions are different from one another textually, they are nevertheless constantly referring to the the same five dimensions: (1) environmental, (2) social, (3) economic, (4) stakeholder and (5) voluntariness. Davis (1975) describes that SR implies that companies should not only make a decision based on their own interest but are also obliged to take actions that protect and enhance societys interests. According to Sethi (1975) the concept of CSR has different meanings according to time and the cultural context and is more based on the corporate actions that enable to determine whether corporations are meeting societal expectations. According to Carroll Schwartz (2003), definitions of CSR fall into two general schools of thought, those that argue that business is obligated only to maximise profits while respecting the legal requirements and minimal ethical constraints (Friedman 1970, Levitt, 1958), and those that believe corporations are accountable on how they conduct their business toward society. CSR is concerned with businesses being morally accountable to its stakeholders, and thus that values are necessarily and explicitly a part of doing business (Freeman, et al. ,2004), and that it is a voluntary commitment by companies to exceed the explicit and implicit obligations imposed on them by societys expectations of conventional corporate behavior (Falck Heblich (2007) Others such as Davies (1960), Andrews (1973), McWilliams and Siegel (2001), Kotler and Lee (2005) refer to CSR as being an obligation to improve community well-being through transparent business practices, contribution of corporate resources, corporate decision making and actions extending beyond the firms direct economic or technical interest, and that which is required by law. In this context, CSR can therefore be seen as the voluntary assumption of responsabilities beyond that of just economic or legal (McGuire, 1963). Authoritive institutions have also attempted to define CSR. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2000, p.3) defined CSR as : ‘ the continuing commitment by business to contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the community and society at large. The European Trade Union (2004, p.1), on the other hand, defines CSR as ‘companies integrating social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. And on its part, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Develpment (OECD) on their website, describe CSR as : ‘The most important contribution of business is the conduct of business itself, and its core responsibility is to yield competitive returns to shareholders by identifying and developing promising investment opportunities and must comply with legal requirements and, respond to societal expectations not written down in law books. 3.1.4.1 Carrolls CSR Pyramid Model For the purpose of this dissertation, the author has chosen to focus on Carrolls Pyramid Model ( 3.1) in order to identify the main dimensions of CSR. Carrolls Pyramid Model was selected on the basis that it seems to be the framework the most frequently referred to in the literature reviewed, in terms of managing social issues. In Carroll (1979, 1991 2000), Carroll Schwartz (2003) CSR, is defined as: ‘The social responsibility of business encompasses the economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary (philanthropic) expectations that society has of organisations at a given point in time. The following sections will provide an overview of each individual dimensions of Carrolls CSR Pyramid Model. 3.1.4.1.1 Economic Responsibilities The environment of global trade is becoming a more competitive arena and faces economic challenges (Kehoe (1998), cited in Carroll, 2000, p.35), and thus, the economic responsibility of business remains very important (Carroll, 2000). Companies business operations contribute largely to the economic unit in society. It has the responsibility to produce goods and services that society wants and to sell them at a profit, and all other business roles are predicated on this major assumption (Carroll, 1979). Economic responsibilities is characterised by companies willingness to perform in a manner consistent with maximising earnings per share, must be committed to being as profitable as possible, must maintain a high level of operating efficiency and competitive positioning and that the success of the company be defined as being consistently profitable (Carroll, 1991). 3.1.4.1.2 Legal Responsibilities Society expects business to achieve its economic operations within the framework of legal requirements. It goes on the assumption that economic responsibilities and legal responsibilities coexist and must be met simultaneously, as they represent fundamental precepts of the free enterprise system (Carroll, 1979, 1991). According to Carroll (1991), legal responsibilities can be viewed as codified ethics in the sense that they integrate the basic notions of fair operations as established by lawmakers, and are characterised by companies performing in a manner that is expected of them by government and law, and thus, that the success of the company is defined as one that fulfills its legal obligations, and to provide goods and services that meet legal requirements (Carroll, 1991). Accordoing to Carroll (1991), the Economic and the legal responsibilities are the most important components in the Pyramid Model. However, this may cause confusion when applying the framework as both components are located at the very bottom of the Pyramid. (Carroll Schwartz, 2003) 3.1.4.1.3 Ethical Responsibilities In addition to fulfilling their economic and legal responsibilities, businesses are expected to fulfill ethical responsibilities as well (Carroll 1979). ‘Ethics, are the driving forces behind every creation of laws or regulation, there are not necessarily codified into laws but are expected by society (Carroll, 1970), and concerns standards, norms, or expectations that reflect a concern for what consumers, employees, shareholders, and the community regard as fair, just, or in keeping with the respect or protection of stakeholders moral rights (Carroll, 1991). Carroll (1991), describes that the main components of ethical responsibilities of companies are to perform in a manner consistent with expectations of societal norms mores and ethical norms; to recognise and respect new or evolving ethical/moral norms adopted by society; to prevent ethical norms from being compromise

The Process of Baseball Season Preparation :: Expository Process Essays

The Process of Baseball Season Preparation Baseball has always been America’s natural past time. Many fans love watching baseball but do not realize how hard it is to prepare for a season. Most fans think the players just show up on the first day. I think this belief is completely false. I feel that preparing for a baseball season requires much preparation. The preparation I use includes working on my swing, working out, and studying other people’s ideas on hitting. These steps are necessary for me to have a successful season. These steps have proven to be a valuable aid in helping me to prepare for the season. I believe these steps are the basic steps to becoming a great baseball player. Developing my swing is the first step I use in preparing for the upcoming season. There are a few different techniques I use to work on my swing. The first way is to take hitting lessons. I learn much of my knowledge about hitting from taking hitting lessons. My usual routine consists of taking lessons three times a week. This allows me to be evaluated by a professional. I took hitting lessons from the same coach for five straight years. His teachings have helped me become a much better hitter. Another way I develop my swing is by practicing daily. Even though I take hitting lessons, I still need more work. I am lucky enough to have access to a facility that has hitting cages. This allows me to work in the winter and during inclimate weather. By going to work on my swing on my own, I am able to work on the skills that my hitting instructor has taught me. This seems like it would take a long time, but it does not. I carefully plan out my time, and this allows me to use my time wisely. I allot times to work different aspects of my swing. By doing this, I am able to cover all aspects of my swing. I also videotape my swing, and this allows me to view myself afterwards. Since I videotape my practice sessions, I can go over my sessions afterwards. I have caught and fixed many mistakes my carefully watching my swing on the recordings. Developing my swing is the first of three main steps I use in preparing for the upcoming season. Next, I work out using weights to improve my chances for success in the upcoming season.