Opinions and Social Pressure Essay

In â€Å"Opinions and Social Pressure â€Å"(Solomon E. Asch), author shows that: Group pressure can Influence an Individual to deny the evidence of their own senses. The author supports the main Idea , by using experimental studies with individuals and showing that when put in group settings and asked to answer questions, which make their answers the minority answer. In the first study seven to nine college students gathered for a â€Å"psychological experiment†. The students were informed that they would be comparing the lengths of lines tended to surrender their own judgment to the others, in the same experiment. In the first experiment all the students choose the same matching line. Again in the second experiment the students are unanimous. The third experiment took on a surprise. As the group continued to answer unanimously one student disagrees. Even though this single student answers all his questions correctly he begins to to worry and second guesses his own answers. What the student didn’t know ,is that all the other students in the group were told to give incorrect answers. When the majority size decreases, the individual in the minority tends to contribute independently out of his own experiences, rather than conforming with the majority. The next experiment consisted of 123 subjects from three different colleges. two of them allowed the subject to act independently. Normally subjects made a mistake 1 % of the time and went with the majority and the minority mislead the majority’s judgement in 36. 8% of the time. The study provided evidence that when an individual’s resistance to group pressure, depends on the degree on how wrong the majority is. The study also brought up concern that in a society that requires consensus as a indispensable condition, it also requires society to have each individual to contribute independently.

Fascism essays

Fascism essays Fascism is defined as a system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism. Fascism takes many forms, but despite the many forms that fascism takes, all fascist movements are rooted in two major historical trends. First, in late 19th-century Europe mass political movements developed as a challenge to the control of government and politics by small groups of social elites or ruling classes. For the first time, many countries saw the growth of political organizations with membership numbering in the thousands or even millions. Second, fascism gained popularity because many intellectuals, artists, and political thinkers in the late 19th century began to reject the philosophical emphasis on wisdom and progress that had emerged from the 18th-century intellectual movement, called the Enlightenment. Adolf Hitler was Chancellor of Germany during World War II. He transformed Germany into a military state, based on the beliefs of Nazism, making Germany an Anti-Semitic, Nationalist state. During his rule, he expanded his empire, conquering most of Europe, and some African states, in an effort to conquer the world. His Germany was a state of racial purity. Millions of Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, and non-Germanic people were slaughtered, because they were considered inferior. The slaughter of the millions of people became known as the Holocaust. Germany and the axes lost World War II, and Hitler committed suicide in 1945. Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) Benito Mussolini was dictator of Italy from 1922 to 1943. He was the founder and leader of Il Duce, or Italian Fascism. Mussolini joined the Germans in the Second World War, and following their example, he also had millions of Jews slaughtere ...

Social ontology Essay Example

Social ontology Essay Example Social ontology Essay Social ontology Essay Ontology is concerned with the nature of the reality to a greater extent than epistemological considerations, this raises questions of the assumptions researchers have about the way the world operates and commitment held to particular views. Questions of social ontology are concerned with the nature of social entities. The central point of orientation here is the question of whether social entities can and should be considered objective entities that have a reality external to social factors or whether they can and should be considered social constructions built up from the perceptions and actions of social actors. (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.108). Objectivism; and Constructivism are examples of ontological positions. Objectivism is an ontological position that asserts that social phenomena and their meanings have an existence that is independent of social actors (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.108).  Constructivism is an ontological position that asserts that social phenomena and their meanings are continually being accomplished by social actors (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.108). EPISTEMOLOGY Epistemology is defined as a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of knowledge and what constitutes acceptable knowledge in a field of study. (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.102). There are primarily two constracting research approaches- Positivist and Interpretivist.  A positivist researcher has a belief that the world conforms to fixed laws of causation; that there is a complexity that can be tackled by reductionism; and that asserts an emphasis on objectivity, measurement, and repeatability. These researchers have both a realist and an objective view of the world. The methodologies most often used by positivist researchers include quantitative analysis, confirmatory analysis, deduction, laboratory experiments, and nomothetic experiments (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.103). An interpretivist researcher believes there is no universal truth. This type of researcher understands and interprets from his/her own frame of reference. He/She believes that uncommitted neutrality is impossible and realism of context is important. These researchers have both a relativist and a subjective view of the world. The methodologies most often used by interpretivist researchers include qualitative analysis, exploratory analysis, induction, field experiments, and idiographic experiments (Saunders, Lewis and Thornhill, 2006, p.106).  Ã‚  Nomothetic methodology focuses on an examination of regularities and relationship to universal laws, while ideographic approaches centre on reason why indivudual create and interpret their world in a particular way (Putnam, 1983; 41). HUMAN NATURE Assumptions about human nature are deterministic or voluntarist. One views individuals as product of their environment; the other believes individuals create their own environment (Putnam, 1983; 36).  My Ontological are based on constructivism because I think that knowledge is socially constructed. My research is very much interpretivist in terms of epistemology because of the fact that this study is subjective and it might vary from one student to another. My research is Qualitative in nature. 3. RESEARCH STRATEGY Research strategy can be used for explanatory, descriptive and explanatory research (Yin, 2003). As my assumption are based on constructivism and interpretivism so my research is qualitative in nature because it involves analysis and experience of International Students who have been the victim of crime and does it affect them mentally and in their studies? And to those students who have not experienced this but how do they feel even if they think about it and whether they find this country safe or not. The data that I have generated from this study is completely interpretive and not Quantitative in nature. From the constructionist point of view we get all the facts from the people, they are the actual one where anyone can get the truth. Hence, it is meaningful to make this choice. In Quantitative method the researchers:  1) Review conceptual framework and relationships to be studied. 2) Prepare data for analysis.  3) Determine if research involves descriptive analysis or hypothesis testing.  4) Conduct analysis.  5) Evaluate findings to assess whether they are meaningful. (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; p.304)  And this is clearly not my area in what I am doing my research on.  There are many approaches to conduct qualitative research, but four of them are widely used which includes Phenomenology, Ethnography, Grounded Theory and Case Study. (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; p.289). I used Phenomenology approach in my research strategy as I intend to interpret the experience in relation to those students who have been the victim to crime and to those students who are scared and have not experienced this and I also want to know that how does it affect them mentally and in their studies. When I am doing this research I as a researcher should set aside my feelings and ideas that I have on this issue. PHENOMENOLOGY is a qualitative research method that studies human experiences and consciousness. It is the study of phenomena, or how things appear in our experiences, the way we experience things and therefore the meanings things have in our experiences. Phenomenological studies examine conscious experiences from the first person (interviewer or observer) point of view, ranges from experiences involving perception thoughts, desires, memories, emotions and imagination to bodily awareness and social interactions. These studies sometimes are referred to as lived experiences because they focus on how human behaviour is shaped by relationships with ones physical environment, including objects, people and situations. A specialized field of phenomenology is hermeneutics, which attempts to understand and explain human behaviour based on an analysis of stories people tell about themselves. (Hair, Money, Samouel and Page, 2007; p.289).

How effective was Henry VII as a Monarch Essay Example

How effective was Henry VII as a Monarch Essay Example How effective was Henry VII as a Monarch Essay How effective was Henry VII as a Monarch Essay Throughout the course of Henrys reign, there were various uprisings against him, not only because he was a usurper to the throne, but also because he had very little history in England. In 1485-86 there were few minor risings in the Midlands and the North, which were of little significance and were dealt with efficiently; Henry showed his seriousness through the execution of Humphrey Stafford after his treacherousness. A more serious threat than the aforementioned was the situation surrounding Lambert Simnel, which was potentially very serious as it led to the Battle of Stoke in 1487.However, after three hours of intense battle the Kings army had the Yorkists surrounded, and most of the key leaders were killed. Again, to show his seriousness Henry charged 28 of the opposing nobles with attainder and sentenced Symonds, the orchestrator, to life imprisonment. In 1489 there was a rebellion in York which was a relatively small tax opposed rebellion which Henry was able to deal with, aide d by the Earl of Surrey, who defeated the rebels. Here the King used calculated clemency, as he issued pardons to many of the prisoners as a gesture of conciliation to prevent further uprisings. In 1491, Perkin Warbeck emerged as a threat, pretending to be Richard, Duke of York whose assumed murder in the tower had never been proved.The threat from Warbeck was possibly the greatest that the King faced during his reign, as it lasted for 8 years, and drew much international recognition from areas of Ireland, Scotland and France. This situation, combined with the Cornish Rebellion of 1497, set Henry in a particularly troubled position. Warbeck was under the care of James IV of Scotland; whilst at the same time was under threat from the grieved Cornish who managed to march to London unopposed. However, James did not take this opportunity to invade and the Kings army were victorious against the Cornish. The Warbeck situation came to a close in 1497, after the efficient work of Henrys s pies had unpicked the conspiracy and support for the pretender had diminished. In 1499 both Warbeck and the Earl of Warwick were hanged.In 1501 Henry faced further threats, particularly from the Earl of Suffolk who had a strong Yorkist claim to the throne and gathered support abroad in Flanders. Henrys insecurity was evident through his rash behaviour; the King imprisoned Suffolks relations in England and charged 51 men who had connections to the Earl with of attainder. In 1506 a storm caused Philip of Burgundy, who had Suffolk in his care, to take refuge off Weymouth with his wife. Henry took this opportunity to persuade Philip to surrender Suffolk in return for sanctuary, and on the condition that Suffolks life would be spared. Overall, Henry dealt with the threats he faced rather well; they were never able to progress quite to the point where the crown was in serious jeopardy, although Simnel did get close. Henrys ability to use clemency enabled him to prevent further uprisings a nd his opportunistic nature enabled him to use a situation to his advantage and squander the last among the Yorkist threats.With regard to foreign policy, Henry had three main aims these were to further the interest of English merchants, to achieve an effective security system through preventing war, and to be recognised as the rightful King of England. The first major treaty that Henry signed was the Medina del Campo with Spain in 1489, which has been described by Rogers and Turvey as the most significant achievement of Henry VIIs foreign policy, and rightly so; Henry achieved all of his main aims with this treaty. The King gained recognition through the treaty as the Spanish Monarchs, who had emerged as a giant power in Europe, recognised him as a peer.Additionally, he was able to secure a marriage between his son Arthur and Ferdinand and Isabellas daughter, Catherine of Aragon. Furthermore, he achieved peace and security through diplomacy, the joint pact between Spain and Englan d, against France, ensured that both countries were protected against their French enemies should they go to war. As well as this, Henry achieved prosperity for his merchants as the trade tariffs between England and Spain were removed. Whilst the treaty of Medina del Campo did have its drawbacks, for example Henry having the worst of the bargain, as regaining Normandy and Aquitaine was impractical and unrealistic, he was willing to ignore this so he could reap the benefits of being recognised as an equal by the Catholic Monarchs.The second major treaty was the Treaty of Etaples, signed in 1492 with France. Again, Henry was able to achieve his main aims; security through Charles promise to no longer aid any English rebels, money through the sizeable annual pension from à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5000, and recognition as a good monarch, as he was able to establish good terms with France, who had been a traditional enemy of England. The third major treaty was signed with Scotland in 1497, the Truce of Ayton established good terms between England and Scotland, who, like France, had been traditional English enemies for centuries.The main outcomes of this truce were that Henry was able to secure his position, through James IVs promise not to aid any more rebels, and through a marriage seal between James and Henrys eldest daughter, Margaret. Recognition as a good monarch also came with this truce, as previously mentioned, this was major progress with Scotland, whom England had not had good relations with since 1328. Overall, Henry was able to reach his three main aim, and although there were few drawbacks, the King was able to establish the Tudors as a powerful dynasty overseas, particularly through recognition and security, the latter being the most important, as shown by the Magnus Intercursus in 1496.A potentially dangerous group that traditionally threatened the throne was the nobility. Henry had a number of ways of attempting to deal with the powerful nobles. Firstly, from t he beginning of his reign he limited the number of new Lords, as it was easier to control a smaller number of nobles, and this would save more money for the crown, with less money and land being handed over to nobles. This measure also meant that when he did make somebody a peer, it was more prestigious as it was a rare occasion. As an alternative to peerage, Henry introduced the Order of the Garter which was an ancient honour bestowed on the most important knights; this was a valuable alternative as it involved no financial obligations from the crown but acknowledged nobles as seniors.Similarly, the nobility were not to expect patronage from the King, it would have to be earned before Henrys support would be granted. Another method of curbing the nobilitys power was to control marriage between powerful families to prevent a further threat to the throne. Henry also used wardship to prevent abuses from the nobles, as the King would step in and interfere to look after inheritances in young male heirs, until they were of age and had proved their loyalty to the Tudor dynasty. Additionally, Henry and his agents kept a close eye on any potentially over mighty families that may attempt to abuse their power, and would step in if they thought this was the case. For example, the King used financial threats to make sure the nobles were loyal and behaved well, the use of bonds and recognisances meant that nobles would have to pay large sums of money as a promise of good behaviour.Henry also used acts of attainder to make examples of opposing Yorkist magnates, such as those who were supporters of the Earl of Suffolk. Henry did not only punish people though, he did forgive people if they showed loyalty to the crown, the King was willing to forget past problems if this was shown, for example Thomas Howard, who did not take the opportunity to escape from the tower when he could. As well as this, Henry had a strict policy on retaining, unlike his predecessors, he made sure to treat everybody the same when it came to punishment for retaining. This was evident when Henry even punished his close relatives such as his mother for the crime.All of these policies that were put in place may suggest that Henry had an agenda to deliberately quell the nobility, however it has been argued that nobles still enjoyed much wealth and not much changed for them. I support the view that Henry was conscious of the nobles threat and took the appropriate measures to make sure that they did not step out of line, however, I do not believe that he followed an anti-noble policy as such. In terms of effectiveness, Henry certainly managed to curb the nobilitys power, through these various policies, the most important, perhaps, being his financial threats against the nobles, which acted as an example to anybody else who was thinking of abusing their position.In conclusion, the King managed to effectively deal with all rebellions that he came across; although some threats were potent ially dangerous he was able to deal these, overall, in a very efficient manner. Similarly, Henrys foreign policy was able to achieve his main aims, with security being the most important of these. Lastly, the King developed several policies that effectively limited the power of the nobility in such a manner that he was able to diminish potential threats. These points being considered, Henry was a very efficient monarch when taking into consideration the instability of his position.

Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr Research Paper

Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr - Research Paper Example He especially appreciated Gandhi’s non-violent means of standing against civil misconduct. Martin Luther was inspired by Gandhi’s principles. The principles of championing for liberation based on love and not violence. Hence, he championed for resistance against racial segregation without the use of violence. He urged his followers not to use violence against the white perpetrators. Instead, he used his inspirational speeches to motivate them with his faith in God. Instilling hope in them that God was with them, and they should keep fighting (Moldovan 1). Martin Luther was a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference that he utilized to champion for civil rights. He used the Christian body to stand against the segregation and discrimination that the black people were subjected to. Through it, his national fame grew. Martin Luther King used the Christian body to organize peaceful and non-violent demonstrations in various states. Their peaceful nature can be attributed to Gandhi’s principles of non-violence. He used his great oratory skills to champion for Christian like virtues that disregarded discrimination (Moldovan 2). Douglass also had religious convictions that guided him. How do these religious convictions compare? The religious faith that Douglass had was described by a friend of his who did not believe in God. The friend said that it was his faith in God that prevented them from having a long-lasting friendship. Hence, it was outstanding. Douglass utilized the faith to spur the people. He utilized it to instill hope in the people. Hope that the oppression they all faced due to their race and slavery would come to an end. He believed that God would change the world, that God would change the predicament faced by black people and redeem them. Through his faith, Douglass viewed himself as a prophet. A prophet who was following God’s instructions (Stauffer). Hence, by utilizing the prophet in him, he was able

Crafting and executing a winning strategy Essay

Crafting and executing a winning strategy - Essay Example However, as big corporations are being washed out with the erosion of public/stakeholder trust due to unethical and socially irresponsible behavior, today, corporate strategists realize that a perceptible commitment to ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) has clear implications for the corporate bottom line, and integrating it as a part of corporate strategy would significantly improve business performance. [Hopkins, 2003; Houck and William, 1996] The paper examines the linkage between company's effort to craft and execute a winning strategy and its social responsibility - the company's duties to conduct its activities in an ethical manner and demonstrate socially responsible behavior as a committed corporate citizen, attending to the needs of all the stakeholders. In doing so, it shall attempt to analyze what ethics and social responsibility means in the corporate strategy context, the debates surrounding the relevance of social responsibility, and also examines the significance of ethical and socially responsible behavior by corporations for survival and success. It shall also look at ways to incorporate ethics and social responsibility into corporate strategies for ensuring long-term success of corporations. The environmental movement of the 1980s and 1990s, which exposed many unethical corporate practices by companies such as Nestle, Shell and the rising cases of corporate scandals in the recent years signifying unethical and irresponsible behavior by top officials, such as those at Enron, WorldCom etc., have brought about the significance of ethics and social responsibility as a legitimate topic in the formulation and implementation of business strategy. [Hopkins, 2003] While the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, as management imperatives, business ethics and corporate social responsibility are distinct concepts, though with inevitable overlaps. It may be worthwhile to clearly understand the two precepts before attempting to analyze their significance in creating winning strategies. Ethics in business, an age-old concept, advocates ethically appropriate behavior by businesses to the stakeholders directly concerned with the business enterprise, viz. managers, consumers, investors/owners and employees. [Hopkins, 2003] Ethical behavior in business extends to all segments of business management at the enterprise level including finance and accounting, human resources management, sales and marketing, production and intellectual property. While a consensus on the definition has not been achieved, corporate social responsibility is stated to be "concerned with treating the stakeholders of the firm ethically or in a responsible manner." [Hopkins, 2003; p.1] Corporate social responsibility, a more inclusive concept business ethics, extends beyond the enterprise level to all stakeholders, what Hopkins describes as, "the seven azimuths", within which the enterprises trade and operate viz.: owners/investors (shareholders or stockholders); management; employees; customers; t he natural environment; the wider community (including government); contractors/suppliers. [Hopkins, 2003, p. 3] CSR as a winning business strategy concerns with the responsibility of the company to each of these seven groups; it may include responsibility to competitors as well.

BAE Systems-EADS Merger Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BAE Systems-EADS Merger Plan - Essay Example However, unification of two struggling companies may not always guarantee their resurrection. This paper will specifically discuss whether or not mergers make economic sense with particular focus given to the reaction of UK, French, and German governments to the BAE/EADS merger. BAE Systems-EADS merger plan In the last year, Britain’s BAE Systems planned a â‚ ¬38bn (?30.4bn) merger with its rival European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co (Franco-German maker of Airbus civilian jets). According to a Telegraph report by Ebrahimi and Monaghan (2012), the planned merger would have formed the world’s second biggest aerospace and defence company after Boeing. If the merger had become successful, the merged entity would have achieved combined sales of ?60bn and employed 220,000 people worldwide (ibid). In addition, the planned venture would have contributed to Europe’s military efforts, developed British nuclear submarines and own airbus, and attained the status of bigg est plane manufacturer in the world (ibid). Many industry analysts supported this deal as they believed that the planned merger would provide the companies with the synergies of combined operations. Proponents of this strategic plan pointed out that BAE systems have strong presence in the US market where the government is one of the largest and potential customers. Hence, EADS can take advantage of this potential strength of BAE Systems. At the same time, the planned deal might also benefit BAE Systems to improve its earnings by spreading its operational area to commercial aircraft and space satellites. The shrinking Western Defence market was also cited to justify the planned merger. The 60/40 split in favour of EADS was a major controversial term of this merger. From another view point, â€Å"the mathematical flipside for BAE shareholders is that the merger is a no-brainer at 60/40† (Boland & Kirk 2012). Anyhow, the talks over the BAE-EADS merger did not reach a mutual agre ement and hence the initiative was called off later. Reaction of UK, French, and German governments UK and French governments took a favourable stand toward the BAE Systems-EADS merger whereas the German government opposed this strategic move. According to a BBC report (2012), while evaluating the approach of Britain toward this merger deal, the country particularly wanted its counterparts to restrict their influence in the new company so as to keep the strong relations with the US government. Hence, the British government needed to obtain a dominant position in the merged company. However, it must be noted that Britain’s officials took huge efforts to make this deal a reality. In a close observation, it seems that the British government emphasised more on its personal interests rather than the continent-wide interests. To illustrate, the British government particularly wanted to maintain BAE’s strong position in the huge US market and the country was never willing to spoil its good relationship with the US. The British government believed that obtaining a strategic control over the merged company would assist the country to continue its strong business relationship with US. In sum, Britain tried to decrease other countries’ political influence over the new venture. While analyzing the stance of France in the BAE-EADS merger, it seems that France was interested to make this deal