An Evaluation At Primark Stores Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

An Evaluation At Primark Stores - Essay Example They are expected to produce and market the products and services ethically and in an environment-friendly manner, provide good working conditions for the employees, etc,. Along with these, the organisations owe their revenues to the society, and thus have to pay back a part of it by serving the community at large. All these expectations in Toto make up the Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) of a firm. It is defined as, â€Å"a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interaction with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis† ((Mcnall & Hershauer, 2011) CSR is a means of ensuring the sustainability of an organization. Unless it conducts the trade morally, the malpractices and loop holes in the operations may surface at any time and become the organisations’ weakness in winning the hearts of customers. Decent working conditions attract good job-seekers and make the organization a better place for the employees, this again reflects on their loyalty. When a percentage of profits are diverted towards community development, the company appeals to the attention of larger audience and helps it build a brand image. Finally, the stress on environment is the order of the day and there is growing concern in the consumers towards using eco-friendly products. Thus, CSR is a social investment that reaps huge competitive advantage to the companies and guarantees their viability in the competitive markets (Banerjee, 2007). 2. Primark Stores Primark is a chain of 235 clothing stores spread in 7 countries including Ireland, Spain, UK, Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and Belgium. Associated British Foods (ABF) plc., is its parent company. The clothing line offered by Primark include men, women, kids and baby clothing, accessories such as shoes and home linen and upholstery. Its competitive advantage lies in presenting variety to the fashion-conscious customers at affordable rates. The factors tha t allow Primark to sell high fashion products at such low prices are Bulk-buying merchandising only the most popular sizes Stream-lining of operations their easy and unsophisticated design logic low expenses on promotion good ties with suppliers 3. Corporate Social Responsibility at Primark Primark’s CSR is aligned according to the instructions drawn out by ABF. These initiatives fall into 6 categories under the Twinings Ovaltine Strategy Model developed by ABF. The model is illustrated in figure 1. The facets of this strategy pertinent to Primark are discussed in the following sections. Figure 1: Twinings Ovaltine Strategy Model of CSR at ABF (Source: Associated British Foods url: http://www.abf.co.uk/our-decentralised-approach.aspx) 3.1. Its People The company believes that its human resources are one of its main assets. All the employees are treated equally, provided with equal opportunities in case of employment, training, promotion, etc., based on their skill and ability . The company gives due regard to their safety during work. They abide by the regulations set by national and international statutory bodies in the countries where they operate. Harassment is considered as a crime. Primark accords due respect to the cultural differences among employees, who belong to different backgrounds. Open communication among the entire workforce is encouraged. The strong whistleblowing policy guarantees that the employees abide by Primark’s code of conduct (Werther & Chandler, 2011). 3.2. Upstream and Downstream

In the Crucible Several characters grow as a result of the trials Essay

In the Crucible Several characters grow as a result of the trials. Their growth usually pertains to their view of themselves and their perceptions of the world - Essay Example The turning point in the story is shown by how Elizabeth denies her husband's cohort trysts with Abigail during the witch trials. The development towards this change will be shown in this paper as relating to the current social condition of this period. Elizabeth Proctor is pictured as a wife who continued to harbor deep resentments on the cheating of her husband with their former servant, Abigail. These resentments persisted for a long time in their household as she was constantly reminded of the scene. The change that transpired in Elizabeth occurred when she was accused of witchcraft through Abigail's evil plot to incriminate her name caused by a desire to eliminate her and be with John finally. Elizabeth was then dragged to the court on charges of witchcraft and sorcery, but was disposed of due to her pregnancy. She was famous for her words, "No mater what happens tonight, I still love you," directed to her husband, a show of her undying love for him. When she was requested by the court to stand as witness, she denied her husband's infidelity with the intent of saving his name. This intention was indeed in contradiction to her earlier whining as a wife cheated on by her husband, as there in the court lay the opportunity to get back on him, yet, withheld it in a quest to save his reputation.1 It was supposed to be refuted by her husband when she herself was the one accused, but became futile due to their current servant's (Mary) accusation of him as witch.2 Elizabeth showed growth during the trial when she claimed that her husband was not a lecher, contrary to her resentments about his infidelity, which constantly caused quarrels in their household. The cause-and-effect relationship of this denial is shown by her own view of herself and her perceptions of the world. One cause triggered by this assertion was a probability of being the topic of rumors in their community, given that the setting of the story was in 1692, in which people were traditionally engaged in rumors when one's life was in moral turmoil. This would in turn cause her to be assailed by rumors herself, being the wife of a husband who had once cohort trysts with a servant. This denial of her husband's infidelity was coupled with her love for him, making no intent to drown him to witchcraft accuses, but rather save his life from such. The story reveals, however, that John was accused and convinced of witchcraft himself, in which he chose to be burned and die than live and untruthfully bring people to the court for witchcraft. Elizabeth lied about the infidelity of her husband because of her deep love for him.3 This profound love was manifested in a scene where she told him that no matter what happens, she still loved him. Elizabeth lied about the infidelity of her husband because she wanted to save him from a looming disgrace.4 Being a wife of a respected man, she intended not to drag her husband's name in the court and maintain the cause of their fights just within the corners of their abode. She saw no reason for the involvement of the public in the matter; neither of such infidelity be used as a testimony in the court, which could place her and her marriage in a disgraceful situation. Elizabeth's growth

Graffiti and Form Essay Example for Free

Graffiti and Form Essay There are a lot of different perspectives on weather or not graffiti is a form of art or graffiti is just vandalism. In my essay I will explain to you why graffiti is a form of art, I will also show you how graffiti is just vandalism as well. First, Graffiti is a form of art because its a form of self-expression much like other kinds of arts. Artist use graffiti to show their talents. Although graffiti is used on public buildings and walls its a type of street art so the public can see. Graffiti is a way to show the public your thoughts, they wouldnt have to pay a penny to go see it. Many people say graffiti is vandalism because it symbolizes gangs, but thats not what real graffiti is. Secondly, Graffiti is art because its somebodys passion and thats why they enjoy doing. Graffiti artist should not be fined money if they are caught. Graffiti not only has different meanings inside of their paintings it also beautifies cities and such. Graffiti is art because it shows who you are and what we feel inside and by doing graffiti it helps people express theirselves. Finally, Graffiti is vandalism because it destroys buildings and they are destroying somebodys property. Not only does it look bad to others it also cost thousands of dollars just to remove it. Graffiti also spread gang-related violence with all the tagging of gang names. Another example why Graffiti is vandalism is because most graffiti are just tags and gang communication. In conclusion, different people have their own opinion on weather or not graffiti is a form of art or just vandalism. Graffiti is a form of art because its a form of self-expression, it shows the public your thoughts and how they feel. Graffiti is vandalism because graffiti is done illegally on buildings and most of it is tagging, it also spreads gang violence through their work.

Guilt, Shame and Community

Guilt, Shame and Community A shame community is described as a society whose main tool for ruling over is gaining having power over children and continued control over adults in the perpetration of shame and corresponding threat of social rejection. A guilt society is described as a society that is maintained by creating control and consistently strengthening the sense of guilt and the anticipation of reprimanding now for predestined behaviors. Raimond Gaita carefully explains that there is moral challenge in the Australian society in the contemporary society. He arguably disagrees that by keenly depriving the indigenous inhabitants their land the Australian government the most important part of their humanity thereby denying them a chance to enjoy their lives to fullest. In report of bringing them home and Mabo are associated to legal and historical symbols that bring back to what was not given to inhabitants of Torres Strait and Aborigal Islands by taking away the land that formed part of their humanity. Professor Raimond also explains that refuting peoples their humanity is terrible and that it calls a change of attitude and language for the society to remain intact. The drawing on Simone Weil Love sees what is invisible, the professoer recognizes that some ideasÂÂ   can only be understood by the heart. Raimond, sees the Australian High court instituting ruling using wild language and describes the judgment as shameful to those who pay attention with their hearts. There is racial discrimination in the Australian society which is depicted by the phrase, Terra nullius, which is used to imply that Aboriginal people are not full human as the invaders. The latest decisions of Australian High court have been done to bring an end to past injustices and the court had affirmed the full and the same humanity of native people. According to Raimond, those people who were involved in refuting indigenous people their humanity felt guilty, and there was shame to all the members of the Australian society. Raimond belives that just as society should be conceited about national achievements in which people have not been directly involved, the society should also express shame for what wronging its inhabitants and develop a method of amendment to manage the nation shame. Raimond views that if there is no shaming and its consequences, then justice cannot be possible. According to Raimond, true shame societies are reliant on outside sanctions for good behavior not as true guilt societies on an internalized fervor of transgressions. Shame is depicted as an effect to other peoples condemnation. Raimond claims that a society is openly scorned and rejected by fantasying to it that make it ludicrous. According to Raimond, when shame is viewed as a heteronymous forced or involved with issues that are deemed morally irrelevant or insignificant it becomes as a subject of psychological evaluation. Raimond views familiarity of guilt to be socially induced or associated to be ethically irrelevant. Raimond believes that torture, should not be applied to human race during interrogation. But he further adds that in circumstance s where there is a potential threat of terrorism then use of torture should be advocated. Raimond believes the fact that many Australians do not understand what has been substantiated in the report of bringing them home requires to be put in a wider social context. The Australian communitys comment that they never cared enough about Aborigines humanity demonstrates the scope of racial discrimination inAustralia.

Vision and Blindsight Essay -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Vision and Blindsight Implications Regarding Consciousness Vision-- receiving and interpreting light signals from the environment in order to form an image in one's mind-- is an incredibly complex process. Somehow signals from photoreceptors located in the eye are converted into the conscious experience of sight. Of all the aspects of vision, perhaps the most difficult for us to comprehend scientifically is this notion of consciousness. Somehow the brain interprets light waves hitting the retina so that we are visually aware of our surroundings. While the mechanism of signal transduction from the photoreceptor through the visual cortex has been extensively elucidated, science has difficulty dealing with the phenomena of consciousness and awareness, especially on a reductionist level. A recent neurobiological approach to understanding consciousness, at least on a perceptual level, has involved the study of the phenomenon of blindsight. Damage to areas of the visual cortex often result in complete or partial blindness. Although the eye itself is undamaged, patients report an inability to detect any light input in part of (or the entire) visual field. However, experiments regularly show that somehow, visual cues are processed. Visual inputs presented to the blind field affect the patient's response to stimulus in the normal visual field. Reaction times to stimuli are affected as well as the interpretation of the stimuli. A visual cues presented in the blind field may suggest a certain interpretation of an ambiguous stimuli. For example, the interpretation of the word "bank", presented as an auditory cue, differs depending on whether the word "river" or "money" is presented to the blind field, even though the patient does not... ...Linked%20Pages/Physiol/Cortex.html 3) Visual Processing Streams http://mitpress.mit.edu/MITECS/work/goodale_r.html 4) Consciousness, Neurobiology of http://mitpress.mit.edu/MITECS/work/koch_r.html 5) Pattern of neuronal activity associated with conscious and unconscious processing of visual signals, Sahraie, et al. http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/94/17/9406?terms=consciousness&searchqstr=tyear:1997!fyear:1996!fmonth:Nov!tmonth:Nov!tdatedef:11+November+1997!fdatedef:12+November+1996!hits:10!fulltext:consciousness!sendit:Search 6) The Problem of Consciousness Crick and Koch http://www.unomaha.edu/~spaige/crick-ko.htm#blindsight 7) Co nsciousness http://www.duke.edu/~kellogg/Classes/Mentation/Issue%201/Marchiano.htm 8) On a Confusion About a Function of Consciousness. Block, Ned ftp://ftp.princeton.edu/pub/harnad/BBS/.WWW/bbs.block.html

My Incredible Stay in Bolivia Essay -- Observation Essay, Descriptive E

My Incredible Stay in Bolivia As I lifted my heavy suitcase off the wheeled cart, my mind soon went to work reviewing everything I had brought. Considering the mad rush I had to get packed for my ten day stay in Bolivia, I knew there was no way I could have remembered to bring everything. I knew for sure that I had remembered my toothbrush, which is the thing I normally forget. I also mentally went through everything I had packed and to my delight realized I hadn't forgotten a thing! I was so proud of myself! I was part of a twenty-one member team from the United States that went to the largest city in Bolivia to provide humanitarian aid, which included eye exams and refractions. From the Santa Cruz airport, I rode in a small green and white taxi to the small church compound, the place I would be calling home for the next ten days. Stepping out onto the hard packed sandy ground, I silently caught my breath. It was amazing! Breathtaking would be a more appropriate word. Surrounding the small church, were so many different shades of green. The palm trees held a deep sea green color, while the small plants lining the walkway showed a lighter forest green. Plants grew everywhere. Everywhere, including the phone lines! I found out later, that because of the moisture in the air, plants could live anywhere without soil. This explained the hanging plant attached to the phone line directly above the church. A sweet, gentle smell hung in the air. Everywhere I turned, it was there. I soon realized that the smell was coming from a small jasmine bush. The bush had many dainty white flowers and each of them were distributing their fresh scent everywhere. Looking across the street, I could see several more varieties of trees and bu... ... I never fully grasped the power of that statement until I met these people. It is so true. Love bridges that barrier put up between the cultures, and that is enough. The church compound was filled and overflowing with the love these people showed, and to me, there is nothing more special than that. Yes, I will admit, the setting was gorgeous and so different from anything I had ever experience, but the people were what made it memorable for me. When I got back home, I was just as nervous about forgetting something there. I knew I had my toothbrush, and then quickly went through everything else in my suitcase. I was sure I hadn't left anything there, and I was so proud of myself! Then it hit me. I realized I had left something very important there. Something I could not live without. I had left a part of my heart in Bolivia, and I know it will always be there.

Conflict Management Case Study Essay

What forms of interpersonal power are evident in the case and why? All five forms of interpersonal power appear in various parts of the case study. Coercive power is represented in the case study when John Lasseter began working for the Disney animation studio and came to realize that the powers that be expected nothing but coercion from their employees. People were expected to comply with the way things have always been done. New ideas were neither encouraged nor supported. In addition, top managers sought no input from employees, choosing to make all decisions themselves. When Lasseter started working for Pixar, he experienced reward power. The work he completed for them was heralded and recognized by executives for his innovation. His attitude revealed that he places less importance on monetary reward and more significance on the intrinsic reward of doing a good job. Legitimate power is exemplified when Disney and Pixar merged, and as the standing top creative executive at Pixar Lasseter took on the responsibility for reviving animation at Disney. His role as the creative director gave him the legitimate power to make decisions regarding a wide range of topics in his department. With the title of creative director, he had the formal right to make demands and expect compliance from others in the department. Only after Lasseter’s move to Pixar did he experience referent power. This came after he gained executives’ and coworkers’ admiration for his animation work. The advances he brought to the company also earned the respect and admiration of many, resulting in an increase in referent power. In his previous position at Disney, Lasseter had no referent power. Similar to the case of the referent power, Lasseter gained expert power with his work at Pixar. The knowledge, innovation, and skill that Lasseter brought with him to Pixar instantly earned him this expert power. He was viewed as a key player in achieving innovation because of his expertise in the area of animation. In what ways do the two faces of power appear in the case? The two faces of power, commonly classified as organizational and personal, are evident in a few different areas of Lasseter’s history with Disney and Pixar. The leadership style at his first position at Disney reflected the self-aggrandizing personal face of power, mainly perceived as having a  negative connotation. The unspoken norm at Disney was that lower level employees were to bow down to their superiors and obey their desires. Input from employees was not encouraged in any way. The power that came with a higher position was often used for personal gain. In contrast, operations at Pixar demonstrated the organizational, positive face of power. This face of power is categorized as working for the greater good of the entire organization, desiring to serve others, and working together to foster productivity (Clements, 2014). The team at Pixar pooled their knowledge and expertise to create groundbreaking computer-generated cartoon animation. From then on, Pixar saw many successes because of their ability to hone the organizational face of power. Instead of discouraging input and innovation from employees at all levels, Pixar urged this innovation from employees. As shown with the case of Lasseter at Pixar, they supported the advancement of his pioneering ideas for the benefit it would bring the entire organization. Their consideration was not in regard to personal gain, but rather gains for the organization in entirety. Does the firing of John Lasseter from Disney Studios and the events leading to his firing demonstrate the ethical use of power? John Lasseter’s termination from Disney represented an unethical use of power. The termination was unfair and ungrounded; it represented an unethical use of power. This unethical use of power began in prior times leading up to his firing, when he was reprimanded for pursuing new forms of computer animation. The leadership did not find Lasseter’s proposals to be acceptable, citing the reason as the cost of production being too high. This claim was also unfounded, as Lasseter, himself, explained to executives that the cost was no higher than the current animated features. Nonetheless, executives at Disney shot down his ideas and perceived his actions as being detrimental to the organization. Immediately after presenting his ideas, he was terminated from Disney. No reasons were cited for the termination, there was no opportunity for negotiation, and conflict resolution was not attempted. The sequence of these events illustrate that Disney executives’ grounds for termination were unethical. Their only intent was with regard to money, not support of employees or innovation of animation. Did the firing  of John Lasseter indicate the existence of political behavior in the Disney organization? This case is a great example of political behavior within an organization. The Disney organization was structured in a way that only top leaders had decision-making authority. In addition, it is obvious that power struggles were in play throughout the organization and money was a top consideration. Political behavior is described perfectly in the case study when Lasseter explains that he was told, â€Å"You put in your time for 20 years and do what you’re told, and then you can be in charge.† This type of behavior in an organization indicates that employees are expected to obey their superiors, that there is no acceptance of individualism, and that input is not to be given unless you are at the highest level of management. Describe a situation, from your experience, where political behavior in an organization contributed to benefit or detriment you or someone else. In a previous job, I worked in an environment where three other women had worked together already for many years. I felt as though political behavior was in place in that they had a preconceived idea of what the person in my position would need to conform to in order to succeed in the company. I proved to not fit this mold. From the beginning, I wanted to improve tasks so that they were done more efficiently, save time, and become more productive. The small changes I made to processes were not received well by these other women. They wanted to keep everything the way it already was, even if a more efficient method was available. Other people within the company welcomed the changes, as it freed up time that I could spend doing other tasks that would, in turn, save them time. This was not the case with my immediate manager and her coworkers. Over time, the tone in the office became more hostile and I felt like I could not please them. One day, as I was getting ready for work, I received a phone call saying to not come in, that I was being terminated. There were no reasons for the termination, and no other events leading to the termination explained it except for the political behavior in the office. References Changing Minds. (2013). French and Raven’s forms of power. Retrieved from http://changingminds.org/explanations/power/french_and_raven.htm Clements, C. & Washbush, J. (2014). The two faces of leadership. Techsis Investors. Retrieved from http://www.healthcarequities.com/pages/managment/2facesleader.html