Analytical Essay Sample on Nike Workers #8220;We Are Not Machines#8221;

Analytical Essay Sample on Nike Workers #8220;We Are Not Machines#8221; Most people are familiar with the Nike logo. Most people also know that Nike is a multi-million dollar company that sells name brand shoes worldwide. Millions of pairs of Nike shoes are sold daily, but what people don’t know about Nike shoes is how and where they are made, who makes them, and how Nike spends its money in this process. According to the â€Å"Sweatshop Fact Sheet,† Tiger Woods is paid over fifty five thousand dollars a day to be their spokesman. Another famous person that is a spokesman for Nike is Michael Jordan. According to the article â€Å"Running Away With the Profits,† (Environmental Action, Academic Search Elite), Michael Jordan is paid twenty million dollars in endorsement fees. Big name sport teams advertise Nike to appeal to the common person. Indonesia is one of many countries around the world that is home to numerous Nike factories. Indonesia is a third world country of 214 million people. The main part of the economy is farmers, with half of these being the labor force. This happens to be an ideal country of choice for Nike to set up their factories for manufacturing their shoes. It allows Nike to take advantage of the local people. These people need to work in these factories to make a living, and they are stuck with the poor working conditions that Nike has provided. One way in which Nike is taking advantage of their workers is through long and hard work hours. According to the article: â€Å"We are not machines,† the Nike’s code of conduct states that the employees in their factories can only work sixty hours a week, and it’s mandatory to have one day off per seven days worked. The task force in the article went in and interviewed the workers at the Nike factory in early 2001 and found that workers’ weeks consisted of seventy hours and more. This depended on the seasonal orders that the workers were obligated to fill. The top worker was working 84 hours a week. When asked if this worker wanted to work this amount of hours, his reply was no. Another worker stated, â€Å"Although overtime is voluntary in my factory, it is forced by nature, since we cannot survive without it.† (â€Å"We are not machines† article) He has to work this amount of hours or he can’t afford anything for his family. Another thing that you might not know about Nike workers is the low pay they receive. The same report, â€Å"We are not machines,† also found that the average monthly range of pay was from $37 to $44. This averages out to 25 cents per hour. They are stuck working the long hours that Nike demands, or they loose their jobs. Nike says that they are meeting minimum wage standard, which is $2.28 per day, but the workers are working many more hours than required to earn this wage. They are not paying them for their overtime. It takes the average worker one hour of wages to be able to buy 1 kilogram of rice. The average farmer makes about a dollar a day, where the average factory worker makes about two dollars a day. Sure this is more money, but there is a catch 22. The catch 22 is that the factory worker puts in double plus hours each day, in poor working conditions, with no rights. They aren’t learning any basic skills for survival in their country, such as farming. Their ch ildren aren’t learning any basic skills either, because they send them away to live in another village with a relative. They basically can’t afford to provide day care while they work, nor the food to feed their children or themselves. The shoes that these workers are making cost Nike about five dollars per shoe, and on an average, they sell for one hundred dollars or more depending on the shoe. The Nike workers also have to go through the workday in unhealthy work conditions. The process of making shoes involves many chemicals, and if these chemicals aren’t properly managed, the worker’s health is at risk. Dara O’Rourke, a trained health and safety specialist, was allowed in to inspect the Nike factories in Indonesia. He found excessive noise and heat. Levels of toxic chemicals were still present, but reduced. He found misuse of equipment and poor tracking of worker illness. Because of this investigation, Nike went ahead and introduced water based chemicals, which reduced the level of toxic chemicals. When they interviewed some more workers after this, they found that they still had health issues that were unresolved. Another issue that these workers face is not having the right to form unions. According to the article, â€Å"We are not machines,† the workers not only fear for their jobs, but also for their lives, if they even talk about unions. There have been many cases in which workers have been threatened and fired. There was even a case where there was a murder attempt on a worker’s life related to the union. I think it’s pathetic that Nike, which is an American founded company, will not support union activities in their own factories. Many people would ask the question: why is Nike hardly concerned about the welfare of its workers? This can be easily answered by looking at the global economy. The global economy consisted of many companies using third world countries as their base for their factories that make their products. All these companies are backed by the WTO. According to the article: â€Å"Ten Arguments against the WTO,† the WTO is not concerned with where a company manufactures its products or the conditions that it takes place in. The reason that Nike gets away with having factories as such in Indonesia, is that they are backed by the a very powerful world organization, the WTO, thus allowing Nike to make huge profits. Now I am not saying that Nike is free to do what they want. They have been pressured by many independent organizations, which fight for the rights of the factory workers, and the types of conditions described in this article. Because of this, Nike has made some changes throughout t he years that benefit the workers, but it is still not enough. In conclusion, it seems that Nike is making a huge profit at the cost of human live and dignity. Instead of spending millions of dollars on their workers, who are the backbones of making the actual shoes, they are spending it on their advertisements to promote their company. I realize that advertisement is essential to the success of a product, but it should not be at the cost of another human being to make a profit. I know that Nike is just one of thousands of companies that have taken their labor overseas, so that the product can be made at a fraction of its cost. Unfortunately the public sees Nike as a company whose product is worn by the rich and famous, therefore it is something that they would want for themselves. We the consumer enable them to continue this kind of business, because we buy the product. Through global media, we the public are becoming more aware of this kind of exploitation of workers. Overall, I think there is no pride to be found in companies that exploit the ir employees at the cost of a better profit for themselves. Awareness is going to be the key to hopefully fix it in the near future.

Too Much French Vocabulary Is the Haute of Hauteur

Too Much French Vocabulary Is the Haute of Hauteur Too Much French Vocabulary Is the Haute of Hauteur Too Much French Vocabulary Is the Haute of Hauteur By Mark Nichol Thanks to the longstanding political and social influence of France on what is now the United Kingdom, French and its dialects have had a significant impact on the English language. Linguists estimate that nearly one-third of English words are derived from French, and though some are more efficient or evocative in meaning than words that evolved from Old English, terms that ostentatiously signal their place of origin should be used in moderation. Many words we take for granted stem from French, among them some of the terms most closely associated with the United States, such as equality, justice, and liberty. However, Gallicisms, expressions and idioms clearly identifiable as French (though they often have become naturalized citizens in English), are also numerous. For example, many speakers of American English use one or more phrases beginning with the French word for good: â€Å"bon appetit† (literally â€Å"good appetite,† meaning â€Å"enjoy your meal†), â€Å"bon mot† (literally â€Å"good piece,† meaning â€Å"witty remark†), â€Å"bon vivant† (literally â€Å"good liver,† meaning â€Å"one who lives well†), and â€Å"bon voyage† (literally, â€Å"good journey,† meaning â€Å"enjoy your trip†). The first and last are universally familiar, but â€Å"bon mot† and â€Å"bon vivant† are less widely known. And although most well-educated people understand what a coup de grace is, it would be considered pretentious to write of a coup de foudre (literally, â€Å"strike of thunder,† meaning â€Å"love at first sight†), a coup de maitre (literally, â€Å"stroke of the master,† meaning â€Å"masterstroke†), a coup de theatre (literally, â€Å"stroke of theater,† meaning â€Å"dramatic turn of events†), or a coup d’oeil (literally, â€Å"strike of the eye,† meaning â€Å"glance†). Likewise, many other French terms may be at best vaguely familiar to readers, and though readers may not mind going to the dictionary once or twice, writers should be cautious about annoying them by lacing their work with too many words or phrases such as habituà © (â€Å"one who frequents a place†), â€Å"idà ©e fixe† (â€Å"obsession†), louche (â€Å"questionable, or arousing suspicion†), and manque (â€Å"failure†). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Using "a" and "an" Before Words8 Writing Tips for Beginners5 Erroneously Constructed â€Å"Not Only . . . But Also† Sentences

The Portinari Altarpiece Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Portinari Altarpiece - Essay Example There are various subjects in the painting as on the left is Tommaso Partinari, Saint Thomas, and Anthony Abbot, while the two sons of Tomasso, Pigello, and Antonio are kneeling down. The right panel holds the images of Maria Maddalena Portinari, the wife of Tomasso and their eldest child, Margherita and alongside them is Saint Margaret of Antioch and Mary Magdalene. At the center of the art piece, Jesus is laying on the ground while shepherds and angels are kneeling before Him (Levy, Macy & Van, 2012). At the center of the art piece, there are various objects and elements with symbolic importance as well as emblematic figures. The central panel represents the Adoration of Christ as it depicts Mary in a deep prayer showing her acceptance of what her child will persevere as the savior of humanity. Consequently, the Holy Family is revealed in Bethlehem in a manger with shepherds, animals, and angels as Baby Jesus lies on the ground surrounded by an array of golden light. In the foreground, there are two urns of flowers and wheat that represent the Passion and Eucharist (Ridderbos, Hagopian, & McCormick, 2005). The wheat represents the Last Supper where Jesus severed the bread. The white lilies characterizing the smaller vase embody the immaculate and purity conception of Christ while the orange ones represent Christ’s â€Å"Passion† in his later life. Consequently, the second vase holds columbine and purple flowers that correspond to the â€Å"Seven Sorrows of the Virg in.† In the backdrop of the left pane, Joseph and pregnant Mary are seen escaping to Egypt, while the background in central panel; angels visit the Shepherds and on the right, the Three Magi are on their way to Bethlehem (Kleiner, 2012).

Current Issues Assignment( change another topic about this) Essay - 1

Current Issues Assignment( change another topic about this) - Essay Example Civil societies have always been staunch defenders of human rights in autocratic systems an example is Liu Xiaobo who was given an 11-year sentence for subversion of state power. Li et al (104) acknowledges by asserting that the â€Å"demand for human rights in china today is actually an indispensable step in the country’s modernization plans† The Chinese economy has been growing rapidly and that the pace of human rights reforms have been picking up and that it should be noted that political reforms should not be equated to legal reforms, they be correlated but not synonymous Political reforms should set the tone for legal reforms; adoption of democratic principles in governance ultimately has a bearing on the justice system of a nation. For BeÃŒ ja et al (158) a â€Å"harmonious society should feature democracy, the rule of law, equity, justice, sincerity, amity and

Bonnie Lyons Essay Example for Free

Bonnie Lyons Essay The critic, Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, considers The Handmaids Tale to be far more than a political tract deploring nuclear energy, environmental waste and antifeminist attitudes. Which features of Atwoods novel do you believe have contributed to its readability and secured its reputation as a piece of classic modern fiction? In the novel, The Handmaids Tale, it is my opinion that the principal aspect of Atwoods writing style is the depth and intensity with which she approaches her subject matter; she consistently shows that she has researched her material and is able to show relatively potential alternate futures at the time of the early 80s it is not inconceivable to imagine certain turns of events happening as they did in the narrative. In the 1980s, the political climate globally seemed to be turning toward economic restraint and conservatism. In general, this shift was a response to the liberalism and unchecked social spending that occurred in the 1970s, which were in turn the extended results of the freedoms won by the worldwide social revolutions of the 1960s. This conservative trend appeared in different forms in different countries. In Margaret Atwoods home country of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, the Liberal Party leader resigned in 1984, and the voters replaced him with Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney. Margaret Thatcher, who was elected Prime Minister of England in 1979, reversed decades of socialism by selling government-run industries to private owners. In the United States, the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan created such a turbulent reversal of previous social policy that the changes sweeping through the government during the first half of the decade came to be referred to as the Reagan Revolution. The extreme shift toward conservatism in the United States at that time is significant to the social change that created the Republic of Gilead in Atwoods imagination. After the novel was published, she told an American interviewer that she had tried originally to set the novel in Canada, but that it just would not fit the Canadian culture. Its not a Canadian sort of thing to do, she told Bonnie Lyons in 1987. Canadians might do it after the United States did it, in some sort of watered-down version. Our television evangelists are paltrier than yours. The States are more extreme in everything. The Republic of Gilead is characterised as a dystopia; a dystopia is any society considered to be undesirable, for any of a number of reasons. The term was coined as a converse to a utopia, and is most usually used to refer to a fictional society where current social trends are taken to nightmarish extremes. One of The Handmaids Tales successful aspects concerns the skilful portrayal of a state that in theory claims to be founded on Christian principles, yet in practice miserably lacks spirituality and benevolence. The state in Gilead prescribes a pattern of life based on abstinence, conformity, censorship, corruption, fear, and terror-in short, the usual terms of existence enforced by totalitarian states, instance of which can be found in such dystopian works as Orwells 1984. The novels thematics operate by speculating upon conflicting extremes: a decadent present, which Aunt Lydia cynically describes as a society dying of too much choice, and a totalitarian future that prohibits choice. Naturally, while rejecting the indulgent decadence and chaos of an anarchic society, the reader condemns the Gilead regime for its intolerant, prescriptive set of values that projects a tunnel vision on reality and eliminates human free will. There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Dont underrate it.

The Crazy Horse Electric Game :: essays research papers

The Crazy Horse Electric Game The story starts of while they are playing their first baseball game of the season against the Crazy Horse Electrics. They decide to put beer in the opposition team's water bottles as a prank, so that they could win. After that Willie decides to go fishing with his dad. They have deep conversations, and they start talking about why Willie's mom does not fish like she used too. Then they get into talking about Missy, Willie's little sister who died of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). After that the book cuts into another baseball game, they are playing against the Crazy Horse Electrics. Sal, a big guy on the Crazy Horse, and Johnny get into a verbal argument, and then Johnny says something personal about him and he wound up and decked Johnny one. They break it up and continue the game. When Willie was about to pitch he looses his balance and Sal hits a good pitch. Then out of pure luck and talent, Willie stretches himself out and robs Sal of a sure triple. Willie becomes a min or legend. On their way home from school Jenny and Willie hook up. Then on the weekend, Jenny, Johnny, Willie and his family decide to go to the lake. Willie and Jenny set the table for a picnic when Johnny is out skiing. Willies mom complains about him never being safe enough. Next it is Willie's turn to water-ski. As Willie was doing a 360Â ° turn, he caught the tips of his skis under the water and he crashed. Willies dad was in shock, Jenny had to give Willie mouth to mouth, and save his life. The left the boat, got into the vehicle, and drove to the hospital. Willie ends up with a speech impediment, and problems walking. He ends up doing crazy things, like acid, and drinking. He talks to a counselor whom he really likes. Willie does not want to go into a Special Ed class that the school is referring him to. He feels hopeless, and even jealous of his girlfriend for her athletics. He tries to play racquetball, but his dad gets frustrated with him. That night he hears his parents arguing over him. He hears his dad say that he thinks it would have been easier if Willie had died in the accident. From there he suspects Jenny and Petey of getting together, and finds out that they are.

An Inspector Calls & play Essay

Written by J. B. Priestley in 1945, An Inspector Calls is a play that follows the story of the Birling Family and their dealings with a woman, Eva Smith. The Birlings are a wealthy family and are happily celebrating an engagement when their evening is rudely interrupted by a police Inspector investigating the death of a working class girl. Throughout the course of the evening, the Inspector deftly uncovers their dirty little secrets and each of their involvements in the girl’s death. The play is set in an industrial town in the Midlands called Brumley. During 1912 in the Edwardian era, when the play was set, life was hard for the poor and even harder for women. There was very little help available for people and only the very desperate were given aid and even then they were sometimes not given enough. The local workhouse was available for the sick, old or handicapped but this was an unpleasant place. Women in 1912 were treated as inferior and they could not often do what men could; they were not allowed to vote, they were unlikely to go to university and get decent job and they were expected to give up their jobs once they were married. They did not have the same rights as men. The play starts with a long set of stage directions from which we learn a lot about the Birling family. They are wealthy as they employ a maid. It is also suggests that they are strongly ruled by their social duties and roles because it is said that Mrs Birling is ‘socially superior’ to Mr Birling suggesting that society plays a big role in the family’s life. This is further suggested by the fact that the men wear ‘tails and white ties’ to a family dinner signifying that the family are very proper and must be formal at all times – even in an informal setting. Even though it is quite formal, they are quite happy and cheerful as they have been celebrating a special occasion. The atmosphere is shown by the lighting which should be ‘pink and intimate’ hinting at a happy care-free family feel. However, when the Inspector comes in, the lighting should be harsher as the entrance of the Inspector destroys the family atmosphere and creates a harsh atmosphere.

History of Advertising

TRACE THE EVOLUTION AND GROWTH OF INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATION WORLWIDE. FOCUS ON ITS OPERATION IN NIGERIA, EVALUATING ITS LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT AND THE IMPACT OF ITS PRACTISE ON CORPORATE SUCCESS. The History of Advertising Introduction â€Å"Advertising, a form of commercial mass communication designed to promote the sale of a product or service, or a message on behalf of an institution, organization, or candidate for political office. † In a primitive form, advertising has been around almost as long as Homo sapiens in a recognizably modern form. It has been around for almost 2500 years. Despite its venerable age it is still sprightly growing. Moreover there are good reasons to believe that its usefulness to consumer and therefore to economics, will keep on growing for another century or two at the very least. Even the dumbest futurologists would not try to predict further ahead than that, so I rest my case in advertising being a far larger and more important global industry in AD 2099 than in AD 1999 Advertising can be looked at from various perspectives. As the quote above states, its purpose is to increase the number of articles or products sold. These are not only things we can buy in different stores, for example clothing or supplies for our daily life, but also such simple things as a message placed by an institution or organization asking for attention of the public to raise money or to make them aware of a problem, such as anti-smoking ads. Even political parties use advertisements and commercials to state the opinion of their candidate. I think we have all experienced that quite extensively during the presidential campaign in the United States. Advertising became big business in the 20th  century, offering many different jobs in advertising agencies and the marketing section. The use of the media, like newspapers, television, direct mail, radio, magazines, outdoor signs and of course the Internet made this growth possible. It is a form of transporting information to the consumer, but which does not only have positive sides. There are many critical aspect about it, like persuading people to doing unhealthy things, like smoking, or producing special stereotypes everybody tries to follow. Nevertheless, advertising has become international, since producers and companies try to sell their products on a globalized market in almost every corner of the world. It is therefore not surprising to see a big sign for Coca Cola in third world countries. 19th and 20th Century Advertising In the 19th century new technologies were developed and brand-new methods invented. As a result a surplus of production was formed. Warehouses of many factories were overflowing. In this way it was necessary to create useful advertisements, which would cover all large spaces, utilizing a large variety of mass media sources. The first advertising agent who created such a network was Volney Palmer. In 1841 he proclaimed himself as an advertising agent in Philadelphia and then created similar offices in Boston and New York. About 20% of the commission for media brokers was paid to the publishers. Texts of ads were offered by the head of the company or its representative. People who wanted to put their ads in the newspaper paid him a commission. Such activities became very popular during the second part of 19th  century in all European countries. Significant advances in advertising development were made by American brokers. In the early 1850’s, John Wanamaker caused a revolution in the retail trade. He created a price lists for a variety of goods and returned the money if the commodity was not of the promised quality. As a result, he gained a lot of profit by using this strategy and he then opened a network of consumer goods shops. The reason of such great success was professional advertising. In 1880 businessmen employed the best creator of advertising texts – D. E. Powers. Powers started to develop advertisements using brand-new information. This strategy had become very popular in American trade circles and by the 20th century advertising had become a form of science. â€Å"In the 1880s a new era of advertising began: New methods of manufacturing led to greatly increased output and decreased the costs for the producers of consumer goods. The products now could be packaged at the plant. Moreover the telegraph network was in place and the continent has been crisscrossed by a network of railroads†¦. † All these were assumptions that now allowed nation-wide distribution and nation-wide advertising. This state supported the growth of advertising agencies and dictated their activities. During 19th  century the majority of advertisements were published in the newspapers and advertising leaflets. Although newspapers were a prerogative of well-off class of community but the situation began to change in the early 1860’s when people got the opportunity of receiving publications by post. First magazine advertisements appeared in  The Southern Messenger. For a few years the editor of this magazine was Edgar Po. Many of the magazines that began to publish advertisements as the separate charter in the 19th  century have continued doing it nowadays. Such editions are  Cosmopolitan, Ladies’ Home Journal, Readers Digest  and some others. Despite of the popular brands of newspapers the majority of information in the advertisements was unreliable and apocryphal. Moreover advertisements sometimes were immoral and absurd. For example in the countryside of one American city advertisement was placed in the monument of a non-existent person and it stated: â€Å"This person killed himself with the handgun with Colt system†. Then â€Å"publishers† enumerated the value of this handgun. As the result of such inhuman actions people stopped trusting advertisements and began to consider advertising as something negative. The first radio-advertisement was broadcast in 1922 in New York on the WEAF radio station. Thus in the 1920s advertisers and their agents had come to realize radio's possibilities. With its drama and immediacy, radio could convey their message directly to the consumer who would not need to purchase a publication or even need to be literate. In the 1950s television was introduced and quickly developed into THE advertising-media. In the 1950’s common income from the advertising industry rose to $ 10 billion a year. In 1980’s this index was $ 100 billion! Now advertisers could demonstrate the use of their products and present well-known figures to praise it. They could also affect emotions through television. THE HISTORY OF PUBLIC RELATION EARLY DEVELOPMENT. Although the concept of public relations as systematic social activity and the term itself, were not recognized until the first decades of the twentieth century, its more elementary functions of publicity, persuasion , and press agentry are many children old. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of political communication, such as painted messages. , in ruins of ancient civilizations, just as thousands of communicators publicize today’s Olympic Games ,so did their predecessors promote the first contexts in Greece. Caesar’s commentaries, glorifying the emperor, and the four gospels of the New Testament represented other forms of publicity and persuasion. As Peter G. Osgood, president of the public relations firm, remarked, â€Å"St john the Baptist himself did superb Advance work of P. R for Jesus of Nazareth. 19TH AND 20TH PUBLIC RELATIONS As the wave of industrialization, mechanization and urbanization swept the nation after civil war, the public became concerned about many aspects of big business, including concentrations of wealth and control. In 1888 the mutual Life Insurance company sought to improve its image by employing newspaperman Charles J . Smith to write press releases. A year later Westinghouse corporation created what is said to be the first in-house publicity department. In 1897 the term public relations was used ,perharps for the first time, by the Association of American Railroads. Twentieth –Century Developments. The first publicity firm, known as the publicity bureau, was established in Boston in 1900, with Harvard University as one of its clients. Within the decade a number of other such bureaus were established. Among them was the office oof Ivy Ledbetter Lee and George Parker. Ivy lee belief that much of the public’s antipathy toward business at that time-an antipathy exploite by the muckrakers (publications and writers who exposed corruption and exploitation) – resulted from the fact that most businesses operated in secrecy and most business people would not discuss their policies in operations with the public. Ivy lee used his PR techniques to restore peace and good image to the U. S coalindustry which was experiencing tumoil as aresult of shattering strikes. Lee continued to develop such techniques which werelater applied in various situations. Another dimension was added to public relations concept during world war 1, when the committee on public information was established by the federal government under George Creel,a former newspaper reporter. The committee conducted a massive and successful publicity campaign to mobilize the American public behind the war effort. The values of such massive communications efforts were impressed upon those who worked with Creel, and some of them became pioneers in the establishment of public relations firm designes to conduct similar campaigns for private clients. They included Edward L. Bernays , who in 1923 coined the term public relations counsel to describe a function that was to become the core of public relations, and Carl Byoir, whose firm became highly successful. After world war II public relations developed rapidly,in business and industry at first and later in nonprofit institutions. The number of public relation workers soared from only 19,000 in 1950 to 250,000 in 1990. In Nigeria the need for public administration arose after second world war. At that time there was need for effective public information as a result of growing unpopularity of the then colonial government. In the private sector, UAC established thr first PR department in 1949 under Charles Newman to explain the company’s work and policies to the people. EVALUATING THE OPERATIONS AND LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT OF ADVERTISING IN NIGERIA Few studies have examined the cultural reflections and the role of advertising in the national development of Nigerian or other African countries. This study, which explored the meaning of development, the debate on the role of culture and mass media on social modernization, African political economy as well as Nigerian history, politics, economic and ommunication development efforts, serves as an attempt to bridge that gulf. This study focused on the role of advertising in the process of social mobilization and modernization in Nigeria by examining the cultural reflections, the nature and characteristics of the messages, and the values and symbols conveyed in Nigerian mass media advertisements. The findings demonstrated the difficulty of ascertaining th e role of the mass media including advertising on a nation’s social, economic and national development and modernization. However, some of the conclusions drawn from the exploration could be summarized as follows: (1) The Nigerian government as well as native-owned enterprises and public corporations do not use advertising adequately to promote their goods and services; (2) Nigerian advertisers used both Western or traditional African cultural values, but neither of them dominated the other; (3) Developmental themes were found in Nigerian mass media advertisements, but they tended to concentrate on individual instead of group goals as traditional African value system dictates; (4) The nature and target(s) of advertisements in Nigerian mass media demonstrated that the Nigerian economy is distorted and underdeveloped; (5) The underdeveloped nature is clearly demonstrated because the majority of consumer products and services advertised in Nigeria were of foreign origin and mostly non-essential; (6) The products advertised often targeted the elites because the Nigerian masses could not afford them; (7) Fin ancial advertisements were the most dominant products and services of Nigerian origin because they promoted more products and services that the average Nigerian could afford. This study demonstrated that advertising holds both promises and problems for Nigerian economic and social development. Its promises deal with its ability to relay useful information on social issues and on the availability of goods and services to the masses. On the other hand, the problems deal with its ability to promote unfair competition, consumerism, lack of interest in social matters, and immoral attitudes, which could distort the economy or undermine traditional values and national economy. However, advertising should be encouraged, not discouraged. It could be monitored by practitioners and government officials in order to make the medium an effective vehicle for promoting goods and services as well as values that would assist the socioe conomic development of Nigeria. Advertising remains an important vehicle for the various tiers of Nigerian government to use for promoting their services and for explaining national issues in order to promote national integration and the social welfare of the masses. The use of advertising to promote socioeconomic development could be achieved by adopting â€Å"developmental advertising. The idea calls for the incorporation of relevant cultural values and developmental themes in product and servi ce advertisements by the private and public sectors. The goal is to help public corporations and businesses in marketing their products and services, thus enabling Nigeria’s economic and social growth. It could assist Nigerians to adopt useful modernization habits. THE IMPACT OF INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING ON A CORPORATE BODY The advertising business has become such an important factor in the economy of many countries, especially in Nigeria, that it also changes the economy itself, society, culture, and the political system. The stimulation for the demand of products and services helps the  economy  grow stronger and stronger. New inventions become known much faster and can establish their spot in the sales figures of the economy. If there are more people buying these products the overall costs will drop and the product will become cheaper for the customer which raises his willingness to buy even more. On the other hand advertisements are very expensive and some economists believe that these costs are put on top of the actual price paid by the customer. Advertising has a serious impact on the  culture  of a country. The globalized economy uses the same commercials in a lot of different countries, which leads to a break down in the differences of these societies. Children will grow up not knowing how their culture has been before in their country. It can also lead to a lot of discussion about moral values if we just think about the very controversial ads. Critics argue that advertising can also have a huge influence on  society. It tells the consumers that only purchasing products makes you happy and therefore people compare each other on their belongings. Women also compare themselves with the beautiful and very skinny models they see on commercials and ads. This sometimes results in eating disorders and a low self-esteem of women who don’t look like these models. Another bad effect is, that minority groups, especially in the United States are portrait in a subordinate position, which settles in the minds of people. Commercials are also an important part of the income of a TV station which leads to the suspicion that a news channel might not report on an incident about a company they depend on. A lot of TV shows are also based on these commercials, and if the ratings aren’t good enough the show will be stopped. Only those shows which attract a lot of viewers will be shown, which is not very differentiated and put minorities like older people at a disadvantage. Finally advertising can also have an impact in  politics. Millions are spent on advertisements and TV commercials in any elections taking place in the country. It gives the opponents the chance to respond to charges very quickly reaching a few million viewers. But since this is very expensive only very rich people have to chance to run for a political position or at least depend on the donation of wealthier people who could have a huge impact on democracy this way. The political issues talked about in an election are also very much simplified because the spots are only about 30 seconds long, and you can’t really discuss a lot in such a short period of time. ————————————————- The Challenge of Public Relations and Good Governance in Nigeria The role of the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations in enhancing communication between Governments, organisations and the public cannot be over emphasized. By ensuring free flow of communication, public relations practitioners help to reduce conflict and misunderstandings in the society. As you are all aware, good governance, accountability and transparency are important ingredients of democracy. In other words, the objective of good governance, as being implemented by this Administration, is to ensure the provision of better quality of life for all Nigerians. it is my opinion that public relations practitioners have the responsibility to understand public perceptions and truthfully communicate these to government. They should endeavor to provide free flow of information on government policies and actions to the general public for the good of all. In this highly technological information age, the Public Relations professional needs to have a high sense of intellectual judgement, creativity, confidence and above all courage. I dare to say therefore that given the relevance of your profession, which is all about helping us to manage our relations with all our publics, a lot is expected of you. As you are all aware, we are now dealing with more informed and discerning publics. They are hungry for knowledge and truth and the success of any government in marketing its policies and achievements – external and internal – will depend on the level of professionalism, which you as Public Relations practitioners provide. I urge you therefore to tell the Nigerian story from our own perspective at all times. In Nigeria, Public Relations has become a strategic management function. Most Nigerian organizations either have full public relations department or retain the services of PR consultants. In corporate bodies, PR is now acknowledged as a major tool in achieving social, economic and political goals and objectives of an organization. Public Relations has had numerous impact in an organization through publicizing an organizations activities and maintaining cordial relationship with the media (information and communication). Researching on corporate image, public motivation issues and trends. Public Relation has helped extensively in corporate identity management of an organization.

Free Essays on Sarbanes-oxley

Wednesday, July 31, 2002 H.R.3763 - The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 A lot has been made, perhaps without justification, of the July 30, 2002 passage of H.R. 3763, The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley" or The Act). Having read the Act, I suspect that the great praise is unfounded. I intend to address three issues presented within the act. First, I will address stock options as considered (or neglected, as the case may be) by Sarbanes-Oxley. Second, I will address the creation of a Commission designed to oversee audits and corporate accounting practices, and the potential efficacy of this Commission. Finally, I will address the modifications to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines as it relates to corporate fraud. The failure to directly address accounting practices as they relate to stock options and other corporate incentives in Sarbanes-Oxley indicates the flaw in Federal regulation of corporate practices. Sarbanes-Oxley was designed to address the fraudulent accounting practices undertaken by the accountants for Enron and WorldCom. One of the biggest problems with regard to the accounting used in preparation of financial statements by corporations has been the issue of non-salary executive compensation. Corporations, as part of a combined incentive and retention program, often offer executives stock options and enhanced performance pay. The key debate, with regard to accounting practices, has been how these incentives should be depicted on annual and quarterly corporate financial reports. The position of the Internal Revenue Service has been that corporations, in order to fairly obtain the tax benefits often garnered on corporations based on their compensation plans, should list these compensation plans (options, in particular) as expenses on their financial reports. See Simon Kennedy and Brendan Murray, IRS Proposes Stock Options be Expensed for Some U.S. Affiliates, Bloomberg News Wire Service(Jul. 26, 2002). ... Free Essays on Sarbanes-oxley Free Essays on Sarbanes-oxley Wednesday, July 31, 2002 H.R.3763 - The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 A lot has been made, perhaps without justification, of the July 30, 2002 passage of H.R. 3763, The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 ("Sarbanes-Oxley" or The Act). Having read the Act, I suspect that the great praise is unfounded. I intend to address three issues presented within the act. First, I will address stock options as considered (or neglected, as the case may be) by Sarbanes-Oxley. Second, I will address the creation of a Commission designed to oversee audits and corporate accounting practices, and the potential efficacy of this Commission. Finally, I will address the modifications to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines as it relates to corporate fraud. The failure to directly address accounting practices as they relate to stock options and other corporate incentives in Sarbanes-Oxley indicates the flaw in Federal regulation of corporate practices. Sarbanes-Oxley was designed to address the fraudulent accounting practices undertaken by the accountants for Enron and WorldCom. One of the biggest problems with regard to the accounting used in preparation of financial statements by corporations has been the issue of non-salary executive compensation. Corporations, as part of a combined incentive and retention program, often offer executives stock options and enhanced performance pay. The key debate, with regard to accounting practices, has been how these incentives should be depicted on annual and quarterly corporate financial reports. The position of the Internal Revenue Service has been that corporations, in order to fairly obtain the tax benefits often garnered on corporations based on their compensation plans, should list these compensation plans (options, in particular) as expenses on their financial reports. See Simon Kennedy and Brendan Murray, IRS Proposes Stock Options be Expensed for Some U.S. Affiliates, Bloomberg News Wire Service(Jul. 26, 2002). ...

Essential Facts You Need to Know About Planet Earth

Essential Facts You Need to Know About Planet Earth Earth is unique among the planets of our solar system; its particular conditions have given rise to all sorts of life, including millions of plant and animal species. The planet is incredibly diverse- it has tall mountains and deep valleys, humid forests and arid deserts, warm climates and cold. Its 195 countries are home to over 7.5 billion people. Key Takeaways: Planet Earth The third planet from the Sun, Earth has a unique physical and chemical composition that allows it to support a huge range of plant and animal life. Earth takes about 24 hours to complete one full rotation and about 365 days to complete one full revolution around the Sun. Earths highest recorded temperature is 134 degrees Fahrenheit, and its lowest is minus 128.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Circumference Measured at the equator, the circumference of the Earth is 24,901.55 miles. However, the Earth is not quite a perfect circle, and if you measure through the poles, the circumference is a bit shorter- 24,859.82 miles. The Earth is a bit wider than it is tall, giving it a slight bulge at the equator; this shape is known as an ellipsoid, or, more properly, a geoid. The Earths diameter at the equator is 7,926.28 miles, and its diameter at the poles is 7,899.80 miles. Rotation on Axis It takes the Earth 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 04.09053 seconds to complete a full rotation on its axis. However, it takes an additional four minutes for the Earth to revolve to the same position as the day before, relative to the sun (i.e. 24 hours). Revolution Around the Sun The Earth takes 365.2425 days to complete a full revolution around the Sun. A standard calendar year, however, is only 365 days. To correct for the drift, an additional day, known as a leap day, is added to the calendar every four years, thereby ensuring that the calendar year remains in sync with the astronomical year. Distance to the Sun and Moon Because the Moon follows an elliptical orbit around the Earth, and because the Earth follows an elliptical orbit around the Sun, the distance between Earth and these two bodies varies over time. The average distance between the Earth and the Moon is 238,857 miles. The average distance between Earth and the Sun is 93,020,000 miles. Water vs. Land Earth is 70.8 percent water and 29.2 percent land. Of this water, 96.5 percent is found within the Earths oceans, and the other 3.5 percent is found within freshwater lakes, glaciers, and polar ice caps. Chemical Composition The Earth is composed of 34.6 percent iron, 29.5 percent oxygen, 15.2 percent silicon, 12.7 percent magnesium, 2.4 percent nickel, 1.9 percent sulfur, and 0.05 percent titanium. Earths mass is about 5.97 x 1024 kilograms. Atmospheric Content Earths atmosphere is composed of 77 percent nitrogen, 21 percent oxygen, and traces of argon, carbon dioxide, and water. The five main layers of the atmosphere, from lowest to highest, are the troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere, and exosphere. Highest Elevation The highest point on Earth is Mount Everest, a Himalayan peak that reaches 29,035 feet above sea level. The first confirmed ascent of the mountain took place in 1953. Tallest Mountain From Base to Peak Earths tallest mountain as measured from base to peak is Mauna Kea in Hawaii, which measures 33,480 feet. The mountain reaches 13,796 feet above sea level. Lowest Elevation on Land Earths lowest point on land is Israels Dead Sea, which reaches 1,369 feet below sea level. The sea is known for its high salt content, which allows swimmers to practically float in the water. Deepest Point in the Ocean Earths lowest point in the ocean is a section of the Mariana Trench known as Challenger Deep. It reaches 36,070 feet below sea level. High water pressure in this area makes exploring it very difficult. Highest Temperature The highest recorded temperature on Earth is 134 degrees Fahrenheit. It was recorded at Greenland Ranch in Death Valley, California, on July 10, 1913. Lowest Temperature The lowest recorded temperature on Earth is minus 128.5 degrees Fahrenheit. It was recorded at Vostok, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983. Population As of December 2018, the world population is estimated to be 7,537,000,0000. The most populous countries are China, India, the United States, Indonesia, and Brazil. Annual global population growth as of 2018 is estimated to be about 1.09 percent, which means that the population is increasing by 83 million people per year. Countries There are 195 countries in the world including the Holy See (the city-state of the Vatican) and the State of Palestine, both of which are recognized by the United Nations as non-member observer states. The worlds newest country is South Sudan, which was founded in 2011 after breaking away from the Republic of Sudan.

Contraceptive Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Contraceptive - Assignment Example It is positioned beneath the skin of the upper arm where it prevents pregnancy for about three years (Planned Parenthood, 2014). It is available in the market is available as Implanon and Nexplanon. This method works by releasing a hormone known as a progestin. The released hormone works in two ways. First, it prevents the eggs from leaving the ovaries and hence pregnancy is stopped by having no egg to come into contact with the sperm (Planned Parenthood, 2014). Secondly, the hormone keeps the cervical mucus thicker, and this further prevents the sperm from coming into contact with the egg (Planned Parenthood, 2014). The birth control has several advantages. The advantages are that this method is safe, simple, and convenient to those that use it. Moreover, it is a long lasting method of birth control and no medicine required to be taken daily (Planned Parenthood, 2014). The method also has some disadvantages. First, it may cause some side effects to some women. An example of side effects is irregular bleeding (Planned Parenthood, 2014). There are also challenges of the period. In some cases, the period gets lighter and may fail to occur while in other instances women may have a prolonged one (Planned Parenthood, 2014). Also, some women complain of more spotting and light bleeding between periods. Some caution is also required while using this method. The method should not be used by those women suffering from breast cancer (Planned Parenthood, 2014). The method should also not be used when severe cases are reported. Such cases may include pain at the insertion site, lack of period, and prolonged bleeding (Planned Parenthood, 2014). On the other hand, the method has no appropriate age group. It can be used by any person of the productive age. The method is also effective in controlling pregnancy. The effectiveness is seen as only about one percent of women that use this