Impact Of Corporate Governance On Firm Performance Among Listed Comanies Of Pakistan - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 12 Words: 3464 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? In recent past researchers show their interests in the field of corporate governance due to some reasons. It is due to financial recession and eruption of US scandals to protect the stakeholders interests. Such as the interests of investors, shareholders, and management and for the well being and survival of the firm. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Impact Of Corporate Governance On Firm Performance Among Listed Comanies Of Pakistan" essay for you Create order Good corporate governance leads to protect the interests of the shareholders. Corporate governance is the system by which companies are directed and controlled. Boards of directors are responsible for the governance of their companies (Code by SECP, 2002, p.9). Corporate governance normally means that outside rules and regulations and inside structure that are planned to reduce the agency problem and is the system by which companies are directed and controlled (Cadbury Committee, 1992, p. 15). Effective corporate governance ensures that firms try to reduce the losses and costs and maximizes the benefits for the stakeholders. Good quality corporate governance is based on the codes of accountability, transparency, justice and liability in the management of the company (Ehikioya, 2009). Corporate governance problems arise due to the following reasons. Separation of ownership and control leads to agency problems. Separation of ownership and control may lead to conflicts of interests among managers and owners. Managers may run the business to serve their own interests. Shareholders must compensate them financially to save their own interests, and to reduce additional costs incurred to monitor their activities to reduce agency costs. One of the most important factors of corporate governance which received much attention and requires reforms is the board of directors structure. A board of directors is a panel with tasks of leading, controlling and directing the administration of the company, with prime purpose to perform their jobs as the benefit of the firms owners. For effective governance, many researchers recommend the active participation of independent directors. Literature tells us independent board of directors is best to serve the interests of the owners. Leadership factor is also very important in the corporate governance. There are two major types of leadership structure (lee Lam, 2007). Leadership by the top management is very important while by the CEO it is also an effective one. CEOs have varying degrees of influence over the board in different firms structure and corporate environment. There are different types of corporate structures across the world. First CEO is the leader having both positions called CEO duality (duality structure) i.e. CEO as well as chairperson of the board having power to influence the board. CEO duality has been the dominant board leadership structure of US corporations, in which 70 percent-80 percent of them combine the roles of chief executive officer (CEO) and chairperson (Rechner and Dalton; Rhoades et al as cited in lee Lam, 2007). While the non-duality means both positions are held by separate persons. In non-duality leadership structure chairperson is the leader and CEO has no power to influenc e the board. The current study investigates the association among corporate governance characteristics and firm performance in Pakistan; it differs substantially from the other developing countries. Pakistan is a politically worried and unbalanced area of the world, has distinctive environmental characteristics. Additionally, Pakistan is a strict Islamic country. As a result, its societal and trade activities are based on fundamentalist spiritual laws and regulations. Chaudhry and Hoque (2006) argue that most important governance of the Islamic firm is by its direction toward the pattern of behavioral likings basis on the systemically natural sense of union of information by persistent relational association. The corporate governance are beached on such a perception of combining interrelationships involving the Islamic business and its inner and outer environing factors, via the strong set of Shariah mechanism that allow the corresponding relations to be recognized and achieved. The evolution of the Pakistani corporate entities has, historically, closely followed the path taken by English corporate entities. In 1984, the Companies Ordinance 1984 of Pakistan was promulgated, following lengthy debate; Pakistani companies were established and governed in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act, 1913. (Code by SECP, 2002). Pakistani firms have different structure to the developed countries. About 80% of all scheduled businesses on the Karachi Stock Exchange have relatives participation or ultimately allied to a big business relatives (zaidi aslam, 2006). This paper will follow following sequence (i) related corporate governance literature review (ii) methodology, sample data, models, and variables (iii) analysis (iv) empirical Results and discussion (v)conclusion of the study. Literature review Corporate governance is the course of action and composition through which a firms dealing and affairs are administered by enhancing business wealth and corporate accountability with the final aim of improving shareholders wealth (Mir and Nishat, 2004).A clear implementation of corporate governance assists a firm to magnetize investment, increase funds, and strengthen the base for firm performance (Ehikioya, 2009). Corporate governance major focus is on resolving agency problems. Agency problems are also called principal-agent problems. Shareholders (principal) are looking the ways to make sure the management (agent) grips on their funds in an approach to increase their wealth and firm performance. Corporate governance composition has an influence on firm performance (Ehikioya, 2009; Shaheen nishat, 2005). Research findings tell that the relationship among the different corporate governance factors and firm performance either can be positive, negative or none. Weir and Laing (2001) and Ponnu (2008) found that there is no obvious association among corporate governance and firm performance. Corporations are like republics. The final right rests with voters (shareholders). These voters elect representatives (directors) who assign most decisions to bureaucrats (managers). As in any republic, the actual power-sharing relationship depends upon the specific rules of governance. One extreme, which tilts toward a democracy, reserves little power for management and allows shareholders to quickly and easily replace directors. Corporate governance improvements are continuously happened in the world to improve the firm performance. There were different reforms regarding the different issues of corporate governance such as board composition, board size, CEO duality, ownership concentration, firm size and leverage. For decision making the corporate governance literature recognizes a range of diverse jobs of boards of directors (Zahra and Pearce, 1989; Gopinath et al., 1994; McNulty and Pettigrew, 1996; Hung, 1998; Maassen, 1999 as cited in Kakabadse, Kakabadse and Kouzmin, 2001). Board composition may be lead to recover the principal-agent problem. The involvement of outside independent directors can improve the firm performance itself against the outer pressure and use the firm resources to increase the wealth of the shareholders. It is very interesting that the research evidences are varied about the relationship among the outside independent directors and firm performance. Petra (2005) argues that the variation in results may be the variation of a company culture. There is positive link among outside independent directors and firm performance (Petra, 2005; Perry shivdasani, 2005). Laux (2005; Byrd, Cooperman Wolfe, 2007) argue that outside directors are more important to the owners of the firm. This positive relationship shows that directors are performing their duties honestly to protect the interests of shareholders. Some researches support the negative relationship among outside directors and firm performance (klein, 1998; agrawal knoeber 1996 as cited in Abdullah, 2004; yermack, 1996). Ponnu and KarthigeLam (2010) found that there is no positive clear impact of board independence on firm performance. However, it is clear from empirical evidence that independent directors perform significant role with firm performance, either positive or negative. So on the basis of above discussion we hypothesize that H1: Proportion of independent directors has significant impact on firm performance. Another feature of corporate governance that has got the attention of the researchers is the leadership structure. Discussion revolves around the duality, means that CEO is also holding the additional post of the board chairmanship. There are two theories regarding this issue (1) agency theory (2) stewardship theory (Lam lee, 2007). Agency theorists fight for the separation of the two posts to grant vital monitoring over managements performance. If not, a single person sharing both posts will dictate the board and it is generally the indication of a dominant CEO leadership. On the other hand, stewardship theorists argue that the separation of posts is not vital, because many firms are performing well with combined posts and have powerful boards fully competent of providing sufficient monitoring. Additionally, when the posts are combined, the CEO may be able to form the corporation to attain its affirmed objectives due to less hindrance. Literature does not suggest which leadership structure is best, either duality or unitary (single person holds single post). Research empirical evidences on CEO duality and firm performance are contradictory. Petra (2005) argued that conflicts of interests happened due to the dual leadership structure. CEO is in self evaluating position in dual leadership structure. If firm is adopted dual leadership structure, CEO may serve his own interests on the expense of shareholders and their interests may be compromised (noel, 2009). Petra and Dorata (2008) argued that CEO can make the decisions objectively short term for his own interests by compromising on the long term objectives in dual leadership structure. Alternatively firm performance is negatively affected if CEO duality exists in firm corporate leadership structure. Lam and Lee (2007) examine the relation between CEO duality and firm performance in Hong Kong. They found that neither agency theory nor stewardship alone significantly explain the duality performance relationship. Their empirical evidence tells that CEO duality has negative relationship with performance of the firm but insignificant for the whole data. They also found that CEO duality and accounting performance are negatively related for family controlled firms, while it is positively related for non family controlled firms. There is an inverse impact of CEO duality on firm performance (Ehikioya, 2009; Mir Nishat, 2004). Abdullah (2004) and Mashayekhi and bazaz (2008) found that both board independence and leadership structure do not affect the firm performance separately nor the combined effects of these two factors affect the firm performance. Dual leadership structure places CEO in powerful position of managing the operations of the firm and also overseeing the direction the firm will take into the future (Petra Dorta, 2008). So we can hypothesize that H2: Dual leadership structure has significant impact on firm performance. Another board characteristic is board size. Either large or small number of directors should be in the board. Either board size has significant relationship with firm performance or not. There are different findings of different researchers regarding board size and firm performance. The corporate governance structure such as ownership structure, board composition, board size, and CEO duality has a massive impact on a firms performance (Ehikioya, 2009). The number of directors in the board can be supposed to have a considerable effect on the firms performance because the board is having the huge responsibility for managing the firm and its operations. Some researchers suggest large board size for better corporate governance and firm performance while others suggest small board size. Raheja (2005) suggests that optimal board size and compositions are functions of directors and the firms characteristics. There may be some conflicts in larger board. The monitory expenses and poor communication in a larger board has been seen as a reason for opposing a larger board size (Lipton and Lorsch 1992). Anderson, Mansi and Reeb. (2004) suggests that firms with larger board size have the capability to drive the managers to chase for lower cost of debt and increase the performance. Ehikioya (2009) observes that ownership concentration and board size is positively related to the firms performance in three out of four cases. It means that concentrated ownership combined with finest board size tends to perform better then diffused ownership. Yermack (1996) like most of the other researchers found in his study negative relationship between board size and firm performance. Mashayekhi and Bazaz (2008) found that board size is negatively associated with firm performance. Bhagat and Black (2001) found that board size is not always in relation with the firms performance. Frick and Bermig (2009) after analyzing the effects of supervisory board size and composition on the valuation and firm performance and conclude that there is no constant impact of either board size or board composition on firm valuation and performance. Cheng, Evans and Nagarajan (2007) argue that huge information about firm and managerial performance and the changes in business atmosphere both add to the importance of rapid and effective actions by the board, while the capability of the board to make such decisions decreases with board size. They further argue that different costs like communication, co-ordination, and free riding costs increases as the boar d size increases. The benefits of these incentives are likely to be overcome by the increased costs as the board becomes sufficiently large. H3: Board size has no significant impact on firm performance. Methodology Sample and Variables This study concentrates on the corporate governance and firm performance of publically listed companies in Pakistan. Sample companies are chosen from the KSE 100 index listed during 2007 to 2009. Sample consists of 80 firms. Sample is chosen randomly from the different sectors of Pakistan economy. Non financial firms are included in the sample. Financial firms are excluded from the sample because of different capital structure and cash flows. We also excluded the firms having missing data. 15 companies are deleted from the original sample due to unavailability of the data and special capital structure. Our final sample consists of 65 firms of different sectors. Information related to these variables to measure the relationship among the corporate governance and firm performance is collected from the annual reports of the firms. The reports are collected from the kse-100 index and the respective firms website. Our study includes CEO duality, board independence, and board size as independent variables to measure corporate governance. Return on equity (ROE), return on assets (ROA) and earnings per share (EPS) are dependent variables in our study to measure firm performance. Leverage (debt/assets) and firm size (natural logarithm of total assets) are used as control variables in our study. Data Analysis We use descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis to analyze the data. The models which are used are given below. EPSi= ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ±0+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²1 BSIZEi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²2 RIDi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²3 CEDi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²4 LEVi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²5 FSIZEi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ µi -(1) ROAi= ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ±0+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²1 BSIZEi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²2 RIDi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²3 CEDi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²4 LEVi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²5 FSIZEi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ µi -(2) ROEi= ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ±0+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²1 BSIZEi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²2 RIDi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²3 CEDi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²4 LEVi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ ²5 FSIZEi+ÃÆ'Ã… ½Ãƒâ€šÃ‚ µi -(3) Where EPS in model (1) is calculated as net income divided by total number of ordinary shares of the firm; ROA is calculated as net income divided by the opening balance of the total assets in model (2); ROE in model (3) is calculated as net income divided by the total balance of total equity. BSIZE is the total number of directors on the board; RID is the ratio of independent directors on the board; CED is the CEO duality structure 1 for duality and 0 for otherwise; LEV is the leverage of the firm is the ratio of total debt to total assets; FSIZE is the firm size calculated as the natural log of total assets. Empirical Results and Discussion Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics in table 1 about the variables show that average number of directors in the board is 8.33, about 64% are the independent directors on the board and in 32% cases CEO is also the chairman of the board. Average leverage is 22% which shows that Pakistani firms less rely on debts; average firm size almost 16; ROE 31%; ROA 2% and EPS is Rs.11.45. All variables except Fsize have smaller meadians then their crossponding means. This shows that sample data is slightly skewed. Standard deviation of all variables is large except RID and LEV. Table 2 shows pearson corelation among the variables. RID is significantly corelated with EPS, ROE and ROA. This indicate that higher board independence has significantly positive corelation with firm performance. As the number of independent directors increase in the board the performance of the firm will be better. Our results are similar to other findings Petra (2005), Perry and shivdasani (2005) and Mashayekhi and Bazaz (2008) and inconsistent to Abdullah (2004) and Yermack (1996). This significant positive correlation shows the importance of the independent directors on the board. This indicates that there must be a sufficient proportion of outside independent directors on the board. Sufficient number of directors on the board will protect the interests of the shareholders. It also leads to better transparency in the firm ultimately firm performance will increase. CEO duality has negative and insignificant correlation with EPS, ROE and ROA. This implies that CEO duality has no significant association with firm performance. Our results are consistent with Lam and Lee (2007) and Mashayekhi and Bazaz (2008). This shows that dual leadership structure has neither positive nor negative relationship with firm performance in Pakistani companies. Board size has significantly negative correlation with ROA and insignificant correlation with EPS and ROE. Sometimes large board size negatively related with firm performance and sometime it is insignificantly related with fiem performance. This indicates that board size is not always related with firm performance (Bhagat Black, 2001). Leverage has no significant relationship with EPS, ROE and ROA. This implies that Leverage has no signifacant relationship with firm performance. Firm size has significantly negetive relationship with ROE and ROA. ROE , ROA and EPS have nosignificant relationship with each other except that ROE and ROA are positively corelated. Firm size has significantly positive relationship with ratio of independent directors (RID) and Dual leadership structure but significantly negetive association with board size. Regression Results Table 3-1, 3-2 and 3-3 show the results of regression analysis for each three dependent variables EPS, ROA and ROE separately. EPS, ROA and ROE explain 19%, 12.5% and 11.83% variations respectively. Board size is positive coefficient but insignificant values with firm performance measures (EPS t-stat= 0. 0.5511, ROA t-stat=- 2.21128 ROE t-stat= 0.234378) except ROA. It shows that board size is not always related with firm performance (Bhagat Black, 2001). This is inconsistent to H3: Board size has no significant impact on firm performance; Because ROA is showing significant impact on firm performance. Our findings are also consistent to Frick and Bermig (2009) who found no constant impact of board size on firm performance. Our findings are inconsistent with Yermack (1996) and Mashayekhi and Bazaz (2008) who found that board size is negatively associated with firm performance. Our findings are also inconsistent with Ehikioya (2009) who found that board size is positively associated w ith firm performance. Opposite to H2: Dual leadership structure has significant impact on firm performance. Our regression results do not show any significant relationship among the dual leadership structure and firm performance (EPS t-stat= -0.57958, ROA t-stat= 1.7605, ROE t-stat= 1.241707). it indicates that dual leadership structure neither positively nor negatively impact the firm performance. Our results are consistent with Abdullah (2004) and Mashayekhi and bazaz (2008) who found that leadership structure do not affect the firm performance. Table 3-1 Table 3-2 Table 3-3 There is an inverse impact of CEO duality on firm performance (Ehikioya, 2009; Mir Nishat, 2004; Mashayekhi bazaz, 2008). Our findings contradict them. H1: Proportion of independent directors has significant impact on firm performance. Our regression analysis shows positive coefficient of RID and statistically significant values of t-test for the performance measures (EPS t-stat= 3.18694, ROA t-stat= 2.8463, ROE t-stat= 2.9045). Our findings are similar to Petra (2005), Perry and shivdasani (2005) and Mashayekhi and bazaz (2008) who found positive relationship between proportion of independent directors and firm performance. This shows that outside directors are more important to the better performance of the firm. This positive relationship also shows that directors are performing their duties sincerely to defend the interests of shareholders. This result is also according to the prediction of agency theory that there is a positive relationship between outside independent directors and firm performance in Pakistan. Finally the firm size has negative and significant impact on firm performance in Pakistan. Only EPS value is insignificant. Our results oppose Mashayekhi and bazaz (2008) who found positive impact of firm size on firm performance. Leverage ratio has statistically insignificant effect on firm performance. This is consistent to Mashayekhi and bazaz (2008). Conclusion Our study investigates the impact of corporate governance on firm performance. For corporate governance measurement we use three variables Board size, dual leadership structure and Ratio of independent directors where as for Firm performance measurement Return on equity, Return on assets and Earnings per share are used and two control variables such as Firm size and Leverage are used. Our findings are similar to that of Bhagat and Black (2001) that board size is not always related with firm performance. Our findings are also consistent to Frick and Bermig (2009) who found no constant impact of board size on firm performance. This study also finds that there is a positive relationship between proportion of independent directors and firm performance. Our findings are consistent to Petra (2005), Perry and shivdasani (2005) and Mashayekhi and bazaz (2008). We find no significant relationship between dual leadership structure and firm performance in Pakistan. Our results are consistent with Abdullah (2004) and Mashayekhi and bazaz (2008). There are several limitations in the study such as time and data availability. Economic and political instability may affect the generalizability of the findings. Our results may differ from other studies due to the financial recession of near past. For future study one should use Growth ratios for firm performance and other Board characteristics for corporate governance measurement for more significant and long term results.

The World Will Have A Generation Of Idiots - 931 Words

â€Å"I fear the day that technology will surpass human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.† This unfortunate, but true prediction was made by the great physicist Albert Einstein. In today’s society, people are enraptured by their cellular devices, wherever they go, the phones goes with them. Whether it be in class, at work, in the car, or even on the toilet seat, people can not detach themselves from these material objects and now it is affecting other aspects of their character. Nowadays, most teenagers can’t hold an actual conversation with another individuals because they have become too accustomed to texting as opposed to having an actual conversation. Also many people also invest too much trust into their devices which can lead to the what is now commonly known as â€Å"catfish.† In addition, a conversation can also be taken the wrong way because of how it is typed in a text message as opposed to hearing the person s real voice and emotions through a phone call. As a result, the consequences of being attracted to texting greatly impacts our younger generation, and society as a whole. Something that is commonly an issue with texting is miscommunication. When in a conversation through a text message, a person’s tone of voice can not be indicated resulting in a misunderstanding in what the person really feels. For example, when writing a simple message like â€Å"I m fine,† the person receiving the message could think that the correspondent is really fine whenShow MoreRelatedThe World Will Have A Generation Of Idiots855 Words   |  4 PagesSave the Kids! Albert Einstein, a famous philosopher once said, I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots. Along the years, technology has increased immensely and has changed people lives. Some inventions that have made a big impact on younger generations are cell phones, video games and the internet. Nowadays, children prefer to stay indoors rather than going outside to play with other kids. As a consequence, obesity in childrenRead MoreThe World Will Have A Generation Of Idiots931 Words   |  4 Pageshuman interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.† This is a very interesting statement and in so many ways it’s true too. Nowadays, it is easy to see people sitting around each other but only staring at their cell phones without any conversation. The conversation between me and my family or friend’s decreases when we are using cell phones. Many people take their phones everywhere like classrooms, t he workplace, restaurants and bathrooms. Undoubtedly, we always have to be prepared for emergencyRead MoreThe World Will Have A Generation Of Idiots1563 Words   |  7 Pagesour human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.† Albert Einstein’s words describe a time where people are more focused on a virtual version of themselves than real human interaction. Some may argue that this time has already come, and some say this time will be upon us soon. The inevitable growth of video games will lead to children whose lives are dictated by video games. From mobile apps to consoles, video games have taken the world by storm. They have grown to become the pastimeRead MoreSocial Media Intervention : The World Will Have A Generation Of Idiots2056 Words   |  9 Pagestechnology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots. This quote does apply for this current generation, a generation that relies on technology for almost everything. Is that a bad thing? Are we those idiots Albert Einstein is talking about? Well that depends on how much we depend on technology on our daily lives. Most people agree that no matter how much excessive it gets, technology is the best thing discovered in the world thus far. On the other hand, others thinkRead MoreThe Film 3 Idiots, A Critically Acclaimed Film By Rajkumar Hirani904 Words   |  4 Pagestaking many steps towards modernizing itself for a better future for its younger and upcoming generations. One of these steps was the film 3 Idiots, a critically acclaimed fi lm by Rajkumar Hirani. Its story and morals not only expressed the hidden and, in some cases, ineffable opinions of the Indian youth, but challenged the traditional customs and practices of raising children performed by older generations. Similar to Akhil Sharma’s Family Life, the film tells the story of three boys and their experiencesRead MoreAnalysis Of The Idiot And The Idiot By Ernest Hemingway958 Words   |  4 PagesFyodor Dostoevsky’s The Idiot and Ernest Hemingway s A Farewell To Arms feature differing schools of thought in the ever-evolving world of literature; A Farewell To Arms depicting impressionistic realism through Hemingway s objective retelling of events in the First World War, and The Idiot conveying psychological realism In Dostoevsky’s projection of not only his epileptic behavior, but his idyllic sense of man (Neilson Kashdan). Despite these differences in writing styles, each author featuresRead MoreAmeric Land Of The Free And Home1076 W ords   |  5 Pagesthe essay Idiot Nation, is as anti-Republican as they come and not at all afraid to express his beliefs with overflowing passion. Over the past 20 years, both Moore’s popularity and notoriety have boomed to new heights as a film maker, writer, and social critic. From winning Oscars and Academy Awards for his films and documentaries to co-writing 8 renowned books, Moore has not stopped producing ways of expressing his thoughts on the government and society to the general public. In Idiot Nation, MooreRead MoreDisadvantages Of Technology In Education836 Words   |  4 Pagesinteraction. The world will have a generation of idiots† -Albert Einstein. Today’s day and age has produced, and still produces, some of the most intelligent people who have created and thought of the machines and theories that have forever changed life itself. With the creation of things such as computers, cell phones, television, and more, communication between people has never been easier, or so one would think. One popular interpretation of the quote describes the use of the term â€Å"idiots† by statingRead MoreIdiot Nation : Draft 1 Essay1325 Words   |  6 PagesAndrew Romero Prof. Cathy Arellano ENGWR 300 Purple 28 September 2016 Idiot Nation: Draft 1 Across America, you d be hard pressed to find a person that doesnt agree that everyone should receive a free education. Because of this, most everyone goes to high school, or at the very least receives an equivalent education. However, after this free education is done, many high school graduates are pushed to continue their studies in colleges and universities. And while these facilities are believed toRead MoreWatching Tv Makes You Smarter1392 Words   |  6 PagesEveryday people are shown what has been referred to as an idiot box, boob tube, or â€Å"telly†, but more familiarly known as T.V. There is something available on T.V. for almost all types of viewers. There are cartoons for children, shows for seniors, daytime series for housewives, wildlife programs for nature enthusiasts, and the list is endless. The question is, is watching T.V. helping or hurting us? While some people argue that watching television is counter-productive, stimulating and interesting

An Investigation Into the Language Used in Childrens Advertising Free Essays

An Investigation into the Language used in Children’s Advertising Contents Hypothesis Introduction Methodology Analysis Conclusion Evaluation Bibliography Appendix Hypothesis In my investigation I am going to analyse the language used in children’s television advertising looking specifically at whether the language used is aimed primarily at the children or their parents. Introduction I have chosen to look at the language used in children’s advertising because I am interested in how the language of advertising can be used to influence children and their parents and am specifically interested in trying to analyse this for girls. I hope that I can also draw on my own early experiences to help me with some of my conclusions. We will write a custom essay sample on An Investigation Into the Language Used in Childrens Advertising or any similar topic only for you Order Now When I was 4 years old I wanted the new ‘Baby Born’ doll really badly and kept asking my mum until I got it. When I did get it, I played with it constantly and gradually lost the different accessories that came with her. I remember clearly that when my little sister played with her Barbie dolls when she was younger that she would use an American accent when making the dolls speak. I was never sure why she did this but I did find it amusing. I am aiming to find out whether language in advertising is manipulative, whether it reinforces traditional gender categories and whether I believe it to be a positive force or not. The use of language in television advertising is influenced by other factors such as whether voices used are that of a man, woman or child. The studies I have read indicate that voiceovers given by men are far more effective for successful marketing than those by women. The 1979 study found that quite often even if the product was seen as female, most girl targeted ad’s used men for the voice-overs and that where women voice-overs were used they were only for girls products which would seem to imply that these products didn’t warrant the recommendation of a man. Studies found that people respond better to male voices than female voices. I have read some studies on children’s’ advertising and a book on advertising (see Bibliography) and the findings of these made me interested in finding out whether modern advertising supports the findings of these studies. ‘Children learn personality and behaviour patterns through the imitation of their own parents attitudes and behaviours and will acquire the patterns of behaviour more rapidly where there is an attractive model whose behaviour is rewarded’’ (Smith, 1994). As part of my work I am looking at whether my adverts support traditional gender roles. Methodolo gy I will watch advertisements on children’s television channels. The channels I am going to be watching are Nickelodeon and Nick Junior. To carry out my investigation I needed data and the only way for me to collect this was to watch children’s’ TV, record the advertisements, transcribe them and then analyse my findings. My transcriptions have been included in my Appendix. To ensure that my data and any conclusions drawn from analysing it are valid I have used actual adverts and transcribed them carefully, and not made up any of my findings. I must not over generalise as it is easy to assume that what I find from my transcriptions is true of all advertisements and this is incorrect as all adverts are different. To analyse my data I am going to look at pragmatics and grammar. I may also make observations on lexis and semantics. I decided to analyse my data this way because I am looking at the language of advertising, i. e. the words and how they are used and also how it influences and this will help me answer my key question. My data is organised by transcript and I am going to analyse each of my transcripts separately. I hope that this will give me common results that I can include in my conclusions. Analysis Transcript 1 Syllables |Total number of words | |1 |41 | |2 |16 | |3 |3 | |4 |0 | I was interested in seeing the complexity of the words used in these adverts and I looked at the number of syllables in each word in each advert. The table above shows the number of words with 1, 2, 3 and 4 syllables and clearly shows that simple words of 1 and 2 syllables comprise the major part of this advert. Only one of the 3 syllable words is used in the main part of the advertisement which is aimed at the child, the other two are in the end part which is delivered by and directed at adults. This advert is for a Chou Chou doll that has bruises that disappear when the area is warmed up. This is going on the idea that parents make their children ‘all better’ if they are hurt. This will appeal to young girls as not only is it a doll that they can play with but it is also something they can care for and ‘make better’ themselves, just as their parents do for them. The sing song voice used in the advert mirrors the way a lot of adults talk to their babies and small children and little children learn by copying or imitating their parents so this advertisement could influence little girls by letting them behave like a grown up on a doll that gives them a reaction. They want the responsibility of looking after something and this doll pretends that they are responsible for making it better. Depending on how old the child is, they may believe that they are actually making the doll better. Every time the sing song voice is used it is delivered in the same way, in the same tone of voice and is to the same tune. This shows prosodic features: the effect of the sing song voice followed by the child’s statement is almost one of versification, in the pattern of 1, 2, 1, 3, 1, 4, 1, 5. The language used in the advertisement along with the visual triggers are likely to create desire for the product and if the parents feel that it will encourage their children to be caring and responsible then their purchasing decisions are likely to be influenced. It does encourage caring as the child playing with the doll makes the doll better and also reinforced caring by the use of caring language such as ‘Mummy be your doctor’, ‘Mummy make me better’, ‘Here’s your medicine’ (sing song voice) and ‘I love you’ (little girl). The language in this is not openly manipulative but the constant repetition of the name of the doll, ‘Mummy make me better’ will ensure the child remembers the name of the product even if they are quite small, and will want it. By casting the little girl as the Mother figure, and using the sing song voice to indicate the little girls role i. e. ‘Mummy make me better’, ‘Mummy loves her daughter’, it encourages the child to want to take on that role. I feel that this advertisement reinforces the traditional gender behaviour patterns because the little girl playing with the doll is being encouraged to behave like a traditional caring mother. There would be a very different impact if the sing song voiceover was that of a man because traditionally the parent that looks after sick children is the woman. I think that the language in this advert is primarily aimed at children. However because it encourages caring behaviour it can influence the parents Grammar This advertisement uses short sentences in the beginning which are aimed at the child watching the advert and at the end it says ‘bruises disappear with warm Chou Chou Mummy Make Me Better from Zaph Creation’, this is aimed at the parents as it is a longer and more complex sentence. The words used are mostly one or two syllables, with the exception of three which are three syllables, ‘medicine’, ‘disappear’ and ‘Creation’. The use of simple words with a small number of syllables shows us that it is primarily aimed at children. The sing song voice featured in the advert uses repetition, ‘mummy make me better’, ‘mummy be your doctor’, ‘mummy make me better’, ‘mummy loves her daughter’ and ‘mummy make me better’. This emphasises the name of the product and helps whoever is listening to store the name in their memory. Pragmatics The language is simple and active rather than passive i. . shows the child ‘doing’ mummy make me better ‘here is your medicine’. Active language is involving and shows ‘doing’ rather that watching. Transcript 2 |Syllables |Total number of words | |1 |45 | |2 |7 | |3 |1 | |4 |0 | Once again I looked at the complexity of the words used. The table above shows the number of words with 1, 2, 3 and 4 syllables and clearly shows that simple words of 1 and 2 syllables comprise the major part of this advert, with most of these being one syllable. This advert is for a digital house where the 6 pixelated girls living in it can earn points and get the best room in the house if they have the most points. Every pre-teen wants the best room with the best things and this is appealing to their interests. Im Queen of the house’ implies that the girl with the best room is the best and most popular out of them all. The fact that this advert is delivered mostly in song and in an American accent exaggerates its appeal because a lot of pre-teens use an American accent when they are playing because they imitate the role model in the advertisement, which in the case of this advert, is a teenage American girl. The language in this advert is aimed solely at children. It appeals directly to the interests of pre-teens. Grammar The slogan pick pick pixel chick roomies emphasised the name of the product by repeating the first sound of the product name twice before it and also by using alliteration. This advert mainly comprises of a single long sentence punctuated by one second pauses which help give the advert impact. The viewer has time to absorb one part of the advert before the next part is delivered. Pragmatics ‘’There are lots of games to play yeah the fun never stops. ’ This will appeal to pre-teens as it is an environment over which they have full control and there are no adult figures involved, and what pre-teen hasn’t imagined or even fantasised about the fun they would like to have in a house with no adults and how late they would go to bed! It is not openly manipulative but it plays on the (rather attractive) idea of having as much fun as you want in your own house and will therefore encourage pre-teens to want t his product. This makes it subtly manipulative. Transcript 3 |Syllables |Total | |1 |29 | |2 |11 | |3 |1 | |4 |1 | The language used is simple and comprises mostly of one or two syllable words. The table above shows the number of words with 1, 2, 3 and 4 syllables and clearly shows that simple words of 1 and 2 syllables comprise the majority of this advert, with most of these being one syllable. This is an advert is for a glittery temporary tattoo set. It openly reinforces traditional gender categories as it is clearly aimed at young girls, and girls trying to make themselves pretty and girls that are looking for the ‘wow’ factor. The language in this advert is aimed at children. Grammar This advert does use manipulative language ‘everything you need†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ indicated to the watcher that they need the product instead of just wanting it and ‘wow get these great glitter tattoos’ makes them more desirable and is almost acting as a command by using an imperative – get it, get it, get it! ‘They look so cool†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ all children want to be cool and will want a product that they think will make them cool. express your style’ gives the impression that this product will allow the user to be stylish by indicating that they have style and that this product will help them to express it. It is almost elliptical because it is economical with the number of words used and relies heavily on the visual accompaniment. Pragmatics It is delivered by a mature woman and shows the process of choosing and applying the tattoo. This makes the children watching the advert think that it is easy to use, fun, pretty and makes them want it. I don’t believe that the language used is a positive force because it is openly encouraging young children to want and use tattoos at an age when they are not mature enough to understand the difference between temporary and permanent tattoos. It could influence a rash decision in later life to get a permanent tattoo because they had a cool glittery one when they were young. Children are a very easy target for advertising and so are very vulnerable to suggestion. They then use their parents as an easy target for pester power. Transcript 4 |Syllables |Total number of words | |1 |34 | |2 |9 | |3 |1 | |4 |2 | The language used is simple and comprises mostly of one or two syllable words. The table above shows the number of words with 1, 2, 3 and 4 syllables and clearly shows that simple words of 1 and 2 syllables comprise the most of this advert, with a lot of these being one syllable. Both of the 4 syllable words are used in the end of the adverts which is aimed specifically at parents This is an advert for a doll that has over 80 sounds and recognises her accessories and the name you give her. This advert is delivered as if the doll already belongs to the child; ‘you can name My Baby’. This makes the child want it as it. Generally the language used is not manipulative but by saying ‘you can name My Baby’ it is making the statement personal to the viewer and is likely to create desire for the product. The majority of the language in this advert is aimed at children with the ending aimed at parents. Grammar The use of the word ‘can’ in this advert is makes the naming of the baby modal because it is allowing the child to choose the name of the baby. Personal pronouns play a great part in this advert as the word ‘you’ is used 3 times and is always referring to ‘you’ as the child. This involves the child and is likely to make them want the product more as they feel a sense of ownership. Pragmatics The doll makes over 80 sounds which would also appeal to the child as real babies make more than 80 sounds and the child wants a doll that is as real and life-like as possible. The doll also comes with accessories that it recognises. This is appealing as most parents want to spoil their child and the little girl will want to spoil her ‘baby’. I believe that this product will be attractive to parents as it encourages the child to be responsible as they can look after and interact with the doll. This makes the advert a positive force as it is teaching the child to be caring. This is stereotypical as there is the voice of a woman featured in the advert which acts like the mother figure of the child. The girl with the doll acts as the mother figure of the doll. Transcript 5 |Syllables |Total number of words | |1 |44 | |2 |7 | |3 |8 | |4 |0 | The language used is simple and comprises mostly of one or two syllable words. The table above shows the number of words with 1, 2, 3 and 4 syllables and clearly shows that simple words of 1 and 2 syllables comprise the most of this advert, with a lot of these being one syllable. Both of the 4 syllable words are used in the end of the adverts which is aimed specifically at parents This is an advert for a Baby Annabel accessory set consisting of a sheep toy that plays a soothing melody and a beautiful quilted bed set. It definitely reinforces traditional gender categories with the little girl ‘mother’ putting the baby to bed, playing a lullaby. I think that this is a positive force as it is making bedtime appear to be fun instead of something that young children avoid as best they can. This will make it more attractive to parents for the same reason that it might make it easier for them to put their own children to sleep. This advert is exploiting bedtime as it can be used as a fun time. The parents may see buying the doll for their child as an easier way of getting them to go to sleep, as Annabel is in bed, they should be too! In a way this exploits the parental desire to get children to bed as the advert implies that this product will help. The language used in this advert is aimed both at children and their parents. The majority of the advert targets the child but the ending targets the parents. Grammar The language is subtly manipulative as it says ‘you can lay your Baby Annabel in her bed’ which will make any child that already owns a Baby Annabel want the bed to put her in. The language used here is elliptical because the pauses in the advert create sentences which aren’t complete in their own right ‘but don’t be sad†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and ‘listen to the sheep†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The sentences are a mixture of complex : ‘here comes the night but don’t be ad you can lay your baby Annabel in her bed, time for sleep I wish you sweet dreams’ and compound : ‘the baby Annabel bed with soothing melody and a beautiful quilted bed set sweet dreams for your baby,’ sentences. Pragmatics ‘Sweet dreams for your Baby Annabel’ suggests that if you have the bed to put your doll in she will have sweet dreams. If you don’t have one of these accessories then your doll won’t have sweet dreams. This brings up that everyone wants the best for their child and wants them to be happy and therefore makes this set a must-have for young girls and their Baby Annabel dolls. Transcript 6 |Syllables |Total number of words | |1 |37 | |2 |10 | |3 |1 | |4 |1 | The language used is simple and comprises mostly of one or two syllable words. The table above shows the number of words with 1, 2, 3 and 4 syllables and clearly shows that simple words of 1 and 2 syllables comprise the most of this advert, with the majority of these being one syllable. This is an advert for a beauty kit from Bratz and includes airbrush colour, lip colour, stencils and body glitter. This advert is delivered as a set of instructions, and as instructions are meant to be followed it is manipulative in the way that it is telling the viewer how to apply the make-up to the doll. There are only five instructions and not all of them are directing you to do something to the doll so it is attractive in the way that is simple. Parents may find this product appealing as if it is that simple it will keep the pre-teen safely occupied without parental assistance. The use of the word ‘magic’ 4 times in this short advert reinforces how amazing the product is. Anything that is magic is very likely to appeal to pre-teens. There are clues of traditional gender rules, a big one being that the advert is for a make-up product which is aimed at pre-teen girls. The Bratz products are a pre-teen version of Barbie products and allow the girls to apply the make-up themselves in a way they want to do it. For the reason above I think that this advert is a negative force. The language in this advert is aimed only at children. Grammar This advertisement uses alliteration in the product name, ‘magic make-up’ and this is repeated 3 times throughout the advert. There are a lot of imperatives used, ‘turn it up’, ‘draw it on’ and ‘stencil it there’. Generally pre-teens respond to commands and this may increase the influence of the advertisement. Rhyme is used in the middle of the instructions for the use of the product, ‘stencil it there†¦glitter everywhere’. Rhyme can make information more memorable which could increase the impact of this advert. Pragmatics Body image is an issue raised by this product as by glamorising airbrush techniques, girls may feel under pressure to look a certain way and to have matte skin. This issue is also big in the world of celebrities as women that girls look up to as role models never get seen without a perfect face as their pictures are airbrushed. The doll’s face is going to look matte and perfect as airbrush make-up is used and if the pre-teen’s own skin doesn’t look the same when she starts wearing make-up she may feel ugly. Transcript 7 |Syllables |Total number of words | |1 |37 | |2 |11 | |3 |2 | |4 |2 | The language used is simple and comprises mostly of one or two syllable words. The table above shows the number of words with 1, 2, 3 and 4 syllables and clearly shows that simple words of 1 and 2 syllables comprise the most of this advert, with a lot of these being one syllable. I have found that it is unusual to have words of 3 or 4 syllables that are not featured in the product name. This is an advert for a Polly Pocket product that is a nursery with 5 newborn Dalmatian puppies. The first thing that I noticed about this advert is the instant use of alliteration in the title of the product, Polly Pocket Puppy Playhouse. The language used by the young girl is delivered in rhyme; this makes it easier to remember as it is more likely to stick in your mind. It uses ‘young’ monosyllabic language such as ‘lots to do’, ‘so sweet’ and ‘fun for puppy and you’ so that the young girls understand exactly what the advert is trying to say. It also uses some slang, teen-speak, for example ‘wow neat’ It doesn’t teach the child to be caring as it is just a toy, they are not looking after the baby Dalmatians, they are playing with them on the Ferris wheel and the see-saw. I wouldn’t say that there is a positive or a negative force as the aim of the product is purely for fun. There is also no parental manipulation as there is nothing for them to gain or nothing for their child to learn by them having the product. The language in this advert is aimed purely at children. Grammar The grammar used is elliptical, when I looked at the sentences in the light of where the pauses are I noticed that they are not complete in themselves, for example ‘lots to do’, ‘look a ferris wheel†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, ’a see-saw that’s a table too’ and ‘dalmation babies’. Pragmatics There is a change of register at the end of the advert. The major part of the advert is delivered in a child-like way. The end of the advert, which is delivered by a male voice-over, is a complete adult sentence ‘puppy playhouse with 5 newborns other puppies sold separately’. There is no audio proof that this product is aimed at girls but as there are only girls featured in the advertisement we get the impression that it is, although the voice over is that of a man. Conclusion The language used in the majority of my adverts is aimed at children. Where the language is also aimed at parents it is usually towards the end of the advert, with the majority still being aimed at children. The following table shows a summary of whether the language used in my adverts is aimed at children, their parents or both children and their parents. Advertisement |Children |Parents |Children Parents | |1 | X | | | |2 | X | | | |3 | X | | | |4 | | | X | |5 | | | X | |6 | X | | | |7 | X | | | If I had chosen educational toys for my study of language in advertising I think that more of the language would be aimed at parents. I think this because the parents would make a purchasing decision based on the educational value of the product as opposed to the play value which is offer ed in my chosen adverts. Where my adverts are aimed at both children and their parents, there seems to be some positive benefit for the child, from the product. An example of this is My Baby Doll, see Transcript 4. It encourages the child to be responsible and caring and therefore appeals to the parents as well. Transcript 5 – Baby Annabel’s Bed Set, appeals to parents as well because it makes bedtime fun. The table below shows the total number of words in all the advertisements I looked at and shows how many syllables are in each. This shows conclusively that the words used in children’s advertising are generally very simple as there is a huge predominance of monosyllabic words. Syllables |Total number of words | |1 |267 | |2 |71 | |3 |17 | |4 |6 | Several of my advertisements were subtly manipulative, and appealed to the mercenary and materialistic side of the children. I found this interesting because the results of one of my studies showed that advertising directed to children made them more materialistic and acquisitive. This study found that because the children were more acquisitive, it encouraged conflicts with both their friends and their parents. This study said that as children have under-developed reasoning, they can’t work out whether information is rational or realistic and that they could easily be deceived and influenced by advertising. Nearly all of my advertisements definitely reinforce gender categories i. e. the traditional role of the female, whether this be caring for children or making themselves look pretty. One of the studies I looked at (Lois. J. Smith, 1994) showed that children learn a lot about sex-type behaviours from television and the characters used are attractive models to copy because they are generally good looking. Advertisements show children how to behave and they accept the images they see as real. Evaluation I think my study is quite effective in terms of looking at the language related to young girls. I think my study would have had more validity if I had used a much larger range of advertisements, and if I had covered both play value and educational toys. It would also have been interesting to have included an equal number of advertisements aimed at boys and at both sexes. This would have allowed me to compare the language used in different areas and would have made my results more valid. On its own my key question was a little vague and if I had only addressed this question my study would have been very short. By including whether the language was manipulative, whether it reinforces traditional gender categories and whether or not it is a positive force I made my study more effective. I collected my data by watching and recording advertisements and transcribing exactly the language used in them. I don’t believe that there could have been a more effective way of collecting my data. I analysed my data by looking at grammar and pragmatics. This was interesting; however I could have improved my study by making more specific observations on lexis and semantics. Appendix How to cite An Investigation Into the Language Used in Childrens Advertising, Essays

Animal Cloning Essay Example For Students

Animal Cloning Essay Is cloning necessary for advancements in improving the quality of life? Is cloning necessary for advancements in improving the quality of life? People often question whether or not we as a scientific nation are trying to play the role of God. Many people say that we should not try to interfere with nature. That is fine if in everyday life we did not try to change our habitat every single second of every single day. More than likely at one point and time the land on which your house sits was covered by a pasture of woodlands. That is interference. If we try to clone organs for transplant patients that are in their final hour then we are actually improving their life. If improvement in the quality of life is playing God, then is that necessarily a bad thing? Do we have the right to clone? We are all guaranteed rights by the fact that we are human beings. Those rights include the right to pursue areas of scientific study. Not many people vocalized his or her disapproval of space explora tion. At the time that there was no talk of how morally wrong Neil Armstrongs walk on the moon was going to be. They could have argued the fact we are created on earth we must stay here and not interfere with things beyond our comprehension. If they did, and the program did not lift off, then we would not have some of the technologies that we have today. Cloning can only yield new technologies that will be beneficial to society. One misconception that many people have is that this technology can fall into the wrong hands. We could not clone a person of history to be the same person that he or she was before. If we were to do that then it would be near impossible to reproduce the same character. They would like any other ordinary human; they would be conceived, developed, and then born as all other babies. They would have the same appearance and genetic makeup as their equal. This does not mean that they would have the same mental capacity as their previous life. There are many thing s that lead to a humans personality. Genetic makeup does not have as significant role as many believe. Organ cloning is something that would be extremely beneficial to society. Imagine the ability to create a liver for a child that has less than a month to live. In the medical profession the philosophy of every doctor is to improve the quality of life. Is giving a child a second chance improving the quality of life? Or is it playing God?Imagine if the technology was available to clone his liver in order to prolong his life. In this country there are thousands of people on waiting lists to receive new organs that will help prolong their life. Many of these people will die because there is not a suitable donor that matches their needs. Imagine the lives that will be saved if an individual can clone their own liver, or any other organ that is needed to survive an illness. As much as cloning is perceived as a good thing, it could change life to an entire new civilization. Cloning runs t he risk of creating a population that is entirely the same. This population would be susceptible to the same diseases, and one disease could devastate the entire population. One can easily picture humans being wiped out be a single virus, but more events could occur from a lack of genetic diversity. For example, if a large percentage of a nations cattle are identical clones, a single virus could effect the entire population. The result could be large food shortage in the United States. .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 , .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 .postImageUrl , .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 , .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762:hover , .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762:visited , .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762:active { border:0!important; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762:active , .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762 .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u59f1ac8e2c1a715799758820f63ab762:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Drug abuse Essay Any research into human cloning would eventually need to be tested on human. The ability to clone humans may lead to the genetic tailoring of offspring. The heart of the cloning debate is concerned with the genetic management of a human embryo before it begins development. It is conceivable that scientists could alter a babys genetic codes to give the individual a certain color of eyes or genetic resistance to certain diseases. This is viewed as inappropriate, some look at it as playing God. Cloning might be used to create a perfect human, or one with above normal strength and sub-normal intelligence, a genetic underclass. Also, if cloning were perfected in humans, there would be no genetic need for men. As in the book, A Brave New World, they cloned people into classes that made an entire society of genetic humans that resembled nothing less than an ant-farm. In the Alpha Class the cloning conditioned one to have a great life just like the queen ant having hundreds protect her. Or i n the Epsilon Class being conditioned to think that being a janitor is a good thing or the equivalent to a worker ant. They go about their work as if its the best work possible. By creating the perfect clone and knowing the fact that men could be eliminated from existence is playing God. Cloning might have a detrimental effect on domestic relationships. A child born from an adult DNA cloning of his father could be considered a delayed identical twin of one of his parents. It is unknown as to how a human might react if he or she knew he or she was an exact duplicate of an older individual. Researchers say that within 5 years a pill that will help prevent cancer will be introduced on the market. That is great if you do not already have it. If we find the gene that has been mutated then we will be able to correct that, alleviating all of the signs of the cancer. Cloning will change the face of the planet forever. We should be excited that we are able to duplicate such a complex sequence of genes. Whatever you feel is morally right we should allow this to happen because if we never explore the risks then we can never enjoy the benefits. As previously stated the space exploration yielded many new technologies that will forever aid in the bettering of society. We cannot continue to prohibit the exploration of scientific study. If this practice continues then we will not be able to continue to develop advancements in the prolonging of the human species. We cant impose a ban on cloning, if we do then who is to say that we will not impose a ban on the research that will hopefu lly one day lead to a cure for cancer. Bibliography:

Emergency Communications Program

Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Emergency Communications Program specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Background In recent years, several incidents occurring in the external environment have forced organizations to consider implementing comprehensive emergency communications programs. The lingering uncertainty generated by terrorism, for example, has continued to take a psychological and financial toll on employees and organizations ever since 9/11 (Sellnow, Littlefield, Vidoloff, Webb, 2009). At PSD Energy Solutions, the management is aware that terrorist incidents are on the increase as demonstrated by current trends of radicalized elements targeting Western interests (Sellnow et al., 2009). Due to the ongoing concerns, there is an urgent need to develop an emergency communications program for use by the company. The present paper is a proposal that identifies a strategy for an effective emergency communications program, along with recommended options and business justification. Strategy for an Effective Emergency Communications Program The primary objective of the emergency communications program is to manage terrorism-related communications through a clearly defined channel with the view to reducing serious adverse consequences for PSD and its stakeholders. The first component of the plan entails training a group of employees in the identification of the internal and external constituents to be included in the evaluation of the terrorist threat. Internal components include PSD employees and managers while external parts include suppliers, contractors, the media, and the public. It is expected that the trained personnel will be provided with the knowledge of prioritizing the components according to importance, with the highest priority being given to PSD employees and management. They will also be trained on how to conceive and deliver emergency messages with optimal effectiveness and eff iciency. The available literature demonstrates that the efficient delivery of well-conceived emergency communications is essential in ensuring employee safety and facilitating response times (Mazzei Ravazzani, 2015). Hyer and Covello (2005) report that such a predisposition is needed to inspire confidence and assist families to reunite.  The second component of the strategy is to pinpoint potential communication methods for each constituency group. The program will use recent technological advances in social media platforms and mobile phone messaging services to reach PSD’s stakeholders.Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More More specifically, the company will open Facebook and Twitter accounts for use in communicating terrorist-related incidents. The organization will also invest in messaging services and maintain a database of contacts for use during emergency event s. These communication methods are efficient as they can reach the target audience and deliver the message reliably. They also demonstrate the capacity to improve understanding of the message content (Ruggiero Vos, 2014).  It is also important to design the frequency of communications for each constituent group mentioned in this plan. As such, the company’s suppliers and contractors will be occasionally updated depending on threat exposure and duration. However, employees, managers, and the media need to be frequently updated to reduce anxiety and reinforce trusting relationships (Ruggiero Vos, 2014). Regular communications of the threat assist an organization to minimize reputation damage and enhance its appeal as a responsible entity (Sellnow et al., 2009). The last component of the emergency communications strategy is to develop sufficient criteria that could be used to determine appropriate communication interventions. Such measures must consider the treat category an d the urgency of communication to achieve favorable outcomes. In threat type, the emergency communication plan will consider elements such as threat intensity, threat duration, safety assessment, and the potential impact of the incident on PSD’s operations. In the urgency of communication, the plan will consider the sender-receiver time duration and the groups that need to be alerted first depending on risk (Mazzei Ravazzani, 2015). Recommended Options The recommended options for the emergency communications program revolve around the tenets of saving lives, maintaining the reputation of the company, and mitigating potential anxiety and psychological turmoil. The options are as follows: The priority is to protect the company’s intangible assets (employees and managers), as these are the most useful supporters of the organization’s reputation (Mazzei Ravazzani, 2015). The company will at all times accept a high level of responsibility and accountability for it s terrorism-related crisis situations to preserve its reputation (Mazzei Ravazzani, 2015). Concerted efforts will be made to update the media to ensure the objectivity and accuracy of reports being disseminated to the public. Inability to maintain objectivity and accuracy may trigger anxiety and psychological turmoil among employees and other stakeholders (Sellnow et al., 2009). PSD will always strive to keep the terrorist threat in perspective with the view to ensuring the actual risk becomes clear to all stakeholders (Sellnow et al., 2009). The company will disseminate useful and up-to-date information using messaging services and social media platforms to manage fear as well as enhance employees’ self-awareness and vigilance (Sellnow et al., 2009). Business Justification for the Program The business rationale is nested on the fact that mobile phone messaging services and social media platforms are not only cost-effective to use but also appeal to a wider audience. As suc h, the company will be able to save huge amounts of money and still have the capacity to reach a broader audience in the event of a terrorist incident.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Emergency Communications Program specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Additionally, the selected communication methods have a faster response rate and capacity to repeat the messages consistently to reinforce understanding (Crisis Communication and Social Media, 2014). A good comprehension of the crisis not only saves the lives of stakeholders but also ensures the company does not lose money in costly lawsuits and employee turnover. Conclusion This proposal has identified an effective strategy that uses messaging services and social media platforms (Facebook and Twitter) to undertake crisis communications intended to neutralize terrorism-related incidents. The proposal has also provided several recommended options and discussed the bu siness justification for the emergency communications program. This plan can be implemented to save lives, maintain the reputation of the company, and mitigate potential anxiety and psychological turmoil by availing credible and accurate information in crisis situations. References Crisis communication and social media: A best practice guide to communicating in an emergency. (2014). Web. Hyer, R.N., Covello, V.T. (2005). Effective media communications during public health emergencies. Web. Mazzei, A., Ravazzani, S. (2015). Internal crisis communication strategies to protect trust relationships: A study of Italian companies. Journal of Business Communication, 4(1), 105-130. Ruggiero, A., Vos, M. (2014). Social media monitoring for crisis communication. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 4(1), 105-130.Advertising Looking for report on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sellnow, T.L., Littlefield, R.S., Vidoloff, K.G., Webb, E.M. (2009). The interesting arguments of risk communication in response to terrorist hoaxes. Augmentation and Advocacy, 45(3), 135-150. This report on Emergency Communications Program was written and submitted by user Joslyn Carver to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Analysing Abuse Of Migrant Domestic Worker Social Work Essay Essays

Analysing Abuse Of Migrant Domestic Worker Social Work Essay Essays Analysing Abuse Of Migrant Domestic Worker Social Work Essay Essay Analysing Abuse Of Migrant Domestic Worker Social Work Essay Essay In twelvemonth 2004, the first of all time recorded of the state worst abused and tortured of migratory worker, Nirmala Bonat. The intelligence has brought to illume the sad and painful incidents as a 19th twelvemonth old Indonesian amah told a disking narrative of how she was repeatedly burnt with an Fe and scalded with boiling H2O by her Malayan employer. The Malayan image of a lovingness state has been tarnished when images of abused Indonesian domestic workers were featured in major newspapers. The studies made great impact as it drew series of reaction from disgusted and angry Malaysians who could non believe the fact that members of our really ain community could perpetrate such barbarous Acts of the Apostless. I merely could non bear by looking at the images of Nirmala Bonat being brutalized by her employer. What has she done to merit such terrible penalty from her employer? If so, Nirmala Bonat is unqualified in her day-to-day modus operandis work, she should hold been returned to her agent for replacing. Manhandling a human being or psyche, who is here to gain a better life and life is like perpetrating a merciless offense. Five old ages subsequently in 2009, another similar Nirmala Bonat instance doing the headlines one time once more. An Indonesian amah by the name, Siti Hajar was tortured by an old Malayan lady without any sense of humanity at all towards her. Mistreating migratory domestic worker or assistant is no longer something new in the society. Siti Hajar s predicament made the Malayan and Indonesian media a headlines one time more. News says that she being allegedly scalded with boiling H2O, tortured and starved. The worst still she is merely fed with field rice and on occasion her employer have asked the amah who is a Muslim to digest porc meat is simply inexcusable at all. One after another, Siti Hajar instances has led to an alleged colza, physical maltreatment, denial of wages and basic rights of three Indonesian adult females by their employer in Sungai Siput, Perak. Such Acts of the Apostless are merely inhumane. Up to dated, statistics shows more than hundred of thousand Indonesian adult females are believed to work in Malayan places as trusting to gain a better life. Malaysia as the 2nd largest finish for Indonesian amah after Saudi Arabia besides Kuwait, Jordan, Hong Kong and some other states including amah working in the United States of America. There are few inquiry that I would wish to raise up here ; are the Indonesian amahs working aboard under a good status? Do they have the right for their wages or even acquiring a freedom of human right? Never, I do understand why the Philippines amahs were non abused or even being tortured physically. Is it due to the communicating dislocation between the amah and the employer? By holding a amah or migratory domestic assistant, would it do things much easier or hard for us? Not to bury, most amah from Indonesia which are brought into the state, simply are from a lower class. This is because a much more skilled and choice 1s would be sent to other states which offer a greater moneymaking amount of money, states like Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. This would take to Malaysian employer felt that they are being cheated as they have to be prepared to accept those lower classs migratory domestic worker. While the agents are allowed to capitalise on a moneymaking concern as they frequently wash their custodies off every bit shortly as the workers are delivered to the employers. Such state of affairs left no option for the employer as they would necessitate to develop the lower classs domestic worker in family direction from basic ; How to acquire the wash done? Cleaning up the bathrooms? Geting the rubbish out of the house? Baby-sitting? Helping our married womans in the kitchen or even thought of assisting you and your household with cookery? With all this state of affairss, the employer would stop up with tonss of load and wretchedness. Before I go any farther in discoursing the possible steps that can be taken as to control these issues efficaciously, allow us take a glimpse at the Malayan jurisprudence and policies on migratory workers. The system that is being pattern in Malaysia has put migratory domestic workers at complete disadvantage every bit far as seeking for justness is concerned. This is because the migratory domestic workers are at a bigger disadvantage as they are non even considered workers and as such do non fall under the commissariats of the Employment Act. Laws and policies are enforced with great velocity and efficiency when migratory workers violate these Torahs and the state of affairs is different when the employer does the same offenses. Even tough, migratory workers make ailments against their employers, they will be subjected to assorted signifier of maltreatments including verbal and physical menaces. This once more causes them to populate under terrible emphasis and fright. I have seen and heard many instances where workers are instantly got their contract terminated and being repatriated back to their place state where they are loaded with immense debts and poorness. Therefore, domestic workers particularly would set up with the maltreatments and anguish instead than returning to their states empty handed. The following point that I would wish to include in this essay is the signifiers of maltreatments endured by migratory domestic workers in Malaysia. Press studies simply stated that the rewards to workers are non paid as per the contract even after they have fulfilled all the contract footings. Nevertheless, migratory domestic workers spend a batch of money to come to this state and most of the rewards earned are frequently used to pay up loans and debts, which they have secured and as to feed their households back place. When employers do non pay the rewards, the workers suffer the most. Beside that, migratory domestic workers are frequently forced to populate in cramped, dirty and severely equipped hovels or crowded into houses meant for a little household. Some even sleep on the kitchen floor with merely a piece of thin mattress. To be exact, domestic workers are non given a proper suites of their ain and such lodging installations that are non fit for populating would take to adv ance unhealthy conditions. The state of affairs, which I have pointed out, brought an environment where employers feel they have the immunity power . Hence migratory domestic workers are virtually at the clemency of their employers who are confident that they would be able to acquire away with about anything. Some employers are to the full cognizant that even if the affair is brought to the attending of the governments such as the civil tribunals or industrial tribunal, the immigrant policies in Malaysia would do it about impossible for the migratory worker to successfully seek justness or damages without first either running out of money or clip both which is wholly controlled the policies stipulated by the Immigration Department. It is non until the exclusive ground of Nirmala Bonat s instance received so much attending and speedy damages was given because the badness of her hurts doing the headlines of every local newspaper forepart page. Public call on her instance has prompted the Malayan governments to swing into immediate action. The responds show that Malayan can administrate justness fleetly and efficaciously when it chooses to make so. It is pertinent to observe that many instances go unreported in the media. High profile instances that drew attending has forced Malaysia taking up the steps to look into on amah maltreatments by inspecting on places, interviews of amahs and employers and besides by presenting a helpline. Therefore, as to control the jobs efficaciously, I call on the authorities to allow fleet action to migratory workers in seeking justness and protection. Employers who break the jurisprudence must be made accountable. The authorities should enforce heavier penalty to maid maltreaters. Law and policies that impede or detaining the justness system must be either amended or removed together. The Malayan authorities demand to guarantee that enforcement bureaus such as the Immigration Department, Civil or Industrial Court and the Police Force to implement the jurisprudence without prejudice and bias. Whereby there are instances been brought to my attending that migratory workers have frequently been subjected to extortion by enforcement forces. Enforcement forces have besides been known to take the employers side in haling workers to follow with unjust footings of employment. These allegations of extortion and gross misconduct by enforcement forces must be investigated. Enforcement must be carried out fleetly and impartially against employers who do non obey the jurisprudence. The governments must non wait boulder clay there is a public indignation as to acquire into action. In other words, all relevant governments are to halt all type of torment on migratory domestic workers instantly. I personally think that the authorities should put minimal work and life environment criterions that employers must adhere to. These can be achieved efficaciously as the authorities must sign the International Convention on Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1990 and guarantee its full execution. The cultural differences in Malaysia as for a domestic worker to work 24 hours, seven yearss a hebdomad with no off twenty-four hours while being paid rewards below the national poorness line. I would wish to press all migratory domestic workers who have been abused to courageously step frontward and expose their employers as to set a halt of maltreating them. The agents excessively should be accountable for their sloppiness and irresponsibleness as most Muslims amahs who work in non-Muslim places were required to bath Canis familiariss and handled porc. Such act would absolutely insensitive on the portion of the employers and the agents. The solution would be that non-Muslim employers should be allowed merely to engage non-Muslim amahs while Muslim employers to convey in Muslim amahs. The phrase Learn to populate without amahs struck my head as I was watching Nanny 911, a telecasting series of a Nanny assigned to places as to assist out American twosomes in managing and pull offing their households. I would wish to province that work forces and kids should besides make housekeeping. House jobs are non every bit easy as you think it would be. We Malayan are a lucky batch as we can afford to hold amahs with low-cost rates and yet there are ailments of Indonesian amahs now are inquiring for a small more. Therefore, I would state we should make the day-to-day jobs, place and outside ourselves. I have seen how typical it can be as merely the adult females do everything at place as the work forces and kids merely laze about. Mind you there are tones of work to be done in the house besides caring for the kids. There is the sweeping and swabbing, cleaning the lavatories, rinsing dishes, the wash, the ironing, the cookery, dusting the Windowss and cabinets and the list go es on. This is non just to adult females particularly, we should hold a balance and as for the work forces and kids should impart a assisting custodies in helping with the family jobs. I think it is about clip for us to larn to make something ourselves as this is something that we should chew over over. I would wish to propose that we should non entirely depend on amahs from aboard. We could develop our local adult females particularly the individual female parents or strictly a fulltime homemaker. We could hold them to come over on day-to-day footing or even by the hours as another option in controling the jobs. This will take to a cost effectual and less hazard of domestic assistant or amah being abuse as they are non necessitate to remain with the employer. Career adult females with households to take attention of should alter their mentality as puting the whole duty of the family works entirely to the amah as their retainer. Therefore to ease their concerns particularly those holding kids could direct them to a nursing or a child care centre during the yearss and pick them up after work. The facets of pull offing clip with work and family responsibilities are truly difficult to pull off. I would state, why non we do it ourselves as life has become much more easy with new innovations with the latest engineering of electrical contraptions in making family plants. Childs are really much a fast gait scholar in everything if they were taught on how to make manage family jobs. We should develop our kids to be more subject and independent from a younger age as to acquire rid off the exclusive hope on amahs. Parents can get down by stating them how to maintain their infinite clean and tidy, like make up their beds as they got up from slumber, wash their ain home bases or even acquire the rubbish out of the house. I would love to Live a life without the amah , the married woman should inquire the male partner for aid, cooperation and portions the duty in pull offing the house and their kids. In most develop states particularly the westerner, we could see that the male gender does non experience ashamed when semen to household plants. The hubby and married woman would take bends and portion equal duties in raising and taking attention of the household. It is approximately clip as the long-standing issue on the supply of amahs is eventually approaching a decision between Malaysia and Indonesia with the sign language of the Letter of Intent ( Lol ) on amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU ) on the Recruitment and Placement of Maids from Indonesia on the 18th May 2010. The Indonesian authorities is expected to raise its prohibition since June last twelvemonth as to let its citizen to work in Malaysia once more. Both authorities functionaries have been keeping meetings to decide issues in relation to the amahs issue. Among the issues agreed to is that amahs in Malaysia will be given one twenty-four hours off hebdomadal and their right to keep on to their passports. However, employer and the amah concern could hold to predate the twenty-four hours off in stead of compensation and an employer could besides keep onto a amah s passport if both parties agreed. The lone issue that is still pending is the pay paid to migrant dom estic workers as it requires more treatments. Finally, I hope the authorities would acknowledge Migrant Domestic Workers as workers and allow them all the rights that come with the position. This hopefully will decide the job. Possibly the employers should besides be required to subscribe an project non to physically mistreat the amah and if they are unhappy, the amahs are to be returned to the bureau for farther preparation or acquiring a new replacing. BIBLIOGRAFI 1. Prof Datuk Dr. Nik Safiah Karim, Head of PERTIWI ( 2009 ) . The Maids: Ease V Burden. Pertubuhan Tindakan Wanita Islam ( PERTIWI ) . 2. Prof Madya Dr. Rusinah Siron, Social Analysis. ( 2009 ) . Get the better of your life without Indonesian amah. Universiti Tenaga Malaysia ( UNITEN ) , Kuala Lumpur. 3. Article Maid trade shortly , The Star, 19th May 2010. 4. Article Learn to populate without amahs , The Star, 24th May 2010. 5. Immigration Department of Malaysia. 6. Malayan Employment Act. 7. hypertext transfer protocol: //thestar.com.my/news/story/ Nirmala Bonat instance: Housewife found guilty, 18 old ages gaol.

Performance Baseline Development for Severs and Networks Coursework

Performance Baseline Development for Severs and Networks - Coursework Example The analysis indicates the health status of the network. Data capture or sniffing tools can be used to monitor the stream of network data. Also, other protocols such as sFlow or NetFlow can be alternatively be used to capture the data stream. The two are less storage-intensive compared to sniffing tools. The administrators can see trends in application usage by performing packet analysis. The trends will help in assigning the percentage of utilization for each application in reference to total network usage. Finally, the monitors are left to run and gather points of data. The most preferred time to be allocated is about seven days. The seven days will allow effective and accurate monitoring of window and thus the determination of performance trends. A baseline for each data metrics is then set. The ranges that were obtained will determine the network performance baseline. (Tomsho, G. 2009, pg. 143) Some windows programs and tools can be used to gather the information that can be used to create the baseline. These include the Windows Forensics Toolkit (WFT) and the KDiff. WTF is an analysis tool developed by McDougal. It can be used to collect data. It is done by using the command â€Å"wft-fetch tools†. The KDiff is a comparative analysis tool. KDifff accepts both a baseline file and an updated file.

Targeted Media and Audience Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Targeted Media and Audience - Essay Example It will contain information that is relevant to the press release’s content such as the five W’s (where, who, why, what, when). This paragraph will simply summarize the press release, and provide a hook that appeal to the audience. Body This part will expand on the hook provided in the lead paragraph. It will employ inverted pyramid strategy where the most relevant information and quotes will be provided in the first paragraphs, and less weighty quotes provided in the subsequent paragraphs (American Institute of Architects, 2008 p56). Company Boilerplate This paragraph will provide brief information about Le Tour de Sandwich, including its activities, short history, products and services. Contact Information Name, Title, Phone, Email. Targeted Media and Audience Targeted Media and Audience The targeted audience for the bicycle tour ranges from ages 10 to 80 years. This means that the market is quite large and a detailed press release is required when targeting these cus tomers. It is necessary to prioritize enthusiastic riders more than any other group because they already have more than two rides, and the likelihood that they will register to participate, in the cycling tour, is high (Guffey, 2007 p83). Pro Tour Riders also set the pace for participants who will prefer riding at some considerable speeds. The other major groups to target are teenagers and the old people. Most of the old people will register and join other riders with the aim of exercising and keeping fit. (Stanton, 2007 p122). It is, therefore, apparent that they will turn out, in large numbers, more than other age groups, and register with British Cycling Association. Teenagers, by being the most active group, will highly be willing to participate, in this event. Therefore, it is important to include activities and refreshments they like, during the cycling event (Stanton, 2007 p123). Other people usually prefer participating, in the cycling event as groups. It is, therefore, nece ssary to mention, in the press release that groups such as schools, church organizations, clubs, and other cycling groups are highly considered, in this event. They can come with their own rides, or they can use the event’s rides. Additionally, there are a number of activities that they can participate in (Heath, 2004 p75). Le Tour de Sandwich press release will target a number of media houses both in and outside France. We will primarily target media stations and individual journalists, editor in chiefs, editors, editorial assistants, staff writers, cycling correspondents, bloggers,

King Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

King - Essay Example He addresses the anxiety of those who criticize his ‘direct action’ as illegal, by distinguishing between the â€Å"two types of laws: just and unjust† (King, 8). Individuals have the moral responsibility not only to obey just laws, but also to disobey unjust laws. King agrees â€Å"with St. Augustine that â€Å"an unjust law is no law at all†Ã¢â‚¬  (King, 8). He holds that a just law is one which is in accordance with morality, uplifts human personality and is equally applicable to the majority and the minority. King categorically asserts that â€Å"law and order exist for the purpose of establishing justice† (King, 9). King’s position justifies government action which would be immoral from the perspective of an individual. A government is morally within its rights to strike back at any threat to national security, regardless of the geographical location of the perceived enemy. The government’s foremost duty is to ensure the security of its citizens and preserve the sovereignty of the nation. Although King’s â€Å"inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny† is based on the United States of his era, changing times and vast technological advances in communication and transport have made his position applicable on a global scale (King, 5). Actions in one part of the globe have instant repercussions on distant parts. The interconnectedness of global networks of terror justifies government strikes anywhere in the world. Such strikes cannot be construed as contravention of another nation’s sovereignty. The use of drones in Pakistan in making preemptive strikes against Al Quaeda is justified. Critics cite this as extreme action, but, as King asserts, being â€Å"extremists -- for the extension of justice† King, 11) is acceptable. This validates the Obama government’s action against Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. King acclaims â€Å"the vision to see that inj ustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent and determined action† (King, 12). Governments can resort to extreme actions, resulting in the loss of lives, in the cause of national security. Government intervention in the cause of global justice is also justified. King strongly declares that â€Å"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere† King,  5). It is not possible to insulate America from the rest of the world. Although the role of a ‘global policeman’ may not be acceptable to everyone, responsibility cannot be shirked. Isolationism is a policy which belongs to the past. Intervention on humanitarian grounds, and on the grounds of protection of self-interest, is justified by King’s definition of justice. American intervention in Bosnia stopped the carnage which decimated the land. Again, intervention in Libya struck a blow for democracy. Of course, intervention carries great risks, as is clearly seen in the quagmire of Iraq. In the case of Syria, the escalating casualties call out for intervention. The government continues to restrict its action to the provision of humanitarian and logistical aid to the rebels. This stand is largely based on the perception that Assad is a secular ruler who holds back the surge of Islamic extremism in the Arab world. It is time to realize that, in King’s words, it is wrong â€Å"