The importance of sex education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The importance of sex education - Essay Example Sex, apart from the education perspective is akin to hunger and thirst in many ways. However the need for sex is not that powerful as that of food and water. Just like food has its own importance in our daily lives which influences our social, cultural and moral values but also highlights our economic sustainable conditions, same as the case with ‘sexual values’ where it seems that for sexual behavior, environmental factors are more influential than psychological factors. Simon and Gagnon (1986) describe environmental factors in terms of sexual(Strongman, 2001, p. 16)The importance of sex education in the context of learning can be considered just like other subjects on the curriculum: it involves the transmission of information; it contributes to the development of personal autonomy;and it seeks to promote the interests of both the individual and the broader society. (Halstead & Reiss, 2003, p. 3) In other respects, however, sex education is quite different. It is about human relationships and therefore includes a central moral dimension. It is about the private, intimate life of the learner and is intended to contribute to his or her personal development and sense of well-being or fulfillment. It generally involves intense emotions, to do not only with intimacy, pleasure and affection but often also with anxiety, guilt and embarrassment. In all of these respects, values are involved which need to be researched and studied for the self-consciousness of younger generation.

Reflective account - Personal Development Plan Essay

Reflective account - Personal Development Plan - Essay Example rform effectively in their allocated work, they will achieve professional advancement both hierarchically and importantly at the personal or mental level. When an employee performs and develops optimally more than their fellow employees, he/she will be given leadership position, utilizing which they can develop their leadership capabilities. As when they develop their leadership skills, employee or individual should also need to develop certain qualities or traits, and one among them is time management. Time management with apt incorporation of quality standards is a key trait. Likewise, if the individual need to develop extra skills like new language acquisition, then they have to do that as well as part of optimal development of leadership. So, this paper will analyze, how I developed my leadership skills and as part of that development followed key traits of time management as well as new language acquisition. The known is, from time immemorial, the success or failure of an organization or any other human activity depends on the role, the leader plays. According to me, if the leader follows a set of positive traits and performs effectively, he/ she can ‘sprinkle’ or even ‘pour’ success on many lives, including the workers in his/her organization. Normally, the leadership traits should be visible and should be put to effective use when the leader, as a ‘builder’ builds a group and as a ‘founder’ launches an organization. However, in my case, a situation to develop my leadership skills arose when I got a chance to preside over or manage an on going project in my organization. As the building or recruiting of the ‘group’ of workers as well as the installation of infrastructure, set up, etc needed for the specific project has already taken place, my was only to lead and manage the team. This job of taking an existing set up and managing it is not an easy job because it brings in set of challenges, mainly involving the employees. I did not

Global Warming Essay Example for Free

Global Warming Essay Global warming is the increase of Earth’s surface temperature due to the effect of greenhouse gases. The main causes of global warming is the greenhouse effect, fossil fuels in cars, and global emission. Global warming is having an effect on our environment such as rising seas, changes in rainfall patterns, and etc. What we can do to stop this is, lower down emissions, cut greenhouse gases and so on. This paper will focus on what global warming is doing to our environment. The greenhouse effect is one of the things causing global warming. The greenhouse effect is the warming that happens when gases in the earths atmosphere gets trapped with heat. An example of a greenhouse effect is, sunlight passing through transparent windows. The reason it happens is because gases absorb ultra violet heat that is radiated into space. When it is radiated carbon dioxide absorbs this heat and the more carbon dioxide there is in the atmosphere, the air gets warm. If the air gets extremely hot the world will be destroyed because animals and plants will die. Another thing that is causing global warming is fossil fuels in cars. Coals and gas are burned to make electricity, cooking, and warming or cooling our homes. Even though we are using these for our own benefits it is harming our environment and later it will have an effect on us. Fossil fuels are made from remains from other plants, and animals that was buried in the Earth for millions and millions of years. Did you know that a long time ago, that heat and pressure has made these remains into fossil fuels that everyone calls coal and gas? Well today, these fossil fuels are burned so that they can release energy that was stored inside of them. When they are burned the carbon inside of them are released in the air and creates carbon dioxide which is also bad for our environment. Burning petrol’s that are in cars, pollute the air we breathe and is harming both us and the environment but yet we still use it. Global emissions are also one of the things that is causing global warming. Global emission is, worldwide air pollution. Global emissions jumped 3 percent in 2011 which make a huge difference.. There are emissions from factories, greenhouse gases, or global greenhouse emissions. The things that cause global emissions are, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen oxides, and hydro fluorocarbons. .This can create smog, and acid rain. Emissions seems to be one of the greatest causes of global warming. This is happening because Earth is surrounded by a layer of gases. Global emissions includes heat creating-gases so when this is released, it rises and becomes trapped by the atmosphere. These trapped gases seem to be responsible for increasing temperatures on Earth. The effect that is having on our environment is rising of seas, changes in rainfall patterns, melting glaciers, spread of disease, warming seas, glaciers shrinking, droughts, and severe rainstorms. Rising sea levels are due to the melting of the polar ice caps, as well as an increase in occurrence and severity of storms and other severe weather events. The cycle of global warming is changing the climate that all living things have come rely upon. Global warming is making the Earth more humid which causes abnormal temperature and because of it, the weather is changing. The temperature of the Earth has raised 0.4 and 0.8 degrees Celsius in 100 years because of global warming. Glaciers are shrinking because the Earth is warming up. When the seas were warming up, the population of planktons decreased. When the Earth spins, the hat spins with it and the Earth is collecting moisture over the seas. Due to these droughts, farmers are having a difficult time planting, growing, and making a li ving. This paper covered on what global warming is doing to our environment. As it had said in the paper, global warming changed Earths climate, causing the weather to change. The temperature of the Earth has raised 0.4 to 0.8 degrees Celsius in the past 100 years. The things that are often affecting the earth is the effect on greenhouse gases, fossil fuels in cars, and global emissions. Global emissions jumped 3 percent in 2011. Since global warming is harming our environment, we can all work together to find a way to help our environment.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of KFC

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of KFC 1. Introduction KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Kentucky, is one of the worlds largest chains of fast food restaurants, serving more than 12 million customers daily in 109 countries and territories around the world. KFC is part of multi-brand operator Yum, which is the worlds largest restaurant company, owns more than 36,000 locations around the world. During a year around placement, my time at KFC was in a position of casher and then I got a promotion to a restaurant team leader, overseeing the daily shop operations as well as selling product. This placement offers me a great opportunity to observe the corporation and think about the CSR of KFC. A year placement has made me have a great view of KFC and also gives me an opportunity to analysis the corporate social responsibilities of KFC. This paper starts by briefly reviewing the literature on corporate social responsibility and then continues by providing some background on the fast food context. It is followed by the four kinds of social responsibilities constitute total CSR: economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic. Furthermore, this paper will introduce how KFC apply these four categories into practise. In the end of this report, it will state that the benefit of CSR and give the suggestion of how to improve the CSR to improve the whole brand of KFC. 2. The concept of CSR Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a welcomed business strategy, which is a commitment of a company to behave in an ethical and responsible manner, to minimise the negative impacts and maximise the positive impacts (Maignan, et. al, 2005) on both the business interests and stakeholders of company. In recent years, Zadek (2001) has noted that CSR is based on the concept of stakeholder democracy, which is stated that the business organisations are made up of a number of different stakeholders with a multiplicity of interests; all of the stakeholders have an influence over the companys interests. There are many definitions of CSR from different standpoints. In the last 30 years, CSR has been widely discussed. While Keith Davis in 1960 argued that CSR refers to businesses decisions and actions taken for reasons at least partially beyond the firms direct economic or technical interest, the other researches (Eells and Walton, 1961) thought that the CSR refers to the problem that arise when corporate enterprise casts its shadow on the social scene, and the ethical principles that ought to govern the relationship between the corporation and society. It is a trend that organizations pay more attention on every aspect of their performance than before; they are not only considering about the economic interest but also caring the social commentary and environmental protection. Also, in 2008, the economists report state that CSR is made up of three board layers, one on top of other, devoted respectively to CSR as traditional corporate philanthropyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. In the 21st centuryà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Openness and transparency become the key slogan for organizations. More and more organizations recognize the important of social responsibility and they are trying to practice these concepts. The authors prefer the use of the term corporate social responsibility and present the following definition. Corporate social responsibility is a committal that made by the company to contribute to the society through the business practices and combining the corporate resources, that may includes improving the quality of life of humans and focusing on the environmental issues (Philip, K and Nancy, L, 2005). The CSR also includes the two kinds, one is instrumental CSR, which is pursued for business profitability, the other is intrinsic CSR, which is ignored the business profitability. These two clues are very important to the stakeholders. 3. Corporate social responsibility of KFC Carroll (1991) indicates that corporation should develop on both side: the economic side and social side. The he definite the CSR into four parts, therefore, the corporation should not only have the economic and legal obligations, but also they have the responsibility on the ethical and philanthropic sides. The main point for this concept is the company has to take all the four parts responsibilities to the society, not only economic responsibility which is the most fundamental responsibility. As mentioned, the four major responsibilities include economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic components (Carroll, 1991). As it can be seen, table 1 summarizes some important statements of these four major responsibilities. And a detailed description of each social responsibility follows. Table 1 Economic, legal, ethics and philanthropic components of CSR Economic components(responsibilities) Legal components (responsibilities) 1. It is important to perform in a manner consistent with maximizing earnings per share. 1. It is important to perform in a manner consistent with expectations of government and law. 2. It is important to be committed to being as profitable as possible. 2. It is important to comply with various federal, state, and local regulations. 3. It is important to maintain a strong competitive position. 3. It is important to be law-abiding corporate citizen. 4. It is important to maintain a high level of operating efficiency. 4. It is important that a successful firm be defined as one that fulfills its legal obligations. 5. It is important that a successful firm be defined as one that is consistently profitable. 5. It is important to provide goods and services that at least meet minimal legal requirements. Ethical components( responsibilities) Philanthropic components ( responsibilities) 1. It is important to perform in a manner consistent with expectations of societal mores and ethical norms. 1. It is important to perform in a manner consistent with the philanthropic and charitable expectations of society. 2. It is important to recognize and respect new or evolving ethical moral norms adopted by society. 2. It is important to assist the fine and performing arts. 3. It is important to prevent ethical norms being compromised in order to achieve corporate goals. 3. It is important that managers and employees participate in voluntary and charitable activities within their local communities. 4. It is important that good corporate citizenship be defined as dong what is expected morally or ethically. 4. It is important to provide assistance to private and public educational institutions. 5. It is important to recognize that corporate integrity and ethical behavior go beyond mere compliance with laws and regulations. 5. It is important to assist voluntarily those projects that enhance a communitys quality of life. (Source: Carroll, A.,2007. The Pyramid of corporate social responsibility) These responsibilities must be performed in order to benefit not only the company operators but also their stakeholders, including the local communities and the general public (Maignan et al.2005; MoIR,2001). As noted by Carroll (1979), the corporate social responsibilities push the companies should run the business in a way that enhances the well-being of their customers as well as the society. 3.1. Economic responsibility 3.1.1 The definition of economic responsibility Historically, the company was created as economic entities designed to provide goods and services that customers needed. The primary incentive for the corporation is to maximum profit for the shareholder. Therefore, the principle role for the corporation was to produce goods and services that customers needed and wanted and to make a proper profit during the business. It is the basic goal for the business organization. Without this economic responsibility, all other social responsibilities are become moot considerations (Carroll, 1991). Therefore, KFCs economic responsibility will be fully present in their annual report and finance report of 2009. 3.1.2 International market of KFC According to the 2009 annual report of Yum!, the parent company of KFC, which is stated that in last five years, their investments in high potential markets which included France, Russian, India, Brazil, South Africa and Vietnam are paying off(Yum! Annual report, 2009). Definitely, they are expanded the international market to satisfy more multinational customers needs while earning more profit as possible as they could. From a financial standpoint, Yum! had run a multi-year program to reduce their company ownership to around 5% at KFC, down from 18% at when they started at the end of 2007. This will have more significant and more predictable stream of franchise revenue. And also the company reducing the general and administrative expenses from company operations, they expect to generate at least as much profit with no capital expenditures by putting these restaurants in the hands of good franchise operators. 3.1.3 The financial performance of KFC Also, in their 2009 financial report, KFCs international sales revenue increased from $7394 in 2007 to $8230 in 2009, three years growth is 3 %( Yum financial data, 2010). Overall, KFC are satisfied with the economic responsibilities by increasing the profit in three years. However, there also have some problems of that. Due to my observation, KFC have increased its sales price, for example, in UK, the selling price of each meal are increased by 30p to 40p. There is no doubt that this price policy will increase the total profit as well. Even though KFC claimed that they will offer customers better service, it cannot depend on the increase the selling price to increase the profit. 3.2 Legal responsibilities 3.2.1 The definition of legal responsibilities Companies run the business according to the profit motive, at the same time, business also have to followed the laws and regulations promulgated by local governments. Corporations are expected to pursue their economic missions within the framework of the law (Carroll, 1991). Legal responsibilities reflect a view of codified ethics, which are enacted by local courts, such as working hours, wage and salary, equal opportunity, food safety etc. KFC have to follow the standards and legal requirements. 3.2.2 Employment practice According to the employment standards that KFC published on the website, employment practice include working hours conditions, non-discrimination, child labour, forced and indentured labour and notification to employees. The details can be seen in Appendix 1. During my placement, I found that our branch are basically applied the employment practice, however, it also need to focus on details. For example, since the KFCs employees are nearly all decided by the manager of each branch and each manager are from different country, they like to hire the employee from their own country. This may cause the indirect discrimination. Moreover, workers in the KFC are paid low wages. In UK, the employees wage rate just meets the lowest requirement of UK. KFC do not pay overtime rates even when employees work very long hours. Pressure to keep profits high and wage costs low results in understaffing, so staff have to work harder and faster. Not surprisingly staff turnover at KFC is high, making it virtually impossible to unionize and fight for a better deal (Royle, 2005). 3.2.3 Hygiene requirement As a fast food restaurant, KFC, need to pay more attention on the hygiene condition. It is not only to meet the legal hygiene requirement, but also to improve the corporate image. However, in 2009, one of the KFC outlet, which is in Leicester Square, London, was charged with 13 food hygiene charges by officials from Westminster Council, which is claiming a mouse was seen running across the floor and flies buzzed around their hands at the premises (caterersearch.com, 2009). Therefore, the manager of KFC should learn the lesson from the cases and KFC need more transparency on the food quality. According to my observation, actually, KFC management do care the hygiene requirement, but they cannot manage it in detail. Some employees ignore the hygiene requirement, this is the problem. 3.2.4 Animal welfare program KFC responded that by saying the chickens used in its products are brought from the suppliers like Perdue Farms, Tyson Foods, and Pilgrims Pride, and that these suppliers are routinely monitored for animal welfare violations. Headquarters of KFC also claimed that they are working at the animal conservation in order to build good brand image. In fact, KFC as the buyer of food products has responsibility to make sure animals have well treatment before they buy them. KFC pay more attention on the animal welfare than before, for instance, they use efficient system to ensure our suppliers are treating the animals humanely which supply to us. It is a necessary deal between KFC and suppliers that they have to agree with the commitment of animal welfare (kfc.com, 2010). However, since 2003, animal rights and welfare organizations, led by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have been protesting KFCs treatment of the animals used for its product. This organisation claims that the recommendations of the KFC Animal Welfare Advisory Council have been ignored. And several PETA do the investigations and videos of these and other KFC suppliers purporting to show chicken being beaten, ripped apart and thrown against walls contradict KFCs claims. PETA has criticized some of the practices of chicken breeders, such as beak trimming and overcrowding, but the headquarters of KFC says its suppliers meets UK legal requirement. Due to the situation, the KFC animal Welfare Advisory Council is composed of  industrial experts, which offers the organization information and suggestion according to scientific data and study. Meanwhile, this council plays an important role in motivating the animal welfare plan (kfc.com, 2010). Under the councils proposal, KFC develops guidelines and audit plans for suppliers. In the meantime, according to the advice of National Council of Chain Restaurants and the Food Marketing Institute, KFC pays attention to the guiding principles for animals (kfc.com, 2010). 3.3. Ethics responsibilities 3.3.1 The definition of ethics responsibilities The economic and legal responsibilities have the ethical norms about fairness and justice, ethical responsibilities embrace those activities and practices that are expected or prohibited by the societal members even though they are not codified into law. Ethical responsibilities reflect those standards, norms, or expectations that reflect a concern for what customers, employees, shareholders, and the community regard as fair, keeping with the respect or protection of stakeholders moral rights. (Carroll, 2007) In one way, the current ethics and value may becoming the driving force to precede the establishment of law or regulations. For instance, the environmental, human rights and customer movements reflected basic alterations in societal values and therefore may be seen in the later legislations (Carroll, 2007). 3.3.2Food quality and customer service The product attributes of fast food could be broken up into several categories, such as nutritional, sensory and hygienic quality. Although these aspects could not be verified by foods actual consumption, it is very necessary for organizations to pay more attention on food production and processing (Baltas, 2001; Bredahl et al., 1998). In terms of environmental protection, the ethical production of human and animal welfare are key problems (Harper and Makatouni, 2002; Wier and Calverley, 2002; Grankvist et al., 2004). Holbrooks (1999) typology could be used as a tool which can measure generic costumer value. For instance, it could measure functional costumers value and ethics. A major driver of ethical trading practices within the retail marketplace is the growing phenomenon of ethical consumerism (Brinkman and Brinkman, 2002; Hosmer, 2002), equating to a UK market value of  £6.8 billion in 2001 (Co-operative Bank, 2003; cited Morven, G. and Monika.J.A. 2005). Organizations ethical behaviors could influence production distribution and customer satisfaction (Mohr et al., 2001; Morven, G. and Monika.J.A. 2005). Organizations always use branding as an effective tool to increase their reputation, add supplying meaning of consumer goods (De Chernatony, 2001, McCracken, 1993). Positive and negative perspectives have influences on brand value. As a social responsible organization, branding could affect the investment on production quality management and reduce customer disappointment. According to Bacon (2004), organizations have to pay more attention on product value and market behavior, because the customer trust not only the information provided by organizations but also the good performances of them. In the Yum! Annual report of 2009, it stated that KFC is going to improve the operations particularly around product availability and speed of service. KFC have actively raised their game by more aggressively pushing for higher standards by investing in more franchise field support, increasing operational audits and racking and stacking operating performance of both company and franchise stores. During the placement year, I found the KFC is better prepared to offer the consumer more choice, better value and better service, but KFC still have more to do. The goal of KFC is to stay focused on building the business back the right way and expect steady progress. 3.3.3Environment concerns KFC also should take environmental protection as important as food quality and customer service. In their annual report, the company claimed that we try our best to reduce environmental pollution and we will pay more attention on it in the future. It is very important for us to keep our customers protecting the environment. According to the facts which we are doing, people could understand and support environmental friendly. KFC commit that all paper packaging bags are 100% recycled content, all napkins and serviettes (does not include pre-packaged napkins) are 100% recycled content, and 30% of KFC bucket lid is made by recycled content. Also, more than 90% of KFC paperboard packaging would be certified by Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) in May of 2010(kfc.com, 2010). And also, for all KFC restaurants use more efficient lighting system, which reduce the Carbon emission obviously, and use Energy Star appliances, for instance, the highest energy efficient oven be used generally in these restaurants. KFC also use high-performance air conditioners. Additionally, these restaurants all install programmable thermostats which could reduce the Carbon emission. Moreover, KFCs first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) restaurant was opened by KFC-Taco Bell in Northampton and achieved one of LEEDs highest certifications. More and more franchisees are trying their best to use energy efficient lighting and programmable thermostats (kfc.com, 2010). However, it is very difficult for companies like KFC to recycle waste at the moment. Hence, many recycling contractors refuse to take waste which did not remove food completely, Steve Easterbrook point out, chief executive of waste contractor Veolia Environmental Services (Paton, 2007). Therefore, there are many fast food company have to send the waste to landfill. It is an alternative method of disposal for the environment and local community. From a business point of view, not only benefit for company that saving money, but also benefit for company that being a good citizen. Clearly, it is a great help with morale. In KFC, it would take some staff doing the waste recycling activities, like waste sorting, which helped them feel more involved in the decision-making. 3.4 Philanthropic responsibilities 3.4.1 The definition of philanthropic responsibilities Philanthropic responsibilities reflect those corporate actions that are in response to societys expectation that businesses be corporate citizens. This includes actively engaging in acts or programs to promote human welfare and goodwill. For example, the corporation is giving the financial resources and executive time to the arts, education, or the community (Carroll,1991). 3.4.2 The community KFC takes the issues of litter very seriously. KFC is committed to tackling the litter challenge through a number of initiatives such as litter patrols, packaging reductions, and bins. During my placement, our restaurant sent out patrols every say to pick up litter and empty bins, these patrols go out four times a day in the summer months and three times a day in the winter months., and to make sure the area surrounding the restaurant are as clean as possible. Moreover, KFC are aimed to reduce litter by reducing packaging volumes. According to the KFC website (2010), they cut packaging by 1,400 tonnes, the equivalent of approximately 127 double -ducker buses. This included switching the Fillet and Zinger burgers from cardboard clamshells to paper wrappers. In 2010, KFC are aimed to reduce the packaging in the boxed meals. 3.4.3 World Hunger Relief To celebrate World Hunger Relief week 2010, KFC and its parent company YUM! will co-operate again. As a hunger is a big issue problem of all over the world, make an effort to raise awareness of this, the Yum!s partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme have set up aim will mobilise staff, franchisees and customers to help with it. Many employees from more than 720 KFC restaurants in the UK will be arranging a number of fundraising activities in store, from sponsored silences to KFC car washes. In UK, every branch of KFC have the donate box which out in front of the cashiers, customers can donate their extra change to that box. KFC UK raised more than  £365,000 which helped fund a school food project in Africa last year. Yum!s global efforts spurred unparalleled global awareness, including four million volunteer hours and $20 million in overall donations. This year, KFC hope with customers help they will beat the target (kfc.com, 2010). In summary, the total corporate social responsibility of business entails the simultaneous fulfilment of the firms economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities. Negative: Employee hire standards and overtime rates; animal welfare programme Table 2 the positive and negative point of each responsibilities of KFC As it can be seen in table 2, even though KFC has done lots of things on CSR, there are still have more to do. Overall, according to my observation, should do more things on these four responsibilities. On economic part, even though KFC has increased its profit, at same time, they also increase the selling price on each meal; it seems that giving this economic responsibility to the customer and not in themselves. On legal responsibility side, KFC are claimed they are strictly following the supplier code, however, they still have to improve their standard which not just basically satisfy the supplier code. KFC should improve the employee hire standards and overtime rates, moreover, invest more resources on the animal welfare programme. Eventually, they should care about the food quality, not only to product more healthy food; it also has to do more contribution in the future. 4. Benefits that corporate social responsibility can bring As Kotler and Lee (2005) have already clearly indicated that corporations which participation in corporate social initiatives could get many potential benefits. It can be see in the Appendix 2, the benefits of CSR can give a good impression to potential customers, investors, financial analysts, business colleagues; also, companies will have a great image in annual report, in the media, even in the courtroom. It is also state that the CSR is good for the employees, current customers, stockholders, and board members. Kotler and Lee (2005) also conclude that companies have experienced a range of bottom-line benefits, they have summarized six points, and each point will be explained as follows. Increased sales and market value Drumwright (1994) already mentioned that CSR will have a great effect on the customer purchase behaviour. A survey which made by Klein (1990), have stated that 75% of customers have said their purchasing decisions are influenced by a companys reputation with respect to the environment, and eight in ten have said they would pay more for products that are environmentally friendly.Therefore, it is obviously that more social responsibility that corporations taken, more sales of the product. Strengthened brand positioning Pringle and Marjorie (2001) make a statement that a company or brands contribution which links to a relevant charity or cause can make to the spirit of the brand. In their book Brand Spirit, they concluded that customers are going beyond the practical issues of functional product performance or rational product benefits and future than the emotional and psychological aspects of brand personality and image. As mentioned above in each responsibility of KFC, the spirit that participation in corporate social initiatives has given to the KFC, the brand itself. Enhanced corporate image and clout The company will gain a good image and clout from the CSR, for example, the positive press from reports, and also with a strong reputation in the community can be a real asset in times of crisis. Companies that demonstrate they are engaging in practices that satisfy and go beyond regulatory compliance requirements are being given less scrutiny and more free rein by both national and local government entities (Kotler and Lee, 2005). Increased ability to attract, motivate, and retain employees The studies that made by Cone and Roper (2000) indicate that a company that contribute to the society can have a positive influence on their current employees, as well as citizens and executives. According to their survey in 2001, there are 38% of employees who in the CSR programme are proud of their companys value which is much better than the employees who are not involved in the CSR program. Decreased operating costs Most of the companies want to decrease operating costs and increased the revenue from several corporate social initiatives. The obvious thing for the companies to do is to adopt environmental initiatives to reduce waste, reuse materials, recycle, and conserve water and electricity (Kotler and Lee, 2005). And as mentioned above, all KFC restaurants use more efficient lighting system which not only reducing the Carbon emission, but also reducing the operating costs. Increased appeal to investors and financial analysts. There also have some argue that involvement in corporate social initiatives can increase the stock value. The company who involved in corporate social initiatives could have the ability to attract new investors and reduce exposure to risk in the event of corporate or management crises (Kotler and Lee, 2005). 5. The Recommendation for KFC Kotler and Lee (2005) has mentioned six major initiatives of the corporate social responsibilities, which will be cause promotions, cause-related marketing, corporate social marketing, corporate philanthropy community volunteering and socially responsible business practices. For KFC, they have done many of them. As it can be seen in table 3, it is a list of each initiative of KFC. Table 3 KFCs Corporate Social Initiatives Description Example Cause Promotions Supporting social causes through promotional sponsorships Yum! Sponsored the USA National Pavilion at 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Cause-Related Marketing Making a contribution or donating a percentage of revenues to a specific cause based on product sales or usage Animal Welfare Program Corporate Social Marketing Supporting behaviour change campaigns Food Quality Corporate Philanthropy Making direct contributions to a charity or cause World Hunger Relief Community Volunteering Providing volunteer services in the community KFC is committed to tackling the little challenge Socially Responsible Business Practices Adopting and conducting discretionary business practices and investments that support social causes Recycled Materials and efficient lighting system. (Source: Kotler, P Lee N. (2005). Corporate social responsibility: doing the most good for your company and your course.1st ed. John Wiley Sons, Inc: Hoboken, New Jersey. ) Even though it is seems that KFC have done most of the activities of CSR, it is also has some shortage. The most oblivious one is in the cause promotions part. Cause promotion is a corporation provides funds, in-kind contributions, or other corporate resources to increase awareness and concern about a social cause or to support fundraising, participation, or volunteer recruitment for a cause (Kotler LEE,2005). However, most activities in society are sponsored by KFCs parent company YUM!, not KFC itself. The biggest shortage of that is if the customers do not know KFC is belong to the YUM!, then the awareness of KFC do not exist. KFC should do more promotions and sponsored the event itself, not just relay on the YUM!. And this problem is happened on the corporate philanthropy part. 6. Conclusion Even though different authors have indicated different kinds of definition and elements about corporate social responsibility, eventually, the main part of CSR does not change. The public will also keep eyes on the environmental, social issues and ethical issues, especially for a company with an outstanding reputation. During the course of this paper the reader will come across several findings of the corporate social responsibility pose to the Kentucky Fried Chicken. KFC has held a successful presence in UK retail industry for many years, with high levels of brand image. Kentucky Fried Chicken takes responsibility that protecting environment and involving social measures instead of waiting the government imposes particular laws. KFC should realize the important of corporate social responsibility and choose the appropriate way to carry out those measures. My placement at KFC has been a valuable experience, being able to observe how to run a restaurant in regard to its social responsibility. Clearly, it is useful for my future career and reward for my whole life. Not only broad my horizon but also enrich my life. 7. Appendix 7.1 Appendix 1 Employment Practices: Working Hours Conditions: according to the relevant laws, code and regulations, suppliers should make sure their employees safety and healthy working conditions in everyday and every week; meanwhile, they could not ask employees for overtime work. Non-Discrimination: suppliers should follow the local laws which illuminate the organizations should not take color, religion, sex, age, physical and national origin as the reasons why they employ workers. Child Labor: suppliers should not hire the employees under the legal age. For instance, YUM! dose not hire the employees who under 14 years of age. Forced and Indentured Labor: According to the existing law status, any Suppliers should not use workers in servitude for working or producing goods for Yum. Also, the labor should be physically and legally free from any physical, psychological, confinement, or sexual harassment under the Suppliers control. Notification to Employees:

The Atrocity Of War :: essays research papers

The Atrocity of War More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginning of all wars - yes, an end to this brutal, inhuman and thoroughly impractical method of settling the differences between governments (Franklin D. Roosevelt). In some people’s minds, war is glorified. The romanticized perspective that society bases war on is reversed in the book Catch-22. The Vietnam War established the book as an anti-war classic because of the war’s paradoxical nature. Heller perceives war as a no win situation. The book elaborates on the sane and the insane ways of the nation. The question is who is to determine the insane? It all comes back to the paradox that 'Catch-22' delivers. The trauma this book illustrates threatens the government’s ideal of peace. There was a time when Heller’s classic satire on the murderous insanity of war was nothing less than a rite of passage. Throughout the book it reveals a portrait of war that is the reality. The sarcasm and structure of this novel is Heller’s way to show the actuality of war’s dispair. The author exemplifies war as trivial; his characters are not fighting the enemy, but they are fighting within themselves. The world has known war ever since the beginning of time, but time has to change if the nation is going to prosper in a positive direction. In Catch-22 most of the sane characters put all of their time and energy into getting home. Yossarian, the main character in the book, was the most determined to stay alive. â€Å"The enemy,† retorted Yossarian, â€Å"is anybody who’s going to get you killed, no matter which side he’s on† (120). All around him he felt people were trying to kill him. His main fear was everyone, including his troops, were shooting at him. Yossarian informs, â€Å"They’re trying to kill me† (11). Everywhere he turned he thought people were after him. Even in the dining hall, he sensed the cooks wanted to poison him. With the trauma he went through nobody can blame him for being paranoid. Anything he could do to get out of missions he tried. The goal that he set was to go home alive, and he would do anything to achieve it. Never did he think twice about what duty he had to accomplish for his government. The whole objective in war is for innocent people to die. Not only did Yossarian fight to go home, but also he fought with the guilt he had to encounter for his lack of bravery. Nothing that he faced could stop him from leaving the war. Not only did he have to battle the constant fear of death, he also had to fight the

Free College Essays - Devon as a Microcosm in Knowles A Separate Peace

  Devon as a Microcosm to the Outside World in A Separate Peace  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Welcome to a small school called Devon during the summer of 1942.   At the beginning of the second World War, Devon is a quiet place with close friends and great memories, until one event brings the entire school into itÕs own war.   With the star athlete having his leg Ã’accidentallyÓ broken by his best friend, Devon turns against itself into a war zone where nobody is safe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It all began with a childish game of jumping out of a tree into a river, a test of guts and will.   All fun and games until that summer day when the star athlete is ready to jump out while his best friend follows him up the tree to jump next.   The branch is shaken slightly, and suddenly the schoolÕs top athlete is lying on the ground with a broken leg.   This event seems so small and feeble, but it will soon not only tear a friendship apart, but the whole school, as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  &nbs...

Asi Questions Essay

The Interview Format – Does It Have to be an Interview? This is perhaps the most often asked question regarding the ASI. In the search for faster and easier methods of collecting data many clinicians and researchers have asked for a self-administered (either by computer or paper and pencil) version of the instrument. We have not sanctioned the use of a self-administered version for several reasons. First, we have tested the reliability and validity of the severity ratings by having raters use just the information that has been collected on the form – without the interview. This has resulted in very poor estimates of problem severity and essentially no concurrent reliability. Second, we have been sensitive to problems of illiteracy among segments of the substance abusing population. Even among the literate there are problems of attention, interest and comprehension that are especially relevant to this population. Finally, since the instrument is often used as part of the initial clinical evaluation, it has been our philosophy that it is important to have interpersonal contact for at least one part of that initial evaluation. We see this as simply being polite and supportive to a patient with problems. We have seen no convincing demonstration that the interview format produces worse (less reliable or valid) information than other methods of administration and we have found that particularly among some segments of the substance abusing population (eg. the psychiatrically ill, elderly, confused and physically sick) the interview format may be the only viable method for insuring understanding of the questions asked. Particularly in the clinical situation, the general demeanor or â€Å"feel† of a patient is poorly captured without person-to-person contact and this can be an important additional source of information for clinical staff. There are of course many useful, valid and reliable self-administered instruments appropriate for the substance abuse population. For example, we have routinely used selfadministered questionnaires and other instruments with very satisfactory results (eg. Beck Depression Inventory, MAST, SCL-90, etc.) but these are usually very focussed instruments that have achieved validity and consistency by asking numerous questions related to a single theme (eg. depression, alcohol abuse, etc.). The ASI is purposely broadly focussed for the purposes outlined above, and we have not been successful in creating a viable self-administered instrument that can efficiently collect the range of information sought by the ASI. Thus, it should be clear that at this writing there is no reliable or valid version of the ASI that is self-administered and there is currently no plan for developing this format for the instrument. We would of course be persuaded by comparative data from a reliable, valid and useful self-administered version of the ASI and this is an open invitation to interested parties. Role of the Interviewer – What are the qualifications needed for an ASI interviewer? Having indicated the importance of the interview process it follows that the most important part of the ASI is the interviewer who collects the information. The interviewer is not simply the recorder of a series of subjective statements. The interviewer is responsible for the integrity of the information collected and must be willing to repeat, paraphrase and probe until he/she is satisfied that the patient understands the question and that the answer reflects the best judgment of the patient, consistent with the intent of the question. It must be emphasized that the interviewer must understand the intent of each question. This is very important since despite the range of situations and unusual answers that we have described in the manual, a new exception or previously unheard of situation occurs virtually each week. Thus, ASI interviewers should not expect to find answers in the workbook to all of the unusual situations that they will encounter in using the ASI. Instead it will be critical for the interviewer to understand the intent of the question, to probe for the most complete information available from the patient and then to record the most appropriate answer, including a comment. There is a very basic set of personal qualities necessary for becoming a proficient interviewer. First, the prospective interviewer must be personable and supportive – capable of forming good rapport with a range of patients who may be difficult. It is no secret that many individuals have negative feelings about substance abusers and these feelings are revealed to the patients very quickly, thereby compromising any form of rapport. Second, the interviewer must be able to help the patient separate the problem areas and to examine them individually using the questions provided. Equally important qualities in the prospective interviewer are the basic intelligence to understand the intent of the questions in the interview and the commitment to collecting the information in a responsible manner. There are no clear-cut educational or background characteristics that have been reliably associated with the ability to perform a proficient ASI interview. We have trained a wide range of people to administer the ASI, including receptionists, college students, police/probation officers, physicians, professional interviewers and even a research psychologist!! There have been people from each of these groups who were simply unsuited to performing interviews and were excluded during training (perhaps 10% of all those trained) or on subsequent reliability checks. Reasons for exclusion were usually because they simply couldn’t form reasonable rapport with the patients, they were not sensitive to lack of understanding or distrust in the patient, they were not able to effectively probe initially confused answers with supplemental clarifying questions or they simply didn’t agree with the approach of the ASI (examining problems individually rather than as a function of substance abuse). With regard to assisting the interviewer in checking for understanding and consistency during the interview, there are many reliability checks buil t into the ASI. They are discussed in some detail in the workbook and they have been used effectively to insure the quality and consistency of the collected data. Severity Ratings – How important and useful are they? It is noteworthy that the severity ratings were historically the last items to be included on the ASI. They were considered to be interesting but non-essential items that were a summary convenience for people who wished a quick general profile of a patient’s problem status. They were only provided for clinical convenience and never intended for research use. It was surprising and interesting for us to find that when interviewers were trained comparably and appropriately, these severity estimates were reliable and valid across a range of patient types and interviewer types. Further, they remain a useful clinical summary that we continue to use regularly – but only for initial treatment planning and referral. A Note on â€Å"Severity† – It should be noted that much of the reason for the reliability and validity of these severity ratings is the structured interview format and the strict (some would say arbitrary) definition of severity that we have adopted: ie.†need for additional treatment.† Many users of the ASI have selected the instrument exclusively for research purposes and these ratings have never been used for this purpose – especially as outcome measures. Other users do not agree with our definition of severity. Still others do not have the time or inclination to check and recheck severity estimates among their various interviewers. For all of these potential users the severity ratings would not be useful or worth the investment of man-hours required to train reliability. Even for those with primary clinical uses, these ratings are not essential and are perhaps the most vulnerable of all the ASI items to the influences of poor interviewing skills, patient misrepresentation or lack of comprehension and even the surroundings under which the interview is conducted. Therefore, it is entirely acceptable to train ASI interviewers and to use the ASI without referral to the severity ratings. Composite Scores – What are they for, why were they constructed this way and what are the norms? Users familiar with earlier editions of the ASI know there is a separate manual designed to describe their use and to show how to calculate them (See Composite Scores from the Addiction Severity Index – McGahan et al. 1986). The composite scores have been developed from combinations of items in each problem area that are capable of showing change (ie. based on the prior thirty day period, not lifetime) and that offer the most internally consistent estimate of problem status. The complicated formulas used in the calculation of these composites are necessary to insure equal weighting of all items in the composite. These composites have been very useful to researchers as mathematically sound measures of change in problem status but have had almost no value to clinicians as indications of current status in a problem area. This is due to the failure on our part to develop and publish normative values for representative groups of substance abuse patients (eg. methadone maintained males, cocaine dependent females in drug free treatment, etc.). At the risk of being defensive, our primary interest was measuring change among our local patients and not comparing the current problem status of various patient groups across the country. Further, we simply did not foresee the range of interest that has been shown in the instrument. A Note on â€Å"Norms† for the Composite Scores – At this writing, we are collecting ASI data from a variety of patient sampl es across the country. These samples will be used to convert the composite raw scores into T-scores with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10 (as MMPI and SCL-90 scores are presented). Our intention is to publish these â€Å"normative data† and to circulate copies of the tables to all individuals who have sent to us for ASI packets. We will also provide programs written in Basic, Lotus 123 ® or Excel ®to calculate these composite scores and to convert existing composite scores into Tscores. In this way we hope to make up for the lack of standardization that has been a problem with the composite scores to this time. Appropriate Populations – Can I use the ASI with samples of Substance Abusing Prisoners or Psychiatrically Ill Substance Abusers? Because the ASI has been shown to be reliable and valid among substance abusers applying for treatment, many workers in related fields have used the ASI with substance abusing samples from their populations. For example, the ASI has been used at the time of incarceration and/or parole/probation to evaluate substance abuse and other problems in criminal populations. In addition, because of the widespread substance abuse among mentally ill and homeless populations, the ASI has also been used among these groups. While we have collaborated with many workers on the use of the instrument with these populations; it should be clear that there are no reliability or validity studies of the instrument in these populations. This of course does not mean that the ASI is necessarily invalid with these groups, only that its test parameters have not been established. In fact, workers from these fields have turned to the ASI because they felt that no other suitable instrument was available. In cases where this is true, it is likely that the ASI would be a better choice than creating a totally new instrument. However, it is important to note circumstances that are likely to reduce the value of data from the ASI among these groups. For example, when used with a treatment seeking sample and an independent, trained interviewer, there is less reason for a potential substance abuser to misrepresent (even under these circumstances it still happens). In circumstances where individuals are being â€Å"evaluated for probation/parole or jail† there is obviously much more likelihood of misrepresentation. Similarly, when the ASI is used with psychiatrically ill substance abusers who are not necessarily seeking (and possibly avoiding) treatment, there is often reason to suspect denial, confusion and misrepresentation. Again, there is currently no suitabl e alternative instrument or procedure available that will insure valid, accurate responses under these conditions. The consistency checks built into the ASI may even be of some benefit in these circumstances. However, it is important to realize the limits of the instrument. Regardless, systematic tests of the reliability and validity of the ASI in populations of substance abusers within the criminal justice system and within the mental health system are necessary but have not been done and this is an open invitation to interested parties. A Special Note on Adolescent Populations – Despite the fact that we have repeatedly published warnings for potential users of the ASI regarding the lack of reliability, validity and utility of the instrument with adolescent populations there remain instances where the ASI has been used in this inappropriate manner. Again, the ASI is not appropriate for adolescents due to its underlying assumptions regarding self-sufficiency and because it simply does not address issues (eg. school, peer relations, family problems from the perspective of the adolescent, etc.) that are critical to an evaluation of adolescent problems. At this writing, there are two versions of the ASI that have been developed for adolescent populations and have shown at least initial evidence of reliability and validity in this population. A third instrument is not in the same format as the ASI but has shown excellent reliability and validity. Interested readers may contact these individuals directly for more information about these instruments. Kathy Meyers, Research Department, Carrier Foundation, Belle Meade, New Jersey â€Å"Carrier – Addiction Severity Index† or Yifrah Kaminer, Adolescent Chemical Dependency Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. â€Å"Teen – Addiction Severity Index† or Al Friedman, Adolescent Substance Abuse Program, Department of Psychiatry, Philadelphia Psychiatric Center, Phila., Pa. â€Å"Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Diagnostic Assessment† ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS FOR THE ASI Can I ask additional questions and/or delete some of the curr ent items? As indicated above, the ASI was designed to capture the minimum information necessary to evaluate the nature and severity of patients’ treatment problems at treatment admission and at follow-up. For this reason, we have always encouraged the addition of particular questions and/or additional instruments in the course of evaluating patients. In our own work we have routinely used the MAST, an AIDS questionnaire, additional family background questions and some self-administered psychological tests. We do not endorse the elimination or substitution of items currently on the ASI. Again, the ASI items (regardless of whether they are good or bad for particular individual needs) have been tested for reliability and validity as individual items and as part of the composite and/or severity scores. The elimination or substitution of existing items could significantly reduce the reliability and comparability of these ASI scores. It is possible to eliminate whole sections (problem areas) of the ASI if particular problems are not applicable for specific populations or the focus of specific treatment interventions. In the current version of the ASI and in this workbook, we have included a set of additional items and instruments that have been developed by us and others over the past ten years, to add information in areas that are now inadequately covered by the existing ASI questions. The items themselves are presented on the latest version of the form (See Appendix 1) and the specific instructions for asking these questions and for interpreting the answers are discussed in each of the problem areas in the Specific Instructions part of the workbook. It should be clear that we have not used these items in the calculation of the composite scores or in the determination of severity estimates. Obviously, the use of additional information for these purposes would alter the reliability and validity of the ASI and reduce the comparability of the resulting scores across sites and time points. Thus it is important to stress that the use of earlier ASI versions will still provide comparable data on the composite scores and on the majority of items, since they have not been changed or eliminated, only supplemented in the current version. In addition to these items, there has also been significant work over the past ten years in the development of general and specialized information collection interviews and questionnaires for substance abusers. Some of these instruments bear special note in that they can be used instead of or in addition to the ASI to provide enhanced or specialized information. Some of the more widely used and better validated instruments are presented below but the interested reader is advised to consult the tests and measurements literature for additional information.