Discsussion Board Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discsussion Board - Essay Example This is what this literature plans to discuss and will show using factual research and reports from the White House's National Strategies on drug trafficking. Drug Trafficking depicts the illegal activities of drugs being distributed through out the world. It is a criminal occurrence and has created wide spread alarm in many parts of other countries but particularly in the United States. In the 1960's the main area of concern was in the trafficking of heroin and its subsequent abuse. Also at this time there were other illegal drug activities gong on, specifically with drugs that were considered to be recreational and psychoanalytical but which posed just as serious a problem as the harder drugs such as heroine, and cocaine. The milder drugs like marijuana were also rampant and being elicited and distributed by many drug dealers and those smuggling it over the border. Because of past concerns and the current problems in law enforcements attempts to curtail the illegal distribution of these heavier drugs, there have been several policies established and strategies developed in order to gain a tighter reign on criminal drug cases involving the trafficking of them. The Bush Administration has set aside funding for cracking down on drug abuse and the trafficking associated with it. ... There have been other government agencies that have received funding as well but the ones listed are the most proficient on controlling illegal drug use. The 2003 national Drug strategy campaign has been one of the largest iniatives by the government to dissuade the youth from becoming associative with drug trafficking and drug usage. It is believed that by educating the youth about the consequences of drugs, they will be deterred from it and drug sellers and traffickers will be less able to sell to the youth and therefore their capabilities to distribute illegal drugs will be minimized in this category (National Drug Control Strategy 2003). Drug prevention programs seem to be very effective in bringing knowledge to the youth on what thy can expect if they fall into the trap of drugs and the selling of them. These programs make it clear that the misinformation that has been handed to the youth by drug sellers indicating that it is a simply teenage fad and it is ok to experiment with drugs during the teenage years, have been substantially dispelled so that young people have a clearer interpretation of what is truth and what is a lie concerning drugs. This has been very effective in decreasing the amount of drug trafficking around the youth population although there still exists a number of concerns. What has come into existence in the educational system now is a program that legally can test teenagers who are suspected of having a drug problem. The main goal in this program is not to punish the youth who are found to be associated with a form of drug use but rather to get them into proper treatment facilities where they can be rehabilitated and properly counseled as to the outcome they

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Assignment

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Reporting Standards Have Impacted Significantly on the Reporting - Assignment Example This paper focuses on the requirements of U.K. companies for representing financial statement while maintaining some accounting standards and company laws as well as the comparison of financial reporting standards of U.K with that of USA. The current requirements for the reporting of the financial performance of companies in the U.K. In June 2002 the European Union adopted the International Accounting Standards (IAS). For this reason the listed companies in European Union (EU) security market including banks and insurance companies have to prepare their financial statements in accordance with International Financing Reporting Standards. United Kingdom is one the members of EU. For that the U.K. companies have been following the rules and regulation of IFRS since 2005 (Delloitte, 2012). Under the U.K. Companies Act 2006, the directors of the company have to prepare financial statement according to the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). Under this company law the direct ors have to approve their financial statement by considering that, the statements give the exact and original value (Harthorn & King, 2011, p.70). Director’s report should include the analysis using the key performance indicators and these things indicate the information’s of environmental and employee matters (Elwin & Hirst, 2006, p. 2). There are various operating and regulatory bodies like Financial Reporting Council, Accounting Standard Board, Auditing Practice Board, Accounting and Actuarial Discipline Board. These are involved in setting up the requirements for financial reporting of a company. Financial reporting exposure draft (a document released by Financial Accounting Standard Board) indicates the presentation of information about the company’s financial performance in both the primary statement and supporting notes. It was a proposal, issued in the year of 1992. When the new proposal implemented, it has changed some existing requirements of financial reporting for the companies of U.K. The proposal was made for the advancement of financial reporting standards in some below mentioned field (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 3-7). 1. The profit and loss account and the total gain & loss statement are combined to form a single financial indicator. 2. The above mentioned statement will indicate all the gains and losses during the time period in which the statement was made. 3. The company should divide the statement in to three parts a. Operating b. financing and treasury c. Other gains and losses 4. While preparing the performance statement for a particular period the amount of dividend paid to the share holders does not get included in that. (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 11-12) 5. Balance sheets, income statements, retain earning statements and cash flow statements are the four types of primary statement. Primary statement should consider the ownership interest (Primary Financial Statement). Financial Reporting Exposur e Draft (FRED) proposes that Earning Per Share (EPS), dividends for a particular period should be mentioned as a memorandum items. These items are shown in the balance sheet but these things are not added in the final total. A letter note including reserves note and note of gains and losses in past days are made optional for the companies

Analyzing Fed Policymaking 1996-1998 Term Paper

Analyzing Fed Policymaking 1996-1998 - Term Paper Example With upward rising of the aggregate, there are favorable conditions to drive economic growth such as high job creation, high production, and business expansion. The Federal Reserve policies between 1996 and 1998 were aimed at stimulating growth in ensuring increased productivity, which resulted in increased employment and reduced inflationary rates through control of interest rates. A report by Federal Reserve Board (1999) showed that, economic growth between 1996 and 1998 was remarkable and stronger than many had expected. The economy growth was more than 3.5% in 1997 and between 2.5 and 3.0 % in 1998. By 1998 the real GDP growth was at 3.5%, and was expected to rise further in the following years (Lewis, 1998). According to Lewis, at the start of October 1998, the S& P was abnormally high having risen from about 1000 in earlier years to about 1400 by July 1999. The Fed had to impose a 40% increase in the S &P by hiking interest rates from 4.75 to about 6.5 in the following years. T his rise resulted from an â€Å"irrational exuberance’ where too much money was being injected into the booming internet and technology industries (Lewis, 1998). Figure 1 portrays the general trend of interest rates during this period, Figure 2 portrays the relations between money supply and price levels between 1950 and 2008, while figure 3 shows the dollar performance compared to German’s in 1998. The major driver of the U.S economy that resulted in a high economic growth between 1996 and 1998 was capital spending. Many organizations continued to invest heavily in information technology and modernizing communication equipment to improve their productivity (Lewis, 1998). The market interest rates affect borrowing and lending policies, which affect the production and consumption of goods, products and services. The Federal Reserve Board (1999) explains that, these factors largely influence employment and job creation; high interest rates will discourage investors henc e low job creation opportunities. For example, during this period, Fed decided not to hike the interest rates to control the exponential market growth in preventing the economy from tending to inflation. This is observed in graph 1. In the year 1996, it was expected that inflation and interest rates would be on the rise towards the end of that year, but it turned otherwise (Federal Reserve Board, 1999). As Mishkin (115) explains, the demand for money and interest rates are inversely related using the opportunity cost aspect. This is the expected return sacrificed by an investor by not holding the alternative asset, which refers to a bond in this case. Moreover, demand for money is determined by the wealth or income and the price levels in the market (Mishkin, 116). The federal authority polices during this period were aimed at robust growth in employment, recovery and strengthening of the dollar, and regulated interest rates, which increased wealth and lowered the interest rates mak ing the demand of money to increase. There was a general fall of the domestic interest rates and national debts over this period (Mishkin, 11). In the third quarter of 1998, uproar in financial market globally resulted in a sharp drop in value of the dollar, having dropped from DM 1.7993 to DM 1.6718, which could have shifted the economic growth as well as interest rate policies towards encouraging more borrowing. Low interest rates contributed

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Assignment

Over Recent Decades, Developments in Company Law and Financial Reporting Standards Have Impacted Significantly on the Reporting - Assignment Example This paper focuses on the requirements of U.K. companies for representing financial statement while maintaining some accounting standards and company laws as well as the comparison of financial reporting standards of U.K with that of USA. The current requirements for the reporting of the financial performance of companies in the U.K. In June 2002 the European Union adopted the International Accounting Standards (IAS). For this reason the listed companies in European Union (EU) security market including banks and insurance companies have to prepare their financial statements in accordance with International Financing Reporting Standards. United Kingdom is one the members of EU. For that the U.K. companies have been following the rules and regulation of IFRS since 2005 (Delloitte, 2012). Under the U.K. Companies Act 2006, the directors of the company have to prepare financial statement according to the International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS). Under this company law the direct ors have to approve their financial statement by considering that, the statements give the exact and original value (Harthorn & King, 2011, p.70). Director’s report should include the analysis using the key performance indicators and these things indicate the information’s of environmental and employee matters (Elwin & Hirst, 2006, p. 2). There are various operating and regulatory bodies like Financial Reporting Council, Accounting Standard Board, Auditing Practice Board, Accounting and Actuarial Discipline Board. These are involved in setting up the requirements for financial reporting of a company. Financial reporting exposure draft (a document released by Financial Accounting Standard Board) indicates the presentation of information about the company’s financial performance in both the primary statement and supporting notes. It was a proposal, issued in the year of 1992. When the new proposal implemented, it has changed some existing requirements of financial reporting for the companies of U.K. The proposal was made for the advancement of financial reporting standards in some below mentioned field (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 3-7). 1. The profit and loss account and the total gain & loss statement are combined to form a single financial indicator. 2. The above mentioned statement will indicate all the gains and losses during the time period in which the statement was made. 3. The company should divide the statement in to three parts a. Operating b. financing and treasury c. Other gains and losses 4. While preparing the performance statement for a particular period the amount of dividend paid to the share holders does not get included in that. (Accounting Standard Board, 2000, pp. 11-12) 5. Balance sheets, income statements, retain earning statements and cash flow statements are the four types of primary statement. Primary statement should consider the ownership interest (Primary Financial Statement). Financial Reporting Exposur e Draft (FRED) proposes that Earning Per Share (EPS), dividends for a particular period should be mentioned as a memorandum items. These items are shown in the balance sheet but these things are not added in the final total. A letter note including reserves note and note of gains and losses in past days are made optional for the companies

Close Reading or Literary Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Close Reading or Literary Analysis - Essay Example As an apostrophe, Donne is addressing an anthropomorphized Death and informs the character that it is not as powerful as some people make it out to be. The poem â€Å"demonstrates the impotence and the self-destructiveness of the antagonist† (Tromly 391). Donne begins the poem by directly addressing death, â€Å"Death be not proud,† and then admitting that some people might hold death in a revered place: â€Å"though some have called thee/ Mighty and dreadful† (1-2). Obviously, it is rather banal to have to point out the fact that the single event that all people that are alive cannot deter is that they will all die. There are no exceptions to this, and this is one of the few truisms that goes without anybody being able to form an argument against it. Considering this, the position that death is a powerful figure that is deserving of fear and respect seems like a difficult position to try to argue against. Of course, this would not have been a memorable or interesting poem if it had merely stated this obvious fact. The paradox that Donne creates is what makes this poem so well known. After informing death that it had nothing to be proud of, Donne then informs the character why this is the case: â€Å"For those, whom thou thinks’t, thou dost overthrow,/ Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me† (3-4). As Donne states, the people that death thinks it has killed were not actually killed by death. Beyond this, death also does not have the ability to kill the poet as well. Considering that the poet has been dead for centuries, Donne is obviously going to have to thoroughly explain why exactly this is true. Donne then begins to explain his reasons. First he states that death is not much difference in appearance from taking a nap: â€Å"From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,/ Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow† (5-6). Following the reasoning that resting or sleeping reinvigorates people and make them more able to enjoy

Normative ethics Essay Example for Free

Normative ethics Essay Metaethics talks about the nature of ethics and moral reasoning. Discussions about whether ethics is relative and whether we always act from self-interest are examples of meta-ethical discussions. In fact, drawing the conceptual distinction between Metaethics, Normative Ethics, and Applied Ethics is itself a metaethical analysis. Normative ethics is interested in determining the content of our moral behavior. Normative ethical theories seek to provide action-guides; procedures for answering the Practical Question (What ought I to do? ). The moral theories of Kant and Bentham are examples of normative theories that seek to provide guidelines for determining a specific course of moral action. Think of the Categorical Imperative in the case of the former and the Principle of Utility in the case of the latter. Applied Ethics attempts to deal with specific realms of human action and to craft criteria for discussing issues that might arise within those realms. The contemporary field of Applied Ethics arouse in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Today, it is a thriving part of the field of ethics. Numerous books and web-sites are devoted to topics such as Business Ethics, Computer Ethics, and Engineering Ethics. Ethical Relativism Distinctions within Relativism There is a distinction between morals and mores. The latter can be defined as harmless customs (e. g. , tea at 4); the former as treatment of others (e. g. , the practice of Apartheid). In discussing Relativism, we are concerned only with moral practices. The Problem of Relativism: What one society considers Right, another Society considers Wrong. Therefore, RIGHT AND WRONG are RELATIVE to a PARTICULAR SOCIETY. Here we need to be aware of two things: (1) Confusing harmless conventions (The British drive on the left side of the road) with harmful practices (Clitorectomy is customary among the Somali). (2) Even if moralities may differ from society to society, it need not follow that Morality Itself is relative for there is a further distinction between CULTURAL (descriptive) RELATIVISM and NORMATIVE (Ethical) RELATIVISM. Cultural (descriptive) Relativism: The descriptive relativist simply notes certain sociological FACTS: (a) Factual Claims: x is considered right in Society y at time t and x is considered wrong in Society z at time t. (b) Empirical Conclusion: Moralities are relative [Note that the claims of Cultural Relativism are either true or false. ] Normative (ethical) Relativism The normative relativist goes BEYOND any sociological facts. (a) Normative Claim: What is considered right in Society x at time t IS right for that Society. (b) Theoretical (metaethical) Claim: Morality Itself is Relative. Note that ethical relativism does not logically follow from any truths uncovered by descriptive relativism. Note also that the ethical relativist has a hard time explaining how radical moral change can occur within a certain society (as with slavery or womens suffrage in the United States). Ethical Egoism Psychological and Ethical Egoism. As a metaethical theory of motivation, psychological egoism asserts the descriptive claim that all of our actions can be reduced to self-interest: Whenever people do something, it is only because they think something desirable for themselves will result from it. The claim is descriptive and thus open to counterexamples, and it is broad, stating a reductionistic thesis regarding all of our actions. (Contrast psychological egoism with the psychological state of sympathy, where the weal and woe of the other becomes the motive for our action.) Ethical egoism is a normative theory that states that our actions ought to be done from the perspective of self-interest. One of the problems with this position is that it might not be in ones self-interest to have eveyone act from the perspective of self-interest. This state of nature would not be desirable (in Hobbes terms, life would be beastly, brutal, and short) and so it might ultimately be in ones self-interest to enter into a contract with others that would place restraints upon self-interested actions. Utilitarian Theories Utilitarianism Utilitarianism is a normative ethical theory that places the locus of right and wrong solely on the outcomes (consequences) of choosing one action/policy over other actions/policies. As such, it moves beyond the scope of ones own interests and takes into account the interests of others. Bentham’s Utility Principle: (1) Recognizes the fundamental role of pain and pleasure in human life, (2) approves or disapproves of an action on the basis of the amount of pain or pleasure brought about i.e, consequences, (3) equates good with pleasure and evil with pain, and (4) asserts that pleasure and pain are capable of quantification (and hence measure). In measuring pleasure and pain, Bentham introduces the following criteria: INTENSITY, DURATION, CERTAINTY (or UNCERTAINTY), and its NEARNESS (or FARNESS). He also includes its fecundity (will more of the same follow? ) and its purity (its pleasure wont be followed by pain vice versa). In considering actions that affect numbers of people, we must also account for its EXTENT. John Stuart Mill adjusted the more hedonistic tendencies in Benthams philosophy by emphasizing (1) It is not the quantity of pleasure, but the quality of happiness that is central to utilitarianism, (2) the calculus is unreasonable qualities cannot be quantified (there is a distinction between higher and lower pleasures), and (3) utilitarianism refers to the Greatest Happiness Principle it seeks to promote the capability of achieving happiness (higher pleasures) for the most amount of people (this is its extent). Act and Rule Utilitarianism. We can apply the principle of utility to either PARTICULAR ACTIONS or GENERAL RULES. The former is called act-utilitarianism and the latter is called rule-utilitarianism. Act-utilitarianism The principle of utility is applied directly to each alternative act in a situation of choice. The right act is then defined as the one which brings about the best results (or the least amount of bad results). * Criticisms of this view point to the difficulty of attaining a full knowledge and certainly of the consequences of our actions. * It is possible to justify immoral acts using AU: Suppose you could end a regional war by torturing children whose fathers are enemy soliders, thus revealing the hide outs of the fathers. Rule-utilitarianism The principle of utility is used to determine the validity of rules of conduct (moral principles). A rule like promise-keeping is established by looking at the consequences of a world in which people broke promises at will and a world in which promises were binding. Right and wrong are then defined as following or breaking those rules. * Some criticisms of this position point out that if the Rules take into account more and more exceptions, RU collapses into AU. * More genearl criticisms of this view argue that it is possible to generate unjust rules according to the principle of utility. For example, slavery in Greece might be right if it led to an overall achievement of cultivated happiness at the expense of some mistreated individuals. Deontological Theories Acting from Duty Deontological normative ethical theories place the locus of right and wrong in autonomous adherence to moral laws or duties. Monistic deontology Kants Categorical Imperative (Act only on that maxim whereby thou canst at the same time will that it should become a universal law) provides the source of right action. Its first formulation states Act as if the maxim of your action were to secure through your will a universal law of nature; its second formulation states Always act so as to treat humanity, whether in your own person or that of another, as an end in itself, never as a means only. Actions that conform to these imperatives (i. e., right actions) and are, furthermore, done from a sense of duty, are the epitome of morally praiseworthy actions. Critics of Kants approach claim that his Categorical Imperative does not contain within it a way to resolve conflicts of duties. Lying is wrong can be interpreted as Never lie and thus Universal Principles can harden into Absolute Principles. Pluralistic deontology For the 20th Century philosopher W. D. Ross, there are a number of duties that reflection reveals and these form a group of prima facie obligations. The phrase prima facie (all things being equal) refers to the fact that these duties do not bind us absolutely, but rather that they generally hold absent any further considerations. Two key duties are nonmaleficence (dont harm others) and beneficence (help others). Other prima facie duties include dont lie, dont kill, keep promises, etc. When conflicts occur between duties, our actual duty becomes that which intuitive judgment discerns as the right thing to do (e. g. , lying to save the life of an innocent person). Critics are cautious about referring to intuition as the criterion for determining our actual course of action. Stephen Toulmin suggested that we weigh up, as well as we can, the risks involved in ignoring either, and choose the lesser of two evils. Thus, while the principles may be deontic in nature, a resolution of conflicts of principles could appeal to probable consequences. Virtue Ethics Historical Perspective There is a long tradition in ethics that places great importance on the kind of person one is. We not only want those around us to tell the truth (for example, according to the Categorical Imperative), but also to be honest. Both Aristotle (arete) and Aquinas (virtu) emphasized this aspect of ethics by highlighting the role of what we would today call character in their discussions of ethics (and the classic virtues of courage, justice, and moderation). David Hume also gave virtue and personal merit a key role in his ethical theory. The recent revival of interest in virtue ethics can be traced back to Philippa Foot. She writes that a person’s virtue may be judged by his innermost desires as well as by his intentions; and this fits with our idea that a virtue such as generosity lies as much in someone’s attitudes as in his actions . The Moral Concept of Virtue We should distinguish the virtues found in a particular society or culture (e. g. , chastity) from those virtues that can be supported by moral reasoning (e. g. , honesty). A virtue is a trait of character that is socially valued, and a moral virtue is a trait that is morally valued†¦Moral reasons must support a claim†¦of moral virtue . By emphasizing the priority of character in discussions of ethics, virtue theorists can say: †¦rather than using rules and government regulations to protect subjects in research, some claim that the most reliable protection is the presence of an ‘informed, conscientious, compassionate, responsible researcher’. The underlying view here is that character is more important than conformity to rules and that virtues should be inculcated and cultivated over time through educational interactions, role models, etc. A practical consequence of this view is that the education of, for example medical doctors, should include the cultivation of virtues such as compassion, discernment, trustworthiness, integrity, conscientiousness as well as benevolence (desire to help) and nonmalevolence (desire to avoid harm). Critical Evaluation of Virtue Ethics Often times we encounter morality between strangers (as when one enters an Emergency Room after a car accident). At these times, it’s not the person’s character, but his/her need to follow rules and procedures that seem to come to the forefront (Virtue is not enough). Furthermore, persons of ‘good character’ can certainly formulate ‘bad policy’ or make a ‘poor choice’ and we need to evaluate those policies and choices according to moral principles. Constructive Evaluation of Virtue Ethics Yet †¦ethical theory is more complete if the virtues are included†¦motives deserve to be at center stage in a way that some leading traditional theories have inadequately appreciated †¦ To look at acts without also looking at the moral appropriateness and desirability of feelings, attitudes, forms of sympathy, and the like is to miss a large area of the moral picture (BC, 4th Ed., 69) Liberal Rights and Communitarian Theories Today we often find moral problems framed by perspectives derived from political philosophy. Issues like euthanasia, stem cell research and abortion as well as distributive justice concerns such as social security and medicare, are likely to be seen along the liberal/conservative divide. Traditional moral theories need to take these frameworks into consideration. Will Kymlicka’s Introduction to Political Philosophy provides analyses of the philosophical ideas behind the â€Å"ideological debates† that now envelop many topics in moral philosophy. Of particular value is his discussion of liberal equality, libertarianism, and communitarianism. Liberal equality is often associated with the work on John Rawls in his Theory of Justice. It argues that we should rationally affirm two fundamental principles of justice designed to protect our political liberties and social opportunities. It can be directly contrasted with the libertarian ideas found in Robert Nozick’s Anarchy, State, and Utopia. Nozick challenges Rawls’s approach to social inequalities and argues for a minimalist state. But both authors (and their followers) conceive of individuals as ‘Socratic’ in nature, capable of reasoning about their life plan and questioning, in principle, the world around them. In this sense, they are both ‘liberals’ in the tradition of John Stuart Mill’s essay, â€Å"On Liberty. † â€Å"For liberals, the question about the good life requires us to make a judgment about what sort of a person we wish to be†. Thus liberals will emphasize the role of choice and freedom from government interference in private matters. For communitarians, on the other hand, individuals are not atomistic, ‘unencumbered selves’ individuals are situated within a community, embedded in the received wisdom of our human culture. Communal values are ‘authoritative horizons’ wherein we take our orientation toward life . The self is not prior to, but rather constituted by, its ends we cannot distinguish ‘me’ from ‘my ends’ [and] our selves are at least partly constituted by ends that we do not choose, but rather discover by virtue of our being embedded in some shared social context . Since self-determination does not occur in a vacuum, the government needs to support a social environment that is conducive to the development of what is best in all of us. For those communitarians who are social conservatives, this will often take the form of a promotion family values that can, for example, discourage changes in the institution of marriage. Broadly speaking, these two positions account for the divide between ‘liberals’ and ‘social conservatives’ in dealing with matters such as abortion and euthanasia. In these situations, liberals tend to become pro-choice and social conservatives tend to become pro-life. ***** As is to be expected in a modern, pluralistic democracy, many of these issues are addressed in the political realm and through the political process (including the courts). But the kinds of cases that arise within these areas should also be addressed within the framework of applied ethics as a way to get clearer about the nature of the problem and its potential for resolution. Indeed, we often see analyses found in applied ethics, such as the concept of a person in the morally significant sense or the distinction between killing and allowing to die, embedded in the political debate itself. Ethics of Care In the 1970s and 80s feminist writers began to question the assumptions behind many of the traditional ethical theories. Carol Gilligan’s work in moral psychology challenged justice-based approaches to moral discussion: men tend to embrace an ethic of rights using quasi-legal terminology and impartial principles †¦ women tend to affirm an ethic of care that centers on responsiveness in an interconnected network of needs, care, and prevention of harm. Taking care of others is the core notion. Annette Baier’s philosophical account of an ethics of care does not recommend that we discard categories of obligation, but that we make room for an ethic of love and trust, including an account of human bonding and friendship. In both of these accounts, there is a specific criticism of Traditional Liberal Theory and its emphasis on impartiality and universality: The impartiality and the ‘standpoint of detached fairness’ advocated by liberal theories of justice, overlook, for example, the moral role of attachment to those close to us. Speaking from the perspective of medical ethics, The care perspective is especially meaningful for roles such as parent, friend, physician, and nurse, in which contextual response, attentiveness to subtle clues, and the deepening of special relationships are likely to be more momentous morally than impartial treatment In articulating the challenge to universal principles, Beauchamp and Childress write: We can produce rough generalizations about how caring physicians and nurses respond to patients, for example, but these generalizations will not be subtle enough to give helpful guidance for the next patient. Each situation calls for a set of responses outside any generalization†¦. Proponents of an Ethics of Care emphasize the roles of Mutual Interdependence and Emotional Response that play an important part in our moral lives: †¦many human relationships involve persons who are vulnerable, dependent, ill, and frail †¦ [and] the desirable moral response is attached attentiveness to needs, not detached respect for rights (BC, 373) and The person who acts from rule-governed obligations without appropriately aligned feelings such as worry when a friend suffers seems to have a moral deficiency. In addition†¦insight into the needs of others and considerate alertness to their circumstances often come from the emotions more than reason. Thus the emotions seem to have a ‘cognitive role,’ allowing us to grasp a situation that may not be immediately available to one arguing solely from a ‘justice perspective. ’ Critical Evaluation of the Care Ethic The example of a nurse who personally wants to help a patient die, but who will not do so as it violates professional duty, shows that †¦the ethics of care must confront situations in which bona fide requirements of impartiality conflict with acting partially from care. Some feminists actually interpret the ‘care ethic’ as culturally determined by the male hierarchy. For example, a terminally ill grand mother may request to be allowed to die because she doesn’t want to be ‘a bother’ to her family. Here someone like Susan Sherwin sees a need to examine the social context of care as well as to establish limits to the ethics of care. Both enterprises would involve appeals to justice†¦ Constructive Evaluation of the Care Ethic Sensitivity and emotional response to particular situations (like family discussions with physicians) provide important guides to morally acceptable actions. A care ethic also seems to favor adopting procedures from Conflict Resolution and Dispute Mediation as alternative ways to approach an apparent ethical conflict. Hedonism The term â€Å"hedonism,† from the Greek word (hedone) for pleasure, refers to several related theories about what is good for us, how we should behave, and what motivates us to behave in the way that we do. All hedonistic theories identify pleasure and pain as the only important elements of whatever phenomena they are designed to describe. If hedonistic theories identified pleasure and pain as merely two important elements, instead of the only important elements of what they are describing, then they would call it Hedonism uld not be nearly as unpopular as they all are. However, the claim that pleasure and pain are the only things of ultimate importance is what makes hedonism distinctive and philosophically interesting. Philosophical hedonists tend to focus on hedonistic theories of value, and especially of well-being (the good life for the one living it). As a theory of value, hedonism states that all and only pleasure is intrinsically valuable and all and only pain is intrinsically not valuable. Hedonists usually define pleasure and pain broadly, such that both physical and mental phenomena are included. Thus, a gentle massage and recalling a fond memory are both considered to cause pleasure and stubbing a toe and hearing about the death of a loved one are both considered to cause pain. With pleasure and pain so defined, hedonism as a theory about what is valuable for us is intuitively appealing. Indeed, its appeal is evidenced by the fact that nearly all historical and contemporary treatments of well-being allocate at least some space for discussion of hedonism. Unfortunately for hedonism, the discussions rarely endorse it and some even deplore its focus on pleasure. This article begins by clarifying the different types of hedonistic theories and the labels they are often given. Then, hedonism’s ancient origins and its subsequent development are reviewed. The majority of this article is concerned with describing the important theoretical divisions within Prudential Hedonism and discussing the major criticisms of these approaches. The Origins of Hedonism . a. Aristippus and the Cyrenaics The Cyrenaics, founded by Artistippus were also sceptics and Hedonistic Egoists. Although the paucity of original texts makes it difficult to confidently state all of the justifications for the Cyrenaics’ positions, their overall stance is clear enough. The Cyrenaics believed pleasure was the ultimate good and everyone should pursue all immediate pleasures for themselves. They considered bodily pleasures better than mental pleasures, presumably because they were more vivid or trustworthy. The Cyrenaics also recommended pursuing immediate pleasures and avoiding immediate pains with scant or no regard for future consequences. Their reasoning for this is even less clear, but is most plausibly linked to their sceptical views – perhaps that what we can be most sure of in this uncertain existence is our current bodily pleasures. b. Epicurus Epicurus founder of Epicureanism, developed a Normative Hedonism in stark contrast to that of Aristippus. The Epicureanism of Epicurus is also quite the opposite to the common usage of Epicureanism; while we might like to go on a luxurious â€Å"Epicurean† holiday packed with fine dining and moderately excessive wining, Epicurus would warn us that we are only setting ourselves up for future pain. For Epicurus, happiness was the complete absence of bodily and especially mental pains, including fear of the Gods and desires for anything other than the bare necessities of life. Even with only the limited excesses of ancient Greece on offer, Epicurus advised his followers to avoid towns, and especially marketplaces, in order to limit the resulting desires for unnecessary things. Once we experience unnecessary pleasures, such as those from sex and rich food, we will then suffer from painful and hard to satisfy desires for more and better of the same. No matter how wealthy we might be, Epicurus would argue, our desires will eventually outstrip our means and interfere with our ability to live tranquil, happy lives. Epicureanism is generally egoistic, in that it encourages everyone to pursue happiness for themselves. However, Epicureans would be unlikely to commit any of the selfish acts we might expect from other egoists because Epicureans train themselves to desire only the very basics, which gives them very little reason to do anything to interfere with the affairs of others. c. The Oyster Example With the exception of a brief period discussed below, Hedonism has been generally unpopular ever since its ancient beginnings. Although criticisms of the ancient forms of hedonism were many and varied, one in particular was heavily cited. In Philebus, Plato’s Socrates and one of his many foils, Protarchus in this instance, are discussing the role of pleasure in the good life. Socrates asks Protarchus to imagine a life without much pleasure but full of the higher cognitive processes, such as knowledge, forethought and consciousness and to compare it with a life that is the opposite. Socrates describes this opposite life as having perfect pleasure but the mental life of an oyster, pointing out that the subject of such a life would not be able to appreciate any of the pleasure within it. The harrowing thought of living the pleasurable but unthinking life of an oyster causes Protarchus to abandon his hedonistic argument. The oyster example is now easily avoided by clarifying that pleasure is best understood as being a conscious experience, so any sensation that we are not consciously aware of cannot be pleasure.

Impacts Of Tourism On Natural Environment Tourism Essay

Impacts Of Tourism On Natural Environment Tourism Essay How is tourism related to the natural environment? Discuss ways in which environmental conservation can be enhanced through tourism. Tourism and Environment: An Introduction Before elaborating the relativity of Tourism and Environment, it is necessary to understand both terms individually. Relativity is to distinguish contrast and characterise between two different values for understanding their dependability upon each other. Tourism: Tourism is now a phenomenon, not just a simple holiday activity. It also has to be considered that tourism and tourist are two different characteristics. Approaches differentiate accordingly and it can be defined according to both understandings: It [tourism] is a human activity which encompasses human behaviour, use of resources, and interaction with other people, economies and environments. Bull, 1991:1 cited in Holden, A. (2008). From mentioned definition tourism is mainly focused on natural or social aspects, where author has examined tourism on the basis of environmental characteristics. Another understanding could be from the perspective of a visitor or tourist, again I would like to mention a definition from Holdens writing; where he used another authors definition to differentiate from the previous point of view. Tourism as: an attitude to the world or a way of seeing the world, not necessarily what we find only at the end of a long and arduous journey Franklin, 2003:33 cited in Holden, A. (2008). This definition is from the perspective of a tourist as a single entity and more individualistic. Here personal experience is more valuable for a consumer. Tourism is not a very old study for world but travel defiantly is. Tourism is more of gaining an exceptional experience than a regular living, while travel can consists of various reasons behind it. But according to Hunter and Green (1995, pp: 1) There is no universally accepted definition of tourism. This is not surprising, since what constitutes a tourist and the tourism industry are still matters of debate. Environment: In terms of tourism, Environment is always understood as a nature or atmosphere of a destination or a place which is used for tourism. Nature consists of mountains, water resources such as sea side, sea, rivers, waterfalls etc. Green environment includes plants, forests, parks, rainforests, safaris etc. when elaborated to wilderness it consists wild life, animals, forest species and so on. Socially; heritage sites or cultural uniqueness is also a part of an environment. In environmental studies it has commonly been assumed that there exists a fundamental connection between a societys management of natural resources and its perception of nature. Brunn and Kalland (1995:1) cited in Holden, A. (2008). Environmental studies and explanations are vast and distributions of its characteristics are crucial. If we look at it from a different perspective it seems environment consists of whole world (living or non living beings) including humans, animals, plants and resources. From evolution humans are using environmental resources. When observed this use or loss, it is categorised as Environmental study. Resistance and Resilience are two distinctions in this study, where Resistance is tolerance of the site (while getting used and still being undisturbed) and Resilience is the ability to recover from the happened loss or change. Some sites have either qualities or some not. Hence due to its characteristics, Hunter and Green (1995) stated that environment can be subdivided into three components as the physical environment or a biotic environment which includes solar energy, soil, water and climate. Tourism and Environment are interdependent: Tourism is based on the environment; Tourism has and will always devour the natural resources. Tourism is the main factor carrying out the natural environment in both positive and negative aspect. Even simplest form of tourism like visiting a zoo consumes environmental resources such as animals, birds or plants. Such a kind simple form of tourism also renders constructive as well as unconstructive effects. The negative effect cases might be the capturing animals from their natural habitat and keeping them in a zoo, whereas positive aspect can be that by capturing the animals they are getting protected against hunters and other environmental conditions that can be critical to them. In various other smaller or greater impressions tourism has both negative and positive effects, but more important is to understand the actual destruction or refurbishments causing from tourism towards environment. It is understandable that human involvement with environment tend to use the resources, if it cant help to make them grow at least they can be saved from future damages by use of intelligent human behaviour. Study of tourism environment is about understanding the cause and effect rule and to imply theories to protect the environmental loss due to mass tourism. It is also significant that Tourism should place along with the higher quality of environment and environment shall get benefit from it not the damage. No doubt every human action has its own pros and cons and fragility of nature resources must not be seriously harm by it. Tourism is without a doubt among the worlds highest profitable industries (whether on the cost of environment) and relationship between tourism and environment can get equilibrate if financial profits gets used for the conservation programs or environmental sustainability. Impacts of Tourism on environment: All activities consume resources and produce waste, possibly all these activities has a potential to spoil the environment, and in same context Tourism is no exception. Tourism has developed as a largest industry and any activity happens at a mass level definitely leaves its positive and negative impacts, such as tourism did in the past. Although not the case that every environmental problem is produced by tourism but still being a mass industry it affects on a wider platform. Negative Impacts: The harmful impact of tourism can destroy the natural environment when the negative impacts on the environment are sufficiently intensive and extensive. Such as damaging biodiversity of particular areas which includes holiday retreats, clearing of vegetation for constructing resorts and hotels or other tourism facilities, and also many rare species have been brought to the verge of disappearance due to non-tourism nuisance which are directly related to tourism. Habitat devastation brought by unrestrained and ill planned tourism is the prime cause of extinction of species which eventually destroy the natural balance, but destruction of biodiversity can have far reaching effects than this. Another negative impact is the depletion of natural resources like water, land and resources like food, energy or raw materials etc. which are already in short supply. Degradation of land resources like wood or plantations is another example of the negative impacts of tourism on the natural environme nt. Solid waste littering is more common in the case of trekking, rock climbing or hiking tourists. Tourism also pollutes the tourism sites with noise and air pollutions, problems are more compounded in countries or regions which lack or does not have the ability to effectively treat such forms of pollutants generated from tourism activities. Tourism development is more or less responsible for most of the harmful impacts that tourism has on the natural environment. The cutting down of forested areas, changing the landscape etc all have negative impacts on the ecological balance of the tourism destination, whereas levels of impact may vary from site to site, but the negative impacts of tourism on the environment cannot be ignored. The negative impacts are intensely visible in ecologically fragile environments. Whether from generating a new site or a heritage site used for different prospective, somehow environment is getting a hard time by this. By pollution, numbers of persons using limited resources, behaviour of tourists while on holidays and so on are some of the causes which directly or indirectly affects environment. It may include both physical and cultural aspects. Unless managing at all level it is difficult to provide specific consideration to each resource and this is how this becomes a negative aspect towards tourism, environment has to pay such cost by loss to the natural settings to beaches, coral reefs or heritage sites. Effluence caused by tourism main concerns faced by tourism trade today. The sewage waste from tourist resorts are drained into the rivers causing pollution in the river water and eventually to sea bed, it highly affects the marine life. Extreme use of natural resource that is fossil fuel to generate energy for tourist activity, the activities of overfishing, unnecessary use of ground water resources, are only few of problems which are created by tourism industry which in turn causes the reduction of the resource. As tourism grows, it also give hands to increased littering, various forms of pollution e.g. noise, water, air. Sewage and waste got increased sometimes to uncontrollable levels. Alongside need for transportation gets high and number of vehicles produces numerous gases and noise in air. In areas where resources are limited, tourism develops a sense of competition, leading to all sorts of degradation. Such harmful impacts are majorly brought by poor management or lack of proper conservation mechanism in place. Positive impacts: However with all these harmful effects, the environment is also gaining the optimistic outcome of tourism. Tourism is moving towards a sustainable side by helping and preserving the natural resources for the future generation. Various nations and its conservative organisations are implementing strict plans for conserving their flora and fauna and protecting their natural resources. We should not only see at the dark side of the moon if tourism has its costs, its pays back as well, as tourism grows it definitely encourage several other industries to rise side by side. Whenever a destination is selected to develop as a tourism destination government and planning sources put efforts for the regeneration of the place. It consists of revitalisation of an area or a site and beautifies the local environment. Thus this process brings new colours to the site. Any vital site when comes under tourism perspective, its natural resources gets special attention from the managing bodies, where as educated tourism developers knows the value of a natural resource and keeping this in mind they prevent any misuse or damage to it. According to Swarbrooke (1999) the term sustainable tourism can be defined as the approach towards tourism in which more focus is shown in preservation of the natural resources in a way that they can be consumed by the present generation and can be preserved for the future generation as well. Tourism can therefore no longer be seen as a harmful factor to environment. Economically, many areas in the world have benefitted from tourism and conservations are taking place on a higher level in many countries. There is an urgent need to understand the relationships between tourists, tourism and the environment. Many new forms of tourist consumption revolve around environmental quality and the respect for nature. One more reason for the negative picture of tourism might be that it is difficult to disentangle the impact of tourism from other forms of economic activity in certain destination areas. Shaw g., Williams A.M. (2002) Numerous examples and case studies are available where tourism has proven a saviour to drowning economies, along with economical benefits; it is helpful in urbanisation of dead towns. Due to tourism many businesses develop and people get employed, on a social level tourism keeps all communities together and connected. Any tourists social involvement and habits are controlled by the behaviour in which s/he is coming from and an insight can be developed in order to gain positive response from tourists. Appropriate educational information system towards environment is rising as very useful tool. How tourism can enhance environmental conservation- If tourism destroys the environment with negative impacts, it also plays a very big role in the preservation of the natural environment of the destination areas. As tourism industry benefits from the tourism sites, it should be its morally responsible to take a pivotal role in the conservation of the natural setting from which it gets benefits. An appropriate and well managed tourism approach can reduce the pessimistic impact of tourism on the natural environment. Appropriate use of earned revenue- Though the profits earned from the tourism conduct is the major contribution of the tourism trade to the efforts of preservation of the environment, educating the tourist is also an essential aspect in the effort of conservation of the natural environment. The revenue earned from various tourist activities brings in the wealth which enables organisations to focus on the conservational efforts. Without the money, conservation process is nothing. Though, concern must be taken to see that the managers of such destinations or sites are not tempted to enlarge the visitation upper limit as the money starts to flow, thinking that the money thus earned from tourist activities like entry fees will be enough to address the very issues caused by the increased visitation. If this persuasion is not overlooked, than the natural environment will suffer more thereby negating the effective use of money from tourism for the conservation of the environment. The conser vationists who have the expertise and authority should make an effort to take control and focus on the maintenance of the environment. Developing eco-tourism- Another most important method is to bring a change from the basic idea of mainstream conventional tourism. This can be achieved by propagating the initiative of sustainable tourism and eco-tourism which are far more environmental friendly and aims at nourishing both the external and the internal environment of the destination. Adopting the idea of such forms of tourism plays a significant role in the conservation of the natural environment. Fundamental principles of these forms are inclined towards reducing the ill effects of tourism on the environment without compromising the value of experience that the visitors can get from visiting the sites. In further part of this essay I have mentioned and elaborated how this alternate tourism is developing these days. Sound planning- Sound environmental management of tourism amenities like resorts and hotels can enhance the benefits to natural areas; requirement is careful planning of tourism development which is based on the environmental resources existing in the destination area. For example clearing of vast areas of vegetation or forest to build resorts, holiday retreats, etc and changing of the landscape to appear more appealing to the tourist. While doing this, the natural environment or to be precise the biodiversity or the ecology of the area is being affected. So care should be taken to see that tourism development causes least impact on the environment. This again can be done by creating eco friendly resorts or buildings which will have the least impact on the surroundings. Tourism also has the potential of raising awareness of the environmental problems among the people by bringing them into close contact with the surroundings. Tourism cannot be sustainable if the surroundings or the en vironment of the destination is not sustainable in itself. Developing awareness among tourists- Conservationists should offer means by which people using the particular destination, both locals and tourists can be made aware of the importance of maintaining the environment. In fact they can encourage the people to contribute towards maintaining the environmental balance. Conscious effort to transform and develop the destination should be the aim of the environmentalists and the development projects, keeping in mind the positive possibility as well as the downfall of the environment with extreme tourism. A way in which tourism can contribute to the conservation process is by having an appropriate mechanism for the dealing with pollution and sewages generated from tourism activities. Various means can be used to minimise the impact of tourism on the environment. Appropriate interpretation can remove negative facts of the site and educate and inform the tourist on the diverse aspects related to the environment. This can lead to the visitors gre ater understanding of the environment and thus act in a more responsible manner and hence minimise the impact caused by them. Implementation of visitation limits, proper rules regulations and mentioning the environmental issues caused by tourism at its early stage can imply a big difference in the conservation of the natural environment. Helping wildlife preservations- Tourism also plays a vital role in the preservation and protection of various species of endangered species which is a vital part of the natural environment. Nature loving tourists visit wildlife reserves and in doing so contribute to the conservation process. Tourism can play major role in the conservation process in various other ways. The tourism industry can also organise campaigns to raise awareness of the environmental issues affecting nature or wildlife and in doing so can also built up a good image which has been often criticised in the last few decades for the negative impacts it has caused to the wildlife destinations. Alternate tourism is developing- A new breed of tourists is developing called eco-tourists and sustainability came in light in 80s due to previously happened mass destruction in environmental resources. Sustainable Development concept came in attention from 1980s and in March 1980, World Conservation Strategy (WCS) was prepared. IUCN, UNEP, WWF, FFO and UNESCO joined hands for worlds living resources. WCS was a conservation strategy where ecosystem degradation-destruction, deforestation, desertification, pollution, soil erosion and genetic diversity and extinction of species and many related issues were in discussion. The relationship between economic development and the conservation and sustenance of natural resources is concept of sustainable development. Though these thoughts were already in air from many years at that time but WCS discussed many drastic changes happening to environment and WCS was proven as a bridge between prior thoughts and later actions. Another major outcome was establishment of WCED (World commission on environment and development) in 1983, Gro Harlem Brundtland (PM Norway) was appointed chairperson for this commission and in 1987 he publicised a report known as Brundtland Report (Our Common Future) in which Sustainability were originally popularised- Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (According to WCED 1987:43) cited in Hall, C.M. and Lew, A.A. 1998 Certainly sustainability consists of strategy making, preservation of ecological processes, protection of heritage and biodiversity, futuristic focused productivity and balance between social behaviour and environment. Along with the global acceptance of International tourism, sustainability also got recognised as a key element towards long term beneficial policies along with saving limited resources. Destination areas have developed to accommodate all these travellers, and receiving them and catering their needs has also become part of a daily routine. Development is a highly contested concept and since the Second World War debates over what it is, and how to achieve it, has gone through a number of phases. International tourism has been a global phenomenon from centuries, but that packaging of tourism for mass consumption dates back to the mid-19th century, when a specific service sector devoted to the mass consumption of travel emerged, roughly parallel to the development of mass production in the industrial sector. Harrison, D. (ed.) (2001) As people are not tends to be flexible when it comes to implementing rules and regulation, especially when visitors are on holidays, Author B Wheeller describes in his words. And what sort of touristic approach is needed is Tourism at one with nature; non-consumption, non-exploitative, avoiding degradation and destruction of the environment, but rather tourism in harmony, in balance with nature Wheeller, B. (1994) Conclusion Based upon the statements and codes-of-conduct developed by tourism stakeholders, that the environment has been placed on the outline as a major concern of how tourism is to be developed potentially. Thus all these negative and positive effects of tourism on the environment, brings us to a conclusion that tourism can be treated in negative as well as positive aspect in regards to the environment. The negative impacts can be reduced by taking initiative towards conserving natural resources. There are various tools that can be used to protect the environment like collecting income in the form of taxes. All these examples however show us a positive picture about how the tourism industry and the environment are co-dependent to each other for their mutual existence. Though there are many negative aspects to tourism, we can still say that tourism has the tools to protect, preserve and enhance natural resources and the environment. Therefore Tourism and natural environment can both co-exist and be mutually beneficial to each other if the tourism industry has the willingness to pull in full support to the conservation efforts of the natural environment. In doing so, it can help maintain the environment and also recover from the negative image that it has built up for itself during the last few decades. Proper and efficient planning and management accompanied by strict implantation, strict rules and regulations, proper interpretation, propagating the idea of sustainable consumption, well planned eco tourism and sustainable tourism and educating the tourist and making them aware of the impacts of their actions which may have negative impacts on the environment are some of the few ways in which tourism sector can contribute in the conservation process of the natural environment. There cannot be a limit to the extent tourism can contribute to the process and there cannot be an end to its contribution towards environ mental conservation because as long as tourism exists, the negative impacts of tourist will be evident on the natural environment. There is no doubt accepting the fact that tourism brings in money. But even then, care must be taken to make sure that the economic growth brought by the tourism industry must contribute to the natural environment processes and the sustainable use of natural resources. Academic References: Brunn and Kalland (1995:1) cited in Holden, A. (2008) Environment and Tourism (2nd edition), Routledge) Bull (1991:1) cited in Holden, A. (2008) Environment and Tourism (2nd edition), Routledge) Franklin (2003:33) cited in Holden, A. (2008) Environment and Tourism (2nd edition), Routledge) Hall, C.M. and Lew, A.A. 1998. The geography of sustainable tourism development: an introduction. Harlow: Longman. Harrison, D. (ed.) (2001) Tourism and the Less Developed World: Issues and Case Studies. Wallingford: CABI. Ch. 1. Holden, A. (2008) Environment and Tourism (2nd edition), Routledge. Hunter, C. and Green, H. (1995) Tourism and the Environment: A sustainable relationship? Routledge, London. Shaw G., Williams A.M. (2002) 2nd ed. Critical issues in tourism: a geographical perspective: Oxford. Swarbrooke, J. (1999) Sustainable Tourism Management. CABI Publishing, Wallingford. Wheeller, B. (1994) Egotourism, sustainable tourism and the environment: a symbiotic, symbolic or shambolic relationship? in A.V. Seaton et al., eds. Tourism: The State of the Art, Wiley, Chichester.