Exploration Of Social Issues In Once Upon A Time Essay Example For Students

Exploration Of Social Issues In Once Upon A Time Essay Once Upon a Social Issue Fairy tales have always been told to us as children; whether to comfort or entertain us, they always seem to be a part of most everyones childhood. When Nadine Gordimer was asked to write a childrens story, she replied with a short story titled Once Upon A Time. Although the title is characteristic of a fairy tale, she leads the tale to an ending that is anything other than happily ever after. Gordimer distorts the fairy tale by dealing with certain issues rather than giving the reader the usual fairy tale characteristics. Three of the more significant issues Gordimer likes to deal with in her story are racial discrimination and prejudice, societys insecurities, and the persuasive way fairy tales have with children. Gordimers Once Upon A Time has the feeling of insecurity right away. In the first part of her story, Gordimer reminds us of our own insecurities. She brings up a familiar situation in which one is awakened by a bump in the night and cannot go back to sleep because of fear or their own insecurities. Gordimer writes, I have no burglar bars, no gun under the pillow, but I have the same fears as people who do take these precautions So, to better convey this issue of societys insecurities, she tells herself a bedtime story. In the story, there is a family who is living happily ever after, yet is seems it is all that they can do to keep it that way. Rather than putting their insecurities aside and getting on with their lives, they feel that they must put their trust in security devices to protect their selves. For a short while, the family has a sense of security by posting a plaque stating YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED over the silhouette of a prospective intruder. After a short time the familys psychological need for more security calls for a number of new security devices in order to sustain the top level of security. It is in the familys pursuit of this security that they virtually imprison themselves. After the installation of burglar bars, Gordimer describes the view from every window and door in the house where they were living happily ever after they now saw the trees and sky through bars. One of the less obvious issues lining Once Upon A Time is racial discrimination. Gordimer first suggestion that this suburb may be slightly racist is by stating that the plaque on their gate warning possible intruders didnt designate black or white, therefore protesting too much the owner of the home not to be a racist. By adding this statement, Gordimer lets there be evidence for a possible racism problem in this suburb. Gordimers statement of riots outside of the city was also supporting evidence toward racism in this place. The only black people that were allowed in the suburbs were those considered to be trustworthy gardeners or housemaids, and soon the trustworthy were not the only black people to be loitering around the suburb. Gordimer writes of the community stating it was a beautiful suburb, spoilt only by the black peoples presence. With the coming of these undesired guests, the familys sense of security begins to weaken yet again. In order to further suppress their insecure feelings, they decide to raise the walls surrounding the property to a height of seven feet. Later, after finding footprints that were not their own on the street side of the wall, the familys sense of security was further diminished. As a final attempt at gaining complete security, the family pondered the addition of even more protection for their outside wall. The familys pursuit of a mental security booster was finished when they lined the outside walls with razor wire that formed an unconquerable barrier. Gun Control misc6 Essay Feeling quite safe with their new wire defense, the mother finally feels secure enough to let her guard down and read her little boy a fairy tale. The fairy tale, a story about a prince who dashes through a terrible thicket of thorns to enter the palace and kiss the Sleeping Beauty and bring her back to life. Children, having the imaginations that they .

Sustainable Enterprise Literature Review

Question: Discuss about the Sustainable Enterprisefor Literature Review. Answer: Introduction Indicators are the backbone of monitoring the sustainable development goals that serves as a management tool and helps in understanding the direction where an enterprise is, which direction it is leading and the extent to which an enterprise is ready to go and fix it. The indicators of sustainability allow social, economic and environmental progress. The effective indicators and good monitoring systems help in determining the direction to be taken the address the issue (Parmenter, 2012). Characteristics of Good Indicators Definition Valid or Relevant A good monitoring system must fit the purpose of measuring. The effective indicators are relevant that shows something important to be known. Reliable A good monitoring system must be consistently measurable over time. They must be reliable and the information provided is trustworthy in nature. Easy to Understand A good monitoring system is easy to understand even by the layman. Accessible Data A good monitoring system must provide timely information so that there is time to act and reconcile the issues. Table 1: Characteristics of Good Indicators Source: (Marr, 2012) Literature Review The Sustainability Phase Model by Dunphy et al. (2003) created a model for the companies having six developmental phases that help in evaluating the organizations current commitment and habits in relation with ecological and human sustainability. The phases are used to investigate the path undertaken by the organization and a potential path forward. The six phases are rejection, non-responsiveness, compliance, efficiency, strategic proactivity and the sustaining corporation (Dunphy, Griffiths, Benn, 2015). The stages are explained as under: Phase 1: Rejection- This stage portrays a strong belief about the organization existing purely to maximize profitability. The human resources such as subcontractors and employees are exploited. There are disadvantages stemming from gender, ethnicity, language proficiency and others. Minimum training s provided to the employees and the community concerns are rejected. Further, the environment is treated as an abundantly available good and the pollutants are discharged into the atmosphere (Dunphy, Griffiths, Benn, 2015). Phase 2: Non-responsiveness- This stage results from ignorance or lack of alertness rather than laying emphasis on profitability. The human resource strategies and policies, community concern are ignored. The environmental resources are wasted and the risks or opportunities are considered irrelevant (Dunphy, Griffiths, Benn, 2015). Phase 3: Compliance- This stage focuses on minimizing the risk of failing to meet the basic standards. The human resources conduct training, total quality management and development on a low scale. The environmental abuses are eliminated which require strong action by the company (Gallagher, 2012). Phase 4: Efficiency- This stage reflects growing awareness that can help in gaining advantage by implementing sustainable practices. The attempts to integrate human resources and increasing efficiency helps in reducing cost. The poor ecological practices are interpreted as avoidable cost. There is active involvement as the company follows approaches for managing the environment (Dunphy, Griffiths, Benn, 2015). Phase 5: Strategic sustainability- In this phase, strategic sustainability involves making sustainability a critical part of the business strategy. There are flexible work practices and diversity seen in the organization. The organization seeks competitive leadership by following environmental practices and processes that are used as a source of competitive advantage (Suncorpgroup.com.au, 2017). Phase 6: The sustaining corporation- This phase is far away from the reality as it strongly internalizes the ideology of a sustainable world. The organization is a strong promoter of work-life balance, equal opportunity and has a strong ethical position in the eyes of stakeholders. Further, the organization tries to assist society in environmentally sustainable ways and facilitate sustainable society (Hawes Chitra, 2016). The Enterprise Suncorp Bank, a part of the Suncorp Group was established in the year 1902 which is now the fifth largest bank in Australia (Suncorp.com.au, 2017). The Suncorp Group offers a wide range of products and services that makes the banking company a great choice for individuals, families and farmers. The company is an award-winning Business Bank of the Year in 2016 (Suncorp.com.au, 2017). They deliver excellent solutions to the partners and customers. The enterprise employees are highly passionate about their community in which they live in and support a range of local activities, events, charities and staff volunteering programs. Suncorp Bank follows personal advice model so that the individual needs of the customers can be addressed. Suncorp Bank also offers the customers with integrated internet banking services and assistance to grow their personal finances and wealth (Suncorp.com.au, 2017). Sustainability Dimensions Based on the above theory and concept, it is interpreted that Suncorp Bank is at the fourth phase of Dunphy Phase Model. The approach is focused on driving mutual value with the stakeholders while managing social, governance, environmental risks and opportunities that impacts financial performance. Figure 1: Corporate Social Responsibility Approach Source: (Suncorp.com.au, 2017) Socio-cultural Dimensions Suncorp tries to be the workplace where the employees want to come and work in New Zealand and Australia. Suncorp aims to provide people with meaningful careers, workplace flexibility and developmental opportunities. Suncorp has people working part-time, from home, job share and other flexibilities (Boons et al., 2013). Further, there is a diversity council that minimizes discrepancy between men, women and other categories of potential discrimination. Further, Suncorp has partnership with The Heart Foundation that is helping the Australians to lead healthier lives. Suncorp is also partnering with the Financial Basics Foundation for improving the financial literacy of youngsters (Suncorp.com.au, 2016). Suncorp also partners with sports, entertainment and other foundations for creating brighter future of the people in wider community (Suncorpgroup.com.au, 2012). Economic Dimensions Suncorp aims to have a strong and resilient economic management. The company focuses on having quality products, attractive shareholder returns and meaningful careers. The banking company is influenced by certain economic conditions. The inflation rate, economic policies, market conditions and interest rates influences the economic dimensions. The bank promotes capital formation and encourages the habit of savings in people. The bank also helps people in mobilizing the finances to productive uses. The bank can also promote the process of monetisation and convert debt into money in the economy (Vezzoli Manzini, 2014). Environmental Dimensions Suncorp is committed to understanding the environmental impacts and finding ways to minimize it. The company promotes environmental awareness, decreases waste to landfill, minimizes carbon emissions and improves energy and water efficiency within the premises. Suncorp monitors and records the energy use. They use energy efficient bulbs and sensor lighting so that there is energy efficiency. Suncorp consolidates its office space for reducing the environmental impact (Vezzoli Manzini, 2014). Environmental Sustainability List and Assessment of Indicators for Monitoring The following table represents the list and assessment of indicators for measuring environmental sustainability. Indicator Definition Measurement Challenges Carbon Footprint It is the measure of harmful greenhouse gas emissions produced by a company. All inputs such as fuel, electricity and travel need to be multiplied by emissions factor. Use x Emissions factor The calculation may be erroneous while measuring all uses of carbon. Energy Consumption It is the measure of the extent of company measuring energy consumed in a particular period. Total energy consumed It is difficult to measure direct energy efficiency impacts Waste Recycling Rate It is the measure of the extent to which a company is able to reuse or recycle the waste. [Amount of waste recycled or reused / Total waste produced] x 100 It may be challenging to find total waste production. Waste Reduction Rate It is the measure of the extent to which a company is able to reduce its waste as part of the operations. [Wasted Raw Material (in this period a) / Wasted Raw Material (in the last period b)] x 100 It may be challenging to find total waste raw material. Table 2: List and Assessment of Indicators for Monitoring Source: Created by Author PSR model The PSR model includes the abbreviation of pressure, state and response. It is based on the concept that the human activities can exert pressure on the environment, thereby changing the quality and quantity of natural resources. The resulted changes can alter the environmental state. The human responses against these changes tend to prevent the environmental impact (Parmenter, 2012). Pressure-The bank Suncorp has significantly operating its activities by considering the environmental impact upon the society. However, energy consumption is high and there is a lack of measurement of waste recycling. Thus the rate of waste reduction is questionable. Thus, lack of proper waste and energy management may impose pressure on the environment. State- There is a lack of system for measuring total energy consumption, rate of waste reduction, waste of raw material and calculating waste reduction rate. Response- A proper monitoring system would be developed and implemented for mitigating the environmental effects by the organization. Organization promotes environmental awareness, decreases waste to landfill, minimizes carbon emissions and enhances energy and water efficiency within the premises. Suncorp monitors and records the energy use. The organization has started to use energy efficient bulbs and sensor lighting for reducing unnecessary use of excess energy (Parmenter, 2012). Development Plan For moving to the next Dunphy phase, strategic sustainability, Suncorp needs to conduct operations that are not only good for the business, but also conserve the environment. Suncorp needs to seek stakeholder engagement so that environmental friendly products and services are processed. Suncorp needs to make employees practice to turn off the equipments when they are not under use. The communication channels such as emails and messages must be used rather than printing hard copies of the same. Double sided documents must be used in the bank. The energy, water and waste must be reduced as much as possible (Vezzoli Manzini, 2014). Development of monitoring System For moving to the next Dunphy phase, a monitoring system should be developed and implemented by the organization. The monitoring system should focus on three dimensions, people, planet and profit, known as the triple bottom line that captures the essence of sustainability through the measurement of the organizational impact upon the world. The positive triple bottom line indicates that the organization is being operated sustainably (Milne Gray, 2013). People- It is easier to measure the social impacts of the company, by measuring employee satisfaction, health and safety, impacts of the company on local community. These are the factors to be monitored by the monitoring system to be developed. The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) indicated four social performance indicators, which would be monitored by this system. These include labor practices, human rights, safety and product responsibility sustainably (Milne Gray, 2013). To meet the social standards, the monitoring system would be developed with high ethical standard. Profit- The monitoring system would focus on improving the economic status of the stake holders instead of the financial status of the organization itself. GRI identified the economic performance indicators, which are sales, profit, ROI, monetary flows, tax paid. The monitoring system would focus on measuring economic status of main five stake holders group, i.e. customer, employees, suppliers, providers of capital and public sector. Planet- The organization Suncorp has engaged its organizational operations to meet the environmental standard. The ecological sustainability of the organization is more focused on preventing the hazards caused to living organism by the organizational activities. In this dimension, the monitoring system would consider the performance indicators by GRI; these include materials, energy, water, biodiversity, waste disposal and transport related to organizational activities sustainably (Milne Gray, 2013). With the help of the monitoring system, Suncorp bank can promote to the winner phase in Dunphy model for strategic sustainability. Life Cycle Diagram Conclusion Conclusively, Suncorp bank offers a wide range of products and services that makes the banking company. The company is in the fourth phase, efficiency, of Dunphy Phase Model. Suncorp is committed to understanding the environmental impacts and finding ways to minimize it. Suncorp needs to monitor and record the energy use. References Boons, F., Montalvo, C., Quist, J., Wagner, M. (2013). Sustainable innovation, business models and economic performance: an overview.Journal Of Cleaner Production,45, 1-8. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2012.08.013 Dunphy, D., Griffiths, A., Benn, S. (2015).Organizational change for corporate sustainability(1st ed.). London: Routledge. Gallagher, D. (2012).Environmental leadership(1st ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications. Hawes, A., Chitra, T. (2016). Keeping up with the FinTechs: A banker's strategy for digital transformation. Journal of Digital Banking, 1(2), 102-110. Marr, B. (2012).Key performance indicators(1st ed.). Harlow, England: Pearson Financial Times Pub. Milne, M. J., Gray, R. (2013). W (h) ither ecology? The triple bottom line, the global reporting initiative, and corporate sustainability reporting. Journal of business ethics, 118(1), 13-29. Parmenter, D. (2012).Key performance indicators(1st ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley Sons. Suncorp.com.au,. (2016).Community Partnerships : Suncorp : Financial Basics Foundation : Australia | Suncorp.Suncorp.com.au. Retrieved 30 December 2016, from https://www.suncorp.com.au/corporate/community/partnerships/financial-basics-foundation Suncorp.com.au,. (2017).About Us.@SUNCORP-BANK. Retrieved 4 January 2017, from https://www.suncorp.com.au/banking/about-us.html Suncorpgroup.com.au,. (2012).SUNCORP CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILTY REVIEW 2011/12.Suncorpgroup.com.au. Retrieved 30 December 2016, from https://www.suncorpgroup.com.au/sites/default/files/html/csr-repackaged/development/index.html# Suncorpgroup.com.au,. (2017).SUNCORP CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILTY REVIEW 2011/12.Suncorpgroup.com.au. Retrieved 4 January 2017, from https://www.suncorpgroup.com.au/sites/default/files/html/csr-repackaged/development/index.html# Vezzoli, C. Manzini, E. (2014).Design for environmental sustainability(1st ed.). London: Springer.

Why Philosophy Essays - Belief, Humanities, Philosophy, Thought

Why Philosophy? Why Philosophy? Aaron R. Nino Religion Philosophy is simply his effort to avoid doing this in the dark, says Robert Johann. He is referring to using his freedom to take his personal stand on everything and be responsible for the stand he takes. So what then is Philosophy? Is it to throw some light on the meaning of life as a whole, to give man some idea of what he is about. You could say so. But understanding the positive side of philosophy might just seem impossible! Philosophy is for you, the thinker to involve himself on his own free response. It is not only meant to take a standpoint involving looking deeper, past the outward appearance of the proposed question. A philosophical view is judged over and over again, until you ultimately end up having to judge yourself. To me philosophy is a way to interpret things that sometimes seem like there is no apparent answer. Although Philosophy is supposed to mean interpretation some perceive it as a na?ve way to pursue wisdom. Now people of the new age are posed with the deep impending question of its future. Is there a future for Philosophy? Many think not. And that is only because some people cannot open their minds to unexplainable views about the way life sometimes is perceived. Although philosophy may consist to you as some what of a religion to believe or impede in, it also represents the hopes and praises of all. Poetry Essays

Tips to Help You Convince the Reader That You Know What You Are Talking About

Tips to Help You Convince the Reader That You Know What You Are Talking AboutDo you need to write an essay but are having trouble trying to convince the reader that you know what you are talking about? Maybe you have only recently received your degree, or maybe you just haven't had much time for your essays. It can be a difficult task, but there are tips to help you out.Writing your essay should be fun. If you feel like you are dragging it out longer than necessary, you are going to run into problems. A lot of the essays people write seem to be put together to make it easier for the readers to read. You don't want to do that.To really convince the reader, you will need to write an opinion piece. This is going to be based on facts and research, so you will need to put some effort into it. The essay should be well written and it should be completely researched. Some of the facts will be false, but they shouldn't be purposely misleading, either.Writing this kind of essay will take some time, but it is worth it in the end. It will show the reader that you really put some thought into the piece and that you are a professional. People will be more impressed with you if they see that you did your homework. They will also think that you took some time to research your topic.Before you get started on the opinion piece, you should think about the topics that you would want to talk about. You will also need to think about how you will go about conducting the research for your essay. You will also need to decide whether you will be using internet sources or getting your hands on some type of hard copy.When you are trying to convince the reader that you know what you are talking about, you will need to have a list of opinions ready to back up your opinion piece. You should make sure that your opinion piece is as interesting as possible. Give them something they can learn from, as well as something that is true. That is all that will matter when you are trying to convince th e reader that you know what you are talking about.When you are writing an opinion piece, you are not only trying to convince the reader that you know what you are talking about. You are also trying to tell the reader that you have put some work into the piece, as well. Your opinion piece should have some type of hook, as well as some type of a paragraph or the whole essay.Always have a sample sentence or paragraph before you write it. This will help you figure out what you need to do and how you need to structure your essay. Then, you can move on to writing your essay. You can do this right away by taking some of the sample sentences and writing a few of your own and comparing them to your samples.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini essays

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini essays ?The Kite Runner is a heartbreaking novel of family, friendship, loyalty, betrayal, strength of character, relationship between fathers and sons, discrimination, racism, and class structure in Afghan society. After reading a couple chapters I quickly realized that this novel might not be as boring as I expected. As I continued to get farther into the book it became a very interesting, and very intriguing story. While reading it, I felt myself not wanting to put the book down because I wanted to find out what happened next. In this paper I will talk about two young boys ( Amir and Hassan), and how their close relationship was diminished, as ethnic and political tensions arise in Afghanistan. Amir is a Pashtun and Hassan is a Hazara. Pashtuns are some of the richest people in Afghanistan. The Pastuns have always been the upper class and the Hazaras belonged to the much lower class. They often worked for richer Afghanis (Pashtuns), trying to get by on a meager living. The story starts with a happy beginning, where Amir and his best friend and servant Hassan live together in harmony despite racial and socioeconomic differences. And, because Hassan is Amirs Hazara, or his servant, they easily get away with spending time together. Amir and Hassan are best friends, but in their society this is regularly unacceptable, and especially after the fall of the Afghan monarch, things began to change. Pashtuns and Hazaras started to act in violent, conflict ways; Kabul becomes vulgar and grim. As cultural and political tensions grow in Afghanistan, Amir and his friend begin to grow apart. Overall, their friendship was a complex tapestry of love, loss, privilege, and shame. Khaled Hosseini does an excellent job of demonstrating how social pressures and a cultural attitude towards certain ethnic groups can affect a childs mind at an early age and tear apart long-term friends. For instance, a boy named Assef (who is Pashtun), at...

Observations and child interactions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Observations and child interactions - Assignment Example He would pull himself up on couches, chairs and tables and very quickly do a scramble from one edge to another, but when he was about to stand without support, he would totter and fall quickly to his bottom. Sometimes this upset him and at other times he would just try again. The observations took place on two different days. Interpretations The first observation was made over the course of about five minutes. When the mother sat on the floor with her child, their bond was clear by the way he would respond to her movements. He understood her cues just like she could anticipate his movements. They had played this game on many occasions. She would hold out her hands with the palms up which would get him excited. He would slap at them until he placed his hands in hers, sometimes scooting a bit towards her on the floor. Pulling himself up by holding onto her hands, he would stand while making eye contact with his mother. She sucked in her breath and make a unique repeating blowing sound between her lips as she stood up on her knees, and then rose to her feet. Bending over with his hands in hers, she would then kiss his forehead and then say â€Å"so little man, where do you want to go?† The child responded by taking steps towards her, moving more quickly until he started to fall forward at which point she scooped him and swung him around as he laughed. The practice of walking was a game with a chronology that they both seemed to expect. This same ritual happened on both occasions when they were observed. This interaction was highly interactive with the child and the mother watching each other intently. She spoke in warm, happy tones as they both prepared for the end of the ritual. The relationship with the grandmother was a little different. The interactions between the grandmother and Kyle were done also on two occasions for about five minutes. The grandmother took Kyle’s hands rather than waiting for him to give them to her. She pulled him to his fe et, and then led him walking from one place to the other. Although Kyle was energetic and was enjoying moving from place to place, his focus was on his feet and where he could run, but he was not focused on his grandmother’s face. She eventually picked him up and kissed his neck, making him laugh and then clap. The second time I observed them she pulled him to his feet and let him around the room, but he tripped and fell, falling to the ground. She tried to sooth him but his mother came to intervene. The second interaction happened three days later in about 5 minutes each. The grandmother, the mother, and the child were all in the room. This time the grandmother went first. She lifted Kyle to his feet and began to walk him around the room, his feet stepping over one another as he pulled and she pulled in different directions. Kyle became frustrated and it ended with him in tears. His mother picked him up and soothed him. Eventually, she sat on the floor with him, kissing him and laughing with him, keeping her eye contact with him during the prelude. Eventually she put her hands out, but he did not immediately put them into hers. He did within a minute, however, and then they stood together. He took more tentative steps at first, but when he realized that he was in control of where they would go he began to step in different directions. He tired more quickly than he did than during the first observation,

Tourism research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tourism research - Essay Example In the end, every tourism research has its own exceptional methodology, as defined by the supervisors and researchers overseeing the research. This report was conducted because of the turn down of visitors to regional parks. It seeks to obtain information that will enable park managers to improve park attractions and service quality. Since the relevant information obtained through visitor surveys can help assess the visitor’s behavior and their expectations of national parks, the supervisors and researchers decided to conduct a quantitative survey through a self completion questionnaire. The research review was centered mainly on visitors to regional parks. According to Balalia and Petrescu (2011), in order to motivate visitors to visit regional parks, park managers and supervisors had to understand the aspirations, needs and behaviors of the visitors. The research methodology also required interpretation and communication of the aims, park values and goals with the aim of improving visitor experiences and support. A questionnaire was developed with relevant questions posted to a sample of the visitor population. The survey asked questions on frequency, awareness and purpose in areas where potential issues exist. The questions about the participants themselves included gender, place of residence, age group as well as the highest level of education completed. Other questions included the main mode of transportation when visiting a regional park, frequency of visits, who accompanies the participants to the park as well as type of events that would attract them to the park. The questionnaire method was chosen because it is less expensive and the questions were few to answer hence, less time consuming. The answers that were obtained were analyzed carefully to be able to understand the information about visitors. The participants were requested to fill in the questionnaire during two weeks of 1st August to 14th August 2011. The sample of