Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Time And Tide Wait For None Philosophy Essay
Time And Tide Wait For None Philosophy Essay No one is so powerful that he can stop the march of time this is what the phrase time and tide wait for none means. Although the origin of this phrase is not sure, yet it is obvious that it has ancient origins and predates modern English. The mere mention of the tide being beyond mans control brings to mind images of King Canutes story. He showed the limitations of a Kings powers by failing to make the sea obey his orders. The word tide in this phrase originally didnt imply what the present meaning is the rising and falling of the sea.  It denoted a period of time. At the time when this phrase was coined the word tide meant a season or a time or a while.            This phrase is also sometimes mentioned as time and tide wait for no man. Nevertheless, it signifies the importance of time. In literature time has often been referred to as Once upon a timeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and then as the story progresses we discover how time passes, how it comes to a standstill, how it flies sometimes and how the character develops as time goes by. Time was a great teacher for King Lear in Shakespeares play King Lear. His character undergoes a sea-change with passage to time. His tow elder daughters failed the test of time. It was the youngest one, the reticent Cordelia, who faced the stormy times and came out a winner in being united with her father. But then time was a cruel teacher. Both Lear and Cordelia had to pay the price of their lives. Time had not waited for them. How time flies! they say. Rightly has Ben Hecht said, Time is a circus always packing up and moving away.             Time is to be treated as a precious commodity. Its as important as life itself. What is life? Is it a mere breathing exercise? How do we define time? We often refer to the term lifetime. What makes a life is not the whole life at one go. Rather it consists of moments stitched together. We should live life in parts, so to say. Live a whole lifetime in a whole day. Live as if theres no tomorrow. This doesnt mean being rash. But start enjoying your life, you never will be able to when times change. You never can judge what time has in store for you. Being alive and living is a totally different thing. If you go to accumulating wealth hoping that youll indulge yourself, do something for your family and enjoy life one day, you are grossly mistaken. When a man dies he will never wish he would have spent some more time in the office. As we say, opportunity is here, similarly, time is here and now. Time should never be wasted. I wasted time and no w doth time waste me, says Shakespeare in Richard II (Act V, scene v).            German Nobel Prize Winner, Thomas Mann in his novel The Magic Mountain writes: What is time? It is a secret lacking in substance and yet almighty. The concept of time has been treated differently in different periods of time. In ancient Greece time was treated as a circle. Hesoid, the Greek historian of 8th century B.C. divided time into five ages of mankind, beginning with the golden age of the distant past when men lived in peace and continuing upto the contemporary Iron Age where fights and warfare prevail. But in medieval and modern times time has been treated as a linear process. Saint Augustine in his City of God favoured the linear concept of time and labelled the Greek cyclic time as a mere superstition. Time has been mentioned in literature in different ways.  Even the mythical and cyclic depiction of time had influenced many writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez (One Hundred Years of Solitude), Octavio Paz (his poem Piedra de sol). Even T.S. Eliot in his poem Geronation gave to us the negative document on human life just as Paz. According to the linear concept time is an irreversible process; in Christianity from Creation to Judgment Day. An illustration of this in literature can be seen in Dantes Divine Comedy. William Faulkner, the winner of Nobel Prize Winner in literature in 1949, in his celebrated novel The Sound and the Fury gives in detail the downfall of a wealthy and prosperous family in the southern United States.            We have examples of famous personalities who dreamt big but had to accept defeat in front of time. The most brilliant example is that of Alexander the Great. At his death he wished to show to the people that he was going empty-handed. This was the realization of a lifetime but it dawned upon him when he was on his death-bed. Time didnt wait for him either. Hitler had dreamed of ruling over the whole world, but his progress was checked very soon and had to commit suicide in the end. These are all examples of human failure in front of the divine power of time. We have to move ahead with the time to conquer it. Generally what we do is that we move where life takes us. Thus, we allow to be driven by time, and to dominate us. If we stand still we will reach nowhere and time wont stop for us, to take us along. Austin Dobson writes: Time goes, you say? Ah no! Alas, Time stays, we go.            Indeed, men may come and men may go but time stays on just like the brook. But, again just as water is never the same in a flowing river, time too never repeats itself. Time once past cannot be recalled. How beautifully Omar Khayam puts it: The moving finger writes; and, having writ, Moves on: nor all thy Piety nor Wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a Line, Nor all thy Tears wash out a Word of it. No matter how many pains you take, you cannot use the undo command in life and edit again.            Another quality of time is its uniformity and impartial nature. It works at the same pace for the wealthiest and for the poorest one. An hour means sixty minutes both for a king and a pauper. All are slaves of time. What we can do is make the most of the time at hand, as the old proverb goes make hay while the sun shines.            We can broadly divide time into three categories past, present and future. But actually it is indivisible. Its a wonder how soon a past is created. You wink and eye and the moment is past. You will never find back the time wasted by you, there will only be tales of past. Future too is not revealed to us. We never know what is going to happen. Theres many a slip between the cup and the lip. So we should live in the present. It is only in the present that the essence of life is contained. We cannot depend on either the past or future which is not in front of us. Live life as it unfolds itself before us, that is, in the form of present. Trust no Future, howeer pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act, act in the living Present! Heart within, and God oerhead! (H.W. Longfellow in A Psalm of Life) Time doesnt give you chances. There are no retakes in real life. Time teaches you with experience but it has been called the cruelest teacher. Why? Because it never waits and you cant change your actions later. So much destruction has been caused in the world. The two World Wars have been there. Atom bombs have been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It seemed as if the country of Japan would be destroyed, its economy would never be able to recover. But time didnt come to a standstill. Japan is one of the leading nations of the world. This is because the Japanese didnt wait for the time, rather they acted. People lose their loved ones. Their lives are shattered by the death. Life doesnt seem to be moving ahead. But things change because time doesnt wait for the mourner to get back to life again. Time is a great healer too. It goes on and on, just like a stream. Indeed, time is the stream of life. Just like the bubbles some people fade away, some new ones take their place and the proc ess goes on. Life goes on.            There is a time and place for everything according to an old proverb. So when opportunity knocks at your door dont turn around. Grab the offer with both hands. Act spontaneously. The moment you act will be the right time. You never know when the time runs out or the tide turns unfavourable. Time is like the sand fast pouring out of your hands. It is just like the onion being layer after layer and in the end you find theres nothing remaining in it. Its now or never. So like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow says: Let us, then be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labour and to wait. TIME AND TIDE WAIT FOR NO ONE This is a very simple, clear and self-explanatory proverb. It means that time and tide do not wait for anybody. Time goes on passing without caring for anybody and anything. Similarly tides occur ; they have no regard or consideration for anybody. Time and tide symbolise valuable opportunity. They occur without any notice. The essence of the proverb is that opportunities do not wait for anyone. No one can command or foretell their occurrence http://essaysandarticles.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/time-and-tide-wait-for-no-man-43347-300225.jpg or recurrence. One should be alert and cautious because they occur without any notice. They are generally shortlived and pass quickly; No one can say whether or when they would come again. So one should be fully prepared to make the best use of an opportunity as and when it presents itself. Time and tide are natural phenomena. Like other agents of nature, they too have no consideration and regard for any individual. Man cannot change their course. They are beyond the control of human hands. Man finds himself helpless before them. In ancient times there were no steamships. There were huge boats equipped with sails. They were called ships. Their launching in the sea was a difficult affair, which depended on the tide. The sailors had to wait for weeks and sometimes for months, because their ships could not sail without the help of a tide. As soon as the tide came, they sailed their ships away with it. If they missed the chance, they had to wait for the next tide about which there could be no certainty. A tide never waits for any sailor. It is for the sailor to wait and take advantage of the tide when it comes. It is for the sailors to take advantage of the tide. If they fail they suffer the consequences. This proverb is a lesson to all of us. It lays emphasis on the desirability of our preparedness to make the best use of an opportunity that presents itself to us. We should, therefore, remain vigilant, because even the slightest carelessness on our part may result in missing a great opportunity in life resulting in colossal loss. It also implies that opportunities are rare. No one can create them. They come of their own. Those who are ready, are able to take advantage of them, but lazy^ people let them slip. Time is running fast. Yesterday will never come again. Even this moment when you are reading these lines will never come again. Time is an opportunity. If time will not come again, it means the opportunity will not come again. It is, therefore, necessary that one should grasp the opportunity as it comes. Missing an opportunity means missing the chance for ever, because one does not know whether the opportunity will recur or not. No amount of repentance would compensate the loss caused by such a failure. Nature is impersonal. It does not matter to it if a certain individual fails to make use of an opportunity offered by it. It is because of this aspect of the matter that wise men are always prepared to act with full vigour when time comes. They never postpone things. Suppose a student is to appear in his final examination in January 1980. He has still many long months for study and preparation. In January 1980, he will get an opportunity to pass the examination in any division he likes. He can put in hard work to make the best use of the opportunity and achieve his objective. But if he does not put his heart and soul into the study or in case he completely misses this opportunity, he cannot get a chance of passing the examination in January 1980 in his whole life. It may be that he . passes the examination later but passing the examination in January This is a very simple, clear and self-explanatory proverb. It means that time and tide do not wait for anybody. Time goes on passing without caring for anybody and anything. Similarly tides occur ; they have no regard or consideration for anybody. Time and tide symbolise valuable opportunity. They occur without any notice. The essence of the proverb is that opportunities do not wait for anyone. No one can command or foretell their occurrenceor recurrence. One should be alert and cautious because they occur without any notice. They are generally shortlived and pass quickly; No one can say whether or when they would come again. So one should be fully prepared to make the best use of an opportunity as and when it presents itself.Time and tide are natural phenomena. Like other agents of nature, they too have no consideration and regard for any individual. Man cannot change their course. They are beyond the control of human hands. Man finds himself helpless before them. In ancient times t here were no steamships. There were huge boats equipped with sails. They were called ships. Their launching in the sea was a difficult affair, which depended on the tide. The sailors had to wait for weeks and sometimes for months, because their ships could not sail without the help of a tide. As soon as the tide came, they sailed their ships away with it. If they missed the chance, they had to wait for the next tide about which there could be no certainty. A tide never waits for any sailor. It is for the sailor to wait and take advantage of the tide when it comes. It is for the sailors to take advantage of the tide. If they fail they suffer the consequences. This proverb is a lesson to all of us. It lays emphasis on the desirability of our preparedness to make the best use of an opportunity that presents itself to us. We should, therefore, remain vigilant, because even the slightest carelessness on our part may result in missing a great opportunity in life resulting in colossal loss . It also implies that opportunities are rare. No one can create them. They come of their own. Those who are ready, are able to take advantage of them, but lazy^ people let them slip.Time is running fast. Yesterday will never come again. Even this moment when you are reading these lines will never come again. Time is an opportunity. If time will not come again, it means the opportunity will not come again. It is, therefore, necessary that one should grasp the opportunity as it comes. Missing an opportunity means missing the chance for ever, because one does not know whether the opportunity will recur or not. No amount of repentance would compensate the loss caused by such a failure. Nature is impersonal. It does not matter to it if a certain individual fails to make use of an opportunity offered by it. It is because of this aspect of the matter that wise men are always prepared to act with full vigour when time comes. They never postpone things.Suppose a student is to appear in his final examination in January 1980. He has still many long months for study and preparation. In January 1980, he will get an opportunity to pass the examination in any division he likes. He can put in hard work to make the best use of the opportunity and achieve his objective. But if he does not put his heart and soul into the study or in case he completely misses this opportunity, he cannot get a chance of passing the examination in January 1980 in his whole life. It may be that he . passes the examination later but passing the examination in January 1980 will be an impossibility for him. January 1980 will not wait for him. Missing the January 1980 examination will result in an irreparable loss. Opportunities are rare. Generally they do not repeat. That is why wise people call them golden chances. It is always advisable to seize an opportunity as soon as it occurs, because it may never occur again. Such a chance, if availed of, may prove a boon in ones life and may also ruin ones life if it is missed. Many such instances may be cited from everyday life of many of us. A wise man, therefore, anxiously waits for an opportunity and makes the best use of it as soon as it occurs. Those who miss such opportunities because of their negligence or carelessness have to repent. There is another aspect of the matter. Time and tide are immune to sentiments of loss or gain to individuals, communities and nations. In total disregard of loss or gain to individuals they follow their schedules. There can be no appeal against them. It also flows from the proverb that one should be strictly punctual and should do ones work at the proper or appointed time. The habit ofpostponing things is not good. A thing postponed is generally never done. It also means that one should cultivate the habit of taking decisions quickly or at the ripe time. Vacillation in this regard may prove disastrous. Many people have met with failure in life because they would not take decision at the right time. Due to their vacillation the opportunity slipped out of their hands. In conclusion, this proverb teaches us to be very cautious and not to miss an opportunity that comes to us, because the opportunity will not wait for us, and we do not know whether it will come again. If one fails to take advantage of one opportunity, he may never get another. Time and tide wait for none! TIME AND tide wait for no man. This indeed is a well-known proverb. But how many times in our life have we desired that time was something we could capture in our hands and never let go. When we look back into our past, we gather a lot of memorable moments which we never want to get over, especially, those cheerfulchildhood days where we were pampered by one and all in our families. Those were the golden days of our lives. In the school days, we thought homework and exams were the hardest things one can ever face. Little did we know that with time, more hardships are bound to come. In college days deciding on a career was another Herculean task. Advices came when they are hardly required. Everybody had a say on our decision making process and they got the better of us. Then we took a plunge into the vast ocean called career. For some of us, there will be a phase when we want to change that one decision. Alas!, the realization will sink in deep that its too late to change our decision. We will realize that there is no rewind option in the lifes clock. We should realize the importance of taking the right decision at the right time. In that way, we will never regret any decision that we make in life. Procrastination will not help you to achieve the best things in life. So wake up before it is too late. Time might keep dodging us, but we should not get intimidated by it. All you need to do is, become excellent time managers. Be more organized in life and most importantly, be time-bound. Lead your life is such a way that you run in pace with time. Success will follow suit. In English: Time and tide wait for no one. Time is precious, once it is past, no one can go back and claim it. Thus everyone should be mindful of how his time is spent. In German: Zeit ist Geld. Time is money. = Time is precious. So you have to make the most of it. Time is the most precious thing for a man as it comes only once in someones life and never stays long. Whether favorable or unfavorable, time is gone once means it never returns just like tide. Thus, the popular proverb goes like Time and Tide wait for none. It is seen that some people miss the bus for a while escape the severe accidents. Likewise a scientist discovers a valuable finding at a particular point of time which he had missed by chance means eh might not have got the credit of finding that. Although all these are matter of fate nevertheless time does not wait for anybody. If we fail to act when time is ripped, we miss the chance and curse our fate for ever. So it is advisable to do every work at an appropriate time so that one would never repent for the time wasted. In fact, he should wit patiently for the proper and favorable time, so that success will come easily and time will be used best. In every field time has its own importance. If a farmer had not sown the seeds in proper season he would not get the paddy as thought. Similarly, the game of football one extra minute may also make a difference as during that one minute a player could score a goal against the opponent tem and the game would be over with an 1:0 score in spite of simple draw. To add another example, if a doctor would not reach at the right time the patients life will not be saved. Thus, time is very important for every work to be completed as required. In olden days there were now watches an people used to do their working following the direction of the Sun, even though people were sincere and punctual at those days. But today even after innumerable inventions and a lot developments people used to complain that they dont have time. Is it that the time in olden days was long and today it is short? Not at all. Then where is the problem? Actually problem exists in time management. As time wasted never returns and today people are wasting a lot of time wandering they are experiencing the time short, so the complaint. For instance when the students have the time, they waste it in unnecessary discussions, love and student politics etc. but when examination comes nearer they start studying and complain for time short as they could not use the time left in a proper manner. Here a saying comes to mind, Time is short, not for rest, think your aim and do your best. Have we ever thought of the importance of time. If not, then we should give attention towards it To known the value of one year, ask the student who failed. To know the value of one month, ask the mother of a premature baby. To know the value of one week, ask the editor of a weekly. To know the value of one day, ask the daily wage worker. To know the value of one minute, ask the passenger who missed the train. To know the value of one second, ask the person who escaped an accident. Thus, scheduled management of time can give a person more time to do what he wants, improve his availability, improve his decision making, improve his health, improve his productivity, efficiently and effectiveness, make him easier to work with, make him feel more relaxed, minimize the risk he takes and most importantly reduces stress. So following steps should be taken to manage time. Keep a time record. fix time for each activity and see that the work is completed within the time frame. Short term goals: Set the goal for each day, week or a month, so that you can make sure that the time is spent in a systematic manner. Planning- Plan and use your time in such a way that you have a clear idea of what you want to do with the day, make out a definite programme, know what you like doing with your leisure. Plan your work, organize it before you start, fix a time limit for each job and do your best to complete it within that time, learn to do things the right way- with ease and speed, eliminate all unnecessary moment, have the materials which you require at hand so that you can reach them without having to get up and walk around, try to do something useful with odd minutes like those spend waiting for bus or train i.e. read a book or plan your next job. Be punctual about appointments. Talking to people is fine but too much can become a vice. Interruptions- Dont allow any one to disturb you when you are doing an important work. Relaxation- Relaxation is also important, so do spare for it. Avoid overworking- Avoid overworking and try to begin and end the work in schedule time. Thus, make schedules to execute your work in a fruitful manner. Meetings- Plan and prepare for conducting a meeting which will help in saving time and dealing with the subjects in an orderly manner. Squandering time versus valid Downtime- Dont squander time on low priority things during the time set aside for high priority goals. For example dont watch television during the study time. Doing it right the first time- The biggest thief of your valuable times is doing a sloppy job when you get down to work. If you are not bothered to do it right the first time, then you will not be motivated to do it ever. Procrastination- Overcome these hurdles in the best possible manner. You must prepare and set study goals, imagine the pain, imagine the pleasure and give yourself permission to procrastinate some things, like giving a car a tuning. Live and work at steady rhythm- Once you master the art of working steadily, you will certainly make the best use of time. If you put these suggestions into practice and remember that if wealth is lost it can be regained but not the time, then you will be the happiest person in the world. Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today ? How do you explain this golden maxim ? One of the many weaknesses of which man must be warned is procrastination or putting off things that can be done today till a later date. There is some natural inertia in man which makes him lethargic. He knows he must work but he doesnt want to unless he is goaded, very often leaves things where they are. If it doesnt affect him personally he doesnt act immediately. He would rather bask in idleness. To make him work and act many incentives are offered. Thus we see in business, what is called an incentive bonus. In regular services they are offered increments. Man knows that putting off till tomorrow what one can do today is bad. So there are many maxims like time and tide wait for no man. Take time by the forelock; Make hay while the sun shines. These idioms go to show how society realize the value of time and doing thing in time. For time lost is a loss forever and it cant be brought back. Hence the proverb procrastination is a thief of time. Time is a factor which is very important, the more so nowadays. In the jet-age or the Supersonic-age everything takes place at a speed which the ancients would never have dreamed of. A generation or so ago it took many days to reach Malaysia from India. Now it is a matter of less than four hours. In order to keep pace with the speed with which things move, man also must know how to act quickly. Suppose one has to fly on a mission or business to a distant place he has to be at the airport very early. A delay of even five minutes would see the plane taken off and his whole program would be causing a lot of chain reactions. Suppose a man fails to turn up at the hour he has fixed for an engagement he would not only lose his face but it may also tell on his future with which his whole life is tied up. The more complex and technological the society grows, the value of time grows equally acute. Work falls in arrears, means he has to work harder and even faster the next day. This is found among students who often postpone doing their homework and wait for the weekend holiday to come. But when the holiday comes they find it difficult to sit and do their homework while their friends are playing outside. The next day they have to think of ways and means to deceive their teachers when homework has to be passed up. There is a sense of fulfillment for those people who are punctual and regular in their work. They enjoy a guilt-free conscience. A forcibly true example is the case of health. If there is any ailment one should attend to it immediately. Some people hide their ailments only to suffer later, when it is too late. When one is regular and punctual it adds to his dignity and brings him peace at heart. It requires principles, discipline and will power to do ones duty on hand at once. If only one were to keep a record of idle hours it would be astounding to see the sum total of the time. One must develop the philosophy of life quoted in the Village Blacksmith, Something attempted, something done, earned him a nights repose. Never leave till tomorrow what you can do today ? How do you explain this golden maxim ? One of the many weaknesses of which man must be warned is procrastination or putting off things that can be done today till a later date. There is some natural inertia in man which makes him lethargic. He knows he must work but he doesnt want to unless he is goaded, very often leaves things where they are. If it doesnt affect him personally he doesnt act immediately. He would rather bask in idleness. To make him work and act many incentives are offered. Thus we see in business, what is called an incentive bonus. In regular services they are offered increments. Man knows that putting off till tomorrow what one can do today is bad. So there are many maxims like time and tide wait for no man. Take time by the forelock; Make hay while the sun shines. These idioms go to show how society realize the value of time and doing thing in time. For time lost is a loss forever and it cant be brought back. Hence the proverb procrastination is a thief of time. Time is a factor which is very important, the more so nowadays. In the jet-age or the Supersonic-age everything takes place at a speed which the ancients would never have dreamed of. A generation or so ago it took many days to reach Malaysia from India. Now it is a matter of less than four hours. In order to keep pace with the speed with which things move, man also must know how to act quickly. Suppose one has to fly on a mission or business to a distant place he has to be at the airport very early. A delay of even five minutes would see the plane taken off and his whole program would be causing a lot of chain reactions. Suppose a man fails to turn up at the hour he has fixed for an engagement he would not only lose his face but it may also tell on his future with which his whole life is tied up. The more complex and technological the society grows, the value of time grows equally acute. Work falls in arrears, means he has to work harder and even faster the next day. This is found among students who often postpone doing their homework and wait for the weekend holiday to come. But when the holiday comes they find it difficult to sit and do their homework while their friends are playing outside. The next day they have to think of ways and means to deceive their teachers when homework has to be passed up. There is a sense of fulfillment for those people who are punctual and regular in their work. They enjoy a guilt-free conscience. A forcibly true example is the case of health. If there is any ailment one should attend to it immediately. Some people hide their ailments only to suffer later, when it is too late. When one is regular and punctual it adds to his dignity and brings him peace at heart. It requires principles, discipline and will power to do ones duty on hand at once. If only one were to keep a record of idle hours it would be astounding to see the sum total of the time. One must develop the philosophy of life quoted in the Village Blacksmith, Something attempted, something done, earned him a nights repose. Essay on the Importance of Time Time is said to be eternal. It is said that it has neither a beginning nor an end. Yet men are able to measure it as years, months, days, hours, minutes and seconds. They have also given meanings to the words past, present and future. True, time has a meaning. It moves. What was yesterday is not today. What is today will not be tomorrow. Yesterday is gone. Today is
Sunday, January 19, 2020
The Impact of the Civil War on Womens Rights Essay -- Womens Rights
â€Å"I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves.†― Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman After four years of seemingly endless battle between a divided nation, more than 600,000 people were killed. These lives, however, were not given in vain. Had it not been for the American Civil War, abolition may not have been carried out. The nation might have remained divided. Women might have remained confined to their roles as the "homemakers." Although the Civil War was fought in hopes of preserving the nation and ridding it of slavery, another war raged on within the depths of this war--the women's war. Serving as nurses both in the hospital and on the battlefields, women came to know a whole different world; a world outside of the home. When the last gun shot was fired, women were expected to return to their roles as the housewives. Some, however, had tasted the sweetness of being able to hold positions equal to that of their male counterparts and had become addicted. In this way, the American Civil War served as a significant turning point for the transformation of societal v iews concerning working women-particularly those in the field of nursing. Prior to the Civil War, it was believed that a woman's place was in the home. Societal views held that women were to be the homemakers, while the occupations in the outside world were to be left to the men. "It was an age when women were preferred as angels rather than amazons, homemakers rather than careerists" (Donald & Randall 19). A woman's legal status was dependent on that of her father or husband, depending on whether she was married or not. As a result, a woman could not make any legal appearances in court or sign any legal papers... ...ar and Reconstruction. D.C. Health and Company: Boston,1965. McPherson, James M. Ordeal By Fire: The Civil War and Reconstruction, Second Edition. Princeton University: McGraw-Hill, Inc., 1992. Moore, Frank. Women of the War: Their Heroism and Self-Sacrifice. Hartford, Connecticut: S.S. Scranton & Co., 1866. "Negro Emancipation," Harper's Weekly: Journal of Civilization, January 10, 1863, p. 18. "The Bombardment of Fort Sumter," Harper's Weekly: Journal of Civilization, April 27, 1861, p. 1. Thompson, William F. Image of War: The Pictorial Reporting of the American Civil War. Louisiana State University Press: Baton Rouge and London, 1960. Volo, Dorothy Denneen and Volo, James M. Daily Life in Civil War America. Greenwood Press: Westport, Connecticut and London,1998. Wright, Mike. What They Didn't Teach You About the Civil War. Presido Press, 1996.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Are Marketers Responsible for the Use of Harmful Products in Society? Essay
Mattel Toys is currently in the process of withdrawing millions of toys released in the market following disclosures that the toys have substantially high elements of lead in their paint. Excess lead can be harmful if ingested by children and can cause mental retardation, a fact that senior managers at Mattel would have been well aware of. With the blame game on and Mattel managers assuming the role of well intentioned victims of callous suppliers, consumers can do little but wait for the next big scandal. The Mattel incident is just another sordid episode in the history of marketers being responsible for the use of harmful products in society. Whilst many people consider ethical marketing to be an oxymoron, there also exists a body of thinkers who feel that marketers contribute to social and economic development, are largely ethical and sell products that fulfil customer needs and are of use to society. The issue, while discussed at great length by business experts, social researchers and marketing academics remains topical and an issue that is far from resolution. The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) enjoins business firms to consider social and community interests by taking responsibility for the effect of their actions on customers, shareholders, the community, and the environment in all areas of work. This concept extends beyond the scope of existing legislation and encompasses voluntary actions to ensure well being and improvement of quality of life of all stakeholders and the community at large.  Milton Friedman, as is well known, had something very different to say. In his words, â€Å"In a free economy, there is one and only one social responsibility of business †¦ to use its resources †¦ to increase its profits †¦ as long as it stays within the rules of the game†’ (Lantos, 2001, p 603) Friedman goes on to emphasise â€Å"few trends could so thoroughly undermine the very foundation of our free society as the acceptance by corporate officials of a social responsibility other than to make as much money for their stockholders as possible. This is a fundamentally subversive doctrine†(Anderson, 1989, p. 3) Friedman is not alone in such thoughts and there appear to be a number of experts who share such views. Donaldson, for example states that corporate executives who do not seek profits above all else are irresponsible in performing their functions. (Mascarenhas, 1995, p 46)Even while CSR is becoming a common enough flourish on corporate websites, many corporations, as is evidenced by the Mattel case still firmly believe in Friedman’s wisdom..  Whilst the protection and furtherance of customer interest is obviously among the foremost objectives of the CSR strategy of business corporations, corporate history is studded with scandals involving company wrongdoing in areas of marketing, finance, tax evasion, environmental degradation, and community activity. CSR tenets demand firms to sell products that are, in the first instance, safe and non injurious to consumers, the immediate community, the society at large and the environment, regardless of profitability considerations or perceived customer value. Notwithstanding the current obsession with CSR (evidenced among other things by the growing Fair Trade movement), history makes a strong case for its consistent and widespread denial by marketers and is replete with instances of companies not only introducing harmful goods in the market but also making strenuous efforts to ensure its widespread use and proliferation. Marketing has, during the past few decades become the most critical function of the modern day corporation. Even as the constant practice of marketing strategy has led to the enormous expansion of businesses, a number of ethical issues have manifested themselves in western nations, first as general concerns, and later as clear enunciations by various experts. Most of these issues relate to the introduction and propagation of products that harm and disempower consumers and communities.  Marketing activity, according to these experts, can be damaging to the personal choice and autonomy of the buyer, manipulative of social values, and deceptive in its message. In an article on â€Å"Is there more to Ethical Marketing than Marketing Ethics†Michel Brennan (1991, p 10) argues that the ultimate goal in a commercial venture is some sort of profit achievement. The needs and wants of consumers as well as the wider concerns for their impact on society become relevant only to the extent of their effect on the profitability of the organisation. With marketers following this approach many inequities have crept into the practice of marketing. It is particularly seen to be biased against minorities like gays and ethnic groups, guilty of unethical practices against the elderly, who are targeted with products related to time shares, and living trusts, exploitative of children, who are influenced at impressionable stages to consume unhealthy food and drinks, and buy undesirable fashion ware, derogatory towards women, who are used to elicit judgements on sexuality rather than product attributes, and cynically manipulative of the developing world, which is made the dumping ground for unnecessary, and often harmful, goods. George Ritzer, in his celebrated book â€Å"The McDonaldization of Society†, (1993, p 37) illustrates in graphic detail the all pervasive and malevolent impact that mass marketing can have on humankind. Ritzer argues that McDonaldization refers to a process wherein the principles of the fast-food industry, namely efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control through technology are applied to numerous sectors of society on a global basis. This process, while being immensely profitable to businesses, has the potential to cause great harm to society. In McDonald’s, customers entering fast food outlets are manipulated to pay for their food items before tasting them, collect their orders from common distribution points, choose from a restricted and unimaginative range of unhealthy and high calorie foods, sit on uncomfortable chairs, (thus being urged to gobble their food and vacate their places fast enough), and put their trays into the garbage on their way out. Similar practices, with the help of mass advertising and focussed promotions, have enveloped and controlled society in numerous ways. A recent study on confectionery retailing and merchandising by revealed that merchandising decisions were driven more by issues like space maximisation, profitability and customer pressure rather than by social responsibility. (Piacentinin, MacFadyen and Eadie 2000, p 463) The role of advertising in marketing has also come under severe attack by critics who feel that several harmful values like conspicuous consumption, greed, envy, emulation and self-centredness, to name a few, get reinforced by advertising. Whilst reactions like these do carry elements of self righteous extremism, the argument that advertising can be more restrained and less blatantly aggressive in promoting consumption, particularly for products that appear to be harmful to vulnerable segments of society, is also valid. Developments in technology, consumer response and behaviour, and marketing thought have led to the introduction of a number of variables that have altered both the practice of marketing and its perception in the eyes of practitioners, theoreticians and students. Progress in communication and internet technology has created a proliferation of information and provided consumers with an array of choices. Not all of these developments have been positive. Computer and electronic communication technology have made it possible for large organisations to capture and store personal and some times very private data, on huge scales, thus leading to intrusions into the personal space and security of individuals. Recent trends in the west have reflected the emergence of a different line of thinking, namely postmodernism, in most areas of human thought and endeavour. Whilst modern marketing thought, exemplified by the McDonaldized society, follows extols the superiority of mechanised working, as well as extreme standardisation, and works on the achievement of progressive debasement of humans post modernism bewilders with its plurality of currents and styles, characterised by the juxtaposition of opposing thoughts. In marketing situations, the emergence of post modernism is reflected by the fragmentation of society, the rise of individuals, greater awareness in marketers of their ethical responsibilities and the development of movements like that of Fair Trade.  The concept of QOL (Quality of Life) marketing is also rapidly gaining ground. QOL concepts broadly require marketers to enhance customer well being and satisfaction without harming either the community or the various stakeholders. (Sirgy, and Dong-Jin, 1996, p22) QOL, by its very scope, is applicable to many marketing decisions and especially to the selling of harmful products. While post modernist thinkers like Stephen Brown have been vehement in their criticism of modern marketing thought, especially on the irrelevance of mass marketing in an increasingly fragmented and more informed society, the larger corporate response favours staying with accepted marketing dictum and, of late, tweaking the marketing mix to include ethical concerns. Thus whilst there is an appreciation of the changed environment, its demands are yet to be addressed sufficiently in the absence of concretised strategies that can be applied to maintain and wrest competitive advantage. Intensive research will no doubt provide strategies that can cope with the changed realities in the marketplace and enable marketing to work towards social good. In summation it would appear that while the movement to bring in ethics into the marketing of products is gaining headway much work still needs to be done and marketers need to internalise the tenets of corporate social responsibility in their working attitudes. CSR objectives would be very well served if marketers, even as they strive for competitive advantage and business profits also take care to observe time held values like honesty and exactitude, gratitude, justice, and protection of the health and safety of others. References Brennan, M, 1991, Is there more to ethical marketing than marketing ethics, Marketing Bulletin, Vol. 2, Pgs 8 to 17 Mascarenhas, OAJ. 1995, ‘Exonerating unethical marketing executive behaviours: A diagnostic framework’, Journal of Marketing, Vol.59, No.2, 43-57. Lantos, GP. 2001, ‘The boundaries of strategic corporate responsibility’, Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol.18, No.7, 595-630 Nantel, J, 1996, Marketing ethics, Is there more to it than the utilitarian approach?, European Journal of Marketing, Vol.30, No. 5, Pgs 9 to 19 Piacentinin, M, MacFadyen, L., & Eadie, D. 2000, ‘Corporate social responsibility in food retailing’, International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 28, No.11, 459-469. Ritzer, G, 1993, The McDonaldization of Society, Pine Forge Press; Revised edition (September 1995) Sirgy, MJ. & Dong-Jin, L. 1996, ‘Setting socially responsible marketing objectives: A quality-of-life approach’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 30, No. 5, 20-34.
Friday, January 3, 2020
Sony A Virtual Reality System - 870 Words
Introduction Background Sony has may departments that they excel in, but none more than PlayStation. PlayStation has consistently brought in the most revenue for Sony over the past five years. PlayStation is consistently a global leader in digital entertainment. It was developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment and was first launched in Japan in 1994. PlayStation is a gaming console that offers more than just video games. PlayStation also is a media center and online streaming service. There have been four generations released since 1994. There are many products that branch off from PlayStation including the PlayStation Vita, a handheld device, PlayStation Plus, an online streaming services, and PlayStation VR, a virtual reality system.†¦show more content†¦As mentioned before one of PlayStation s biggest threats is their competition. Xbox and the Nintendo Wii are catching up to PlayStation in sales. The competitors are also offering similar products which sets PlayStation back (SWOT Analysis Of S ONY Corporation 2016). Corporate Plan There are many areas in which Sony PlayStation can improve; especially in the areas such as growth, profit and customer service. Sony is continuously improving and a growth goal that could be reached is to increase Playstation sales by 5% over the next three to five years. To increase profit PlayStation could set a goal to increase Gross Profit Margin percentage by (1-4%) over the next two to four years. To improve customer service PlayStation can focus on enhancing overall customer satisfaction. Profit Goal Strategies Improving the functionality of any industry’s supply chain sets up corporations for profitable and triumphant operations. Sony, one of the world’s leading players in gaming and entertainment, has shown that their innovative and artistic approach has contributed to their success. To further the company’s accomplishments, focusing on profits, we have established the goal to decrease COGS by utilizing more sensitive approaches by 2% while increasing Game Network Services sales by 2% over the next 2 - 4 years. With our selected strategies, we believe that this goal is within the achievable realm, setting a path for long-term future success. ToShow MoreRelatedVirtual Reality : Reality Or Reality?1165 Words  | 5 PagesVirtual Reality has seen a huge gain in popularity in the past year. Unlike prior years in the development of virtual reality, there are now products that can accessible by almost everyone. There are many different systems to achieve virtual reality and they all come at a wide range of price ranges. With the continuing development of virtual reality, consumers and producers are beginning to see much more pros than cons, even though there still are some. 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