Sales Management and Personal Selling Essay

To address your immediate need from Kendrick Foundation Company (‘KFC’) for a price quote on Curl Metal Cushion Pads (Cushion pads or ‘CMCP’), it would be beneficial to establish a proper pricing strategy. It may also be beneficial to not only consider the short term, but also the potential long term pricing strategy for future consumers as well. To estimate the value price or price premium, it is advisable to keep in mind perceived value added propositions for your consumer. Also, as with most products, it is meaningful to perform a margin analysis based on potential pricing to customers to determine profitability of the overall product venture. Last but not least, external competition should also be considered as a factor on your product price. First, based on the information given, relative pricing analysis can be performed utilizing information from consumer purchases of conventional pads. Based on the price paid for the conventional pads for each projec t, it can be assumed the customer is willing and able to pay comparable pricing for CMCP (assuming the same benefits are created for users). A higher value price can be created by emphasizing the additional features or benefits of utilizing CMCP versus the conventional pads. The main additional features include more efficient pile driving time and less required time for change (overall less labor utilized), this value proposition can be estimated based on labor cost savings. In addition, CMCP are generally safer than the conventional pad, while the measurement of this value/benefit may be harder to measure, it is yet another selling point that could increase the price premium the customer is willing to pay for CMCP. For purposes of having a measurable pricing strategy, the focus of this analysis is on labor time savings. Assuming the average cost per Real Hour is $63/Hour for labor (HBS – Curled Metal Inc – Table A), and the willingness to pay for the material itself is same as what the customer paid for the conventional pads, the additional benefit from labor time saved (utilizing conventional pad as bench mark) can be considered cost savings to customers therefore, addition to customer perceived value. Table 1 – Revenue Analysis exhibits the cost to customer  for purchases of conventional padding (project based), this cost plus the labor cost savings switching from conventional pads to CMCP translates to an estimated per unit customer value price for CMCP. With comparable data collected for the two test customers, the estimated value pricing is $765/pad (based on selling 6 pad sets) and $1,392/pad (based on selling 5 pad sets) for size 11  ½, and $339/pad (based on selling 6 pad sets) for size >11  ½ Inch. This is evident of the upward price we can charge the customers, also, a differentiated price can be based on volume sold per set. To continue the flow of the discussion and to be conservative, we will assume the remaining discussion pertains to selling sets of 6 or at the $765/Unit (11  ½ Inch pad price) and $339/Unit (>11 1/2 Inch pad price). Second, margin analysis is necessary to determine profitability based on the aforementioned customer value pricing. Table 2 – Cost/Margin Analysis calculates the profitability per unit for short term (250 Units Production) and long term (500 Units Production), this analysis utilizes the estimated perceived value calculation along with prior information provided (HBS – Curled Metal Inc – Exhibit 6). Analysis is performed for the most popular sizing – 11  ½ inch pad, along with two other product lines to expand the production consideration. Result of the analysis concludes the 11  ½ product is most profitable among the three products. In regards to your consideration of whether to expend $150K on permanent tooling, based on our analysis, it does result in higher profit margin than using your original equipment. However, this is given that there is enough customer demand to cover the cost of the additional tooling. Lastly, based on the analysis, COGS will also decrease as production increases even with the additional spend for equipment (comparison of 500 units vs. 250 units produced). With uncertainty on market demand, and with limited resources on marketing research efforts, I would advise you to hold off on permanent tooling purchase until demand is more certain. Third, competitors and substitutable products could have an impact on product price. Since CMCP is the first of its kind to enter the market, you will have first mover advantage, however, competitors could enter the market with a similar product and additional pricing strategies, such as rebates/discounts or changes to list price may need to be considered. While it is not a huge concern during product launch period, it should something to be cognizant of  in case the product proves to be profitable. Further analysis should be performed to ensure maximum customer price value is captured. Based on the aforementioned information, I would suggest focusing efforts on the 11  ½ inch CMCP and charging the customers upwards of $765/Unit (based on selling sets of 6 pads) and $1,392/Unit (based on selling sets of 5 pads). In the short run, I would advise not to purchase the additional permanent tooling cost until there is more certainty around the demand for the product. In the long run, with proven sales records, the company can benefit from additional operational efficiencies from higher volume production. If you have any further questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Pocket Should Be Given to the Teenagers or Not

Yes, they definitely should. Nowadays teenagers are moving to independence and it will help them if they have some practice in managing money. Giving pocket money teaches teenagers to manage money while they are still young and parents can still guide them. Also, it help teenagers to make choices and to see that sometimes people have to wait and save up some money to get what they really want. While searching for the story idea today, I came across an interesting survey on pocket money been given to the teenagers and young adults. For once, it struck me that this unique yet interesting subject has never been covered on this site before. So, let me take a dig at it. The important predicament of pocket money must have certainly flashed your mind either during your childhood or as a parent now. Of course, the dilemma is always much more grave if you are a parent. Parents extensively differ in their perspectives of upbringing children in a system of granting pocket money to take care of their petty expenses. At first, the definite expenses that should be termed as ‘petty’ is pretty much subjective in nature and needs to be well-defined to start with. The second question you need to ask is – what is the extent to which a child be given freedom to spend money which is deemed as pocket money? While lot of parent’s concerns revolves around promoting unhealthy competition amongst children on the amount of money they get and loss of control on a child’s spending habits, there are also some positive lessons for teenagers such as inculcating money management skills and making tough decision regarding spending desires that offer less value to their lifestyle. The â€Å"Current Pocket Money Trends in Urban India† survey by ASSOCHAM has cited that metropolitan children in the 12-20 age group get as much as Rs. 3600 to over Rs. 12000 a month of pocket money to spend on apparels, physical appearance, cell phone and other lifestyle products. Further, the monthly pocket money of teenagers and young adults, in cities like Delhi and Kolkata, have surged whopping 10-fold since 2005. In Ludhiana, 45% of surveyed teenagers get an allowance of Rs. 2000 on weekly basis. While the urban teens spend about 55% of their pocket money on electronic gadgets, almost a quarter of it goes towards watching movies and spending in malls. The remaining 20% of allowance goes towards eating out and food. The surprising factor over here being that with rising cost of living and soaring inflation, the pocket of teenagers has also grown deeper. Rather than controlling the overall family budget, parents have shown generosity in ensuring that their children maintain their prevailing lifestyle and spending habits. While giving pocket money to teens is not so bad a concept, you must also ensure that you allocate the right amount of money towards it which is more suitable to your family budget. At the same time, see to it that the sum granted by you is comparable and realistic to meet the day-to-day requirements of your child’s life. POCKET MONEY Pocket money as the name suggests is money given to children to take care of petty expenses. This amount of money can be given by parents' everyday, every week or every month or even on adhoc basis, as and when the child requires it. As long as the child has the freedom to spend the money, it will be deemed as pocket money. Parents extensively differ in their perspectives of whether or not to give pocket money to children. Some parents believe that pocket money should not be given since * That will make the child feel that ‘parents money is not his/her money', * ‘It could lead to fights between children', * ‘Unhealthy competition amongst children on the amount of pocket money they get' * ‘Loss of control on where children spend the money' However, giving pocket money to children has several advantages: * Children feel a sense of independence and responsibility towards spending the money the right way. They learn & understand the value of money. They also learn to understand that amount of money is limited and they need to always choose between their various desires to ensure correct use of their pocket money. * Children get into the habit of planned income and expenditure. They also learn about saving & budgeting. For eg: if they want to buy a present for their mother's birthday, they will need to put aside some amount of money every month to collect the commensurate amount and buy the gift. Giving pocket money to children also makes them feel an important part of the family since they know that they get a part of the family's monthly income. Some parents even believe in their children earning pocket money. What does that mean? It means that parents can often inculcate values/ beliefs/ actions in their children by rewarding them for it in the form of pocket money. In such cases, pa rents divide the pocket money amount in two parts: * One that is given on a timely basis. * Second that is earned against some house jobs. For eg: every Sunday, you could start giving a fixed sum of money to your son if he helps his father in cleaning the car. Or if your daughter helps around in dusting the house. This will in a way also inculcate the habit of weekly cleanliness in them since childhood. Similarly, if you strongly wish to inculcate the value of ‘ helping others' in your children, you could promise them an extra sum of money during summer vacations if they help your maid's child learn the basics of math. Once parents are clear that they want to give pocket money to their children, they also need to decide when is the good time to start giving the same to their children. Once children start spending sometime away from their parents in going to school, sports classes, tuitions, etc, they need to carry some amount of money on them. This could be a good time to start giving them pocket money. Obviously, in the beginning, the amount of money should be small and should be periodically reviewed as the child grows. For eg: you could decide that every birthday, you will give an increment to your child’s pocket money. Additionally, if your child excels in academics/sports, they could get higher pocket money increments! When parents start giving pocket money to children, they need to explain to them where the money is to be used. For eg: when you first give Rs. 50 to your daughter, you need to explain that this money is to cover her school special lunch, candies/soft drinks requirements for a week. If the child is given money without any direction, you could run the risk of the child using the money is a way that does not agree with you. In such cases, parents need to be very careful in not micro- managing where the child spends the pocket money, else the child will get irritated and will not get the ‘sense of independence’ that parents want to instill in the child. Parents must explain to children that pocket money is to be used over the week/ month and hence children should plan their expenses over the time frame. It must be made clear that in case children use-up their money earlier, they will not be given extra money. Pocket money will be given only on the fixed day as decided. This will help children learn the concept of planned expenditure and savings. Parents must always ensure that they give comparable pocket money to their children. It should neither be too much or too little compared to friends. Giving more pocket money than friends will make your child spend more and consider money as frivolous and easily available. If your child gets less pocket money than his/her friends, it will lead to an inferiority complex and the child might start resenting you. Last, but not the least, parents must be careful not to use pocket money as a way of punishment to their children. Often, parents use ‘suspension of pocket money’ as an easy way of punishing their children. This format of punishment is not wrong to use but must be applied carefully. I. e if the child has a broken a beautiful vase and you want him/ her to understand the value of the same, you can penalize the child by deducting/ taking away the month’s pocket money. But you cannot start using pocket money as a weapon to get the child to abide by all your wishes. For eg; you might want your child to have two glasses of milk everyday which he may not want to; in such cases by incentivizing the child for more pocket money will be wrong to do since such a format of giving money is not pocket money but ‘bribe’. Similarly, pocket money penalty cannot be used as a blanket punishment to all wrong – doings. If the child starts feeling that he/she will never really get pocket money due to some punishment, he/she might be tempted to steal money from parents.

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

New Perspectives on Computer Concepts - Essay Example All the activities that are taking place in the different functional departments are working in an integrated mode with the implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning software. The functional departments in the business are the accounts and finance department and the human resource management department (Parsons, 100). The business can use the benefits of ERP to run their business in an efficient and effective manner. The planning of product types, the purchasing of raw materials, the inventory control process, and storage of the product in the warehouse and then the distribution aspects of the product along with the process of tracking the orders can all be handled by this one software of Enterprise Resource Planning. ERP can be considered as back-end software for businesses. ERP takes the order from the customer and then through the path designed in the software, the order is worked out through the different functional departments. The customer services representative has all the information readily available when the customer id is inserted in the ERP software. Within a matter of clicks, information about the customer becomes available for completing the order forms. All the information available on the ERP software is available for everyone. Any type of update in the information can be viewed easily by the whole organization and also have the access to update at their end too. Management in the business organizations is one of the most important functions of business and it needs to be carried out in the most specialized way possible so that everything works out in a systematic mode. The ERP software has made it possible for businesses to manage and integrate their information in a systematic way and also ensures that all the activities taking place in the functional departments are easily updated with the latest information.

Music Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Music Anthropology - Essay Example And since the 1930s there has been a rebellious sub discipline of sociology called 'critical theory' whose avowed purpose is to expose the workings of ideology in everyday life, revealing 'uncritically' accepted beliefs and so returning to individuals the power to decide for themselves what they will believe for, by presenting themselves as simply 'the way things are', ideologies suppress the very existence of alternatives. Critical Theory developed to become a comprehensive mode of culture critique whose effects have been felt in disciplines as varied as literary studies, film and media studies, art history--and, more recently, musicology. Theodor Adorno, one of the founders of critical theory, was not only a sociologist but also an accomplished musician (he studied composition with Schoenberg's most famous pupil, Alban Berg), and he wrote as much on music as he did on sociology. Critical theory is in essence a theory of power, and it sees power largely in terms of the institutions through which it is channeled. In musicology, this approach has stimulated historical research into the formation of the canon (the repertory of masterworks on display in the musical museum) and the role of musical institutions in constructing, maintaining, and naturalizing this canon. But you can see the process at work today in the most important of such institutions, those at which music is taught (schools, conservatories, and universities). It is most obvious in the repositioning of rock within the academy. Pittman evoked the specific, pre-existing ideological discourse of rock and roll. While on the surface 'rock music' is a neutral label that distinguishes a particular kind of music, it also comprises a set of ideological assumptions about music creation and social life. Rock emerged as not only a musical genre, but a system of discourse through which the effects of the commercialization of music and the industrialization of music production can be negotiated, and by which social inequalities can be activated in a cultural arena. In an ideological division reminiscent of the high culture or popular culture distinction, rock discourse forged a hierarchy within popular music by creating a structure of value against which 'pop' music could be devalued. Rock was made to stand as a higher form of popular music, as the representative of art and artfulness. The commercialization and industrialization of music has dramatically changed the way in which music is created. Music production is organized around the segmenting of creative processes and a hierarchical form of collective production that involves more creators and more stages of creation. To make music within the music industry, musicians work with a number of people songwriters whose songs are chosen for their repertoire (in the event the musician does not write the material); producers of albums; engineers of songs; record company officials who dictate release dates of albums and singles and handle marketing and distribution; and, most recently, directors of video promotion. The separation of individual creators into categories of creative work is a function of the industrial mode of divided labor and helps industry maintain control over production. It is important to the

Sickle cell anemia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sickle cell anemia - Essay Example value to carrying a single sickle-cell gene in these areas because people with only two alleles of the gene are much less likely to fall victim to malaria (Kwiatkowski, 2005). The condition is characterized by the shape of the individual’s red blood cells, which tend to adopt a rigid, abnormal ‘sickle’ shape to them that decreases the cell’s flexibility and can create a number of complications throughout the body as a result. This occurs as a result of a mutation in the hemoglobin gene and it affects approximately 1 in 5,000 Americans, most of who are of African American descent. The life expectancy for people with sickle cell anemia is shorter than normal averaging 42 for men and 48 for women (Platt, Brambilla & Rosse, 1994). The purpose of the present research is to identify the genetic origins of this illness and the affects it can have upon the body. There are a number of different forms of the disease which are classified based upon the mutations present within the blood. Sickle cell anemia is the term used to specifically apply to those individuals who present homozygosity for the mutation (Green et al, 1993). In these individuals, long-chain polymers of HbS have the effect of changing the normally smooth, donut-like shape of the red blood cells to a more spiked and rigid shape that makes the cell more susceptible to breakage. People who are heterozygous for the illness are generally carriers, having only one sickle gene and one normal gene that generally makes up for the deficits of the sickle gene. However, when the ‘normal’ gene is also abnormal in some way, other forms of the illness can manifest, typically referred to as compound heterozygous (Green et al, 1993). The sickling effect is caused by a point mutation in which the glutamic acid, a type of amino acid, is replaced with valine, a hydrophobic amino aci d, at the sixth position. When in low oxygen conditions such as being at a high altitude, this causes an aggregation of

What are some of the psychoeducational interventions used in managing Assignment

What are some of the psychoeducational interventions used in managing bipolar personalities - Assignment Example Its symptoms are often misdiagnosed because it is not easy to arrive at a definitive conclusion; it is a life-long chronic ailment but can be managed properly to enable having a normal life just like anybody else. There are some interventions in this regard which can be quite helpful. Despite individuals or patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder having different types of personalities, character and temperament (Goodwin & Jamison, 2007, p. 324), it is still possible to develop beneficial interventions to mitigate the ill effects of this mental ailment. One of those commonly tried are the psycho-educational interventions suitably developed for each person and these include seminars and workshops for both parent and the afflicted teen or adolescent to educate them and disabuse their minds of wrong notions and false or dysfunctional beliefs about depression (Geller & Delbello, 2008, p. 188). The purpose of this is to recognize the symptoms early and to seek immediate treatment before the episode becomes a full-blown crisis (NIMH, 2012, p. 1) and another very helpful intervention is self-help, derived from increased knowledge, which essentially involves avoiding episode triggers or crisis situations that cause the depression. Psycho-educational interventions are me re adjuncts to normal treatment that involves the use of both medication and psychotherapy (or talk therapy that preferably involves family members). It is the right combination of these treatment factors that can avoid a relapse of bipolar

The Strengths, Weaknesses and Uses of the Economic Value Added (EVA) Essay

The Strengths, Weaknesses and Uses of the Economic Value Added (EVA) Mode - Essay Example Economic Value Added (EVA) EVA is a relatively new technique of measuring financial performance of companies. This tool relies on three basic elements which are Net Operating Income adjusted after taxes (NOPAT), the investment amount and the weighted average cost of capital (Hansen & Mowen, 1997). EVA can be calculated as: EVA = After tax operating income – (investment in assets x weighted average cost of capital) The amount calculated under EVA is an absolute dollar amount. The amount calculated can be either have a positive value or can have negative value. The positive value shows that the organization has remained successful in generating more Net Operating Income After Tax (NOPAT), well covering the cost of investments that were employed. On the other hand, negative values shows organization’s failure in recovering the costs of investment as its cost of investments exceeded the Net Operating Income After Tax (NOPAT). Obtaining the positive value of EVA is the core objective of any organization. Strengths of EVA EVA has significant strengths which have increased its popularity tremendously. In the following discussion, more attention will paid on different aspects of EVA. 1. Better Measure EVA has turned out to be a better measure in terms of performance measurement of different stakeholders in organizations. ... In order to achieve personal and individual goals, the broad objectives and goals of organization are put aside courtesy this technique. However, EVA is the technique which measures the performance of financial managers in an absolute dollar amount. This technique explains the absolute value added by the financial managers to their divisions and the organization as a whole. So the financial managers try to increase the EVA in comparison with other financial mangers to exceed the amount of EVA as much as they can, this effort causes benefits to financial managers, their divisions and the overall organization. 2. Absolute Measure of Performance One of the most promising strengths of EVA is that is explains the amount of value added by the financial managers in an absolute dollar amount. Other techniques such ROI measures performance in relative percentage terms which is not a true reflection of the performance of financial managers. The reason behind the failure of relative measures is that they do not take into account the size of amounts on which they are based. There are likelihoods that a financial manager earning too much with a huge amount of investments behind him/her, yet he/she end with lower ROI as compared to that financial manager who is responsible for lower magnitude of amounts. As a result, the true performance cannot be reflected if relative measures are used. On the other hand, EVA exactly explains the specific dollar amount that is added to the organization as a whole. 3. Similar to NPV This technique is very much similar to that of Net Present Value technique. In finance, the NPV technique has the importance of

Corporate Social Responsibilities report Assignment

Corporate Social Responsibilities report - Assignment Example The company ensures environmental sustainability through incorporating best practices which reduces impact on environment. Wendy is more concerned about people and believes in giving something extra to stakeholders apart from offering superior quality food choices. This organization serves local communities and takes active measures to minimize any form of societal issues. On the contrary, the Subway system is inclined towards providing healthier and tasty food choices. The company attempts to reduce environmental impact and structures effective programs for local communities. Sustainable sourcing is one of the corporate social responsibility activities undertaken by the company. It maintains a strict code for vendors and streamlines supply chain activities. Safety standards and high food quality are maintained by the organization and they are involved in reducing water conservation, energy utilization, etc. They even serve local communities through large number of donations and spon sorships. Subway is an active participant in context of extending support to educational institutions and local charities. Wendy’s and Subway forms a major part of the food industry. The companies are actively involved in providing superior quality foods to customers. Nutrition and health standards are taken into consideration while manufacturing food products. Environmental sustainability is a common approach adopted by both the companies. There are different practices adopted by the firms in order to enhance environmental sustainability. Environmental friendly practices are common for both the organizations. They are actively indulged in reducing level of water or energy conservation. This is an important corporate social responsibility approach and it needs to be focused on by all companies. However both the companies have initiated different programs so as to ensure that their

History of Contemporary Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of Contemporary Music - Essay Example Just as other terms that confine the artistic vocabulary like neoclassicism and totalitarianism, this category is forming arguments and a spread of various approaches and clear distinction. Contradictory to the globalization explanations that talk about a new age of the post historical. This essay will consider the age of the post modern music as an aesthetic paradigm that is illustrated by a specific type of music and focused on one musician, Neil Young. This will show the deconstruction that these expressions are carried out in both the historical accounts and the concepts of pure music, which features in the modern music. Contemporary History of Music: Neil Young The history of contemporary music can be summed up as modernism, which was featured in the twentieth century between the years 1900 and 1950, which was followed by post modernism from 1960 till present. This is one of the many comprehensions of contemporary music and other deductions are simply possible. By the year 1970, the term rock and roll had become almost meaningless, because it saw the break up of the rock and roll groups like the Beatles and death of the king of rock, who was significant influences on the genre. However, this era saw the rise of an influential young musician, Neil Young. Young became one of the most soughted after musicians of that era. This is because he was a philosopher, as seen in his lyrics and thoughtful, when it came to singing and writing songs that were reflective. His lyrics were mostly deep and from the heart, and this made it difficult to understand. Young was also the only musician who could change from one style of music to another seamlessly. After Young had moved from the California folk rock band in 1968, he made a name for himself as one of the most influential and eccentric singer and songwriter of his generation. His only rank second to that Bob Dylan in terms of being deep, and was able to maintain his record sales and reputation, for a longer time than Bob Dylan. This was because of his on purpose, obstinate work ethic. From the start of his solo musical career, fro the late sixties through to the twenty first century, he did not stop recording, writing and performing, and kept numerous unreleased songs in his safe. As much as he was influential, he only had one hit song, titled Heart of Gold, from his number one album Harvest, in 1972. The song sounds like a claim for emancipation of all conquering love. The song was made for a hit, since he included Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor as back up singers. The song is still among the most requested at concerts, presently. The song has been performed five hundred and forty eight times, since its debut on 1/10/1971. Young went on to explore new territories and genres of music, from rock, blues to electronic music. However, these stylistic exercises only gained significance as compared to his two primary genres namely: country rock and gentle folk, and also loud electronic guitar rock t hat he regularly. He usually alternated from these two extreme genres, which both proved equally influential. There emerged various bands and individual artists who claimed that they were influenced by Neil Young. Regardless of his massive influence and catalogue, he went on exploring new music. His restlessness ensured that he was one of the few veterans of rock as vital in his old age, as he was in his early stages of life. Neil Young and the song Heart of Gold is mostly taught in

Turture Case Essay Example for Free

Turture Case Essay This world is full of crimes and war. There isn’t one country out there that doesn’t have some sort of confliction with other countries. Is it normal? Is it ok to be committing all these war crimes? Honestly there isn’t any reasonable answer for that. Several people argue differently about the situation on war crimes. The author of â€Å"Thinking about Torture†, also film critic for National Review, and author of many other books; Ross Douthat talks about what he thinks about war crimes, which he believes they are not correct but the war crimes could be justified. In the other hand the author of â€Å"Committing War Crimes for the ‘Right Reasons’†, Glenn Greenwald who was also a constitutional law and civil rights lawyer has his own opinion. He believes war crimes are not acceptable for any reason. Sometimes it’s difficult to decide what side is correct. The question here is, is torture ok? In â€Å"Thinking about Torture†, Douthat writes â€Å"It doesn’t excuse what was done by our government, and in our name, in prisons, in detentions, cells around the world. But anyone who felt the way I felt after 9/11 has to reckon with the fact that what was done in our name was, in some sense, done for us.† This illustrates that Douthat has somewhat mixed feelings about torture. He feels that there is no excuse for the use of torture and what the government has done. But the way he felt after the attack of 9/11 what the government did was done for us to feel some form of justice. In â€Å"Committing War Crimes for the ‘Right Reasons†Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, Greenwald makes it clear when he states â€Å"but we don’t accept that justifying reasoning when offered by other. In fact those who seek merely to explain – let alone justified the – the tyranny, extremism and/or violence of Castro, or Chavez, or Ha mas, or Slobodan Milosevic or Islamic extremists are immediately condemned for seeking to defend the indefensible, or invoking â€Å"root causes† to justify the unjustifiable, or offering mitigating rationale for pure evil.† With this he is saying that many people will always find some kind of defense to justify the use of torture, but in reality there is no justification for an act of malevolence. Douthat finds justifications to the tortures that could reasonable to some while Greenwald finds no justification and believes the excuses are poor. Even though Douthat and Greenwald may have different views they also have some similarities. They both agree in some way that it is not correct. Douthat states in paragraph 9, â€Å"here I am more comfortable saying straightforwardly that this should never have been allowed – that it should be considered impermissible as well as immoral, and that it should involve disgrace for those responsible, the Cheneys and Rumsfelds as well as the people who actually implemented the techniques that the Vice President’s office promoted and the Secretary of Defense signed off on.† Douthat is stating that the torture should have not taken place at all to beg in with and is unforgiveable. The people behind all of this should be ashamed of their actions. Greenwald states in paragraph 12, â€Å"What determines whether a political leader is good or evil isn’t their nationality. It’s their conduct. And leaders, who violate the laws of war and commit war crimes, by definition, aren’t good, even if they are American.† Greenwald is simply and clearly is stating that it doesn’t matter what nationality a leader is from to determine whether they are good or bad leaders, but what determines if they are good or bad leaders are by their actions. They both agree that a leader should be responsible with what actions they choose. And if a leader chooses an unpleasant action they should be ashamed and considered terrible leaders. As people may have their own views and opinions like Douthat and Greenwald one finding a justification for torture and the other finding no excuse for it. Everyone will always have their own view, opinion, and answer, but at the end the real answer will never be known. For example Douthat could convince with the justifications he finds but Greenwald will also convince some on how there is no justification. The correct decision should always be chosen to avoid all this conflicts some people will argue. But how does somebody actually what the â€Å"correct† choice is? With people like Douthat and Greenwald arguing their sides it’s difficult to choose the correct one.

Durkheims Approach to Sociological Analysis

Durkheims Approach to Sociological Analysis Outline the main features of Durkheims approach to sociological analysis, and discuss how this may be used to understand suicide rate. Durkheim was a French positivist, with an emphasis on functionalism, which revolves around a biological analogy where in society, is seen as an organic whole with each component working to maintain the others, similar to the human body. Its main interest is seeing how these parts create a stable whole. One of the main areas of Durkheims approach is the focus on social facts, these are social phenomena and ways of thinking and behaving that restrain individuals in some manner or other and can include institutions such as the state and education. They appear from collectively formed rules and practices, be they religious or secular and are beyond our control as individuals. Because of these social facts individuals have littler or no control over their own actions, rather than constructing their own world they are directed by the system as society needs certain social behaviours and phenomena to survive. These social facts are passed on from generation to generation and shared among the individuals. From this perspective it is not individual will that drives behaviours but rather the common norms and values of society that shape ones consciousness. Not only are these types of behaviour and thinking external to the individual, but they are endued with a compelling and coercive power b y virtue of which, whether he wishes it or not, they impose themselves upon him (Durkheim, 1895 pp50). These social facts form the basis of a collective consciousness, which Durkheim sees as the body of beliefs and sentiments common to the average members of a society (Durkheim, 1893). This collective consciousness promotes solidarity, forging a common bond between individuals in a society, creating a form of order and stability. Without a form of moral consensus there would be conflict and disorder From where interest is the only ruling for each individual finds himself in a state of was with every other (Durkheim, 1973, p89) Since the collective consciousness is a social fact it too constrains individuals to act in terms of the greater good and for the good of the society and is deeply imprinted on the individual as without it there would be no society as we know it. These social facts can have problems if they regulate too much or not enough, without enough control the individual would give in to their own wants and desires, with too much they would feel repressed, inevitably both will lead to deviance, that being going against the norms and values of society. From a collective consciousness come two forms of solidarity, organic and mechanical. Organic solidarity is based upon a dependence that individuals in an advanced society place on each other. It is common among societies where the division of labor is high. Though individuals perform different tasks and often have different values and interests, the order and survival of society depends on their reliance on each other to perform their specific tasks. Mechanical solidarity on the other hand is based upon the similarities among individuals in a society, within it people feel connected through similar work, education and religious practices. It primarily exists in societies that possess a low division of labour where this is little interdependence between individuals and where there is a basic or lack of organisation and compared to societies with organic solidarity there is more value placed on religion, society and its interests and there is a greater collective consciousness and les s emphasise placed on individualism, that being where you count yourself as an individual rather than part of a group, putting yourself first etc (Haralambos 2004 pp). From organic solidarity and individualism can come anomie, this is a sense of normlessness, where norms themselves are unclear, broken down or unregulated If the rules of the conjugal morality lose their authority, and the mutual obligations of husband and wife become less respected, the emotions and appetites ruled by this sector of morality will become unrestricted and uncontained, and accentuated by this very release; powerless to fulfil themselves because they have been freed from all limitations, these emotions will produce a disillusionment which manifests itself visibly(Durkheim, 1972, p. 173) He noted that it was common in societies that possessed a less defined collective consciousness and a higher amount of individualismThe state of anomie is impossible whenever interdependent organs are sufficiently in cont act and sufficiently extensive. If they are close to each other, they are readily aware, in every situation, of the need which they have of one-another, and consequently they have an active and permanent feeling of mutual dependence.(Durkheim, 1895, p184) Imbalances in the amount of regulation caused by social facts and the amount of integration from solidarity are one of the main factors within suicide, less advanced societies having too much integration and regulation and industrial societies have too littler of either. Durkheim said that suicide was a social act, not entirely an individual one revolving around the relationships between the individual and society. He found that there was a correlation between the suicide rate and various social facts. For example he found that suicide rates were higher in protestant countries than catholic ones, he also found that there was a low rate during times of social and political upheaval due to the amount of solidarity that such events creates (Durkheim in Marsh, pp66-69). He laid out four types of suicide, depending on the degree that individuals were involved in society and on the degree that their behaviour was regulated. The four types being egoistic, anomic, altruistic and fatalistic. Egoistic suicide is common in industrial societies with high amounts of division of labour and comes from a high amount of individualism, which stems from a low amount of integration due to a weak collective consciousness from the social groups from which they originally belonged; in effect society allows the individual to escape it In this case the bond attaching man to life relaxes because that attaching himself to society is itself slack (Durkheim in Marsh pp67). This sort of suicide Durkheim said accounted for the differences of suicide rates between Protestants and Catholics, with Catholicisms demanding a higher amount of conformity, in comparison to the Protestant church that encouraged the individual to interpret the religious texts in their own way without stigma. Another type of suicide common in industrial societies is anomic which results from a low amount of regulation. It occurs when norms and values are disrupted by social change, procuring feelings of uncertainty with in the individual. Whenever serious readjustments take place in the social order, whether or not due to a sudden growth or to an unexpected catastrophe, men are more inclined to self destruction (Durkheim in K. Thompson, 1971, pp109) Durkheim found that suicide rates rose during positive as well as negative directions of social change. He noted that there was a rise after the crash of the Paris stock exchange in 1882 and the conquest of Rome in 1870 by Victor-Emmanuel which resulted in rising salaries and living standards but also a rise in the suicide rate. On the opposite side of the spectrum is altruistic suicide that comes from a high amount of integration and strong feeling of society and solid collective consciousness. This form of suicide is mostly present in pre-industrial societies who possess mechanical solidarity. This was seen as a self sacrifice for the good of the group This sacrifice then is imposed by society for social ends (Durkheim in Marsh, pp68). It is not done because it seen as the best option but more out of a sense of duty to said group. For someone to do such an act out of duty then they must have little self worth, the individual being fully submerged into a group and feeling like just a part of a greater thing, thus highly integrated. For society to be able to compel some of its members to kill themselves, the individual personality can have little value. For as soon as the latter begins to form, the right to existence is the first conceded (Ibid, pp68) Various examples of this can be seen throughout history, Vikings considers it dishonourable to die of old age or sickness and so ended their own lives to avoid social disgrace. Durkheim placed no importance on fatalistic suicide, saying that it had more place in history than in modern societies. It occurred when society restricted an individual so much that they were repressed, feeling that they had no futures or dreams. One of the major criticisms of Durkheims analysis is his concepts of integration and regulation. Durkheim gives no hint as to how one would measure integration or regulation for example he simply asks us to assume that such underlying concepts are significant in relation to the explanation of suicide. He assumes that suicidal behavior results from a deviation from normal levels of integration and regulation. We are given no idea what exactly is a normal level, so we cannot say what amount of regulation and integration is normal or abnormal (Web ref 1). However with some work, it could be possible to come up with various test relating to theses concepts, so that we could measure them among different groups in society. A second criticism is that his work on suicide is based upon official statistics from the 19th century He gives us little idea about the reliability of the source of the statistics and the methods used in recording them could not be up to scratch, some could be wrong, s ince they were hand written things could be misread and so on. Another factor is that the determination of suicide involves is process of interpretation by numerous people such as policemen, doctors, coroners etc (Ibid). In this respect, we have no real way of determining either the reliability or validity of suicide statistics. The coroner is the one who decides whether death was due to suicide or not and various factors can sway his judgment towards it not being so. The individuals verdict depends on their outlook on their work and on their outlook on suicide. Some would be thorough in the investigation whilst others would be concerned about not intruding upon the rights and feelings of the surviving relatives. For example if the victim was Catholic, since traditionally the Catholic Church view suicide as a sin, the coroner may well make his decision based on the effect that the stigma that a suicide verdict carries may have on the relatives. It is known that coroners in Catholic countries such as Italy and Mexico are more-reluctant to classify a suspicious death as suicide than coroners in non-Catholic countries. Another fact is that some countries suicide is classified as a crime, in such countries, coroners tend to be more-reluctant to classify a death as suicide than in countries where such a law does not apply, for example when suicide was illegal in Britain the punishment was that deceased property would be ceased by the state, so it would be justifiable to deem a suicide as something else to avert any more tragedy. Also where the victim was insured against death, coroners tend to be less likely to classify death as suicide than in instances where there is none, as such an act can void the coverage. One final criticism is that he does not take into look into individual action as a cause; however he does briefly acknowledge it but claims that it has no part in sociology (Ibid) Bibliography Durkheim, E (1973). Moral Education. Macmillan USA Durkheim, E (1975). On Morality and Society. revised ed. Chicago: Chicago University Press Durkheim, E (1982). The Rules of the Sociological Method. revised ed. London: The Free Press. Durkheim, E (1997). The Division of Labour in Society. revised ed. London: The Free Press Haralambos and Holborn (2004). Sociology themes and perspectives. 6th ed. London: Collin Marsh.I (1998). Classic and Contemporary Readings in Sociology. London: Pretince Hall. Thompson.K and Tunstall.J (1983). Sociological Perspectives. 9th ed. London: Penguin Books