Positive Male Role Models Essay

The Key to the Success of the African American Male March 11, 2007 For the majority of African American males, the path to success is a challenging one. Young African American males in today’s society face major challenges to their growth and security. The lack of opportunity and motivation stems from preceding obstacles set before the pathways of their ancestors. Therefore, the crisis faced by present day African American males is nothing new. Having unchanged outcomes in the social aspect of present-day African American males, Black youth should take the unsuccessful paths of their predecessors as lessons learned. Nevertheless, there can not be any type of change expected without adequate opportunities as well as appropriate motivation. From an early age, it has become increasingly apparent that Black males are confronted with a series of obstacles in their attempts to attain academic, career, and personal-social success (Lee, 1992). Being that children are very impressionable, young black males need to be inspired with confidence by a positive example or influence in the beginning stages. The prior stages of adolescence are the most important to the development of successful African American males. This is where the need for positive male role models becomes affective. Most would agree that the key factor of role models is greatly needed. Within the article, Wanted: A few good men, the importance of role models to increase opportunities for African American males were emphasized. Pointed out was a specific period in which a defining moment takes place in the young black male’s life. This was noted as the second of several defining moments, â€Å"When individuals assert their independence and often engage in high-risk behavior† (Simms, 1991). This was seen in many black males, but particularly in those whose lives lacked a successful role model. In many cases, this is the key setback in the development of successful black males. The concern for the lack of successful role models is not the only factor, but the lack of realistic models for African American males is an issue also. In the article, Fighting the failure syndrome, it speaks of rescuing African American males from a future of self-destruction and an absence of positive male influence. The fact of the matter is, the majority of black youth grow up in female-headed, poor, and negative influenced environments (Simms, 1991). Now, with the lack of a father or father figure, the stereotypical negative branding, and no other inspiring influences, Black youth are left with a limited choice of models to follow. It is stated that successful celebrities are too distant to offer realistic models of reliable maturity. â€Å"The adult males whom many black boys try to emulate come from their own neighborhoods, and in tough urban areas, these â€Å"models† are all too often involved in drugs and crime† (Tifft, 1990). With that being said, there needs to be an empowering of young Black males. And coincidentally, Empowering Young Black Males, is an article that covers a variety of problems and possible solutions to the major challenges young Black males are faced with today. This article deals with African American males in schools, psychosocial development, as well as actions for intervention. The acknowledgement that young Black males are sufferers of negative attitudes and lowered expectations further enhances the need for empowerment schemes. Such initiatives must focus on helping Black male youth develop attitudes, behaviors, and values necessary to function at optimal levels at school and in the world (Lee, 1992). Black male empowerment can play a major role in sponsoring a positive-based developmental program. The articles used provide good supporting facts of why positive male role models are needed as well as how much of a factor they are in the path to success. The process of developing young African American males goes through many stages. Having to find the right man for the job, the effort in being effective in breaking the negative cycle, to the overall empowering of Black youth is a task.

Hume Versus Kant Essay

Hume and Kant offered two differing views on morality. Hume’s philosophy regarding moral theory came from the belief that reason alone can never cause action. Desire or thoughts cause action. Because reason alone can never cause action, morality is rooted in us and our perception of the world and what we want to gain from it. Virtue arises from acting on a desire to help others. Hume’s moral theory is therefore a virtue-centered morality rather than the natural-law morality, which saw morality as coming from God. Kant’s notion of morality stems from his notion of one universal moral law. This law is pertinent to all people and can be used at all times before carrying our actions According to Kant, you ought to act according to the maxim that is qualified for universal law giving; that is, you ought to act so that the maxim of your action may become a universal law. While Hume and Kant’s moral theory differ dramatically, they share one quality and that is the fact that neither centers around the concept of God and his will. Hume’s theories may be considered by some not really philosophical theories at all. It is to say that he is not searching for that philosophical life that is seen in a Plato, or Augustine. He believes that capitalism promotes prosperity for people, and that only science and math is the realm for reason. To discuss Hume’s ethical theory you have to look at the central theme, which are feelings. Hume’s ethical theory says that moral judgments are made on feelings as oppose to reason. Hume’s feelings are based upon the belief that people make moral judgments because it is useful to society. He uses the examples of benevolence and justice to support this idea. Benevolence leads to happiness in society, which is the main basis for moral approval. Justice, for Hume, is regarded as good because again it is useful to society. He says that justice would not exist if everybody was not selfish, and one of its main uses is to protect private property. Justice for Hume is a very business oriented type of justice in which a transaction that is made must be suitable for both parties. If humans were not selfish than justice would not even come to mind in these types of situations because the transaction would be totally dominated by one individual, and that would not be justice. Hume’s view poses the question, which is better social peace or economic prosperity? Hume states that human beings are an animal whose life consists of worldly pleasures, and this is what leads them to a happy life. Again we see a clear contradiction to what â€Å"traditional† philosophers believe to be a happy life. As you can see Hume leaves out the spiritual, reasoning, and thinking part of human nature. Leaving all these factors out he comes up with his contributions to the well being of society. He believes that chastity, confidentiality, avoiding gossip, avoiding spying, being well mannered, and loyal are what can lead you to becoming prosperous. Hume looks at this from being prosperous only from a business-orientated point of view. People do like to become prosperous and have economic growth, but is that all that matters to us as humans? For Hume these feelings are justified because he says that we naturally care about other people and if we do not suffer from something we have a natural inclination to help others out. Hume finally comes a conclusion to his ethical theory in which he states that there are only four reasons in which to do morally good: useful to society, useful to oneself, agreeable to oneself, agreeable to others. Actions that are morally good are categorized into one of these four categories. These actions must be made with sentiment or feeling over reason, for Hume states man is a creature with feelings and reason let’s us figure that out. Hume believed that reason is, and ought only to be, the slave of the passions. He argued that reason is used to discover the causes of pain or pleasure, but it is the prospect of pain or pleasure that causes action, not the reasoning alone, as that is entirely indifferent to us. This notion of always being motivated by pleasure or pain is very important, as it follows from this that when we act morally, it is a desire that makes us act and not reason. Since morals, therefore, have an influence on the actions and affections, if follows that they cannot be derived from reason, and that because reason alone, as we have already proved, can never have any such influence. Kant takes a different approach in his ethical theory and the understanding of morality and what is morally good. For Kant moral goodness is defined as goodwill, and that we as humans have a moral obligation to do what is right. He says that moral worth is seen much clearer if someone does things out of duty. Opposite of what Hume says Kant believes that feelings and inclinations are irrelevant and that feelings are not what drive moral obligations. Then how does Kant justify what is morally obliged? He has cancelled out feelings, and has left it as an obligation for people. For Kant first you must take out all feelings. Moral obligation must be binding for everyone. If any action cannot be approved be everyone than it is not morally obliged. The standard for moral standards has to be universal or absolute. Kant’s ethical theory is put into a comparison of categorical and hypothetical imperatives. Hypothetical imperatives are looked upon as recommendations or laws by others. This is to say that it is someone else or some other thing is telling us what to do. Hypothetical imperatives are unproblematic. They are straightforward sentences that express mundane statements of fact. Categorical ones, on the other hand, are highly problematic. Categorical imperatives deal with autonomy. These are the moral obligations that Kant believes in, the morally obliged actions. In Kant’s view, only if a person is acting solely on the categorical imperative such as doing something out of duty, can the act be morally good. This is because if somebody is acting out of the hypothetical imperative, he/she has an ulterior motive in acting in that way and are therefore not acting out of duty but are pursuing a certain end. They need not be acting in self-interest, but if they act because of a desire to act in that way, this is not morally worthy. You can still act morally if it gives you pleasure, as long as the reason for your action is solely out of duty. For instance we ought to help other because you may need help some day. What makes it valuable is that it is valuable in itself. It allows us to treat ourselves and others with self respect. It is clearly seen that in Kant’s theory there is no feelings or emotions attached to these theories only obligations that will benefit all of society. When taking into account who is right or wrong, the type of person you are comes into play. Some individuals live their lives based off of feelings and emotions alone, and most decisions that these types of individuals make are what is going to them happy or something that could perhaps make them sad but another group in society happy. Then there are the other groups of individuals that do things without thinking of who they will affect but only take into account what they believe they should do based on society’s circumstances. Ultimately the decision on how to make moral judgments should be entirely based on you and your character and your experiences. If a person has been hurt by trying to be morally good then his feelings will come into play no matter how he made his original decision. If this person was making a decision based on obligation and he still got hurt from it in the long run then his next decision could be very feeling based. These two decisions on morality may continue to intertwine with each other. Hume and Kant are similar in that their moral theories are not the will as laid down by God, instead they see morality as embedded in humans themselves. However from here the theories diverge. Hume sees moral judgements as being caused by sentiments of pain or pleasure within an agent as reason alone can never motivate, whereas Kant see the only moral actions as being those caused by reason alone, or the categorical imperative. Both theories have difficulty with coming up with absolute moral laws – Hume’s theory because absolute morality would appear to be impossible if morality is based on an individual’s sentiment, and Kant’s theory because it cannot prove the existence of the categorical imperative.

Wal-Mart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wal-Mart - Essay Example The website is very well organized in terms of links and images. The left hand side of the e-store has a list of categories of consumer items for sale. The check-out function of the website is very easy to use. Wal-Mart can be benefit a lot from a more aggressive e-commerce strategy. The global market for online sales is huge. In 2010 e-commerce sales were $153 billion (Plunkett Research, 2011). Wal-Mart should look to increase its market share of this multi-billion dollar marketplace. The beauty of e-commerce is that it has the potential to reach a hundred percent of the global population of 6.9 billion. Wal-Mart has to look for ways to increase the traffic of its website. Simple solutions such as offering a discount coupon with every Wal-Mart receipt redeemable at its online stores can help increase the revenue of the store. The firm should advertize the site in TV commercials, radio, and in the press. An untapped market that could help the company increase its ecommerce sales is c ellular video advertizing. The assistance of G4 networks is enabling people to use the internet more through smart phones such s the I-phone.

CSR strategy and win-win strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CSR strategy and win-win strategy - Essay Example nization that invests in the chemical industry, corporate social responsibility is one of the most important factors that influence customer relationship and hence the profitability of the organization. A critical analysis of the organizational strategy will reveal the CSR strategies that Bayer Pharmaceutical Company has deployed and the way it has impacted on its business development strategies. First, the organization has invested in long term customer relationships by ensuring that customers benefit from quality products that the organization produces. Over time, the organization has invested in production of quality plastic materials as one of the CSR strategies to win customer loyalty. For an organization to win the long term loyalty of its customers, it is crucial for the organization to invest in quality products that serve the needs of the customers more satisfactorily (Crane, Palazzo, Spence & Matten, 2014). For a strong win-win approach, the organization needs to establish a symbiotic relationship in which both the customers and the organization have a mutual benefit. Customers are likely to remain loyal to organizations that satisfy their needs and protect quality. As such, the reason why Bayer Pharmaceutical Company has remained profitable is because they have provided quality products to win the loyalty of their customers. Bayer Pharmaceutical Company has used environmental friendly methods to attract customers to their business organization. A strong Corporate social responsibility strategies ensures that the organizational operation zero negative effects of the other stakeholders including the customers, the government and the environment. Since Bayer Pharmaceutical Company is a chemical based company, it releases a number of harmful chemicals that may have negative effects on the environment. However, the company has put enough efforts to ensure that the organization reduces its disposal of harmful chemicals in the environment. For instance, the

SOAPE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SOAPE - Assignment Example In this case, the patient showed signs like constant diplopia, vomiting, headache, loss of appetite, general malaise and had also lost 25 kilograms in a period of five month (Croat 348). This includes the information gathered during the interview with the client in the objective and subjective. From the information gathered in diagnoses evaluation and interview with the patient, he experienced a lot of complications. The patient had a brain tumor which was in the process of enhancing the sellar region. The tumor or growths lead to more body complication like loss of weight, vomiting and headaches (Croat 349). The plan is composed of everything that can be done as a result of assessment. In this case for effective treatment the patient underwent resection of endoscopic tumor by the use of binostril endonasal. The use of linear accelerator in carrying out palliative radiotherapy is necessary for the patients (Croat

Hange of effects of warfare on combatants due to new technological Essay

Hange of effects of warfare on combatants due to new technological advancements since Second Industrial revolution - Essay Example These changes are multidimensional and complicated. Most of the ideas and opinions have been propounded by the means of an example-based approach. Dependable sources for reference purpose have bee carefully selected and utilized. Research Question How have the effects of warfare on combatants changed as a result of new technologies of warfare since the Second Industrial Revolution (c. 1850)? Thesis Statement The changes in the effects of warfare on the combatants due to the utilization of post Second Industrial Revolution weapons technology have made them more impersonal, lethal, cruel, and confident. Armed Conflict Becomes More Impersonal and Lethal The effect: Since the Second Industrial Revolution warfare has become increasingly dependent on technology. This dependence has caused armed conflict to become progressively more impersonal and lethal. Discussion: The modification in the nature of armed conflicts is due to the fact that the combatants are becoming more impervious and als o they are lethally very much enabled. In the ancient and medieval ages, combatants used to fight each other in battlefields that generally did not cover the civilian areas. One-to-one battles were not unknown between the warriors and that used to be a matter of glory. Weapons like swords and spears could kill only one combatant at a time. But mass killing by using incendiary bombing, as had been seen in Germany and Japan, testify the fact that the new technologies have made the combatants extremely lethal (Grossman, 1995). Before the Second Industrial Revolution, a warrior has a glorious appeal. He/ she could be a crusader, a protector, or a savior. This appealing warlike personality cult motivated the youth during the post Second Industrial Revolution wars as well. The World War I is a good example of this. But with the advent of new technologies, the appeal of valor culminated at dangerous impersonal missions (Dennis, 2001). According to Smith (1983), â€Å"The introduction of t he gun will serve in the future to make war more rational and less the product of purely personal enmity.† In ancient warfare, we find personalities like Hector and Achilles who fought for personal glory. However, generals like Trotsky led the masses for almost completely impersonal movements. Rapid fire and faster and widespread communication actually impersonalized warfare (American Political Science Association, 1983). As for lethality once again, World War I provides a good example. Infamous chemical warfare during this period had made the ground reality similar to â€Å"Dying like so many rats in a trap† (Cook, 2002: 47). Such situation never came up in the wars of the ancient civilizations. Increased Cruelty The Effect: Second Industrial Revolution has begot such war techniques that cannot be limited among the combatants only. In modern warfare, the degree of civilian casualty is very high and this fact testifies for the increased cruelty of the combatants. Discus sion: Atrocities committed by the ancient and medieval combatants were less terrific and had lower psychological effect. In technology-based modern warfare, things are different; especially, psychological effects are too profound. Siege warfare is an important sub-discipline in this regard. During the siege of the cities in the pre 1850 environment, less prominent terror techniques were generally used. Examples of medieval siege warfare like the Siege of Calais (France) by British forces show that human values prevailed to at least some extent in the war. Although siege of Peking by the

Country report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Country report - Research Paper Example Then we’ll also look at the government structure of UAE and how they encourage foreign policies. The trade index of UAE and their financial standings will also be looked at in this report. Furthermore their GDP of 23% and growth rate will be discussed to see exactly how stable the economy of UAE is. It was seen that the abundance of crude oil and natural gas reserves, their free port zones and the sudden construction boom in UAE are the main reasons for their economic progress and financial growth. We will also look at the imports and exports of UAE and discuss how they’ve been encouraging foreign direct investments. With GDP of $54,607 / capita at minimum as per IMF, UAE is among the top 20 growing economies in the world. As per the estimate of 2009, UAE has the population of around 6 million which makes it the 120th largest country by population and its area is 32,278 sq mile which makes it 116th largest country by area. The population can be further discussed by the following chart UAE is an Arab country with the national language as Arabic, currency as Dirham, National animal is Arabian horse, National flower is Tribulus Omanese, National Bird is Peregrine Falcon, National tree is Ghaf Trees, Sport is Camel Race Drink is Camel Milk, and national Dress is Khandura United Arab Emirates has a history from 5500 BC from the times of Neolithic. In 630 the arrivals of Islamic envoys started and Ridda war was fought here when the Non-Muslims were defeated and this area went under Muslim rule. UAE went in Portuguese control in the 16th century when Portuguese started their expansion in the Indian Ocean and they ruled this area for about 150 years. Later this area got famous with the name of â€Å"Pirate Coast† from the 17th to 19th Century as it was under Ottoman Empire. British started their expeditions in order to protect their trade of India from the raiders at Ras Al-Khaimah. That further led to British taking

Interview old generation people (could be anyone) and discuss of Assignment

Interview old generation people (could be anyone) and discuss of cultural normality about how age based norms change over generation - Assignment Example This is the essence of cultural normality. This paper will present a discussion of how age-based norms change over generations. The paper will be based on the results of an interview conducted with an elderly person. The body of the paper will consist of two paragraphs, one talking about the life history of the interviewee and the other analysing the responses obtained from the interview. The subject of the interview is a 70-year-old retiree who, for 38 years, worked as a communications officer at General Electric. Although she currently resides in Chicago, she was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Her father was an Anglican minister while her mother was a high school teacher. Her parents were disciplinarians who attached a lot of value to education, good upbringing, morals, and religion. Her parents were socially conscious individuals who were active in community engagement, sensitisation, and political movements. This instilled in her a well-rounded view of life and the world and prepared her for the rigors of the corporate world, especially in an age where very few women worked in the corporate world. She understands the challenges involved in raising children through generational changes and has witnessed the world evolve to become fast-paced and highly dynamic. She attended public schools and then joined New York University to study marketing and public rel ations. After graduating in 1967, she was recruited by General Electric to work in their expanding marketing division. The interviewee got married to her childhood sweetheart in 1969, and they have four children. She is a practicing Anglican, who has maintained her parents’ respect for and inclination to religion. She is also socially active in her community, where she is respected for her career, activities, and age. She runs her charitable organisation that provides support for the

Personal statment Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Statment - Personal Statement Example st me with pointers and the knowledge of how to go about using e-business and ensuring not only its success but to ensure the business gains competitive advantage by using of minimal resources and acquiring a sustainable, permanent client base in the business. My first degree has provided the economic and financial side of handling a business. This includes issues such as the external and internal factors to watch out for as well as how to invest. What type of investments to make and at what time while ensuring that I get maximum profits using minimal resources and expenditure are other tips acquired. With this background in business, I feel that the only thing I miss is the technology and global aspect of the business. With everything becoming global, I do not want to be left out and INT course will provide me with the necessary skills to fulfil this desire. One of my hobbies is to indulge in financial articles reading of success and failure stories of entrepreneurs and corporations. This has provided me with a passion to succeed and avoid the factors that may lead to failure. One greatest way of doing so is having international management knowledge and skills that will enable me be competitive in any business globally. I am a highly driven person who is self-motivated and this will enable me conduct more research on my goals while studying the International Technology Management. This research will be on global business issues and technology relevant to mu course. The research will also ensure that I am on top of the syllabus at all times and engage regularly in discussion with my professors and fellow students. One of my future goals includes owning an online business that will be dedicated to purely providing international economic, financial and technological advice to entrepreneurs and small companies. This is so because these are the majority in the market and hence the business will not lack customers. They are also the majority who are hit by economic