Three Bases for Government Essay Example for Free

Three Bases for Government Essay In government, the Lao-tzu says, it is important that â€Å"the people be kept constantly without knowledge and without desires† (Blythe 1992). Not to be misconstrued as a kind of political technique designed to manipulate or coerce, this means that they be allowed â€Å"to safeguard their true nature.† Government must in the final analysis abide by naturalness and nonaction. The sage ruler naturally never puts himself first or claims credit for his accomplishments. Consequently, the people are not aware that he has brought order and well-being to the world, assuming that the good fortune they enjoy has come about spontaneously. Ultimately the ruler himself must embrace nonaction so as to establish a model to transform the people that is, to enable those under the spell of desires to reclaim their true nature. Specific policies or techniques of government are secondary and must be â€Å"forgotten† if nonaction were to be realized. Government by nonaction is not â€Å"mysterious,† however. It does not involve mystical or esoteric practices, but rests on the claim that the transforming power of Tao, defined in terms of naturalness and exemplified by the ideal sage-ruler, would spontaneously permeate the mind and heart of the people. There is perhaps a degree of optimism to this view, but one which to Wang Pi is well justified. This is because the all-encompassing order of tzu-jan extends to the sociopolitical level. The institution of family and state is not extrinsic to nature. More specifically, the hierarchical structure of sociopolitical institutions reflects the principles governing the Taoist world. This explains Lao-tzus claim that Taoist self-cultivation, which Wang Pi again relates to realizing ones true nature, has a direct impact on the well-being of the family and the country (Blythe 1992). In this light, such concepts as nonaction, quietude acquire a more concrete meaning. In the Ho-shang Kung commentary, these concepts are subsumed under the rubric of â€Å"securing the One† (shou-i). In the Lao-tzu itself, the expression â€Å"embrace the One† (pao-i) is used twice; but Ho-shang Kung prefers the word shou to emphasize the importance of â€Å"securing† what has been â€Å"embraced.† In other words, ideal government, both politically and with respect to the interior life, depends on the rulers ability to acquire and to maintain the â€Å"One,† and to guard against harmful influences. For the ideal but practical, new democratic state, Jefferson coined the word sociocracy. Jefferson’s ideal government is neither individualistic nor collectivist. It consists of a dictatorship of three wise men who represent the technological, the temporal, and the spiritual spheres. Final veto rests in the spiritual officer in whom alone are found wisdom, philosophy, and moral ends. The temporal power, however, acts according to the laws of nature expressed through the social forces, and is guided in all things by social science. Jefferson was fundamentally right in believing that unless sociologists controlled the state, the social problem would never be solved. The first step toward the ideal government, therefore, was to indicate just what the social sciences are, and what they have to contribute to the knowledge of human problems and social progress. Jefferson insisted that the present order is the result of defective knowledge, neglect of moral teaching, and of anarchical habits of egoistic living. To erect the ideal state, the temple of humanity, there must be a consensus of organized philosophy, reformed morality, and permanent nonsupernatural religion. Capital must be moralized, the marriage institution renovated, and every other institution spiritualized by the awakening of the sympathetic instincts enlisted in the service of humanity. To lead and control the positive state, Jefferson offered his philosophy of science which is a scheme of education, a method of government, a school of wisdom, and a form of religion— in brief, a synthesis of mind, feeling and action, crowned by the religion of humanity. Carter also defended his ideal government on the grounds of economic and ethical principles which are closely associated with ach other and with the political principles which formed the basis of the ideal government. His aim was to achieve political and social solidarity through an economic but ethical revolution which would make the introduction of the new order possible and which would sustain and reinforce it after it had been established. The underlying principles of his state are, therefore, as tightly interwoven and as interactive as his aims and this was as it should have been, for Carter regarded society as an organism of the whole-and it was for the achievement of a unified, harmonious whole that he sought a solution. Because of the doctrine of evolution, Carter believed that man could not be considered as an individual apart from his surroundings, for he was born into an environment from whose effects there could be no escape. The problem, therefore, was to adjust mans conduct to the social organism, the whole, of which he was a part or to adjust the social organism so that it would further right conduct and the achievement of action that would be for the good of the whole. Ethics, therefore, became a sociological search â€Å"for right conduct† which was to be defined as the â€Å"stable adjustment of the part to the whole† (Blythe 1992).    References Blythe, J. M. 1992. Ideal Government and the Mixed Constitution. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.

Mindfulness Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Mindfulness Worksheet Essay Please use the information from your â€Å"mindfulness conversation† to complete this worksheet. Submit this worksheet in the Module 1: Assignment 3 Dropbox no later than Day 7 of Module 1. Include vocabulary and concepts from your reading and course site to support and illustrate your own insights. In preparation for the papers you’ll write later in this course, take the time to organize your thoughts for each question and write clearly. Completed worksheet should be not more than three pages. 1. Describe who you had the conversation with and where. Only disclose what you are comfortable with. You can use initials or code names. I had this mindfulness conversation with a friend I’ve had for a long time. I had the conversation at my house on the front porch. 2. How easy/hard did you find it to be mindful? Why? I find it very easy to be mindful this time one reason being that me and him knew each other since we were 12 and we connect like brothers and have a lot in common that’s why I can be so mindful to him. 3. What did you notice during the moments when you were able to be mindful? How were you feeling? I noticed while being mindful that we have so much in common and we shared so many memorys for so many years. I felt very good listening to him because we are so close and it felt good to listen to what he had to say at those moments. 4. How did mindlessness both yours and the other person’s show up in the conversation? What affect did it have? Our mindfulness showed mine at first because I was only listening to him then him to me. It affected us by letting us know we can both be mindful and listen and learn from each other. 5. What 2-3 things did you learn about mindfulness? I learned that when you listen to someone they can teach you something everyone has a different perspective and view and deserve to be listened to. Next I learned that when you stop and be mindful to someone they will in return most likely be mindful to you. 6. What would help you be more mindful in your life? Identify 2 actions (i.e. new behaviors you can practice). How will these actions improve your interpersonal effectiveness? One thing that would help me be more mindful would be to learn about that person find out what we got in common and listen to them and then tell them what we have in common and share that with them. If I did this more often then I would definitely improve my interpersonal effectiveness because when you are more mindful then people will do the same to you and when people are mindful to each other then they will get along better and can teach each other more things about each other and about life in general.

Marketing Audit Of Primark Stores Limited

Marketing Audit Of Primark Stores Limited This report will start with an exhaustive examination of the internal factors of the organisation with a critique of its Marketing Mix. A SWOT Analysis will then be performed to get more evidence of where the company is standing now. The fourth part of the report consists of the auditing of external environment of the business with the help of a very effective tool which is PESTLE factors. To perform marketing audit in best possible manner another tool named Competitive Analysis will be employed which is also known as Porters 5 Forces Analysis. Here a broader view is adapted by looking at the fashion retail sector as a whole along with competition as faced by Primark Stores Limited. Marketing Audit of Primark Stores Limited A marketing plan clearly defines all the decisions relating to the marketing mix for the given product or service. Then each of the mix elements would be made into a plan at a further tactical level in the organisation to be implemented. The framework remains basic and unchanged at marketing and corporate level. It can be simply described as: Where are we now? (Audit) Where are we going? (Objectives) What are the alternative ways of getting there? Choosing the best option and developing an action plan (Tactics) Implementation and Control (Cravens and Piercy, 2003) The question of the report clearly indicates the researcher to focus upon the marketing plan, the implementation of which begins with a marketing audit. This report will attempt to do the marketing audit of Primark Stores Limited. Primark needs no formal introduction as being a value clothing retailer in UK; now more so when people are worried about the economy and employment. It has in total 207 stores across Europe in countries like Ireland (Trading as Penneys in Ireland), UK (145 Stores), Spain, The Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and Belgium (www.primark.co.uk). Primark outperformed MS this September with 17 per cent increase in profits and figure of  £233million (www.dailymail.co.uk). This Company is chosen for two other reasons as it being a prominent player in affordable fashion retail sector (www.gurdian.co.uk) and secondly the writer has worked in the retail sector and is hoping to secure a graduate placement in the same industry. Critique of Primarks Marketing Mix This Marketing Audit can prove useful in evaluation of the companys marketing, since evaluation compares results with expectations the findings should prove interesting and helpful. (Cravens and Piercy, 2003) Gillian and Wilson, 2003 suggest that a distinct competitive position as compared to other companies can be established and sustained through the manipulation of the elements of the marketing mix. In UK, services account for greater economic output as compared to manufacturing. In retail sector as well equal importance is placed on customer service and thus the 7 Ps of Marketing Mix are considered here. Primarks 7 Ps analysis is described below: Product: This is the first element of the marketing mix, the product is widely understood as the tangible and physical entity that is bought and sold. However there are three levels of a product namely the Core Product, the Actual Product and the Augmented Product. This is briefly explained in the diagram below: three_levels.gif Source: www.marketingteacher.com In case of Primark the Core Product is the Benefit that one gets by buying clothes and fashion accessories acceptance in society, protection from weather conditions, etc. The Actual Product will be clothes that are sold in stores and Augmented Product will be after sale services like refund and exchange. This also includes tools like Product Management, New Product Development, Product Life Cycle, Customer Life Cycle and Branding. It can be said that Primark has mastered its mix in an efficient way and this P has been added in the best possible manner. It has a product range comparable to any other clothes and fashion retailers. One can buy from socks to over coats and also home decoration products like bed sheets and so on. Price: Pricing consist various decisions and choices to price the product or service provided. This in broader sense includes terms of business, discount structures and pricing strategies. Pricing strategies can range from Value Pricing, Promotional Pricing, Psychological Pricing, Product Bundle Pricing and Geographical Pricing. The diagram below attempts to simplify the strategies: pricing_matrix.gif Primark without any doubt falls into Economy Pricing and that has been the key ingredient for the success of the company and also in making it more known brand name than its parent company which is Associated British Foods. It is undoubtedly a no frills low price retailer with cheapest rates in the market for majority of its products. Place / Distribution: This element refers to logistic and channel management, physical distribution of the goods and services. It is apparent from the pricing and policies of the company that it does not sell its products online. It has done very well in terms of the location of the stores in majority of town centers as well as high streets and Oxford Street Branch is one strong example of it. This is a key ingredient which Primark is suggested to re-evaluate as there is one more tool which is the most effective in todays retail environment which is e-retailing which can be used to its benefit with careful consideration. Promotion: Promotion is supposedly the most considered P among the other elements and in writers experience and the elements of Promotion Mix would form a very large chunk of the Marketing Budget of any retail company. Primark claims that it can deliver its products to the customer at cheaper rates which are thanks to their no promotions policy. (www.primark.co.uk) This can be claimed as the best strategy suited to a no frills retailer like Primark to maintain feasibility. People: As consistent with the concept of marketing itself, people form the most important part of any service offered to the customer. It consists of tasks like employee selection, training and motivation. Employees are the brand they are selling in many ways. Primark has struck a good balance with this P in the mix making the Primark team full with energy and team spirit. Rigorous recruitment process takes place to test the individuals patience and swiftness in serving customers. Physical Evidence: This can be said that the products itself are the major part of the physical evidence and looking at the things like packaging, layout, dà ©cor and ease of access, Primark can be said to have well designed layouts where products can be found with less effort. However as the case with many no frills companies, other retailer would get more score on this P comparatively. Process Management: Here the process management would cover right from when customer enters the store to when they leave the store. This experience would be considered process and this is also a weaker element in the marketing mix of Primark for it being a very busy place to shop at and at many instances good tend to be damaged if not selected carefully. (Hartley, 2004) Primarks SWOT Analysis Being one of the most frequently used tools, strategic importance of SWOT Analysis is many a times undermined. The outputs suffer at some occasions due to the superficial ways in which it is conducted (Gillian and Wilson, 2003). Its rigorous implementation however could greatly assist in two major purposes: To separate meaningful data from just interesting data. To discover what the company can do to exploit its competencies within its market segments in present and in future. SWOT-Analysis-sm.jpg Source: www.bizstrategies.biz Weihrich, 1982 also argue that using same inputs in TOWS pattern increases their recognition and fully integrates them into strategic planning process. Discussing Primarks SWOT: Strengths: Vast Product Range and Cheap Prices Part of Ethical Trading Initiative with workers rights taken care of. UKs second largest clothing retailer according to volume. (www.tnsglobal.com) Selling around 20 Own Brand Labels. Weaknesses: Bad name with allegations of child labour and worker rights. Criticised due to quality of clothes many times. Weak in terms of Augmented Product. (Figure in Section 2) Opportunities: Expansion in European countries. Improvement of Brand Image. Use of e-retailing. Threats: Competitors make use of Promotion element very well. Asdas own brand- George. Few shops degrading the name of the brand due to bad quality of service and unmaintained and shabby merchandising. Primark clothing.jpg Analysing PESTLE factors for Primark There is an argument that it is many a times not the customer but the external factors that decide what happens in the market. For example insurance companies are directly or indirectly involved with the design of smoke detectors and activists can demand of design change in dolls. (Salancik and Upah, 1978) For Marketing Audit to be realistic one of the binding necessities is to study the external trends. Amongst various approaches, analysing PESTEL factors is deemed best which include political, economical, sociological, technological, legal and environmental issues. Political Factors Government regulations in terms of worker health and safety. Primarks UK energy consumption is sourced against green power generated and sold into the grid by British Sugar. Economical Factors Economic turbulence might actually encourage the customer to buy cheaper clothes and save some money. In this way the economic factor has been a blessing in disguise for Primark. Sociological Factors UK Charity War on Want investigated and reported that the conditions of the workers in Bangladesh had not improved after all the problems with Indian Suppliers. Primark products are not considered to be very good in quality and thus rejected by many segments of customers. It is believed you will come across people wearing same t-shirt or other piece of clothing about 10 times in a day if it is bought from Primark. Technological Factors It is keeping ahead of the competition in a way by getting Entropy Software Platform developed by BSI Management Systems, which will enable global visibility and better management control in line with its ethical trade strategy. (www.bsigroup.com) Legal Factors It had to face legal issues regarding the child labour allegations. Its expansion in Europe might have undergone extensive legal checks to ensure it is abiding by the local laws. Environmental Factors It has to consider the environmental sustainability issues and it has also acted upon it by dumping plastic bags and giving away paper bags. Recent news shows that due to Throwaway Fashion in last five years, textile waste has rise from 7 percent to 30 percent. It is being called The Primark Effect. (www.dailymail.co.uk) Primarks Michael Porters 5 Forces Analysis Porter, 1980 emphasised that the first determinant of a firms profitability is the attractiveness of the industry in which it operates. The second determinant is competition. This led him to device five forces that determine the nature and intensity of competition within the industry which are described in the diagram below: Source: www.businessballs.com Based on: Michael Porters Five Forces of Competitive Position Model Threat of New Entrants Risk Very Low: High cost of setup. Power of the Supplier Risk Very Low: No single big supplier and less bargaining power of suppliers. Power of the Buyer Risk High: Competition in Market and no switching cost. Competitive rivalry Risk Moderate: Few low price retailers with similar vast range of products. Threat of the Substitutes Risk Moderate: Existing low price retailers but none that can be called a substitute. Conclusion This report started with an introduction to Marketing Plan and the first function of it which is Market Audit. Primark Stores Limited is chosen for various mentioned reasons. A critique of its Marketing Mix followed with a SWOT Analysis which gave a deeper insight into the companys current standing. Auditing of external environment of the business was then carried out with the help of PESTLE factors and Porters 5 Forces Analysis. It is apparent from the study that there are two areas namely its Brand Image and Online Presence that Primark need to work on and on the other hand it position is quite strong and its marketing mix very effective. This report concludes with a quote by Porter which summarises the whole study very coherently, 1998 Pp.142: Competitive Strategy means taking offensive or defensive actions to create a defendable position in an industry, to cope successfully with competitive forces and thereby yield a superior return on investment for the firm. Firms have discovered many different approaches to this end, and the best strategy for a given firm is ultimately a unique construction reflecting its particular circumstances. [Word Count: 2094 words]

Comparing and Constrasting Jack and Algernon Essay -- The Importance o

Comparing and Constrasting Jack and Algernon In this Essay I will compare and contrast the characters of Jack and Algernon. I will do this by looking at their behaviour and attitudes towards f food, marriage, women, social class, education and money. I will endeavour to show that these characters are not dissimilar as we might first be led to believe. I will use both the text as well as the modern film version to prove my ideas. Algernon Moncrief lives in an expensive flat located in Half-Moon Street. He is a very emotive character just like Wilde himself. As far as the piano is concerned, sentiment is my forte. We think he is rich, which, however, soon, especially in the modern film version, is proven to be wrong. Right at the start people who he owes money chase him. Also his butler Lane complains about him not paying his lone. Algernon comes from a rich family. His aunt, Augusta Bracknell, is very rich. In order to keep up his live style and his place in society he has to dine with his aunt a fair few times. Too often in his opinion. "I dined there on Monday, and once a week is quite enough" It shows us that Algernon expects a lot, a high standard of living but is not prepared to do anything to achieve and to deserve it. He wants it presented to him on a salver. Dining with his aunt is even too much. Algernon is not serious at all. He loves talking about everything, making comments and statements and expressing his opinion to everything. He has a rich aunt and does not need to worry about anything, except for what he is going to eat. Jack is also fortuned. He inherited some money from the late Mr Thomas Cardew. A wealthy man who found him the cloakroom of Victoria station... ... being really good all the time. That would be hypocrisy". Gwendolyn and Cecily are attracted by the wicked and disreputable backgrounds of Algernon and Jack and are not really interested in who they really are, as long as their name is Ernest. Cecily keeps a diary and in her diary she is already engaged to Algernon(Ernest) months before he has asked her to marry him. On the 14th of February last. "Worn out by your entire ignorance of my existence, I determined to end the matter one way or the other, and after a long struggle with myself I accepted you under this dear old tree here" Cecily hates education. She does not want to learn and so this shows that she does not want to use or waste it. This can also be shown, as she writtes a diary and says that she does not trust her memory. She likes reading and writing her diary which is like her memory.

Ruthlessness in Public Life by Thomas Nagel Essay -- Ruthlessness Life

Ruthlessness in Public Life by Thomas Nagel The issues discussed by Thomas Nagel in 'Ruthlessness in Public Life' are that continuities and discontinuities exist between the public and private morality. Public officials need to recognize that there are clear limitations on actions which conflict with morality concerns. Nagel explored how public and private sectors need to adhere to certain ordinary moral standards. To rectify these issues of construed morality, Nagel explores a few options. Nagel states that 'If one of them takes on a public role, he/she accepts certain obligations, certain restrictions, and certain limitations on what he/she accepts' This statement incurs that public officials have distinct authority over the public which maybe construed by personal interests. A plausible theory is to prevent impersonal forces created by institutions. The next option recognizes the discontinuity between individual mortality and public mortality, which will provide either an addition or restriction within varying institutions. Nagel indicated that in his own opinion is that morality should be based on acceptability to each individual responsible for the actions and not hold the whole institution or all parties liable. The conclusion presented by Nagel is that the theory of obligation can explain special features of public morality. Also those individuals can take steps to restrict certain choices. Nagel also concluded that the institutional structure shields indi...

Impacts Of Urbanization :: essays research papers

Many villagers and small town dwellers want a living in big cities. With some expectations, they make a movement from villages to big cities. This migration from rural areas to big cities is called urbanization. There are two kinds of factors why rural people seek for urban life. The first one is urban pull factor. They dream for higher wages, better housing and utilities, better school and hospital, more jobs opportunity, and more experience that they can get it all from a living in big cities as they think. The second one is urban push factor. We know that most of rural areas people are farmers. There’,s not much else to do anymore in the village but wait for harvest time and without higher level of education, availability of media, or facilities that they need, they might be stimulated to move to urban areas. But after they reached what they called their dreamland, most of them must face more problems than what they had when they lived in villages. They will face some problems because of their insufficient abilities, experience, education, and skills those are needed for a good living in big cities. For instance, they can’,t provide housing or maybe they can’,t find any job. And then they just stranded with the option of staying in cities or coming back home. As the result of urbanization, cities have more problems to overcome such as pollution, overpopulation, drug abuse, congestion, crime, poverty, traffic jam, slum areas, and many more. There must be something to solve these problems. Government and citizens should be involved because taking care of city problems can’,t be done entirely by government. The community can be even more successful because it deals directly with problem areas. As the solution to solve those problems government can provide housing, create a new regulation transmigration program, provide skills training program, or start to develop in rural areas. Impacts Of Urbanization :: essays research papers Many villagers and small town dwellers want a living in big cities. With some expectations, they make a movement from villages to big cities. This migration from rural areas to big cities is called urbanization. There are two kinds of factors why rural people seek for urban life. The first one is urban pull factor. They dream for higher wages, better housing and utilities, better school and hospital, more jobs opportunity, and more experience that they can get it all from a living in big cities as they think. The second one is urban push factor. We know that most of rural areas people are farmers. There’,s not much else to do anymore in the village but wait for harvest time and without higher level of education, availability of media, or facilities that they need, they might be stimulated to move to urban areas. But after they reached what they called their dreamland, most of them must face more problems than what they had when they lived in villages. They will face some problems because of their insufficient abilities, experience, education, and skills those are needed for a good living in big cities. For instance, they can’,t provide housing or maybe they can’,t find any job. And then they just stranded with the option of staying in cities or coming back home. As the result of urbanization, cities have more problems to overcome such as pollution, overpopulation, drug abuse, congestion, crime, poverty, traffic jam, slum areas, and many more. There must be something to solve these problems. Government and citizens should be involved because taking care of city problems can’,t be done entirely by government. The community can be even more successful because it deals directly with problem areas. As the solution to solve those problems government can provide housing, create a new regulation transmigration program, provide skills training program, or start to develop in rural areas.

Buddhist religion Essay

The Four Noble Truths are the foundations of the Buddhist religion. From these emanate the rituals and beliefs still practiced today. The Buddhist philosophy centers on the basic truth that with the existence of life, the presence of suffering comes along with it. So, it is a primary aim of a Buddhist to alleviate oneself from the suffering of life. Hence, this contemporary Buddhist practices revolve around the four Noble Truths which explain how to end suffering and guide one’s self into what they call Nirvana, an enlightened state of being. To end suffering, one must overcome ignorance, craving or attachment to worldly pleasures which are rooted to the evils of lust, hatred and delusion. To overcome these evils and hasten their way towards Nirvana, most of Buddhist monks practice celibacy, teaching and preaching. Their days are often spent in rituals, devotion and meditating. What defines the basic moral code of the Buddhist religion is the observance of five precepts which prohibit killing, stealing, harmful language, sexual misbehavior, and getting intoxicated. To counteract these evils and overcome suffering, Buddhists try to instill within their very selves the practices of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. They pray fervently, contemplate, and devote their lives to simple chores and service to others in order to facilitate the achievement of their enlightenment. To encapsulate these practices meant to suppress suffering is to follow Siddhartha Buddha’s Noble Eight-Fold Path which consists of right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right-mindedness, and right contemplation. Following this path will lead, eventually, a believer towards Nirvana.