Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Law Essay Example for Free

Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Law Essay Introduction Our assigned topic deals with a phenomenon that has taken the corporate world by storm rather recently, particularly in Pakistan. It entails the dilemma that every corporation faces when they have to make decisions regarding the firm’s profitability and their corporation’s social responsibility. The term corporate social responsibility came into common use in the late 1960s and early 1970s after many multinational corporations formed the term stakeholder, meaning those on whom an organizations activities have an impact. It was used to describe corporate owners beyond shareholders. The field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has developed exponentially in the last decade. Nevertheless, there remains a lingering debate about the legitimacy and value of corporate reaction to CSR concerns. There are different views of the function of the firm in society and disagreement as to whether wealth maximization should be the sole goal of a corporation. An escalating number of shareholders, analysts, regulators, activists, labor unions, employees, community organizations, and news media are asking companies to be accountable for an ever-changing set of CSR issues. There is rising demand for transparency and growing expectations that corporations measure, report, and continuously improve their social, environmental, and economic performance. According to Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), corporate social responsibility is defined as â€Å"achieving commercial success in ways that honor ethical values and respect people, communities, and the natural environment.† Each company is at variance in how it implements corporate social responsibility, if it does so at all. The differences depend on such factors as any particular company’s size, the particular industry involved, the firm’s business culture, stakeholder demands, and how historically progressive the company is in engaging CSR. Some companies focus on a single area, which is regarded as the most important for them or where they have the highest impact or vulnerability—human rights or the environment, for example—while there are others who endeavor to incorporate CSR in each and every one facet of their operations. For successful execution, it is fundamental that the CSR principles are part of the corporations’ values and strategic planning, and that the management and employees, both are committed to them. Furthermore, it is important that the CSR strategy is aligned with the company’s specific corporate objectives and core competencies. As CSR comes into contact with many of the problems conventionally addressed by government, like human rights and community investing, there is strong censure that societal problems are best solved by freely elected government bodies as the resources of a corporation are poorly matched for addressing those social problems, and therefore, it is argued, they should not be misallocated. According to Friedman (1970), in a free society, â€Å"there is one and only one social responsibility of business—to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits so long as it stays within the rules of the game, which is to say, engages in open and free competition without deception or fraud.† The idea is that the state should address social problems, supported by the argument that an executive, by taking money and resources that would otherwise go to owners, employees, and costumers, and allocating them according to the will of the minority, and will fail to serve the interests of her or his principal. In this way, the executive imposes a tax and spends the proceeds for â€Å"social† purposes, which is insupportable, since she or he has neither the skills nor the jurisdiction to do so. On the other hand, there are many demands by others for corporate adoption of the CSR principles. Although the government is chiefly responsible for addressing those issues, the contribution of private firms can be substantial. There is also the argument of the shifting balance of power. According to the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), of the 100 largest global economies, as indicated by their respective GDP, 51 of them are US corporations, and only 49 are nation states. So economic supremacy has shifted to the corporations; they, therefore, should have an increasing role in and accountability for addressing social problems. For example, the government sets the regulations and the minimum standards for the workplace, but a company can further improve the work environment and the quality of living of its employees. A firm cannot stay oblivious to the problems of the environment in which it functions. The poverty of a nation state’s citizens, political unrest, and the exhaustion of natural resources can have destructive effects for a corporation. For example, resources that are inputs in the production process and which, at the foundation of the industrial revolution, were plentiful are now scarce, polluted, or diminishing in many regions of the entire planet. As one would expect, this imposes an extra cost to the corporations and may force them to reposition or to cease operations. From one perspective, companies may be poorly equipped to address some of the social or environmental problems, but from another perspective, no matter how poorly equipped, companies may still be best positioned to improve the problems. Undoubtedly, adopting the CSR principles involves costs. These costs might be short term in nature or continuous outflows. They may involve the purchase of new environmentally friendly equipment, the change of management structures, or the implementation of stricter quality controls. Since being socially responsible involves incurring costs, it should generate benefits as well in order to be a sustainable business practice. A corporation could not continue a policy that constantly generates negative cash flows. The shareholders invest their money in a corporation, expecting the highest possible risk adjusted return. Therefore, being socially responsible should have bottom-line benefits in order to be sustainable. Socially responsible corporate performance can be associated with a series of benefits with the final outcome. But in a lot of cases, it seems that the time frame of the costs and benefits can be out of alignment—the costs are in the near future, whereas the benefits are not often realized until long periods of time have lapsed. Nevertheless, many benefits can be identified. Firstly, socially responsible companies have enhanced brand image and reputation. Consumers are often attracted towards brands and companies with good reputations in CSR related issues. Therefore, a corporation’s brand equity is automatically enhanced. A company regarded as socially responsible can also benefit from its reputation within the business community by having increased ability to attract capital and trading partners. However, reputation is hard to quantify and measure; it is even harder to measure how much it increases a company’s value. But since companies have developed methods to measure the benefits of their advertisement campaigns, similar methods can and should be able to be applied in the case of corporate reputation. Socially responsible companies also have less risk of negative rare events. Furthermore, companies that adopt the CSR principles are more transparent and have less risk of bribery and corruption. In addition, they may execute stricter and, thus, more costly quality and environmental controls, but they run less risk of having to bear in mind defective product lines and pay heavy fines for excessive polluting. They also have less risk of negative social events which damage their reputation and cost millions of dollars in information and advertising campaigns. The scandals about child–labor and sweatshops that affect the clothing industry are two fine examples. Thus, socially responsible businesses should have more stable earnings growth and less downside volatility. Since companies that adopt the CSR principles carry less risk, when valuing those companies, a lower discount rate should be used. In the company valuation this lower tail risk should be taken into account. There are also other cases in which doing what is good and responsible converges with doing the best for the particular business. Some CSR initiatives can dramatically reduce operating costs. For example, reducing packaging material or planning the optimum route for delivery trucks not only reduces the environmental impact of a company’s operation, but it also reduces the cost. The process of adopting the CSR principles induces executives to reconsider their business practices and to seek more efficient ways of operating. Companies perceived to have a strong CSR commitment often have an improved ability to attract and to retain employees (Turban Greening 1997), which leads to reduced turnover, recruitment, and training costs. Employees, too, often evaluate their companies CSR performance to determine if their personal values conflict with those of the businesses at which they work. There are many known cases in which employees were asked, under pressure of their supervisors, to overlook written or moral laws in order to achieve higher profits. These practices create a culture of fear in the workplace and harm the employees’ trust, loyalty, and commitment to the company. Companies that improve working conditions and labor practices also experience increased productivity and reduced error rates. Regular controls in the production facilities throughout the world ensure that all the employees work under good conditions and earn living wages. These practices are costly, but the increased productivity of the workers and improved quality of the products generate positive cash flows that cover the associated costs. Thus, firms may actually benefit from socially responsible actions in terms of employee morale and productivity (Moskowitz, 1972). Literature review CSP is a global concept that encompasses those of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Social Responsiveness. It provides a coherent framework to explore business-society relationships by looking at the social impact of corporations with business criteria of performance measurement, such as quality, efficacy, effectiveness, innovation (Carroll, 1991; Wood, 1991). The challenge for corporate social responsibility (CSR) in developing countries is framed by a vision that was distilled in 2000 into the Millennium Development Goals—‘a world with less poverty, hunger and disease, greater survival prospects for mothers and their infants, better educated children, equal opportunities for women, and a healthier environment’ (UN, 2006: 3). The penetration of the social realm into corporate strategy has gathered momentum in the last years. The movement for CSR has â€Å"won the battle of ideas† (Crook 2005). By now, most well managed companies have adopted th e practices and certifications mandatory in their industries, having gone through what Zadek (2004) calls the â€Å"defensive† and the â€Å"compliance† stages of CSR. Managing the social and environmental footprint of economic activity is generally accepted as part of the cost of doing business. But much remains to be done. If companies are to move their CSR activities from satisfying behavior and take their commitment to society and the environment to the next level, they will need to rethink their current approaches to CSR, tapping into the creativity of every individual. CSE, like all entrepreneurship, is not about managing existing operations or CSR programs; it is about creating disruptive change in the pursuit of new opportunities. It combines the willingness and desire to create joint economic and social value with the entrepreneurial redesign, systems development, and action necessary to carry it out. Accelerated organizational transformation faces a host of obstacles well-documented in the change management literature. Some people argue that media pressures the corporate managers and directors to behave in ways that are â€Å"socially ac ceptable†. Sometimes this coincides with shareholders’ value maximization, others not (Zinagales, 2002). Although there are several contested notions of what CSR should be and how it should work, there is some agreement upon what it broadly entails. A number of concepts and issues are subsumed under the heading of CSR, including human rights, environmental responsibility, diversity management, sustainability, and philanthropy (Amaeshi Adi, 2006), meaning that it is a complex area with an interdisciplinary focus. It is generally agreed that CSR involves corporations voluntarily exceeding their legal duties to take account of social, economic and environmental impacts of their operations. Consideration of the social, economic and political context demonstrates how CSR forms part of a wider strategic direction being taken internationally with regard to market relations and the pursuit of a range of objectives and goals. The context is in part provided by concerns about the numerous examples of irresponsible behavior on the part of corporations, ranging from colluding with oppressive regimes and in the overthrowing of governments (Alston, 2005) to issues relating to working conditions and the impact of unethical marketing practices (Richter, 2001). Such examples have demonstrated the need for the worst excesses of business to be curbed. The globalised economy is understood to raise important issues for businesses and governments due to changes in patterns of production and consumption. In particular it is noted that the manufacturing of goods is highly mobile (Cassell, 2001:263) and that supply chains are often dispersed in various countries, creating difficulties in terms of legislation and regulation. Moreover, economic globalization presents challenges to the ability of states to protect peoples rights (Cassell, 2001). The notion of corporate social responsibility is part of the third way (Gond Matten, 2007), where the role of the state is now to provide steering for the promotion of social development and social justice (Giddens, 2001: 6). There is increased involvement of the private sector in traditionally statutory provision through privatization and public/private partnerships (Meehan, 2003). Economic policies have created a need for markets and business to self-regulate in order to continue to pursue an international free market economy, but also to ensure sustainability of economic, human and other resources, and of the environment. CSR is seen as a solution to these problems of regulation. The private sector is increasingly seen as a key player in the achievement of many national and international strategic objectives for governments, which is also enabled by CSR. Methodology To gather information, we used secondary research as our main source of information. Various academic journals and internet sources were pursued to cater to the important aspects of the given topic. Moreover, since we thoroughly researched this topic, personal opinions were formed and using those and logic, we justified our opinions accordingly. How can business persons act in an ethically and socially responsible manner and at the same time make profits? Suppose clear-cutting is profitable and legal, but is nonetheless regarded as environmentally irresponsible under prevailing social norms. Can management of a timber corporation decline to clear-cut its timberland even though that sacrifices profits? One might be tempted to evade the question by claiming that being environmentally responsible is profitable in the long run, either because it preserves the forest for future harvesting or because it maintains a public goodwill that aids future sales. But suppose, in an incautious moment, management admits that the present value of those future profits from not clear cutting cannot hope to match the large current profits that clear-cutting would produce. Or, more realistically, suppose a takeover bid by a firm known to clear-cut establishes precisely that proposition by offering far more than the stock price that reflects the current stream of profits. Can management reject the profitable takeover bid on the grounds that it will lead to socially undesirable clear-cutting? The answers to these questions will challenge the canonical law and economics account on corporate social responsibility, which goes something like this. Unless modified by statute, traditional fiduciary duties require corporate managers to further the interests of shareholders, and thus require them to maximize corporate profits subject to the obligation to comply with independent legal constraints. Ethics and social responsibility are very important values in business ventures. This is particularly essential in decision making process. Ethical conscience reminds business persons to make trustworthy and profitable business decisions. Likewise, the social responsibility component requires business persons to make entrepreneurial decisions that can enhance benefits and repelling harms to the stakeholders. The canonical law and economics view holds that corporate managers do and should have a duty to profit-maximize because such conduct is socially efficient given that general legal sanctions do or can redress any harm that corporate or non-corporate businesses inflict on others. If certain conduct imposes excessive harm on others or merits taxation, then an independent law should regulate and impose liability or taxes whether or not the actor is a corporation, and if the conduct does not impose any impermissible harm or merit taxation, then the most socially desirable thing for corporations to do is maximize profits. Other stakeholders could either legally protect themselves by contract with the corporation or have their legal protection provided by judicial gap-filling of such contracts. Part of what makes this account canonical is that it helps define the boundaries of the corporate law field. It leaves corporate law scholars free to ignore issues about any effects the corporation may have on the external world as topics best addressed by other legal fields, and to focus on more tractable models about which corporate rules would maximize shareholder value.

Cuisine Iran Cultural

Cuisine Iran Cultural The cuisine of Iran is diverse, with each province featuring dishes, as well as culinary traditions and styles, distinct to their regions. It includes a wide variety of foods ranging from chelow kabab (barg, koobideh, joojeh, shishleek, soltani, chenjeh), khoresht (stew that is served with white Basmati or Persian rice: ghormeh sabzi, gheimeh, and others), aash (a thick soup), kookoo (vegetable omellettes), pollo (white rice alone or with addition of meat and/or vegetables and herbs, including loobia pollo, albaloo pollo, zereshk pollo, and others), and a diverse variety of salads, pastries, and drinks specific to different parts of Iran. The list of Persian recipes, appetizers and desserts is extensive. Herbs are used a lot, as is fruit from plums and pomegranates to quince, prunes, apricots, and raisins. The main Persian cuisines are combinations of rice with meat, chicken or fish and some onion, vegetables, nuts, and herbs. To achieve a balanced taste, characteristic Persian spices such as saffron, diced limes, cinnamon, and parsley are mixed delicately and used in some special dishes. Rice It is believed that rice (berenj in Persian) was brought to Iran from southeast Asia or the Indian subcontinent in ancient times. Varieties of rice in Iran include champa, rasmi, anbarbu, mowlai, sadri, khanjari, shekari, doodi, and others. Basmati rice from India is very similar to these Persian varieties and is also readily available in Iran. Traditionally, rice was most prevalent as a major staple item in northern Iran, while in the rest of the country bread was the dominant staple. Methods of cooking rice There are four primary methods of cooking rice in Iran: Chelow: rice that is carefully prepared through soaking and parboiling, at which point the water is drained and the rice is steamed. This method results in an exceptionally fluffy rice with the grains separated, and not sticky, and also results in a golden rice crust at the bottom of the pot called tah-deeg (literally bottom of the pot). Pollo: rice that is cooked exactly the same as chelow, with the exception that after draining the rice, other ingredients are added in layers or sections of the rice, and then steamed together. Kateh: rice that is cooked until the water is absorbed. This is also the traditional dish of Gilan (described in detail below). Damy: cooked almost the same as kateh, except that the heat is reduced just before boiling and a towel is placed between the lid and the pot to prevent steam from escaping. Damy literally means simmered. Lunch and dinner (naahaar or shaam) Traditional Persian cooking is done in stages, at times needing hours of preparation and attention. The outcome is a well-balanced mixture of herbs, meat, beans, dairy products, and vegetables. Major staples of Iranian food that are usually eaten with every meal include rice, various herbs (mint, basil, dill, parsley), cheese (feta or Persian panir, derived from goat or sheeps milk, and sometimes cows milk), a variety of flat breads, and some type of meat (usually poultry, beef, lamb, or fish). Stew over rice is by far the most popular dish, and the constitution of these vary by region. Tea (chai) is the drink of choice on nearly every occasion, and is usually served with dried fruit, pastries, or sweets. You can usually find tea brewing throughout the day in most Iranian homes. Doogh, a yogurt drink, is also quite popular. One of the oldest recipes, which can trace its existence back to the time of Persian empire, is khoresht-e-fesenjan, consisting of duck or sometimes chicken in a rich pomegranate-and-walnut sauce that yields a distinctive brown color, most often served with white rice. Chelow kabab (Persian: چلوÚ ©Ã˜ ¨Ã˜ §Ã˜ ¨) is a national dish of Iran. The meal is simple, consisting of steamed, saffroned basmati or Persian rice (chelow) and kabab, of which there are several distinct Persian varieties. This dish is served everywhere throughout Iran today, but traditionally was most closely associated with the northern part of the country. It is served with the basic Iranian meal accompaniments, in addition to grilled tomatoes on the side of the rice, and butter on top of the rice. It is an old northern tradition (probably originating in Tehran) that a raw egg yolk should be placed on top of the rice as well, though this is strictly optional, and most restaurants will not serve the rice this way unless it is specifically requested. Somogh (powdered sumac) is also made available, and if desired, only a dash should be sprinkled upon the rice. In the old bazaar tradition, the rice (which is covered with a tin lid) and accompaniments are served first, immediately followed by the kababs, which are brought to the table by the waiter, who holds several skewers in his left hand, and a piece of flat bread (typically nan-e lavash) in his right. A skewer is placed directly on the rice and while holding the kabab down on the rice with the bread, the skewer is quickly pulled out. With the two most common kababs, barg and koobideh, two skewers are always served. In general, bazaar kabab restaurants only serve these two varieties, though there are exceptions. The traditional beverage of choice to accompany chelow kabab is doogh, a Persian sour yogurt drink, flavored with salt and mint, and sometimes made with carbonated mineral water. KabÄ b-e Barg (Persian: Ú ©Ã˜ ¨Ã˜ §Ã˜ ¨ Ø ¨Ã˜ ±Ãš ¯) is a Persian style barbecued lamb or beef kebab. The main ingredients of Kabab Barg are fillets of beef tenderloin, onion and olive oil. KÃ… «bide (Persian: Ú ©Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ¨Ã›Å'Ø ¯Ã™â€¡) is an Iranian minced lamb kebab/kabab which is made from ground beef (usually sirloin), often mixed with parsley and chopped onions. To cook Koobideh, first the meat is minced finely, then onion, salt, and pepper is added. These ingredients should be mixed well together for 15 minutes until the mixture become smooth and sticky. By keeping hands wet, indentations all the way down the skewer are made. At both ends should be pressed firmly to the skewer. The kebabs should be 20 cm (7-8 in) long Khoresht (Persian: Ø ®Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ±Ã˜ ´Ã˜ ª), also called Khoresh (Persian: Ø ®Ã™Ë†Ã˜ ±Ã˜ ´), is the common name of different stews in Persian cuisine which is typically served beside Polow (rice dish). In Persian cuisines there are lots of different Khoreshs based on the different ingredients which are used. In comparison with Kebabs, typically it takes more time to prepare one of these Khoreshs and for most of them, the key components are their vegetables and not their meat, therefore they can be cooked for the vegetarian people also. Persian Khoreshs have some similarities with typical Indian curries, in terms of prepartion. Iranian stews are different in that they use liberal amounts of saffron to give a very unique and fragrant taste. The most popular Khoreshs are Khoresh Gheymeh, Khoresh Ghormeh Sabzi and Khoresh Fesenjaan.

Fredrick Douglass Essay -- essays research papers

After reading the Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass, An American Slave, I have received a better understanding of the life of a slave. Douglass has a way of explaining the trials and tribulations of a slave, which makes the reader, look at the situations in a different perspective. Douglass' narrative was originally oral and he eventually sat down and wrote it as story of events of that time during his life. I believe he wrote it not just to tell his story but for other abolitionists of the time to actually feel what the slaves went through.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Douglass begins his narrative in a very original way. He does not jump into the accounts of his life. But he begins very passive and describes the overseers in a detailed manner. He compares one of his slave masters, Mr. Covey, to a horse breaker. A horse breaker trains horses to be obedient and this is exactly what Mr. Covey does, he trains slaves in a similar way.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The audience Douglass is trying to appeal to are the other abolitionists who he wants to convince that these masters were wrong for their treatment of other human beings. The other abolitionists consist mainly of white, middle-class individuals, usually women. They were the most literate people of the time, therefore they could read this story and understand where Douglass was coming from. He did not go into gruesome details because the women of that time could not handle the gory descriptions of the beatin...

Adolescents on Mental Illness :: essays research papers

Watson, Amy C., Otey, Emeline, Westbrook, Anne L., Gardner, April L., Lamb, Theodore A., Corrigan, Patrick W., & Fenton, Wayne S. (2004). Changing Middle Schoolers’ Attitudes About Mental Illness Through Education. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 30, 563-572. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This article shows the attitudes and intellect of Middle Schoolers about Mental Illness. The investigators are interested in the amount of improvement that the Middle Schoolers receive after being well-informed and educated about Mental Illness. They are especially interested in the changes in the attitudes of the pupils that think pessimistically about Mental Illness. Finding out if a curriculum informing the students about Mental Illness would significantly impact them is the other main interest of the investigators.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Previous studies show that many adults are almost naturally prejudice to people with Mental Illnesses. Most adults automatically stereotype them as people that are dangerous, shouldn’t be talked to, and have a slim-to-none chance of recovering. This comes from their lack of knowledge of Mental Illness growing up. In their childhood, they see Mental Illness as a disturbance and sway away from anything related to it. This concept is truly an unnoticed act of discrimination. Ultimately, the goal of the experiment was to find out how the minds of the students change toward Mental Illness after more knowledge of it is found out. The investigators supposed that there would be a bit of knowledge or at least some awareness of Mental Illness in the students’ minds. They figured that there would be many pessimists in the group (students that initially think negatively about Mental Illness.) Also, they assumed that the curriculum would benefit all of the students (especially the ones with the negative attitudes.) Method   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The investigators used The Science of Mental Illness curriculum to educate the students. This curriculum consists of unique scientific discoveries and case studies that help students understand the link between the sciences and their applications to health care. Some parts of the curriculum are classic, lecture-style teachings and some are more interactive including online programs and situations on video clips. The variety of the curriculum keeps the students interested throughout the 5-week program.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Helping the students understand that Mental Illness can be diagnosed and treated very well (unlike they might have thought) is one of the curriculum’s main goals. The other is to make the students more aware of Mental Illness and understand its different aspects. The curriculum is broken up into 5 lessons that cover everything from the brain’s functions to recognizing Mental Illness to methods of treatment.

Violence On Television And The V-chip :: essays research papers

Violence on Television and the V-chip Television programs that generate a great deal of concern among parent and educators are those that contain violence. The questionable violence, sex and language on television have caused the nation to find methods of censoring these problems. Due to television violence, censorship should reduce the ability for children to view violent content.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Children have an easy access to violence on television from violent programs through movie channels. The public’s concern has been reflected in congressional hearings and massive studies on the effect of TV violence, especially on children. Dr. James C. Dobson from the Focus on the Family Newsletter says: If you have any doubt about the influence MTV wishes to exert on today’s adolescents, watch their popular program Beavis and Butthead†¦They use crude words, fondle themselves, do horribly cruel things to animals, and sit around watching heavy-metal videos as bright green stuff runs from their noses†¦Beavis and Butthead took a trip to a rifle range where they accidentally shot down a plane. They had difficulty opening the door of the wrecked plane, so they left women and children to die inside. This is the fare served up to preteens and adolescents by the company that seek to shape an entire generation (Hendershot 13) In 1994 a small child burned down his trailer house, killing his baby sister. His mother responded to the accident by saying that he learned to do so by watching Beavis and Butthead. Instead of legal issues, MTV responded by moving the program to a later time. (Hendershot 14)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many reasons to be concerned about violence. Television violence is more frequent then real violence. Television violence spares the views the suffering of the victim and the disorder of the killer. By the time a child is the age of 18, they will see 115,000 violent acts on television. (Hefzallah 88) An eleven-year-old child reported, â€Å"I was scared when I saw Friday the 13th. Whenever the girl went into the water and Jason stuck a knife in her and all this blood was in the water-I got real scared.† (Abelman 28) Robert Singer voiced: Working-class children, minority children, unpopular children and children doing poorly in school seem to be the ones more susceptible to imitating the aggression that they see on television. This may be partly because they watch more hours and are exposed to more television violence†¦Television may or may not contribute to their aggressive behavior, but their aggressive nature does play a major role in what they choose to watch.

Kantian Pro Euthanasia

Without a doubt, there are forces that exist within the realms of right and wrong. This understanding of what right and wrong is is the back bone of moral philosophy, and its fundamental aim to decipher whether or not our actions lie on either side of these realms. Immanuel Kant states that these are not the only facets of morality (Lee). We must also further ask ourselves â€Å"what we ought to do,† in our case, to follow the the good will. In question, I debate whether euthanasia is an act of true good will to end suffering or if it is wrong to end a life in any circumstance.To be better moral and ethical beings, and to pursue what the philosophers call â€Å"the higher good,† we must take upon ourselves to end suffering in the face of imminent death, despite our prior connections to the life or personal beliefs. First and foremost, before addressing any claims as to what a moral action is, we must first have a basic understanding of what exactly constitutes a moral a nd an immoral action. In Immanuel Kant’s groundwork in morals, it states that an action can only be deemed moral if and only if devoid of all ulterior motive (Guthrie).With this said, we can safely say, killing anyone loved or otherwise, for any sort of gain is immoral, and therefore lacks virtue and the good will. More often than not, we will also come to a conclusion that we must choose life; we care too much about the ones we love to see them leave us, or even face the inevitability of death that will come soon after the immense suffering. Though as noble as saving a life may seem, this is not moral. As Kant’s First Categorical Imperative states, never treat someone as a means to an end, rather only as a means to an end to themselves.The maxims that drive our actions, in the endeavor to sustain the life of a suffering person, though however noble our intentions may be, are still only hypothetical imperatives that cater to our own selfish need to keep the lives that we cherish. It can also be argued that ending a life to soothe the pains of seeing the ones we love suffer is also immoral. Wouldn’t putting someone down so as that we wouldn’t have to endure the pain of watching their suffering be treating them as a means to an end? This too is only for our own philanthropic need to end our own woes, therefore is also considered, by the standards of Kant: immoral.There are further quandaries in the topic of euthanasia, than just to do or not to do. We must always remember that to be ethical and moral beings as stated in the metaphysics of morality, we must ask ourselves â€Å"what we ought to do† (Guthrie). This brings us to a near moral impossibility, where we must create answers and actions that beg sui generis. In the case of euthanasia, as moral and ethical creatures we ought to act against suffering, not because we feel our love ones suffer but to act upon categorical imperatives to end suffering for the sake of ending suf fering.We must not base our actions off the possible consequences of not allowing the being to die peacefully, but by the duty we have to end suffering. In the metaphysics of morals, it is believed that the good will is ambiguous despite its intentions. Qualities of character that are considered to be good do not ensure morality, despite its intentions (Guyer). With this said we must then overlook all emotions involved and only think about the situation in terms of duty. If this is so, in the case of euthanasia, should we not then forgo all emotional ties and venture south for more moral answers?The preservation of life holds many connections to human wants, when, if morality is the aim, principals rather than wants should be our maxims. Relying on principals to drive our actions ensures that we do what we have to do not because we want to but because what we do is our duty (therefore keeping virtue and the good will â€Å"untainted†). But I digress an acknowledge that this c oncept of pure duty as an imperative is almost impossible to achieve. Every observable action can be seen as conformity for the sake of conformity and/or for some sort of personal gain (Guthrie).But, as our predecessors before us stated, pure moral maxims do exist, and believing in them is a step to morality. This is not unlike the notion of God; we have no physical basis of what God is, as we don’t have physical notions of what pure moral intentions are, but what we do have are priors to what they are. The benefit of using Kant’s groundwork is that you get the action of good will without consequential thinking of the benefit or harm that may come from it. A moral action is that of virtue, a moral duty carried out from the good will.Therefore euthanasia is moral, for our duty and motive is to end suffering for the sake of ending suffering. It is the underlying intention which decides whether our action is moral or not. The consequence only decides how beneficial our ac tion was. As moral and ethical creatures we ought to act against suffering, not because we feel the emotional connection of watching someone you know suffer but to act upon categorical imperatives to end suffering for the sake of ending suffering. We must not end someone lse’s suffering to end our own pain or discomfort, but to end their suffering when all other choice besides death no longer exist for them. Works Cited â€Å"Immanuel Kant. † (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Ed. P. Guyer and A. Wood. N. p. , 20 May 2010. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. . Guthrie, Shandon L. â€Å"Immanuel Kant and the Categorical Imperative. † Immanuel Kant and the Categorical Imperative. N. p. , 03 Nov. 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. . Lee, Harrison. â€Å"Kant – Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. † Kant – Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. N. p. , 13 May 2011. Web. 15 Oct. 2012. .

The impact of race and gender on Antoinete’s identity

The blacks call her White cockroach' and the whites refer to her as White Niger. Antoinette is not white enough for the Europeans and not black enough for the natives. Antoinette is a descendant of English slave owners. This fact Increases the tensions between her family and the Islanders. Antoinette strives to find a true Identity, but unfortunately she falls. Her identity is fragmented because of her race and gender Madam Syrup argues that identity is shaped by simultaneous operations of social dynamics such as race, class, nation and gender.She affirms that identity is determined through two different ways: the outside and inside. The outside of our identity Is how others see us. The Inside of our Identity has to do with our vision of ourselves. 14) Identity Is not a flat description of our personality, but It takes Into consideration different perspectives of the self in order to construct a coherent Hall states that cultural identity should proceed from the past to image. Unders tand its present formation. He defines cultural identity as a state of being as well as of becoming.It is not fixed in history but rather it is a subject to transformation, fluid change and constant development under certain circumstances. Hall says that we should recognize the other side the differences and hybrid as a part of our cultural Identity because the common history can unify people across heir differences but cannot show exactly who they are. (395-397) Hybrid is an important issue in post-colonialism. It is used to interpret what it means to be a hybrid, belonging to no place.These hybrids live â€Å"border lives' on the margins of deferent nations, In-between contrary homelands† (McLeod, 217). In fact, living In-between multiple Identities leads to, an ambivalent state of mind where there is no stable place or home. Bah also describes hybrid as â€Å"the sign of the productivity of colonial power, its shifting forces and fixates; it is the name for the tragic rev ersal of the process of domination through disavowal Hybrid is the revaluation of the assumption of colonial identity through the repetition of discriminatory identity effects† (Bah 112).Bah clarifies that hybrid identity Is produced by the colonial power and cannot exist without a common history of a migrant who is dispossessed, schizophrenic, exiled, often profoundly unhappy and exploited under capitalism. † (384). In Wide Cargos Sea, Antoinette suffers from hybrid. She struggles to find a clear direction to follow. Antoinette is neither black nor white, but somewhere in-between Europe and the Caribbean. This creates her an uncertain and fragmented identity.Anta Loom describes in Colonialism/Postcolonial how race and gender provide metaphors and images for each other in the colonial arena: â€Å"In short, lower races represented the female' type of the human species, and females the ‘lower race' of gender† (161). Loom explains how in colonial texts both no n-Europeans and women were viewed as being either passive, child-like and needing leadership or as sexually aberrant, emotional, wild and outside society (159). From the beginning of the colonial period, female bodies symbolized the conquered land. Loom, 152) The definition of woman as the other' and the object' has been determined by the principles of patriarchy. Benjamin claims that the prevailing idea about women in the Victorian age is that â€Å"Woman was considered to be in the full flourish of femininity in the service of home, husband, and children. Women drew on domesticity, the Joys of motherhood, and the influence it accorded them in Justifying public activity. † (15) So, it is clear that women were always regarded as ‘objects' belonging to men.This pushed women to seek their individual identity. Spiral defines women at that time as ‘Third World Women'. In this respect, Madam Syrup says: † Spiral argues that the idea of the Third World is monolith ic entity and that people should fight against such labeling. † (164) Moreover, Madam Syrup maintains: The ‘Third World Woman' is not allowed t speak; she is caught between patriarchy and imperialism, subject-constitution and object- formation, between continuously tradition and modernization. She is rewritten as the object of patriarchy or of imperialism. 165) The patriarchal system made Antoinette seem as a zombie and object in the hands of her husband. She was subordinate to her husband for financial safety, after losing re inheritance. Wide Cargos Sea is a tale of a weak Creole whose struggle for identity leads her to madness (Fayed, 225). Antoinette is defined as a monster by her English husband and does not have voice in Jane Rye. However, Rays wants to change this fact by allowing Bertha to speak and defend herself against â€Å"the onslaught of a strong male such as Rochester† (Fayed, 226).Emery says in this context: â€Å"In Wide Cargos Sea, the madwoman silenced in Jane Rye speaks, and her voice exposes and turns upside down the values, patriarchal and colonialist, upon which the plot and the characters of Bronze's novel depend. (168) Spiral also states that â€Å"Antoinette, as a white Creole child growing up at the time of emancipation in Jamaica, is caught between the English imperialist and the black native. † (242). Emery Cocoas Mason Rochester places herself as lost somewhere in between the two central figures of her life† (35).Fayed argues that Antoinette emphasis on the opinions of the â€Å"Judgmental they † of society indicates her lack of an autonomous self that can grow independent of others' prescribed notions regarding her Creole background (226) Drake describes Antoinette triumph at the end of the novel â€Å"her ultimate regaining of an identity stolen by cultural imperialism. † (205). This essay will show the impact of gender and race on Antoinette identity. Antoinette classification as a mixed product of Caribbean black and European white races contribute to the fragmentation of her identity.Antoinette and her mother experience alienation by the black community and their white European counterparts whose political power and wealth allow them to maintain significant influence over Caribbean society. Antoinette suffers from race problems in both of her childhood and adulthood. Since early childhood, Antoinette family is despised by the people around them because of their background as slave owners: â€Å"l never looked at any strange negro. They hated us, they called us white cockroaches. Let sleeping dogs lie. (Rays 13) Rays presents the post-Emancipation Jamaica as a significant period in the Caribbean history. The Abolition of Slavery Act means the death of Antoinette family members because it declined their economic status: â€Å"Why probably? ‘ the other voice said. ‘Certainly. ‘ ‘Then why should he marry a widow without a penny to her name and Collier a wreck of a place? Emancipation troubles killed old Cocoas? Nonsense – the estate was going downhill for years before that. † (Rays 17) Antoinette returns to her previous social class after the marriage of her mother with Mr†¦ Mason.Antoinette recounts numerous instances of black violence against her family, ranging from the hate-inspired labels of â€Å"white cockroaches† and â€Å"white naggers† to the vicious black mob's burning of the estate at Collier . Antoinette makes efforts to identify herself as a black girl. After Mr†¦ Mason becomes her stepfather, she tries to assert her blackness again by calling him: â€Å"white pappy' (Rays 20). Moreover, Antoinette attempts to search for social acceptance by black people through her interaction with a black playmate named Tia: â€Å"Soon Tia was my friend and I met her nearly every morning at the turn of the road to the river. At the river, Tia calls Antoinette White cockroach ' and steals her clothes. Because of this theft Antoinette is forced to wear Tit's left dress. Tit's dress is symbolic of Antoinette desire to be like Tia. When Antoinette returns home and puts on another dress, it rips. This explains that her old identity no longer fits. Nothing fits Antoinette: her original dress has been stolen, ND her new dress rips. When her house is burnt, she thinks that Tia is the only hope left in her land. Later on, Antoinette discovers that she will never be like Tia because of her race.Therefore, her attempt to be black Caribbean fails: Then, not so far off, I saw Tia and her mother and I ran to her, for she was all that was left of my life as it had been. We had eaten the same food, slept side by side, bathed in the same river. As I ran, I thought, I will live with Tia and I will be likelier. Hand but I did not see her throw it. I did not feel it either, only something et,running down my face. I looked at her and I saw her face crumple up as she began d octor. We stared at each other, blood on my face, tears on hers. It was as if I saw myself.Like in a looking glass. (Rays 27) Antoinette cannot find an identity that suits her and this lack of belonging means her inability to assimilate to the Caribbean culture. In her adulthood, Antoinette begins to doubt her right to claim the island as a part of her identity. She later conveys these feelings of uncertainty and desperation to Rochester when she tells him, â€Å"l loved [the island] because I had nothing else to eve, but it is as indifferent as this God you call on so often. † (Rays 78). Antoinette tries to gain acceptance among whites in order to form her identity.When Antoinette marries Rochester, she feels an increasing love for him. She refuses to leave him for the simple reason that â€Å"he is my husband after all† (Rays 66). Antoinette expresses to Christopher her deep love for Rochester and asks her for an obey potion in order to keep her husband beside her. I n â€Å"Race and Caribbean Culture,† Sandra Drake mentions that â€Å"Antoinette wants to use the spell to complete her assimilation to England and to whiteness. â€Å"(198) When the potion ultimately fails to produce her desired effects, Antoinette is forced to recognize her non-whiteness as well as her non-blackness.Christopher states to Rochester, â€Å"She is not b ©k © like you, but she is b ©k ©, and not like us either. â€Å"(Rays 93) For Rochester, Antoinette and her mother are seen as White naggers' who do not belong to English culture: â€Å"Long, sad, dark alien eyes. Creole of pure English descent she may be, but they are not English or European either. † (Rays 39). In the midst of two different cultures and nations, Antoinette cannot find any place of her own: â€Å"And Vive heard English women call us white naggers. So between you I often wonder who I am and where is my country and where do I belong and why was I ever born at all. (Rays 61) L ike Tit's dress, the white dress (England) does not suit Antoinette. It is clear to Rochester that though she is of English descent, she is still different: â€Å"She was wearing the white dress I had admired, but it had slipped untidily over one shoulder and seemed too big for her. † (Rays, 76)Antoinette relationship with Rochester reveals that she does not really belong to her mother country. Antoinette otherness and race leads to the demise of her relationship with Rochester. Rochester begins to treat Antoinette cruelly and seeks to control her identity.Although Antoinette is eventually imprisoned within the dark, frigid confines of Threefold Hall, She finally realizes the impact of her homeland and Christening's teachings on her character. Antoinette is a Creole woman living in a society dominated by male colonizers, like ‘Rochester'. After her marriage, Antoinette displays a sense of estrangement and uncertain cultural identity: â€Å"So between you I often wonder who I am and where my entry is and where do I belong and why was I ever born at all. † (Rays 61).Rochester seeks to possess Antoinette identity through exploiting her money, changing her name and uprooting her from her familiar land. Me, or so she thinks. I looked down at the coarse mane of the house†¦ Dear father. The thirty thousand pounds have been paid to me without question or condition. No provision made for her (that must be seen too). † (Rays 41) â€Å"Everybody know that you marry her for her money and you take it all. And then you want to break her up, because you Jealous of her. † (Rays 92) In fact, Rochester doe not love Antoinette.He only shows gratitude for her because she has given him money: You are safe, I'd say. She'd like that- to be told you are safe. Or I'd touch her face gently and touch tears. Tears- nothing! Words-less than nothing. As for the happiness I gave her, that was worse than nothing. I did not love her. I was thirsty for her , but that is not love. I felt little tenderness for her, she was stranger to me, a stranger who did not think or feel as I did. (Arrays) The deprivation of love and happiness that Antoinette experiences during her marriage contributes in fragmenting her personality.After her marriage, Antoinette loses all her fortune. She is unable to free herself from Rochester's brutality because she has no financial independence. Her money goes automatically to her husband without stipulation: â€Å"He will not come after. And you must understand I am not rich now, I have no money of my own at all, everything I had belongs to him. â€Å"(66) Antoinette is then obliged to remain with him because she has no other choice. In fact, Rochester aims at possessing Antoinette self and destroying her identity. Changing her name is another measure taken by Rochester to destroyAntoinette identity. Antoinette succumbs as a slave to Rochester when he begins to call her Bertha. She refuses to be called by ot her names, and tries to defend her identity, but she fails: â€Å"When I turned from the window, she was drinking again. ‘Bertha', I said Bertha is not my name. You are trying to make me into someone else, calling me by another name. I know that's obey too. â€Å"(88) By calling her with different names, Rochester wants to crash her personality and transform her into an object, a doll: ‘†She tell me in the middle of all these things you start calling her names. Marionette.Some words so'. Yes, I remember, I did' (Marionette, Antoinette, Marionette, Antoinette) ‘That word mean a doll, eh? Because she don't speak. You want to force her to cry and to speak. † (Rays 92-93)His inhumanity and cruelty leads him to undermine her and consider her as a zombie: Main, silly creature. Made for loving? Yes, but she will have no lover, for I don't want her and she will see no other†¦ She's mad, but mine, mine. † (Rays, 99) Sandra Drake mentions: â€Å"If she[Antoinette] had married Sands Cocoas, she would not have lost either of her names, for she and he array the same family name. (198-199) Rochester dislocates and uproots Antoinette from her familiar land: â€Å"She said she loved this place. This is the last she'll see of it. † (Rays 99)He drives her to an unknown place where she finds out the feeling of non-belonging and displacement. â€Å"l get out of the bed and go close to watch them and to wonder why I have been brought here. For what reason? There must be a reason. † ( Rays, 106) Antoinette does not feel England collapses. â€Å"They tell me I am in England but I don't believe. We lost our way to England. When? Where? I don't remember, but we lost it. Rays, 107) Antoinette dislocation makes her mad and takes away any chance to establish a stable identity for herself. Despite Rochester' imperialist effort to erase all aspects of her identity, Antoinette masterfully creates a new sense of self within her. At l ast, Antoinette realizes her submissive situation and wakes up from her deep sleep. She achieves her freedom and puts an end to her sufferings. When she dreams of burning Threefold house, she was therefore liberating herself: â€Å"Then I turned around and saw the sky. It was red and all my life was in it. I saw the grandfather clock and Aunt.