Seminar Paper of BOOTS (now Alliance Boots) Case Study

Seminar Paper of BOOTS (now Alliance Boots) - Case Study Example The concept of merger immediately took notice because of the inevitable benefits provided by the strategy. Most mergers have expanded their operations and surpassed the achievements that the observers have predicted. Primarily, Alliance Boots is wholesaler and retailer of pharmaceutical goods. The company controls a wide chain of pharmacy spread all across Europe. At present, the company maintains 17% of its total target market (BBC News, 2005). Moreover, Alliance Boots is the largest pharmaceutical wholesaler in UK covering 40% of the market. Its wholesaling and retailing activities are undertaken by subsidiary UniChem. With its vast operations, the company employs approximately 100,000 workers in more that 3,000 retail stores in which 2,700 have pharmacies. In addition, the firm has established 380 retail depots to boost its operations. This has made Alliance Boots one of the largest retailers in terms of retail space (Alliance Boots, 2006). Boots Group Prior to the merger, Boots is bannered by Boots the Chemist, which was regarded as a dominant retail pharmacy operating in UK. Most of the company's outlets are situated in high streets and in highly urbanised areas. From a traditional pharmacist, the company has expanded its business portfolio and ventured to photo processing, opticians, and selling of home appliances. The increasing pressure caused by competition has limited the chances of Boots to improve its performance. It was evident that the company illustrated signs of stagnation and such weak showing eventually created the drawing board that led to the inevitable merger with Alliance UniChem. Alliance UniChem In terms of operational scope, UniChem was bigger and its more established reputation has enabled the firm to occupy markets in Europe. Its major aim is to deliver healthcare service and improve the health situation in most of the locations. The business primarily thrives on retailing and wholesaling pharmaceutical products. UniChem has been relying on its core strategies built on the aspects of expansion, innovation and performance enhancement. Aside from these concepts, the company valued the satisfaction of the customers and other stakeholders. The Merger Because of Boots' financial conditions, it was speculated by financial analysts that the merger with Alliance UniChem is already at work. It was surprisingly announced in October 2005 that the merger was officially created. Part of the announcement was the financial considerations made by both parties. Both companies were valued at 7 billion British Pounds and a split of 50.2 and 49.8 were divided among Boots and Alliance respectively. Basically, the merger was undertaken with the expected intervention of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). It was reported that 96 stores were sold to comply with the requirements of OFT. In truth, the merger was pictured as a takeover by Boots, which acquire the whole share capital of Alliance UniChem. This was manifested through the issuance 1,332 Boots Group PLC shares for each Alliance UniChem shares held. After this process, the merging firms adopted the name of Alliance Boots PLC. This was done, accordingly, to reduce the time and paper works needed because of the merger. Most important, both firms remained intact only under the supervision of the parent company (OFT, 2001). Objectives Essentially, the purpose of the merger is to combine a supplier in Alliance UniChem and a customer in Boots. The strategy was

Challenges facing advocacy in nursing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Challenges facing advocacy in nursing - Essay Example Reluctance is also a factor to nursing advocacy; nurses are in most cases reluctant to become politically involved. They have failed to attain a strong legislative voice. Legislators and policy have been seen to be more willing to deal with nurses as a group rather than as individuals; thus supporting and joining professional organizations. In addition nurse’s professional organizations generally espouse standards of care that are higher than those required by the law thus voluntary controls are often forerunners of legal controls as explained by Marquis & Huston (2008 P.89) . They should let the media know when their portrayals of nurses are inaccurate or in other words insulting. Negative picture portrayed of the Nursing profession; the nurses should fight and ensure they bring out a positive picture of their profession to others rather than just a misinterpretation. Advocacy in nursing wont succeed if a negative side of them is out their in the public, they should speak positively. Lack of media coverage is also a factor to advocacy in nursing; Nurses represent a majority number of healthcare professionals and yet they only account for a smaller portion of the quotations in health coverage by news media. Constello et al (2010 P.240) argues that, lack of appreciation from the public is of the challenges facing Nurses advocacy. There are many virtues and qualities that most nurses hold. These include clinical expertise and sharp assessment skills but in return, they do not get full appreciation from the public. Hudak et al (2008 P.130) attributes quality compensation Patient safety as posing challenge to nursing advocacy; enlightening and educating nurses about what to expect and how to cope with changes imposed by sources as Medicare thus they can learn how to advocate themselves as professionals so that a crisis can be avoided and meet the needs of aging population. Readmission of patients is also a challenge faced by nurses as they try to advocate.

Literature Review What Is Corporate Social Responsibility Management Essay

Literature Review What Is Corporate Social Responsibility Management Essay CSR  is the concept in which companies consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and the environment in all aspects of their operations.  This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees companies voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families, as well as for the local community and society at large. According to Eric Orts of the University of Pennsylvania, Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gained more interest in the past decades but it dates back to the 1930s. Just before World War II, German industrialist Walter Rathenau claimed that business corporations had become very large and that they had grown to be a significant part of the society. According to Rathenau, even though fundamentally a corporations intent is the pursuit of private interests and profits for owners of the company, they are increasingly bearing the marks of an undertaking and, to an increasing degree, have been serving the public interest (Kessler, 1930). Further, philosophers John Dewey and James H. Tufts, in their book ethics (1908), raised the concept that it is not sufficient to view companies as purely economic machines and that companies should be involved in public duty as well. Then 65 years later Davis in 1973 stated that, Corporate Social Responsibility of the firm is the firms consideratio ns of, and response to, issues beyond the narrow economic, technical, and legal requirements of the firm to accomplish social and environmental benefits along with the traditional economic gains which the firm seeks. In 2004, Sir Stephen Timms, U.K. Minister for CSR, Royal Institute for International Affairs suggested that Economic progress through a fair and open world trading system is essential to tackle poverty and ensure a safer more secure world for everyone now and for future generations. The challenges remain of ensuring that the benefits of that progress reach all sectors in all countries and are not at the expense of the environment. According to Hamann, 2006 the restructuring of the role of business in the quest of sustainable development has been an objective since the mid1990s. He also stated that businesses had to respond to this changing societal expectation by increasingly redefining and justifying their involvement in developmental issues in terms of corporate social responsibility. Regardless of whether one accepts or rejects CSR premise, the idea of CSR presupposes that businesses have obligations towards the society that go beyond profit-making to include helping to solve social and ecological problems. In the November of 2007, the Irish President Mary McAleese used the occasion of her address to the Annual Dinner of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland to air some questions about the nature of corporate social responsibility in Ireland. She said corporate responsibility is about mainstreaming the best social and environmental practice right through the length and breadth of business operations. It is difficult to see how it can be described as anything other than good news for society. In June of 2007, an online survey was published in the magazine Accountancy Ireland and in the words of one of the respondent from the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ireland the Corporate social responsibility is simply about giving a damn, or to quote another statement by one of the members CSR means ensuring that through the activities of the company, society in its broadest sense is treated with the respect that you as an individual would expect to be treated. In the words of Ludescher and Mahsud, 2010, corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to any activity that promotes the welfare of any stakeholder of a business corporation. Sometimes CSR refers to philanthropic programs targeting communities or employees. Other times it refers to commitments to promote the welfare of suppliers. It also refers to a variety of activities designed to enhance environmental stewardship or environmental sustainability. More generally, it refers to the vague intention to better society or corporate citizenship. When used very loosely, the term can be conflated with general ethical practices with regard to customers, investors, or any other stakeholder. In short, the term has a variety of meanings and applications. As it is used today, it can be applied to every business in all industries. According to Responsible Business Guide, 2010 at its core CSR is equal to a responsible business. It states that good business have always been about being socially responsible. Like quality, integrity, honest dealing and long term trust balanced by stewardship of resources, fair profits and public accountability. The guide also clearly mentions that a business must certainly fulfill basic social responsibilities in any case and for which charity cannot be used as a substitute. Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop states, There is no more powerful institution in society than business and the business of business should not be about money, it should be about responsibility. It should be about public good and not private greed (Responsible Business Guide, 2010). Also, Stephen Frost, CSR Asia said that the lesson is simple: if companies dont pay enough attention to what people say about them or act quickly, then there is a real chance that information can be potentially harmful. The China State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, believes that the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an idea that enterprises can and should take responsibility for their impacts on society and environment as they pursue profits. The concept has been variously defined, and is also used interchangeably with terms such as corporate citizenship, business in society and business and sustainable development. Each has a slightly different flavor and history. Fulfilling social responsibility requires central enterprises to be human-oriented, stick to scientific development, and be responsible to stakeholders and environment, so as to achieve the harmony between enterprises growth, society and environment. The Draft ISO26000 guidelines define CSR as, The responsibility of a company for the impacts of its decisions and activities on society and the environment, through transparent and ethical behavior that contributes to the sustainable development, health and the welfare of society; takes into account the expectations of stakeholders; is in compliance with applicable law; is consistent with international norms of behavior; and is integrated throughout the company. Also, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Corporate Social Responsibility means, The continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development, while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large. Well, CSR is no silver bullet for social change. The author states that collaborative action and partnership with the voluntary, community and public sectors are needed to see signi ¬Ã‚ cant and sustainable change. Expectations of CSR should, however, be realistic yet ambitious. (Staples, 2004) Different authors and agencies have different takes on explaining the meaning of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in their own words. Their basic stand is the same difference visible is that they keep adding new views to it. 1.2 Evolution of CSR In the last 15 years or so the idea of CSR has become an integral part of any business organization. In this period through consolidation and specialization had emerged the three waves of CSR, which are different but coinciding. The first wave began in the beginning of 1990s called the compliance wave. During this time international agencies promoted a number of CSR reporting standards to assure the consumers that the supply chain of various branded products was clean. This wave on the world wide basis started a drive for certification for quality and a third party verification of factory claims about labour standards, social and environmental performance. A number of verifiable corporate social responsibility standards evolved during this wave. The second wave began in the mid-1990s and it was termed as the triple bottom line wave. During this wave all the attention was focused on organizations way of running the business in relation to the environmental, social and financial impact on the society. This wave influenced organizations to come up with a number of articles convincing the businessmen that triple bottom line was a fruitful investment that would pay back through an enhanced marketing image and cost savings. This idea of the TPL being helpful gave birth to an entire industry which prepared the organizations for TBL. This wave made the companies conscious of their image and made them take up projects which were pro-environment and pro-society. The concept of triple bottom line successfully developed the phenomenon that CSR is a driver of any business and described various ways of measuring the impact of the business on both the environment and the society. This wave overlapped the first wave for about five years. The third wave emerged in the mid-2000s and it was termed as the responsible competitiveness wave. Organizations entered this wave with an understanding that in any way CSR does not state that the business should lose out on its profits and the responsible behaviour of an organization can yield concrete rewards. In other words any business that was following responsible practices, the market would systematically and comprehensively reward that business. On the other hand any organization was punished if they showed any kind of disregard to the social and environmental expectations. In Pakistan an industry wide research was conducted in the year 2004 and in almost all the cases it was evident that financial performance of businesses increased with increase in social performance. Responsibly competitive markets presume a society that is both aware of its rights as consumers and carefully uses its purchasing power to regulate corporate behaviour. The wave uses powerful communication too ls and the media of the information age to react quickly to the professed corporate behaviour, good or bad. Evidence indicates that organizations who impose their image as a responsible business would gain an advantage of altering societys expectations from them. (Responsible Business Guide: A Toolkit for Winning Companies, 2010) 1.3 Who does CSR? With industrialization, the impacts of business on society and the environment assumed an entirely new dimension. The corporate paternalists of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries used some of their wealth to support philanthropic ventures. By the 1920s discussions about the social responsibilities of business had evolved into what we can recognize as the beginnings of the modern CSR movement. In 1929, the Dean of Harvard Business School, Wallace B. Donham, commented within an address delivered at Northwestern University: Business started long centuries before the dawn of history, but business as we now know it is new new in its broadening scope, new in its social significance. Business has not learned how to handle these changes, nor does it recognize the magnitude of its responsibilities for the future of civilization. http://www.brass.cf.ac.uk/uploads/History_L3.pdf Historians of corporate social responsibility generally agree that the concept emerged in the 1930s and 1940s. It became formalized in 1953 with the publication of Social Responsibilities of the Businessman, a book by Howard Bowen. (Dick Jones Communications, 2010) CSR has now found its way in almost every country. The difference visible is the magnitude on which it is followed and used to ones benefit. CSR was religiously followed by developed countries like United Kingdom and United States of America; they are two the developed countries where it is quite popular and now it is steadily growing in a large number of developing countries. CSR reporting is being followed by not only big multinational companies but also SMEs. The number of companies reporting on CSR has been increasing at a fair pace. In practice, much of the business activity that has so far been labeled CSR has been driven by the concerns of investors, companies, campaign groups and consumers based in the worlds richest countries such as United States of America, United Kingdom, France, Australia, Germany among others. National CSR agendas in middle and low-income countries have been less visible internationally, and have often not been labeled CSR. The result has been CSR practices that are largely framed in rich countries, then internationalized and transferred to other businesses and social settings through international trade, investment, and development assistance. The strategic challenge for governments at national and local levels is how best to shape an agenda that has been largely market-driven and responsive to concerns of rich country stakeholders. Over the past five years or so, governments, companies and NGOs in many middle-and-low-income countries have accelerated a process of adaptation of the dev eloped-country-driven CSR agenda through greater direct engagement. CSR movements and initiatives have emerged in countries such as China, India, South Africa, the Philippines and Brazil, among others. (CSR and Developing Countries, 2007) Moving on from countries that follow CSR to companies that follow CSR, Europes top 100 companies have significantly increased the level of ethical reporting in their annual statements. In 1992 only 12 percent of Europes top firms included a statement of ethical policy in their annual reports, compared with 80 percent in 2003. Also, 96 percent of UK companies say that environmental and social transparency is as important as transparency in economic and businesses issues; non-financial reporting is still widely seen as a PR or marketing tool. (Financial Management, 2003) In 2005, 360 different CSR-related shareholder resolutions were filed on issues ranging from labor conditions to global warming. Government regulation increasingly mandates social responsibility reporting. These pressures clearly demonstrate the extent to which external stakeholders are seeking to hold companies accountable for social issues and highlight the potentially large financial risks for any firm whose conduct is deemed unacceptable. Of the 250 largest multinational corporations in the world, 64% published CSR reports in 2005, either within their annual report or, for most, in separate sustainability reports supporting a new cottage industry of report writers. (Porter Kramer, 2006) According to a recent KPMG study (2005), CSR reporting has changed from purely environmental to concentrating on sustainability and has now become mainstream practice among the top 250 companies of the Fortune 500. In addition to CSR reporting, more than 1000 corporations in Europe and the US have developed or signed codes of conduct governing their social, environmental and ethical practices, and more than 2000 corporations now report on these practices. (Money Schepers, 2007) It also matters a lot for the global economy to what extent small businesses decide to engage in CSR activities. Although it is much more complex to identify, investigate and communicate CSR in the small business, the author believes this area deserves more attention due to its potential impact on the global economy. The grand impact of small businesses CSR engagement on state and civil society has been severely underestimated by researchers and policy-makers. SMEs are motivated, challenged and engaged in CSR issues in many very different ways compared with large  ¬Ã‚ rms. However, the author states that more research is needed to understand in detail the conditions and strategies for SMEs to adopt CSR practices. Research shows that an improved understanding of current CSR practices in SMEs has the potential of stimulating a high impact for the global economy and society as well as for the SMEs themselves. Beyond multinational companies, which pioneered in this  ¬Ã‚ eld with conspicuous efforts, SMEs are developing new tools and approaches to manage social and environmental issues within the scope of their strategic and competitive activities. (Morsing Perrini, 2009) 1.4 Why is it done? In the 21st century marketplace the organizations are becoming more conscious of their overall image and how the world looks at them. The organizations are conscious of human rights and of being economically, socially and environmentally active and responsible. The organizations are being pressurized from different directions to follow ethical practices in business an example being the Companies Act 2006 enshrining in law the concept of enlightened shareholder value, a form of corporate social responsibility, in place of a directors traditional common law duty of loyalty. Researchers have found a strong correlation between social performance and financial performance of a business and it can be proved by stating that now days consumers are well aware of the companies who are socially and environmentally more responsible, especially in the developed countries consumers are placing more importance on the social responsibility of firms. However, the scale and nature of the benefits of c orporate social responsibility (CSR) go beyond the financial ones and can include benefits such as improved perceptions of the company, proactive management of risk, building loyalty-based customers on account of distinctive ethical values etc. Concerns about corporate social responsibility have grown significantly during the last two decades. Not only has the issue become commonplace in the business press and among business and political leaders but a body of academic literature has also emerged around it. Nevertheless, little theoretical attention has been paid to understanding why or why not corporations act in socially responsible ways. (Campbell, 2007) Governments, activists, and the media have become adept at holding companies to account for the social consequences of their activities. Myriad organizations rank companies on the performance of their corporate social responsibility (CSR), and, despite sometimes questionable methodologies, these rankings attract considerable publicity. As a result, CSR has emerged as an inescapable priority for business leaders in every country. Many companies awoke to it only after being surprised by public responses to issues they had not previously thought were part of their business responsibilities. Nike, for example, faced an extensive consumer boycott after the New York Times and other media outlets reported abusive labor practices at some of its Indonesian suppliers in the early 1990s. Shell Oils decision to sink the Brent Spar, an obsolete oil rig, in the North Sea led to Greenpeace protests in 1995 and to international headlines. Pharmaceutical companies discovered that they were expected t o respond to the AIDS pandemic in Africa even though it was far removed from their primary product lines and markets. Fast-food and packaged food companies are now being held responsible for obesity and poor nutrition. Activist organizations of all kinds, both on the right and the left, have grown much more aggressive and effective in bringing public pressure to bear on corporations. Activists may target the most visible or successful companies merely to draw attention to an issue, even if those corporations actually have had little impact on the problem at hand. Nestlà ©, for example, the worlds largest purveyor of bottled water, has become a major target in the global debate about access to fresh water, despite the fact that Nestlà ©s bottled water sales consume just 0.0008% of the worlds fresh water supply. The inefficiency of agricultural irrigation, which uses 70% of the worlds supply annually, is a far more pressing issue, but it offers no equally convenient multinational co rporation to target. Debates about CSR have moved all the way into corporate boardrooms. In 2005, 360 different CSR-related shareholder resolutions were filed on issues ranging from labor conditions to global warming. Government regulation increasingly mandates social responsibility reporting. Pending legislation in the UK, for example, would require every publicly listed company to disclose ethical, social, and environmental risks in its annual report. These pressures clearly demonstrate the extent to which external stakeholders are seeking to hold companies accountable for social issues and highlight the potentially large financial risks for any firm whose conduct is deemed unacceptable. (Porter Kramer, 2006) According to G.K. Kanji and P.K. Chopra (2010), there are various factors responsible for the steep rise in the number of corporations adopting CSR. First, consumers across the globe are becoming more and more aware of the environmental and social implications of their purchases and hence they take these issues into consideration when making their decisions. Second, globalization has given rise to new challenges for corporations in terms of government regulations, tariffs, varying standards, ethical issues, environmental restrictions, labor exploitation, and so on. These issues can be very costly for corporations, and hence corporations have to use socially responsible policies. There are several possible explanations for this increased attention in the UK to CSR issues. There are three speci ¬Ã‚ c ones: a general increase in concerns about ethics in British society; heightened awareness of risk and risk management; and the growth in media exposure concerning CSR. Aguilera et al., (2006) According to Dawkins Ngunjiri, 2008 evidence suggests that consumers and other stakeholders prefer companies that embrace social responsibility there for; reporting social and environmental impacts along with financial results has become routine practice for companies. Unlike highly regulated financial reporting, corporate social responsibility reporting (CSRR) is generally left to the companies discretion. As a result, companies have adopted varying forms of reporting such as triple bottom line or conformed to the standards of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) such as the Global Reporting Initiative or Social Accountability International. There is an emerging stream of research examining how companies use CSRR to highlight their commitment to corporate social responsibility. To date, the research on CSRR has been focused primarily on Europe and the United States, but the emerging market economies that can quickly become corporate social responsibility (CSR) flashpoints are garne ring increased attention from researchers as well. Not only is it important for companies to engage in favorable CSR but also that they report those activities. KPMG published an International Survey of Corporate Sustainability Reporting to document the extent of company involvement in this practice. Clearly, company disclosures can lead to favorable perceptions of corporate governance, and investors use this information to make decisions. Outside of regulatory considerations, companies engage in CSRR for three primary reasons: (a) to maintain and enhance perceptions of legitimacy, (b) to manage the perceptions of key stakeholders, and (c) as a reflection of their corporate values. Legitimacy is a generalized perception that the actions of an entity are desirable, proper, or appropriate within some socially constructed system of norms, values, and beliefs. Consequently stakeholders, consumers, local communities, and NGOs can influence corporate behavior by arguing that a given practice does not conform to societal expectations or lacks legitimacy. Disclosures about CSR are one way that companies demonstrate their legitimacy to stakeholders. For instance, found that companies increased their environmental disclosures when their legitimacy was questioned due to environmental mishaps. According to Timothy M. Devinney (2009), there is an ongoing debate on the idea that what are the real costs and benefits of CSR reporting and this is due to the fact that very little evidence is available on this topic, for those with a narrow conception of CSR, the corporation has little, if any, obligation to the society other than the creation of economic rents that can accrue to the stakeholders with recognized rights to those rents. For those with an expansive view of CSR, the corporation should serve as an instrument of public policy by other means. For those seeking a compromise, CSR is something in between these two extremes. Although it is still contested whether corporations have social responsibilities beyond their wealth-generating function, there exists today increasing internal and external pressures on business organizations to fulfill broader social goals. The author further states that because business organizations are embedded in different national systems they experience divergent degrees of internal and external pressures to engage in social responsibility initiatives. The author further states that Orlitzky, Schmidt, and Rynes in 2003 provided a breakthrough in the CSR literature with meta-analytic evidence showing a significant positive effect of corporate social/environmental performance on corporate financial performance, and Mackey, and Barney in 2005 theorize with a supply and demand model that investing in socially responsible initiatives will maximize the market value of the firm. These studies should bring some closure on the long-running debate about whether it is in an organization s financial best interest to engage in CSR. Therefore, an important new line of inquiry within this field is no longer whether CSR works but, rather, what catalyzes organizations to engage in increasingly robust CSR initiatives and consequently impart social change. Aguilera et al., (2007) One persistent feature of debates about CSR is a deep skepticism about the intentions of companies. There is a recurrent suggestion that CSR activity is just window-dressing aimed at distracting attention from the real problems. The author asked this question to a number of the board directors working in various organizations and they all rejected this criticism. They claimed to be sincere in their desire to ensure that their companies behave responsibly in addressing the major social and environmental impacts associated with their business activities. (Mackenzie, 2007) There is an ongoing debate on the idea that do companies really report their activities to make a difference by presenting the various changes they make in the name of CSR or is it just a calculated effort to improve their image. It is very difficult to come to a conclusion on this debate as both in favor and against the above mentioned point have some strong arguments that they put forward. 1.5 Legitimacy and Stakeholder Theory in the case of CSR Legitimacy theory posits that organizations continually seek to ensure that they operate within the bounds and norms of their respective societies. These bounds and norms are not fixed, but change across time, thereby requiring the organization to be responsive. In a sense, there is a social contract between the organization and those affected by the organizations operations. The organization is expected to comply with the terms of this contract, and these expressed or implied terms are not static. An event study incorporating legitimacy theory was conducted by Patten (1992). Patten focused upon the change in the extent of environmental disclosures made by North American oil companies, other than Exxon Oil Company, both before and after the Exxon Valdez incident in Alaska in 1989. He argued that if the Alaskan oil spill resulted in a threat to legitimacy of the petroleum industry, and not just to Exxon, then legitimacy theory would suggest that companies operating within that industry would respond by increasing the amount of environmental disclosures in their annual reports. Pattens results indicate that there were increased environmental disclosures by the petroleum companies for the post-1989 period, consistent with a legitimation perspective. This disclosure reaction took place across the industry, even though the incident itself was primarily related to one oil company. Deegan and Gordon (1996) reviewed annual report corporate environmental disclosures made by Australian companies across the years from 1980 to 1991. They investigated the objectivity of corporate environmental disclosure practices and trends in environmental disclosures across time. They also sought to determine if environmental disclosures are related to concerns held by environmental groups about particular industries environmental performance. The results derived by their study confirm, among other findings, that; (1) increases in corporate environmental disclosures across time are positively associated with increases in the levels of environmental group membership; (2) Australian corporate environmental disclosures are overwhelmingly self-laudatory: and (3) there is a positive correlation between the environmental sensitivity of the industry to which the corporation belongs and the level of corporate environmental disclosure. Deegan and Gordon argue that the levels of corporate e nvironmental disclosures are associated with the legitimation process, whereby companies seek to attain the status of legitimacy. (Deegan Brown, 1998) Banks with a higher visibility among consumers seem to exhibit greater concern to improve the  corporate  image through  social  responsibility  information disclosure.  Results thus suggest that legitimacy  theory  may be an explanation of  social  responsibility  disclosure by Portuguese banks.   (Branco Rodrigues, 2006) Stakeholder theory is a theory of organizational management and ethics. Indeed all theories of strategic management have some moral content, though it is often implicit. This is not to say that all such theories are moral, as opposed to immoral. Moral content in this case means that the subject matter of the theories are inherently moral topics (i.e., they are not amoral). Stakeholder theory is distinct because it addresses morals and values explicitly as a central feature of managing organizations. The ends of cooperative activity and the means of achieving these ends are critically examined in stakeholder theory in a way that they are not in many theories of strategic management. Stakeholder theory is conceived in terms that are explicitly and unabashedly moral. Managing for stakeholders involves attention to more than simply maximizing shareholder wealth. Attention to the interests and well-being of those who can assist or hinder the achievement of the organizations objectives is the central admonition of the theory. (Phillips et al., 2003) The social responsibility of business has become a major issue in recent years and the reporting of such activity is becoming more prevalent. Companies are attuning to the benefits of being seen as socially responsibly and many industries are jumping on the bandwagon of reporting CSR and using different media to communicate their activities in this arena to their stakeholders. Companies are attuning to the benefits of being seen as socially responsibly and many industries are jumping on the bandwagon of reporting CSR and using different media to communicate their activities in this arena to their stakeholders. The article considers the content of one type of such communications, the annual report,

The Angers of the Rich :: Character Analysis, Buchanan

Paul Krugman discusses topics including anger, wealth, self-pity, and self-righteousness in his article, â€Å"The Angry Rich.† All of these characteristics are reflected in the character Tom Buchanan, from The Great Gatsby. Tom, who depicts himself as an imperious man, puts himself above everyone just because he has money. In The Great Gatsby, money rules the society from where you live, whom you’re friends with, and even the way people look at you. Tom and Daisy both think of themselves as exclusive compared to everyone else and put themselves above the rules. Tom has a mistress, Myrtle, she isn’t the most appealing woman, but it is enough to fuel the fire of Tom’s ego. The Great Gatsby illustrates Tom getting irritated and angry while driving to the city as a result of noticing the relationship between Daisy and Gatsby, and no one informing him of it: â€Å"Did you see that?† †¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"You think I’m pretty dumb, don’t you?†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ He paused. The immediate contingency overtook him, pulled him back from the edge of the theoretical abyss† (121). Tom is starting to catch on that Daisy might be cheating on him with Gatsby, but he has no right to be upset; he is doing the same thing with Myrtle! Tom’s realization also supports his beliefs in rules not applying to him because he is higher than everyone else. Jordan Baker, one of Daisy’s friends, sums up Tom’s feelings toward Gatsby in one statement: â€Å"Listen, Tom. If you’re such a snob, why did you invite him to lunch?† demanded Jordan crossly† (122). If Tom has â€Å"made a small investigation of this fellow† (122); and concludes that he doesn’t like him, then why does he invite him places and attend his party? Before Nick goes to dinner with the Buchanans, he fills us in on Tom’s privileged life: â€Å"Her husband†¦a national figure in a way, one of those men who reach such an acute limited excellence at twenty-one that everything afterward savors of anti-climax. His family were enormously wealthy† (Fitzgerald 6). This passage illustrates Tom’s trouble-free access to masses of money. With this money comes power and obviously this power has made Tom feel like he is at liberty to anything. Paul Krugman also states this in his article: â€Å"And among the undeniably rich, a belligerent sense of entitlement has taken hold† Another one of Tom’s amazing traits is having self-pity.

Ocean’s Eleven †Film analysis Essay

The blockbuster film Ocean’s Eleven, released in 2001, was the first film of a trilogy of heist films directed by Steven Soderbergh. This big budget crime-thriller remake of the 1960’s Rat Pack favourite conveys the intricately thrilling plot where Daniel Ocean leads a rag-tag group of con artists and ex-cons for the monumental heist of 3 major Las Vegas Casinos. This sequence is significant because it sets up the diegesis of the film and also gives us an insight into the character of the protagonist. Also, structurally, the set up of the heist is crucial to setting up the audience’s high expectations and apprehensions of how something of this scale can be achieved smoothly. Daniel Ocean, played by A-list star George Clooney, is being interviewed by the parole board at a small New Jersey State prison. Immediately after being released, Ocean heads straight for Atlantic City and then Las Vegas to begin recruiting old acquaintances for his grandest heist yet. The genre feature of assembling the heist team members, each with a specific skill, is an extremely important one as it functions to make the audience anticipate what role each will play and how, exactly, their skills will come into play later. Through this sequence, it is made clear to us that Daniel Ocean is a leader and a natural, experienced criminal whose goals and ambitions are not affected by prison. To put this film and its heist theme into context, we must take into consideration the significance of using a casino in Las Vegas as the target of the heist. Las Vegas, also known as sin city, is the entertainment and gambling capital of the world, where fortunes are made and lost. Las Vegas connotes certain values and attitudes. Heist genre films have to make the thieves charismatic and almost heroic, therefore, the object or institution being robbed must be seen as evil in some personal or social way. A casino in Las Vegas is a symbol of mass corporate greed, capitalism on a lurid scale, and a place where the odds are stacked in the casino’s favour. The stakes are so high when it comes to robbing a casino that, Daniel Ocean and his 10 associates are not only gambling their chances of going to prison, they are gambling with their lives. We know that this is the case with this film because we can see Daniel Ocean unthreatened and unaffected by prison life. MISE EN SCENE During the interview in the prison, The Mise en scene lends meaning to the fact that it isn’t a nice place to be, where conformity reigns, and individuality is quashed. The dark mise en scene, with the walls painted grey, as a prison is, creates an institutionalized atmosphere. The empty benches behind the character indicate the character’s loneliness in prison. There is also a barred window in the background, representing the outside world and something that can be seen but not experienced as well as the fan that isn’t on, further emphasising the lifeless atmosphere of the prison. Figure placement is effectively thought out to show Ocean in the centre, as the main character, and one side of him lit, from outside light, the other in darkness from inside the prison, introducing the classic narrative structural opposition of good versus evil, and showing Oceans two sides in the framing and lighting. The low-key back lighting creates a halo effect and prevents the audience from recognising him, creating instant mystery and suggesting he is doing something wrong or secretive, characteristic of the genre. Through Costume, Hair, and make-up, we see that Daniel Ocean, unshaven and slouched, is wearing a dark beige jumpsuit with a white undershirt, which represent his repression and captivity. Although Ocean is presented as a criminal, his slicked back hair, articulated speech and star image make him appealing. Clooney is usually seen as playing the hero in films, a trait common in studio films such as this, so the audience will expect the same of him in this film, although he is being portrayed, not as a law-abiding citizen or law enforcer, but as a felon. As Ocean leaves the prison, we see natural light coming from outside of the prison, with Ocean, facing away from us, silhouetted. This light is there to represent freedom, and escape from the confining walls of prison; Ocean’s silhouette raises yet more enigmas. Figure placement puts the â€Å"North Jersey State Prison† prison behind Ocean as he walks out, setting the location and also symbolizing Ocean leaving the prison and life of confinement behind. In the next location, a casino in Atlantic City, we have a big contrast in mise en scene, which conveys to us Daniel Ocean’s character in a non-confined setting. As this destination is the first place that Ocean visits after leaving prison, it suggests that it plays a significant role in the narrative. In the background, chandeliers can be seen, along with potted plants, and a burgundy and gold colour scheme, symbolizing wealth and desire. Ocean himself is now cleanly shaven, stylishly suited and can now be seen as much more of an individual, with the high-key lighting showing all of his facial expressions. All of the mise-en-scene shows the audience how this new setting is much more welcoming, the colours used give the setting a sense that Ocean feels at home and the artificial light brightens up the entire shot. The setting is made clear to the audience and the large budget of the film is made evident by the use of props such as the slot machines, roulette tables and the uniformed croupiers. These uniforms are also significant because the croupiers are wearing nametags, giving them an identity, which further contrasts the prison life where the prisoners in uniforms have no identity. Cinematography and EditingArguably the most critically acclaimed aspect of Ocean’s Eleven is the exceptional cinematography and editing. Stephen Soderbergh’s creative influence as an auteur is seen through cinematography and editing and it is known to be effective in conveying the plot with or without dialogue. The shots in this sequence are typically quite long durations of shot because they allow for the setting and context to sink in. The establishing shot is medium close-up shot on the character, who is positioned in the centre of the shot. This long duration of shot allows the audience to take in Daniel Ocean’s character in detail, illustrating his importance. A fast cut to a close up shot reveals the character to be Hollywood star George Clooney, fixed and focused onto his face, allowing for a more personal connection with the character, and also allowing individuality.  This close up also reveals his eyes, which help gain the audience’s trust, emphasizing his importance even further. The bobbing camera movement suggests the point of view from another character, the parole interviewer. A point of view shot through jail cell bars and slow tracking shots of Ocean leaving the prison suggests that other criminals look up to Ocean as an icon. A close up shot of Daniel’s ocean’s hand holding a wedding band conveys the importance of the ring, and hence, the importance of his ex wife. This impression is confirmed when the camera slowly pans up to Ocean’s face, revealing his longing expression. A close up tracking shot from behind Ocean is used as he exits through the prison gates to emphasise his importance and his role as a leader. In Atlantic City, a shallow focus shot of Ocean rising up in an escalator, filmed from a low-level camera angle, indicates Daniel Ocean’s rise from a boring repressed lifestyle to the pretentious planning of an epic heist. The shallow focus allows for more emphasis on Ocean. Once Ocean is seated at a blackjack table, there are several shot-reverse-shots of Ocean and the croupier, which doesn’t break the 180-degree rule, and also allows for dialogue. This helps to establish narrative. A point of view shot, from Ocean’s perspective, shows another croupier talking to somebody, showing that something had caught his eye. This suggests one of the characters in this shot, plays a role of importance in the future narrative. The female croupier walks out of the frame and is replaced by the man from the previous shot. This raises enigma as to why she has left, and satisfies the audience’s expectations of one of the previous characters being of some significance. The camera then zooms in closer to Frank’, whose name is established from the dialogue. This zoom suggests that this conversation between him and Ocean is that of a more secret nature, between those two, and the audience. Both characters seem to have their eyes at the same height  in an eye-line match, suggesting friendship and equality, but also raising an enigma between the two characters, as to how they are friends. SoundDiegetic and non-diegetic sound are used to collaboratively to augment the sequence in several ways. Off screen, metallic diegetic sounds can be heard, like large, heavy doors, or keys, and voices can be heard, but not distinctly. This off screen sound raises an enigma as to what the source of these noises are, cueing their significance to the plot as associated with confinement and prison, setting up the threat of prison for the thieves later on in the film. Off screen diegetic dialogue can be heard from a well educated, seemingly law abiding character, interviewing our character, who we find out to be Danny Ocean, tying in with the title, and giving more reason to the fact that he is the protagonist in this film. This interviewer acts as a contrast between law-abiding citizens, and the stereotypes that are commonly found in prison, representing the good, in this film. When the interviewer asks Ocean â€Å"What do you think you would do if released?† he does not respond, but a cut to a close up of his face and a non-diegetic baseline insinuates that he indeed plans to break the law again. We don’t need any script to suggest this as the mischievous, jazzy non diegetic sound and the close up of Ocean’s facial expression tell the audience all they need to know. The non-diegetic sound thickens with more instruments as Daniel Ocean leaves the solitary prison life and enters the lively casino. Combined with the diegetic sound of the casino machines and the gambling crowds, this sound build up represents Daniel Ocean gathering together ideas and the gang members for the heist, slowly coming back to life. The non-diegetic sound is of a funky jazz genre, reflecting Ocean’s optimistic attitude as well as giving a sense of mischief and complexity. Critical Reception Ocean’s Eleven, with it’s A-list cast and artistic director, was considered to be a success at the box office and with critics. The film received a rating of 80 percent at Rotten Tomatoes. People magazine called the film â€Å"pure fun from start to finish,† and included it in its end-of-year Best of Screen list. With its 85 million dollar budget, Oceans Eleven grossed over 183 million US dollars in the US alone and over 260 Million dollars overseas, making it an extremely commercially successful film. Bibliography: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0240772/

Adolescence is a fascinating time of life

Adolescence is a phase of life that begins with the self-discovery of oneself and relationship with the world outside. It is a phase when children are finding themselves entered into adult life surrounded by turbulence and stress already stored for them. Freud captured the stage of adolescence in its delimited fascicule when he evoked; â€Å"Adolescence is fraught with internal struggle. Upon entering the ‘genital’ phase of adolescence, the child is bombarded with instinctual impulses that disrupt this balance. The ego is torn between the strong impulses of the id and the restrictions of the superego. This conflict makes adolescence a time of tremendous stress and turmoil†. (Recapp Online) The youths are swayed by the waves of society’s upheavals and parental hypocritical approaches towards their lives, making them to question their own identity. Jeffrey Jensen Arnett refers adolescence to as Emerging Adulthood where adolescents are slowly and gradually moving towards adulthood. It is a time when they are free from any social obligations and expectations and find themselves independent wanting to break from all bondages. It was in February 2008, court prosecuted 15 years old girl in an aiding and abetting manslaughter by filming happy slapping attack whereby a man was succumbed to death. Mr. Waterhouse was given punches and kicking by two youths 19, and a 17-year-old youth in Keighley, West Yorkshire, in the month of September 2007. Though the man was able to take a walk back to his flat but soon died. All the youths admitted to the crime and the girl pleaded guilty for becoming part of this atrocious act of theirs. (Porter, ABC News Online, 2006) Happy slapping incident has become quite common among youths, formerly originated from South London in 2004. The victims are hit, punched and kicked and all the actions are recorded by youths in their mobile phones or put up on the net to be enjoyed later. The trend of indulging in such violent behaviors have become quite common as revealed by the New South Wales Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. The Bureau’s director, Don Weatherburn reported saying that around 10 to 14 years old adolescents had become the cause of the serious concern for the law enforcement agencies. There was an abrupt rise of incidents from 175 per 100,000 population in 1995 to 487 in 2004. (Porter, ABC News Online, 2006) The above incident clearly shows girls more inclined towards violent behavior. Her mother has put all the blame on the binge drinking which has become very common among youngsters in Britain-a socio cultural compulsion for youths. But the story above lacks clear explanation of what motivated a girl to become a part of the crime. Was it due to drinking or a trend or some other psychological or social factor? Pearson linked the girl’s violent behavior to the social problem faced by them. She says, â€Å"Girls don't want to be endlessly told that they're nothing but sex objects with low self-esteem†¦; they are rejecting victimhood.† (Pearson, 1997) In the process of resisting sexism, girls have unfortunately â€Å"gotten hip.† (Pearson, 1997) Several studies have been conducted and several approaches applied to understand the increasing trend of the violent behavior among girls and Theories of Aggressive behavior is one among them putting forward the psychoanalytic aspect to the behavior problems among girls. News reported by April Simpson, in Boston Globe on 30th January 2007, changed our whole conception of how we perceive youth’s behavior. On one hand, adolescent behavior plunges us into the thought and on the other hand, the above news report shatters this myth. Many youths have proved themselves as responsible citizens and take violent behavior as a blotch on the society. Some youths from Boston, tired of violent behavior took initiative of starting a process of regular meetings with the police to bring law and order problems and several other issues concerning youths to the notice of Police and other city officials. In first ever meeting at the Tobin-Mission Hill Community Center, around dozen students participated and discussed their problems and the measures to control crimes with Thomas M. Menino, Mayor, State Representative Jeffrey Sanchez, Councilor Michael P. Ross, and area police officers. (Simpson, 2007) From then on, these meetings became a routine affair. Not just with officers concerned they also held the meetings among themselves to sort out measures to control violence they had been witnessing quite often in their neighborhood. This story does show youths shouldering responsibility to create conducive environment in their locality but this story does not show to what extent they have tried to address the problems and come out with the possible solutions and how far these youths were successful in their mission? Both these stories reflect contrasting shades of youth’s behavior. In the story above, where girls are too demonstrating behavior not conducive for them shows gravity of the situation our youths have involved themselves. Looking at the current social and economic problem, it is not surprising to see youths especially girls being carried away by the lure of status and societal position and bullying and brawling on roads along-with their mail counterparts. But it is also true their show of cat fighting is not new, and the main culprit is their role model in movie or TV soap, known as Script theory. As these are scripts only that create impressionable image of brawling girls. For e.g. Power-puff girls defeating their archenemy, Mojo Jojo, with hitting and kicking increases the likelihood that girls will also imitate them and see the bullying and aggressiveness as a means to resolve their problems. (Kirsh, 2006) Criminologists also state the exposure to violence at homes as the biggest reason for the youths especially girls to show their aggressive attitude. Lisa Broidy and Robert Agnew also point to the failed relationships as biggest crises in the lives of girls. These girls show their repressed feelings and grievances by shouting, yelling, hitting and abusing, in their own words, â€Å"Abusive and failed relationships are a major source of strain in the lives of many female offenders.† (Chesney-Lind & Pasko, 2004) For guys, violence becomes a means to show their macho power among their peers. Though socio and economic factors too count as the reason behind their adapting to the aggressive behavior but it is more of their hurt ego, which immerses in the form of violence. Many psychologists termed their criminal tendency towards Social-information-processing theory. Theory posits the view that â€Å"Youths engage in these mental processes over and over in real time during social interactions and that within particular types of situations, individuals develop characteristic patterns of processing cues at each step in the model. These patterns form the basis of psychopathologic tendencies†. (Psychiatry Health SE.com, Online) For e.g. if provoked, youths may resort to cues such as threats, show hostile intentions to others and adopt aggressiveness skillfully and successfully, which implies that they are more prone to adopt conduct disorder. It is the community programs and initiatives as demonstrated by the youths from Boston that could make some difference in the long run in the lives of youths prone to violence. Dr Toni Makkai, the Director of the Australian Institute of Criminology, called for more and more intervention programs to support young mothers and give them knowledge and skills to foster in their children their importance toward s society, address their problems with love and bring them into the environment of friendliness and care. (Porter, ABC News Online, 2006) WORKS CITED Arnett Jensen. 2006. Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall. Chesney-Lind, M & Pasko, L. 2004. Girls, Women, and Crime: Selected Readings. Sage Publications. Kirsh, S. J. 2006. Children, Adolescents, and Media Violence: A Critical Look At Research. California & London: Sage Publications. Pearson, P. 1997. You're so cute when you're mad. The Globe and Mail. 29 November, p. D3. Porter, B. (ABC News Online) 2006. PM – NSW youth crime on the rise. Retrieved on April 6, 2008. Psychiatry.HealthSE.com. 2004-2005. Social-Information-Processing Theory. Recapp. Developmental Theories. Retrieved on April 6, 2008 from W.W.W:  HYPERLINK http://www.etr.org/recapp/theories/AdolescentDevelopment/developmentalTheories.htm
http://www.etr.org/recapp/theories/AdolescentDevelopment/developmentalTheories.htm Simpson, A. (Boston Globe) Teens reach out for help against violence. Retrieved

Focus on the Learner Essay Example

Focus on the Learner Essay Example Focus on the Learner Essay Focus on the Learner Essay Student Background Veronica is a 31 twelvemonth old simple degree pupil. She is originally from Ecuador and is presently shacking in Birmingham and has been for the past 3 months. She is University degree educated. as a alumnus in Dentistry. and a native talker of Spanish and is besides fluid in Italian. Veronica has worked as a tooth doctor in her households pattern ; she has learned English at a basic degree and is able to discourse in English at an simple degree. Her motive for analyzing English is to increase her degree of English linguistic communication so that she may work as a tooth doctor in England. She has been encouraged by her sister to travel to the United Kingdom as the rate of wage in her place state she could non gain adequate money. She is really motivated to larn English as she will be able to supply a better life for herself financially and will besides be able to break communicate and hence socialise with her friends from different civilizations. : Linguistic and Skills: Strengths and Failings 1. Listening It is hard to rate listening accomplishments without really puting a hearing undertaking. For the intent of this study I will analyze the apprehension of inquiries set in the interview every bit good as category observation of the scholar. Veronica seems to understand what is said and did non procrastinate in replying the inquiries. She is able to understand most undertaking set in category with the teacher’s account. without necessitating farther aid. However when she doesn’t understand an exercising. she will non react to the undertaking set and will look into with schoolmates in order to finish the undertaking. 2. Talking Strengths Veronica is able to show her message in a comparatively clear mode. She is a fast talker. frequently the instance with Spanish native talkers. She uses simple short sentences chiefly in the present tense. ( Lines 10/14 ) . Failings Veronica has trouble with pronunciation. frequently non utilizing emphasiss. She pronounces the word noisy every bit nosey as seen in line 13-14. However when I repeated the word in the right mode. she rapidly adopted the right pronunciation. She uses the past simple to explicate future programs as seen in line 20 and line 25. This is a grammar mistake besides noted in her authorship and reading undertaking. Veronica uses is’ alternatively of it it is’ and makes the mistake of utilizing in alternatively of at ( as seen in line 20 ) to province future program of analyzing at University. she besides made the mistake of seting the before the lexical verb university Grammar Tense Veronica struggles with the hereafter tenses. She uses is’ to explicate future programs as seen in line 20. Vocabulary Veronica displays a comparatively good degree of vocabulary. illustrated by words such a professional. rule and University ( lines8/20/21 ) . However at times she struggles to happen the words she wants to explicate which consequences in her mumbling ’inaudible’ . Pronunciation Veronica struggles with pronunciation. This may be seen in words such as noisy. seen in line 13-14. and rule. line 8/20 Reading Strengths Veronica was able to finish the reading undertaking without any prompt. in other words independently. She was able to read for the specific information. and seemed to be familiar with have and haven’t. She showed peculiar strength in composing full sentences with right capital letters every bit good as an ability to recognize the right punctuation and contractions doing merely a few mistakes. Failings Veronica has made a few mistakes in the reading exercising. This may be seen through her answering. it is’ alternatively of it has’ . when asked whether an person has internet on their nomadic phone. This possibly illustrate that she may fight with grammar. Veronica has besides made a few errors in composing the right punctuation. frequently rewriting the incorrect sentence alternatively of rectifying it every bit good as neglecting to set a full halt at the terminal of the sentence. every bit good as non utilizing adequate commas. This illustrates that Veronica who is although familiar with capital letters. punctuation. and contractions needs more support in this country. Writing Strengths Veronica is able to show her message comparatively good ; she is able to spell most word right. She illustrates a assortment of words. therefore can be seen to hold a good vocabulary for a scholar at simple degree. She presents her thoughts in logical mode. she states for illustration that her life in England is interesting and is able explain in more item why she has written this. Her script is really legible. She is able to utilize right punctuation such as full Michigans and comma’s every bit good as contractions. Failings Veronica has made a few spelling errors. frequently when words are hard to spell such as profession which even native talker battle with. However even more significantly Veronica has struggled to utilize the capital letters in the right mode. for illustration she writes Favourite alternatively of front-runner and uses full Michigans to often alternatively of commas. She besides struggles with the difference between is. has are and frequently makes mistakes in word order. Some of these errors such as incorrect usage of capital missive could besides seen in reading undertaking. Rationale for pick of Language country I have chosen to concentrate on grammar. most specifically on future tenses and future programs. In order to assist better Veronica’s better her linguistic communication accomplishments in the country of tenses. as this is an country which is debatable for Veronica. Rationale for chosen accomplishments country I have chosen to concentrate on speech production as this is an country which Veronica displays trouble in every bit illustrated through the recording and may be seen in the transcript.