Speech Acts in Linguistics

Speech Acts in Linguistics In linguistics, a speech act is an utterance defined in terms of a speakers intention and the effect it has on a listener. Essentially, it is the action that the speaker hopes to provoke in his or her audience. Speech acts might be requests, warnings, promises, apologies, greetings, or any number of declarations. As you might imagine, speech acts are an important part of communication. Speech-Act Theory Speech-act theory is a subfield of pragmatics. This area of study is concerned with the ways in which words  can be used not only to present information but also to carry out actions. It is used in linguistics, philosophy, psychology, legal and literary theories, and even the development of artificial intelligence. Speech-act theory was introduced in 1975 by Oxford philosopher J.L. Austin in How to Do Things With Words  and further developed by American philosopher J.R. Searle. It considers three levels or components of utterances: locutionary acts (the making of a meaningful statement, saying something that a hearer understands), illocutionary acts (saying something with a purpose, such as to inform), and perlocutionary acts (saying something that causes someone to act). Illocutionary speech acts can also be broken down into different families, grouped together by their intent of usage. Locutionary, Illocutionary, and Perlocutionary Acts To determine which way a speech act is to be interpreted, one must first determine the type of act being performed.  Locutionary acts  are, according to Susana Nuccetelli and Gary Seays Philosophy of Language: The Central Topics, the mere act of producing some linguistic sounds or marks with a certain meaning and reference. So this is merely an umbrella term, as illocutionary and perlocutionary acts can occur simultaneously when locution of a statement happens. Illocutionary acts, then, carry a directive for the audience. It might be a promise, an order, an apology, or an expression of thanks- or merely an answer to a question, to inform the other person in the conversation. These express a certain attitude and carry with their statements a certain illocutionary force, which can be broken into families.   Perlocutionary acts, on the other hand, bring about a consequence to the audience. They have an effect on the hearer, in feelings, thoughts, or actions, for example, changing someones mind. Unlike illocutionary acts, perlocutionary acts can project a sense of fear into the audience. Take for instance the perlocutionary act of saying, I will not be your friend. Here, the impending loss of friendship is an illocutionary act, while the effect of frightening the friend into compliance is a perlocutionary act. Families of Speech Acts As mentioned, illocutionary acts can be categorized into common families of speech acts. These define the supposed intent of the speaker. Austin again uses How to Do Things With Words to argue his case for the five most common classes:   Verdictives, which present a findingExercitives, which exemplify power or influenceCommissives, which consist of promising or committing to doing somethingBehabitives, which have to do with social behaviors and attitudes like apologizing and congratulatingExpositives, which explain how our language interacts with itself David Crystal, too, argues for these categories in Dictionary of Linguistics. He lists several proposed  categories, including directives (speakers try to get their listeners to do something, e.g. begging, commanding, requesting), commissives (speakers commit themselves to a future course of action, e.g. promising, guaranteeing), expressives (speakers express their feelings, e.g. apologizing, welcoming, sympathizing), declarations (the speakers utterance brings about a new external situation, e.g. christening, marrying, resigning). It is important to note that these are not the only categories of speech acts, and they are not perfect nor exclusive. Kirsten Malmkjaer points out in Speech-Act Theory, There are many marginal cases, and many instances of overlap, and a very large body of research exists as a result of peoples efforts to arrive at more precise classifications. Still, these five commonly accepted categories do a good job of describing the breadth of human expression, at least when it comes to illocutionary acts in speech theory. Sources Austin, J.L. How to Do Things With Words. 2nd ed. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1975. Crystal, D. Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics. 6th ed. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2008. Malmkjaer, K. Speech -Act Theory. In The Linguistics Encyclopedia, 3rd ed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2010. Nuccetelli, Susana (Editor). Philosophy of Language: The Central Topics. Gary Seay (Series Editor), Rowman Littlefield Publishers, December 24, 2007.

Ardipithecus Ramidus and Its Relationship to Humans and Chimpanzees Term Paper

Ardipithecus Ramidus and Its Relationship to Humans and Chimpanzees - Term Paper Example The hominoid gap is the first and is said to date back to approximately 22-32 million years ago. This is the period that the human and ape ancestors were diverging from the monkeys’ evolution path. The other gap is the hominid gap and is estimated to date back to about 4.5 to 14 million years ago. It is believed that during this period, the human ancestors and extant ape ancestors separated from a common evolution path. Hominids refer to the human ancestors after the divergence from the last common ancestor with extant apes. Recently, fossil evidence bridging the hominid gap was discovered in 1992 in Aramis, Northern Ethiopia by a group of researchers. The discovery of Ardipithecus ramidus changes the initial belief that the common ancestor between man and extant apes looked more like a chimpanzee. The characteristics of the Ardipithecus ramidus are more similar to those of humans and therefore, the extant apes must have developed their traits after their evolution path and th at of humans separated. This discussion explores the Ardipithecus ramidus’ relationship to Chimpanzees and humans. Ardipithecus Ramidus Ardipithecus ramidus is believed to be 4.4 million years old and its discovery has changed the belief that human beings evolved from chimpanzees. Ardipithecus ramidus walked upright like humans and had a big toe for holding trees like apes. Before the discovery of Ardipithecus ramidus, the oldest early human skeleton was that of Australopithecus afarensis, also known as Lucy. Lucy is believed to be 3.2 million years old. Australopithecus afarensis was also discovered in Ethiopia and had many common characteristics with human beings. Therefore, the earlier ancestry between humans and apes was missing. The first specimen of Ardipithecus ramidus was discovered in 1992. The fossils were found in sediment layers which are approximately 4.4 million years old. The skull, arms feet, pelvis, and teeth were later discovered. The features of Ardipithecu s ramidus such as lack of ape-like canines show that she was not an ancestor of modern chimpanzees (White et al., 2009). Studies of evolution have been trying to determine the reason for the distinctiveness of human beings in terms of being bipedal, having high intellectual and technological capabilities, and other traits that distinguish them from extant apes. Before the discovery of Ardipithecus ramidus fossils, the evolution of humans was based on the characteristics of African apes. It was believed that these unique abilities that humans possess evolved from the modification of the traits of chimpanzees and bonobos, which are the closest human relatives. Human behavior was viewed as a modification of the chimpanzees’ characteristics such as the dominance of males, hunting, culture, upright feeding posture, among others (Harrison, 2010). The discovery of Ardipithecus ramidus sheds light into the period of hominid development after splitting from the common ancestor with ap es. Before Ardipithecus ramidus was discovered, scientists believed that the last common ancestor looked more like a chimpanzee than humans. They believed that the modern apes got many of their traits from this ancestor, such as walking on knuckles and hanging and swinging on trees. Characteristics of apes such as short backs, limbs, and pelvis which are appropriate for walking on knuckles and arms for swinging and hanging on trees were believed to have originated from the last common ancestor. It was believed that after the split, the human ancestors dropped the characteristics of the common ancestor such as sharp canines and walking on knuckles while the ancestors of the chimpanzees retained them up to the present. However, these beliefs are refuted by Ardipithecus

Macbeth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Macbeth - Essay Example The lady here unsexes herself and questions the manliness of Macbeth. A powerful witch in her is active now to tempt and unsex a powerful nobleman, to lead him into his tragedy. The devices she uses make the lines highly poetical. She plays upon words like hope, drunk, dress, pale, love, valour, and coward. She knows that Macbeth’s strength is in his valour. His weakness is his ambition, overvaulting ambition. Using the metaphor of dress, which pervades throughout the play, she questions the rationale behind cherishing a hope for which either Macbeth is not courageous enough to fulfill, or it was merely a hope in him born in a drunken moment. Whatever the case is, she cleverly hurls the words like desire, valour, fear, and love and waits for his reaction. â€Å"I dare do all that may become a man†, answers Macbeth. This answer compels his wife is to resort to stronger spurs. Still harping on the word â€Å"man†, Lady Macbeth now asks whether he was not a man when he had cherished a beastly ambition. She now strikes upon the most sensitive chord of a gentle character by asking Macbeth whether breaking an oath is manly or beastly. Unsexing herself, she tells him that â€Å"had I so sworn as you†, she would have plucked her nipples from her smiling baby and â€Å"dashed the brain out†. The structure of the passage under discussion here is clear; it is used by Shakespeare to reveal the true character Lady Macbeth. She is shown as a witch, a monster, whose concern as a wife is selfish and mechanical. The passage also shows that Macbeth is dominated by his wife, which precipitates his tragedy. At the same time, the metaphors in this passage reverberate again and again in the play to heighten the qualities of the character in Macbeth. He admits that it is â€Å"better be with the dead† than live a tortured life. Macbeth, like Hamlet, is aware of the predicaments from which a man

Past, Present, and Future Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Past, Present, and Future Paper - Essay Example In general, my major motive behind learning of this particular course of drug abuse was to develop my career as a licensed substance abuse counselor and to serve community to promote healthy living habits among the people. I feel that learning is extremely important and must be continued in order to keep our skill sharp and inculcate creativity and innovation in ourselves. Before involving in pursing course in substance abuse, my professional competencies regarding various skills such as written and oral communication, problem solving, and cooperation with the other members were moderate. Notably, I had moderate communication skills both in written as well as oral forms. In my professional life I used to involve in evaluating technical data and apply my logical and analytical problem skills in resolving work related issues. At the same time, I enjoyed taking challenges, I believed that challenges encountered in life not only test our level of competency but it also prepares me to deal with challenges that might emanate in later life. Moreover, I had fair competency with respect to the information retrieval and utilization, I often used to read of books and journals on diverse subjects that had offered me with valuable knowledge regarding information retrieval and utilization. I firmly believe that goal setting is a crucial part of my career as well as personnel development planning. Considering my strengths and weaknesses my career goal is to become a license substance abuse counselor so that I can help the drug abuse victims and their family overcomes their sufferings. I always viewed drug abuse as one of the major problems faced by the societies across the world. Thus, it made me motivated to opt for the course and develop career that would not only benefit me but also the community. When I was working with a non-profit health

South Asia Region Essay Example for Free

South Asia Region Essay South Asia, which consists of the nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, is ethnically diverse, with more than 2,000 ethnic entities with populations ranging from hundreds of millions to small tribal groups. South Asia has been invaded and settled by many ethnic groups over the centuries including various Dravidian, Indo-Aryan and Iranian groups and amalgamation of Dravidian, Indo-Aryan and native societies has produced composite cultures with many common traditions and beliefs. But, the traditions of different ethnic groups in South Asia have diverged throughout earlier times, sometimes giving rise to strong local traditions such as the distinct South Indian culture. Other ethnic groups, successively streaming in later mainly from Central Asia and Iran, e.g. Sakas, Kushans, Huns etc. influenced pre-existing South Asian cultures. Among the last of these new arrivals were the Arabs followed by the Turks, the Pashtuns and the Moghuls. However, Arab influence remained relatively limited in comparison to that of the Turks, Pashtuns and Moghuls, who brought in much cultural influence and contributed to the birth of Urdu, a syncretic language of combined Indo-Persian heritage, which is widely spoken today. Ethnic Englishmen and other Britons are now practically absent after their two centuries long colonial presence, although they have left an imprint of western culture in the elite society. Languages See also: Languages of South Asia The largest spoken language in this region is now HindustÄ nÄ «, its speakers numbering almost 422 million;[75] the second largest spoken language is Bengali, with about 210 million speakers.[76] Urdu is also a major language spoken in the subcontinent, especially in Pakistan and India, and is similar linguistically to Hindi; Hindi and Urdu together make up HindustÄ nÄ «. Although Hindi is spoken in some states of India, many people are not aware of the fact that most of the Indians speak local languages and are not familiar with Hindi. Other languages of this region fall into a few major linguistic groups: the Dravidian languages and the Indo-Aryan languages, a sub-branch of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. The other great sub-branch of Indo-Iranian, the Iranian languages, also have significant minority representation in South Asia, with Pashto and Balochi being widely spoken along the northwestern fringes of the region, in modern-day Pakistan. Many Tibeto-Burman ethnic groups, who are speakers of their language-group, are found in northeast India, Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan. Other small groups, speaking Austro-Asiatic languages, are also present in South Asia. English is another language which dominates South Asia, especially as a medium of advanced education and government administration. Most of South Asia writes using various abugidas of BrÄ hmÄ « origin while languages such as Urdu, Pashto, and Sindhi use derivatives of the Perso-Arabic script. Not all languages in South Asia follow this strict dichotomy though. For example, Kashmiri is written in both the Perso-Arabic script and in the Devanagari script. The same can be said for Punjabi, which is written in both Shahmukhi and GurmukhÄ «. Dhivehi is written in a script called TÄ na that shows characteristics of both the Arabic alphabet and of an abugida. Religions Further information: Religion in Bangladesh, Religion in Bhutan, Religion in India, Religion in Nepal, Religion in Pakistan, and Religion in Sri Lanka Hindu priest saluting the sun in the Ganges, Varanasi, India   Jama Masjid, the main mosque in Delhi, India. About 64% of the South Asia population is Hindu, 33% is Muslim, 2% is Buddhist and 1% is Christians.[74] In South Asia Hinduism and Islam and in some of its countries Buddhism are the dominant religions. Other Indian religions and Christianity are practiced by significant number of people. Historically, fusion of Indo-Aryan Vedic religion with native South Asian non-Vedic Shramana traditions and other Dravidian and local tribal beliefs gave rise to the ancient religions of Hinduism and Jainism. As a consequence, these two religions share many similar cultural practices, festivals and traditions. Arabs brought the Abrahamic religion of Islam to South Asia, first in the present day Kerala, Sri Lanka and the Maldive Islands and later in Sindh, Balochistan and much of Punjab. Subsequently, Muslim Turks/Pashtuns/Moghuls furthered it not only among the Punjabi and Kashmiri people but also throughout the Indo-Gangetic plains and farther east, and deep south up to the Deccan.Afghanistan[1]Islam (99%), Hinduism, Sikhism and Christianity (1%) Bangladesh[77]Islam (89.5%), Hinduism (9.5%), Buddhism (0.7%), Christianity (0.3%) British Indian Ocean Territory[78]Christianity (45.55%), Hinduism (38.55%), Islam (9.25%), Others (6.65%) Bhutan[79]Buddhism (75%), Hinduism (25%) Burma[80]Theravada Buddhism (89%), Islam (4%), Christianity (Baptist and Roman Catholic) (4%), Animism (1%), Others (including Hinduism) (2%) India[79][81]Hinduism (80.5%), Islam (13.4%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (0.8%), Jainism (0.4%), Others (0.6%) Maldives[82]Sunni Islam (100%) (One must be a Sunni Muslim to be a citizen on the Maldives[83][84]) Nepal[85]Hinduism (80.6%), Buddhism (10.7%), Islam (4.2%), Kirat (1.5%) Pakistan[86]Islam (96.28%), Hinduism (1.85%), Christianity (1.59%), Ahmaddiyya (0.22%) Sri Lanka[87]Theravada Buddhism (70.19%), Hinduism (12.61%), ), Islam (9.71%), Christianity ( 7.45%). Economy Further information: Economy of Bangladesh, Economy of India, Economy of Nepal, Economy of Pakistan, and Economy of Sri Lanka South Asia is the poorest region on the earth after Sub-Saharan Africa. Three South Asian nations — Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal — are characterized as least developed country. Poverty is commonly spread within this region. According to the poverty data of World Bank, more than 40% of the population in the region lived on less than the International Poverty Line of $1.25 per day in 2005, compared to 50% of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa.[88] Sri Lanka has the highest GDP per capita in the region, while Afghanistan has the lowest. India is the largest economy in the region (US$ 1.90 trillion) and makes up almost 82% of the South Asian economy; it is the worlds 11th largest in nominal terms and 3rd largest by purchasing power adjusted exchange rates. Pakistan has the next largest economy and the 5th highest GDP per capita in the region,[89] followed by Bangladesh. According to a World Bank report in 2007, South Asia is the least integrated region in the world; trade between South Asian states is only 2% of the regions combined GDP, compared to 20% in East Asia. The Economist has blamed this on Indian neglect of its neighbors.[90] [edit] Governance India[91] and Pakistan[92][93] are the dominant political powers in the region. India is by far the largest country in the area covering around three-fourths the land area of the subcontinent.[94] It also has the largest population of around three times the combined population of the 6 other countries in the subcontinent.[95] India is also the most populous democracy in the world[96] and is a nuclear power. The second largest country in the subcontinent in terms of area and population is Pakistan and has traditionally maintained the balance of power in the region due to its strategic relationships with nearby Arab states[97] and neighboring China.[98] Pakistan is the 6th[99] most populous country in the world and is also a nuclear power. Bangladesh is the third largest populous country in the region. The single largest contributor to UN peacekeeping operations is Pakistan.[100] Diplomacy among the countries of South Asia has been mainly driven by populist politics, with the center stage taken by India-Pakistan conflict ever since their independence in 1947, and then the creation of Bangladesh under tense circumstances in 1971. While the elite rulers of Pakistan chose the USA led bloc during the cold war era, India formed the Non-Aligned Movement. The political situation in Sri Lanka has been dominated by an increasingly assertive Sinhalese nationalism, and the emergence of a Tamil separatist movement under LTTE, which was suppressed recently. Burmas politics is dominated by a military Junta, which has sidelined the democratic forces led by Aung San Suu Kyi. [edit] Health and nutrition There are 421 million MPI-poor people in eight Indian states alone Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal while there are 410 million in the 26 poorest African countries combined.[101] Roughly 42% of Indian children under age 5 suffer from malnutrition.[102] According to the World Bank, 70% of the South Asian population and about 75% of South Asias poor live in rural areas and most rely on agriculture for their livelihood.[103] According to the Global Hunger Index, South Asia has one of the highest child malnutrition rates in the world.[104] In a latest report published by UNICEF in 2008 on global hunger shows that the actual number of child deaths was around 2.1 million.[105] As of 2008 India is ranked 66th on the global hunger index.[citation needed] The 2006 report stated that the low status of women in South Asian countries and their lack of nutritional knowledge are important determinants of high prevalence of underweight children in the region. Corruption and the lack of initiative on the part of the government has been one of the major problems associated with nutrition in India. Illiteracy in villages has been found to be one of the major issues that need more government attention. The report mentioned that, although there has been a reduction in malnutrition due to the Green Revolution in South Asia, there is concern that South Asia has inadequate feeding and caring practices for young children.[106]

Business Ethics Wages And Working Conditions Commerce Essay

Business Ethics Wages And Working Conditions Commerce Essay International business ethics is a particularly complex issue as ethical standards are different depending on where you are. Corporate governance, bribery, corruption, working conditions and targeted marketing are all issues that require organisations to establish an ethical standpoint from which they can work on. There is an increasing emphasis on the corporate responsibility of large organisations from developed nations and the way they operate in third world countries. Many nations now impose their ethical standards on developing countries even though they themselves have been guilty of arguably unethical practices in the past. For example, the poor working conditions suffered in the third world were commonplace during the industrialisation of many western economies. Some of the most common international ethical issues surround the environment, child labour, working standards and conditions, targeting marketing to vulnerable individuals and corruption. Unethical practices include not paying workers a fair wage, employing children under the legal working age and unsafe or unsanitary working conditions. Any practices that are not in compliance with fair labor standards and federal working guidelines fall into this category. 2.2Some of the Types of Unethical Practises Relating To Wages and Working Conditions 2.2.1Child labor   Even today, millions of children in developing countries such as India, Indonesia, and Pakistan are doing hard labor for miniscule payment. Nike and Reebok, as well as other major businesses, have been accused of buying goods from subcontractors which we are produced by child labor. Alongside of this, there have been strong allegations that China is using the free of price labors of prisoners to produce exportable materials. It seems that businesses are sacrificing human rights in order to cut costs. 2.2.2Exploitation of workers (by paying them low wages) Paying extremely low amounts an hour is not far from  slave labor, even if workers are happy with their pay. People should be paid a fair wage based on the benefit you gain from them, not what the fair wage is based on the standards in their economy. If people work for you at pennies on the dollar, and you reap massive profits because of that in other words, they do the work and you keep the money its simply  not fair. Why should one group do most of the work for enough money to survive, while another group becomes stinking rich? Reason behind International Businesses Acting Ethically or Unethically Advantages and disadvantages for a business to act ethically The advantages of ethical behaviour include: Higher revenues demand from positive consumer support Improved brand and business awareness and recognition Better employee motivation and recruitment New sources of finance e.g. from ethical investors The disadvantages claimed for ethical business include: Higher costs e.g. sourcing from Fair-trade suppliers rather than lowest price Higher overheads e.g. training communication of ethical policy A danger of building up false expectations 2.4Recommendations for Businesses to Act Ethically There are ways to curb unethical practices these include having pressure groups, aiming to motivate people to choose morality over greed. 2.4.1 Pressure Groups Businesses and industries increasingly find themselves facing  external pressure  to improve their ethical track record.   An interesting feature of the rise of consumer activism online has been increased scrutiny of business activities. Pressure groups are a good example of this. Pressure groups are external stakeholders they Tend to focus on activities ethical practice of multinationals or industries with ethical issues Combine direct and indirect action can damage the target business or industry Some examples of business-related pressure groups can be found from the following links: Direct consumer action  is another way in which business ethics can be challenged. Consumers may take action against: Businesses they consider to be unethical in some ways (e.g. animal furs) Business acting irresponsibly Businesses that use business practices they find unacceptable Consumer action can also be positive supporting businesses with a strong ethical stance record.   A good example of  this is Fair trade. 2.4.2 Choosing Morality versus Greed Even though $300 USD a month may not seem like much to someone living in a developed country, in Thailand, or Romania, the Philippines, or India, its above the average monthly wage. Sometimes as much as three times the average wage in that country, meaning this person is actually very well off when  compared to others in their country. That money affords the worker a quality lifestyle in their homeland. It may even provide enough money for them to support their family, which no one is going to argue, is a bad thing. Throw in a few bonuses, some extra incentives for good work, and you have a situation where you feel like you are empowering someone and saving them from a situation where they might otherwise be earning half that money doing something like washing dishes. Solution to many international ethic practices lies in the development of international agreements and code of ethics. 2.4.3 Standardized and Strict Laws against Unethical Behavior. Basic laws should be made to protect human rights. Although laws, traditions and beliefs may differ in different countries a basic set of laws should be followed in order to safeguard human rights. 3. Introdution to Apple Organization of Apple was established in 1976 as a computer company. However, in the last decade, Apple has expanded into a complex company that specializes in much more than just computers. In 2001, Apple broke the barrier with the iPod, eventually becoming the dominant market leader in music players. In following, Apple joined the phone industry in 2007 with the iPhone, which has also been widely successful. Apple is known as a consumer goods company; therefore evaluating its value requires understanding its products and consumers. This would be very challenging where Apple competes with many different companies throughout the different industries it takes part in. 4. Unethical Practices by Apple. Apple outsources the production of its goods to countries where labour is cheap. One of apples biggest plants is Foxconn which is located in Schengen, China. Thats why the prices of iPhones and iPads in America and Europe are so cheap. Despite the products being cheap Apple makes super-high profits. This is only possible because iPhones and iPads are made with labor practices that would be illegal in the United States. And its also disconcerting to realize that the folks who make our iPhones and iPads not only dont have iPhones and iPads (because they cant afford them), but, in some cases, have never even seen them. 4.1 Illegal and Poor working conditions Foxconn is a plant in Shenzhen China where apple products are made. Foxconn doesnt really check ages. There are on-site inspections, from time to time, but Foxconn always knows when theyre happening. And before the inspectors arrive, Foxconn just replaces the young-looking workers with older ones. Most of the factory floors are vast rooms filled with 20,000-30,000 workers apiece. The rooms are quiet: Theres no machinery, and theres no talking allowed. When labour costs so little, theres no reason to build anything other than by hand. The official work day in China is 8 hours long, but the standard shift is 12 hours. Generally, these shifts extend to 14-16 hours, especially when theres a hot new gadget to build. The workers stay in dormitories. In a 12-by-12 cement cube of a room, Daisey counts 15 beds, stacked like drawers up to the ceiling. Normal-sized Americans would not fit in them. Unions are illegal in China. Anyone found trying to unionize is sent to prison. One group talked about using hexane, an  iPhone  screen cleaner. Hexane evaporates faster than other screen cleaners, which allows the production line to go faster. Hexane is also a neuro-toxin. The hands of the workers who tell him about it shake uncontrollably. Some workers can no longer work because their hands have been destroyed by doing the same thing hundreds of thousands of times over many years (mega-carpal-tunnel). This could have been avoided if the workers had merely shifted jobs. Once the workers hands no longer work, obviously, theyre canned. One man got his hand crushed in a metal press at Foxconn. Foxconn did not give him medical attention. When the mans hand healed, it no longer worked. So they fired him.   4.2Reasons why Apple has plants in Shenzhen China According to some of the Apple executives, Shenzhens factories, as hellish as they are, have been a boon to the people of China. They say the grimness of the factories, is actually better than the grimness of the rice paddies. So, looked at that way, Apple is helping funnel money from rich American and European consumers to poor workers in China. Without Foxconn and other assembly plants, Chinese workers might still be working in rice paddies, making $50 a month instead of $250 a month   With this money, theyre doing considerably better than they once were. Especially, women had few other alternatives. If Apple decided to build iPhones and iPads for Americans using American labor rules, two things would likely happen: The prices of iPhones and iPads would go up Apples profit margins would go down Almost all of the major electronics manufacturers make their stuff in China and other countries that have labour practices that would be illegal here. One difference with Apple, though, is the magnitude of the companys profit margin and profits. Apple could afford to pay its manufacturers more or hold them to higher standards and still be extremely competitive and profitable. Therefore Apple can afford to pay their workers more or even improve the working conditions. 5. Recommendations for further improvements. Apple should started unprecedented probes into its factories all around the world; these probes will put pressure on the plants that make iPhones and iPads. Apple should increase the amount it pays its employees and therefore give them a larger share of profits. They should reduce the working hours of the employees and pay overtime. They should try to follow the labour laws of their country of origin (USA) and not the lax laws of China where workers are allowed to be overworked. They could increase loans offered to these workers at lower rates, improve the working conditions of these workers by investing in their factories rather than investing so much money in marketing and advertising. They could pressure its branch, converse to improve the working conditions in their factories. 6. Conclusion A small sacrifice in terms of profits from a big company like Apple can go a long way for poor workers in underdeveloped countries. But companies like Apple face the dilemma of voluntarily dropping their profits in order to help these workers or exploiting these workers for large profits. The motivation for a company like Apple to help these workers comes from the fear of bad publicity and the reward of goodwill for being an ethical company. It is therefore important to keep close checks on unethical companies and boycott goods from companies that are unethical towards their workers. The hard truth is that several companies need to be motivated or threatened so that they do not indulge in unethical practices, therefore the responsibility of pressuring these companies falls on the consumer. By buying products from these unethical companies we are indirectly supporting them in their activities.

Deborah Talls From Where We Stand :: Deborah Tall Where Stand Essays

Deborah Tall's From Where We Stand In her book, From Where We Stand, Deborah Tall, tells us the story of coming to Geneva, New York, to begin teaching. It is a personal account of coming to terms with a new and foreign place. It gives us the chance of watching her learn about landscapes, people, and history. It moves through time, through her own life, and especially through motherhood. In the end, and after more than a decade, she gives us the signs of what it means to live out of and within the place where you are. Perhaps the poet is uniquely qualified to consider this issue of place. When Martin Heidegger attempted to understand "place" and "home," he turned to poets like Friedrich HÃ ¶lderlin. Similarly, we can read poems and essays by Gary Snyder --- for instance, The Practice of the Wild or A Place in Space --- or N. Scott Momaday --- for instance, The Man Made of Words. Wallace Stegner's Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs is a collection of essays about "living and writing in the West." John Brinkerhoff Jackson takes us on a tour of American landscapes in his book A Sense of Place, a Sense of Time. And Wes Jackson's Becoming Native to This Place is based on his personal experiences of settling in a little formerly abandoned Kansas farm town, to establish his Land Institute. Virtually all of these writers share a common feeling that mainstream American society has lost its roots. With our extreme mobility we have lost connectedness with the land. We tend to avoid what is unique and defining of landscapes and to look for what is common or universal. When we drive through small communities, we stop to eat at the Burger King or McDonalds instead of investigating Aunt Sue's Loggers' Cafe. In a way, we have invented "everyplace" by universalizing the common things that we expect and seem to need --- familiar motel facades, common fast food menus, universal cable TV access, etc. But what these authors question is whether "everyplace" is really a "place" at all, hence, whether it serves the needs of being grounded in a place, knowing a landscape, feeling the history of habitation, belonging. Here are some personal observations. When Mammoth Mountain was aggressively developed as a ski resort, in the early 70s, traffic began picking up on US395, running through the town of Bishop.