Cultural Relativism Essay

Cultural relativism is the view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context. In other words, â€Å"right† and â€Å"wrong† are culture-specific; what is considered moral in one society may be considered immoral in another, and, since no universal standard of morality exists, no one has the right to judge another society’s customs. Cultural relativism is widely accepted in modern anthropology. Cultural relativists believe that all cultures are worthy in their own right and are of equal value. Diversity of cultures, even those with conflicting moral beliefs, is not to be considered in terms of right and wrong or good and bad. Today’s anthropologist considers all cultures to be equally legitimate expressions of human existence, to be studied from a purely neutral perspective. Cultural relativism is closely related to ethical relativism, which views truth as variable and not absolute. What constitutes right and wrong is determined solely by the individual or by society. Since truth is not objective, there can be no objective standard which applies to all cultures. No one can say if someone else is right or wrong; it is a matter of personal opinion, and no society can pass judgment on another society. Cultural relativism sees nothing inherently wrong (and nothing inherently good) with any cultural expression. So, the ancient Mayan practices of self-mutilation and human sacrifice are neither good nor bad; they are simply cultural distinctives, akin to the American custom of shooting fireworks on the Fourth of July. Human sacrifice and fireworks—both are simply different products of separate socialization. In January 2002, when President Bush referred to terrorist nations as an â€Å"axis of evil,† the cultural relativists were mortified. That any society would call another society â€Å"evil† is anathema to the relativist. The current movement to â€Å"understand† radical Islam—rather than to fight it—is a sign that relativism is making gains. The cultural relativist believes Westerners should not impose their ideas on the Islamic world, including the idea that the suicide bombing of civilians is evil. Islamic belief in the necessity of jihad is just as valid as any belief in Western civilization, the relativists assert, and America is as much to blame for the attacks of 9/11 as are the terrorists. Cultural relativists are generally opposed to missionary work. When the Gospel penetrates hearts and changes lives, some cultural change always follows. For example, when Don and Carol Richardson evangelized the Sawi tribe of the Netherlands New Guinea in 1962, the Sawi changed: specifically, they gave up their long-held customs of cannibalism and immolating widows on their husbands’ funeral pyres. The cultural relativists may accuse the Richardsons of cultural imperialism, but most of the world would agree that ending cannibalism is a good thing. (For the complete story of the Sawis’ conversion as well as an exposition of cultural reform as it relates to missions, see Don Richardson’s book Peace Child.) Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human’s beliefs and activities should be understood by others in terms of that individual’s own culture. This principle was established as axiomatic inanthropological research by Franz Boas in the first few decades of the 20th century and later popularized by his students. Boas first articulated the idea in 1887: â€Å"†¦civilization is not something absolute, but †¦ is relative, and †¦ our ideas and conceptions are true only so far as our civilization goes.†[1] but did not actually coin the term â€Å"cultural relativism.†

Duality in Psycho 1960 Essay

Psycho is a 1960 horror film directed by Alfred Hitchcock starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles and John Gavin. The film is based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The main theme that Hitchcock tries to express to the audience is dual or split personalities. Everyone has a subconscious battle with good and evil; he shows this in many different ways using lighting, different camera techniques, mise-en-scene and silence. Also he used a string orchestra to add tension and drama as well as setting the tone for impending violence. The movie starts with Marion Crane and her boyfriend Sam Loomis in an intimate scene, before she has to go back to work. When she returns to work she is instructed to bank $40000 for her employer but decides to steal it and skip town instead. Driving on a rainy night, she pulls into the Bates Motel where she meets Norman Bates. After being showed to her room the two have dinner and they talk about Norman’s ill mother. Later that night while Marion is in the shower a shadowy figure comes and stabs her to death. Norman bursts into the bathroom and finds Marion’s dead body so he wraps her in a shower curtain then dumps her body and car in a nearby swamp. Marion’s sister Lila and boyfriend Sam are concerned about her disappearance. A private detective named Arbogast is also looking for Marion. Arbogast finds the Bates Motel and notices Norman acting suspiciously. He mentions Marion meeting his mother, so Arbogast goes up to the house to find her but a figure emerges and murders him. When Arbogast doesn’t return Lila and Sam visit the sheriff who is puzzled about Arbogast’s claim that the mother died years ago. Sam and Lila rent a room at the Bates Motel and while Sam distracts Norman, Lila sneaks up to the house where she finds Norman’s mother’s corpse. Norman Bates then bursts in, wearing a dress and wig and tries to kill Lila but is stopped by Sam. After Norman is arrested the psychiatrist reveals that Norman murdered his mother and her lover and then developed a split personality to erase the memory of the crime. The movie ends with Marion’s car being pulled from the swamp. (Ebert,1998) One of the main techniques Hitchcock uses to express the theme of duality is  the use different lighting. This is evident in the parlour scene when Norman and Marion are talking about Norman’s mother. The light source in this scene is high on the wall and closer to Marion leaving Norman in the dark. The angle light behind Norman is very sharp and it draws the audience’s attention to the large dead birds that Norman has but leaves everything else behind him very dark and dull to make it seem almost like he’s lurking in the shadows. (Lamb,2013). Again in the parlour scene only half of Normans face is lit insinuating that he has a dark side but also that half of him is still good. This technique is used more than once throughout the film. In the same scene Marion is depicted as sweet and innocent with her full face being lit. She has a large round light behind her leaving no shadows and lighting the entire wall. It’s in this scene that Marion good side prev ails and she decides to go back to Phoenix and return the stolen money. Another technique Hitchcock uses well in the film is sound. The score was written for a string orchestra by Bernard Herrmann even though Hitchcock initially requested a jazz score. However, after the film’s success, Hitchcock said â€Å"thirty three percent of the effect of Psycho was due to the music† (Smith,1991, p.241). The title music which is a tense hurtling piece plays three times throughout the film adding tension to some of the earlier scenes. (Palmer,1990, p.275). He also uses silence to build suspense. For example, in the shower scene Marion gets undressed and begins showering with no background music; this implies that something bad will happen yet, when the shadowy figure appears the violins are used in a screeching and stabbing sound motion of extreme viciousness. (Palmer,1990, p.277). The mise-en-scene is extraordinarily influential throughout Psycho but the best example of this would be in the parlour scene. One of the main objects in this scene is the milk jug that Norman carries on the tray. The spout is like an arrow pointing to Marion, This shows the audience that Norman has chosen her as his prey. Another obvious technique used in this scene is the position and placement of the actors and also the body language used. When Norman and Marion are standing facing each other Norman is holding the tray with both arms making it look almost like he’s pointing at Marion reinforcing the idea that he has chosen her, while Marion stands with both  arms by her side making her seem unaware and innocent. (Quality Teacher Program,2002, p.14). Also, while Norman and Marion are standing outside the office Norman’s reflection can be seen in the window, which supports the idea of duality in the film. Camera angle and different camera movements are another fantastic technique that Hitchcock uses very well in Psycho to reinforce the theme of duality. This can be seen in the opening scene where the camera positions the viewer as a voyeur witnessing an illicit affair between Marion who is in her lunch break and Sam who is a divorcee. In the 1950’s this was seen as pushing the limits of what is socially and morally acceptable. The shower scene also uses an extreme close up of Marion eye which shows her guilt as well as her innocence. Her open eye suggests she didn’t deserve to be killed by Norman but also by dying she has been punished for letting her evil side take over and stealing the money. (Quality Teacher Program,2002, p.29) Hitchcock achieved his goal with Psycho by portraying his main theme of duality in human nature. He made the theme obvious to the audience and reinforced it in many different ways using a large range of techniques including camera angle and position, lighting, sound and mise-en-scene. From the thrilling and somewhat haunting music in the opening credits right up until the final scene where Marion’s car is pulled from the swamp the theme is very effective in a way that keeps the audience thinking long after the film is over. Bibliography A Thematic Analysis of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. http://www.novelguide.com/reportessay/literature/novels/thematic-analysis-alfred-hitchcocks-psycho (Retrieved on 26/3/14) Ebert, R. 1998. Psycho Review. http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-psycho-1960(Retrieved on 26/3/14) Final Paper. http://www.docstoc.com/docs/147378225/Final-Paper (Retrieved on 25/3/14) Kato, M. n.d., Hitchcock’s Psycho Analysis, University of Kyoto, Kyoto. Lamb, B. 2013, Mise-en-scene. http://lessonbucket.com/vce-media/units-3-4/narrative/mise-en-scene/ (retrieved on 26/3/14) Nixon, R. n.d. Behind the Camera on PSYCHO. http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/191164%7C0/Behind-the-Camera-Psycho.html (Retrieved on 26/3/14) Palmer, C.1990, The Composer in Hollywood, Marion Boyars, London Plot Synopsis. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054215/ (Retrieved on 25/3/14) Psycho (motion picture) 1960, Paramount Pictures, Los Angeles, Producer, Alfred Hitchcock. Quality Teacher Program, 2002, Critical Literacy in English Years 8-10, Quality Teacher Program, Sydney. Smith, S.C. 1991, A Heart at Fire’s Center; The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann, University of California Press, Berkeley

Financial Reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Financial Reporting - Essay Example Here the items are specific and these are compared over a specific accounting period. This method can further be classified into two sub categories, namely absolute dollar and percentage comparison (Edmund, et.al., 2006). b) Vertical Analysis: The vertical analysis on the other hand is when the analysts use separate figures to one specific figure of a financial report. This comparison is generally performed in percentages. Here unlike the horizontal analysis, the analyst use one certain item and compare several different items with it, in the same accounting period. This is generally used to gather enough data to build a trend. This method is also divided into two main styles, income statement analysis and balance sheet analysis (Edmund, et.al., 2006). Narrative reports in annual reports are a very useful tool. These often cover a number of different aspects of the annual report. The narrative reports have been taking up higher portions of the annual reports. It has been noted by Deloitte research that these take up as much as 54% of the total annual reports (Reed, 2008). The role of the narrative reports is very clear, it is mainly present in the annual reports to provide the readers with a clear knowledge of the history of the company, a brief analysis of the changes made in the year, future plans of the company and also the illustrations and photographs that are relevant. This forms a source of information for the readers and to some extent can be considered to be a monologue. The role is to provide for a complete overview of the company. In terms of the analysing the financial statements, these reports provide the analysers with straight forward information. It includes a five to ten years of financial summary which proves to be very beneficial especially if the analyser aims at gaining comparative information over a few years of historical data of the company (Bear,

Principles of Marketing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 192

Principles of Marketing Report - Essay Example Millennials are diverse and optimistic and are aged between 18 and 36. This generation account for 24 percent of the U.S population only 21 percent of this age group are married meaning their finances are less committed, and they are likely to buy a new product. The income of this demographic is between $25k and $48k. With the younger Millennials aged between 18 and 27 earning $25k and the older ones aged between 27 and 36 earning $48k (Nelsien, 2014). This is a diverse generation composed of Hispanics who make 19 percent, African Americans 14 percent and Asians 5 percent. They are also bilingual, and two-thirds were born in the US. Millennials are also tech-savvy and are likely to visit the company’s website before making an actual visit to a retail store. The company will have to engage them both online and in the media. Millennials like city life and are less likely to live in suburbs. They are social and do not fancy the picket- fence mythology that is associated with the suburbs. With this in mind, the company will target the urban areas of the state (Nelsien, 2014). The targeted areas also have the some highest concentration of Millennials in the state. In their research on Millennials, Nielsen found that three cities in California were in the top ten markets where the concentration of Millennials was high in the US. The areas are San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Since San Diego ranks the highest of the three it will be the company’s area of focus in the state (Nielsen, 44). San Diego is also ranked third in the country making it an ideal location for the company to achieve the greatest distribution. These demographics are ideal for the company as a target group because they live in urban environments and live mostly in Western states that make California, an ideal place for the company (Kotler, 2009). Millennials have become influential in America.  

Ethics and governance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ethics and governance - Case Study Example 1. The appointments of Kong as president of board, and Watson as vice president of the board after the company went public could have a negative impact upon the operations of the organisation. These two individuals had been the CEO and deputy CEO for the company, respectively, when the company was undergoing financial constraints. Maintaining these individuals within the board brings a negative impression to the organisation as they played significant role in the collapse of the organisation. 2. The board should have sought the accurate financial reports and not have relied on the decisions being made by Kong and Watson. The board should also have been provided with the market information of the telephone networks sector to make an educated judgment regarding venturing into the business. 3. In the collapse of the corporate, executive members were involved in making wrong decisions, through their desires to keep the factual financial position of the company hidden from the general pub lic. The non-executive members failed on their part to monitor the financial performance and relied on information provided by Watson members, which was mostly untrue. 4. Within the corporation numerous ethical issues surrounding the conduct of Joe Kong and Jeff Watson, the CEO and Deputy CEO respectively. These breaches could have been avoided through initiating control measures and monitoring the decisions that these executives made for the organisation.

Case Assign MGNT Strategy Implementation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Case Assign MGNT Strategy Implementation - Essay Example The main focus of the company was on eliminating the wastage of time and raw materials at every step of the production process. Due to this reason the company introduced fast and flexible process of manufacturing so that they could supply the customers with the best product on the right time and at an affordable price (Becker, 2012). Toyota improved their production quality by: Implementing a culture of learning within the organization for continuous improvement. Increasing the quality of the working systems. Introducing affordable alternatives for new expensive technology in the market. Creating a perfect business process within the company (ICMR, 2010). Toyota faced different business problems from other automobile companies. The company targeted a small market segment but it had to produce a variety of cars on the same assembly line. The only solution of this problem was to introduce flexible operation. This is when Toyota production system was introduced in the company. They inco rporated the idea of Just-In-time system, inspired by the ideas from American supermarkets. The company also became inspired by the idea of W. Edward Deming, which encouraged Toyota to adopt a systematic approach for solving the problems and this would lead to continuous improvement. This process was called Kaizen (Weemooseus- edublogs, 2010). The main motive of Toyota Production system was to minimize the time spend on activities which are not important or necessary. The major activities in the organization which were non-value adding waste were: Defects Disguise employment Inventory in excess Overproduction Strategic Implementation Factors Strategies are usually formulated by the top level management of the company, but the people responsible for implementing the strategy are different. Implementation is the process that links the top level management with the other employees of the organization. Strategy formulation and implementation of the strategy are two sides of the same coi n. Implementation is a process with the help of which the strategies and the policies of the company are put in action by developing programs, budgets and procedures (Kachru, 2005, p. 391). To see that the strategies have been properly implemented it is important to use the capabilities of a few to check those implementations. The factors such as the structure, culture, people of the organization, commutation, control and the outcome is very important for an organization to successfully implement the strategies. To see that the strategies formulated have been carefully implemented, the organizational structure and culture should be reviewed. In the mid of 2000 Toyota faced number of safety issues in their cars. The most notable problems Toyota faced in its design, development, suppliers, production and maintenance was due to the resignation of a number of talented professionals from Toyota. The 2007 consumer reports did not give any ratings to the cars manufactured by Toyota. The co mpanies had shortage of experts, and maintaining high quality became a million dollar question for Toyota. They had time pressure and lack of resources. The sales went down and the strengths, hybrids and electric cars were not helping the company revive (The Guardian, 2010). Structure The structure affects the organization indirectly. It also affects the implementation of strategies through the flow and control of information. The organization should always align the design and the capabilities

Women and men are encouraged to behave according to specific gender Essay

Women and men are encouraged to behave according to specific gender patterns, critically discuss this assertion by reporting on evidence from your collected sou - Essay Example Typically, men hold positions of power even in democracies. Only 14 percent of the countries have achieved 30 percent representation of women in the parliament, as set out in the Beijing Declaration on Women in 1995. Women have less access to and control of economic powers, rewarded for less remuneration than men for the same work, treated differently in global trade. Women receive less education than men; have to walk long distances to collect drinking water in poorer countries, thereby falling vulnerable to violence; sexual and reproductive health problems result in illness and disability to women; more number of women being victims of HIV/AIDS because of restrictions on women being able to practice safe sex and having access to HIV testing and care services; women become victims of gender-based violence and cultural taboos. On the whole, the mainstreaming of gender has generally failed because the approach towards 'integrating' women in the society does not challenge existing powe r equations. Women have continued to be offered stereotyped jobs, not receiving equal training and education and insufficient resources for women's mainstreaming (Oxfam). With globalization, the traditional economic relationships, including gender relationships, are crumbling down. The classical patriarchy, dependent on the male property ownership and family headship notion, had given rise to the urban "fordist gender regime" - male bread earner/ female house maker - in the western world in the 1950s and 1960s, also duplicated in some parts of the developing world. Economic development and increased competition has meant that the male salary earnings are not sufficient for the increasing consumption patterns. Brenner (2003) notes that incorporation of women in the workforce and their increased access to education and literacy has brought feminism in the forefront of organized politics (cited in Dhawan, p2). Women activists are not increasingly becoming more vocal in national politics but also on global issues. At the same time, marginalized women are becoming even more vulnerable to global capital reorganization. Worldwide, women are facing the brunt of longer working hours, impoverishment, economic insecurity and forced migration and urbanization. Working class women find themselves in the crossroad of development and reactionary policy and continue to remain, if not become increasingly so, victims of fundamentalism, economic insecurity and a complex web of power relations (Kaplan, 1999, cited in Dhawan, p3). Pressures of structural adjustments imposed on many Third World countries have given rise to fundamentalism, which stem from the traditional patriarchal powers and victimize women even more. The emerging capitalist structures of many of these societies have eroded the protection of the traditional patriarchy that women used to have earlier. Women in the Third World are at the crosshead of two powerful forces: one, the nationalist agenda that is inherently masculine in which women are expected to follow traditional roles while the men are free to participate in the political arena, and two, global capital, which forces wom en to participate in the economic field, overpowering the nationalist agenda. While in the west, women of color feel that the feminist agenda is essentially white-oriented, in the Third World, the political interests of working class women are marginalized. Over and above this, women from the