Feminism Socialism in An Inspector Calls free essay sample

John Boynton Priestley was born into a socialist family in 1894, and so lived through the end of the Victorian era and into the 20th century. In 1910 he worked in a textile factory as a clerk, and so was a bystander to the discriminations of the time rich and poor, men and women and, as a socialist, was affected by them. Living in Bradford also gave him a good foundation with which to build up the kind of setting a family like the Birlings would have lived in. Unfortunately for him, when war broke out in 1914 he was of prime recruiting age, and so was forced into enduring, and ultimately surviving, the horrors of the front line in France. He was, like the other survivors, a changed man when he returned. He witnessed the impoverished and aristocracy fighting and dying together, as if there was no class difference what is the difference between two men in the same uniform? Sadly however, this lapsed as Britain got back to its feet again, but Priestley realised the consequences of social inequality. Powerless and horrified, Priestley watched as the world lapsed into its second great conflict. This second bout of suffering made Priestley realise that something had to be done. Within a week of the end of the war, An Inspector Calls was written, expressing the urgency with which change was needed through the Inspector and, more importantly, Sheila. At the beginning of the play, Sheila represents a typical middle-class girl of the time. She has been brought up to simply be a perfect wife. She seems very young, excitable and not very aware of the world around her. For her intended role in life, she doesn’t need to be. However, under the surface lies a being that for twenty years has been indoctrinated with capitalism and brought up to be materialistic, just like her father who values his money and power above all else, hence the ring. She says, â€Å"I think it’s perfect. Now I really feel engaged,† which seems an innocent enough statement, but suggests underneath that she is quite shallow it takes a ring (a sign of wealth) for her to feel properly engaged. All Sheila’s features at the beginning of the play are stereotypical of young ladies’ in 1912, and Priestley uses this, along with her slightly careless attitude to life to hold up a mirror to society at the time. As the play opens, he subtly introduces his agenda, but all but the most attentive of audiences would overlook this until later. Dinner ends with Birling giving his laughably incorrect speech, a metaphor for the failure of capitalism, and a perfect example of dramatic irony, as everyone in the (1945 onwards) audience would of course know that he is totally wrong. This is another step towards socialism showing the progression of society from wrong to right 1912 to 1945 capitalist to at least the possibility of socialism. Just as he finishes digging his grave, socialism incarnate walks through his door to push him in, rubbing his satisfaction in his face. And the faces of the all the older generations that were responsible for all the wrongs of the world at that time; the wrongs the younger generation had to pay for in â€Å"fire and blood and anguish.† The Inspector strolls into this world of capitalism, and by steadily proving the guilt of the family, smashes it. Sheila is one of the first to fall or to see the light, depending on your viewpoint. She is a caring person, but has been brought up as a capitalist, and so a battle of wills begins; will she be nice, moral but go against her parents or be immoral, but correct in her parents eyes. Socialism (the nice side of life ahem, subtle message there†¦) wins, but only just. She confesses to her crimes, rather than denying them like the others, and the split in the family begins the split between capitalism and socialism. Soon the others cave in too, and the Inspector is gone, his job done, and stamp set on the family. Or some of them As the Inspector leaves, he passes on his role to Sheila, dragging her into womanhood at last. No longer is she a slightly shallow and silly Edwardian girl, she now seems independent and freethinking, a post-war woman. â€Å"I  suppose we’re all nice people now.† She no longer expects to rely on other or be a typical good wife’. She is echoing the socialism of the Inspector, mocking the stupidity of her parents with her sarcastic attitude. They, however, think she is still just a silly girl (as they made her) and don’t listen or care. But she is now part of the modern world, a modern woman and, perhaps more importantly, a socialist. Unfortunately, the older generation have failed to learn. They try to laugh off the responsibility pretend that there was nothing wrong that they were not afraid of retribution. This fear was the only thing that made them learn, albeit reluctantly, that socialism was the way forward. Because they are the older generation they hold the power, but it is they who are wrong. They take the decisions that damn the younger generation just as the old caused the young to suffer with the two World Wars. The inspector’s visit therefore represents the â€Å"anguish† of the First World War people began to learn, but then stopped as it finished. The second inspector is the one that teaches the Birlings thus representing the Second World War, and the socialism that finally followed, brought about as the old young’ generation (Sheila and Eric) takes power. An Inspector Calls therefore charts the progression of our nation from 1912 to 1939, and symbolically beyond into WWII. For Sheila this is less importantly capitalism to socialism, and more the progression of women from seen and not heard, to heard and seen as much or more than men. Sheila’s speech (on page 59 in my book†¦) highlights her newfound courage to speak up, just as women did after WWI. She will no longer be content to stay at home knitting and looking after the children, she will stand up and be counted and demand her job along with the others just as Eva Smith tried to do, and failed because she tried with the likes of Birling still around to step on her. All in all, An Inspector Calls is a large, elaborate metaphor, showing the chaos of the past, moving to the possibility of order in the future. By the end of the play its message of morality that socialism is the way to go forward is clear. And why did Priestley give this message? To save the  world, of course. To open the world’s eyes to the threat of World War Three and the destruction that would come with it. He knew that fear was the only message the world understands, and that words were the only way he had to drive this home.

The Ideas of Women Status between Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill

Introduction The feminist movement since its earliest times has been marked with varying perspectives, positions and arguments. Nevertheless, these variations should be understandable, especially when interpreted within the contexts (both in time and space) that inspired them. Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stewart Mill represent different times in the evolution of women’s rights movement.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Ideas of Women Status between Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill Wollstonecraft and Mill share a common task, namely, the advocacy for more rights for women. That advocacy begins in admitting that women are treated differently from men. Still, as their essays show, there are differences in their advocacies that reflect certain contextual differences of their times. In A Vindication of the Rights of Women, Wol lstonecraft makes her argument based on the issues of morals and virtue. For her, one is considered moral and virtuous if they perform their tasks properly. However, this devotion to tasks can only occur if all people (men and women) are equal, which is attained through education. She writes: â€Å"There must be more equality established in society, or morality will never gain ground, and this virtuous equality will not rest firmly†¦ if one half of mankind [is] chained to its bottom by fate† (Wollstonecraft 802). If, for instance, a woman paid more attention to what men think of her looks, then she is failing in her moral obligation because she is distracted from her role, herself. She argues that each and every woman should acquire proper education as the only way to gain respect, as well as the freedom to choose the level of her independence. Wollstonecraft’s view of education for women is different from what Rousseau sees it to be (as women’s attempt to rise above men). For her, the purpose of education is not to give women power over men, but over themselves. Women attain freedom when they start to view themselves from the point of view of the self, and not the other (represented by men, in this case). She writes: â€Å"It is vain to expect virtue from women till they are, in some degree, independent of men; nay, it is vain to expect that strength of natural affection, which would make them good wives and good mothers† (Wollstonecraft 804). A woman who is not educated views herself from the perspective of men. As a result, being conscious of that masculine perspective, she becomes â€Å"cunning, mean, and selfish† (805)- either in rebellion against or adoration for that view.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Unmistakably, Wollstonecraft’s arguments adopt a conservative perspective. To her, the ultimate purpo se of education for women is not for them to rise above their domestic plight. Rather, education would make them better equipped to be wives and bear children not for employment, voting rights, and property ownership, among others. Education would make women even better moral figures. Thus, by simply getting education, regardless of whether they remain in the same position as they previously were in, women are freed. We can, therefore, infer that Wollstonecraft, in her advocacy, still believes that the domestic setting is the woman’s place. Her goal is not to break away from that domestic cycle, but- perhaps to give it better status and name and, consequently, uplift the status of women. To Wollstonecraft, the differences between men and women, as well as their places in society, are both important and should be recognized as such. As long as women get that recognition, for Wollstonecraft, they have attained equality. John Stuart Mill’s arguments, of course, stem from the foundation first laid by the likes of Wollstonecraft. It is only expected that both Wollstonecraft and Mill share the basic task of advocating for more rights for women. However, the scopes of their advocacies are different. Mill, unlike Wollstonecraft, aims to give women the right to enter into fields hitherto known to belong to men. Mill examines the subordination of women from the legal dimension, that is, how the legal system (including the constitution) helps this subordination. But that legal system, he argues, is only the result of a social principle that â€Å"regulates the existing social relations between the two sexes† (Mill 819). In other words, there is an inherent element of society that makes the subordination of women natural and, therefore, generally accepted. This, he says, hinders human improvement. The purpose of his essay is to act as a mouthpiece for what he terms as â€Å"perfect equality† (Mill 819); a balance of power in which no side is gi ven power over the other. By ‘perfect equality’, Mill means that women should have equal rights as men in all facets of life, such as occupation, government and marriage. Mill, therefore, introduces the aspect of societal structure (of which the legal system is part). He presents his arguments by examining the role of nature and nurture. He questions the notion of ‘nature’ as used in the society to justify the plight of women. To him, what is seen as women’s nature is actually what the society has nurtured them to be.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Ideas of Women Status between Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The society has never given women much room and freedom to explore what their nature really is. Rather, by placing and governing women within the framework of the dominant patriarchal psyche, society has nurtured the woman into what she is. Simply, the differences between men and women are the products of the society rather than the result of nature. The solution, to him, is found in opening space for women to explore further the limits of their nature. As a proof of how much women can achieve he says: â€Å"We know how small a number of reigning queens history presents, in comparison with that of kings. Of this smaller number a far larger proportion have shown talents for rule† (Mill 823). The differences in scope between the positions held by Wollstonecraft and Mill are products of context and, therefore, understandable. Besides, as the feminist movement has evolved over the years, the voices of advocacy have increasingly pushed for more rights. Therefore, it is understandable that Wollstonecraft’s arguments are more conservative in character that education for the housewife is enough for her. She is the product of a context that, perhaps, cannot permit more, and she has to stay within that context’s possibilities. Mill understands this. He is himself the product of a context that is beginning to open up to more new ideas. Therefore, education as such is not enough for him. To herald a new mindset with regard to social gender relations, Mills believes society must reach out to new horizons. In this respect, the establishments of the society, such as the legal system, should not interfere with the natural social set-up by taking sides. Conclusion In conclusion, this paper does not exhaust the issues that both authors explore in their papers. Still, it explores the central themes in the two articles. Wollstonecraft sees education as enough. Mill asks for much more. In the end, they both recognize the adverse plight of the womenfolk and call for their ‘freedom’- any situation better than the present. Works Cited Mill, John S. The Subjection of Women, New York: D. Appleton Co., 1869. Print.Advertising Looking for essay on gender studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, London: Joseph Johnson, 1792. Print. This essay on The Ideas of Women Status between Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill was written and submitted by user Layla Pope to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Edward and Sarah Bishop of the Salem Witch Trials

Edward and Sarah Bishop of the Salem Witch Trials Edward Bishop and Sarah Bishop were tavern keepers that were arrested, examined, and imprisoned as part of the Salem witch trials of 1692. At the time, Edward was about 44 years old and Sarah Wildes Bishop was about 41 years old. There were three or four Edward Bishops living in the area at that time. This Edward Bishop seems to be the one who was born on April 23, 1648.  However, Sarah Bishops year of birth is not known. Note: Bishop is sometimes spelled Bushop or Besop in the records. Edward is sometimes identified as Edward Bishop Jr. Sarah Wildes Bishop was the stepdaughter of Sarah Averill Wildes who was named as a witch by Deliverance Hobbs and executed on July 19, 1692. Bridget Bishop is usually credited with running a tavern that was something of a town scandal, but it was more likely Sarah and Edward Bishop who ran it out of their home. The Background of Edward and Sarah Edward Bishop may have been the son of Edward Bishop, the husband of Bridget Bishop. Sarah and Edward Bishop were the  parents of twelve children. At the time of the Salem witch trials, an older Edward Bishop also lived in Salem. He and his wife Hannah signed a petition protesting the accusations against Rebecca Nurse.  This Edward Bishop seems to have been the father of the Edward Bishop married to Bridget Bishop, and thus the grandfather of the Edward Bishop married to Sarah Wildes Bishop. Victims of the Salem Witch Trials Edward Bishop and Sarah Bishop were arrested on April 21 of 1692 with Sarahs stepmother Sarah Wildes, William and Deliverance Hobbs, Nehemiah Abbott Jr., Mary Easty, Mary Black and Mary English. Edward and Sarah Bishop were examined on April 22 by magistrates Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne, on the same day as Sarah Wildes, Mary Easty, Nehemiah Abbott Jr., William and Deliverance Hobbs, Mary Black, and Mary English. Among those who testified against Sarah Bishop was the Rev. John Hale of Beverly. He outlined accusations from a neighbor of the Bishops that she did entertain people in her house at unseasonable hours in the night to keep drinking and playing at shovel-board whereby discord did arise in other families and young people were in danger to be corrupted. The neighbor, Christian Trask, wife of John Trask, had attempted to reprove Sarah Bishop but received no satisfaction from her about it.  Hale stated that Edward Bishops would have been a house if great profaneness and iniquity if the behavior had not been stopped. Edward and Sarah Bishop were found to have committed witchcraft against Ann Putnam Jr., Mercy Lewis, and Abigail Williams. Elizabeth Balch, wife of Benjamin Balch Jr., and her sister, Abigail Walden, also testified against Sarah Bishop, claiming they heard Edward accuse Elizabeth of entertaining Satan at night. Edward and Sarah were jailed in Salem and then in Boston, and their property was seized. They escaped from the Boston jail for a short time. After the Trials After their trial their son, Samuel Bishop recovered their property. In a 1710 affidavit attempting to gain recompense for the damages theyd suffered and to clear their names, Edward Bishop said they were prisnors for thirtiey seven wekes and required to pay ten shillings pur weeake for our bord plus five pounds. The son of Sarah and Edward Bishop Jr., Edward Bishop III, married Susannah Putnam, part of the family who had leveled many of the accusations of witchcraft in 1692. In 1975 David Greene suggested that the Edward Bishop accused - with his wife Sarah - was not related to Bridget Bishop and her husband, Edward Bishop the sawyer, but was the son of another Edward Bishop in town.

Printable organs concepts

Printable organs concepts The topic of 3-D printable organs very evidently, is starting to receive an increasing amount of attention. The whole mechanism of creating live tissue and organizing cells to form organs seems impossible and amazing.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Printable organs concepts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Until recent time, scientists had problems to keep cells in balance and preserve their survival, as there were few issues. Presently, it has been accomplished by combining stem cells with liquid medium in which the cells have the ability to spawn and continue growth (Benayoun 2013). The process of 3-D printing has been around for some time, printing physical objects, ranging from robotic parts, to photographs, guns and other everyday items. It is clear that no one thought that this process could go so far. In personal opinion, printing 3-D objects is very useful, as it saves time and increases efficiency of produc tion and social involvement. Printing organs is very much relative and as of right now, people are unable to grasp the concept very closely. It seems extremely futuristic and the majority of population cannot even imagine the technology, particularly the printer that will create live organs. But in case this does work, it would prove extremely beneficial for humanity. There are many people who are on the waitlists for skin transplants, not to mention organs. It is difficult to find donors and there is no guarantee that the organ or tissue will be accepted by the body. Person’s own stem cells can be used in creating organs, and it means that they will be better accepted by the organism, so there will be very little risk involved and chances of survival are greatly increased.Advertising Looking for essay on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This sort of development will have very many benefits that will s olve problems between hospitals and patient care. For a very long time, since doctors started experimenting and practicing transplanting organs, there has been a battle among professional and patients. The ethical questions on who must decide where the organs will go and how to separate those in particular need from those who can wait some time longer has been under debate. One thing for certain is that there is no way to predict the long term deterioration in patient’s health, so it quite impossible to develop a degree of needs between individuals. As previously discussed, the topic of 3-D organ printing is receiving enormous amount of attention and people are starting to wonder if there will be any ethical problems. With the ability to create living tissue, people are starting to wonder if it will become possible to replicate a whole human being and cloning has been mentioned as one of the unwanted outcomes. The merging of â€Å"real† people with artificially created human organism has been described in numerous science fiction movies and books but no one has imagined that it might become a part of reality. The primary problem is that people will start playing God, and the whole ethical issue of whether the cloned or â€Å"printed† people will be considered an individual or will they be a mere duplicate that can be experimented on and used for organs is questioned (Magnus 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Printable organs concepts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The existence of soul and character will become very problematic, as these are things that are impossible to discover or quantify. This can be compared to infants that are grown in labs, using modern technology but the cells that are used are taken from parents and are already formed, as comparing to stem cells that are neutral and then, are later manipulated to produce the required organ. This sort of arti ficial involvement and unnatural modification by humans can be the basis for much debate and argument. One thing for sure, is that the progress and technological advancements cannot be stopped and the future is defined by the knowledge and human ability to better people’s organisms. This sort of technology can be compared to the current prostatic usage and it has proven to be extremely beneficial for people. If it is acceptable to better joints and bones, then organs can be added to the same category. There should not be a problem with the organs because it is the patient themselves that donates their own stem cells and so, there is no ethical dilemma present. But people are starting to wonder if it will become possible to replicate brains and human individuality. It would be wise to leave this issue to the future because the current debate is centered on organ manufacturing and this without a doubt is a positive direction that must be further studied and developed.Advertisin g Looking for essay on biology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The growing attention to 3-D organ printing is continuing to increase the amount of people who consider this technology extremely beneficial. The most recent advances have explained how the technology is used and people are becoming more familiar with and used to the whole idea. The mixture of stem cells and bio liquid allows for layered growth of cells into any organ that humans have. The further progress in computer technology and bioresearch has made it evident that almost any part of human body can be â€Å"printed† (Fernandes 2011, p. 164). The following diagram illustrates the technique, where a â€Å"form† of an organ is used and stem cells surround it and start growing, replicating the physical copy of the organ. (Loh 2012, p. 3). Scientists are now talking about being able to produce tracheas and organs that have an intricate system of blood vessels and nervous endings. The use of produced live tissue has already been applied in testing drugs and treatments. Another most recent developed was in the production â€Å"a self-healing hydrogel that binds in seconds and is able to be stretched repeatedly† (Loh 2012, p. 4). As genetics and DNA has been extensively studied in the past, this can be considered the continuation of the already existing experimentation. It is fascinating that scientists have developed a technique of â€Å"inserting† genetic material into the cell and are able to manipulate the living processes (Khademhosseini 2008, p. 128). I think that this sort of technology is inevitably connected to humanity and evolution. People were given intricate brains in order to discover ways to better ourselves. Unfortunately, it will probably be impossible to replicate individualities because there is much more immaterial and unexplained aspects involved in making someone who they are. Just as there are limitations on certain things that people cannot achieve, like flying, walking through walls or changing into other live organism or objects, Nature will not allow people to become creators of other human beings. Of course, it is possible that some secret governmental facilities are in fact cloning people who are already walking amongst the population but there is no conclusive evidence. One thing for sure, is that problems must be dealt with as soon as they arrive and not before, otherwise, there will be an overload of the mind. References Benayoun, J 2013, The Latest in Biotech: Printable Organs. Web. Fernandes, P 2011, Advances on Modeling in Tissue Engineering, Springer New York, United States. Khademhosseini, A 2008, Micro and Nanoengineering of the Cell Microenvironment, Artech House, Campridge, United States. Loh, X 2012, Polymeric and Self Assembled Hydrogels, Royal Society of Chemistry Cambridge, United Kingdom. Magnus. T 2008, ‘Stem Cell Myths’, The Royal Society, vol. 363. no. 1489, pp. 9-22.

4Ps of Gap 360 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

4Ps of Gap 360 - Essay Example any not only provides service by providing tour plans but also does provides many other services to make the trip of the customers very pleasant and also to satisfy the customer’s needs and wishes (Hoffmann, 2008, pp.87-96). The various other services that the company offers to the customers are like providing good accommodations, good transport facilities etc. which are comfortable and also affordable for the customers. It also provides complementary meals to its customer’s on the trip like on Monday it provides a welcome dinner and a drink, on Tuesday it provides the Lunch in the same way different other meals on different days of the weak on the trip to Australia (Leader and Kyritsis, 1994, pp. 94-103). The company’s biggest competitive advantage over other companies is that it provides tour packages in a varied forms and it has the flexibility to change its plans as per the customers’ demands as a result of which the customers get lots of advantage in planning their trips based on their budget and also preference of location. Price plays a big role in this competitive market environment, with huge number of competitors existing in every industry customers have lots of options to choose among the various companies and products available in the market. The price set by the Gap 360 for various trips are basically customised one’s apart from that some of the cost for various trips are been listed below. Looking at the price ranges with the plans given by the company to the customers they are really very reasonable and affordable for the customers. This price of the plans encourages customers to come and take the services from Gap 360. The customer also gets profit by customising their tour plans as per their budget as a result of which it allows the customer to get their wish fulfilled and also this helps the company to achieve full customer satisfaction and also a good brand name in the market (Gap 360, 2014). The location at which the company is

How can Amazon Web Services (AWS) reduce cost in the healthcare Term Paper

How can Amazon Web Services (AWS) reduce cost in the healthcare industry - Term Paper Example Additionally, the ever rising healthcare costs are one more concern that needs to be dealt with and also improving the quality of service to patients. Efforts are being made to try and reduce for patients and information technology acting as the primary enabler for this. It will be quite interesting to observe how these services will contribute towards and address these matters in the health industry. The aim of this paper is to discover the present-day state and trending of these services in the healthcare industry. Problem identification and definition Healthcare organizations and hospitals are experiencing difficult times, having to cope with increasing service and product demands within their inadequate budgets, while at the same time complying with healthcare restructurings and regulations. For all the inventions transforming the healthcare business, there is still one area where it remains nearly universally late; the application of information technology. Most healthcare syste ms are based on analogue workflows which comprises of paper-based health records, duplicated test results, and handwritten note which are usually inefficient and inconvenient in one way or another. As a result, information retrieval and updating remains slow, this in turn, leads to incompetent provision of treatment and patient care (Bower, 2012). Problem solution Amazon Web Services (also known as AWS) is a pool of remote computing services (that are also referred to as web services) that all together form a cloud computing platform and services, accessible over the Internet via Amazon.com (Tyrrell, 2009). Amazon Web Services provide a complete set of application services and infrastructure that enable one to run virtually anything in the cloud: this represents everything from big data projects and enterprise applications to mobile apps and social games. These services, to name a few include: the amazon simple storage services known as S3: Amazon S3 offers an extremely durable and accessible store for an assortment of content, extending from media files to web applications. It lets you offload your whole storage arrangement onto the cloud, where you can gain from Amazon S3’s pay-as-you-go pricing and scalability to manage your growing storage needs, distributing your content straight from Amazon S3. Another important service is the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, EC2, which allows the renting of virtual computers to, different users, which to run their personal computer applications. A user can launch, create and terminate server instances paying for the services by the hour therefore the term elastic. Another valuable amazon service is the database storage which enables users to store and access large amounts of data. Whether one is keeping pharmaceutical data for scrutiny and analysis, fiscal data for pricing and computation, photographs for resizing, S3 is the best location for storage of original content. One can then send these contents to EC2 for r esizing, computation, or other large scale analytics without sustaining any data transfer charges for transferring the data between the services. (Soman, 2011 Pp. 78) There is a lot of conversation on Amazon web services and how these services could be used in a way to benefit healthcare practices. The healthcare industry, through Amazon Web Services, is able to reduce costs, improve care, and realize business suppleness amongst other

Corporate social responsibility Essay Example for Free

Corporate social responsibility Essay Social responsibility is an ethical theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystems. Businesses can use ethical decision making to secure their businesses by making decisions that allow for government agencies to minimize their involvement with the corporation. Critics argue that Corporate social responsibility (CSR) distracts from the fundamental economic role of businesses; others argue that it is nothing more than superficial window-dressing; others argue that it is an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful corporations though there is no systematic evidence to support these criticisms. A significant number of studies have shown no negative influence on shareholder results from CSR but rather a slightly negative correlation with improved shareholder returns. Corporate social responsibility (CSR, also called corporate conscience, corporate citizenship, social performance, or sustainable responsible business/ Responsible Business) is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby a business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms. In some models, a firms implementation of CSR goes beyond compliance and engages in actions that appear to further some social good, beyond the interests of the firm and that which is required by law. CSR is a process with the aim to embrace responsibility for the companys actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere who may also be considered as stakeholders. FUNCTIONS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The function of corporate social responsibility is for corporations to hold themselves accountable for the ethical, legal, societal and ecological impacts of their business practices. Corporate social responsibility practices are self-monitoring, meaning there arent laws requiring corporations to behave in a socially responsible manner. Rules regarding corporate responsibility practices are generally written into the corporate bylaws, mission statements and employee handbooks. Ethical Function Ethics are one of the most important aspects in corporate governance and therefore have an important function in corporate social responsibility. A company must have internal controls regarding the expected ethical behavior and consequences of unethical business practices of its top executives and employees. Behaving ethically makes the company as a whole accountable to its investors, shareholders and consumers. The ethical function of corporate social responsibility helps to prevent conflicts of interest between earning corporate profits and maintaining the integrity of the company and the goods and services it produces. Legal Function The legal function of corporate social responsibility is to encourage transparency in a companys business practices and financial reporting. Maintaining high levels of legal business practices, such as adhering to Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA, regulations promotes goodwill toward employees. Maintaining high levels of legal financial practices maintains good will among investors, stakeholders and government financial-reporting regulatory agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Societal Function The societal function of corporate social responsibility is to respect and invest in the communities in which the company operates. Companies are aware of how the production of their products affects the local community. These companies take necessary actions to diminish the negative impacts of factors such as increased traffic, noise and pollution for the communities in which they operate. The societal function of corporate social responsibility also includes companies reinvesting in the communities in which they operate, such as donating money to local charities. Ecological Function The ecological function of corporate social responsibility is to not only respect the immediate environment in which the company operates but also to respect the companys effect on the global environment. Companies are aware of the environmental impact the production of their products have on their local communities. In corporate social responsibility, these companies adhere to strict standards in an effort to diminish the negative impact of the environmental byproducts such as air and water pollution from the production of their products. Having such standards impacts both the local and global environments. CHARACTERISTICS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The idea of Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR, first appeared in the late 1960s in response to the need for businesses to address the effect of their pursuits on the environment and society, in addition to the interests of their shareholders. CSR attempts to portray corporations as responsible citizens who are concerned with issues of social and environmental welfare. The Public CSR argues that corporations bear responsibility for the effect they have on other sectors of society. The activities of corporations have an impact on individuals who dont work for them and dont buy their products, through, for example, secondary economic impacts and degradation of the natural environment. CSR acknowledges this, and attempts to make the interactions between corporations and society positive and productive. This can be done by consulting with neighbors and citizens who are affected by corporate activities and by striving for transparency in corporate pursuits so that the public knows what is going on. The Environment Increased knowledge on the part of the public about declining resources, toxic waste and global warming is compelling companies to make more efforts to be more environmentally benign. The traditional view that the natural world is merely a source of materials and an equally convenient dump for waste is being challenged from many quarters, and CSR is an attempt by corporations to respond to these concerns. The sincerity of changes being made on the part of corporations includes some serious efforts to achieve sustainability and other efforts that are essentially greenwashing, activities in which corporations put more effort into appearing green than into actually being green. Clients CSR challenges the traditional wisdom that the interests and needs of the clients of a corporation will be adequately protected by the market itself. Because the free market has been severely compromised by a combination of government subsidies and manipulative marketing practices, CSR attempts to remedy this situation by installing practices into corporate life that will monitor the interaction between corporations and their clients in an attempt to ensure that nobody is being exploited or cheated. Consumer protection can be enforced by the government or voluntarily pursued by companies, the latter course have clear advantages for the public relations of the company. Staff Staff and employees of corporations have a right to expect fair pay, safe working conditions and meaningful work. CSR is one aspect of a transformation in the corporate world that attempts to overcome archaic views of workers as mere means to an end on the part of shareholders. Particularly in less developed countries that are often the sites of intensive resource extraction, the treatment of labor is frequently substandard. CSR is intended to promote the rights of all workers and to ensure that corporations respect these rights and make whatever changes are required to prevent the exploitation and mistreatment of labor. FOUR TYPES OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY As large corporations begin to dominate the world economy, it raises questions about the importance of corporate social responsibility in business. A variety of types of corporate social responsibilities have emerged in public discussions, and understanding their implications is important. Environmental Responsibility People expect businesses to exhibit environmentally responsible behavior, as evidenced by a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey that found that the No. 1 issue for companies in the future, according to U. S. respondents, is carbon emissions reductions. Specific environmental issues that affect businesses include global warming, sustainable resources and pollution. Businesses are being urged by environmental groups and governments to reduce their carbon footprint, to obtain their materials from sustainable sources and to reduce their pollution. Human Rights Responsibility The 21st-century marketplace is highly global. This means that when a product is purchased in the United States, for example, it may have been produced in China, or have components from South America. The ethical issue for corporations is ensuring that human rights are respected throughout all levels of the supply chain. Major companies have received criticism for their use of sweat shops and for sourcing resources that are harvested by unfairly treated workers. This has lead to a push for the use of strict labor standards to be applied to suppliers, and a demand for fair trade products such as chocolate and coffee. Financial Responsibility Financial responsibility is an important issue in corporate social responsibility. In the wake of the accounting fraud perpetrated by Enron and Arthur Andersen and Ponzi schemes orchestrated by the likes of Bernie Madoff, businesses are questioned about the accuracy of their financial reporting by increasingly skeptical shareholders and government officials, as evidenced by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Employees are expected to act as whistle blowers in such situations, and white collar crime is seeing high-profile prosecutions like that of Martha Stewart or former Worldcom CEO Bernie Ebbers. Political Responsibility Trading with repressive regimes is a difficult issue in corporate social responsibility. Some businesses argue that working with these regimes will help to advance them and bring rights to the countries. People and governments have demanded that businesses stop trading with repressive regimes, which was most notably observed when several western governments launched an embargo against the Apartheid government in South Africa during the 1980s. Shell Oil received considerable consumer backlash during the 1990s for its complicit involvement with the Nigerian government that murdered anti-oil activists. These issues make doing business with certain governments an important consideration for corporate social responsibility. PROS CONS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Corporate social responsibility is generally perceived as a positive business ideology in the 21st century, despite some challenges. A significant expansion of basic business ethics, CSR establishes guidelines for ethical and socially responsible behavior. It addresses how companies that want to satisfy government and societal requirements should treat key stakeholder groups, including customers, suppliers, employees and the community. Pro 1: Social Responsibility and Customer Relationships One of the foundational elements of CSR is that it causes companies to reason beyond basic ethics to consider the benefits of active involvement in communities. In his article The 7 Principles of Business Integrity, business strategist Robert Moment argues that 21st-century companies must prove themselves to customers to build long-term, trusting relationships. They must also get involved in the community to give back. This community connection endears your company to the local markets in which you operate. Pro 2: Motivated Employees Employees are a companys most valued asset. This is the premise of a companys obligation to this key stakeholder group with regard to CSR compliance. This means treating employees with respect and offering fair working conditions. It also means establishing fair hiring practices and promoting a non-discriminatory workplace. This improves morale within the workplace and encourages teamwork. Additionally, a writer on the As You Sow website stresses the importance of managing a diverse workplace so that you can benefit from a variety of backgrounds and life experiences. Con 1: Expenses The main reason any company would object to participating in CSR is the associated costs. With CSR, you pay for environmental programs, more employee training and efficient waste management programs. Proponents of CSR agree that any expenses to businesses are ultimately covered by stronger relationships with key customers. However, David Vogel indicates in his Forbes article CSR Doesnt Pay that investment in CSR programs may not necessary result in measurable financial results. Con 2: Shareholder Expectations Another challenge for companies when considering CSR is the possible negative perception of shareholders. Historically, publicly-owned companies had a primary focus of maximizing shareholder value. Now, they must balance the financial expectations of company owners with the social and environmental requirements of other stakeholder groups. Some shareholders are happy to invest in companies that operate with high integrity. Others may not approve of the aforementioned expenses of operating under CSR guidelines. IMPORTANCE OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Social responsibility is so important to current and long-term business success that corporate social responsibility, CSR, has become a widely recognized business process in the early 21st century. An entrepreneur point out that CSR is an evolution of corporate ethics because it involves balancing the social expectations of all stakeholders, including shareholders, citizens, providers and customers, along with environmental responsibility. Basic Integrity Most experts and CSR analysts agree that this broad business concept is an evolution of basic business ethics and integrity. Entrepreneur and business strategist Robert Moment The 7 Princes of Business Integrity agree that treating stakeholders with respect and earning trust of customers through ethical business operations is the CSR foundation. Leading advocate of corporate accountability, the As You Sow Foundation, also stresses the importance of internal business controls that mandated ethics from corporate leaders and employees. Community Relations The word social is key to understanding how CSR goes beyond basic integrity. Moment states in one of his seven principles that as a CSR adherent, you must remain involved in community-related issues and activities thereby demonstrating that your business is a responsible community contributor. This community involvement and participation shows your marketplace that you are interested in more than just taking money from their pockets. In the long run, this strategy leads to a stronger public reputation and more profitable business relationships. The Environment Another reason CSR is much broader than conventional business ethics is its necessary inclusion of environmental responsibility. Once an opportunity for companies to add value and enhance their brand image, green-friendly operations are now a societal requirement with CSR. As You Sow discusses the importance of preserving the environment, optimizing efficient use of natural resources, such as renew, reuse and recycle, and reduction of waste as important to the environmental component of CSR. Companies that do not consider these initiatives draw the ire of the government, public and consumer watch groups. Bottom Line The underlying question is whether CSR operations improve a companys bottom line performance. David Vogel argues in his 2008 Forbes article that CSR Doesnt Pay. Vogel argues that operating under CSR guidelines is not likely to produce higher tangible profits for a company throughout time. Now that socially responsible behavior is expected, it goes largely unnoticed, argues Vogel. He does agree, though, that companies that ignore CSR may experience public backlash and negative business consequences. Still, many advocates of CSR believe that companies can still profit in the long run through stronger business and customer relationships. PRINCIPLES OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The main principles involving corporate social responsibility involve economic, legal, ethical and discretionary aspects. A corporation needs to generate profits, while operating within the laws of the state. The corporation also needs to be ethical, but has the right to be discretional about the decisions it makes. Levels of corporate social responsiveness to an issue include being reactive, defensive, responsive and interactive. All terms are useful in issues management. Selecting when and how to act can make a difference in the outcome of the action taken. CSR has inspired national governments to include CSR issues into their national public policy agendas. The increased importance driven by CSR has prompted governments to promote socially and environmentally responsible corporate practices. Over the past decade governments have considered CSR as a public issue that requires national governmental involvement to address the very issues relevant to CSR. The heightened role of government in CSR has facilitated the development of numerous CSR programs and policies. Increasingly, corporations are motivated to become more socially responsible because their most important stakeholders expect them to understand and address the social and community issues that are relevant to them. Understanding what causes are important to employees is usually the first priority because of the many interrelated business benefits that can be derived from increased employee engagement (i. e. more loyalty, improved recruitment, increased retention, higher productivity, and so on). Key external stakeholders include customers, consumers, investors (particularly institutional investors), and communities in the areas where the corporation operates its facilities, regulators, academics, and the media. The debate, on whether responsibility of a business enterprise is only to its shareholders (owners) or to all stakeholders, including environment and the society at large, is an on going one and continues. In received literature â€Å"Stakeholder†, as an expression is fairly recent in origin, reportedly appearing first in an internal memorandum of the Stanford Research Institute in the year 1963. According to a definition given by Edward Freeman â€Å"A stakeholder is any group or individual who can effect, or is affected by the activities and achievements of an organization. † Friedrich Neubauer and Ada Demb in â€Å"The Legitimate Corporation† identify six groups of distinguishable stakeholders (not necessarily in this order) as follows a) Providers of funds b) Employees c) General public d) Government e) Customers and f) Suppliers An increasing number of companies are reporting publicly on their social, environmental and ethical performance, both as a communication to stakeholders, and as a management tool. However, as this practice has only become more widespread since the mid 1990s, there is as yet no standard format to address the type of information companies choose to report, or how that information is collected, analyzed and presented. At the same time, many stakeholders are becoming increasingly sophisticated in the type and quality of information they are demanding from companies. In an effort to meet these demands as well as to strengthen the credibility of their social and environmental reports some companies are choosing to have their reports externally verified. In doing so, companies recognize that verification by a third party can add value to the overall social and environmental reporting process by enhancing relationships with stakeholders, improving business performance and decision-making, aligning practice with organizational values, and strengthening reputation risk management. Social Responsibility Principles The Corporate Social Responsibility is based on the following principles: Legal Compliance Principle: The enterprise shall comply with and understand all applicable, local, international, written, declared, and effected laws and regulations, in accordance with fixed, specific procedures. Adherence to Customary International Laws Principle: The enterprise shall adhere to international and governmental agreements, executive regulations, declarations, covenants, decisions, and guidelines, when setting its policies and practices pertinent to Social Responsibility. Respecting Related Stakeholders lefts Principle: The enterprise shall acknowledge and accept the diversity of related stakeholders’ lefts and interests, and the diversity of the major and minor enterprises activities and products, among other elements, which may affect such related stakeholders. Transparency Principle: the enterprise shall clearly, accurately, and comprehensively declare its policy, decisions, and activities, including known and potential effects on environment and society. Moreover, such information shall be available to affected persons, or those who are likely to be affected materially by the enterprise. Respect for Human lefts Principle: the enterprise shall execute policies and practices which shall result in respecting existent human lefts in the Universal Declaration of Human lefts. Because CSR can influence economic, environmental and social factors in a variety of ways, there is no â€Å"one size fits all† approach. An effective CSR strategy must consider alignment with the organization’s business strategy, commercial added value, and sustainability of impact. The benefits of an effective CSR approach to an organization can include: Stronger performance and profitability Improved relations with the investment community and access to capital Enhanced employee relations and company culture Risk management and access to social opportunities Stronger relationships with communities and legal regulators CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AT RELIANCE POWER LTD Reliance Power Limited is part of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, one of India’s largest business houses. It was established to develop, construct and operate power projects in the Indian and international markets. Reliance Energy Limited, an Indian private sector power utility company and the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group promote Reliance Power. With its subsidiaries, it is developing 13 medium and large-sized power projects with a combined planned installed capacity of 33,480 MW. Reliance Natural Resources merged with Reliance Power in 2010, shortly after its initial public offering. The group operates across multiple sectors, including telecommunications, financial services, media and entertainment, infrastructure and energy. The energy sector companies include Reliance Infrastructure and Reliance Power. Reliance Power has been established to develop, construct and operate power projects both in India as well as internationally. The Company on its own and through its subsidiaries has a portfolio of over 35,000 MW of power generation capacity, both in operation as well as capacity under development. The power projects are going to be diverse in terms of geographic location, fuel type, fuel source and off-take, and each project is planned to be strategically located near an available fuel supply or load centre. The company has 1,540 MW of operational power generation assets. The projects under development include seven coal-fired projects to be fueled by reserves from captive mines and supplies from India and elsewhere; two gas-fired projects; and twelve hydroelectric projects, six of them in Arunachal Pradesh, five in Himachal Pradesh and one in Uttarakhand. Reliance Power has won three of the four Ultra Mega Power Projects (UMPPs) awarded by the Indian Government so far. These include UMPPs in Sasan( Madhya Pradesh),Krishnapatnam( Andhra Pradesh) Tilaiya(Jharkhand). UMPPs are a significant part of the Indian governments initiative to collaborate with power generation companies to set up 4,000 MW projects to ease the country’s power deficit situation. Besides these, Reliance Power is also developing coal bed methane (CBM) blocks to fuel gas based power generation. The company is registering projects with the Clean Development Mechanism executive board for issuance of Certified Emission Reduction (CER) certificates to augment its revenues. Reliance Power in its continuous efforts to positively impact the society, especially the areas around its sites and offices, has formulated policies for social development that are based on the following guiding principles: Adopt an approach that aims at achieving a greater balance between social development and economic development. Adopt new measures to accelerate and ensure the basic needs of all people. Work towards elimination of all barriers for the social inclusion of disadvantaged groups- such as the poor and the disabled Give unfailing attention to children for in their hands lies the countrys future. It is for their sake that health, education and environment get topmost priority in our programs and investments. In areas around its power plant sites in Sasan,Rosa,Krishnapatnam,Butibori,Chitrangi and others, Reliance Power has been actively involved in various social and environmental organizations to address the issue of sustainable development and social uplift. The Company in discharge of its responsibility as a corporate citizen actively contributes to community welfare measures and takes up several social initiatives every year. Reliance Power Ltd. has been closely working with institutions and social organizations and supporting their programs for social development, adult literacy, adoption of village, tree plantation schemes etc. HEALTH Health and safety are of universal concern across the spectrum of communities. As a company, we are not only committed to compliance with legal norms but its is our endeavour to voluntarily go beyond that and provide quality healthcare facilities in the regions around our site. We are committed to providing all possible support to create awareness on various health related issues impacting the local people. We believe in a multidimensional approach that considers the needs of the area leading to an effective plan to address all issues in consultation with the local administration, community workers and NGOs working in the area. At its various project sites, Reliance Power sites runs medical facility center, physiotherapy center, and mobile medical vans that dispenses free medicines and provide free health check-ups. Also periodically we come up with health camps like general health check up camps, gynecology camps, eye check up camps and corrective surgery camps for disabled children. EDUCATION Education is a basic tool to bring development to an area and its people. We aim to create an awareness pool of human resource both within and across our area of operations. We are committed to bridging the digital divide between the ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ in educational infrastructure and facilities. Exposure to technology along with a sustainable education model could be strengthened through partnership with government and quasi-government agencies. Reliance Power is involved in a surfeit of activities that have changed the lives of the people residing at the sites or the PAFs (Project Affected Families). Education is the main thrust of these activities. Major contributions made in the area include building of a DAV school at the site for the children of the PAFs and the children of the villages around the sites, free school bus facility for the students, stipend to every child who attends school (a boy child gets Rs. 250 per month while a girl child gets a stipend of Rs. 300 per month), free uniforms, study tours for children, teaching aids to the teachers, training of teachers, as well as night schools for uneducated adults etc. EMPLOYMENT Community is an integral part of the business environment and the basic commitment lies towards augmenting the overall economic and social development of local communities by discharging our social responsibilities in a sustainable manner. Reliance Power invests significantly in skill up gradation of people around the sites. The trained manpower available for construction will ensure quality and accident free working. CIDC, a Government of India initiative has been engaged and has trained about 300 project affected youths as electricians, welders, carpenters and masons and bar benders in batches of 40 each. To further encourage them we paid them, a monthly stipend of Rs. 1000 per month. In addition efforts are on to enroll the oustees in short term courses at the ITI operating in the region. Apart from these, training is also provided are: Computer coaching centre English speaking classes Personality development classes Physiotherapy training center Training by NAC (National Academy of Construction) and use them for future requirement of the construction. For the women folk of the villages, in an effort to empower them the company trains them in soft skills like tailoring and poultry farming etc. Reliance Power provides assistance to women keen on starting their own businesses. THE HUMAN TOUCH BEYOND POLICY IMPERATIVES Although the main thrust of Reliance Power’s CSR lies in providing quality education, health care and livelihood, we don’t restrict ourselves to it. In order to better lives around our areas of interest and business, we strive to provide basic amenities like electrification in the villages, augmentation and development of roads connecting the village to the main roads, old age support for senior citizens of the project affect families, development of the grazing lands for the cattle of the villagers, afforestation and veterinary camps for domestic cattle. Moral and financial support is extended during social occasions like marriages, community prayers, funerals and other such occasions.