Speech on Environmental Issues Today Essay Example

Speech on Environmental Issues Today Essay Our Environment how can you and I help save it? Albert Einstein said â€Å"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. † Our planet is in trouble! Pretty much everywhere you look today you will hear or see something reminding you that our planet’s health is failing. If our planet where a person it would be about time to buy the burial plot and write out the last will and testament. Just a brief list of the things that is ailing her is pollution, acid rain, climate change, the destruction of rainforests and other wild habitats, the decline and extinction of thousands of species of animals and plants. nd so on. I think everyone in here can agree that all of these issues exist and that humans have caused them. Thankfully many of us are concerned about the future of our planet and unless we can find a way of solving the problems then the environment will suffer. I know this all sounds so depressing but we can’t get overwhelmed. Every one of us can do something to help slow down and reverse some of the damage. We cannot leave the problem-solving entirely to the experts we all have a responsibility to our environment. We must learn to live in way that will sustain our world like learn to use our natural resources which include air, freshwater, forests, wildlife, farmland and seas without damaging them. As populations expand and lifestyles change, we have to keep the world in a condition so that future generations will have the same natural resources that we have today. Here I am going to list just a few examples of the threats to our environment as well as some ideas to help you to do something about them. Waste We humans create a lot of trash! Between 1992 and 2008 household waste increased by 16% and we now produce just under half a ton per person each year. Most of this trash is hauled away by the garbage man and buried in a huge landfill or it is burned. Both of these options are harmful in their own way. Is all our trash really trash? If you think about it, a lot of what we throw away could be used again. It makes sense to reuse and recycle our trash instead of just trying to solve the problem of where to put it! We will write a custom essay sample on Speech on Environmental Issues Today specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Speech on Environmental Issues Today specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Speech on Environmental Issues Today specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Much of our waste is made up of glass, metal, plastic and paper. Our natural resources such as trees, oil, coal and aluminum are used up in enormous amounts to make these products and the resources will one day be completely used up. So in order to cut down on the energy used lets reuse. What can you do? * Sort out your trash. Organic matter (e. g. potato peelings, left over food, tea leaves etc. ) can be put in to a compost heap in the garden and used as a good, natural fertilizer for the plants. Aluminum cans, glass bottles and newspapers are often collected from our doorsteps, but other items such as plastic bottles, juice cartons and cardboard may not be, in which case they can be taken to nearby recycling banks. You can find out where they are by just searching on line. * Use recycled paper to help save trees. Chlorine bleach is usually used to make newspapers and this pollutes rivers. Its better to use unbleached, recycled paper whenever you can. * Take your old clothes to char ity shops. Some are sold, others are returned to textile mills for recycling. * Try to avoid buying plastic. Its hard to recycle. One way to cut down on plastic is to refuse to use plastic bags offered by supermarkets and use cloth re-useable shopping bags instead, or re-use plastic bags over and over again, until they wear out and then recycle them. Pollution The air, water and soil of habitats all over the world have been, and are being polluted in many different ways. This pollution affects the health of living things. Air is damaged by vehicle emissions, and power stations create acid rain which destroys entire forests and lakes. When fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal are burned to provide energy for lighting, cooking etc. they create polluting gases. Oils spills pollute sea water and kill marine life; chemical waste from factories and sewage, and artificial fertilizers from farmland, pollute river water, killing wildlife and spreading disease. What can be done? * Don’t litter. * Use less energy by switching off lights when rooms are not in use, not wasting hot water, not overheating rooms. Use a bicycle or walk instead of using a car when you can. Or rideshare, and use the HOV lane. * If you spot pollution, such as oil on the beach, report it. If you suspect a stream is polluted, report it to the local EPA office. . * Organic foods are produced without the use of artificial fertilizers and pesticides, preventing these pollutants from contaminating habitats and entering the food chain. So it may cost a little more but it is better for you and for the environment. The Greenhouse Effect Certain gases in the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and fluorocarbons, act like the glass in a greenhouse, allowing sunlight through to heat the Earths surface but trapping some of the heat as it radiates back into space. Without this the Earth would be frozen and lifeless. However, due to the â€Å"Human Effect† ,greenhouse gases are building up in the atmosphere, causing a greater amount of heat to be reflected back to Earth. This results in an increase in average world temperatures and is already causing more droughts, flooding and extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes which we have all seen on the news. Some ways to Help * Dont waste electricity or heat. Electricity and heating are produced by burning coal, oil and gas and this action gives off carbon dioxide. The more we use the more we pollute. * Car fumes produce carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide so try to cut down on car trips if possible. Use a bike or walk its good exercise for you too! * Recycle as much of your waste as you can. Methane, the most effective greenhouse gas, is released into the air as the trash in landfill sites rots. Now I realize we can’t all live on a farm and grow our own food and all drive smart cars. We Texans normally can’t walk or take a bike places because everything is so far away. My dream job has always been one that I could ride a bike to, that sounds funny but every little bit helps. Some other things I did were to change out all of my light bulbs with energy efficient ones, and reinsulated my house. This and other things save me money but they also save the environment. Let me leave you with one last thing: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Critique on Creating Shared Value

Critique on Creating Shared Value In the January –February 2011 issue of ‘The Harvard Business Review,’ Michael porter and Mark Kramer wrote an article titled â€Å"The Big Idea-Creating Shared Value†. According to Porter and Cramer, the concept of shared value can be defined as â€Å"policies and operating practices that enhance the competitiveness of a company while simultaneously advancing the economic and social conditions in the communities in which it operates†.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Critique on Creating Shared Value specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This quote from Peter Brabeck can bring the definition home. This new approach of doing business puts societies wellbeing at the centre of the companys strategy and operations. It enables the business to maximize economic value for the company while addressing societal challenges. They contend that this is a modern way of doing business and many companie s are embracing it for example GM, Nestle, Uniliver, Intel, Wal-Mart stores among others. Companies can create shared value in three major ways that are re-evaluating products and markets, redefining productivity in the value chain, and building supportive industry clusters at the companys locations. According McConnell et al. (2012), companies are beginning to realign their operational and production activities to meet the customer’s requirements in terms of the quality of goods and services that they produce. For example, food industries are now focusing on better nutrition instead of the traditional taste and quantity, in the technology sector computer manufactures such as IBM and Intel are now designing machines, which are more energy efficient. These are examples of where shared value has been created through development of products that meet societal needs. In the process of creating value, a company affects and in turn is affected by several social factors such as natu ral resource, working conditions, health and safety, water use, and fair treatment of workers. These societal factors can positively be exploited by the company and turned into economic gains instead of costs. Even in the absence of regulation, organizations that cannot create shared value still have to incur internal costs from externalities. To support this argument, Porter and Marker explain that Wall-Mart was able to create shared value by reducing its packaging and adopting new routes for its trucks to cut 100 million miles from its delivery routes in 2009.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Porter and Marker identified six major areas through which productivity in the value chain can be redefined. These are energy use and logistics, resource use, procurement, distribution, employee productivity, and location. Organizations have continuously revised their opera tions in order to come up with processes that are more energy efficient. This has been necessitated by continuous increase in oil prices and the rising opportunities for energy efficiency. This has resulted into efficient use of energy resources through better technology such as the computers manufactured by IBM and Intel, recycling, use of natural energy sources like the sun, windmill to light homes and irrigate farms respectively. Porter gives the example of British retailer Mark and Spencer initiative of stopping to source supply from distant places and shipping them to where the company is located. This initiative is projected to reduce costs by $175 million per annum by the financial year 2016 and significantly reduce on carbon emissions. According to Halbert et al. (2008), technological advancement together with environmental awareness is reshaping new ways in which we use resources such as water, raw materials, packaging of finished goods as well as recycling and re-use. Thro ugh technological advancement, it is predicted that better resource utilization will be finally embraced by all stages in the value chain. Coca-cola for instance has reduced its water intake by approximately 9% from the base year 2004It is almost halfway of achieving a 20% reduction by 2012. Dow Chemical’s is yet another example. It saved $4 million through cutting its water use by one billion gallons. According to porter when a company uses its monopoly power to exploit suppliers through payment of low prices for their supply, then the farmers are unlikely to remain productive and less likely to improve the quality of supplies. To increase productivity and ensure quality supplies companies should invest in providing inputs to farmers, sharing technology and financing the operations.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Critique on Creating Shared Value specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this way, they will be creating quality volumes of supply for themselves as well strengthening the suppliers. (Shared value) Nepresso one of the Nestle fastest growing divisions, has registered a significant growth of 30% since 2000. It has achieved these by formulating a procurement process that helps the small farmers in poor rural areas of Africa and Latin America. It has worked with these growers giving them advice on best farming practices, extending loan facilities, helping them acquire inputs such as fertilizer and plant seeds. It further established weighing facilities for coffee at the point of sale, a bonus paid to owners of quality beans directly to improve their incentives. This has resulted in breaking the cycle of poverty and improved environment. Nestle on the other hand was able to get continuous supply of good coffee (shared value created).this point further emphasizes the advantage of making the suppliers capable then buying from them. According to Gross Compa (2009), companies are real izing that investments in employee productivity through offering health cover, helping employees quit smoking cost less compared to costs associated with poor health of staff. In deed, even governments have been complaining that the total cost of treating smoking related diseases is much greater than the revenue derived from taxing tobacco products. This point out that even government needs to embrace the concept of shared value. Johson and Johnson Company saved a total of $250 million on health care costs. For each dollar spent on wellness programme since 2008, the company had a return of $2.75 in addition to a more productive work force. Modern business can no longer afford to move from once place to another in search for cheap labor and raw materials. This is because distant operations create more costs like the cost of buying supplies from one hemisphere then delivering them to another hemisphere, additionally, cost of energy and carbon emissions limit such mobility. Forbes maga zine (2011) notes that a mobile laboratory BMW Guggenheim lab will travel to nine major cities in the world in a span of nine years. It aims at getting new ideas in the areas of urbanization, architecture, science and technology, design and education that will address issues of current urban life through public discussions and programmes.Advertising Looking for article on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The current global economic challenges that include double food production, increased demand for energy, water management, global warming are avenues through which business can think come up with a solution through long term sustainable and profitable growth that also focuses on social involvement. Furthermore, there is need to re engineer the model by which resources are used because it is more resource intensive and cannot be sustainable in the end. According to Zadak, in the pyramid of corporate social responsibility organizations have to be compliant with the laws, with the codes, and the values that it has (Including shared value). For weaknesses, in my view, the new model of shared value is a little biased. On one side, we can measure the returns to the firm through use of financial statements, but on the contrary, no framework by which we can measure the social aspects of the return. Secondly, how is it possible to achieve harmony between NGOs and private companies in the pro vision of societal services? NGOs view the society as aid recipients; private companies on the other hand view the same people as customers. References Forbes Magazine. (2011). Three great examples of shared value in action. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/csr/2011/06/14/three-great-examples-of-shared-value-in-action/ Gross, A. Compa, A. (2009). Human rights in labor and employment relations. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Halbert, T. Ingulli, E. (2008). Law and ethics in business environment. New York, NY: Cengage Learning. McConnell, C. R. et al. (2012). Economics (19th Edn.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Operations Management Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Operations Management Questions - Essay Example The use of systems theory can be said to be a specialized form of system thinking which implies that systems are integrated into the activities of a manufacturing or service operator. They are integrated for the purposes of increasing a business’s profitability, efficiency along with many other aspects that are described in the paper. Service operations are actually concerned with giving guidance on the achievement of effectiveness along with efficiency in delivering and supporting the services offered by a business (Harvard Business Review, 2000). This is done so that the customer and service providers are assured of their money’s value. These operations may be used by a business in the achievement of their strategic objectives and this fact makes the service a very critical and essential capability of a business entity (Hammer and Champy, 2001). The purpose of providing guidance is to maintain steadiness in the service operation strategies in a business. It allows for changes in the designs, scales, scope along with the service levels being applied by a business. An organization is provided with a detailed guideline process, tools along with methods for using when controlling reactive and proactive reactions (Johnston and Clark, 2005). The business managers along with practitioners attain knowledge that helps them in making more appropriate and better decisions on various aspects. These aspects include the management of the availability of the services, the control of demand for their services, optimizing the utilization of the existing capacities, making schedules of their operations and the fixing of various problems affecting their business. The guidance that is offered involves the support of the business service operations through the use of newer copies and architectures (Hammer and Champy, 2001). The examples of these services are the utilization of a shared service, mobile business along with web services. On the other hand, manufacturin g operations usually concern themselves with the functioning of a business or a facility in contrast to the issues of maintaining, supplying distributing the products from the business. There are many differences that exist between the two processes (Harvard Business Review, 2000). For instance, service operations are usually labor intensive with the delivery of their products involving their interactions with humans along with many processes that are manual (Chopra and Meindl, 2001). The industry does not require the utilization of standardization along with automation of procedures like the manufacturing operations to augment their efficiencies. Manufacturing operations often require the use of systems that help in the scheduling of activities to enhance the coordination of these activities (Paton, Clegg, Hsuan and Pilkington, 2011). The service operations may not require the scheduling activities on a temporary basis as opposed to the manufacturing operations which might require them on a permanent basis (Harvard Business Review, 2000). The customers usually play a vital role in the service operations and their initiation. This involvement by the customers often brings service heterogeneity and greatly impacts the quality of the services being offered. The different and distinct needs of the customers involved makes the providers change the contents of their

Statue of Liberty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Statue of Liberty - Essay Example The statue entitled "Liberty Enlightens the World" was shipped to America in 214 separate crates in 1886 and re-assembled on tiny Bedloe Island, which was soon renamed Liberty Island. (Schamel 299-302) For more than a century, the Statue f Liberty has stood as a symbol f the American ideals f freedom, equality, and opportunity, and has greeted millions f immigrants at the entrance to New York Harbor. Given by the people f France to the people f the United States to commemorate the friendship between the two countries during the American Revolution, the 151-foot-tall statue was shipped in pieces from France and assembled and dedicated in 1876. Over the years, world events have added new layers f meaning to the statue as a symbol. During two World Wars, it endured as a reminder f the sacrifices involved in maintaining freedom, and in 1989, Chinese students constructed a plaster "Goddess f Democracy" inspired by the Statue f Liberty during political protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. (Bender 60-62) The idea for a monument to commemorate the achievement f America's independence originated with the French scholar and abolitionist, Edouard de Laboulaye, in 1865. French intellectuals admired America's democratic ideals and its recent defeat f slavery, and aspired to create a French republican government modeled on the American constitution to replace the empire f Napoleon III. De Laboulaye suggested to F.A. Bartholdi, a 31-year old sculptor, that he travel to America to explore the possibility f a monument to French-American friendship. Bartholdi's vision for the Statue f Liberty solidified when he first saw New York Harbor. The tallest structure in the New York metropolitan area when it was dedicated, the Statue f Liberty rests on a granite and concrete pedestal to rise to a total height f over 300 feet. The statue's uplifted right arm raises a torch which is lit at night, and her left hand holds a tablet bearing the date "July 4, 1776." A broken shackle lies in front f her right foot as she strides forward, although it is difficult for visitors to see from the ground. A plaque with the words f a sonnet by Emma Lazarus titled "The New Colossus" was added to an interior wall f the pedestal in 1903. Lazarus had written the poem in 1883 to assist in fundraising for the pedestal, and her words, "...Give me your tired, your poor,/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free/The wretched refuse f your teeming shore./Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,/I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" have become inextricably linked with the Statue f Liberty. Body- Case study presentation and analysis Design and Construction The statue is constructed f copper sheets hand-hammered onto wooden molds, but over the years the originally shiny copper has acquired a light-green hue. The engineer Gustave Eiffel, who later built the Eiffel Tower, designed the iron framework supporting the statue. Each section f the framework, and the copper sheets covering it, is attached separately to the central tower, enabling the sheets to move independently in varying weather and temperatures. (Hansen 34-35) Funds to build and transport the statue to the United States were raised entirely by the French people, not by the French government. An organization, the Franco-American Union, was formed in 1875 to raise money and

Autobiography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Autobiography - Essay Example According to the Declaration of Independence, we can only pursue the happiness, we cannot attain it, and so we should consider happiness as the journey, not as a destination (Jefferson). This is the only way we can be happy, because we could enjoy it as a process. Life is like travelling through beautiful fields filled with greenery, but we are so worried about achieving material happiness and riches that we cannot dare to see around and praise the beauty of life. Same goes with this life, we keep on working for our future and keep on postponing our parties and vacations for more money. But at the end, we lose our energy and youth, therefore, rendered unable by our age and cannot be able to avail the happiness which life had to offer. The woman I mentioned in the previous paragraph is me. I spent a very painful life. When I was in the Navy, my male colleagues were always interested in taking advantage of me. But I kept dodging them over the span of my whole service tenure. Despite of the difficulties, I kept on moving forward and learnt how to deal with them eventually, by being reserved and indifferent to their issues all the time. In this way, I was able to keep them away. Finally, I got retired from the Forces after a long time. I returned home where I engaged myself into healthy activities of gardening and housekeeping. After some years from retirement, my son died and he left two children in my custody. Few days later, federal law enforcement officials came and took my grandchildren away from me. I got too frustrated. But I took a decision to take this matter to the court, where I successfully proved that I am in a good health and, therefore, able to take care of my children. Fortunately, court agreed and granted me the custody of the children. From that day on, I am proud of myself, because I was able to take a stand for my children. As I mentioned earlier, I had spent a very painful life; however, these grandchildren are rewards of those pains I suffered in my youth. I am happy seeing them grow, giggle and flourish in front of me. I really enjoy answering their innocent questions about life. I am training them to become strong-willed individuals. I let them take decisions by themselves, so that they learn to face the consequences of their decisions. In this way, they can build an experience about a real and nasty life which they have to face in very near future. Conclusion This paper highlights different facets of my life. My life gives a message of constant struggle in at least one part of everybody’s life, so that one can ripe their fruits later on. The hard work with persistence is a true way to success; an individual should follow his or her own way, because humans come in this world in their original form. They should depart from here in the same way. I stood up for my rights, fought for them and finally won against all the odds. I recommend courage, persistence and determination to all of those who are discouraged due to social pressures. All social systems are made by humans and we can change them. No system in this world is divine in nature, therefore, is subject to change. So, this paper recommends its readers to be original, moving, flexible, yet determined. Work Cited Jefferson, Thomas. Declaration of Independence. International Relations and Security Networks, 1945.

Attitudes Of University Students In Lebanon Towards Homosexuality

Attitudes Of University Students In Lebanon Towards Homosexuality Recently, almost all cultures have witnessed increasing trends in homosexuality. As a result, more and more organizations protecting gay, lesbian, and bisexual rights have emerged. One factor that seems to affect the emotional and social development of gays and lesbians is the attitudes of society toward them (Bowen Bourjeois, 2001). Much research has been conducted since late 1970s focusing on the factors that affect heterosexuals attitudes toward gays and lesbians (Whitley, 1988). Gender, religion, education, as well as race are some of the factors that play a role in determining these attitudes (Whitley, 1988; Negy Eisenman, 2005; Landen Innala, 2002; Grapes, 2006). Studies conducted in the United States, Australia, Turkey, Hong Kong, Sweden and Canada have indicated that most attitudes towards gays and lesbians are negative in general (Negy Eisenman, 2005; Landen Innala, 2002; Hopwood Connors, 2002; Schellenberg, Hirt, Sears, 1999). It is suspected that the prevailing attitudes in Lebanon are similar to those in the countries mentioned earlier. However, because of the lack of concrete research on this topic in Lebanon, it is necessary that a study be conducted in order to investigate the attitudes towards gays and lesbians among university students in Lebanon. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes that students at universities in Lebanon have towards gays and lesbians. Since previous research have shown gender and choice of major to be of great importance in determining university students attitudes towards homosexuality, this study also compared the attitudes of male vs. female, as well as Social sciences and Art students vs. Natural sciences and Business students. Review of the Literature One of the main problems associated with homosexuality in the Middle East is the negative attitudes that Arabs have towards gay men and lesbians. These attitudes are further complicated by international politics which slow down social progress in Middle Eastern countries. As a result, strict Arab morality is imposed in these countries as a means of defense against Western trends that promote female nudity and homosexuality. However, these negative attitudes could not be generalized as homophobia because they are directly linked to political, social, religious and cultural issues (Whitaker, 2006). Contrary to what many people believe, the attitudes towards gay men and lesbians are rather negative even in western countries such as the United States, Australia, Sweden and Canada (Negy Eisenman, 2005; Landen Innala, 2002; Hopwood Connors, 2002; Schellenberg, Hirt, Sears, 1999). Previous studies on attitudes of undergraduate university students specifically indicate mostly negative at titudes, with fluctuations that depend on factors such as gender, education, religiosity, as well as, race (Whitley, 1988; Negy Eisenman, 2005; Landen Innala, 2002; Grapes, 2006; Jonathan, 2008). Because of the lack of empirical evidence on the attitudes in Lebanon towards gay men and lesbians, it is important that this study be conducted so as to set stable grounds for this issue. The purpose of this study was to measure the attitudes of undergraduate university students in Lebanon towards gay men and lesbians. Hopwood and Connors (2002) examined the attitudes of undergraduate students toward homosexuality at a university in Australia. The first hypothesis was that homophobic males were most likely to be religious and politically conservative. The second hypothesis stated that levels of homophobia would be more prevalent among business majors than humanities majors. The sample consisted of 104 students from two faculties; 58% were registered in a humanities class, while 42% were registered in a business class, and 65% of the sample was females. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire composed of three parts. The first part included The Heterosexual Attitudes to Homosexuals questionnaire which measured the attitudes of the participants toward issues such as befriending or social equality for homosexuals. The second part of the questionnaire measured the participants fear of AIDS/HIV with the use of the Fear of AIDS scale by Bouton et al. The third part involved the measurement of demographic variables intended to ascertain participants religiosity and political views. The results validated the hypotheses tested in this research. Fear of HIV/AIDS seemed to be the most powerful indicator of homophobia among men, with a correlation of 0.64. Gender was also a predictor of homophobia; males exhibited more negative attitudes towards homosexuals than women. The results also showed that religious individuals expressed more homophobia than nonreligious ones. Last but not least, academic major aided in predicting homophobia; as hypothesized, business majors expressed higher levels of homophobia and fear of HIV/AIDS than did the humanities students. In another similar study conducted by Schellenberg et al. (1999) at the University of Windsor in Canada investigated the attitudes of undergraduate university students toward gay men and lesbians. Comparisons were to be made on the basis of the participants gender, faculty, and year at university. One hypothesis was that participants enrolled in Arts or Social science faculties would have more positive attitudes than those enrolled in Science or Business faculties. Another hypothesis was that females were more likely to have positive attitudes than men toward gay and lesbian individuals. This studys sample consisted of 199 undergraduate students (101 males and 98 females) enrolled at the University of Windsor, who were hired so as to increase the chances that they would be enrolled in different faculties. Participants were asked general questions such as their year at college, their major, as well as their age and gender. Their attitudes were measured using the short form of Hereks Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay men scale which was designed to yield a subscale which measures attitudes toward lesbians, and other that measures attitudes toward gay men. The results of this study indicated that attitudes toward gay men changed as a function of the students faculties; that is to say that students in the faculties of Arts or Social Sciences had more positive attitudes than those in the faculties of Business or Science. Moreover, gender and year at university had a big role; women had more positive attitudes as compared to men regardless of their year at university. However, although new male students held negative attitudes toward gay men, these attitudes improved with the years spent at university. As for attitudes towards lesbians, gender and faculty played little or no role in determining the attitudes. However, the attitudes became more positive with the time at university. Along the same lines, Negy and Eisenman (2005) studied the attitudes and affects of African American and White college students toward lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals. More specifically, this study aimed to investigate how enculturation and religiosity might control the attitudes toward lesbian, gay and bisexuals. Because of inconsistent findings in the past, no formal hypothesis was made. Previous studies regarding African Americans showed that they seem to be more probable than whites to both see homosexuality as incorrect and to support gay rights laws. As a result, this study aimed to investigate African American attitudes while considering variables which may influence homophobia such as culture, religiosity, and sociodemographics. The studys sample consisted of 77 African Americans (22 male, 48 female) and 143 non-Hispanic whites (38 male, 105 female) who attended a public university in Southeast U.S. 90% of the African Americans and 94% of the Whites were exclusively heterosexuals, and 89% of the African Americans and 76% of the Whites were Christian. In order to measure the three variables mentioned previously, several questionnaires were handed out to the participants. Questionnaires included a Demographic Sheet which inquires the age, gender, ethnicity, religious affiliation, and sexual orientation of the participants. It also inquired the level of parental education as well as the years of education of the participants parents so as to infer the socioeconomic status of each. Moreover, participants commitment to religion was assessed based on two measures; one of which is the frequency of church attendance, and the second includes reasons for believing in a religion. The third questionnaire was a Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding, constructed to measure social desirability. The fourth questionnaire was the Index of Homophobia by Hudson Ricketts which measured homophobia among the participants. A fifth questionnaire was the Heterosexual Attitudes Toward Homosexuality (HATH) which measured attitudes and beliefs regarding gay and lesbian individuals. Finally, a sixth questionnaire, African American Acculturation Scale, was handed out to the African American participants only to measure how much African American respondents were absorbed into a traditional African American culture. The results indicated that even though African American participants affective and attitudinal reactions to lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals may be more negative than those of White students, this difference faded when regularity of church attendance, religious dedication, and SES were considered. So for both, African Americans and Whites, the three variables church attendance, religiosity and SES served as predictors of homonegativity. Bowen and Bourgeois (2001) examined the attitudes toward lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals based on certain social psychology theories. They first hypothesized that having had more LGB acquaintances in the past would yield more positive existing attitudes. The second hypothesis was that respondents were more likely to rate their personal attitudes toward LGB more positively than their friends or typical students as a result of pluralistic ignorance. The third hypothesis predicted that students attitudes would change with regards to the residence halls (i.e students from the same residence hall would share the same attitude) based on the Dynamic Social Impact Theory. The last hypothesis stated that present contact with LGB individuals would yield more positive approaches regardless of the respondents past contact with LGBs. Questionnaires were sent out by mail to 240 undergraduate students in two residence halls (6 Floors in building A and 5 floors in building B), however only 109 students completed them (48 females and 51 males). The questionnaire included only a Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Attitudes questionnaire made of a 7 point Likert type scale. Respondents were inquired to provide three responses: the first about his/her attitude toward LGB, the second about his/her beliefs about how friends would respond, and third they had to rate how they thought the typical student would reply. Respondents were also asked about the number of previous LGB acquaintances, as they were asked to indicate how many openly LGB individuals resided in their residence halls and on their individual floors. The results of this study confirmed the hypotheses constructed at the very beginning. Respondents actually did represent themselves as having more positive attitudes towards LGB individuals than their friends and the typical student, proving the pluralistic ignorance theory. Moreover, consistent with the contact hypothesis, respondents who referred to as few as one or two explicitly LGB students in their residence halls or on their floor held considerably more positive attitudes than students who knew none. Some limitations of this study could be the small sample, the ethnic homogeneity of the respondents. Moreover, the low response rates could have been an indication of bias since it is possible that the students with more negative attitudes did not respond. In an interesting research article by Landen and Innala (2002), the effects of a biological explanation on attitudes towards gays and lesbians in Sweden were examined. The purpose of this study was to test whether attitudes towards homosexuals differed between people who supported the biological explanation and those who supported a psychological explanation. Comparisons were also to be made between the attitudes of men and those of women, as well as between an old age group and a young age group. A sample of 992 people was randomly selected from the National Registration and was sent questionnaires by mail. 668 out of the 992 people returned the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of ten questions that covered the participants beliefs about the origin of homosexuality, the integration of homosexuals in the society as well as homosexual friendships. Participants ranged between 18 and 70 years of age, with the median age being 44 years. The results of this study supported previous findings that proposed that individuals supporting the biological explanation of homosexuality had more tolerant attitudes toward it (CITE). Moreover, the more participants were acquainted with gays and lesbians, the more liberal attitudes they held toward them. Also, the results of this study showed that women and the younger age group tended to have more positive attitudes towards homosexuals than those who believed in a psychological explanation of homosexuality. Out of the 668 people, a little more than half of them (51%) believed in a biological explanation, whereas the remaining 49% believed in a psychological explanation. This study supports theories of the prominence of positive attitudes among people who believed that homosexuality had a biological origin, as well as people who had more personal contacts with homosexuals (CITE). In an attempt to inspect the prevalent attitudes towards homosexuals among Turkish university students, Cirakoglu (2006) aimed to examine the students beliefs regarding the causes of homosexuality. The study also aimed to compare how participants attitudes varied towards the labels gay and lesbian. Finally, the attitudes of participants who had had previous social contact with homosexuals were measured. Cirakoglu (2006) hypothesized that the label gay would elicit the most negative attitudes, whereas the label lesbian would trigger more positive ones. And, in relation to previous studies, he hypothesized that participants who had prior social contact with a homosexual would have more positive attitudes than those who hadnt. Participants of this research included 334 private university students (140 women and 194 men) in Turkey. Students were given questions regarding their demographic information, as they were also given a 50-item scale for the causes of homosexuality and a 19-item attitude scale. When asked about previous contact with at least one homosexual, 41.82% of participants reported having had contact with a homosexual. The results of Cirakoglus study seemed to verify the hypotheses stated at the beginning. The label lesbian seemed to elicit more positive attitudes than did the term gay or homosexual. It seemed that the term gay triggered the most negative attitudes among the three labels (CITE). Moreover, men had rather negative attitudes towards homosexuals, unlike women who held more positive attitudes. As hypothesized earlier and in accordance to previous research, participants who reported having previous social contact with homosexuals held more positive attitudes than participants who reported no prior social contact. It is interesting to note that, participants who had no social contact with homosexuals seemed to believe that homosexuality stems from a psychological or physiological disorder; participants who reported prior contact, however, believed that homosexuality is a choice of lifestyle (CITE). Since South Africa became the fifth country to legalize homosexual marriages in 2006, Mwaba (2009) studied the attitudes and beliefs of South African students regarding homosexuality and same-sex marriages. Even though South African law protected its homosexual citizens rights and bans any sort of discrimination against them, the general attitudes of students remained negative. Mwabas sample was made up of 150 undergraduate students at a university in Western Cape in South Africa. These students were hired during a time of intense debate after the validation of homosexual marriages in 2006. The samples mean age was 18.3 years, 83% of which were females. Also, 68% of the sample students were Christians. An 18-item questionnaire was used to measure the attitudes toward homosexual marriages and homosexuality. The results signified rather conservative attitudes among the sample, as almost 44% thought that homosexuality should be socially unacceptable rather than acceptable in South Africa. However, when it came to granting homosexuals equal rights, 41% only believed that the government was right in doing so, with the majority of the sample (59%) opposed it. 37% thought there was nothing wrong in discriminating against homosexuals, and 71% indicated that they thought the marriage of two people of the same sex to be strange. But overall, those who believed that homosexual marriages should be legalized were almost equal to those who were against it (51% and 49% respectively). One of the factors that seems to affect peoples attitudes towards homosexuality is their level of education. In one of her studies, Grapes (2006) investigated the relationship between the level of education and the attitudes towards homosexuals and their rights. Grapes hypothesized that as the level of education increases, the attitudes towards homosexuals become more liberal. She also hypothesized, in accordance to literature, that females will have more tolerant attitudes than males. Grapes obtained data from the General Social Survey which was conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago (Grapes, 2006). Her two independent variables were gender and level of education, and her dependent variable was the attitudes toward gays and gay rights. The attitudes were measured by choosing four specific questions that address homosexuality in the General Social Survey (Grapes, 2006). The sample consisted of 740 participants. Consistent with previous studies, Grapes (2006) results prove that gender plays a big role in determining the attitudes toward gay rights and homosexuals. Females held more positive attitudes than did males. Moreover, Grapes established a multivariate relationship between level of education, gender and attitudes toward gay rights (2006). She found that males who had a degree lower than high school were 36% more inclined to be against equal rights for homosexuals. Whereas females with a graduate diploma are 28% more likely to be supportive of homosexuals rights than females with an education lower than high school (Grapes, 2006). Congruently, Herek (1988) used a sample of 405 students to study what contributes to heterosexuals reaction formation to gay and lesbian individuals. First, he wanted to determine how heterosexuals attitudes were affected by gender. Second, he inquired about the contribution of social psychological factors to the attitude formation toward homosexuals. Last, he questioned whether attitudes differ toward lesbians and gays men (Herek, 1988). Hereks sample included 405 students (226 females, 179 males) from six different universities in the United States. The participants presented information about their religious backgrounds and how often they attend religious services, as well as the number of their gay/lesbian acquaintances. An Attitude Toward Lesbians and Gays (ATLG) scale composed of a 20-item likert scale was developed by Herek (1988). The scale had two ten-item subscales: half of which measure attitudes toward lesbians, whereas the other half measures attitudes toward gay men. Hereks results (1988) proved that male participants held more negative attitudes than females on both the ATL (Attitudes Toward Lesbians) and ATG (Attitudes Toward Gays) scale, yet they held less negative attitudes toward lesbians. Hereks study also verified that attitudes toward homosexuals are influenced by participants loyalty to traditional gender and family values, as well as by the level of their religious commitments and previous experience with gay men and lesbians (Herek, 1988). Last but not least, and in accordance to the Pluralistic ignorance theory in Bowen and Bourgeois study (2001), participants who held negative attitudes were likely to presume that their friends had similar attitudes towards homosexuals. Likewise, attitudes of undergraduate university students toward gay men and lesbians were investigated in a study conducted by Engstrom and Sedlacek (1997). The study aimed to investigate whether heterosexual college students at a southeast university held negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Moreover, the study investigated the type of situations in which negative feelings toward homosexuals were expressed (Engstrom Sedlacek, 1997). The studys randomly selected sample consisted of 224 heterosexual university students; half of which were males, and half of which were females. Engstrom and Sedlacek (1997) administered the SAS Sexual Orientation Survey to measure the students attitudes toward gays and lesbians. The survey contained a likert-type scale ranging from one to five; it consisted of ten statements that covered personal, social, and academic situations. Three different forms of the survey were produced and mailed to participants: one referred to student (with no specified sexual orientation), the second referred to Gay male student, and the third referred to lesbian student, (Engstrom Sedlacek, 1997). Engstrom and Sedlaceks study confirmed that male students attitudes were more negative toward gay men than toward lesbians. It seemed that participants displayed more intolerant attitudes in situations where they must interact with gay males in public. Moreover, despite the fact that women hold more negative attitudes toward lesbians, in this study, females had surprisingly more negative attitudes toward gay males (Engstrom Sedlacek, 1997). However, and despite the negative attitudes toward homosexuals, participants seemed to be infuriated at the thought of the physical assault of a homosexual. This study gives insight as to how and in what situations stereotypical attitudes could be formed and allows further implications for practice (Engstrom Sedlacek, 1997).

Persecuting The Innocent :: essays research papers

Schools tend to have cliques, small groups of narrow-minded people who criticize others. These teens in cliques parallel adults in today’s society. They prey on those who believe in different things, come from different backgrounds, and have different morals and values. In To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, three characters, Boo Radley, Tom Robinson, and Atticus Finch, all resemble mockingbirds, in that people persecute them for no reason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The people of Maycomb County victimize the innocent Boo Radley. His mysterious life interests the Finch children, Jem and Scout, and their friend Dill. They imagine Boo as a drooling, savage, six-and-a-half foot beast with a long jagged scar on his face, yellow teeth, and bulging eyes. They suspect that he peers into people’s windows at night to stalk them and he may try to kill them. The real Boo, however, possesses a kind soul and a gentle heart. He manages to find ways to communicate in a positive and playful way with Jem, Scout, and Dill, but everyone suspects Boo of enigmatic crimes when â€Å"once the town was terrorized and†¦people still looked to the Radley Place, unwilling to discard their initial suspicions† (9). The townspeople do not give Boo a chance; they rather make rash conclusions. His seclusion from the town instantly opens him up to ridicule and gossip. Scout learns to judge him and others by their actions, not by the town gos sip.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tom Robinson, a Negro, represents another mockingbird. He lives a life of simplicity beyond the town dump, and attends the same church as the Finch family cook, Calpurnia. Tom regularly assists people in need, especially Mayella Ewell, but he finds himself punished for it. Mayella, a white woman, accuses Tom of rape and abuse, and her father Bob takes this matter to court and uses subterfuge in his testimony. During the trial Link Deas, Tom’s former employer, announces, â€Å"That boy worked for me eight years an’ I aint had a speck o’ trouble outta him† (195). Link tries to stand up for Tom because he instinctively knows Tom would never rape anyone, especially a white woman. Because of Link’s experience with Tom, he steadfastly believes in Tom’s innocence. However the prejudice that exists in Maycomb influences the jury to convict Tom of rape, leaving him and his attorney Atticus Finch disappointed but not surprised.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Atticus, a very respected lawyer, defends Tom and subsequently takes criticism for it.