One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest - Analytical Essay

Analytical Essay – One flew over the Cuckoo’s nest. Ken Keseys One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest is a creation of the socio-cultural context of his time. Social and cultural values, attitudes and beliefs informed his invited reading of his text. Ken Kesey was a part of The Beat generation and many of their ideologies and the socio cultural context of U.S post WWII were evident through characters and various discourses throughout One Flew over the Cuckoos Nest, giving us his invited reading. Ken Kesey is against conformity and societies oppressive rules under Eisenhower and he illustrates this by creating a character that is in constant conflict with Nurse Ratched and the Rules of the ward. In One Flew over the Cuckoo’s nest, Ken Kesey†¦show more content†¦Characters like Billy Bibbit, who is too timid, with a speech impediment and Harding who is a closet homosexual and was less avert in sexuality were seen as having mental problems, and were committed to the asylum. McMurphy demonstrated the treating of these patients like normal people, helped them to become more in line with society then Nurse Ratched’s rules and group therapy meetings, or pecking party as Chief Bromden would call it. Chief Bromden was a Native American and wasn’t insane until he was institutionalized and withdrew himself from everyone else pretending he was deaf and dumb to protect himself. Ken Kesey’s message here with Chief Bromdens silence, was to portray the n atives of the time having no voice in the country and to show the controlling and manipulative manner of Nurse Ratched that emasculated and de-socialised these grown men. Mechanical discourses were evident in Nurse Ratched and throughout the entire book from the very start as we see Chief Bromden explaining Nurse Ratched’s image in mechanical terms he quotes. â€Å"I see her fingers trail across the polished steel – tip of each finger the same colour as her lips†. â€Å"Funny orange†. â€Å"Like the tip of a soldering iron. Colour so hot or so cold if she touches you with it you can’t tell which†. (pg 9). The mechanical discourse relates to the governments

Mt 355 Unit 2 Free Essays

Kinshasa Abroad – African Cuisine and Culture Jennifer Johnson MT/355 – Marketing Research Theodore Alex 5/1/2012 Introduction The purpose of this paper is to refer to the case Kinshasa Abroad – African Cuisine and Culture, define the problems that appear regarding this case, and trying to find answers and solutions to these problems. As it can be noticed in the case, there are marketing problems regarding this business. There are two questions that need to be addressed. We will write a custom essay sample on Mt 355 Unit 2 or any similar topic only for you Order Now The first question is about the type of information that needs to be collected to help diagnose the marketing problem in this case. The second question, however, it is interesting because it asks to create a list of probing questions that should be asked the owner of the restaurant to help him specify research problems and also the manager’s decision problem. Kinshasa Abroad The case goes this way. Youlou Kabasella is an African entrepreneur that had a business running in his own country. It was a restaurant that was opened for more that 14 years. However, since the political context was not advantageous, the owner decided to move with his family in the United States. He manages to open the same business he had in his home country, in the downtown area of Columbus, Ohio. However, the strategy chosen by the entrepreneur with respect to his business may not be appropriate since it does not show any positive results. He considered keeping most of the aspects of his business similar to his home country. The paper tries to identify the problem and spot certain solutions through marketing research. Before getting deeper into this concept, the term marketing research must be defined. According to Churchill, Brown, and Suter (2008), marketing research represents the function that connects the consumers to the marketer through information that is used in identifying and defining marketing problems and also opportunities. Marketing research helps generating, refining, and valuating marketing actions; it helps monitoring performance and it enhances the understanding of marketing as a complete process. A research consultant requires various valuable data from Mr. Kabasella to identify the problem of his inefficiency. At first, a marketing consultant would require Kabasella information about his advertising and promotion practices, about the local customer preferences and habits, precise information about the prices and his menu and business activities, and other information as well. Here is a list of questions that a marketing consultant addresses Kabasella to help him with his business problems: 1. How come most of your products are African based? 2. Why did you choose to advertise without using the most important advertising mean which is the Internet? 3. Did you consider doing a marketing analysis to determine your potential competition in this area? 4. Did you consider offering free meals or other points of attraction to try and increase the number of customers? 5. Did you consider selling more local products? Conclusion These from above are only few of the potential questions that a marketing researcher needs to ask the employer to help him with his problems. The marketing researcher needs to focus identifying the competition for this company; it also needs to focus on advertisements and promotion to include the company in the list of the customers. The will have to find the proper marketing mix, which refers to product, place, price, and promotion (the four Ps of marketing) to help the company become more efficient and profitable. It clearly needs to add more local meals and drinks to its menu; it needs to use and promote local bands in the restaurant because clients would come and serve meals that they are aware of (at first), and then they may try to choose the African specialties. There are many elements to be considered; the solution to this case is not difficult to be identified and implemented. Reference Churchill, G. A. , Brown, T. J. , Suter, T. A. (2008). Basic Marketing Research (7th Ed. ). Cengage Learning. How to cite Mt 355 Unit 2, Essay examples

Essay on Collaborative Physiotherapy-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Write a reflective essay about a Collaborative physiotherapy practitioner. Answer: According to Australian physiotherapy Council, a physiotherapist should promote and practice collaborative care and engage in a culturally responsive and client-centred model of practice (Brady, Veljanova Chipchase, 2016). A physiotherapist should work in collaboration with clients for promoting integrated care and shared decision making enabling optimum health outcomes. Therefore, I believe that being a physiotherapist, my position is to create therapeutic and collaborative relationships with my clients involved directly into care as well as with other healthcare professionals. For achieving collaborative care, I engaged my client into a discussion explaining the assessment findings, discussing about the intervention strategies and finally developing an acceptable plan. This collaborative practice helped me to identify and justify options for interventions that are based on clients preferences and needs, best evidence-based practice, clinical guidelines and available resources considering that whether physiotherapy is indicated (Aguilar et al., 2013). For the approaches to intervention, I demonstrated my skills that are suitable to it considering that it helped me to work in collaboration with my client. I tried to balance my clients needs with the effective and efficient interventions. In addition, I also demonstrated an understanding of precautions and contraindications while selecting strategies and at the same time, I advised my client about the risk or side effects of the treatment. For a client-centred approach, I assessed their needs and perceptions, as I believe that it may influence health behaviour contributing to a favourable assessment of the therapeutic experience thereby addressing their needs and expectations in the provision of care (Brewer Jones, 2013). For a culturally responsive care, I improved my communication skills while interacting with my clients to get more information from them. This also helps to boost their confidence and build trust in the treatment. I understood my clients culture and acknowledged their perceptions of health that shape health behaviour. Within my scope of practice, I continuously reflected on my own culture as well as take clients culture engaging them in ongoing learning process for interacting effectively and responding to my client (Bialocerkowski et al., 2013). In addition, I demonstrated non-verbal communication skills by listening to the client carefully in an empathetic and sensitive manner. Similarly, I respected the personal and cultural differences of my client so that they are encouraged to provide complete information with any hesitation. At the same time, I demonstrated consideration of clients privacy, confidentiality and sensitivities. From the above experience, I learned that through collaborative and culturally responsive physiotherapy practice, I was able to establish trust and rapport with my clients belonging to other cultures and inquiring respectfully. Through a client-centred approach, there was establishment of physiotherapist-client relationship. I also learned that effective communication helped me to acknowledge the cultural dissimilarity while discussing client-centred assessment and treatment plan (Mudge, Stretton Kayes, 2014). While reflecting on my own physiotherapy practice, it helped me to ensure equitable outcomes, improve and demonstrate my life-long learning in cultural competence. I understood that language barriers greatly affect health outcomes of clients belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds. Therefore, being a physiotherapist, I need to be aware of the communication methods including nonverbal communication whose English comprehension is limited. Ineffective cross-cultural communicati on can lead to bias, inaccuracy and misinterpretation that in turn can result in potential litigation, ineffective physiotherapy treatment and discrimination against my clients. The above experience influenced my scope of physiotherapy in a way that cross-cultural communication with client is an important aspect in seeking their perspectives and needs into consideration pertinent in collaborative and client-centred approach to care. Client-centred and collaborative approach is a way to empower clients and provide them treatments that promote effective interventions. In physiotherapy sessions, I need to appraise the risks and benefits effectively with clients through cross-communication with them who have limited English proficiency. Client-centred and collaborative approach can help my clients be actively engaged in decision-making process and treatment that they receive. I believe that collaborative and culturally responsive approach can help to involve clients in decisions about care enshrined in the negotiation process of valid consent that is at the heart of physiotherapy practice (Pitance et al., 2016). The client-centred and collaborative approach and use of reflective practice in physiotherapy practice greatly aids in client collaboration and empowerment encouraging them to participate in decision-making process. This fact influenced my practice that as a physiotherapist I need to demonstrate and recognize client-centred and collaborative approach highlighting communication as a major competency. It can be stated that communication is the cornerstone for a successful physiotherapy session. These competencies guide physiotherapy practices reminding them about importance of client-centred, collaborative and culturally responsive approach in their scope of practice (Whalley Hammell, 2013). It influenced my practice and created awareness for stimulating interest for professional practice and improved physiotherapy practice. References Aguilar, A., Stupans, I., Scutter, S., King, S. (2013). Exploring the professional values of Australian physiotherapists.Physiotherapy research international,18(1), 27-36. Bialocerkowski, A., Johnson, A., Allan, T., Phillips, K. (2013). Development of physiotherapy inherent requirement statementsan Australian experience.BMC medical education,13(1), 54. Brady, B., Veljanova, I., Chipchase, L. (2016). Culturally informed practice and physiotherapy.Journal of physiotherapy,62(3), 121-123. Brewer, M. L., Jones, S. (2013). An interprofessional practice capability framework focusing on safe, high-quality, client-centred health service.Journal of Allied Health,42(2), 45E-49E. Mudge, S., Stretton, C., Kayes, N. (2014). Are physiotherapists comfortable with person-centred practice? An autoethnographic insight.Disability and rehabilitation,36(6), 457-463. Pitance, L., Piraux, E., Lannoy, B., Meeus, M., Berquin, A., Eeckhout, C., ... Roussel, N. (2016). Cross cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the French version of the central sensitization inventory.Manual therapy,25, e83-e84. Whalley Hammell, K. R. (2013). Client-centred practice in occupational therapy: Critical reflections.Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy,20(3), 174-181.

Similarities And Differences 1 Essays - Breakfast Television, CNN

Similarities and Differences 1 Running head: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES AMONG ALL-NEWS CABLE NETWORKS: CNN, MSNBC, AND FOXNEWS CHANNEL SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES AMONG ALL-NEWS CABLE NETWORKS: CNN, MSNBC, AND FOXNEWS CHANNEL Deborah A. Neals Barry University Similarities and Differences 2 Successful programming is vital to a television property since it spells the difference between profit and loss. Unpopular programming results in fewer viewers, an insufficient number of advertisers buying airtime, and eventually economic failure. CNN, FoxNews and MSNBC are three all-news channels fighting for an ever-decreasing slice of the ratings pie. The networks have both similarities and differences, but before discussing them it is vital to look at both their history and programming. When Ted Turner created the Cable News Network in June of 1980, he probably never dreamed that it would become one of the most recognized names in cable programming (Eastman and Ferguson, 1997). CNN's first broadcast was June 1, 1980. Initially the signal was seen in 1.7 million U.S. households. Turner established news bureaus in major American cities and in other cities throughout the world and today CNN is seen in 80 million U.S. cable households (Available: CNN.com). Much of CNN's success is rooted in its early application of newsgathering technology, most notably that of communications satellites and portable uplinks such as those that gave the world video and audio during the Persian Gulf War and the aborted coup in the former Soviet Union (Eastman and Ferguson, 1997). MSNBC, which got its start on July 15, 1996, was a groundbreaking venture from Microsoft and NBC, comprising MSNBC cable and MSNBC on the internet. The network premiered to 22 million households, reaches 45 million to date, and is expected to reach 61 million households by the end of the year 2000 (B.P. Anderer, personal conversation, December 7, 1998). The network was able to reach so many households so Similarities and Differences 3 quickly because it took the distribution platform of the NBC owned, America's Talking (Eastman and Ferguson, 1997). The FoxNews Channel was the last of the three to enter the all-news cable battle, on October 7, 1996. Its first months of programming were only available to 10 million households despite the fact that owner, Rupert Murdoch paid cable operators $10 per subscriber to carry the all-news channel (Conner 1996). This is because Time Warner Cable refused to put the network on its New York City cable system. (CNN owner Ted Turner is the chairman of Time Warner.) Murdoch filed a lawsuit, but on July 23, 1997 the suit was settled, giving the FNC immediate access to the MSO's 1.1 million New York City subscriber system, plus wider distribution over time to the majority of Time Warner's customers (Higgins and Petrozzello, 1997). The network now reaches nearly 35 million households. Its programming is balanced, aimed at views slightly older than the early-20's audience courted by MSNBC (Conner, 1996). CNN Monday-Friday 6a.m. Business Day. Hosted by Deborah Marchini and John Defterios, the show offers viewers live reports on market movements and business developments. Business and finance coverage is rounded out with weather updates, sports news, a travel advisory and the latest headlines. 7a.m. Early edition. Hosted by Leon Harris and Carol Lin. A complete presentation of the latest news developments, including sports, weather and business news updates. In addition to news, the show airs a live newsmaker interview each hour. Similarities and Differences 4 9a.m. CNN Morning News. Hosted by Daryn Kagen and Bill Hemmer. This complete news show offers blocks of news reports, reviews, interviews and viewer call-ins. Many of the interviews are ?how to? in nature and cover a variety of subjects. 11:30a.m. CNN and Company. Hosted by Mary Tillotson. A half-hour news-talk program that looks at today's issues from a woman's point of view. Each day the show consists of three panelists that hold different beliefs. 12 p.m. Newsday. Hosted by Frank Sesno and Jeanne Meserve. Based in Washington D.C., this half-hour show is a presentation of the latest news of the day with plenty of live coverage. 12:30p.m. Burden of Proof. Hosted by Greta Van Susteren and Roger Cossak. This show, which was born during the O.J. Simpson trial, now investigates all facets of the judicial system. Key trial figures debate the legal ramifications of top news stories and courtroom issues. 1p.m. CNN Today.

Essay on civil rights movementEssay Writing Service

Essay on civil rights movementEssay Writing Service Essay on civil rights movement Essay on civil rights movementThe position of African American in the US was historically unequal compared to white Americans. The first half of the 20th century was characterized by the persisting segregation and discrimination of African Americans, as Dalfiume justly points out. In this regard, World War II contributed to the rise of their social consciousness and the emergence of the civil rights movement because they became an important part of the US society and, more important, they became a part of the nation serving in the US army and performing jobs, which used to be performed by whites because of the shortage of the labor force.In fact, World War II increased the awareness of African Americans of their importance for the nation that encouraged them to enhance their struggle for equal rights and opportunities. They felt that they were an important part of the nation and they had the power and right to struggle for equal opportunities compared to whites. As they were recruite d to the US army, then they would justly expect that they can count on equal rights and opportunities compared to white Americans.In addition, World War II contributed to their self-organization because the service in the US army had opened the way to the better understanding of the importance of the effective organization of their struggle. The enhancement of the civil rights movement was the natural consequence of the growing public awareness and their self-organization. In such a way, the development of African American movement and their struggle for better rights and opportunities. Such change was essential for the enhancement of their position in the US society.

Britains Role in the War Against Germany 1939-45

The role of the British in the war with Germany 1939 - 45 UK played a very important role during the Second World War. It is the longest ally in warfare and can make many contributions to ensure Hitler's fall. The influence of England began on September 3 when Germany invaded Poland. Britain and France declared war against Germany. Why is this so special? This is because he made Hitler the enemy of the West. In fact, Hitler was surprised by the change in the incident and was looking forward to avoid the conflict in the UK. Introduction World War II began when the German army invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. On the night of September 3, 1939 two days later, both the UK and France entered a war with Germany. Because they failed in the First World War and created restrictions, Germany has the smallest naval power among the great powers. These limitations of the 1922 Washington Treaty restricted the German Navy's limit on the number of its fleets, tonnage and mortality. - History of Bismarck Bismarck's history began in the spring of 1941. It started a Rheinà ¼bung strategy with two ships and Scharnhorst and Gneisenau returned from Berlin operations. It was thought that Bismarck was sent with the sister ship Tillpitz, but decided not to shorten the training. They will also be sent with Shane Horst and Grenau, but they are not used for the British air strikes. So they sent it along with heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. Germany invaded Poland in 1939, eventually leading to the declaration of war between Germany and the UK. However, the Allies adopted a defensive position rather than initiating a massive attack. This is known as the British Phonie War or the French Dora Des degal - an interesting war. It did not prevent the German army from conquering Poland in its innovative electric blast fight within a few weeks. It also helped the Soviet Union to attack Poland. When Germany began attacking the west, the fight of France began in May 1940, and the tactics of the same electric battlefield were found to be devastating there. IDF bypassed the Maguinot line through the parade of the Ardennes Forest. As a shift to this main force, the second German army was sent to Belgium and the Netherlands. In the six weeks of a brutal battle, the French lost 90,000 people. When British and French leaders declared war with Germany on 3 September 1939 they announced they did because the German army attacked Poland and threatened Polish independence. In the war with Germany, the British and French leaders turned the two-day geographically restricted conflict between Germany and Poland into a continental European confrontation. It soon became clear that the reasons for prosecution in English and French are not sincere. After two weeks, the British and French leaders did not declare war against the Soviet Union when Soviet Russian forces attacked Poland from the east and finally occupied more Polish territory than Germany.

Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Advertising - Essay Example Goods and services offered to the public can be introduced or promoted. This can help business enterprises to increase sales, maximize profits, inform society, and build the image of goods and services, among many other advantages. Promotion of goods and services through advertisement makes consumers to be aware of specific products or services in the market. Information is important to consumers especially regarding to brand name, price, manufactures, trade mark and any other key details. These enhances making of right choices by consumers when buying a commodity or service. Today’s world is competitive and selling commodities or services is a challenge without effective advertising. The target audience is normally the focus when planning for and advertisement. The effectiveness of an advertisement therefore depends on the method used to reach the target audience. Creativity is very important when designing for an advertisement. Originality, artistic, attractiveness, are some of the attributes a good advertisement should posses. It’s said that what people see or hear captures their psyche and this leads to preferences change. When advertisement is done on a regular basis, higher demand for goods and services is generated which by extension demands for equivalent supply of the goods or services demanded. Demand and supply dynamics should be monitored carefully, so that they remain at equilibrium always. Promotion is found in nearly all places imaginable and where one least expects it.   Some advertisements are very conspicuous and divergent, while others may be faint but the human eye tends to take notice of them. Costs of promoting goods and services are more often than not catered for by sponsors who use various traditional media initially identified such as use of newspapers, magazines, television commercials, radio advertisements, outdoor advertising, direct mail or new media such as blogs,

Design and Implementation of the Website Assignment

Design and Implementation of the Website - Assignment Example This ensures that these maxims are wide banded and thus are applicable to a wide range of design criteria2. The audience for this website is expected to span all kinds of age ranges, demographic and socio-economic backgrounds because emergencies could occur anywhere at any point in time. Therefore, there was a consistent need to ensure that the design criteria for the website were pervasive and would fit most audiences well. Lund’s usability maxims are presented below along with the appropriate design incorporation in the website. It must be kept in mind that these criteria are listed in order of decreasing importance according to their mean rating of importance derived from Lund’s work. 1.2.1. Identifying the User This website is intended for audiences looking for information on First Aid in general and more specifically audiences specific to Newcastle University. This indicates that the concerned audience could consist of: any age range between 10 and 65 years of age; any demographic background as there are international students on campus; any forms of disability; people with different levels of computer interaction and knowledge; people with little knowledge of first aid; people in a panicked state. The criteria listed above describe the typical user for the website. Among other concerns, the major concern was the state of panic in which certain users would visit the website. The website is intended as a first-hand reference for first aid in emergency situations so it can be expected that people in emergencies would visit the website for seeking out what to do. Given this overriding constraint, it would make a lot of sense if the website tends to deliver the required content with the least effort required by presenting an... The essay "Design and Implementation of the Website" describes all the necessary steps for creation an information site so that it will deliver useful even lifesaving information in the simplest possible manner. This website is intended for audiences looking for information on First Aid and for audiences specific to Newcastle University. This indicates that the concerned audience could consist of any age range between 10 and 65 years of age; any demographic background as there are international students on campus; any forms of disability; people with different levels of computer interaction and knowledge; people with little knowledge of first aid; people in a panicked state. The criteria listed above describes the typical users of the website. The major concern was the state of panic in which certain users would visit the website. The website is intended as a first-hand reference for first aid in emergency situations so it can be expected that people in emergencies would visit the website for seeking out what to do. Given this overriding constraint, it would make a lot of sense if the website tends to deliver the required content with the least effort required by presenting an intuitive interface that is operable by anyone. The key element here is simplicity of use that offers information just when required through the application of minimal computing expertise. Based on this usability criterion, the website was provided with a fitting logo on top that sticks out prominently to indicate the nature of the website.

Dirty Dominos Essay Example for Free

Dirty Dominos Essay On April 13, 2009, a video emerged on YouTube showing a Domino’s Pizza employee – Michael Setzer – tampering with a customer’s food orders. Doing the filming was Kristy Hammonds, who was on the same shift as Setzer when the incident occurred. In the video, Setzer is shown stuffing cheese up his nose before placing it on some garlic bread, intentionally sneezing on other food items, and even wiping his backside with a sponge before using it to wash dishes. In the background, Hammonds is heard laughing and narrating; â€Å"in about five minutes, they’ll be sent out to delivery, where somebody will be eating these, yes, eating them. By 9:30pm the following evening, the video had attracted nearly one million views. References to the video were also showing up in Google search results for Domino’s. The incident was also receiving increasing news coverage, both locally and nationally. Making matters worse, the media released details of Hammonds’ criminal record, indicating that she was a registered sex offender. At first Domino’s senior management decided to do nothing, assuming that the hype would die down and the situation would get better by itself. But the issue was far from fading away, so Domino’s felt it was necessary to act. First, they had the video removed from YouTube, but numerous other cites had already downloaded it, making distribution of the video impossible to control. Next the two employees were immediately fired and charged with contaminating food distributed to the public. Finally, on the advice of the local health department, the franchise owner discarded all open containers of food and sanitised the entire branch. Despite these efforts, the issue was still not going away. It was becoming increasingly clear that Domino’s needed to respond publically – but how? To whom? And when?

Mob Protesters Right or Wrong :: miscellaneous

Mob Protesters Right or Wrong Essay Outline: My essay is only around one thousand five hundred words long and in that one and a half thousand words I must give points of views from both sides as well as a introduction and this Essay Outline. The first opinion I will write about is the opinions of the labour supporters, saying how They suffered because of the petrol protests, the rights wrongs and how the wrongs were or tried to be sorted out and how long it took. Also in labours defence I shall write about how Tony Blair thinks that a cut in fuel tax will cause more problems in the future. Also I will right about the opinions of the petrol protesters, how they are helping the nation on the over taxed fuel, because they are not doing the protests for fun (although they might look fun). The newspapers I read showed what Tony Blair said about his taxing but where most of it was lies or misleading. Also what he actually did with our taxes and how some of it just went to waste like how he cut 140 road improvements programs to only 3 7 or how his ten-year  £180billion partnership with John Prescott took tree years to sort out. Is this because of his poor money management or is he getting an extra million or two in his pocket each year? These important points might creep up with some more in my essay. But to end my essay I shall Finnish with a conclusion that contains an overall view of the essay. A thanks to where I got all my information for the essay, how the essay developed and how my point of view developed as I learnt more on what happens to our taxes while labour is ruling parliament. But most importantly asking the reader the question I was given, but a little briefer, ‘ should we wait for an election to sort out the taxation problems or should we stand up and demand lower taxes to solve the taxation problem’. Introduction: Should the government have total control over our taxes and we can not do anything about it. Should we be able to stand up for the taxes we pay or should we wait weeks, months or years for another election. Or should we be happy for taxes knowing that it’s going towards our health, safety and education.

Consumer Law in Mauritius

TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 2 Sources And References†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 3 The Emergence of Consumers in society†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 4 The Consumer viewed in an economical scope†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 4 ? Relationship between the consumer and the demand and supply theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 4 ? Factors influencing demand†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 5 What is Consumer Law?. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 6 Why the need for Consumer Laws? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 6 Consumer Vulnerability†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 6 The Implications of Consumer Laws†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 7 The Socio-economic evolution of Mauritius†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 8 ? A brief history of Mauritius’ economy†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Page 8 ? Consumer Protection Act 1998 (some sections) †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 9 ? Fair Trading Act 1988†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 11 ? Breakthrough in the Consumer Protection Laws†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦P age 13 ? ACIM as an advocate of consumer rights†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 14 The right to Safe Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Page 15 The right to Safety†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. Page 16 The end note†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Page 17 Acknowledgements Our team would first of all like to thank Dr. Jankee for this opportunity of evaluating ourselves in a field completely new to us and to venture into the different aspects of our topic for a greater understanding. We would also like to thank Mr. Jayen Chellum ( Director Of ACIM ) for his unconditional support and interest into making us more aware of the threats to consumers in the Mauritian context and for showing us the path to take for the completion of this group assignment. Last but not the least, we are utterly grateful to Mr. Kailash Trilochun ( Barrister ), for his effort into demonstrating to us the legal aspects and implications of our project. 2 Sources and References ? Major Achievements of ACIM Stat Sheet ? Consumer Law ( Key Facts ) Book ? http://www. geocities. com ? http://www. google. com ? http://www. wikipedia. org ? http://www. supremecourt. mu ? http://www. wiki. answers. com ? http://openlearn. open. ac. uk ? http://www. bized. co. uk ? ttp://tutor2u. net 3 CONSUMER LAW The Emergence of Consumers in society In ancient times the countries of the world were governed by sole figures. Kings, emperors, sovereigns, rulers or whatever way they were entitled, bore the same similarity; that is all of them lead their respective countries as chiefs. The people had to abide by the laws and the word of those individual characters and possessed no tangible rights. They were therefore treated by rulers as pawns on a checker board. The condition of the people and their absence of rights stayed constant with the advent of a new type of social structure, the communist society. As centuries went by, the people became more aware of democratic methods and much more knowledgeable of the equality of other human beings in terms of gender, ethnicity and so on. This caused a revolution on a global scale as the rights of each and every human being started to be acknowledged and respected. With the emergence of a series of codes of conduct, later labeled as â€Å"Laws†, people began to enjoy a more civilized lifestyle. Trade became more commonplace and people relished the buying and selling of goods and services which ultimately resulted in the â€Å"buyers† of goods and services being tagged as â€Å"consumers†. The Consumer viewed in an economical scope A consumer, as defined by the doctrine, is an individual who enters into a transaction primarily for personal, family or household purchases. Yet in many routine cases a consumer is not necessarily a purchaser in the real sense of the term; a consumer could also be someone enjoying public and free facilities and yet demanding a top notch quality and the same standards as services or goods they pay for. Relationship between the consumer and the demand and supply theory A consumer is therefore expected to be someone who is a rational decision maker and who seeks to maximize utility and thus buys in accordance to his needs and wants for a greater satisfaction rate. 4 It is an undeniable fact that the consumer represents the demand in an economy; Therefore the greater the number of consumers, the greater the demand for products thus implying that the increase or decrease of consumers can directly affect demand in a proportional way. This situation clearly demonstrates that the viability of a certain market depends on the demand from those very consumers hereby entailing that not only does the consumer affect the demand but also has a great impact on the supply factor. In the instance of a shoe making factory, if the consumers, (here signifying demand), for the shoe industry fall in rate, then the supply for that particular good also suffers from this lack in demand rate. In such a case, the consequent scenario would either be that the consumers increase demand at a certain point in time and the factory survives the test of time, or the consumers turn away from that particular good for a long period of time thus compelling the factory to shut down. As a result this example shows us the direct relationship between the demand and supply and the role of the consumer in determining the survival of a particular market. Factors influencing demand However, we should consider the determining causes to fluctuating demand and the consequent supply before actually getting into the subject of what consumer law really is about. The particular factors influencing demand are as follows: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) Fashion Avertising Age Quality Taste Income Size of the population Price of substitutes Price of complements These factors subsequently affect the judgment of the consumers and thus has a great impact on the supply and the market in general. What is Consumer Law? Consumer law is a particular fragment of law which is designed to protect consumers against abuse or any kind of unlawful transactions as well as providing them with the necessary legal means of obtaining reparations for damages caused by faulty products or inadequate services. However consumer law is a complex phenomenon, as it is never complete in itself and it is disseminated and scattered over various seemingly unrel ated statues which do not ensure a comprehensive and enhanced protection of the consumer. Why the need for Consumer Laws? The primary goal of such laws is to ensure that consumers have their rights clearly spelled out and that companies which sell goods or provide services can make out the demarcation line between lawful and unlawful activities involved in their businesses while dealing with consumers and thus happen to clearly get to know their responsibilities and what consumers expect of them in terms of quality and pricing. It is therefore obvious that the consumer and the suppliers or service providers are interrelated and interdependent, that is the supply or service providers rely on the demand of the consumer as much as the consumers rely on the supply of excellence in terms of goods and services. Thus this inter-reliant relationship makes it indispensable for the judiciary body and the government to ensure that both contracting bodies are in an equitable position, where there is no exploitation of the most influential party over the weaker one and this is where the consumer law comes into play. The main branches of law concerned with the protection of the end users and the abuse of and the compliance of these guidelines are firstly the Civil Law and the Criminal Law. Consumer Vulnerability The question of the rights of consumers is growing considerably important worldwide as days go by. Governments have implemented numerous laws to 6 assure that end users have the same rights as the manufacturers or service providers. Consumer Protection Law or Consumer Law is considered as an area of public law that regulates private law relationships between individual consumers and the businesses that sell goods and services. Consumer protection encompasses a wide range of different yet linked topics such as (i) Product Liability which implies that manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, retailers are liable for the damages or injuries their products cause in the eyes of the law. Privacy Rights pertaining to the rights of the consumer but more of a human rights issue about the right to privacy. For example, the right to keep a person’s religious practices on a private level. Unfair Business Practices such as fraud, misrepresentation and other consumer and business interactions. ii) (iii) Therefore these laws generally deal with the aspects of credit repair, product safety, service contracts, bill collector regulation, pricing, utility turnoffs, consolidation and personal loans that may lead to bankruptcy. All of these arguments actually pointing out the urgent and impending need for government legislation to advocate the basic rights of the consumer to have access to the best service or goods avail able without being victims of any kind of unlawful activities. The Implications of Consumer Laws Over the years, consumer laws have been growing in importance and have boosted in efficiency. These specific set of rules make it an obligation on businesses to respect the interest of consumers. In so doing, the consumer laws compel businesses to disclose detailed information about their products or services particularly in areas where the public, which in our case is referred to as consumer, is at risk, namely places where health, sanitary and hygiene issues are frequent. For instance fast food outlets and hospitals are the most common locations related to such aspects. 7 Thus it goes without saying that the protection of the consumer depends wholly and solely on their basic rights and the laws that regulate the parties involved, that is the goods or service provider and the end user. The Socio-economic evolution of Mauritius Putting aside the general aspects and characteristics of consumer laws abroad we reach a point where we do ask ourselves what exactly is the state of affairs regarding consumers and if the laws regarding their protection and fundamental rights in purchasing and enjoying quality service are being respected and complied with or not. Nevertheless, it is of utmost importance to turn back a little in time to properly assess the current situation and to be able to make a comparative study of the situation in the past and the situation today. A brief history of Mauritius’ economy After Mauritius’ independence in 1968, the country was in a situation of utter distress. Huge balances of payment defeat, soaring unemployment, a surging population and massive levels of debt are some of the major predicaments the state had to confront. Fortunately, with the help of the Professor Meade and quite a few political leaders of that time, the country somehow managed to withstand the harsh conditions and defy most of the apocalyptic predictions made about the survival of the country as an autonomous body. Mauritius adhered to the advice of Meade in its diversification process but used its own state creativity and capacity to deal with the pressing affairs of the country. The Mauritian State invested a lot of its intellectual ad financial resources into hauling out the majority of its people from utmost poverty and sparked a revolution of aspirations nationwide. What made Mauritian success story include industrial policies based on an expert-led diversification strategy, dedicated and competent bureaucracy, the dearth of conflicting ideologies, a strong welfare state, human faced structural adjustment, successful demographic control, tapping of preferential 8 rrangements, economics of ethnicity and cultures and a â€Å"habit† for institutional engineering. Nevertheless it is an undeniable fact that with the beginning of this new technological, fast-tracked and globalization oriented era, new challenges are surfacing and along with them the uncertainties and queries regarding the shape and nature of democracy in the coming age. As such, in the Mauritian context, the consumer is protected under many legislative laws. Amongst other, the Consumer P rotection Act 1998 and the Fair Trading Act 1988. Below, here are some sections of the Consumer Protection Act of 1998 and the full version of the implemented Fair Trading Act 1988. Consumer Protection Act 1998 (some sections) 3. Maximum price (1) The Minister may, by regulations, fix the price of any goods specified in the First Schedule. A trader who sells or supplies any controlled goods at a price higher than that which has been fixed shall commit an offence. (2) 4. (1) Maximum mark-up The Minister may, by regulations, determine the maximum markup of any goods specified in the Second Schedule. A trader who sells or supplies any controlled goods at a price which includes a mark-up which exceeds the maximum mark-up shall commit an offence. Maximum recommended retail price (1) The Minister may establish a Code of Practice to provide for the method to be adopted for the determination of the maximum recommended retail price of goods other than controlled goods and, where he intends to do so, he shall give notice of the Code of Practice by its publication in the Gazette. 9 (2) 5. (2) Where a Code of Practice has been established under subsection (1), no trader shall act in breach of the Code of Practice. A trader who sells or supplies any goods for which there is a maximum recommended retail price shall affix a label in a conspicuous place on a specimen on any such goods indicating the maximum recommended retail price. A trader who affixes, in relation to goods referred to in subsection (1), a maximum recommended retail price provided for in the Code of Practice shall commit an offence. (3) (4) 6. Illegal charging of VAT A trader who, whilst selling or supplying any goods — (a) charges VAT where VAT is not chargeable by him; (b) (b) charges a higher rate or amount of VAT than is lawfully chargeable, shall commit an offence. . Price label (1) Where VAT is chargeable by a trader in respect of any goods, the trader shall affix a label in a conspicuous place on a specimen of the goods indicating the total selling price of the goods inclusive of VAT. (2) Where VAT is not chargeable by a trader on any goods, the trader shall affix a label in a conspicuous place on a specimen of the goods indicating— (a) the selling price; and (1,) that the amount of VAT is NIL. (3) (4) A trader who fails to comply with subsection (1) or (2) shall commit an offence. For the purposes of this section, the Minister may prescribe the form or colour of a label or any distinctive mark which such label shall bear. 10 8. Selling at a price higher than that displayed (1) No trader shall sell any goods at a price which is higher than the price shown on a label affixed pursuant to section 7. A person who fails to comply with subsection (1) shall commit an offence. (2) 9. Misleading price indication A trader who gives (by any means whatever) to any consumer an indication which is misleading as to the price at which any goods are sold or supplied shall commit an offence. Fair Trading Act 1988 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Fair Trading (Amendment) Act 1988. 2. Interpretation. In this Actâ€Å"principal Act† means the Fair Trading Act. 3. Section 6 of the principal Act amended. Section 6 of the principal Act is amended by adding immediately after the word â€Å"competition† the words â€Å"or of promoting, establishing or observing any exclusive sales agreement or monopoly in connection with the production and supply of goods, branded or otherwise, or of services. † 4. Section 13 of the principal Act amended. Section 13 of the principal Act is amended by deleting the words not exceeding 10,000 rupees† and replacing them by the words not less than 10,000 rupees and not exceeding 50,000 rupees†. 11 5. Section 14 of the principal Act amended. Section 14 of the principal Act is amended by deleting the words and to imprisonment for a term â€Å"and replacing them by the words together with a term of imprisonment†. These pieces of legislative law are here to protect consumers against abuse. Being a mixed law, some of the laws have been translated into English as in many issues it is the â€Å"Code Civil Mauricien† and the â€Å"Code de Commerce† which is mainly used. At international level, particularly in England, protection in criminal law falls into three main categories: (i) (ii) (iii) Unsafe goods- Consumer Protection Act 1987 Part II and the General Product Safety Ragulations 1994 Trade Description Act 1968 Misleading price- Consumer Protection Act 1987 Part III Then again, the position of Mauritius concerning Consumer protection laws, ts practice and enforcement are contemptible and our small budding island lags behind in the specific field as compared to countries such as France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In this light, our current system lacks the administrative machinery for a strong consumer umbrella. Our fellow consumers are therefore not sufficiently sensitized about the existence and the recurrent themes of the consumer laws that shield them from eventual harm or abuse by traders, businesses and other groups which are usually better equipped and more resourceful than the general consummating public. Consequently, the lack of knowledge about these laws creates a situation where the ignorant consumer has to face new sales techniques, ruthless publicity and marketing of a large variety of goods and services in the market, such that the latter is in no position to assess the defects and shortcomings that might be found therein. On the other hand, the suppliers are tempted to follow diverse unfair practices such as sub-standard quality, adulteration, incorrect quantity and excess pricing amongst others. 2 Breakthrough in the Consumer Protection Laws It would however be unjust to belittle the work of our Legislature who has made several provisions in accordance with the consumer welfare state and the demand and supply for consumer goods and services, as a result of the expansion in technological and industrial fields. The Legislature enacted laws intended to protect the consumer against deceit, injury and exploitation, among which are: 1. The Civil Code 2. The Hire Purchase Act 1964 3 . The Supplies Control Act 1972 4. The Fair Trading Act 1979 5. The Trade Marks Act 6. The Consumer Protection Act 1991 7. The Consumer Protection (Price and Supplies Control) Act 1998 8. The Food Act 1998 The Consumer Protection Act of 15 June 1991 seeks to extend the reach of protection to the consumer and eventually develop into the proper safety of the consumer. Regrettably, its aims are less achievable as the application is limited to certain products only. (Refer to S3 (2)). Sect. : Consumer Protection Act The General Safety Requirements: (1) No person shall apply any goods which suffer from any fault with regard to any prescribed quality, quantity, potency, priority or standard or in the case of any machinery or motor vehicle, with regard to the quality, nature or manner of its performance†. (2) This section shall not apply to(a) growing crops or things comprised in land by virtue of being attached to it (b) water, food, animal feed or chemical fertilizer (c) aircraft 13 ( d) drugs or medicine (e) tobacco and (f) goods intended exclusively for export under the Export Processing Zone Certificate. A more considerable addition to the existent consumer laws is found in section 5 of the Consumer Protection Act which endows the enforcement authority with a slightly additional power of control over the supply of goods which might not safe for use or consumption. This Act has mainly repeated fundamental provisions of other laws without concretely solving new practical problems, for example, in the revision of standards in contract. Moreover, consumer movement is more accessible to the elitist community and fails to mobilize the masses, who are the real victims of the system since they are confronted to financial constraint. ACIM as an advocate of consumer rights Fortunately some particular consumer oriented private organisations have stepped forward for the rights of the end user but the most recognisable of these organisations is most probably â€Å"l’Association des Consommateurs de l’Ile Maurice† (ACIM), who has made a laudable effort into making the most regarding the protection of the consumer, the needs of the Mauritian consumer and has aroused a lot of questions about certain government practices which could prove to be prejudicial to the consumer. Thus ACIM has not only created a means of assistance to the public in matters dealing with the abuse and violation of consumer protection laws but has also proved to be the acting watchdog in hindering practices (again referring to the unfair business practices), that are detrimental to the consummating community, be it governmental decisions or supply and service provider faults. Also, this particular association has over the years stressed on a number of disturbing facts and alarming situations about the Mauritian consumer laws and their adherence. One such troubling and at the same time unfortunate fact is that the laws concerning the rights and the protection of the consumer are too decentralized, that is the local authorities that include municipal or district councils each have their own respective ways of interpreting the laws in their areas of jurisdiction. In so doing, the consumer laws are in a certain sense baffled by territory issues, despite the fact that Mauritius is seen as a considerably small island, making it not only difficult to understand exactly what laws are applied 14 n the interest of the consumer in different regions but also to deal with the various implications the laws hold in their relevant territories. Below are a few of the major achievements and projects of ACIM in the past years: 1. In 1992, ACIM in alliance with other NGO’s succeeded in holding the proposal for the construction of a nuclear power station by the Minister of Engery, on grounds that it would both be uneconomical and environm entally unsound. 2. In 1990, ACIM won a major victory against the Central Electricity Board when this public enterprise was ordered by a Supreme Court judgment to reimburse 182,777 electricity consumers for the unlawful double billing of electricity charged for the month of June 1986. The total amount reimbursed was 38 Million Rupees, interest inclusive. 3. In 1989, the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) increased the license fee of consumers by 400%. ACIM launched a national protest and managed to make the government back for 26% of the consumers. In addition, ACIM entered a court case to contest the constitutionality of a regulation that was made by government threatening to cut electricity supply if people refused to pay the totality of their TV license fee. Judgment was delivered in January 1992 by the Supreme Court. ACIM won the case. When looking at these particular cases, we finally get to understand a little more of just how complex the consumer laws and their applications in terms on consumer protection are. The right to Safe Environment One noteworthy fact, that should presently be a major concern to the world in general and specially to our small island, in terms of its geographical situation, is the right of consumers to enjoy a safe environment. Is it a sad truth that the private organizations here in Mauritius have limited resources and are incapable of really drawing the government’s attention towards this phenomenon that is starting to affect not only us but the world as a whole. 15 The need for environmental conservation is seen as a necessary defense against deteriorating quality of life worldwide. All consumers are victims of contaminated food and water supply, pesticide-ridden food, adulterated milk and choking exhaust fumes emitted from vehicles. According to a World Bank report, India is being pushed back due to its high environmental costs which implicates 24,500 Million Indian Rupees each year in terms of air and water pollution alone. Valuable resources and man-days are lost due to polluted environment and living conditions. Consumers need to understand that only a safe environment can ensure the fulfillment of their consumer rights. Hopefully, â€Å"Consumers International†, a nodal agency of consumer organizations worldwide, has set up a number of guidelines for ensuring the consumers’ right to safe environment. A few of these major guidelines are; 1. Promoting the use of products which are environmentally sustainable. 2. Encouraging recycling. 3. Requiring environmentally dangerous products to carry appropriate warnings and instructions for safe use and disposal 4. Promoting the use of non-toxic products by : a. Raising consumer awareness of alternatives to toxic products. b. Establishing procedures to ensure that products banned overseas do not enter national markets. c. Ensure that the social impacts of pollution are minimized. d. Promote ethical, socially and environmentally responsible practices by producers and suppliers of goods and services. These measures therefore ensure that the consumer is not abused of in terms of environment and that the latter enjoys the fundamental right of the human being to have access to a sound environment. The right to Safety Consumer right to safety is as vast in its purview as the market reach itself. It applies to all possible consumption patterns and to all goods and services. In the context of the new market economy and rapid technological advances affecting the market, the right to safety has become a pre-requisite quality in all products and services. For instance, some Indian products carry the ISI mark, which is a symbol of satisfactory quality of a particular product. The market has for a long time made consumers believe that by consuming packaged food or mineral 16 water, consumers can protect their health but this notion has been proved wrong time and again due to rampant food adulteration in market products. Right to the food safety is an important consumer right since it directly affects the quality of life of the consumers. The end note All of these measures therefore converge in the same global direction of safeguarding the basic rights of the consumer; that is for the consumer to enjoy the best quality and standards in all aspects of their lives, but the real question we are inclined to ask ourselves is whether the consumer of today is even aware of the benefits the consumer laws bestow on them or do they simply take pleasure in hiding under the shields of a panoply of invisible laws? The awareness of the existence of these laws is certainly of utmost importance; nevertheless the most vital interrogation in the communities worldwide should be about the survival of these laws and their enforcement over the test of time for the benefit of the consumer and consequently, the viability of all types of markets. 17

A Dirty Job Chapter 10

PART TWO SECONDHAND SOULS Do not seek death. Death will find you. But seek the road which makes death a fulfillment. – Dag Hammarskjà ¶ld 10 DEATH TAKES A WALK Mornings, Charlie walked. At six, after an early breakfast, he would turn the care of Sophie over to Mrs. Korjev or Mrs. Ling (whoever's turn it was) for the workday and walk – stroll really, pacing out the city with the sword-cane, which had become part of his daily regalia, wearing soft, black-leather walking shoes and an expensive, secondhand suit that had been retailored at his cleaner's in Chinatown. Although he pretended to have a purpose, Charlie walked to give himself time to think, to try on the size of being Death, and to look at all the people out and about in the morning. He wondered if the girl at the flower stand, from whom he often bought a carnation for his lapel, had a soul, or would give hers up while he watched her die. He watched the guy in North Beach make cappuccinos with faces and fern leaves drawn in the foam, and wondered if a guy like that could actually function without a soul, or was his soul collecting dust in Charlie's back room? There were a lot of people to see, and a lot of thinking to be done. Being out among the people of the city, when they were just starting to move, greeting the day, making ready, he started to feel not just the responsibility of his new role, but the power, and finally, the specialness. It didn't matter that he had no idea what he was doing, or that he might have lost the love of his life for it to happen; he had been chosen. And realizing that, one day as he walked down California Street, down Nob Hill into the financial district, where he'd always felt inferior and out of touch with the world, as the brokers and bankers quickstepped around him, barking into their cell phones to Hong Kong or London or New York and never making eye contact, he started to not so much stroll, as strut. That day Charlie Asher climbed onto the California Street cable car for the first time since he was a kid, and hung off the bar, out over the street, holding out the sword-cane as if charging, with Hondas and Mercedes zooming along the street beside him, passing under his armpit just inches away. He got off at the end of the line, bought a Wall Street Journal from a machine, then walked to the nearest storm drain, spread out the Journal to protect his trousers against oil stains, then got down on his hands and knees and screamed into the drain grate, â€Å"I have been chosen, so don't fuck with me!† When he stood up again, a dozen people were standing there, waiting for the light to change. Looking at him. â€Å"Had to be done,† Charlie said, not apologizing, just explaining. The bankers and the brokers, the executive assistants and the human-resource people and the woman on her way to serve up clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at the Boudin Bakery, all nodded, not sure exactly why, except that they worked in the financial district, and they all understood being fucked with, and in their souls if not in their minds, they knew that Charlie had been yelling in the right direction. He folded his paper, tucked it under his arm, then turned and crossed the street with them when the light changed. Sometimes Charlie walked whole blocks when he thought only of Rachel, and would become so engrossed in the memory of her eyes, her smile, her touch, that he ran straight into people. Other times people would bump into him, and not even lift his wallet or say â€Å"excuse me,† which might be a matter of course in New York, but in San Francisco meant that he was close to a soul vessel that needed to be retrieved. He found one, a bronze fireplace poker, set out by the curb with the trash on Russian Hill. Another time, he spotted a glowing vase displayed in the bay window of a Victorian in North Beach. He screwed up his courage and knocked on the door, and when a young woman answered, and came out on the porch to look for her visitor, and was bewildered because she didn't see anyone there, Charlie slipped past her, grabbed the vase, and was out the side door before she came back in, his heart pounding like a war drum, adrenaline sizzling through his veins like a hormonal tilt-a-wh irl. As he headed back to the shop that particular morning, he realized, with no little sense of irony, that until he became Death, he'd never felt so alive. Every morning, Charlie tried to walk in a different direction. On Mondays he liked to go up into Chinatown just after dawn, when all the deliveries were being made – crates of produce, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, melons, and a dozen varieties of cabbage, tended by Latinos in the Central Valley and consumed by Chinese in Chinatown, having passed through Anglo hands just long enough to extract the nourishing money. On Mondays the fishing companies delivered their fresh catches – usually strong Italian men whose families had been in the business for five generations, handing off their catch to inscrutable Chinese merchants whose ancestors had bought fish from the Italians off horse-drawn wagons a hundred years before. All sorts of live and recently live fish were moved across the sidewalk: snapper and halibut and mackerel, sea bass and ling cod and yellowtail, clawless Pacific lobster, Dungeness crab, ghastly monkfish, with their long saberlike teeth and a sin gle spine that jutted from their head, bracing a luminous lure they used to draw in prey, so deep in the ocean that the sun never shone. Charlie was fascinated by the creatures from the very deep sea, the big-eyed squid, cuttlefish, the blind sharks that located prey with electromagnetic impulses – creatures who never saw light. They made him think of what might be facing him from the Underworld, because even as he fell into a rhythm of finding names at his bedside, and soul vessels in all manner of places, and the appearance of the ravens and the shades subsided, he could feel them under the street whenever he passed a storm sewer. Sometimes he could hear them whispering to one another, hushing quickly in the rare moments when the street went quiet. To walk through Chinatown at dawn was to become part of a dangerous dance, because there were no back doors or alleys for loading, and all the wares went across the sidewalk, and although Charlie had enjoyed neither danger nor dancing up till now, he enjoyed playing dance partner to the thousand tiny Chinese grandmothers in black slippers or jelly-colored plastic shoes who scampered from merchant to merchant, squeezing and smelling and thumping, looking for the freshest and the best for their families, twanging orders and questions to the merchants in Mandarin, all the while just a second or a slip away from being run over by sides of beef, great racks of fresh duck, or hand trucks stacked high with crates of live turtles. Charlie was yet to retrieve a soul vessel on one of his Chinatown walks, but he stayed ready, because the swirl of time and motion forecast that one foggy morning someone's granny was going to get knocked out of her moo shoes. One Monday, just for sport, Charlie grabbed an eggplant that a spectacularly wizened granny was going for, but instead of twisting it out of his hand with some mystic kung fu move as he expected, she looked him in the eye and shook her head – just a jog, barely perceptible really – it might have been a tic, but it was the most eloquent of gestures. Charlie read it as saying: O White Devil, you do not want to purloin that purple fruit, for I have four thousand years of ancestors and civilization on you; my grandparents built the railroads and dug the silver mines, and my parents survived the earthquake, the fire, and a society that outlawed even being Chinese; I am mother to a dozen, grandmother to a hundred, and great-grandmother to a legion; I have birthed babies and washed the dead; I am history and suffering and wisdom; I am a Buddha and a dragon; so get your fucking hand off my eggplant before you lose it. And Charlie let go. And she grinned, just a little. Three teeth. And he wondered if it ever did fall to him to retrieve the soul vessel of one of these crones of Chronos, if he'd even be able to lift it. And he grinned back. And asked for her phone number, which he gave to Ray. â€Å"She seemed nice,† Charlie told him. â€Å"Mature.† Sometimes Charlie's walks took him through Japantown, where he passed the most enigmatic shop in the city, Invisible Shoe Repair. He really intended to stop in one day, but he was still coming to terms with giant ravens, adversaries from the Underworld, and being a Merchant of Death, and he wasn't sure he was ready for invisible shoes, let alone invisible shoes that needed repair! He often tried to look past the Japanese characters into the shop window as he passed, but saw nothing, which, of course, didn't mean a thing. He just wasn't ready. But there was a pet shop in Japantown (House of Pleasant Fish and Gerbil), where he had originally gone to buy Sophie's fish, and where he returned to replace the TV attorneys with six TV detectives, who also simultaneously took the big Ambien a week later. Charlie had been distraught to find his baby daughter drooling away in front of a bowl floating more dead detectives than a film noir festival, and after flushing all six at once and having t o use the plunger to dislodge Magnum and Mannix, he vowed that next time he would find more resilient pals for his little girl. He was coming out of House of PF&G one afternoon, with a Habitrail pod containing a pair of sturdy hamsters, when he ran into Lily, who was making her way to a coffeehouse up on Van Ness, where she was planning to meet her friend Abby for some latte-fueled speed brooding. â€Å"Hey, Lily, how are you doing?† Charlie was trying to appear matter-of-fact, but he found that the awkwardness between him and Lily over the last few months was not mitigated by her seeing him on the street carrying a plastic box full of rodents. â€Å"Nice gerbils,† Lily said. She wore a Catholic schoolgirl's plaid skirt over black tights and Doc Martens, with a tight black PVC bustier that was squishing pale Lily-bits out the top, like a can of biscuit dough that's been smacked on the edge of the counter. The hair color du jour was fuchsia, over violet eye shadow, which matched her violet, elbow-length lace gloves. She looked up and down the street and, when she didn't see anyone she knew, fell into step next to Charlie. â€Å"They're not gerbils, they're hamsters,† Charlie said. â€Å"Asher, do you have something you've been keeping from me?† She tilted her head a little, but didn't look at him when she asked, just kept her eyes forward, scanning the street for someone who might recognize her walking next to Charlie, thus forcing her to commit seppuku. â€Å"Jeez, Lily, these are for Sophie!† Charlie said. â€Å"Her fish died, so I'm bringing her some new pets. Besides, that whole gerbil thing is an urban myth – â€Å" â€Å"I meant that you're Death,† Lily said. Charlie nearly dropped his hamsters. â€Å"Huh?† â€Å"It's so wrong – † Lily continued, walking on after Charlie had stopped in his tracks, so now he had to scurry to catch up to her. â€Å"Just so wrong, that you would be chosen. Of all of life's many disappointments, I'd have to say that this is the crowning disappointment.† â€Å"You're sixteen,† Charlie said, still stumbling a little at the matter-of-fact way she was discussing this. â€Å"Oh, throw that in my face, Asher. I'm only sixteen for two more months, then what? In the blink of an eye my beauty becomes but a feast for worms, and I, a forgotten sigh in a sea of nothingness.† â€Å"Your birthday is in two months? Well, we'll have to get you a nice cake,† Charlie said. â€Å"Don't change the subject, Asher. I know all about you, and your Death persona.† Charlie stopped again and turned to look at her. This time, she stopped as well. â€Å"Lily, I know I've been acting a little strangely since Rachel died, and I'm sorry you got in trouble at school because of me, but it's just been trying to deal with it all, with the baby, with the business. The stress of it all has – â€Å" â€Å"I have The Great Big Book of Death,† Lily said. She steadied Charlie's hamsters when he lost his grip. â€Å"I know about the soul vessels, about the dark forces rising if you fuck up, all that stuff – all of it. I've known longer than you have, I think.† Charlie didn't know what to say. He was feeling panic and relief at the same time – panic because Lily knew, but relief because at least someone knew, and believed it, and had actually seen the book. The book! â€Å"Lily, do you still have the book?† â€Å"It's in the store. I hid it in the back of the glass cabinet where you keep the valuable stuff that no one will ever buy.† â€Å"No one ever looks in that cabinet.† â€Å"No kidding? I thought if you ever found it, I'd say it had always been there.† â€Å"I have to go.† He turned and started walking the other direction, but then realized that they had already been heading toward his neighborhood and turned around again. â€Å"Where are you going?† â€Å"To get some coffee.† â€Å"I'll walk with you.† â€Å"You will not.† Lily looked around again, wary that someone might see them. â€Å"But, Lily, I'm Death. That should at least have given me some level of cool.† â€Å"Yeah, you'd think, but it turns out that you have managed to suck the cool out of being Death.† â€Å"Wow, that's harsh.† â€Å"Welcome to my world, Asher.† â€Å"You can't tell anyone about this, you know that?† â€Å"Like anyone cares what you do with your gerbils.† â€Å"Hamsters! That's not – â€Å" â€Å"Chill, Asher.† Lily giggled. â€Å"I know what you mean. I'm not going to tell anyone – except Abby knows – but she doesn't care. She says she's met some guy who's her dark lord. She's in that stage where she thinks a dick is some kind of mystical magic wand.† Charlie adjusted his hamster box uncomfortably. â€Å"Girls go through a stage like that?† Why was he just hearing about this now? Even the hamsters looked uncomfortable. Lily turned on a heel and started up the street. â€Å"I'm not having this conversation with you.† Charlie stood there, watching her go, balancing the hamsters and his completely useless sword-cane while trying to dig his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. He needed to see that book, and he needed to see it sooner than the hour it would take him to get home. â€Å"Lily, wait!† he called. â€Å"I'm calling a cab, I'll give you a ride.† She waved him off without looking and kept walking. As he was waiting for the cab company to answer, he heard it, the voice, and he realized that he was standing right over a storm drain. It had been over a month since he'd heard them, and he thought maybe they'd gone. â€Å"We'll have her, too, Meat. She's ours now.† He felt the fear rise in his throat like bile. He snapped the phone shut and ran after Lily, cane rattling and hamsters bouncing as he went. â€Å"Lily, wait! Wait!† She spun around quickly and her fuchsia wig only did the quarter turn instead of the half, so her face was covered with hair when she said, â€Å"One of those ice-cream cakes from Thirty-one Flavors, okay? After that, despair and nothingness.† â€Å"We'll put that on the cake,† Charlie said.

The Working Roles of Animals Essays

The Working Roles of Animals Essays The Working Roles of Animals Essay The Working Roles of Animals Essay Animals in the media Animals have been used in the media for many years as they catch the eye of the viewer. Animals which are used in advertisements usually don’t have any or much relevance to the products being advertised. An example of this is the adverts for Dulux Paint, which uses an Old English Sheep dog in their adverts. They have used this breed of dog in their adverts since 1961 because this breed of dog has been used for so many years people associate it with the Dulux Company. The adverts catch people’s attention and as the dog has no relevance to paint products and therefore people will discuss the adverts. Another example of animals having no relevance to the product in which they are being advertised is the Andrex adverts, they use Labrador puppies in their adverts for toilet paper. When the adverts first came out, Golden Labrador puppies became extremely in demand. However some of the people who were buying the puppies had done little to no research about the dog. The appeal of owning a Labrador was having a small, cute dog. However many owners didn’t realise the size that they would grow to, many owners then re-homed them as they grew larger. However, there are exceptions to this where the animals are relevant to the product being advertised. These adverts are usually for pet products and rescue centres. Recue centres use abandoned looking animals in their adverts, which is an emotive technique. Another example of animals being used relevantly in adverts is pet products, such as Iam’s or Pedigree. They show the animals which the product is for. They use cute animals which the public find appealing. Many adverts portray animals inaccurately; this causes people to believe that the images which are shown are a true reflection of the animal, as they have little or no knowledge of how the animal behaves. This may result in people potentially buying dangerous pets. This can be harmful to the owner or the animal and can result in abandonment. Animals which are portrayed as unpleasant, scary or dangerous can be in danger when people assume animals are worse than they are from seeing them on television. A good example of this is ‘Harry Potter’, where spiders are shown to be dangerous and scary. This causes people to have a higher fear of the animals, this can also develop into phobias, which may result in people hurting or killing animals. Another good example of where animals are portrayed to be much more vicious than they actually are is in the film ‘Jaws’. Great white sharks are perceived to be human killers and go out of their way to hunt humans whereas in reality the chance of being killed by a shark is less than 1 in 264. 1 million (1). Films also promote animals, implying that they would be good pets. In the film ‘101 Dalmatians’ many breeds of dogs are perceived as being extremely intelligent and easy to care for. This causes people to purchase them without doing the correct research and easily become overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for a dog. Animals in sports The most popular sports involving animals are horse racing, dog racing and angling. Many people find pleasure and excitement in racing and betting on animals, it creates enjoyment for owners, trainers and spectators. A large part of racing is when people gamble on the race. This will generate money for the owners and trainers of the animals as well as the book makers and the people who place the winning bets. Television will provide a source of income and promote the sport. People may also watch the races and place bets at their local Bookies. The animals which win the most races, are the most successful and will be highly valued for breeding. This helps to ensure good offspring for racing. Race horses will usually be spoilt and have the best quality of life to ensure that they are the fittest they can possibly be for racing. However, Greyhounds may be starved and beaten before races. Starving the dogs may provoke them to run faster to try and catch the ‘rabbit’ because their natural instincts kick in. Some owners/trainers may be more concerned with the financial gain than the animals’ welfare. As a result animals may be harmed during training. This also means that animals that are not fit enough to race may be abandoned, rehomed or destroyed. Animals may also be killed during racing as a result of injuries. Angling is very popular in the UK. Live bait is usually used to attract the fish but dead bait or artificial lures can be used instead. There are different types of angling including coarse, game and sea. The advantages of angling include the financial gain for manufacturers, dealers, charter skippers and the owners of the lakes and rivers where fishing takes place. The water quality in the lakes and rivers has greatly improved over recent years to benefit the stocks which also improve the quality of the fish’s life and the underwater ecosystem. Many of the fish are returned to the lake or river in which they came. There are also disadvantages with angling. Fish will become stressed and physically injured through being captured and handled. Even when the fish are returned to lake/river, they may not always survive due to the shock. Careless anglers have been known to spread disease within the lakes and rivers. Alien species have also been introduced to the ecosystem which shall compete with the native species. Animal fighting is illegal in the UK as well as other countries. Animals which are used to fight include bulls, cocks, dogs, fish, as well as badger and bear baiting. There are no advantages in this for the animals however some people get pleasure and money from this particular sport. The dogs are mistreated and starved so they become more aggressive. All animals involved in fighting suffer and many die from injury and infections to wounds received. The survivors to the fight will not receive the veterinary treatment that they require; therefore the healing process will be long and painful. Animals in work Animals have been used for helping disabled people and in working situations for many years. Guide dogs are given to the blind or extremely visually impaired people so that they find it easier to partake in everyday life. The dogs are trained to watch out for cars and objects that the owner may walk into, the dog will be able to guide them away from danger. Dogs can also be specially trained to help the disabled by opening doors, retrieving medicines and food. They can also be trained to alert help if the owner is injured or is unconscious. Some dogs can be trained to detect oncoming epileptic fits and can therefore warn the owner before a seizure occurs. Animals can also be used in a farming environment. The dogs which are commonly used are Border Collies, they are used to herd animals into a group. They are extremely intelligent and can learn commands by whistling and speech easily. They are trained to know the difference between herding left and right, they are also usually trained from a young age and are used until they are old. Dogs such as Spaniels can be used as gun dogs, this is where a shooting team shoots down birds and the dog will retrieve it unharmed. Horses were used to plough fields, gather sheep and cattle and transporting goods. However, they have now been replaced by machines. Animals in commercial use Animals can be used for their meat or for the products they produce. Chickens are used for their eggs until they can’t produce anymore, then they are killed for their meat. Battery farms keep chickens in cruel conditions, they will sometimes be force fed and have their beaks cut off to avoid pecking other chickens in the overcrowded conditions. Free range chickens however, are kept in good conditions with lots of room to run around. Cows are used for their milk, which can be turned in to yogurts and cheese; meat and their skin, which is used to make leather. Animals can also be used for medical testing as well as the testing of cosmetics. Many animals are put through stressful situations whilst being tested on. Medical testing can include testing drugs on animals for humans. However, animals have a different anatomy to humans and what may be harmful to them may be good for humans. For example, rabbits will die from taking Penicillin whereas it is beneficial to humans. Testing cosmetics on animals is needless as there are alternative methods to testing products. It’s not as common as it used to be, however, it does still happen. Products that don’t test on animals often publicise it as it’s an effective selling point.

Analyzing The Roles Of Teachers And Supervisors In Curricular And Essay

Analyzing The Roles Of Teachers And Supervisors In Curricular And Instructional Change And Improvement - Essay Example Teachers and supervisors are inevitable part in the learning process of the contemporary educational system and they play a fundamental role in the progress and improvement of the curricular and instructional strategy. As the teachers play the most fundamental part in the curricular and instructional activity of teaching, they can act as one of the primary sources in supervisors in curricular and instructional change and improvement. In a profound understanding of the nature and processes of teacher accountability in schools, the relevance of the role of teachers and supervisors in curricular and instructional change and improvement becomes palpable. Teachers and supervisors are responsible for the overall development of the students through their instructional strategy and the curriculum and the teachers also have several other management functions in the classroom setting. Through their acts of mentoring and instructions, the teachers carry out some of the most essential management responsibilities. Therefore, there is vital significance for staff development programs which can result in improved teaching, instructional strategy and curriculum. As the staff development programs are hierarchical, the ideas to improve the curriculum are imposed from far above. "From the apex of school organization to the classroom teachers then is emphasized in making changes in curriculum. Change in the curriculum does not necessarily represent reform. If reform is evident in a changed curriculum, students are attaining objectives effectively and developing quality attitudes toward school." (Ediger, 1993, p 81). Therefore, the role of the teachers as well as the supervisors in the curricular and instructional change and improvement has been generally acknowledged and it is essential to give due recognition of their role in the improvement of educational process as well as to adopt strategies to encourage the participation of the teachers and supervisors in the curricular and i nstructional change and improvement. In a reflective investigation of the nature and processes of teacher accountability in a school, it becomes lucid that teachers are the primary factors influencing the affective dimension of curriculum improvement and the various examples of mentoring prove that teachers can carry some management responsibility. The teachers have an important role in stressing the quality attitudes of the students and they often make use of the strategies of mentoring in order to improve the affective dimension of curriculum. It is essential for a decision-making model in the curriculum improvement that all teachers actively take part in staff development. "Each teacher needs to be an active participant rather than a passive being in curriculum improvement. With active participation in decisions made to improve the curriculum, feelings of belonging should be an inherent result. Feelings of being significant and valued are desired by all in school and in society Quality improvements in the curriculum do not come about with a lack of feelings of belonging to a cohesive set of teachers." (Ediger, 1993, p 81). Therefore, the most essential fact in the improvement of the curriculum and instructional strategy within a school is the coordinated efforts by the teachers and supervisors who can influence the curricular and instructional change and improvement. There are several contexts in which teachers are required to perform curricular tasks and they perform different kinds of curricular activities. "Teachers make curricular choices, and they adopt and mold existing curriculum materials to their specific teaching situations. Sometimes teachers are involved in the construction of their own curriculum, but mostly they are engaged in the implementation of the curriculum materials which were developed outside the schools in which they teach." (Ben-Peretz, 1990, p 33).

Australia info Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Australia info - Essay Example Australia has very high scores for both ‘starting a business’ and â€Å"Getting credit† (World Bank). Australia has the world’s 12th largest economy, sustained by a relatively low population of just 23,608,400 people, most of whom are concentrated in a few, highly developed urban centers. Their comparatively geographically isolated location and a small domestic market means that the Australian government is concerned about their future economic growth and local businesses are increasingly looking towards international markets for business prospects (World Business Culture). Australia’s culture has been influenced by their history as a British colony and the lifestyle, language and social ethics of Caucasian migrants who eventually settled in the area. As a group, Australian’s are considered to be down-to-earth people, who appreciate hard work and do not give much regard to a person’s status or position. Modesty, sincerity and authenticity are important in the workplace as well as in personal interaction. There is a sense of humor in their interactions, the humor is often directed at themselves but may be too caustic for someone not used to the Australian culture (Kwintessential). Even though the English is the primary language in use in the country, for outsiders the local dialect and slang language may also be a difficult to grasp as it is uniquely Australian. For business relations, Australians focus on efficient and effective communication which emphasizes punctuality and practicality. It is a low-context culture so negotiations and business meetings are straight forward, with a very low emphasis on building long term, informal relationships between business partners on any kind. However, the brusque manner of business may be unsuitable as an international strategy given cultural differences between Australia