Analysis Of Moral Education

Analysis Of Moral Education The word ethics is taken from the Greek word ethos which means custom or usage. Ethics can be defined as a philosophical study of morals; that is of good behaviour moral obligation moral attitude moral responsibility social justice and good living conditions VALUES : Can be defined among other things as price appraisal,ie the price of something compared with the price of another rank quality grade standard and high attributes (in thoughts, religion and society) The terms moral value and ethical value are usually used to convey the sense of good or correct as opposed to immoral and unethical. Morality is a social instrument that guides individuals and groups in their daily lives. It requires individuals and groups to follow it. It helps the people to behave rationally as members of society. NORMATIVE AND DESCRIPTIVE STATEMENTS V. Grassian (1981) says that attempts to give coherent or logical, systematic and justifiable answers to moral questions are called normative ethics. This means that moral ethics focuses on normative statements which have implications on human behaviour. Hence, it can be said that a normative statement is a value judgement that is good or bad, wrong or correct, acceptable or unacceptable. The example, Abortion is an immoral act is a normative statement. Moral judgements can be divided into either special or general. According to W.K. Frankena (1973), he says that in a moral judgement; we can say that a certain action or type of action is morally good or bad obligatory or non-obligatory necessary or unnecessary to carry out. Such a judgement is called a judgement of moral obligation or denotic judgement. As a class we can discuss matters that are not actions nor types of action concerning persons, their motives, aims and behavioural traits or nature. Similarly, we can also say they are morally good, bad, virtuous (having better behaviour or higher moral principles than others), vicious( evil, cruel) responsible, saintly, etc. Evaluation of this sort is called moral value judgement or aretaic(excellence of virtue) judgement. Table 1.1 1) Normative Statements with Moral Judgements Special General Judgements of moral obligation (Deontic judgements or obligations) I do not like to dispise anyone You need to be a dedicated student What Ahmad has done is wrong ? It is not proper to force your son to work until late night. We need to keep to our promise All dictators deceive their people All human beings need the right to freedom Bribery is wrong in the eyes of law. Moral value judgements (Aretaic judgements) my father is a kind-hearted penghulu he is always responsible in his work you ought to be fined alis motive is good. a good person does not cheat or steal benevolence(kindness) is a noble quality jealousy is an ignoble(mean) motive the person who can forgive such a negligence or mistake is a saintly person. 2) Normative Statements with Non-Moral Judgements Special General Judgements of non-moral obligation (deontic judgements) you need to buy a new pair of shoes you only need to buy tickets for this concert you really should sleep earlier shakira has to eat at the school canteen every day. to make a table, you need nails, not scotch tape. A good method is to send troops to the battlefield To answer correctly, students must read the questions care fully. All hostel residents should care for their safety Judgements of non-moral value (aretaic judgements) that car is good his life is not happy I did not brush my teeth in the correct way Kamarul attempted to defend his argument in the debate. pleasure is good in itself democracy is the best form of govt. peaceful demonstrations are allowed in many western countries sweet food is not healthy. Normative statements in the form of direction or orders ie. To direct or order an individual or the public to obey a regulation or law, ex : parents must be respected Non-normative statements are known as descriptive statements and they are not concerned with judgement of moral values. Ex : in Malaysia, reshuffling the cabinet is the prerogrative of the prime minister. No Matter Non-normative Normative 1 General elections Fewer people are registering themselves as voters Good citizens must register themselves as voters 2 Genetics We still do not know much genetic engineering Genetic manipulation should be used to check the deformity of babies at birth 3 Suicide Suicide cases have increased Killing oneself as a personal sacrifice is permitted 4 Pornography Pornography tarnishes life in the campus Pornography is banned in the campus 5 Parents Parents have authority in the family Always obey the orders of your parents Basic concept of value : 1) On our red currency note, bank Negara Malaysia makes this declaration this currency note is legal tender of Ten ringgit this is an example of value from the materialistic aspect. From the aspect of morality- there is no difference between a theft of RM10 and a theft of RM100, although there is certainly a difference in monetary value. 2) in a society, if a person has a lot of money, he is considered rich; if he does not have much money, he is considered poor. However, we should not assess a person solely on the basis of his wealth or the amount of money he possesses. Instead we should appraise him from the point of view his quality of living, his character and the moral values that he possesses. Such intrinsic value can only be felt by the person concerned or are noticed and taken into account by people who observe them. M.Rokeach (1973) in his book, The Nature of Human Values, points out another characteristic of moral value; a value changes from time to time and is different from one place to another. Values has its own functions ; it acts as a criterion or standard which is consistent and strong for an individual or society to act in a way that is good, correct, and acceptable it is an indicator, reference, and guide to solve moral conflict. Different moral values may be in conflict with each other, but a guide from value itself will be referred to in order to resolve the conflict. Ex; you are offered a reward to carry out a task which is dangerous. The task might be good for society but bad for your family (your safety is at risk) In this conflict, value plays an important role in making you arrive in a decision whether to accept the task or to reject the offer. It places a restriction on the behaviour or action of an individual or the society. An individual will or will not do something or behave according to the values held by family. Instrumental (Extrinsic) Values and Intrinsic Values Instrumental values: Quality received or rejected as instrument to achieve certain objectives Dependent on other values to achieve certain objectives Second order values; Bravery, diligence, respect for others. Intrinsic values: Quality received or rejected solely because it is good or bad without considering its effect. Not dependent on other values to achieve certain objectives. The value mentioned it itself the final objective First order value; kindness, love, justice Subjective values and Objective Values Subjective values : Quality accepted or rejected by someone who gives his views Accepted or rejected on the basis of an individuals opinion Objective values: Quality that may be valuable or not valuable but free from personal choice Accepted or rejected on the basis of a set of criteria agreed upon by all or a majority of people. Relative values and Absolute values Relative values : Value accepted or rejected by regulations in a society in order to achieve certain societal objectives Can change with time Absolute values: Value the worth of which is not related to the custom of a certain society Constant at all times and in all places and in almost all norms of society. Chapter 2 : Theories and Value Systems The objective of the theory of normative obligations is to guide us to make decisions and judgements about actions in certain situations i.e. to try to determine what we and other people ought to do. Social Morality Theory : (SM) The theory of SM is a theory which attempts to relate moral standards, regulations of a society and the countrys or universal law with ethical concepts. It also stresses the individuals responsibility to follow orders from an authoritative body. An individual has to know what he can and cannot do and whether a certain action is right or wrong or a certain behaviour is good or bad. Religious aspects Buddhists are advised not to be extreme in life i.e. not to unnecessarily torture themselves and not to be controlled by desire. They should also behave virtuously (to be kind and loving) in order to be rewarded, and finally to attain nirvana. Christians is governed by the commands and prohibitions set out in the Ten Cmmandments which prohibit killing, adulterous relations and stealing. Hindus are required to observe the moral regulations stated in ancient writings like the Ramayana and the Upanishads. These regulations guide the Hindus about what they ought to do and what they must avoid. Malays Muslims must practice a disciplined life observing the moral and ethical teachings of the Koran and the Hadis. Members of a society normally observe a system of moral standards with general principles related to moral norms. 2 most important functions are :- the moral standards system in the society identifies situations so that each person wards off self-interest to strengthen a system of behaviour that brings benefits to self as well as to other people moral standards serve to resolve conflict in the society by giving justifications that are acceptable to the public as bases for action which involves prudential claims and moral claims. Prudential claims are based on self interest that is on the needs, desires or objectives of individuals. Moral claims are based on standards that are outside the personal interest of individuals. A weakness of SM is that when different societies have laws, regulations, customs, and moral values that differ, misunderstanding, conflict and social tension may occur. Theory of Personality Virtues (PV) According to R.B. Ashmore, moral theory, which is said to be a systematic way in determining questions on values, begin when we ask, Why should I act in this way and not that ? MG Velasquez says that the individual is not born with the ability to understand and apply moral standards. This ability, like his physical, emotional and cognitive abilities, develops with maturity. Hence, his ability to deal with moral issues is formed as he grows. Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher says that our moral ability, called personality virtues or morally good habits, is built through training and repeated practice. Moral ability is taught to us by our families or by society until we have become accustomed to thinking, feeling and acting in ways that are morally appropriate. Qualities like courage, temperance, generosity, self-control, honesty, sociability, modesty and fairness or justice are personality virtues that can be acquired through habit. The formation of personality is in gradual stages and as follows : during childhood we are told what is correct and wrong. We will obey advice as to avoid punishment. Childhood obedience to moral standards is based on self interest. teenage the moral standards become internalized. We begin to understand the implications clearer and obey them. Obedience is based on loyalty to family, to friends to country. Matured we inherit from family, peers, culture or religion. We begin to evaluate moral standards. An individuals PV can be summarized as : All PV are acquired through the teaching-learning process or training. PV are habits, which means that they are ordinary deeds definite and prominent. When such a habit is formed, a stable tendency develops in the individual and this can be called that individuals characteristics. PV are operational ;ie they enable us to determine how to behave and act in a certain way PV are good; they differ from bad habits and vices. There are perfect, and allows us to act in the best possible manner. With the acquisition of PV, we become good individuals. Read up page 23 differences. 1993 THE TWELVE PILLARS (page 25) VALUE TIME DILIGENCE BRING SUCCESS ENJOY YOUR WORK MODERATION IS VIRTUE PERSONAL ENHANCEMENT BE KIND INFLUENCE BY EXAMPLE DUTIES MUST BE DONE PRUDENCE AND THRIFT GIVE PRIORITY TO PATIENCE SHARPEN YOUR ABILITY BE CREATIVE SERVICE ETHICS, VALUES AND NORMS Source : Institute Tadbiran Awam Negara (INTAN) Malaysia Refer to table 2.1 Personal Enhancement- positive negative (page26) Theory of Teleological Ethics Can be divided into 2 sectors :- Teleological Theory (TT) Deontological Theory (DT) TT states that whethera value is right or wrong depends on the final results of an action. The final decision depends on the number of good or right matters that have been done. TT places great emphasis on the consequential results of an action is also known as consequentialism. Utilitarianism Theory (UT) UT states that actions are right if they are useful or for the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people. The bombing of Hiroshima, for example, was aimed at ending the world war which had caused untold suffering. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) an English philosopher introduced a scientific principle to analyze the quantity of pleasure. He allotted each factor with a value which can be analyzed into 7 factors : intensity of pleasure derived from an action duration of pleasure certainty of pleasure propensity of the experience of pleasure fecundity / tendency to be followed by more pleasure purity / tendency for an action to produce opposite effect and pain the calculus is done by multiplying the total balance with the extent or number of people experiencing pleasure or suffering. Factors 1 4 are used to measure the value of pleasure or suffering. It is only aimed at a person and his experience of pleasure and suffering. Factors 5 and 6 are used to measure when counting many pleasures and suffering. Factor 7 is used when many people are involved. It also shows by giving attention to the increase in general happiness. This means that that UT requires us to choose an action that will produce the greatest good ( happiness and pleasure) for the greatest number of people. Some weakness : the intensity of pleasure or pain is a subjective matter which is difficult to measure bcoz individuals feel differently. the quality of pleasure and pain experienced by one individual is not the same as that of another. It is difficult to measure the quantity of pleasure and pain of an individual at different times in different circumstances. Egoism Can be defined as a theory which considers a value as good if it benefits the individual himself/herself, and bad or cruel if it harms or causes him to suffer or loss. Egoism can be divided into 2 factors : psychological egoism is a descriptive theory which states how people act. It considers that all MEN are selfish. It stresses that people act for their own self-interests and cannot act in any other way 2) Ethical egoism prescribes how they ought to act and that all men ought to be selfish or have the right to be selfish. Factors that encourage egoism are : the social environment in influencing an individuals values our moral judgement, habits and behaviour are socially conditioned. b) The phenomenon called the new narcissism or admiration of oneself, emerged from the desire to defend oneself from feeling shame or guilty because of unequal distribution of profits which benefits oneself but causes others to suffer. The presence of inelasticity in motivation and encouragement. Psychoanalysis and genetic reports consider that each personality trait can be traced to infancy but has been argued and disagreed by many psychologist saying that the operative motive in a baby or a small child is not the same as an adult. Deontological Theory (DT) Deon means duty. A person who holds deontological views believes that to act morally, we must have self-consciousness in receiving specific constraints or rules which place our limits between self interest and the general good. Deontologists say that there factors which determine whether an action or rule becomes good or right apart from good or evil in its consequences. DT examines how responsible we are in treating other people and what our duties are towards them this is known as act oriented approach. It means the measurement or evaluation of ethics depends on the action of an individual and NOT the consequence of that action i.e. whether that action is right or wrong. From the DT theory- appears a principle known as Principle of Duty. Principles of Duty (PD) PD emphasizes duty for the sake of duty. Immanuel Kant is regarded by some philosophers as the most important thinker on ethics. He wrote on ethics, commitment to freedom, dignity, human prestige and moral obligation. He believed that moral obligation does not spring from God or community or human authority but from reasoning. His moral views came to be referred to as Kants Ethics read up, page 37. Kants Ethics 1 The concept of good will The principle of categorical imperative Kants Ethics 2 Formalism Rigorism Abstraction Conflicting ground of obligation Place of inclinations No accounts for wrong doing Chapter 3 The Values of Religion and Belief. Main religions and beliefs Islam Youngest of the worlds major religion From Saudi Arabia 1,400 years ago Spread to all over the world by the end of the 20th century Islam and human development life of an individual is a process which has continuity the process begins 9 months before baby is born, i.e. from the time of fertilization until death and enter hereafter. God, i.e Allah swt, will send an angel to place a roh or soul in the embryo. This will influence and determine 4 aspects of the babys fate in the future : livelihood deeds in the life death suffering or happiness death does not mean the destruction of roh. The roh will exist, after death, in a non-material from until punishment is passed on judgement day and it will be decided then whether YOU go to heaven or hell. The final objective of a virtuous life on earth for a muslim is to go to heaven eventually. Human Beings from an Islamic perspective : In Islamic view man does not emerge from a material process but is made by essence that controls the world, ie Allah and possesses 2 elements; roh and body. Man as Caliph / kalifah: mans appointment as a caliph is a great reward from Allah which makes him more noble than other creatures including the angles. The attributes of a caliph are basically in existence in man when he makes the agreement with Allah in the roh. As a caliph, man should display his natural attributes that he has within him through knowing and believing in Allah and His qualities Islamic Holy books: The Koran is regarded as the original teaching of Allah. The holy verses in it contain messages revealed by Allah to Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Hadith (hadis) which is a record of the saying and actions of the Prophet S.a.w. Koran and Hadith are the most authoritative sources of Islamic teaching. Read up Koran Hadis Aspects of Islamic Teaching The concept of Ibadah Islamic Moral Values: only the Koran must be the yardstick to understand Islamic moral value. If one practiced the Koran in full, one would be virtuous and pure Failure to obey or rejection of the Koranic teaching would bring chaos and disorder to mankind. Islamic morality is founded on aqidah (faith); provides strong foundation for the belief in Allah in the qadak and qadar (Faith), in sin and merit (pahala) in rewards and punishments in the hereafter. The Koran itemizes behavioural traits that are despicable : unbelieving in Allah s.w.t. hypocritical envious jealous treacherous (dangerous but looks safe) lying, cheating, killing, drinking, committing adultery, etc. Read up examples of Islamic morals and important terms. Christianity places great importance on the worship of God there is only 1 god and is a union of 3 persons God of Father, God of Son and God of the Holy Spirit. The founder of the religion is Jesus Christ. Anno Domini (AD), the year of the birth of Jesus Christ. A.D is used in dates in the non-muslim world to indicate the number of years or centuries that have passed since the birth of Jesus. Christians consider Jesus is the son of God sent to world to free man from sin. The Bible is the holy book for Christians. 2 parts ie Old Testament, written before the birth of Jesus Christ, and the New Testament, written by followers of Jesus Christ. History and Christian Denominations: Christ mean deliverer The earliest Christians were Jews who believed that Jesus was a prophet who came from that community. Old testaments deals with preparation and implementation about the birth of Jesus . New testaments is a testimony to the life, death and triumph over death of Jesus ,the new community, (the church) people of god which emerged as a result of Jesus. Denominations: The Orthodox church mainly in eastern Europe and Russia The Roman Catholic church the largest Lutheran church supporters and followers of Martin Luther (german). The protestant church in Germany The Calvinist Church followers of John Calvin of the Protestant sect The Anglican Church Church of England Methodist. Christianity and Human Development : Mans relationship with God is more important than physical and cognitive development and growth. Many Christians believe the difference between man and animal is that man has been created in the likeness of God. This puts man on a higher class than gods other creatures. Man has 3 types of soul ie:- growing soul enables man to multiply and grow feeling soul are external senses and internal emotions Intellectual soul allows man to think, to remember to have affective, creative, etc Bible : Is a scripture of the Christians. It will guide man to live a moral, bright and excellent life, advice him to avoid sinful activities and save him from negative elements. The whole Bible contains 66 volumes. Genesis is the first book of Moses(the first volume) in the Old Testament mentions how god created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th, the first man and woman; Adam and Eve. In the book of Proverbs it says obey your parents, avoid sin, be loyal and faithful, be rational avoid adultery, dont be lazy, be honest, be generous. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is the last volume in the New Testament. Mentions the teaching of Jesus Christ. It contains other ethical values taught by Jesus such as humility, friendliness, patience, fairness, moderation, consideration for others. Terms in Bible : Read -up page 70 Bible; God; Man; Heaven; Sin; Hell; Jesus Christ Christian Festivals read up page 71 Refer to the text book from pages 72 to 96 on these religions. Buddhism Hinduism Taoism Confucianism Sikhism Native beliefs END CHAPTER 4 THE MORAL PERSON The concept of moral will be looked at in 3 aspects : Moral content Moral form Moral dimension A) Moral content Refer to rules of society and human characteristics. Under the rules of society, there are certain restraints on their freedom to act in order that the safety and human rights of others can be protected. These rules are compiled from old and new knowledge and experience in human life. The moral issues experienced first by an individual are the customary rules and regulations that form the mores of a society. These customs are validated by a human group. It refers to standards or rules of our ancestors. An individual accepts and acts accordingly because they are prescribed norms. They cannot be disobeyed or challenged. Expected to behave within the boundaries of customer morality. Reflective morality calls for reasoning and consideration of the individual. This leads to the formation of specific criteria to judge the way to act The difference between customer morality and reflective morality is not what is believed but the reason that belief is preserved Rules of society can be put into 10 points : improve the standard of living of the people develop the intellectual capacity of the people so that they can function more effectively protect human life defend human rights and peoples welfare prevent degradation in behaviour and morals of the society stabilize conditions in the society maintain peace in the society create and preserve social order preserve social harmony 10) save time and effort when making decisions for oneself or other people. Human characteristics can be applied to Intrinsic motivation not to do something in a certain way, ex; reluctance to break or promise, or hurt person and reluctance to help someone in need. Feeling of guilt and disapproval when an individual acts in a manner contrary to his own intrinsic motivation. Believed importance conduct brought about by intrinsic motivation is considered very important to an individual to the extent that he feels it should become part of his nature. Admiration or esteem Opposed to the negative attitude one has for people lacking in moral motivation is feeling of admiration and esteem for someone who has done something extraordinary in he moral sense. Special terminology A person find it difficult to or does not know how to communicate his motivation, action or feelings. Believed justification must have justification for his motivation, sinful feeling, disagreeable attitude and admiration. B) Moral forms You are offered a high position in a government department that is riddled with corruption. If you try to oppose the corrupt system they expel you and replace you with someone new. In such a situation, is it right for you to accept the offer ? How do you resolve the moral conflict or dilemma ? Using your intelligence and referring to societal rules; Consider moral principles which you consistently uses; Arrange the principles in a hierarchy so that one of more basic moral principles can be used as a tool to justify other moral principles; Make sure the principles in No 4 do not conflict with each other. Read-up on Principalistic Ethics Form and Situational Ethics Form page 106-107. Moral Dimensions can be broken into 3 factors; reasoning; feeling and performance. Refer to the diagram on page 108/109 Moral reasoning to think and judge rationally and freely. Moral feeling love, compassion, sympathy. Moral performance to conduct oneself that is morally correct. Moral Agent and Recipient and Ethical Dimensions -page 110 CHAPTER 5 SOLVING MORAL CONFLICT Types of conflicts that may arise : A type of right may clash with another type of right, or a kind of freedom may clash with another type of freedom. BN and PKR conflict may arise between one person and another rights, utility, happiness, freedom and justice conflict arises between various values and concerns. Ethical Conflict Egoism and general utility egoism can be seen when ones life is delightful (self or own interest) and general utility refers to interest or welfare of others rather than self. Happiness and duty good or bad (good for self but bad for others) right or wrong (right decision for self but wrong decision for others) Normative Conflict in Social Philosophy related to freedom, justice, rights, law and sovereignty. Some of these conflicts can be categorized as ; Conflict between justice and social utility many groups in society can be said to be very costly, ex ; children, the elderly and handicapped. They incur greater cost than benefits they bring. By reducing these cost, we are denying these group of people from a full share of benefits seems unjust / wrong. Education, medical treatment and special care should be considered. It is clear that the cost of the expenditure is higher than the benefits derived from them. In a situation like this, justice and utility conflict. 2) Rights and Freedom a woman has the right to have as many children as she likes, but the UN Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that it is the right of every children to have nutritious food and medical care. To maintain that right, only mothe

Optical Fiber Corp Case Analysis

Case Analysis: Optical Fiber Corporation Introduction Optical Fiber Corporation (OFC) is a financially successful, albeit relatively small manufacturer of multimode optical fibers. The company was founded in 1990. The founders were able to enter the market largely on the basis of acquiring patent licenses from larger optical fiber firms. These licenses restricted competition between the entities and provided OFC with instant access to optical fiber technology. In return, OFC’s customer base is limited by the license agreements and royalties of 7% on sales of licensed products (recently renegotiated to 9%) are paid to the licensors.Despite these handicaps the firm has grown in size and profitability. OFC makes several types of multimode optical fiber including specialty niche products they have developed outside of any license agreements. All customers are cable manufacturers that convert the fibers to optical fiber cable. Three such firms account for over 70% of OFC’s r evenues. Focusing on customer service, quality and product design and process improvements has proved a winning business model to date. OFC now faces a variety of challenges including the expiration of many of the patents that afford most of its profits.This raises the real possibility of new competitors in the market. Further, while in the past multimode and single mode optical fibers have generally been used for data communications and telecommunications respectively and as such were not in direct competition with each other, the advent of cheaper manufacturing processes for single mode fibers coupled with their inherent ability to transmit data more efficiently over longer distances may make them a more appealing choice for some of the uses that historically have favored multimode fibers.OFC is at now at a crossroads where they must decide if they are to stay in the multimode fiber business only, begin producing single mode fibers as well, or even enter the cabling business with a forward integration strategy. Competition in the Optical Fiber Industry The optical fiber industry is perhaps best considered as two industries that are closely related, the multimode fiber and the single mode fiber industries. The multimode industry in which OFC specializes is very competitive. The United States’ 2001 total optical fiber market was approximately 3. 5 million kilometers only 330 thousand of which was multimode.The value of the multimode market was $65 million that year, only a fifth that of the single mode market. Within the multimode market and a number of fiber manufacturers. The main rivals for OFC are the two licensors to whom they pay royalties. These firms are considerably larger and have greater resources with which to compete. Further, they have a competitive advantage in that they are the recipients of royalty payments rather than the firm making those payments. Also they are in a position to control the extent of OFC’s market penetration at least with respect to their licensed products.OFC has responded by creating high quality products and providing exceptional customer service. In addition, OFC has made improvements to the basic design of some of the licensed fibers making them, in a real sense new products. The R and D department at OFC has also been successful at developing new and less expensive manufacturing processes, which has helped to offset the added overhead of the royalty payments. Finally, OFC has developed specialty fibers with medical, aircraft, aerospace and extreme environment applications.These new fibers will not be subject to royalty payments, competition from new entrants until patents expire years in the future, and generally afford higher profit margins than other optical fiber products. New entrants to the market are a threat to OFC and all other fiber producers. New firms must contend with the high capitalization costs of this technologically demanding and exacting industry. One of the costs of optical fiber production is the R and D required to bring successful products to market. Between 1999 and 2007 the patents for many of the basic fibers produced by OFC and its licensors will expire.New firms entering the market will be free to produce the products once protected under those patents without having incurred any R and D costs. These firms will also be free from royalty payments to licensors or any restrictive covenants such as those under which OFC operates. The industry in general, and OFC in particular, must contend with the purchasing power of its buyers. Optical fiber is converted into optical fiber cable. In the United States there are twenty companies that perform this function. OFC sells over 70% of their fiber to just three.The loss of any of these accounts could be devastating for OFC and places them in a weak position when negotiating prices, at least when the products are those which are readily available from other multimode fiber producers. It is doubtf ul that switching costs would be high for buyers. Favoring OFC and the optical fiber market are the projections for increased demand for multimode optical fibers at least through the mid 2000’s. Sources of increased demand for multimode fiber are anticipated to include: cable TV, undersea cables, local area networks (LAN) as well as general data communications growth such as computer uses.As noted the single mode optical fiber market is much larger than the multimode market. It too, is expected to see significant growth over the next several years. Single mode fibers have the advantage of efficiently transmitting data over long distances, faster transmission rates and other desirable optical properties but until recently have been more expensive to produce. The advent of cheaper production methods will allow single mode fibers to enter markets that were once dominated by multimode fibers.Production of these fibers requires expensive specialized manufacturing equipment and a s ignificant commitment to R and D. The industry includes one of the OFC licensors. Substitute products for single mode fibers include microwaves, and satellites for telecommunications. Impact seems limited. Copper wire can be used as a substitute for the fiber-to-home and fiber-to-curb applications of either multimode or single mode fibers but by the mid 2000’s the lowered cost of production of single mode fibers will likely make this the preferred choice for these functions.Finally, it should be noted that suppliers are unlikely to exert competitive forces on the fiber optics markets. The materials used in the production of fibers are commodities of low value such as glass, certain gases and oxide particles. OFC Strengths OFC has many strengths. The firm is financially strong with record sales and earnings for the last year as well as increased manufacturing capacity. Furthermore, there was a $20 million backlog for optical fibers in the last year and orders are increasing. T here was net income of $6. 1million on revenue of $48. million in 2002. The Quick Ratio, a measure of a firm’s ability to meet short-term debt obligations (Current Assets – Inventories)/Current Liabilities = ($31. 0m – $6. 6m)/$12. 5 = 2. 0 is very solid. Return on equity (Net Income/Equity) = $6. 1m/$44. 0m = 13. 9% is also very impressive. OFC has developed new specialty products for medical, military, commercial aircraft, aerospace and severe environment uses. These are likely to receive patents and will not require royalty payments and will be protected from competitors for years to come.The firm has a variety of options to confront the challenges of the changing market place. OFC has patent licenses to produce optical cables that would allow for forward integration if they chose to move in that direction. Engineers at OFC have been able to find new ways to produce old products more efficiently reducing production costs. They have also developed adaptations of existing products to create new and unique demands for those products. OFC is in an industry that is expected to enjoy strong growth for at least the next several years.That demand will come from a variety of industries adding stability to the market. The equipment needed to produce optical fiber is expensive and the expertise demanding creating, a relative barrier to entry. Copper wire as a substitute is relatively expensive and as technological advances decrease the cost of optical fibers copper will become a non-entity. Perhaps most importantly, OFC has a strong reputation for quality, service and competitive pricing. OFC Weaknesses OFC is a small company. They were only able to enter the market by virtue of other firms’ products and license agreements.Those licenses have protected OFC from competition but have also limited the scope of its customer base and added significant fixed costs in royalty payments. Royalties will now increase to 9% (after paying a one time $3 million fee) on 85% of sales. Furthermore, while OFC is paying royalties to use these patents new entrants may soon be competing as patents expire. These firms will have essentially no R and D expense and of course no royalty payments potentially allowing them to produce at costs below those of OFC.OFC must also contend with a limited number of buyers. Over 70% of sales are to just three cable producers. The ability of OFC to increase prices to these large purchasers is doubtful. If even one of these customers were lost to an alternative fiber optic producer the effect on OFC could be dramatic. OFC operates in a competitive industry that will become more so with time. Copper wire manufacturers will turn to optical cable production to stay relevant. Overseas producers, already sources of competition to OFC, are likely to play a larger role in the future.Finally, OFC’s success has been built on quality, service and innovation. One or more competitor can potentially offer all of these. OFC’s Core Competencies OFC manufactures multimode, high quality optical fiber for cabling companies that convert that fiber into cable for a variety of data communications uses. The firm has a reputation for low prices and excellent customer service. Much of their success can be attributed to their R and D program, which has developed cost saving production technologies as well as product innovations.More recently, OFC has shown itself to be an innovator, developing entirely new multimode optical fiber products that fill a variety of unique niche functions. To continue producing and selling multimode optical fiber successfully, OFC needs to prepare for increased competition as patent protections expire. As new entrants begin producing many of the higher volume OFC products, likely at lower cost given their lack of R and D and royalty expenses, OFC will need to spend additional resources on developing decreased costs of production if they are to continue selling those products profitably.They will need to maintain their focus on quality and customer service. In part that will require continued product testing. They may wish to explore, however, if testing 100% of products as is current policy is necessary or if testing samples from each batch would serve as well and save money. OFC will need to continue to support R and D to develop new products and patentable improvements on existing ones. Options Available for Growth Pursuit of Niche Markets OFC has already demonstrated an ability to develop marketable niche multimode fibers. Previously created are fibers able to withstand high radiation nvironments for nuclear reactor and military applications, a fiber that can tolerate deep underwater submersion and a third tolerant of high heat conditions. They have also successfully experimented with a fiber capable of transmitting UV light and another with unique medical and scientific uses. To continue their development program for specialty fibers will require annual R and D spending increases of $400,000 and an additional annual expenditure for three new staff totaling $325,000. Outside firms can be hired to handle sales for 10% commissions.When sales volumes are adequate, salaried OFC employees can be used instead. The calculation as to when this makes financial sense for the firm is simple; when 10% of sales exceed the salary and benefit expenses of the needed in-house sales force then sales should become an OFC operation. The advantage of niche products is the lack of competition and relatively higher margins. Develop Single Mode Fiber Capacity OFC could choose to enter the much larger single mode fiber market. It is estimated that this will require a capital investment of $4 million for new plant and equipment.It will take a year for the new facilities to be operational. There will also be a reported one time R and D expense of $2. 5 million. This is a first year expense so it cannot be capitalized. It can reasonably be assum ed that there will be additional R and D expenses going forward although presumably these would be considerably lower than the initial expense. Entering the single mode market places OFC in competition with larger firms than it currently faces with greater resources to sell products with thinner margins and would divert OFC resources from their core business functions.Forward Integration A third option for OFC is to produce optical cable. The required patent licenses are available. Two options for this forward integration strategy exist. OFC can commit $5 million in capital investments and plan on spending an additional $500,000 annually for R and D or they can simply purchase a cabling company for an estimated $10 – 15 million in capital expenditure. There is currently an excess supply of cable and cabling firms and several are in danger of bankruptcy and so an acquisition should be feasible. Forward integration raises several concerns.Regardless of the approach taken, enter ing the fiber optic cable business will be expensive for OFC. This is a market that is already experiencing an excess of capacity so it can be assumed that at least for some time to come profits in the cabling industry will be squeezed. This is not a core business function of OFC but to pursue cable production will be so expensive as to necessarily draw resources away from some of the firm’s core activities, activities that are likely to be more profitable and entail less financial risk. Finally, one needs to consider that all of OFC’s customers are cable producers.If OFC enters this market they will become a competitor of their customers. It seems highly probable that at least some of these optical fiber buyers will respond in a retaliatory manner and switch to alternate suppliers. Most of OFC’s products are not unique and can be supplied by their licensors. The three large buyers would seem in a particularly strong position to adversely respond to any entry in to the cabling market by OFC. OFC Policy Statement In choosing a direction for the future growth of OFC several considerations should be kept in mind. First, OFC has been successful in large part because of its focus on quality.Any efforts at growth should not come at the expense of producing high quality products. Second, the firm must continue to provide a high level of customer service. This should include responsiveness to customers’ needs for new products and product features when those offerings are commensurate with the firm’s vision, available or attainable expertise and when economically viable. Finally, the firm should continue to fund R and D efforts to allow for a continuous pipeline of new products and improvements to existing ones in an effort to maintain a unique competitive position in the market.OFC has been successful in competing against larger firms by avoiding head to head competition. Initially this was accomplished through license agreements alon e. Later, the firm was able to create unique improvements to existing products and processes that gave it an advantage. Most recently OFC has created unique patentable products. These represent three different ways of avoiding direct competition. Despite their growth, OFC remains a relatively small firm in the optical fiber space and should continue to eschew direct competition when possible, realizing that the market is dominated by larger and better-funded firms.Recommendations OFC should stay out of the cable producing business. This market is the least profitable, most expensive to enter and likely to have the lowest return on investment. It is also likely to result in retaliation by current customers and reduced sales. The single mode market is much larger than the multimode market but as a consequence will bring OFC in contact with larger firms that already have the equipment and knowledge base to produce these products. A small firm with limited resources should not leave its core competencies behind to take on firms that are already in place.OFC needs to continue to make niche products whether they are improvements on old multimode fibers or new fibers with unique properties and functions. This firm will never be a big player in the highly competitive optical fiber industry, they arrived too late and don’t have the capital to displace the dominant firms. Given that projections are for most of the increased demand for optical fibers to occur through the mid to late 2000’s OFC may want to watch for an opportune time to sell to one of these larger entities, perhaps a single mode fiber producer to whom the OFC product line would prove complimentary.

My Journey through Essay

Interviewing my son’s preschool teacher, Ms. Contreras, was a wonderful experience. I learned so much about the field and I was able to connect understand her as not only an educator but as a person; as the type of person who does well in this career field. Ms. Contreras is a California state preschool teacher and has been for 20 years. She holds an AA and a BS in Early Childhood Development and loves her job very much, and has decided to stay at the preschool level until she retires. Like any educator, she believes that it is important for parents to be involved with their children’s education. She encourages parents to come and volunteer whenever they are able, and has monthly parent meeting so that the parents are up to date with what is going on in the class room. To Ms. Contreras, the most important thing about being an early childhood educator is that you are an advocate; and advocate for children and their education. That you have and need to understand that chil dren are all different and unique and they all deserve to be in a preschool program no matter what their income or background. Her favorite thing about being a teacher is the innocence of the children at this age; she loves how pure the minds are of her students are. She wishes she can change the fact that preschool is only three hours long, but with state funding so low, that is all she is able to do, and less assessing. She feels that is keeps her from understanding her students and attending to what they need help in. Family is very important to Ms. Contreras so when she had her children, she knew that she needed a career that will work around her children, thus leading her to pick the field in education. She loved the idea of being a break as her children were on break, home when their home at school when they’re at school is how she put it. While conducting the interview, I sensed a vibe that she truly loves what she does and care very much about her students. And as one of the parent volunteers in her class, I can see it when a student randomly give her hugs, or in their eyes as they walk in the door on a Monday morning from what seems like a long weekend without her. One thing that I learned about the professional field of early childhood education from this interview is that you really have to love and understand children to be in the profession. Patience is a big part of this job when you have 24 to 30 preschool all needing your undivided attention. I learned that you need to understand your individual students in order to help them succeed and do your job to the best you can. Having a job in this profession may be hard at times, especially when you have so many students but at the end of the day, if it is truly made for you, the job can be very rewarding. Technology is a big trend now, in not only in the early childhood education field, but in education period. There are many pros and cons about applying technology to the early childhood classroom. Technology today, consists of TV, computers, video games, and now smart phones and wireless tablets. â€Å"Technology’s long-term history includes everything from primitive hewn-rock weapons to wood pencils to drone aircraft and smart phones.† (Estes, 2012) It is no secret that almost every house now has a computer and probably access to the internet, so many young children might be exposed to one or more of these even before preschool starts. The question is whether impacts the education of young children, and I believe that it does. Technology impacts the education of young children in many ways and I believe that technology should be applied to the early childhood classroom. In the preschool and kindergarten ages, technology needs to be developmentally appropriate. Once these technological activities are developmentally appropriate â€Å" technology-supported activities can be justified by a constructivist philosophy because engagement, active learning, creativity, and social interaction are all part of what goes on in the classroom† (Estes, 2012) Activities such as using the computer and its accessories such as the keyboard and mouse can improve fine motor skills by pushing keys and moving the mouse around. â€Å"These fine-motor movements also hone eye-hand coordination, and that’ll pay off for years to come as your little one learns to catch a ball, use scissors, or put together a tricky puzzle.† (Folds, 1999) This type of technology will be used in the future of each child and will be beneficial to the early childhood classroom, not only for the future but for their development. There are many concerns about the effects of technology for the little ones and to be honest I at one point I thought the same. In our text, many parents agree that it is insane to believe that a tablet app or an iPhone app can better teach a child to read or teach them math. (Estes, 2012) An when it come to video games, many believe that it isolates and can be one of the causes of another trend, childhood obesity. In my personal opinion, technology has come a long way and there will always be an opposing side. Video games, although may never be used in the classroom, do have some benefits to young children. Some video games can teach kids strategy and with video game consoles such as the new Nintendo Wii, force you to get up and move your body in order to play the game. By getting up and moving your body you are exercising. For different grade levels I think different teaching approaches are more appropriate. For the younger grades such as preschool and kindergarten I think the creative curriculum approach is more appropriate. This is the grade that I wish to teach. Having several interest areas or stations throughout the classroom will stimulate the minds of the students into wanting to learn, through play. This is the set up at my son’s preschool and it does seem to work very well with this age group. His classroom is small but he has a block section, library, home living area, an area for puzzle solving, computer play, and tables where the students can make art and a table to play with clay and play dough and eat lunch and snacks. Children age four or younger lack the capacity to sit still for long periods of time so having many options for them to self learn is always great. Children at this age learn through play and I think that the creative curriculum approach is perfect for this age group. I do believe that preschool aged students will benefit from direct instruction, but a limited amount. Maybe a little lecture time before class to discuss small topics such as counting to ten, or practicing letters but all through song, or to lay out the schedule for the day. Songs tend to catch the attention on the younger kids, plus song is easier for kids to remember, especially those who learn more through music. There are many different beliefs about how to properly teach a young child. These beliefs go way back to before we were even a country. In my opinion, Children need hands-on experiences that are linked to more than one sense to learn. They need to feel, do, see, (Piaget’s sensorimotor stage) etc. They should be taught concepts in more than one way (multiple intelligences), and it should be fun. Children should not be made to participate in direct instruction lessons. They should have a choice on whether or not they want to participate and be rewarded for positive behavior. Learning should be play based and overall fun. Early childhood education starts before the young child enters the classroom, it starts from the time the child is born, and many believe that it starts even in the womb. It is then that a young child begins to learn and see the world. Jean Piaget believes and I agree that cognitive development occurs in stages. The first stage is known as the sensorimotor stage and is a blend between a child’s motor skills and improvements to the understanding of their senses. (Estes, 2012) This stage takes place from birth to about age two. The second stage of Piaget’s cognitive development is the preoperational stage. During this stage, usually 18 months to two years, children begin to use symbolic gestures or movements to link to words. (Estes, 2012) In the classroom, I will encourage my students to use their five senses and motor skills to learn about the world around them. In the early childhood classroom, play takes up a big part of the day. According to many early childhood philosophers and educators, children learn through play. Not only is play beneficial to the classroom but to the child’s overall health. Erick Erikson believed that play helped individuals cope with a traumatic or emotional past. In my classroom, there will be centers and they will all be play based. Different type of playing will take place at each center, by doing this I hope to encourage children to play freely and be themselves but also helping them as individuals. Because each child is different, I think that concepts should be taught in many different ways. According to Howard Gardiner, there are seven different intelligences; linguistic, logical-mathematic, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, and intrapersonal. One child’s strength will be in logical-mathematical, for example, and another child’s strength in musical. As an early childhood educator I will teach concepts in many different ways to ensure my students are grasping the information provided and having fun with it. Lastly, I think that children need to be rewarded and praised often. I feel like it encourages them to continue to do well. American psychologist, B.F. Skinner, called this operant conditioning. The idea behind this theory is basically that if one changes their behavior they are indeed learning. (Estes, 2012)The theory is simple, if you are doing something good, you will be rewarded. For example, in my classroom I will do this by rewarding with stickers or treats after lunch time. I see myself in the near future substituting at my son’s school district. Although I cannot teach yet I will be able to sub once I finish a couple more core classes. After I do obtain my degree in Early Childhood Education, I plan on becoming a preschool teacher. I have wanted a job working with kids for as long as I can remember and being a mom I feel like being a teacher will work great around my family life, as I am able to be available to my son as much as possible. I currently live in California, where school funding is low and has been low for a while especially for education. Because of this I think that I will need to start off my career working in or for another preschool program for better financial stability. It has been a dream for me to also become a special education teacher, so I am hoping to go back to school once I have been a preschool teacher for a couple of years and start my journey toward that field. I hear that early childhood special education is a wonderful and rewarding field as well. I think at the end of the day, I want to do something that I love and something that I am confident in. Something that I will be happy to wake up to and look forward to every day and working with kids is just that. References Estes, L. K. (2012). Pathways to teaching young children: An introduction to early childhood education. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Folds, D. V. (1999, Feb 22). Technology for Toddlers. PR Newswire , 1.

Nazi Aesthetic (Olympics Berlin 1936) - 1319 Words

Max Kiehne The Body Prof. Gordon Nazi Aesthetics The regime of the Nazi party had an explicitly approved form of art. Unlike the other totalitarian regimes of the era, the approved forms of art were firmly integrated into their iconography and ideology, and excluded any other art movement, including those that were popular at the time. These approved forms of art held a limited number of themes, which were repeated as often as necessary, in order to portray the values the Nazis deemed relevant to their cause. These values were, of course, fundamentally nationalistic, and those themes approved by the government were meant to glorify not only the Aryan race, but specifically the German nation. The Harvest: The painting Out To†¦show more content†¦Hitler has been quoted as saying that the Christian values upheld among the Nazis, were only there to keep the people calm and complacent, while otherwise not being necessary to Nazi rule. Although only officially released recently, it has been somewhat common knowledge for many years that the Nazis, and specifically Hitler, despised the Church. Sigmund Freud used to say that religion was only a painkiller for unhappiness, and a form of escapism from the pain of our daily lives. In his writings he says, much in the vein of Schopenhauer, that art could be used to substitute God, and that facing the pain, instead of avoiding it, was the better way of dealing with it. Schopenhauer even said that while enjoying true art, the soul was freed of its pain, and the id lost consciousness, or rather self-awareness. As has been pointed out, the Nazis used art to convey their ideology, and perhaps it is not too far fetched to assume that the art of the Third Reich was also intended to relieve it’s citizens of their daily agonies, while bringing them closer to one another, at the same time. The Purpose Of It All: An important part of understanding the aesthetics of Nazi paintings is the part that refers to the reality of these paintings. Nazi paintings were never meant to â€Å"mirror† reality as such, but to portray role models for the German citizen. The German citizen was meant to look at these paintings and think: â€Å"This is how I want to be†. Although they wereShow MoreRelatedBoycott Of The American Olympic Committee1383 Words   |  6 Pages1932, the Nazi party became the majority faction in the Reichstag, the German parliament, and in 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor of Germany. This new leadership alarmed the IOC and sparked boycott movements around the world, including in the United States. Jewish and African-American communities were alarmed by the German government’s boycott of Jewish businesses. They appealed to the American members of the Olympic committee to boycott the games. The president of the American Olympic CommitteeRead MoreOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesreflective perspective A critical theory and psychoanalytic perspective A managerialist perspective The paradigm debate The practical utility of organization theory Current trends Globalization Institutional and neoinstitutional theory Discourse The aesthetics of organizing One final look at organizational culture Conclusions 432 432 434 434 434 435 436 437 437 438 438 442 446 446 450 452 453 457 459 Index 466 Supporting resources Visit www.pearsoned.co.uk/mcauley to find valuable online