Monday, November 4, 2019
Discuss the concept of post heritage in relation to two more films Essay
Discuss the concept of post heritage in relation to two more films that you have studied - Essay Example The Duchess of Devonshire had an extravagant personal life and her political life. These films become the new significance of the heritage of the United Kingdom. The films contain contemporary political and social events that are not normal for the royal families in Europe. There were massive social and political implications of Princess Dianaââ¬â¢s death and funeral. There was public hysteria during her funeral service that did not sit well with the public. The royal family did not want the death of Princess Diana to be a public affair, but the media could not listen to the family. The views of the royal family were a contrast to that of the then Prime Minister Tony Blair and Dianaââ¬â¢s husband Prince Charles. The two believe the funeral of Princess Diana should be made a public affair since she was a public figure. The media naturally complicate the issues surrounding Princess Dianaââ¬â¢s death and her funeral (Frears 2006). No one knows the official status of Diana as she had a divorce from her husband during the time of her death. The society loves controversies and spectacles. The drama is surrounding Dianaââ¬â¢s death fit right in the popular culture of the people. The heritage film made the people challenge the knowledge they had of the past royal family to the present royal family surrounded by controversy. The experience of the movie is very significant to the present day United Kingdom regarding protocols during the death of a royal family member. Tony Blairââ¬â¢s fortune takes for the worst after the funeral of Princess Diana the release of the film ââ¬Å"The Queenâ⬠coincides with his downfall and resignation afterwards. Queen Elizabeth in the film is worried about how Tony Blair is going to modernize Britain as the new Labor Prime Minister. The Prime Minister, however, promises Queen Elizabeth of respecting Britishââ¬â¢s heritage and the Royal Family order of doing things. Blair, however, goes against the
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 6
Strategic Management - Essay Example Primark has been a retailing giant in the fashion industry that has over a few years been successful. Some of its strategies have over the years included effective marketing to specific targets across Europe. Primarkââ¬â¢s target market is mostly the fashion sensitive age group which is basically people with the age below thirty five years of age. They also deal mostly with brand names that are minor, which translates to cheap quality fashionable trends. They have maintained their market by providing the same product of the same quality at a lower price than their competitor provide. This accompanied with the effective management of response and delivery mechanisms has ensured that Primark has maintained its competitive and reliability position in the European market. Their computerised warehouse controls and an effective efficient distribution networks has made sure that Primark stays top notch in customer satisfaction. With the current technological capability, social life has b een incorporated with the business aspect of running things. Companies have been compelled to adapt social media and the use of the internet to provide their services. Marketing and advertising have been forced to tap into the high usage of internet to make a large profit. With just under three billion people using the internet and over two billion people using smart phones, companies have resolved to a paradigm shifts. Some retail and distributing stores have moved from slightly depending on the internet to full dependence of the internet for all their services. Companies like Amazon and eBay who are also giant retailers have completely depended on online shoppers successfully for their sales. Primark has been reluctant to adapt to this marketing and sales strategies but has just kept the traditional walk in stores. This habit is however facing a challenge as more people change their shopping habit coupled with the various technological products that arise in the market. With Prima rkââ¬â¢s main target being people who are below thirty-five years of age, they are bound to adjust and shift into providing online shopping solutions for their clients. This is because it is estimated that the highest number of internet users are people who are below the age of thirty five years. This brings Primark head to head in confrontation and demand from its customers. With the global penetration of internet use, coupled with the increase in the use of mobile devices especially smart phones also creates the necessity to Primark of adoption an online shop. The demand in the usage of these solutions provides a huge market in the retail sector. Another factor that might make it inevitable for Primark to adopt the online retail shop is the use of social media marketing and internet marketing. Over one, half of Europeââ¬â¢s population has one or two active social media accounts. The usage of mobile phones and tablets has been very addictive and convenient at the same time. A large number of people rarely get the time to walk around, let alone spend time with their families. Online jobs and jobs that demand regular travelling or jobs which have squeezed time schedules create least chances for shopping to the affected people. This drives away all the interested clients that might have purchased the said products. Providing such clients with an alternative shopping model enables them to purchase the products online at any time. This not only stops the retailer from losing
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Help Desk Institute to Professional Knowledge and Development Research Paper
Help Desk Institute to Professional Knowledge and Development - Research Paper Example The first section gives an overview of HDI - what it does and its role in the technical support industry. The next section gives an explanation of the contributions of HDI towards increasing the professional knowledge and abilities of its members. This paper concludes with a discussion on how the knowledge and skills acquired from HDI can have a significant impact on my chosen career path. At the core of HDIââ¬â¢s creation is the desire to help individuals in the IT service and support profession improve their practices and increase work efficiency. As expressed in its mission statement, HDI aims to ââ¬Å"lead and promote support professionals by empowering members through access to timely and valuable industry information, encouraging member collaboration, establishing open standards and providing globally recognized certification and training programsâ⬠(Migliazza, 2008, para. 1). HDI, therefore, provides a venue for technical support and service professionals to come together and discuss the prevalent issues and problems in the help desk, as well as share best practices in an effort to find solutions to these problems. HDI also has a wealth of information from reports, research and articles from experts that provide relevant and up-to-date data about the latest trends in help desk services, as well as benchmarking tools. Each year, HDI gathers experts and leaders in the field of technical support and service during its annual conference and expo in a spirit of learning and participation. Furthermore, HDI offers standards-based training and certification programs that are internationally recognized. As pointed out by Baschab and Piot (2007), ââ¬Å"sponsoring help desk staff for HDI certification is a worthwhile investment in their productivity, and sends a clear message to the team about the major importance of their role in the IT departmentâ⬠(p. 276).à Training and certifications will propel me to advance in my career path in the technical support and service field.à Of course, there is undoubtedly a wealth of insights gathered from my work experience.à The theoretical knowledge will put these insights in context, strengthening its validity and allowing me to innovate as I learn more about the theory behind the practice.à Training also prepares me to deal with multiple clients from various fields with different bac kgrounds, an important tool in this profession.à Becoming a member of HDI membership will help me keep abreast with the latest developments in the help desk profession.à Having a venue for discussion and collaboration with other professionals will allow me to contribute to the improvement of the profession.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Cuban Revolution Essay Example for Free
Cuban Revolution Essay My name is Juan Luis Sanchez and had lived well in my country Cuba before this new regime by a tyrant they call Fidel Castro. Although Fulgencio Batista was harsh and corrupt, my life was not very bad. Now it seems that things have changed quite a bit here in Havana. We have become what they call a communist state, and we have no political companion here in the western hemisphere. I was one who was opposed to the corruption I saw in Batistaââ¬â¢s government, and though I wanted in some ways to help the peasants raise their standard of living, I was not prepared to have mine lowered in the process. I also was a bit disgruntled at the way the United States had a heavy hand in the politics of my country Cuba, but I am not sure now that Cuba will be in a very good position having incurred the wrath of such a powerful neighbor. This rift has apparently been sealed by a socialist tie we seemed to have developed with the sworn enemies of the United States, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR). Many of my comrades are no longer here in Cuba. I have not been able to find many of my professional friendsââ¬âmy personal attorney, family physician and several of my business partners, I have been told, have fled the country because of the threat that this new regime poses to their livelihood. Many of them now live in Miami, Florida. I am now experiencing what must have been the fears of my comrades that made them flee. My businesses relied heavily on several other business that were funded by U. S. nationals and that have come under attack in this new regime. My business, which was growing in the 1940ââ¬â¢s and 1950ââ¬â¢s, has been experiencing problems since the heavy U. S. ownership of 35% of the sugar industry has been altered. My businessââ¬â¢s strategy seems to have changed greatly. It no longer sends a large portion of its produce to the United States, as relations between Cuba and the U. S. have broken down. This problem seems to be very serious, as I have read about a Bay of Pigs incident in which the United States lent support to some Cuban exiles in an attempt to overthrow Castroââ¬â¢s government. I also hear of a Cold War between the United States and the USSR in which our country has become involved. Recently, the USSR has removed some warheads and missiles from our territory, as the United States had threatened to invade Cuba if those things had remained. Though I have spoken of the business I used to run as ââ¬Å"my businessâ⬠I no longer seem to be in charge of it. When I showed up at the office, no one acknowledged me and I was not allowed to go in. The few comrades I had left in Cuba reported that their businesses had been taken away from them and were placed under the direction of the government. All the profits go to the government, which then rations out wages to former business owners. Our wages have been capped. All my extended property, I came to find, no longer belongs to me and I have lost my large house. Now I have to live in much smaller quarters and share the premises with other persons with whom I am not acquainted. The Cuban economy seems to be doing well, though I have heard that in the last decade (the 1960ââ¬â¢s) it had experienced some trouble. Now, we have been receiving some help from the USSR as our investments and trade have now become heavily tied with this and other communist countries of Europe. Our large sugar industry, though no longer able to serve the United States, is guaranteed a market in these European communist states. Though officially the economy is doing well, I have become aware of a shadow economy that exists here in Cuba. It shades the fact that the U. S. dollar receives a higher value on the black market than it does on the official market. Still, the country does possess wealth, which it pours into governmental policies and the military. Though I should probably be relieved that the country is generating wealth, I am very uncomfortable with the fact that all that I have worked for in the past years has been taken from me. I feel I am entitled to a share in all the wealth that is being generated within the economy, yet I am allowed to share in none of this. I have lost all freedom to enjoy the fruit of my former and current labor. In fact, I find that the freedoms of Cubans have been curtailed to the extent that no voluntary organizations exist, nor is there any real scope for the common educated professional (or any common man) to enter the political arena. I, who once was heavily involved in the political aspects of my community, have now only a few alternatives for membership in organizations. I can become a member of one of two organizations of the Cuban Catholic Bishops known as a Carita, or I may involve myself in one of a few other religious institutions dedicated to Jewish, African, or Masonic religions. I have no dissenting voice when it comes to politics. Though this was largely the case under Batista, it now appears to be even more so. Apart from the friends I learned to have migrated, I have been told in secret that two of them were imprisoned for speaking out against the new regime. Yet, despite all the problems I have found and the freedoms that have been stripped from me, I have also noticed some very strange yet progressive occurrences here in Cuba. These seem to be in favor of those who were once peasants. I remember the days when, especially during sugarââ¬â¢s off-season, many peasants were in danger of starving to death because they were out of work. Even I had no choice but to lay off during that period many who worked for me. Now their lives seem to have improved, as they receive from the state rations that last all year round. Schools have only recently resumed operation here in Havana. I have been told that all the teachers and students had been temporarily sent to rural areas in order to teach the peasants there to read and write. As a result, our nationââ¬â¢s literacy rate has risen rapidly. Almost all the persons here can read and write at this point, and the literacy crash program is said to be almost complete. At this rate, literacy is expected to be at 95% by the 1990ââ¬â¢s. The streets are also much cleaner here than they were before I woke up to this reality. We, as citizens, have all been made responsible for the cleanliness of our community. I myself have been placed in a group and am required to participate in sanitation activities. The healthcare appears to have improved the lives of the peasants, whom I had had a desire to help before the revolution took place. Indeed, some of those who worked for me had enjoyed the benefits of being seen by my personal physician. Despite this, I was well aware that many of their children died at early ages and that this fact was represented in a large portion of the populationââ¬âan overwhelming number that I alone could not possible have hoped to reach. Now it seems that governmental reforms have helped solve this problem, as our infant mortality rate has dropped to about 9. 8 per 1000 live births. This is among the lowest rate in the entire world. We also have a system of health care that ranks as the best in Latin America, and our life expectancy has recently climbed to the levels boasted by the United States. Although my personal physician is no longer available, I find that I too do not have to worry very much about basic healthcare needs, as the Cuban state is now in charge of providing this to all its citizens. This is of great help to me, as I no longer find myself with the resources necessary to pay for these kinds of necessities on my own. Yet, although I am grateful for the help of the government in this area, I cannot help but remember the times when I as an upper-classed business owner could afford to pay for this and so much more. Luis, J. G. (2000). Cuban Revolution Reader: A Document History. Ocean Press.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Role of Cytokines in Schizophrenia
Role of Cytokines in Schizophrenia Introduction: Schizophrenia is a mental disorder. Over 1% of the world population is affected by this mental disorder (Bakhshi Chance, 2015). A cytokine hypothesis has been proposed, which elucidates the role of cytokines in this disease. Cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-ÃŽà ±, sIL-2R, and IL-1RA were found to be over-expressed by the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (Potvin et al., 2008; Goldsmith et al., 2016), in which interleukin-6 is considered to be the key player in schizophrenia. IL-6 has glycoprotein gp130 as a common membrane receptor and as a signal transducer, which can have both anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory effects (Scheller et al., 2011). The anti-inflammatory effects of interleukins present in the blood serum of patients with schizophrenia must be understood. Upcoming therapeutic research focuses on astrocytes due to their expression of class II MHC antigens and the production of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The hypothesized outcome is that IL-6 also induces anti- inflammatory effects which help the astrocytes to maintain the homeostasis. This will enable the researchers to explore further the pathophysiology of schizophrenia based on the cytokine hypothesis. The effects of IL-6 on astrocytes will open the door to a new area of research and will help in exploring the effects. The impact of the research on Healthcare: According to the data and statistics from the community studies of the European Union (EU), 27% of the adult population experienced at least one mental disorder in the past year (World Health, 1992). In Ireland, both private healthcare sector and public healthcare sector exists to assist the people of Republic of Ireland during an illness (Book, 2007). The Irish legislations Health Act 2004 governs the public health care system which is responsible for the people living in Ireland (Pearson et al., 2012). In the year 2010, à ¢Ã¢â¬Å¡Ã ¬2,862 Euros was spent on the health of a single individual residing in Ireland of which 79% was provided by the Irish government (Pearson et al., 2012). Looking the statistics, it is summarized that nearly seven people out of 100 spend the money for treating schizophrenia that would be approximately à ¢Ã¢â¬Å¡Ã ¬20,900 Euros. Biomarkers are biological markers such as viral proteins, cytokine, hormones, etc. which can be used as a measurable indicato r of the biological state or condition (OConnell et al., 2014).Ãâà The main challenges in the biomarkers identification of schizophrenia are the unknown pathophysiology. However, biomarkers such as cytokines are considered due to the development of new hypotheses such as the cytokine hypothesis (Mansur et al., 2012). Understanding the roles of IL-6 in schizophrenia, can be used as a biomarker for the initial clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia patients, and to help create individualized treatment plans. The timescale for a product launch: If the research is proven successful, IL-6 based biomarker assays and treatments will be developed as a product from pharmaceutical companies. The developed products such as biomarker assays for IL-6 over or under expression detection and anti-IL-6 drugs will undergo the process of ethical approval and clinical trials which include four major stages. They are pre-clinical trials, clinical trials (Phase I, II and III), ethical approval and marketing (Phase IV) which would take a period of 20 to 30 years (DiMasi et al., 2003). There are anti-IL-6 drugs already in the market for the treatment of diseases which are related to Auto-immunity and other immune-based diseases which can cross the blood-brain barrier. These drugs may take a period of 8 -15 years to is the anticipated timescale for the proposed benefits to come into the market for the utilization of the schizophrenia patients. The importance of the product: The anti-inflammatory effects of IL-6 occur due to classical signaling pathway in which IL-6 binds to the membrane-bound cell surface receptor (IL-6R). Trans-signaling pathway provides the pro-inflammatory implications of the IL-6 (Scheller et al., 2011). Blocking the Trans-signaling pathway of the IL-6 is the target for the anti-IL-6 drugs. This might hold the capabilities for the treatment of Schizophrenia. The biomarker assays for IL-6 detection may help a person to identify whether the person is susceptive to schizophrenia shortly. This can help the doctor to give personalized treatment for the person based on the medical technologies available. The importance of the IL-6 product can be understood from the article Young people have the highest rate of psychiatric admissions which was published in Irish Times on 21 July 2016. The article discussed the young people (20 to 24) who are getting admitted to psychiatric hospitals for the 2015 (Edwards, 2016). The major diseases diagnosed for the admission are schizophrenia, depression, alcoholic disorders and mania which increases day by day (Edwards, 2016). Correlation with public, governmental and business sectors Public awareness campaigns and outreach to the doctors is the primary step in spreading the importance of the IL-6 as a biomarker for schizophrenia research. The second phase would be to use the primary media tools such as newspaper and radios so that the people does not expect from the research or get panic or distressed by the research. If the product is ethically permitted and the research becomes a success a contract between a pharmaceutical company or a medical diagnostic device company for establishing the result in the society. The completed biomarker assays for IL-6 detection product would be straightforward and easy to use similar to us such as a blood sugar and cholesterol test which can be utilized by the public without the doctors supervision. Biomarker assay kinds of products are advertised in the media such as television, newspaper, the internet, etc. for the maximum dissemination of the product. In the case of anti-IL-6 drugs, a patent is claimed by the pharma company which owns the contract, and a certain amount of percentage is given as royalty to the researcher. The patent is registered in a common government body, and the prize is sometimes fixed by the government of the country which accepts the drug. Conclusion: Schizophrenia is perhaps the most daunting psychiatric disorder, characterized by its life-altering symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions. There is currently no precise explanation of its pathophysiology. Schizophrenia is explained as the biochemical imbalance in the brain which may exist due to many factors. Upcoming therapeutic research focuses on astrocytes due to its expression of class II MHC antigens and the production of pro and anti-inflammatory cytokines. By combining the Cytokine hypothesis and Neurodevelopmental hypothesis, it is possible to understand the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and the role of astrocytes in maintaining the homeostasis and cytoarchitecture of the brain. The cytokine IL-6 has been regarded as a pro-inflammatory cytokine, but it also has many anti-inflammatory and regenerative activities. Understanding the roles of IL-6 in schizophrenia can be used for the initial clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia patients, and to help create individuali zed treatment plans. Products such as biomarker assays for IL-6 and anti-IL-6 drugs can be developed for the treatment of schizophrenia from the research. The anticipated timescale for these drugs or assays to come into the market can take a period of 8 -15 years. A decade is not a big issue for the young people who are getting admitted to psychiatric hospitals diagnosed a schizophrenic patient. This can help the doctor to give personalized treatment for the person based on the medical technologies available. References: Bakhshi, K. Chance, S.A. (2015) The neuropathology of schizophrenia: A selective review of past studies and emerging themes in brain structure and cytoarchitecture. Neuroscience, 303, 82-102. Book, I.S. (2007) Irish Statute Book. DiMasi, J.A., Hansen, R.W. Grabowski, H.G. (2003) The price of innovation: new estimates of drug development costs. Journal of health economics, 22, 151-185. Edwards, E. (2016) Young people have highest rate of psychiatric admissions. In Secondary Edwards, E. (ed) Secondary Young people have highest rate of psychiatric admissions, pp. Pages, http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/young-people-have-highest-rate-of-psychiatric-admissions-1.2729673 (February 24, 2017). Goldsmith, D.R., Rapaport, M.H. Miller, B.J. (2016) A meta-analysis of blood cytokine network alterations in psychiatric patients: comparisons between schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Mol Psychiatry, 21, 1696-1709. Mansur, R.B., Zugman, A., Asevedo, E.M., da Cunha, G.R., Bressan, R.A. Brietzke, E. (2012) Cytokines in schizophrenia: possible role of anti-inflammatory medications in clinical and preclinical stages. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci, 66, 247-260. OConnell, K.E., Thakore, J. Dev, K.K. (2014) Pro-inflammatory cytokine levels are raised in female schizophrenia patients treated with clozapine. Schizophr Res, 156, 1-8. Pearson, M., Lafortune, G. Vincent, F. (2012) Health spending in Europe falls for the first time in decades. In Secondary Pearson, M., Lafortune, G. Vincent, F. (eds) Secondary Health spending in Europe falls for the first time in decades, pp. Pages, http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/healthspendingineuropefallsforthefirsttimeindecades.htm (February 24, 2017). Potvin, S., Stip, E., Sepehry, A.A., Gendron, A., Bah, R. Kouassi, E. (2008) Inflammatory cytokine alterations in schizophrenia: a systematic quantitative review. Biol Psychiatry, 63, 801-808. Scheller, J., Chalaris, A., Schmidt-Arras, D. Rose-John, S. (2011) The pro- and anti-inflammatory properties of the cytokine interleukin-6. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1813, 878-888. World Health, O. (1992) The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders : clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. World Health Organization, Geneva.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Technological Improvements and Their Impact in America Essay -- essays
Improvements in agriculture, transportation, and communication between 1790 and 1860 were the stepping stones for a greater America. From the cotton gin, to the steamboat, to the telegraph, new innovations were appearing all over. America had finally begun to spread its wings and fly. Due to the fact that cotton had to be separated by hand, it was costly commodity. One person could barely separate a pound by hand over the course of a day. It was not until 1793, when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin that production of cotton soared. A worker on a plantation could now produce fifty pounds of cotton a day, instead of just one. With the increase in cotton production, came the increase in slave labor, which was used to harvest the cotton crop, making each slave an increasingly valuable asset. Westward migration was also seen as cotton spread throughout western land like a wildfire. Almost immediately, cotton was transformed into a major export. ?Cotton exports averaged about $9 million annually from 1803 to 1807, about 22 percent of the value of all exports, from 1815 to 1819, they averaged over $23 million, or 39 percent of the total, and from the mid-1830s to 1860, they accounted for more than half the value of all exports in the nation.? (Tindall and Shi, 418) Eli?s invention inspired other people to attempt to make their own farming tools. ?The development of effective iron plows greatly eased the backbreaking job of tilling the soil.? (Tindall, 419) In 1819, Jethro Wood improved the iron plow by using separate replaceable parts. Improvements thereafter included John Deere?s steel plow (1837) and the chilled-iron steel plow of John Oliver (1855). In 1831, a primitive grain reaper was invented by Cyrus McCormi... ...l Morse?s 1832 invention. It is quite possible that more social changes were triggered by the telegraph, than from any other invention. Before the telegraph, communications were delivered by boat, train, horseback, or hand. Now, news and messages could be received immediately. Together, the improvements in agriculture, transportation, and communication changed the ways of economic, social, and political life. By the 1850s, farming had become a leading commercial activity. The standard of living for many farm families also improved. ?Undeveloped land dotted with scattered farms, primitive roads, and modest local markets was transformed into an engine of capitalist expansion, audacious investment, and global reach.? (Tindall, 432) Tindall, George Brown and David E. Shi. America: A Narrative History. Vol. One. 7th ed. New York: W W Norton & Company, 2007.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Are People Inherently Honest? Essay
There are numerous theories that attempt to explain the motivation behind people acting in certain ways. This paper will address three of these theories, apply these theories to how people choose to behave honestly or dishonestly, and will attempt to determine whether or not people are inherently honest. Before looking into the motivation behind peopleââ¬â¢s decision to be honest, it is important to define some key terms in order to fully understand and explore what it means to be inherently honest. Merriam-Webster defines honest as ââ¬Å"free from fraud or deception,â⬠or simply put, truthful. It defines inherent as ââ¬Å"belonging by nature or habit. â⬠The majority of people simply associate something being inherent as ââ¬Ënaturalââ¬â¢ or ââ¬Ëinnateââ¬â¢. Interestingly, this definition expands our view on what one may consider ââ¬Ëinherentââ¬â¢ by noting how past habits can also play a vital role in how one behaves. Now that we have defined what honesty and inherent behaviour entails, we can now look at the various theories that attempt to identify the motivation behind people behaving honestly. One of these theories is the fact that humans choose to act honestly or not based on what we feel is ââ¬Ëmorally goodââ¬â¢ or the ââ¬Ëright thing to doââ¬â¢ according to a very personal set of rules and morals. An individualââ¬â¢s behaviours are heavily influenced in order to satisfy this individual set of rules. Of course, there are a number of positions one can take on when defining this set of rules. Deontologists would argue that one should be honest one hundred percent of the time, regardless of the situation. They believe that it is onesââ¬â¢ moral obligation to behave honestly and have a duty of adhering to this universal rule. On the other hand, utilitarianism claims that the decision to act honestly or dishonestly varies depending on the situation, considering all costs, benefits, and consequences that will result from the behaviour. Regardless of the personââ¬â¢s moral standpoint, their choice to behave honestly or not is strongly influenced by their personal, or inherent, set of behaviours that they consider morally ââ¬Ërightââ¬â¢. This supports the argument that people are in fact inherently honest. Another theory that attempts to explain the motivation behind behaving honestly is focused on the consequences that will result from behaving honestly or dishonestly. Uri Gneezyââ¬â¢s paper on the role of consequences in lying looks at how different benefits and costs influence oneââ¬â¢s decision to behave honestly or dishonestly. From his studies, he comes to a number of conclusions describing how people conduct a cost-benefit analysis when deciding to lie or not. First, he finds that people are particularly sensitive to their personal gain when deciding to lie, meaning that they place a high priority on personal gain in their cost-benefit analysis. He also finds that people also tend to lie less when the lie harms another party. However, this harm plays less of a role in choosing not to lie compared to the increased gains from lying. This suggests that the marginal personal gain from a lie is greater than the marginal harm that is caused from the lie. Because people are constantly trying to maximize their personal utility, these findings display how one will behave dishonestly when doing so maximizes their utility. This suggests that people do not inherently behave honestly, but rather behave in a way that will create the most personal gain. A third theory that explains how people behave is based on the image that is associated with behaving honestly or dishonestly, as well as the use of excuses to justify dishonesty. There tends to be a negative stigma attached with lying; therefore, people are inclined to be honest simply to maintain a positive image of themself. There are a number of ways to look at this. First, people have a natural desire to see themselves in a positive light and like to feel that they are doing what is right. Much of this plays into the previously discussed individual set of morals that people have and doing what they consider ââ¬Ëmorally rightââ¬â¢. However, there are cases when people create excuses to justify to themselves that acting dishonestly is the right thing to do. For example, if a man lies by telling his pregnant wife that she doesnââ¬â¢t look overweight, he will justify this lie to himself by claiming that he doesnââ¬â¢t want to hurt her feelings, maintaining a positive image of himself. In addition, people will tend to lie less to avoid making a bad impression to others. Similarly to above, people may use excuses to justify acting dishonestly, simply to maintain their positive impression on others. This shows that in order to maintain a positive impression of oneself on oneself as well as on others, people are inclined to behave honestly and are willing to make excuses to justify acting dishonestly to maintain this impression. This suggests that due to the natural desire to create and maintain a positive impression, people are inherently honest. The above theories and discussion suggest both that people are and are not inherently honest. This is precisely why many social scientists have difficulty in this area. On one hand, people behave honestly to satisfy their personal set of morals and to promote a positive image of themselves (in their own as well as othersââ¬â¢ eyes), but are willing to be dishonest if it results in enough personal gain to justify the lie. From this, we conclude that one cannot make an overarching statement claiming that people are or are not inherently honest. Whether a person is inherently honest depends on how they weigh and balance the importance of their morals, personal gain, their self-image, and the image they want to portray to others.
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