Bystander Intervention free essay sample

From this, they predicted that as the number of bystanders increases, the less likely it is than any one of them will intervene, or if they do so, they will intervene more slowly. Their research findings support this hypothesis. Work is regarded as foundational in the field of bystander intervention. IV = situational factors (group size, participant gender) DV = response (likelihood of and speed of) Lab experiments allow controlled conditions; e. g. y ensuring that many features of real emergencies are controlled for or eliminated, so that only manipulation of the IV has an effect on the DV. Some things are difficult, if not impossible to control for though e. g. participant attitudes, societal values of the time, specific personal history of participants and so on. Unwritten assumption of experimentation is that explanations for social phenomena can be found by examining individual / group behaviour divorced from their normal social context. Critique of Darley and Latan © is by Cherry, writing from a broadly feminist and discursive perspective. We will write a custom essay sample on Bystander Intervention or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Such writers/researchers were keen to point out that: (a) Psychology, even though the mainstream tried to position itself as such, was not apolitical nor value free. Its methods subtly reinforced and legitimised oppressive attitudes and practices (power-relations in society at large and of researchers). b) Womens experience was distorted by research and theory (power-relations of the experimental method). Bystander intervention in emergencies:- Darley and Latan © popular explanations for the event were dispositional moral decay, dehumanisation caused by the urban environment, alienation, existential despair. Suggested rational and irrational fears about own safety needed to be taken into account too (as per Milgram and Hollander) as to why people did not help. Suggested that the presence of other onlookers weakened the need for any particular individual o feel that they needed to help diffusion of responsibility and diffusion of blame. Also, if other bystanders cannot be seen, we may conclude that someone else is already helping. To test their hypothesis, that as the number of bystanders increases, the less likely it is than any one of them will intervene, or if they do so, they Method taped stooge / participant in isolated room, could only speak when stooge was not speaking, other participants also on tape. Stooge has fit and participant cannot speak to the other people via the radio set up. number of assumed group members (2, 3 or 6) DV= speed of response of real participant (marked as no response if 6 minutes elapses before participant leaves room) Participants 59 female, 13 male psychology students at NYU. Variations sometimes taped participants were either male or female. One taped participant said he was a medical student. Victim was always male. Results Participants found the situation plausible most were nervous when they reported the fit to the experimenter and were surprised to learn it was not real. The two exceptions were excluded from the analysis. Effect of group size highly significant (p

To what extent does business process reengineering improve sustainable competitive advantage The WritePass Journal

To what extent does business process reengineering improve sustainable competitive advantage Rationale / Background To what extent does business process reengineering improve sustainable competitive advantage Rationale / BackgroundDescriptionResearch MethodologyDeliverablesScheduleResources RequiredReferencesRelated Rationale / Background Due to the increasingly competitive and evolving environment of modern business, a significant focus now lies on business restructuring in order for firms to meet the demands of the global economy.   Buhalis and Owen (2010) see this necessity as the driver behind business process reengineering and as a result the practice is widespread, for instance Attaran (2004) highlighted a study in which 87% of businesses were found to engage in the process.   Much research has been conducted in this area (see Kettinger and Grover 1995), which points towards competitive advantage as the primary focal area. Based on Porter’s original five forces model (Porter 1979) companies now look to business process reengineering to create a sustainable competitive advantage for their firm. Whilst research done by Ansoff and McDonnell (1990) focuses on more traditionally held beliefs about a firm’s unique resources, many has since changed their beliefs on what is considered a dynamic capabil ity worthy of creating a sustained competitive advantage. Meed et al (1994) cited a company needs to transform in order to adapt to its environment, and Osborne (1997) suggested that the very nature of the issue requires ever evolving material. Thus there is becoming an increased focus on the more subjective capabilities of modern organizations, as Barney’s 1999 article noted how strategic resources tend to be evenly distributed across firms and so there is a new focal point of knowledge being central to the business reengineering process and to creating a sustained competitive advantage for modern businesses. According to Grint (1994) reengineering quickly became the buzzword for businesses in the 1990’s, set on organizational improvement and change. Business process reengineering is defined as â€Å"a requirement to study fundamental business processes, independent or organization units and information systems support, to determine if the underlying business processes can be significantly streamlined and improved† by Langer (2008) and is based on operational objectives in order to improve performance. For instance a firm may wish to simplify their processes, improve communication procedures or speed up their operational turnover (Sayegh 2005.) As mentioned previously the very nature of business process reengineering requires a circular flow of communication in order for business processes to continuously improve, as Guha et al (1993) suggested the process reengineering cycle to be implemented into organizations in order to quickly tweak any issues with a new process with a minimal delay on output.   The subject of business process reengineering is still relatively new and so there are suggestions for future improvements, as a significant focus now lies on not only creating the information systems but using them effectively. This requires what Earl et al (1995) called alignment, that a process must not only be operationally efficient it must also be aligned not only with the company’s other materials and systems but also with the existing knowledge of the firm’s staff. This view is supported by Burgelman et al (2008) who focused on the links between not only different management levels but also between different strategic levels of the business. The suggestion by Burgelman et al being that organizational knowledge is unevenly spread and so needs to be aligned more thoroughly.   According to Brynjolfsson and Renshaw (1997) business process reengineering does suffer from low success rates, due to a lack of tools for managing the change process. Brynjolfsson and Renshaw proposed utilising a matrix of change in order to help managers identify and deal with critical issues. In this sense the importance of organizational knowledge is evidently the weak link in making business process reengineering reach its potential. Therefore much work has been done to attempt to bridge this success gap between the operational processes of a business and people’s ability to use them (see Khosrowpour 2006.) Attaran (2004) believed information technology to be a key element of a successful reengineering approach, citing Bill Gates’ comment on the 2000’s focus being on velocity. Therefore it is feasible for a company to rely on information technology to understand processes if they operate in a particularly fast paced industry like the example Bill Gates was referring to. In fact Johnson and Vitale (1998) believed innovations in information technology to be the future source of competitive advantage for firms, usin g examples of where it has been essential for business success for instance linking systems between an organizations diversified functional areas. Organizational knowledge is therefore seen to be one of few sources of a sustainable competitive advantage for modern firms. Tacit knowledge means that no two companies are the same (Collis and Montgomery 1995) and so as a dynamic capability knowledge appears to fulfil the necessary criteria, seen by Ambrosini and Bowman (2002) as being difficult to imitate, difficult to substitute or transfer and being scarce. Especially vital in the modern business environment is the speed in which knowledge can be created or transferred, as Saint-Onge (1996) noted how a company’s intellectual capital needs to be in line with rapid technological developments.  Ã‚   This focus on human capital led Saint-Onge to cite the â€Å"knowledge era† of modern times. A key application for business process reengineering of this focus is the need to constantly reinvest in organizational knowledge, due to the attrition effects of competition decaying the casual ambiguity that knowledge creates (R eed and Defillippi 1990.)   Therefore the real challenge for modern companies is how to undertake this required reinvestment in business process reengineering. Cavusgil and Calantone (2003) pointed out in their study on tacit knowledge that the primary issue is sharing knowledge throughout the firm. Howells (1996) noted that in order to be fully utilised tacit knowledge can be transferred on a variety of levels as in many cases knowledge should not only be transferred horizontally but vertically in firms, i.e. that managers must pass on their knowledge to their staff and vice versa.   This vertical transfer is vital for informational systems as in many cases practicalities experienced by lower level staff are not considered by upper management. Due to the difficulty in representing tacit knowledge acknowledged by Lubit (2001) the suggestions on how to transfer knowledge throughout the firm focus on more informal means. Lubit believed social mechanisms to be the best option, citi ng how formalised processes will always leave gaps. Similarly Ambrosini and Bowman (2002) found that techniques such as individual questionnaires and storytelling were most suitable for demonstrating tacit knowledge. Description Project Aims and Objectives: To uncover relevant links between organizational knowledge and the firm’s business process reengineering, and the role of knowledge management in facilitating the reengineering process. To examine theoretical approaches to business process reengineering and empirical evidence of their respective success rates. To investigate the impact of business process engineering on sustainable competitive advantage from a theoretical standpoint. Research Methodology Due to the theoretical approach being adopted in this study, secondary research would be utilised in accomplishing the aforementioned research objectives. Based on this approach, the study would adopt an interpretivist epistemology.   According to Saunders et al (2007), â€Å"Interpretivism is an epistemology that advocates that it is necessary for the researcher to understand differences between humans in our role as social actors†. Interpretivism relates to how people make sense of the world around them, and how they interpret social phenomena. Compared to the positivist view, the interpretivist view relates essentially to the interpretation of findings by those collecting data, and a common risk is that there may be issues of reliability and validity due to its subjective nature (Collis and Hussey, 2003). Based on recommendations by Collis and Hussey (2003), an inductive approach would also be utilized in conducting the research, as this involves analyzing the theoretical data concerning business process reengineering and competitive advantage, and drawing up a conclusion (after indepth analysis), on how both factors may be related. Data collection and analysis within this study would involve the systematic review of literature, reviewing previous studies on business process reengineering, knowledge management and competitive advantage to establish the relationship between all 3 variables, and ascertain if and how they the reengineering of business processes could actually lead to an improved competitive advantage within an industry. Through the combination of a number of results from a number of studies, the researcher hopes to uncover reasonable, reliable and valid insights into the subject area. Relevant databases such as Business Source Premier, Ingenta Connect and Emerald Insights would be utilized in finding these researches. Further research would also be conducted on institutes of business, such as those who may have statistics on how business processes affect competitive advantage. An entire subchapter would also be devoted to critiques of business process reengineering, particularly in its relevance to competitive advantage, as this allows for a balanced critical research and helps support the study’s reliability. Secondary research has been adopted as opposed to primary research, as it essentially bases our findings on more extensive research that may have been done in the past. These literatures are usually wider ranging and cover a lot more aspects of BRR than this research could have, if it adopted a primary approach. Deliverables This project intends to deliver clear conclusions and recommendations on the following: The relationship between business process reengineering and knowledge management within organisational settings. Do they necessarily impact on one another? Does effective knowledge management particularly promote better results when processes are reengineered? Empirical findings on the success and / or failure rates of business process reengineering activities that have been conducted over the past decades. These could be differentiated based on industries, and conditions, such as whether the organisations properly utilised information technology or knowledge management systems. Empirical or theoretical evidence suggesting that business process reengineering does promote sustainable competitive advantage. Particular emphasis would be placed on how it was accomplished and the secondary factors (such as information or knowledge management technology) that may have acted as catalysts. Schedule Secondary research (literature search) to be completed within two weeks of the project’s start. Cross-examination of literature is to be completed within a week of the final data being collected. This will encompass all of the data to spot any clear patterns. Checking of the discovered patterns to ensure their viability, reliability and generalisability will also be aimed to be completed within the same week that the original cross examination has been completed. The Introduction and Methodology chapters would be written within a week from when the data has been gathered. This would help in the structure of these chapters. The systematic literature review would be written up and conducted using the thematic approach. Meaning that each of the project deliverables would be separated into different themes and analysed as such. Overall project timeline – A maximum of 4-5 weeks from starting to accumulate the relevant data to having a clear, presentable set of results. Resources Required No hardware resources are required, except for computer hardware to use in researching, analysing and writing up the project. Access to literature sources such as the journals mentioned above, and empirical results on business process reengineering may require library access to such journals and in-depth Internet research. The researcher is confident that he has the skills to accomplish all of these. References Ambrosini, V. And Bowman, C. (2002) Tacit Knowledge: Some Suggestions for Operationalization. Journal of management studies, Vol 38, Issue 6, pp 811-829. Ansoff, H.I. and McDonnell, E.J. (1990) Implanting strategic management. Prentice Hall New York. Attaran, M. (2004) Exploring the relationship between information technology and business process reengineering. Information and management, Vol 41, pp 585-596. Barney, J. (1999) Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, Vol 17, No 1, pp 99-120. Buhalis, D. And Owen, R. (2010) Business Process Reengineering. Business Process Management Journal, Vol 6, Issue 2, pp 113-121. Burgelman, R.A. Christensen, C.M. and Wheelwright, S.C. (2008) Strategic management of technology and innovation. McGraw- Hill / Irvin. Cavusgil, S.T. Calantone, R.J. Zhao, Y. (2003) Tacit knowledge transfer and firm innovation capability. Journal of business and industrial marketing, Vol 18, Issue 1, pp 6-21. Collis, D.J. and Montgomery, C.A. (1995) Competing on Resources: Strategy in the 1990s. Harvard Business Review, July-August. Earl, M.J. Sampler, J.L. and Short, J.E. (1995) Strategies for business process reengineering: evidence from field studies. Journal of Management Information Systems, Volume 12, Issue 1 (June 1995.) Grint, K. (1994) Reengineering History: Social Resonances and Business Process Reengineering. Organization, Vol 1, No 1, pp 179-201. Guha, S. Kettinger, W.J. and Teng, J.T.C. (1993) BUSINESS PROCESS REENGINEERING Building a Comprehensive Methodology. Information systems management, Vol 10, Issue 3. Howells, J. (1996) Tacit knowledge, innovation and technology transfer. Technology analysis and strategic management, Vol 8, No 2, pp 91-106. Kettinger, W.J. and Grover, K. (1995) Special section: toward a theory of business process change management. Journal of management information systems, Vol 12, Issue 1 (June 1995.) Khosrowpour, M. (2006) Advanced topics in information resources management. Vol 5. Idea group publishing. Langer, A.M. (2008) Business process reengineering. Analysis and design of information systems. Lubit, R. (2001) Knowledge Management : The Keys to Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Organizational dynamics, Vol 29, Issue 3, pp 164-178. Meed, J.W. Bots, P.W.G. and Sol, H.G. (1994) A hard core for soft problems: A business engineering case study within the Amsterdam municipal police force. TCBAUS IFIP Information systems international working conference, Gold Coast, Australia. Osborne, T. (1997) Business process reengineering. PACIS 1997 Proceedings. Porter, M.E. (1979) How competitive forces shape strategy. Harvard business review. Cited by Smit, P.J. (2000) Strategic planning: Readings. Juta and Company Ltd. Reed, R. and Defillippi, R.J. (1990) Causal Ambiguity, Barriers to Imitation, and Sustainable Competitive Advantage. The academy of management review, Vol 15, No 1 (January 1990) pp 88-102. Saint-Onge, H. (1996) Tacit knowledge the key to the strategic alignment of intellectual capital. Strategy and leadership, Vol 24, Issue 2, pp 10-16. Sayegh, F. (2005) Business process Reengineering.   EFS Technical report No.21. (December 15th 2005.)

Monetary policies and how they affect various sectors of the economy Term Paper

Monetary policies and how they affect various sectors of the economy - Term Paper Example A proper monetary policy is essential for the growth of the economy. The rate of interest and the inflation rate in the economy are the major factors which would determine what monetary policy would be implemented in the economy. The rate of interests existing in an economy is under the control of the central bank. The monetary policy is governed by the principles of demand and supply. In order to control to taper the amount of liquidity in the economy the central bank would increase the rates of interest of the bonds. As a result people would cut down on their spending and would park their funds in the bonds. This is done because the opportunity cost of spending would be very high. The aggregate demand as a result would come down and therefore the total production of the economy would come down. This would lead to a reduction in the amount of liquidity in the economy. On the other hand when the central bank wants to increase the amount of liquidity it reduces the rates of interest. As a result the people stop keeping the money in the banks and start spending. Thus the amount of liquidity in the economy increases. Thus through the conduct of the monetary policy the central bank not only controls the money market in the economy but also influences the commodity market. This happens because the aggregate demand of the economy would depend on the amount of money that the individuals have with them for spending. The central bank however does not come into direct contact with the general public. However, they regulate the money supply through interaction with the commercial banks. The inductive effect falls on the common people (Mankiw 482). The apex banks generally change the short term interest rates more frequently which affect the long term rate of interests. The central bank would take the help of various tools to tackle the monetary policy of the country. These tools have been explained subsequently. Open Market Operations The most popular tool used by the cen tral bank of a country is through the buying and selling of the bonds and government securities. This method helps the bank to increase or decrease the amount of liquidity in the economy depending on the inflationary pressures. The short term interest rates are manipulated by the central banks and thereby influencing the supply of money in the economy. When the central banks want to increase the amount of liquidity in the economy it goes to the open market and buys the government securities. The cash going out of the fund of the central bank actually comes out into the economy thereby increasing the monetary base. On the other hand when the central bank wants to reduce the money supply it sells the bonds or the securities in the market and the money comes into the possession of the central bank. The monetary base of the economy gets reduced and thereby liquidity is controlled by the central bank (Arnold 311). The chief reasons for conducting such open market operation are to control the level of inflation in the economy. However, the government takes the help of the debt instruments for conducting this technique. These instruments are generally the short term ones. Changes in Reserve Requirements Every bank operating in an economy has to maintain necessary reserve requirements with the central bank of the country. Being the apex body of all the banks the central bank is the regulatory controller of the commercial ba

Contemporary Management issue (waleed) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Contemporary Management issue (waleed) - Essay Example The Traditional theories of ethics look into the aspects in terms of an absolutist view. Under this regime, the theories are either claimed to be right or wrong. On the other hand, the Contemporary theories that are framed on ethics concentrates on the relativist positional views. The correctness of a given situation is determined by the Normative ethical theories (Warren, 2011). According to the views of Richard D. George, on the basis of Pluralism, the ethical theories can be conveyed in terms of two opposing patterns, Ethical Absolutism and Ethical Relativism. There are also other types of theories related to ethics, they are: Theory of Egoism Theory of Utilitarianism Theory of Egalitarianism (on basis of rights and justice) Theory of Non-Egalitarianism On the basis of the contemporary view, the ethical theories can be on: Virtue Ethics Feminist Ethics Discourse Ethics Post Modern Ethics The theories of morality and ethics are somewhat similar to each other. Some of the morality t heories are: Moral Subjectivism Cultural Relativism Ethical Egoism Devine Command Theory Kantian Theory Contractarianism The case deals with the consciousness of the U.S. government over the health hazards caused due to cigarette smoking. It claims that the Gladys Kessler (U.S. District Judge) would claim a penalty of $280 billion from the famous tobacco companies such as, Philip Morris, Liggett and Reynolds. These companies would be penalized if they are found to knowingly deceive the public regarding the addictive nature and risks associated with smoking. It was noted that about 400000 Americans die yearly due to the health issues caused from cigarettes manufactured by these companies. This paper would concentrate on an aspect that deals with the duties that the modern organizations cater to their customers. In the later stage, the essay would focus on the different theories of business ethics and morality. The theories in the course of the discussion would be related to the case study of the paper. The Duties to Customers from Companies In the contemporary world, the organizations are supposed to suffice three primary business goals. When describing about the duties of a company it is essential to shed light on the theories of business ethics. In simple terms, business ethics is often dubbed as the form of professional ethics or applied ethics which examines the ethical principles within a business environment. Moreover, it also appeals to every business aspect and is highly pertinent to the organization as well as the individuals. Business ethics encompasses both descriptive and normative dimensions. Hence, business ethics plays a crucial role in shaping the duties and activities of the consumers towards the company. Similarly, the theory of stakeholder holds high relevance in the field of business ethics. It states that a company has equal real responsibilities towards its stakeholders, but the activities differ from one group to the other. (Source: Elkin gton, 1999) As stated in the above diagram, the organizations must try to improve the state of environment, economy and society. This is as per the theory of Triple Bottom Line stated by John Elkington in 1999. This theory also states that the organization, by uplifting the societies, must try to bridge the gap between the poor and rich customers (Wright, 1995). However, catering to the social justice is the most essential factor that must be addressed by the

Theory to practice Essay Example for Free

Theory to practice Essay Big Time Toymaker (BTT) develops, manufactures and distributes toys and board games. An inventor named Chou created a board game called Strat. Chous invention caught the attention of BTT and they sought out to negotiate with Chou. During the time of communication between both Chou and BTT an agreement was made. Both parties agreed to BTT having exclusive negotiating wrights for a 90-day period in exchange for $25,000.00. The agreement stated that no contract exist unless in writing. After a meeting when an oral agreement was made Chou was emailed a document subject Strat deal by a manager of BTT. This email can be considered the contract in writing and Chou assumed so, later to find that BTT was now run by new management who claimed they were uninterested in his invention. The point where parties entered a contract was when the BTT manager sent Chou an email subject â€Å"Strat Deal†. This was the point where a contract was mad because BTT had received an exclusive 90day negotiating period, and distribution agreement wasn’t going to be in effect until received in writing. This email also included terms discussed during the oral agreement and pricing. The agreement of a contract was that it had to be in writing in order to exist. Never did BTT stress the form of writing. An email consist of written words, therefore it was a written agreement. A contract is an agreement with specific terms between two or more people or entities in which there is a promise to do something in return for something else. When the email was sent that was the completion of the exchange and fulfilled contract requirements. The oral agreement that both parties had before the email was sent was establishing objective intent to contract. BTT also sent a fax to Chou a month after the 90day period passed requesting the draft to be sent. This action also showed intent to contract. What weighs in Chous favor in terms of parties objective to contract is the fact that BTT paid him. They exchanged money for exclusive negotiating rights. Chou could  always state an unilateral mistake was made and he misunderstood the terms of an agreement. The fact that both parties communicated by email has no impact on the decision of Chou rightfully still having a contract. Email is just as sufficient as a letter or hand written draft. With a subject email sent saying â€Å"Strat deal†. â€Å"The law governing which contracts must be in writing in order to be enforceable† is also known as the statue of frauds according to University of Phoenix The Legal Environment of Business (2011) . The contract was emailed to Chou before the 90day deadline right after an oral agreement. The statue of frauds supports Chou still having a valid contract. BTT could avoid this contract under mistake. Chou had mistaken the email as the contract agreement. BTT specified that the distribution deal would only be valid if contract was in writing. BTT could argue their meaning of a contract in writing is a contract on paper. This would be a mutual mistake. Both parties had a different understanding of what a contract consist of. Mutual mistake shows both parties at fault instead of only one. If the email does constitute an agreement, the thing that support this a greement is the fact that Chou was within the 90 day period when the email was sent. Although the email said nothing about a contract it was titled Strat Deal. During the verbal agreement Chou was lead to believe that both parties had finally agreed on the terms of the contract. Assuming that Chou did have a contract and BTT decided to breach the contract Chou could obtain remedies for his lost. The proper remedy would be compensatory damages. â€Å"Compensatory damages are an attempt to put the nonbreaching party in the same position she would have been in if the other party had performed as agreed (melvin, 2011, Chapter Chapter 7, Contract Performance:Conditions, Breach, and Remedies).† By the new management breaching the contract Chou misses out on potential profits that could have occurred if the contract had been followed through with. The remedy that would be less favorable would be consequential damages. Assuming from the theory that Chou had nothing in place directly depending on the completion of his contract, there is nothing that would be affected indirectly from the unfulfillment of the contract. Consequential damages compensate foreseeable indirect losses. Work cited Melvin, S. P. (2011). The Legal Environment of Business: A Managerial Approach: Theory to Practice. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection. Melvin, Sean P. (2011). The Legal Environment of Business: A Managerial Approach: Theory to Practice. Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection.

Essay --

YHWH gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments. These Ten Commandments â€Å"set the Israelites apart and enabled them to mold a distinctive culture† as said in the text book The Human Records sources of global history volume 1: to 1500. The Human Records mentioned that â€Å"Israelites evolved the idea that they enjoyed the special protection of god (YHWH)†. The Ten Commandments are the exact words of God which were engraved on a stone that was given to Moses by god. As mentioned in the text book The Human Records , in return for protection of the YHWH, the Israelites deity demanded their sole devotion. They were going to success in Canaan, a land the YHWH had promised them and had to maintain religious and cultural distance from all other people. First commandment lets the Israelites know that they should not have any other god before him, he should be everyone priority. Second commandment says that there should not be any other image of God and God should be worshiped. Third commandment says that Gods name should only be used with respect and nothing else. Fourth commandment is the Sabbath day Sunday, the seventh days where you shall not do any work and remember that you were a servant and god brought you out with a mighty hand. Fifth commandment says that you should respect you parents both mother and father. Sixth commandment says that â€Å"you should not kill â€Å"straight forward as the commandment says. Seventh commandment says that couples should be faithful in their marriage and not cheat. Eighth commandment says that you should never steal. Ninth commandment says that you should not lie. At last the tenth commandment says that you should not be envious of other people don’t say I’m going to buy thi s because they have that . The Hammur... ...ne that was given to Moses by god. Their differences show there unique distinction from the Ten Commandments and the Hammurabi code. Both are very important because both are still used today. The Ten Commandments up to this day I still use and believe in them and know that they will always show up and not disappear. The Code of Hammurabi probably had some modifications done to the code but some laws can still apply today. The Code of Hammurabi is far more detailed then the Ten Commandments .The Ten Commandment is written straight forward and addressing god. At the end there differences brings them apart the Hammurabi as the stricter than Ten Commandments. At the end there differences brings them apart the Hammurabi as the stricter than Ten Commandments. Ten Commandments a religious belief that many fallow counting myself and Code of Hammurabi set of punishable laws.

Is Fanfiction a Legitimate Activity for Fans? Essay

Robin Hobb (2005) defined fanfiction as the written work of fans and readers who use the author’s original characters in their own fiction without any form of consent. As an author who is against fanfiction, she wrote a full length essay to describe this genre of writing as a foul approach to the craft. On the other hand, a blogger named Justin responded to the different items Hobb listed. In this light, many have said that writing fanfiction is not a legitimate activity for fans, much less legal. As Hobb illustrated in her essay, fanfiction is definitely a genre of literature that should be heavily discouraged. Her arguments aimed to justify that legal actions should be taken upon this seemingly intellectual theft. In contrast, Justin’s arguments aimed to legitimize this form of writing, and point that fanfiction is not illegal. To illustrate the premises, the terms legal and legitimate should be defined. The online dictionary wrote that legal refers to an act recognized and permitted by law. In relation to fanfiction, there are no laws that allow writers to create fanfiction. Subsequently, there are no laws either that bans this activity. When writing fanfiction, writers are explicitly asked to write disclaimers to declare and clarify that they do not have any sort of rights over the characters by the original authors. Legitimate activities are those that are in accordance to law. The online dictionary listed that it questions the authenticity of the object or act. Fanfiction is not entirely an authentic artwork since the characters used in the stories are borrowed from someone else. However, since these rights have been wavered in the form of disclaimers, the other elements of fiction are in the hands of ‘fans and readers’, legitimizing their intellectual property over their fanfiction. The following paragraphs will present the arguments of Hobb and the responses by Justin. These are aimed to exemplify if fanfiction is truly a legal and legitimate activity for fans. How each side argues around the motion, however, does not result to a fact. This means that this is merely a deliberation between two writers regarding this issue. First, fanfiction writers compose using the author’s elements in the story: characters, settings and general plot without consent, as Hobb said in the same essay. Here, the author was trying to imply that the writers are stealing intellectual property. Justin responded to this by saying that once published materials are shared to its audience, these people become engaged and take part in its success or downfall. He also questioned why those movie tie ins are more acceptable and not categorized as fanfiction when only sponsorship sets it apart. Just because money is involved doesn’t mean that fanfiction writers are practicing intellectual theft and productions battling for movie tie ins are very welcomed. The blogger further expressed that when they sue fanfiction writers, it is as if they are suing children for drawing the many Disney characters. In this set of arguments, the legality of fanfiction is given priority. Financial affairs are usually tied with legal actions. Here, it has been said that fanfiction writers do not earn through writing this genre. These writers create stories to satisfy curiosities and fantasies that were intrigued by reading or watching an original artwork. Any writer would say that they write for entertainment first, and money maybe later. Second, Hobb implied that there is no good coming out of writing fanfiction. It does not violate any copyright law, and writers do not earn from it. Justin responded to this by stating that fanfiction creates more than possibilities along the original story lines. It allows fan communities to have a stronger bond. More importantly, it gives way to a broader creative opportunity to express themselves as writers. Many writers create stories not to earn, but simply to experience the joy of writing, something many known authors went through even before the start of their careers. By writing fanfiction, people discover other writers who have the same interests. It promotes relationships among fans, and not just their creativity. Third, Hobb said that it lowers the ratings of their works. Fanfiction is a form of identity theft. Justin immediately responded to this by saying that fanfiction can be a form of literary criticism, and that when she despises these forms of fiction, she is taking these criticisms as personal judgments. Furthermore, the author of the blog added that fanfiction widens the readers of the works of these authors, especially when the fanfiction has been well written. Hobb continued that those who read fanfiction about Harry Potter might get the wrong idea about the context of the series; Justin said that majority of those who read Harry Potter fanfiction are most likely those who have read or seen the works J. K. Rowling has authored. Fourth, the author said that fanfiction writers who create stories based from her work is in a way claiming her work, and cannot be right from any angle. Justin reacted that these writers are her readers, and that they are those who will be saying if her works have been successful or not, if she is a great writer or not. That is how the industry of writing is. One is not a successful writer if his reader was not happy about his story. Moreover, Justin added that reading is half the joy because all texts have different interpretations. Hobb can never ascertain that her readers will all have the same idea after reading her works. Everybody have different mind sets and different backgrounds, which can strongly affect how they read and understand a story. Furthermore, authors should feel privileged and honored that their works gained fanfictions because it goes to show that their stories deeply touched the hearts and minds of these people that they respond in such a creative avenue. Fanfiction writers do not tell authors that they made a mistake, and that their works are ugly. In fact, they have become inspired; they just have different interpretations. Fifth, Hobb said â€Å"the intent of the author is ignored. † The original context was changed: relationships, death, ending, and plot. Justin further emphasized that it was how the fan writers perceived their works. Nothing was written to spite the author. More importantly, nothing was written to â€Å"close† loose ends in the story. It is more of widening the possibilities in the story; the ‘what ifs’ and ‘maybes’ the audience have encountered during the course of the story. The works of the many authors are deeply loved and fully appreciated, knowing the time and effort they must have exerted to finish the novel or series of. Fanfiction writers are not holding any claim on it. Sixth, Hobb was told that fanfiction is an appropriate avenue to become a better writer. She responded by saying that if this was the truth, then karaoke creates singers and coloring books create artists. Justin just called her â€Å"ludicrous†. Among her arguments, this is by far the weakest. Of course, these are the avenues to discover talent. How else would you know if a child would be a painter if you won’t give coloring books, a musician without instruments, or a writer without books? Talent cannot be discovered without initiating its search. Seventh, to counter this, Hobb said that fanfiction is not a means to become a writer. By completely changing many aspects of the original context, this pretense of creating stories is not a good practice of writing. Justin responded to this by presenting examples like Max Ernest, Duchamps and Basquiat, Public Enemy, DJ Shadow and Negativeland, whose masterpieces must be considered as theft of intellectual property and be imprisoned. The original ideas of the authors are not stolen. They are, in way, taken into the next level. Eight, Hobb always emphasized that the original idea belongs to its creator, as Justin pointed out. However, not all plots are invented. Ideas are usually similar. They are only altered slightly, and it would seem different. In such a craft, ideas are not always new, but what matters is how it was approached and written. It usually boils down to the same theme. Critiques question craftsmanship and not the main idea alone. These points highlight that Hobb’s arguments against fanfiction are very weak and does not fully justify fanfiction as an illegal activity for fans. Plagiarism was not committed since fanfiction writers give full credit to the original authors. Moreover, these writers do not create fanfiction to earn, but simply to write and relate with other writers of the same interests. They write for growth and not selfish reasons. Hobb failed to give light to her legal and legitimate stand against fanfiction since her arguments mainly concerned personal rants and close minded opinions. This paper initially stated that the points brought out in this paper cannot fully stand on either affirmative or opposition. However, based on the given text, this paper concludes that fanfiction is a legitimate activity for fans. Works Cited Justin. November 9, 2005. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2. 5 Malaysia License. 27 December 2007 .