Fukushima Informative Speech

Purpose: To inform the audience about the heroic actions of the Fukushima Daiichi cleanup workers. Thesis: The Fukushima Daiichi cleanup workers are incredibly brave. Introduction: The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl. It measured 7 on the Nuclear Event Scale, which is the highest rating. The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster was initiated by a magnitude 9 earthquake. This earthquake caused a tsunami with waves reaching up to 133 feet to crash on the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. This caused major damage to the nuclear plant. Workers were needed to keep this already terrible incident from escalading. The Fukushima Daiichi cleanup workers are incredibly brave. Today, I would like to tell you about the bravery of the Fukushima 50, the Skilled Veterans Corps, and the Fukushima Firefighters. Body: 1)The Fukushima 50 are a group of 50 workers who remained to clean up the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant a. The name â€Å"Fukushima 50† was created by the media honoring these workers i. It was an endearing name given to these brave men who stayed behind to defuse the nuclear meltdown. II. These men knew the dangers, but they stayed in order to protect the public from this nuclear disaster. iii. One unnamed man said, â€Å"We felt like members of the Tokkotai. † (BBC) b. The Fukushima 50 inspired bravery in other people as well i. Days after these brave workers volunteered, nearby companies sent in more volunteers to help the Fukushima 50. ii. Companies such as Toshiba, Hitachi, Yokohama, Kawasaki, and many others sent in teams of volunteers to help out 1. These workers did jobs such as spraying water to cool the reactor cores, decontamination, installing water pumps and many other crucial jobs. ii. The combined effort of all these workers helped the situation from getting worse and protected the public from the radiation Transition 1: The efforts of the Fukushima 50 inspired a group of Japanese’s seniors dubbed the suicide corps to volunteer. 2)The group of Japanese seniors called the Skilled Veterans Corps decided to volunteer in an effort to replac e some of the younger workers a. The Skilled Veterans Corps is a group of 250 people over the age of 60 who are willing to volunteer. i. Their idea simple, since they are old, they will not live to see the harmful long-term effects of the radiation. They want to work instead of the younger generation to prevent them from being exposed to these high levels of radiation. b. The media starting calling these men the suicide corps but they reject this nickname and prefer to go by The Skilled Veteran Corps. i. The name â€Å"Suicide Corps† is a play on the Kamikazes from World War II however, they say it is not suicide since they will not live to see the effects of the radiation. ii. Yasuteru Yamada, a member of the Skilled Veterans Corps, said to CNN, â€Å"We have to work instead of them; Elders have less sensitivity to radiation. (CNN) iii. These members of the Skilled Veterans Corps are brave and selfless. Transition 2: The Skilled Veterans Corps were brave and selfless and the Fukushima firefighters shared these attributes. 3)The Fukushima Firefighters are the brave men who helped defuse the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. a. Fresh water was a key necessity to cool down the nuclear reactor cores. i. Without fresh water, the core would overheat and explode causing more damage and spread the radiation further. ii. Tokyo fire departments elite Hyper Rescue Squad was specially trained for situations like this. 1. These firefighters braved the radiation in order to help cool down the cores b. The members of the Hyper Rescue Squad had to leave there family’s behind in order to combat the nuclear disaster. i. Yasuhiro Ishii’s, a member of the Hyper Rescue Squad, wife asked him if he really had to go to Fukushima and begged him not too. ii. However Ishii said, â€Å"†Normally, a mission involves saving a limited number of people, but this was something much bigger. It involved not only the helping the entire nation but also future generations. I had to go. † (Telegraph UK) Conclusion: Today I have spoken to you all about bravery of the Fukushima 50, the Skilled Veterans Corps, and the Fukushima Firefighters. These Brave men have risked it all in order to clean up and decontaminate the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster. They did this so that the public would be saved from the radiation and so that future generations would not have to bear he harmful effects of radiations. These men deserve our respect and graditude

Investigating Special Education Essay

The DSP is committed to making sure all students with disabilities have equal education. The DSP offers a variety of services for disabled children. They have a Disability Specialist that identifies the disabled student’s personal needs. 2. National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD) http://ncwd-youth. info Is a source for information about work and youth’s with disabilities. They are experts in employment, education, disabilities and the development of workforce and family issues. 3. OSERS-Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services www. 2ed. gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/index. htm This is a main federal agency that supports training, applied research and development to improve the lives of people with disabilities. They are known for generating new knowledge and promoting and improving the disabled person’s ability to perform normal everyday task of their choice in a community setting. 4. Team (START) Special Needs Technology Assessment Resource Support Nsnet. org/start/learning. pdf There is a lot of technology available today where students can learn to cope with their learning disabilities to use technology, programming team, the teacher should understand the nature of the different learning by diagnosis and assessments. This only works if the technology matches the student’s needs. (Annapolis Valley Regional School Board 1996) 5. The National Education Association (NEA) www. nea. org/specialed The National Education Association supports a free, appropriate public education for all students with disabilities in a least restrictive environment, which is determined by maximum teacher and parent/guardian involvement. There must also be a full continuum of placement options, services, and delivery models available to students with disabilities. (National Education Association, 2002-2013). 6. Special Needs Center www. friendshipcircle. org/ This is a nonprofit organization that put teens and special needs people together to help them form a bond of friendship and they participate in many different weekly and seasonal programs. There are 25 weekly and seasonal programs. 7. Special Education Support Services (SESS) www. projectgenesis. us/. SESS is approved by the Connecticut Department of Education Transition Program for students with intellectual disabilities. The program includes job explorations, daily living skills assessment & instruction, accessing community resources, social interactions and application of functional academics like budgeting the community and vocational assessments most students receive support in behavioral or social areas that have hindered them from growing and learning in the past (Justin Fox, Mentor) 8. National Center for Learning Disabilities www. ncld. org Your child has the right to a free and appropriate public school education. Getting involved in his or her education is among the most important things you can do as your child’s advocate. As you’ll see below, you have a right to be a part of every decision regarding your child’s education, including the process of finding out if your child needs special services. You know your child best, and your input should be considered at every opportunity. (NCLD Editorial Team) 9. Michigan Law Center www. lawfirmdetroitmichigan. com/ They are dedicated to providing effective comprehensive plans for families with children with special needs. They handle medical issues, financial issues, and social issues. They also help families find the resources they need. 10. The M. O. R. G. A. N Project www. themorganproject. org/ The M. O. R. G. A. N Project is a community based organization of volunteers who promotes awareness and facilitates support for parents with special needs children. They also enhance the Quality of Life for these families (Robert and Kristen Malfara, 2013) 11. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry www. aacap. org/ They state that children with special needs are entitled to receive additional services or accommodations throughout their years in public schools. Every child deserves a free appropriate education in a least restrictive environment available. Three Federal Laws apply especially to special needs children. 12. SOS Children’s Village, their motto is a loving home for every child. www. sos-usa. org/ As the most universally ratified human rights instrument, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, spells out those basic human rights that all children everywhere are entitled to. Its underlying values, or â€Å"guiding principles†, serve as a constant reference for the interpretation and implementation of children’s rights. (SOS) 13. Stand-Up (Stand University for Parents) stand. org/national/action/stand-up This is a research based family engagement course for parents with children in elementary school. They focus on actionable steps for parents to learn how to get involved in their child’s education and they make sure the child is ready for college if they choose to go. 14. Special Education News www. specialednews. com/ This site says that remedial instruction is aimed at improving an ability or skill in each student with special needs. They use many different techniques, for example, repeating information, more practice session, explain several times and devoting time o work on the student’s skills. The teacher leads them through the process. 15. Mission Valley Special Education Local Plan (SELPA) www. fremont. k. 12ca. us/Page/302 The Mission Valley Community Advisory Committee (CAC) brings together parents and professionals to promote the education of children with special needs. The CAC sponsors events to support awareness of parent’s rights, services available within the Tri-City community, and increase disability awareness. (Judith Cameron, Director, Special Services & Mission Valley, SELPA) References: Disabled Students Program dsp. berkeley. edu/ National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability (NCWD) http://ncwd-youth. info OSERS-Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services www. 2ed. gov/about/offices/list/osers/nidrr/index. htm Team (START) Special Needs Technology Assessment Resource Support Nsnet. org/start/learning. pdf National Education Association (NEA) www. nea. org/specialed Special Needs Center www. friendshipcircle. org/ Special Education Support Services (SESS). www. projectgenesis. us/ National Center for Learning Disabilities www. ncld. org Michigan Law Center www. lawfirmdetroitmichigan. com/ The M. O. R. G. A. N Project www. themorganproject. org/ American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry www. aacap. org/ SOS Children’s Village, their motto is a loving home for every child. www. sos-usa. org/ Stand-Up (Stand University for Parents) stand. org/national/action/stand-up Special Education News www. specialednews. com/ Mission Valley Special Education Local Plan (SELPA) www. fremont. k. 12ca. us/Page/302.

Just War Theory and Christian Peace Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Just War Theory and Christian Peace - Assignment Example Under the just cause argument, just cause may be defined in terms of a response to the crime of aggression, the unlawful violation of the principle of nonintervention. If aggression is being viewed as a crime in accordance to the international law, then states have a right to respond to aggression with force, given that there is no world government or world police force to espouse international law. Most importantly, the moral rationalization for intervening in the affairs of such States would be based upon considerable, clear, irrefutable evidence of their support for terrorists, which is very intricate at best to bring into being, for instance, the lack of tangible evidence that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Iraq’s support for terrorism. Right authority was a different intervention that has also been used to respond to the issue on terrorism. Most significantly, right authority required an official declaration of war, which includes a bill of particulars that clearly articulates the moral justification and aims of the war. The other measure that the Christians undertook was to use reasonable hope of success. This criterion entailed calculation that using force would re-establish peace. This stipulation represents an attempt to protect the citizens, nonmilitary and military alike, from the imprudence and/or immoral ambitions of their leaders. The most important and very precious means were the Last Resort. This last criterion mandated that the use of force shall be the last resort, and that adequate nonviolent attempts to resolve the conflict is made and have failed. If all attempts at nonviolent conflict resolution were being reasonably made and while the conflict or threat persisted, then the criterion of last resort would have been met. Even though, the judgment that last resort can never be known with absolute certainty, a considerable effort must be made to resolve the conflict diplomatically in spite of imminent threat.

Increased Empowerment Of The American Non-Commissioned Officer Essay

Increased Empowerment Of The American Non-Commissioned Officer - Essay Example This paper shall focus on the increased empowerment of the American Non-commissioned officer over time. The paper shall, also discuss the fundamental causes and consequences of the shift in responsibilities of the NCOs down the chain of command. Moreover, the paper shall discuss how well the US military is prepared or not prepared for the ever increasing burdens of responsibility. Finally, I shall give my opinion of whether or not this trend shall continue. For one to understand the ever increasing empowerment of the American Non-commissioned officer, it is essential to review the history behind it. The history of the NCO in the United States can be traced back in 1775 with the dawn of the Continental army. This officer did not copy Britain, but just like the American army, he blended French, Prussian, and British army traditions into a unique American institution (Bland, 2009). The development of change in the organization and action of the military offers an insight into the transfer of ultimate power and responsibilities down the succession of command. As much as the empowerment of the NCO is ever increasing, it is arguable that there is more room for further advancement for the military. There are several factors that have contribute to the increased empowerment of the non-commissioned officer in America, however, this paper shall focus on the three most important; advanced training opportunities, fighting strategies, and military d octrine (Bland, 2009). Advanced training opportunities It has constantly been argued that knowledge is power. This holds true considering the ever increasing empowerment of the American NCO. It is true that technical skills and leadership training are essential for a successful and affective NCO. Before the publicized training manuals for NCO, the only available training was on-the-job training (Fisher, 1994). Professional education was unknown for NCOs except the constant instructions received from company commanders. All leadership skills were practically learned during operations. Today, however, skills in leadership are taught continuously providing proper decision-making for trainees. The training required to make use and maintain complex battle equipment during the First World War initiated the technically advanced field training that paved way for a leadership role. Advanced training was essential for medical services, artillery, as well as other military operation areas. Wit h time, technology grew as wars became more sophisticated. As a result, leadership demands for NCO also grew. General John Pershing recommended that NCO receive a formal training, a suggestion that sparked the NCO academy system in the 1950s (Fisher, 1994). Later, a Non-commissioned officer Candidate Course was created that trained NCOs in combat arms. The NCO’s Educational System put a formal training system that educated both men and women. Fighting strategies Battle history evidences that the constant changes in fighting led to the evolution of the NCO as a leader in the military. In the early days of

Demand Utility Marginality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Demand Utility Marginality - Essay Example For instance in the beauty franchise, such as in a beauty salon, many customers are extremely loyal once they find a location that they truly enjoy. "No way would I give up my hair stylist. You develop these relationships," says Liza Burnett, a 26-year-old in New York, who spends $150 for a hair cut and scalp treatment every two months. The factors that appear to affect the marginal utility of such luxury goods among those with large net worth are many. One of the most primary would be that obviously only those with the monetary resources available would be able to afford an item with such a high price. Another factor, which relevantly ties into the first, is that the salesperson of an item such as this would want to have excellent marketing skills as well as proper customer service skills, in order to sell as best as they possibly can. Although there is a significantly higher number of people in the world today with a bank account full enough to easily purchase items with such a high cost as compared to even fifty years ago, it still takes a good customer service representative to sell efficiently. The marginal utility of a Rolls Royce Silver Cloud to me is the fact that it is "considered to be the most aesthetically pleasing vehicle ever to be produced by the vehicle manufacturer." ("Wikipedia",

Issues & Controversy with Public Policy Research Paper

Issues & Controversy with Public Policy - Research Paper Example In addition, the financial fines and penalties imposed by the US government in an attempt to persuade the uninsured people to change their status also pose serious challenges to low and middle income families. This paper will discuss the public policy issue of uninsured population in US and identify three policy initiatives that can address the issue. The term uninsured is commonly used to represent a person having no insurance coverage. According to Cropf (2008, p.323), the growing uninsured population in US was one of the primary concerns raised by the advocates of health care reform. A significant proportion of uninsured population in the United States has been a headache for the US policy makers for decades, and the introduction of the recent health care reform could not improve the situation notably. Multiple surveys indicate that the number of uninsured people has dropped due to the implementation of health changes resulting from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). According to a report published by the Commonwealth Fund in July 2014, an additional 9.5 million people aged 19-64 obtained access to health insurance, representing approximately 5 percent of the working-aged population. The United States Census Bureau reported that there were 48 million uninsured in the US (representing 15.4% of the populatio n) in 2012. Despite the falling rate of uninsured in US, one cannot say Obamacare (or PPACA) is a success in addressing the issue of uninsured in the country because of its higher costs. In spite of the claims of the Obamacare advocates that the new insurance coverage plans would cost less than the average cable bill or cell phone bill, a survey finds that roughly half the of the uninsured in the US say that Obamacare is too expensive. According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation study released in January 2015 (as cited in Hall, 2015), 48% of the uninsured Americans are of the opinion that they remain uninsured due to the high

Hospitality Current Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hospitality Current - Essay Example Challenges Facing the Hospitality Industry Introduction In the past centuries, hospitality was not a common field known by many people as an important and critical part of societal life. This fact just changed with the booming international trade and changes in lifestyles for many citizens across the world. The two factors have not existed peaceably but have been posing challenges in the sector of hospitality. Among the challenges faced by the hospitality sector include competition, technological advancement, diversity, lack of professionalism to offer proper services, food safety and sanitation, security issues, and globalization among other problems. Rigorous technological advancement has posed serious challenges to the hospitality industry the world over. Technological advancement has transformed the way work is done in the hospitality industry (Powers & Barrows, 2008). Almost every activity is automated or computerized and the marketing venues are shifting to the internet. Hospit ality industry players have sought to employ the use of websites for marketing their products, increasing operation costs due to high costs of maintaining the websites. In order to broaden customer base, players in the hospitality industry need to invest on technologies that can enable online booking for services by the customers (Binion, 2006). The initial cost and maintenance of such technologies is exorbitant and in some cases unaffordable by certain operators in the industries Uncertainty occasioned by rising security has triggered unrest among the customers of the hospitality industry such as hotels which record low bookings as visitors shy away. Increased cases of terrorism have raised fear in customers as they always think of their safety when travelling (Powers & Barrows, 2008). Cases of abduction have also caused security doubts among many, which has negatively affected the hospitality industry as customers fear to travel freely across the world. Many operators in the hospi tality industry such as hotels and air travel agencies have been forced to invest in expensive and hi-tech security measures to retain the confidence of consumers as far as their security is concerned. The hospitality industry players have also been compelled to spend much money in insuring their operations against any occurrence of insecurity. Cases of food poisoning in various hotels have raised concerns of food safety and proper sanitation. Reported death cases occasioned by food poisoning affects customers consumption of good food products in the hospitality industry (Powers & Barrows, 2008). Cultural diversity has also pushed hospitality industry into expensive foodstuffs to meet the demands of their customers The significant challenge that has disrupted the growth of sectors in the hospitality is the recent global economic recession. The crisis has done a lot to discourage people from travelling due to high cost of travelling and low income earned by many consumers (Rob, 2010) . Additionally, the financial crisis has pushed the hospitality industry to increase the costs of accommodation, causing a sharp decline in demand of hotel and hospitality related services. Increase in the level and number of individual acquiring education has resulted to high levels of customer awareness. Customers have tended to demand services whose quality gives good value for their money.

Compassion fatigue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compassion fatigue - Essay Example The condition can affect an individual at a personal level and professionally as noted by Figley (1995). The effects of the condition include reduced productivity, reduced ability to focus, self doubt and feelings of incompetence. Other signs of the disorder include isolation, substance abuse and bottled up emotions. Caregivers need to realise that just one story that overwhelms their ability to sensualise an event can lead to compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is mainly caused when caregivers witness marks of trauma in other people’s lives to an extent that they get overwhelmed (Van & Rothenberg, 2009). Some of the common causes of the disorder include working with suicidal ideation, hearing stories of child abuse, dealing with people suffering from terminal illnesses, providing care to people who have suffered the loss of a loved one , and providing care to rape survivors, just to mention a few. For caregivers to provide high quality services without succumbing to compassion fatigue, they should take care of their physical, spiritual and emotional needs. They should be in good physical health so as to be able to overcome the physical pressures that are exerted on them in the course of work. Emotionally, nurses get affected as they handle different cases, some of which are traumatic. The nurses need to find a way of easing the emotional stresses that they experience taking measures to ensure that these do not build up gradually or progressively. Yet again, nurses need to get in touch with their spiritual selves so as to have an assurance of being under the protection of a superior being. In as much as compassion fatigue can cause a lot of suffering and pain, caregivers can overcome its effects by learning its symptoms and taking appropriate actions to avoid or overcome the disorder in case it takes root

A History of the World Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A History of the World Economy - Essay Example However, it remarkably focuses on the gains and resilience of the free world economy. It systematically traces the origins and ultimate arrival of a global order now ubiquitously termed as globalization. The industrial revolution in the early 18th century ushered in an era from when there has been no looking back. Be it political, social or economical developments, changes had started happening, and happening fast. Too fast for philosophers and researchers to apply the prevalent principles and pinpoint which way the world was headed and how best to keep matters under control to avoid situations running out of hand. Unknown then, the world was inexorably headed towards two world wars when the globe caught in the destabilizing politics of world domination by different European countries and exultant with the benefits of the new inventions like the "Morse Code" telegraph and the steam engine, did not think what could happen to a globe as a result of selfish motives. And when the wars did take place in two quick successions it was too late to put in place a proper political and economical order. It also led to a debilitating depression when the political framework and economic structures had lost their moorings and had to be restructured from a scratch. None would challenge the view that the concept of globalization existed well before its actual ascendance. The very term 'globalization' has seen a widespread and rapid usage and acceptance since the last two decades. Economists like Martin Albrow defined globalization in terms of a single world society and system of processes which incorporates the world into one homogenous order. Or like Anthony Giddens who described globalization as a "new form of world interdependence." However, none would have guessed the enormity of scale in which globalization has seen changes in world economy in which economy that was not based on democratic principles was bound to collapse. The book has little to offer on the pre-globalisation era except during the pre and post war periods. It only dwells at length on the different situations and practices of economy in different parts of Europe, especially central and east Europe in comparison with the well developed economy of the north and northwestern Europe. Communication and Transport The upsurge in economy resulting from rapid advances in communication and transport saw the emergence of a new world order. Corrupt, obsolete socialist, bigotry, and archaic systems could do little to withstand the speed with which they had to introduce reforms they would have rejected had they the choice. True, globalization to any countries was synonymous with western culture. Because western countries like the USA, UK, Germany, and France were anyway in the forefront of the new economic system. The speed and ease with which communication and traveling became possible with the internet and airways and bullet trains were quickly adapted by these nations and countries like China, India, Korea, and the Eastern. European nations like Poland followed suit with their large skilled workforce. The book systematically closes in, following the events of the 18th century onwards, on the inevitability of globalization even in the face of stiff

Argumentive Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Argumentive Evaluation - Essay Example This paper will critically evaluate how the author built his argument, his tone, mood, purpose for his argument and describe his audience. Stoll (248) argues that giving glitzy gadgets to a child who cannot read or write in class is of no good. He claims that is more painful to direct little children to computer screens than making them read a few pages of a book. However, the author fails to understand that introducing a child to technology at an early age prepares him/her for the modern world that is driven by technology day by day. It is easier to introduce technology to children because they learn faster than adults; thus, teaching them how to use computers even if they can hardly read or write gives them a chance to learn other things such as games, which is more fun than forcing them to read a page in a book. The author Stoll (248) also argues that teaching machines drive students away from reading and writing and even prevent them from attaining scholarships. This is because c omputers take the ability of students to understand questions before writing answers; thus, they substitute the ability of students to reflect and think critically, which involves originality, concentration and intention. Nevertheless, the author is hasty in concluding that computers substitute the ability of students to think critically. Computers do not provide straight forward answers to all questions. This means that students who use computers are required to read and understand the content provided in the computer so that they can choose the best in order to make their own conclusions. Thus, a lot of understanding and critical thinking is required. Moreover, the students are likely to have more fun while searching for information in computers than spending painful hours in the library reading many books. Hence, technology makes learning fun and effortless. As stated by Stoll (248), technology encourages intellectual passivity. He argues that students are likely to focus more on having fun than learning. As a result, they develop inability to exercise patience, persistence, and attentiveness. However, the author fails to explain how students develop distaste for these inabilities by using technology to learn. On the contrary, students are able to exercise patient, attentiveness and persistence when using technology. This is because for them to understand what they are doing they need to be patient and pay attention to the instructions given by their teachers. Moreover, Stoll (248) argues that taking learning as fun cheapens the process of learning and the product. This means that by integrating fun into learning, teachers no longer focus on teaching but entertaining students, which results in poor quality of education. The students also focus more on having fun than learning and scholarships lose their meaning. However, this is not true. This is because if teachers would focus only on teaching, the students would likely to get bored with time. The truth is that everybody gets bored with routine and especially being in a classroom all day without any form of entertainment. If students get bored in class, they may not understand anything that the teacher says. For this reason, incorporating fun in the learning systems makes the learning process even more fun and the students develop more interest in learning; hence, the improving the

Trusts and Pensions Essay Example for Free

Trusts and Pensions Essay Introduction After the World War II, western European governments had taken several measures to provide better working conditions and job security to their citizens. Some of such policies aimed to provide guaranteed minimum income to people, some policies guarantee old age benefits and social security insurance, while still some policies aimed to provide housing, healthcare etc. facilities to lower income people (Gough, 1987).   Ã‚   These policies worked smoothly till the late 1970’s but from the last two decades, when Western European states tried to maintain their economies according to the international competition (Rhodes, 1996); they had come to the conclusion that these welfare policies are responsible for slower economic growth and rising rate of unemployment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The economy and the social cohesion of EU have the threats of steadily growing high unemployment. They now have set their target to raise the employment and the participation ratio in European labor market. But the most fatal problem is that, it will definitely take several years to solve. Similarly aging labor force is also one of the major dilemmas of European Union labor market.   It has been estimated that only 50% of the citizens under the age bracket of 55 to 64 years are in work in developing countries as compared to 75% of 25 to 54 years old and this percentage shrinks further in EU countries, i.e. only 39% (Young, 2002).   These figures depicted a serious dilemma because if these would not be improved then by 2050 EU would suffer a 6% decrease in population and sharp increase in pensions and health spending which will be escalated from current 15% of GDP to an estimated 22% (EU must reform labor markets to reduce unemployment). What is pension? An advantage, generally in terms of money, remunerated recurrently to retired workers or their dependents by private companies and government organizations (Ball, 2002). An alluring element to worker reparation packages are annuities. Companies are not obligated to set up pension rewards but do so to fascinate experienced workers (Armstrong, 2002). A particular figure of money has to pay into an annuity account which set up by the company. The company appoints a reliable committee, for the good management of the fund, which is known as â€Å"trustee† (Scrimshaw, 2001). It is their responsibility to spend the fund in different pecuniary schemes and stock market to flourish the fund on behalf of the company. The amount in this account can be raise due to the investments (Clark Whiteside, 2003). The amount credited into this account is non taxable to the company and to worker up to the time of retirement (INCOMES DATA SERVICES, 2002). At the time of retirement worker can get money that continues up to a certain period or can get in one go, on which he/she has to pay some tax. The worker may obtain more money than the company has just because of his / her long life. In case, if worker expires prior to complete payment of his / her pension, the dependants will receive the residue of annuity. A person can get more than one pension as he / she have served in several organizations (Esping-Andersen, 1999). About United Kingdom’s retirement funds: â€Å"1670s Royal Navy introduced first systematized pension scheme 1908 introduced first general old age pension paying a non-contributory amount of between 10p and 25p a week, from age 70, on a means-tested basis from January 1 1909 Pensions Day. This was introduced during the Liberal government of David Lloyd-George. Sir William Beveridge, father of the welfare state, was an adviser (Esping-Andersen, 1990). 1921 – To comply with some situations of pension schemes a tax deduction permitted by approving Finance Act. 1925 – For those who receive  £250 per annum and for physical workers, a contributory State system has been approved as Contributory Pensions Act. According to this Act the pension was 50p per week at the age of 65.   1942 – A report was presented by Sir William Beveridge as Social Insurance and Allied Services with some proposals of state welfare. 1946 – Before 1946 the pensions were  £1.30 for a single person and  £2.10 for a married couple, started after the age of 65 years, in case of men and after the age of 60 in case of women. In 1946 UK government had introduced contributory pensions for all the workers 1947 the finance Act of 1947 had curtailed the maximum amount of tax relief on pensions 1959 Government has introduced a new pension scheme, which was called the Graduated Pension. It includes the people between the income bracket of  £9 to  £15 per week (Able Smith Townsend, 1961) 1975 Yet another pension Act, which was introduced in 1978, the Social Security Pensions Act was presented and it finally replaced the graduated pensions scheme. 1995 the Pensions Act of 1995 had set up new ideas and schemes for compensation and had changed the previous compensation method (Pierson, 1996) 1999 A new amendment in Pensions Act was introduced which guaranteed some minimum income to the needy pensioners. This was known as Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) 2001 – A new pension scheme, especially tailored for low earning males and female workers was introduced, which was called stakeholder pensions 2002 State Second Pension Scheme was introduced which replaced Serps 2003 Introduction of the Pension Credit, which will bring half a million pensioners into means-testing†. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/2488513.stm)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Now recognition of requirements has been clear by most of the countries for persons to get further of a function in supplying their pension profit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The scheme of retirement on the basis of stipulation on occurrence between transfers of profit experiences calamity due to long life escalation. Existence of a very small number of employees sustaining every retired worker can be known by â€Å"fresh arithmetic† as functioning people decreasing as long-lived-ness perdurable increasing (Hawksworth, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The tendency is ready to persist. The transfer of pension to self-supporting is a resolution, by which the management constructs the organizational and pecuniary foundation to facilitate and convince workers to protect and spend possessions for their personal pension (Brooks, Regan Robinson, 2002)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The management proposal to prepare the new annuity scheme and to persuade the improvement of a formation for annuity administered by other institutions is a remarkable prototype of this (Kelly, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This denotes actual prescience. Almost 16.3 per cent of inhabitants of the world produce by India and its old age citizens are, alone, 12.5 per cent of the world’s old age public. The incessant decease and birth ratio by additional public ingenuity and fitness will transform the comparatively present young generation of India which makes 70 million public above 60 years of age and less than 10 per cent out of them could hardly have pension. Rest of 90 per cent depends on their jobs or support by family. The fact, divulge through a joint research   by the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development and Asian Development Bank, that after the retirement 71 per cent people depends on their family in bucolic areas and 59 per cent in metropolitan areas (Jackman, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The central idea of restructuring of retirement income articulate by the Old Age Social and Income Committee i.e. â€Å"economic security during old age should necessarily result from sustained preparation through life-long contributions† and that â€Å"the government should step in only in case of those who do not have the sufficient incomes to save for old age† (Allen, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The preface of the described input, completely subsidized, personal retirement account annuities, along with the finance administration of these designated to confidential finance supervisors suggested by the Old Age Social and Income Committee in the subsequent statement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To raise the retirement income coverage, minimize the function of the state as retirement fund supplier and lessen the non subsidized annuity legal responsibility is the main objective to restructure any retirement fund.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The preface of the latest annuity scheme would capture the raise in the unsupported annuity legal responsibility of the government workers retirement fund by including the new government workers joining workforce from January 1, 2004; minimize the function of the government in sustaining the other untenable significant advantage of retirement fund legal responsibility, which would eventually drop on the government; grant worldwide access to public, facilitate individuals who do not have access to any means of transportation to construct the possessions for old-age benefits, and once the latest scheme reconciled, the government could have better resources to believe intensification the methods tested levy-funding retirement fund for persons who do not have sufficient earnings to self-supporting their old-age benefits.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As these seem individual parts of the scheme, one has to take emphasizing the importance of the whole view to look how the apparently individual parts of the scheme are, in fact, mutually dependent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   When alter in the retirement fund scheme is visualized there are always trepidation. The primary consternation is regarding the modification in retirement fund plan of government workers (TUC, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This has to be sighted in the outline of the untenably of the present defined benefit retirement fund. As stated by to the World Bank, for the Central government, the retirement fund proposal articulated as a share of GDP twice among 1995 and 2000.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The World Bank statement also specify that outlays on annuity for government workers are expected to develop quicker at the state level where service further than twice in three decades, leveling off just lately, and that the upcoming development in the retirement fund law would mirror this (Wallis, 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The shift to define contribution retirement fund for new workers is a step to alleviate this. The transition can be successfully level by professional finance administration and the controlling of the collected retirement fund on a constant basis (Pickering, 2002). In April 2005 an annuity supervisory body launched for trade which is formed by the 2004 Pensions Act. The superior importance on engaging genuine threat to affiliates’ advantages is obvious that the latest restrict method cause to feel itself in the pension realm as its primary semi annual functions under control by the body. To get the exact scenario of the present pension reform, the body compiled and tested the system information on an extensive array; the body is emergent and printing operation rules, aid to explicate the errands of entrusted managers and supervisors under the recent Act; and the body is efficiently functioning to minimize the threats. The mismanagement, swindle and mis-commitment are the major threats tried by the companies, and the body has the workforce to face them. The under financing, is still, the major lone threat dealing with all proposals presenting described advantages. The previous least subsidy requirement has not offered enough shelter against this threat and the truth is that most of the DB systems are presently low subsidized is not in argument. Assessing the extent of scheme shortfall is not a better solution, yet, as a collection of variables has to be measured – such as upcoming investment income, no body knows that when he / she will dies. Whichever procedure is applied, the numbers provide reason for trepidation. It has been anticipated, for instance, that the total scheme deficits of the FTSE 350 companies amount to  £72bn. The new legislation, coming into force at the end of 2005, requires schemes and sponsoring employers to confront and tackle this issue (Whiteside, 2003). Legal Requirements According to the latest ‘scheme specific’ financing administration, all proposals presenting described advantages will have to make a careful evaluation of their legal responsibilities, ascertain the measure of any financing deficit and suitable measurements will have to take to eradicate it. To measure the proposal’s legal responsibilities is the primary action in this regards is mandatory. There are no predefined rules to measure the responsibility, but, it is expected that all proposals should be evaluated as shortfall arise either due to the completion of the scheme and their accumulated rates. The entrusted management will calculate that how much financing is required to offer for the committed pension profits to pensioner as the scheme gets mature. The entrusted administration is also responsible to describe the sequential steps should be taken through a declaration of financing rules and work out the payment plan of contributions. And they also liable to arrange these papers and make sure that all supporting companies are harmonized with the contents.   A practical revival strategy should be taken place if resources are not enough, as many proposals are in unavoidable situation, due to the low financing. It should be predefined that how much financing is required and when. The recovery plan must contain an attested strategy by a statistician as further aid entails to attain the requisite level of financing. It is mandatory that the complete statistical assessment should be done in three to four years. And this assessment must contain all the required reports to facilitate the entrusted management to judge that how much development is done and how efficient. The translucency is also required for latest financing rule as further aspect. The copies of different reports achieved by the complete statistical assessment should be given to all members. And a yearly report should be distributed to all associates and recipients of benefit, which describes the development and efficiency status of any proposal. Transforming functions There are different roles which facing confronts due to the necessities of financing of the latest proposal. The prime resolutions should be passed by the entrusted managers (Storper Salais, 1997). The statistician is liable to give guidance to help them pass the resolutions. Whereas, the companies have no authority to intervene the entrusted managers’ role, but should, in several situations, bargain to locate a safe path to lead. To eradicate the shortfalls and to meet the requirements of financing entrusted managers are more influential than companies (Ward, 2002). As the entrusted managers are not necessarily be an economist or financial expert, so it is essential to them that they have to get guidance and work with a statistician or financial expert as and when required. A statistician should be well in communication. Companies have to be more liberalize with entrusted managers regarding their pecuniary matters rather they were behaving in past (CIPD, 2002) Functioning with the Controller The Retirement fund Controller’s primary task in this zone will be to collect data vis-à  -vis present proposal financial support and the deed that proposal are taking to deal with their shortfalls. The task of accumulating and scrutinizing the yearly proposal incomes is running smoothly and the collection of data associated to financial support is continue as when and how much more support require. For instance, the presentation of an alternative arrangement to gain the funds back is mandatory by the entrusted managers, in a specific period of time. If they fail to fulfill the requirements of the contract they must inform the controller about it. Statistician or financial experts are also supposed to perform in the same way, in case, if they fail to attest the computations which are applied to achieve the precise financial support. The controllers are also interested to be notified if any task undone at companies end, in prolong period. Controller’s Authority When the statistician and entrusted managers are fail to complete their task according to the latest rules – in case, as the company unable to perform as per the contract – the controller has the right to interfere to drive the functions in a right direction. The controller can instruct about the computation to get the desired financial support, if required, or in case of a shortfall, guidance should be given by the controller, when or how to be eradicated. Controller can alter the upcoming accumulation of incomes or a new plan can be applied, when it seems to be impossible. However, the controller intends to use these powers sparingly and only as a last resort. Their focus will always be on identifying potential risks, and working with trustees, employers and advisers to develop solutions and, ultimately, to secure a prudent level of funding. When Controllers Can Interfere? Some particular situations can make the controllers to look into the matter personally. For example, unbelievable information, reports regarding financial support as mentioned above, business reformation and other controllers report. To settle down the situation, reckon when and how to interfere into the matter, controller recommends the utilization of assure timely events. By the help, of different kind of events method, controller visualizes the working. In the first event, entrusted managers recognized the aim of desired financial support. Generally discussion, if controllers realize this has been place too low, controller may need to see at the proposal narrowly, while controller will obtain further issues into account – in case, it may be satisfactory for a powerful company to define their target at a lesser point than a feeble company. The other kind of event associated to the new strategy. When the period is more than a decade, for instance, or if it suggested an impractical point of assist in the upcoming, controller may need to converse it in more detail. In general terms, then, controller are expected to see narrowly at proposals with less desire financial support and even more regain strategy, while controller will obtain a realistic and profitably responsive method. The defined levels of the timely event situations, and the kind of interference that could effect, are concerns that we wish to converse truthfully with the business. A draw up paper defined how we propose to apply our authority is obtainable for free discussion During the contribution of public administration expert, association want to place annuity and retirement issues as part of complete recompense and service policies, sustaining the accomplishment of organizational objective by encountering the requirements of their present and upcoming workers. This points out that these policies need to be customized to the situation of each business. There emerge to be three essential parts, and it is in these three zones that public administration expert can and is earning a main payment: There is an obligation for obvious and converse retirement fund and recompense strategy objective, level to the requirements of the business and its employees. Public administration expert require cultivating their panel and line associates on the context for and satisfied of these objective. Suitable retirement fund preparations can support a fit mental agreement, and aid a company succeeds in the rising ‘war’ for trained workforce and ability. With a getting old labor force, extra expandable method to annuity and retirement are turn into a essential part of useful resourcing policies. Business requires planning and put into practice suitable system to provide these policies. Suppleness and option in terms seem to be significant mechanism of these plans according to the requirements of further varied workers. We are ever more noticing organizations working more than one annuity plans and/or mix plans, and proffering workers retirement fund selections – all as element of inclusive supple benefits and complete recompense programs. Public administration expert are performing an important function in cultivating administrator and workers, facilitate them to take on private liability and make well-versed options as to the manner they desire to function and shift into retirement, with the suitable retirement fund provision to attain this. Price for Companies and Workers In all the investigation of tendency and foretells in work-related annuity provision, the related concerns of rising plan expenditure and governmental and bookkeeping necessities summit the lists of causes for transform. As PWC’s assessment of European pensions remarks, the option for national and work-related plans in all countries â€Å"is stark: higher taxes and contributions, or less generous pensions.† (Thompson, 2002). Companies expenditure increasing The chief financial officer of British Airways described on the day that the airline reported an annual loss of  £200 million that, ‘the change to a defined contribution pension for future staff is a necessary response to the competitive environment in which BA operates’. Correspondingly Geoff Pearson of Sainsbury’s informed public administration that the untenable expense of servicing their concluding salary scheme show the way to its closure to new candidate in April 2002 (CIPD, 2002). To protect the defined echelon of advantage and retirement fund the company tolerates all the threat of administration annuity investments according to the defined benefit. The workers of an engineering company â€Å"Pearson† have discovered that the complete safe business is not available on this earth. The wrapping up of their plan with a considerable shortfall could perceive them mislay up to half of the worth of their annuity ‘assurance’. The risk management even mendacity with the employer and just normally notified and erudite experts. According to the defined contribution plans, the worker has to take all the threats. Spend too conventionally and the growth of your own finance is very low. You have to face the fear of losing a considerable sum of your investment, when you spend your funds in a risky business. As the profit of your spending is below average, you either need to raise your payments or eventually get a low annuity, a truth that most of us realize when we gets the yearly statement of annuity, the plans purchase by our funds this year will be presently disturbing about (Merrick, 2001). When the stock market was at its peak, there is a better chance for intrepid workers that they can earn good profit in a defined contribution plan, where they reserve the surplus profits, rather than in a defined benefit scheme, where additional profit were reserved as a excess by the employer and might be utilized to support contribution holidays (Dore, 2000). That is the main reason of general shift to defined contribution plans in the 1990s allured slight interest and disagreement. As the present market state of affairs is totally change. Summary of Present Scenario The secure, trustworthy, if you are not capable to understand, comfort-blanket annuity atmosphere that persist for full-time, white-collar workers in numerous great corporations in the post-war years is well and truly over (Watson, 2001). We can quarrel on the reasons and whether under the new accounting law FRS 17 is just a cover up for primitive recompense- and financial prudence, but we are not interested to bring the atmosphere back into going to be able to wish that environment back into fortitude. Annuities have and are transforming. We may make the rules simpler, but we can not disregard the reality that Maxwell and the mis-selling scandals happened. We cannot retain the getting old people, any more than we can push our baby-boomer principles of frugality, faithfulness and tardy enjoyment onto the more globally minded, self-assured, but short-termist and doubtful, approaches and inspiration of Generation Y.   References   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Able Smith, B. Townsend, P. (1961). The Poor and the Poorest. London, Bell.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Allen, A. (2002) Silver lining,   People Management. Vol 8, No 17, 29 August   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Armstrong, M. (2002) Employee reward. 3rd ed. London, CIPD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ball, S. (2002) Pensions compulsion and compulsory contributions, Employee Benefits. July.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brooks, R. Regan, S, Robinson, P. (2002) A new contract for retirement. London, IPPR.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CIPD (2002) Reward management: survey report. London, CIPD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   CIPD (2002) Perspectives: HRH: a work audit. London, CIPD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clark, G.L. Whiteside, N. (2003), Pension Security in the 21st   Century, Oxford, OUP   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dore, R. (2000). Stock Market Capitalism: Welfare Capitalism. Japan and Germany Versus the Anglo-Saxons. Oxford, OUP.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Esping-Andersen, G. (1990). Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Princeton, NJ / Oxford, Princeton University Press/ Polity Press.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Esping-Andersen, G. (1999). Social Foundations of Post-Industrial Economies. Oxford, OUP.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   EU must reform labor markets to reduce unemployment, Management- Issues. http://www.management-issues.com/display_page.asp?section=researchid=1190# Retrieved December 5, 2006   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Gough, I., (1987), Welfare State, The New Palgrave, A Dictionary of Economics, vol. 4, London: Macmillan.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawksworth, J. et al. (2000) The European pensions and savings revolution. London, PriceWaterhouseCoopers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jackman, R. (2002) The global retirement crisis. Washington DC, Centre for Strategic and International Studies.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   INCOMES DATA SERVICES (2002) Pensions in practice 2002/3. London, IDS.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kelly, R. (2002) A better choice of pension, Financial Times.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Merrick, N. (2001) Benefits in the limelight, Employee Benefits, April.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pickering, A. (2002) A simple way to better pensions, Norwich, Stationery Office.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pierson, P. (1996). A historical institutionalist analysis, Comparative Political Studies, 29, 2.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rhodes, M. (1996), A New Social Contract? Globalisation and West Welfare States, European University Institute, EUI Working Paper RSC No. 96/43.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Scrimshaw, A. (2001) Pensions. London, CIPD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Storper, M. Salais R. (1997). Worlds of Production: The Action Frameworks of the Economy, Cambridge, MA, Harvard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thompson, P. (2002), Total reward. London, CIPD.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TUC. (2002) Prospects for pensions. London, TUC, June.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Wallis, S. (2002) Annuity rip-offs, Observer. 29 August.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ward, S. (2002) Planning your pension. London, TUC/Kogan Page.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Watson Wyatt. (2001)   Playing to win: strategic rewards in the war for talent. London, Watson Wyatt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Whiteside, N., (2003), Historical perspectives on the politics of pension reform in Clark and Whiteside Pension Security in the 21st   Century, Oxford, OUP   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Young, G.   (2002) The implications of an ageing population for the UK economy. London, Bank of England.

Male Representation In Soap Operas Media Essay

Male Representation In Soap Operas Media Essay The purpose of the following research paper is to present the Male Representation in Soap Operas and the understanding that the audience has of the male characters in this genre. In order to do so the first step was Literature Review, so I have read books and e-books which concerned the audience attitudes in television in general and the representation of masculinity in television. From each book have been selected carefully the chapters that were relevant with the topic, in order to create an idea in relation with the topic. Articles and periodicals had been read in relation to the topic. In this paper I have discussed three research methods. Two methodologies have been discussed hypothetically, questionnaires and intensive interview. As a pilot methodology I used focus groups, that I tested in real and provided findings for this paper. The findings from the focus groups were that the audience understands the two types of male characters and shows their preference in the traditional Man who represents power. They dont prefer the sensitive man who isnt in control. The audience prefers to see unrealistic situation of a social class they can never be a part of rather than watch the life of everyday people. Introduction Soap Opera was originally introduced in the American audience in the 1930s in the radio. It was dramatized series. The name of it was given due to the sponsors and the commercial presented by detergent companies. It has been present in programs ever since, it has spread worldwide and followed a remarkable development of characters situations and relationships. We witness the development of male and female characters and their course throughout the decades. The male representation in Soap Operas is very important as well as the development of society and the way men are involved. We notice at first the typical father in the 1950s who gradually turns into a rich, successful smart businessman who is surrounded by pretty, kind and evil women and men. Also he becomes a sensitive man who isnt afraid anymore to express fear, anger of love. The male role model changes according to the needs and demands of the society. This project will focus on how man is present in Soap Operas and how the audience follows their presence. Literature Review Rethinking the Media Audience By Pertti Alasutari In order to create an idea about how to approach my topic Male Representation in Soap Operas, I should begin with finding what actual audience is. In chapter 9 it is mentioned that four (4) criteria must be followed so as to characterize someone as an audience member, Firstly, the exposure of an individual or group of individuals to a particular message of any mass medium. Secondly, the writer considers the attention given to the message and if it is decoded. Thirdly, the ability of the group to retain the information and store for the future. Fourthly, Alasuutari mentions the shaping of the individual or group perceptions and beliefs concerning a subject. Another chapter which helped me to establish a thorough image about audience in Soap Operas is chapter 8. In chapter 8 John Tullach, mentions that even though the majority of Soap Operas follow the popular topics, there are other as well which follow less expected frames such as cultural topics. Thats how I realize that the audienc e could be broader and different of what I had in mind. So, I found the information I read very helpful as I understand that, not only women of all ages are the audience of Soap Operas but also men should be considered as viewers as well. Serial Monogamy: Soap Opera, Lifespan and the Gender Politics of Fantasy By Christine Scodari This book provides me with many details about relationships among families, men, women, children, friendship. But especially in chapter 4 which gave me information about older woman, younger man relationship and the opposite, older man, younger woman. As we know from our own experience as television viewers mass media has created the image of the old rich man that has all the power, no matter how this power is portrayed (ex: beautiful young woman, expensive car, mansionsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦). Traditionally older rich men have young attractive women authority, power, wealth-are framed as sexually appealing, Scodari,(2004). On the other hand older women over 40 simply do not appear as romantic leads, Scodari,(2004). In other words Soap Operas are based on the standard theme of love but in variations having to do with age, status, money and appearance. So, we see the appearance of the young kind, poor man and the old rich, bad man, the two classic versions of Soap Opera male characters. Chri stine Scodaris book successfully confirmed my observation through personal experience the standard characters of men in Soap Operas. Screen Tastes, Soap Opera to satellite Dishes By Charlotte Brunsdon Having read Screen Tastes, Soap Opera to satellite Dishes by Charlotte Brunsdon I realized that Soap Operas are the reflection of our society. Soap Operas are not only an important part of television history but also the representation of the contemporary society. In other words at some point women become as important and influential as men. So, men are sometimes even behind women in jobs and even in families. Precisely in the sixth chapter through the series Widows that focuses on the influences men may have on women in order for them to be stronger and smarter. The series also provokes questions about whether we can speak of masculinity and femininity in relation to practices of television viewing Brunsdon,(1997). In other words even though Soap Operas are originally viewed by female audience only, eventually gain male viewers as well. That is even if men are not present the masculine model influence women and leads their way. We see then another side of male representation in Soap Operas. This book gave me good information about my topic. Even though it is written in 1997, the data provided can be used even todays research. Masculinity and Popular Television By Rebecca Feasey This particular book deals exclusively with the topic of this Research Paper Male Representation in Soap Operas. Rebecca Feasey author of this book examines the theme of masculinity in television. A lot of studies have been done on TV as the history of it and its pervasiveness present a lot of interest .Furthermore the practically unlimited number of programs makes the  field of research practically endless. Also the easy access to the medium should be taken into consideration. Finally the existence of previous texts makes TV welcome by everyone. Masculinity presented is rather fixed, stable and unalterable ,Feasey(2008). Men are formed by the cultural environment that makes their masculinity available to study. Hegemonic masculinity: this term is used in the book to define white, heterosexual, competitive, individualist and aggressive men, Feasey(2008) who are present everywhere. This male is strong, successful, capable and authoritative, Feasey(2008). Man represents power. This is the ideal image of men. A standard idea of man having dominance over woman. Therefore masculinity is a set of exterior and interior features followed by men in all aspects of their lives. In all Soap Operas men are presented as friends, fathers, heroes and martyrs, Feasey(2008). All types are set in social and sexual debates of the period. Having read the second chapter of the book I noticed that hegemonic masculinity type and the dominant male role co-exist. There seems to be a representation of men in domestic drama and the status of men in the broader population. In the history of Soap Opera we see the focus on family, relationships and friendships. This creates the following male characters: the sensitive new man, the decent husband, the hero and of course the villain. When the woman has problems with her husband, there comes the Sensitive New Man who will listen to her, give advice and be supportive. There is also the Decent Husband who will not cheat on his wife and he will be good and kind. Another type is the Hero who sees life in a romantic way that makes him attractive to women. Finally, there is the Villain how always souses troubles and manipulates men and women. Another characteristic on male characters in Soap Operas is that men start expressing their feelings. They are no longer as hard as rocks but they start to express emotions to other men. They have intimate, deep conversations. According to a research conducted by psychopathologist Simon Baron- Cohen men have got pathological difference with women. We must mention that due to their brains inability to use the emotional activity in the right hemisphere men are at a disadvantage compared to women. Women have emotion in both hemispheres thats why they are more emotional. Men are brought up to be hard and not showing feelings. So men expressing feelings and emotions and showing sensitivity are opposed to stereotypes existing so far and introduce a new type of man. We see that there is no privacy for the Soap Opera characters as all conversations happen in a big range of places. So, everything can be witnessed by everyone so no secrets are kept in the long term. Another conclusion I have made after reading this book is that men fear the presence of a stronger man who will question their authority and try to take over him and his belongings. What used to be seen as a way of keeping femininity could now easily show how men take over private sphere. This way the public and the personal field are somehow mixed. Fatherhood and paternity are largely debated in Soap Operas. Fathers are important; they strive for their children wellbeing. They can even be single fathers so in total control of their upbringing. The paternity of children is often questioned in Soap Operas. This makes women having control over men as only they know the actual truth. The first Soap Operas  such as Dallas (1978-91) and Dynasty (1981-9) revolved around the central male protagonist who owned a business and tried to keep the balance between job, family, love and friends. The patriarchal American hero would often fail in order to regain more strength after suffering and adventures. To summarize this book offers information about the Male Representation in Soap Operas. On one hand we see that a man having a Hegemonic Masculinity has power, wealth and brains but, on the other hand se we that men start to express their feelings and emotions. Masculinity and Popular Television by Rebecca Feasey, has been very useful as it provided me with a lot of figures about my topic. It also helped me make a clear image about how to conduct my methodology about designing the questions which will complete my project. Academic Journal Soap Operas men in the 90s By Carol Traynor Williams This article focuses only on male representation in Soap Operas in the 90s. Mainly mentioning General Hospital and the Bold and The Beautiful we see the presence of men in them and their interaction with women and other men. It is clearly stated that men are manipulated by women in all aspects of life: their jobs, their families, their friendships. Men seem to be in control of things but there is always a woman pulling the strings. In The Bold and The Beautiful Ridge Forrester is loved by Brooke who is always influencing him and makes him agree with her by use of her femininity. Eric Forrester his father alike is influenced by Stephanie in all his decisions. Also is The Young and The Restless we see that men come from one woman to another, changing them without hesitation in order to have more money or more fame. I have realized that Soap Opera writers who were asked about their inspiration concerning male characters they answered that the formation was based on womens desire to be with a stronger, rather villain man who would sweep women off their feet and run away with. This helped me a lot with my task as it gave me information about Soap Opera that was really famous in Greece in the past. I had a clear idea about male characters their thoughts, their incentives and I will use it in my focus group. Periodical Hard Work Always Pays Off: Jobs, Families, and the Evolution of a TV Myth By Mary Ann Watson In this periodical article by Mary Ann Watson, there is information about male, representation in TV series since the 1950s. The development of male characters through the decades, helped me in better understanding the presence of men in the Soap Operas. At first, the male character was the typical representative of the contemporary society as well. He was a father, who followed the motto Hard Work Always Pays Off. This meant that if a man worked hard, his efforts would have positive results for himself and his children. As decades passed, we see that the male stereotypes changed as women start having active roles and are not happy with only being mothers and housewives. The course of male characters justified the present of men in the Soap Operas in the 80s and the 90s. They have evolved from ordinary everyday men to rich, handsome, smart men who are ready for everything but are influenced at some level by a pretty, smart woman. As this task focuses only on male representation in Soap Operas, this article was useful in order to see how male characters developed and so understand better the reason why writers present men in Soap Operas this way. Web Why Do Men Watch Soaps? By John Beadle John Beable in January 12, 2010 was the news columnist of www.Soaps.com . The title of his article attracted my attention in a way that after all the several book and articles that I read in order to build the basic knowledge for this topic, the same question was raised. Because in general, the Soap Opera focuses on and deals only with women. This is not entirely true and the representation of male characters in Soaps proves that they created their own history and their own development based on the changes of our society. So, Beadle in his article sets the question of Why do men watch Soaps? and gives his explanations about the reasons. One reason why the men watch soaps is that at first they were trapped in this because their wives were viewers. He characterizes this process slow, in other words they didnt even realize how this happened. Second, John Beable sets the Myth that only gay men watch Soap Operas. He doesnt reject this Myth. He makes clear that not only gay people watch Soaps but straight men as well, with the small difference that straight men dont admit it. Third, the writer of this article confirms that his mother was viewer of Soap Opera and points out that this activity of watching soaps was something normal. Finally, in the college they started watching unwillingly but eventually were introduced in the plot and need to know how it goes. This statement confirms also what Rebecca Feasey says in her book, Masculinity and Popular Television, that the majority of the male audience starts w atching Soap Operas while they are in College. This article was pleasant to read because it was in some point of view, a confession by a man who admitted openly watching Soaps as everyone else. The criteria for watching werent based on gender or other factors. It didnt provide with new information about Soaps, but by the use of humor he expressed what urges men as well to watch Soaps. Methodology Questionnaire The first research method that seemed appropriate for this topic was questionnaires, so it would be one of the two hypothetical methods. Soap Operas even in our days are surrounded by fame almost as it happened ten (10) years ago. One very typical example of fame and continuity is that The Bold and The Beautiful is a Soap Opera show that even today is broadcasted and has numerous viewers. Taking the opportunity of that , this Soap Opera was welcome by the Greek Television in the early 90s.It became popular very quickly and soon everyone talked about Ridge and Caroline. If carefully planned and prepared a questionnaire, it would be a good way to examine how the audience were understanding the representation of male characters through this particular Soap Opera. By using this method I would have the opportunity to capture the participants attitude towards the representation of man and more specific the focus would be of two main characters of The Bold and The Beautiful Ridge and Thorne. This quantitative method of research and gathering information is a good opportunity to get answers about how the audience understands male characters from Soap Operas. The method of questionnaire is structured and conducted, it has numerous advantages and disadvantages. The cost of conducting a questionnaire as research method is significantly low and the process is straightforward if we compare it with other methods of research and in relation to the important information we can collect. Furthermore, this method gives to the researcher and the participant a geographical independence because the only equipment that is necessary for the completion of this research, are only paper, pens and the participant of course. Moreover, a lot of studies have been done beforehand. So I can easily acquire material to help me work with. Opposing the advantages of this methodology, a questionnaire may have number of limitations. First of all and the most important disadvantage of the questionnaires is that, the independent variables cannot be controlled or manipulated. Second, the wrong use of word and questions by the researcher can make the content unclear to the participant with the result of not collecting the right answers. Closing one more disadvantage of survey methodology is the response of the participant to the researcher with fake data or fiction answers. This option can destroy the result of the survey by the time that the data that are gathered are not true and would be able to form different/ false findings of the research. This is the questionnaire that I would give to the participants about the Representation of Male Characters in Soap Operas. The purpose of the questionnaire is the method of research and it was designed to identity if The Bold and The Beautiful viewers can identify the male representation. Questionnaire Please choose the answer that that corresponds to your viewpoints. Please specify your sex. Male Female Please specify the age group that you belong. 18-25 26-35 36-45 45+ Did you watched any Soap Opera Yes No If yes, which one? The Bold and The Beautiful General Hospital Other Did you watch it every day or occasionally? Daily Occasionally Did you find the time the Soap Opera was aired convenient for you? Convenient I missed it sometimes What did you like the most of these Soap Operas? Plot Characters Actors/ Actresses Did you usually watch the episodes alone or this company? Alone With company ( Family, friends ) Did you discuss the plot, the characters or any other aspect of the Soap Opera episodes with others? Yes No Sometimes With whom did you usually discuss it? Family Friends How did you find the depiction of male characters? Realistic Unrealistic Interesting What characteristics of male characters attracted you most? Appearance Power Brain Sensitivity How similar are Soap Operas male characters with person of real life? Very A little At all Did you like watching a sensitive side of men in Soap Opera? Yes No How realistic was it to watch sensitive men in Soap Opera? Very Little At all Intensive Interviews The case of the Male Representation in Soap Operas is an issue that has not received a lot of attention, because Soap Opera as a genre originally focuses on women audience who were the first audience through the history of TV. Because of that, male characters were originally supportive (secondary) characters on the plot and they were less memorable to the viewers. But this is not a fact because several Soap Operas based their success on their male characters, for example, Ridge for The Bold and The Beautiful who was the object of pleasure for the female audience. This example will lead the second hypothetical methodology into the Intensive Interviews. I decided to use Intensive Interviews as the second methodology. One-on-one interviews would be able to provide detailed background about the reasons respondents give specific answers. (Wimmer and Dominick(2011)) . From this method the researcher can collect data from the interviewer that regard opinions, motivations, feelings and experiences. Also allows the observation of nonverbal responses and furthermore allows to the interviewer to form the questions based on the response of the interviewee. Of course this method has advantages and disadvantages. Intensive interviews or in-depth interviews provide the advantage based on the freedom that provides to extract information form the participant about the specific topic and gain accurate answers of sensitive issues. Also the Body language, the tone of voice and gestures would give the advantage to the researcher to form the questions according to the feedback received from the participant. The disadvantages of Intensive interview are quite a few. Generalizability is one of the negative aspects. It has to do with nonrandom sample that is used from the researcher. Questions that do not follow a certain pattern can provide answers very differentiated than the question. Second, interviewer bias, is another disadvantage of this method. Because of the personal contact that the researcher has with the interviewer, they can come up with in a dialogue. In that case the researcher is very likely to share information and opinions with the interviewers and vice versa. In this case the answers o f the intensive interview will not be accurate and would not be considered as correct data. Taking into account this risk, the researcher should be careful and avoid sharing information with the participants in order to control the interview. Finally, the researcher should keep the duration of the interview as short as possible in order to avoid having a tired participant who most probably will not answer honestly and will only want to end the interview. The Actual Interview After the participant and the interviewer shake hands and formally introduce their selves, in order to form a comfortable atmosphere, the questions which are designed based on the theory about Intensive interviews will go on: You are familiar with the Soap Opera as a television genre? Have you watched The Bold and The Beautiful? Since you are familiar with this Soap Opera, can you tell me why you watched it? Could you tell me what the plot of this Soap Opera was about? Do you remember any male character? And why? Could you describe Ridge and Thorne? Cloud you say the main characteristics of those two characters? What was their main difference? Could you choose which one of those two characters was more representative male character in real life? What makes you, remember those characters at the most? Pilot Focus Groups The research method that will be discussed and be actually tested is Focus Groups. The reason is because by definition The focus group, or group interviewing, is a research strategy for understanding peoples attitudes and behavior. (Wimmer and Dominick,(2011)). I decide to apply this methodology in the pilot study of this Research paper because of the four (4) characteristics of this technique. First, the focus groups involve participants (people) and second those people share the same characteristics and interest to this particular Soap Opera topic. Third, focus groups give the opportunity of qualitative data collection. The data would be able to present an image about the better understanding of the topic and to reveal a greater collection of opinions about the specific topic of the focus group. Fourth characteristic is that the focus group gives a flexibility on the questions the majority of which are planned to be asked are predetermined but they can provided further questions to the participants in order to reach the goal of this research. The Focus Groups methodology would be the pilot method of this Research paper but before we have to point out the advantages and disadvantages of this method. There are five (5) advantages. The first is that the Focus Groups allows the collection of preliminary information about the topic or a phenomenon (Wimmer and Dominick,(2011)). The preliminary information could be used in the pilot study in order to have the formation of the idea that would lead the research in clearer results and might be used for future researches. Second advantage of this method is that a focus group can be conducted very fast. Third, is the cost of a focus group which is very attractive for the researchers and the participants. Fourth, the flexibility in the questions is one big advantage. The follow-up question which would be created by the moderator to the participants gives the opportunity to focus on the important points that come up from the conversation. Also the researcher can provide to the participants before the focus Group, to complete a written questionnaire that covers the material of the focus group. Final advantage is the dynamics that a group can offer, because the questions would be formed based on the peoples spontaneous answers in a sense that the data collected would be more complete and less inhabited than the data that individual interviews can provide. On the other hand, the disadvantages are a few. First the group leader, one of the participant who would take the role of the leader in the group in a sense that he/she would try to attract the attention and monopolize the conversation. Also this participant would try to force his/her opinion to the other participants. If the researcher faces a situation like that, he should be able to control this kind of situation by motivating the other participant to express their opinion. Second, groups of 4-6 persons is not recommended for gathering quantitative data, because the aim of the focus group is to collect qualitative data such as why? and how?. Third, the researcher who would monitor the focus group should be skilful in order to identify and puss the participants with further questions for further information. Fourth, is the weakness which small groups have that there are no representative population samples. Fifth, the researcher in order to take the data from the focus group so as to examine and document it is recommended to use technological equipment such as recording equipments( tape recorders, video camera). Those might distract participants attention and make them not act normally in the group. Finally, if the participants of the group are allowed to lose or be confused on the topic, then the data would not be useful. The procedure In order to pilot focus group for my research about Male representation in soap operas I have to follow a number of methodological steps of preparation in the conduction of focus group. 1) I have to define the precise topic of the research, 2) I have to choose samples that represent my topic in the best possible way, 3) I have to determine the number of the group necessary, 4) I have to prepare the mechanism ( the room that the research would take place, the video wall and other required equipments), 5) I have to prepare the materials for the research, such as video clips to be shown, photographs, recording machines and the questions that would lead the groups based on the materials. 6) I have to conduct the session, 7) after the end of the focus group I will have to go though the answers and the findings and conduct the results. Material The material that will be presented to the participants of the focus group would be from the Soap Opera The Bold and The Beautiful. The series was showing on Greek television and during the 90s it had a great success and many loyal viewers. In the materials there will be two (2) photos of the male characters Ridge Forrester (Ronn Moss) and Thorne Forrester (Wilson Harmon). The characters are chosen because of their being lead characters in this Soap Opera for more than 16 years. More precisely Ronn Moss has been the protagonist since 1987until even today, and Wilson Harmon has been a protagonist since 1996 until today as well. Also they are chosen because of their different characters. The first is a representative example of the Man with power, money and the second is the example of the New Man, the sensitive, the supportive male character in the soap opera. The material will be only photos because of the participants of the focus group which I will explain further down. The Group The group is designed specifically about this specific Soap Opera. It consists of women who are engaged with the topic and will provide with information about those two characters and how they understand the masculinity of their characters. All those 6 women belong on the age group of 30-45. All of the participants were watching these Soap Opera during the 90s as college students. The Questions The questions that I asked the participants in order to make the conversion are the following: Did you watch Soap Operas? Do you remember The Bold and The Beautiful? What was all about? (in terms of plot) Can you identify this man? Which was the character that he played? Could you characterize him in one word? What did you like on him? Please notice that those questions were only in order to motivate the conversation and show to the participants what I want them to recall from their memories and discuss about. There is the possibility of not using all of them. Findings The findings of the focus group were at the very first point very clear, without the researcher trying to categorize the two characters into power and sensitive. The group expressed very clearly their favor about the Man of power instead of the New man. As Rebecca Feasey points out in her book those characteristics given to male characters are usually represented in Soap Operas and they serve women. So, in the findings the focus group confirmed that there are two types of characters in soap operas and the classic Man still attracts women. Women like to see a man in control who can take care of every situation. Conclusion   Male Representation in Soap Operas   was a topic very close to me, as it has interest and provides informational background. It was an ideal topic for my fist contact with actual research. Based on curiosity at the beginning, of why men are not a popular research topic, especially since   the world is created by them, for them. This research experience came to change this stereotypical idea. During the whole process of this research, from the day that I started thinking about the topic, the literature review which created another dimension about television in general, what it was in the 30s an

Causes of Increased Corporate Social Responsibility

Causes of Increased Corporate Social Responsibility Abstract Aim The main aim of this research was to establish the extent to which the increased priority of CSR is in actuality a reflection of companies acting to meet the interests of society or simply a means for generating profits in a marketing oriented way. In this regard, the research sought to explore CSR behaviour in depth and in turn tried to establish companies rationales for CSR behaviour in the UK food retail industry. Methods A mixed methodology with both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis were used in the research. Qualitative content analysis was used for analysing the contents of food retailers websites pertaining to CSR. Store Audits were conducted in order to identify the CSR practices and extent to which they are exercised by different food retailers. In depth formal interviews were conducted with key decision makers with the goal of obtaining information on CSR activities. Lastly, a questionnaire survey was used with the UK consumer population as the population of interest. Results The members of the UK Food Retail Industry showed that they have given paramount importance to CSR in order to somehow become a better neighbour to their customers, render them effective public services and at the same time contribute to the preservation and protection of the environment. The responses to the questions revealed a common rationale behind their CSR policies and ensured that the organisation established a good reputation amongst the members of the community, thereby enabling the latter to maintain a certain level of trust for the UK food retailers. Conclusion The study supported the fact highlighted by previous studies that companies have become more aware and mindful of their responsibilities, roles and rights towards the society. They were seen to have implemented activities, practices and guidelines in order to fulfill their legal, ethical, social and environmental roles and responsibilities towards stakeholders, employees, customers, and environment and society in general. However, it can also be realised that these policies contribute to the building of trust in the customers towards the organisations. Thus, as the trust is established, it is more likely that the customers will remain loyal to the organisation, thereby increasing their chances of generating profit. Chapter 1: Introduction For many years Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been associated with related terms like business ethics, corporate performance, corporate accountability, corporate responsibility and stake holder involvement. In recent years CSR has grown into a well-known collective expression. The growth of CSR has been a result of organisations realising their responsibility toward their stake holders in the context of business scandals (e.g. Enron) and a growing concern for environmental changes (e.g. global warming). The European Union defines CSR as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interactions with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis (European Commission, 2002). According to Vernon and Mackenzie (2007), the question of whether companies should seek to do good by exercising CSR, rather than concentrate solely on wealth creation, is no longer interesting and in fact the focus today is on how well companies do good. Increasingly stake holders expect companies to take on public responsibility. Companies engage in CSR through diverse activities such as donating to charitable organisations (e.g. Ben and Jerrys), green activities (e.g. moves by major retailers to eliminate plastic bags and promote green bags) and by implementing environment friendly purchase and supply policies. A survey conducted by Research International, however, found that while CSR practices are commendable, they need to be viewed with caution as these activities are not sufficient in and of themselves (Social Funds, 2000). The scepticism about CSR activities is related to the growing trend for organisations to drift away from the hard issues and concentrate more on soft issues. The Research International survey revealed that despite ignoring crucial issues such as treatment of employees, and commitment to the local community, some companies portray themselves as socially responsible using charity and other CSR activities, which deal with soft issues (Social Funds, 2000). Sceptics also believe that CSR is often used purely as a marketing tool to improving business performance. In the context of CSR being rated as a priority by companies in the last few years (Cost Sector, 2009), this research aims to study the changing nature of CSR, with particular focus on an organisations motivation for engaging in socially responsible activities (whether it is a response to societys expectations or a strategic move by a company). By contributing to a deeper understanding of rationales, notions, risks and effects of CSR, the proposed research provides strategic insights on the subject. With findings based on both corporate and stake holder perspectives on the subject, this research aims to contribute to useful and interesting reading for both businesses and stake holders. The findings of this study are based on the UK food retail industry. Food retailers make a good context for study especially considering the several socially and environmentally responsible schemes that they are involved in and the significance of CSR asserted by industry standards. In this attempt Chapter Two provides the background and review of literature conducted in order to extensively analyse previous works published with regard to Corporate Social Responsibility and the manner by which it applies to the members of the UK food retail industry. Chapter Three discusses the different methods used in order to obtain data for the study to obtain relevant results. Chapter Four then presents the results obtained from the use of the different methodologies enumerated in the study. The results shall then be discussed in relation to the aim of the study in Chapter Five and conclusions would be provided by answering the research questions. Lastly in Chapter 6 we will give us an understanding of the scope and limitations of this study. Chapter 2: Background and Literature Review 2.1 Background of the study Societys preoccupation with the social responsibility of organisations has existed since at least the early 1930s and probably even before. Wells (2002) notes that it is perhaps the infamous Dodd-Berle correspondence contained within the Harvard Law Review Issue of 1931-32 that launched the debate on corporate social responsibility. The debate started when corporate law professor Adolf A. Berle Jr. published an article arguing for the imposition of legal control on management so that only their shareholders would benefit from their decisions (Berle, 1931). E.M. Dodd, another professor from Harvard, published an article that addressed the issue raised by Berle. He argues that besides focusing on the interests of the shareholders, managers must also take into consideration the concerns of the employees, consumers and the organisations stakeholders. Berle (1931) responded by saying that companies should â€Å"not abandon emphasis on the view that business corporations exist for the sol e purpose of making profits for their stockholders until such time as [one is] prepared to offer a clear and reasonably enforceable scheme of responsibilities to someone else† (Berle, 1932, p. 1365). Since the idea of corporate social responsibility has its roots in the legal community, several academic disciplines have followed the debate with little discussion occurring between and among them (Radin, 1999). More specifically, researchers in the field of business ethics have spent substantial effort in the past two decades to come up with a stakeholder theory that would eventually fall under corporate social responsibility, existing as a separate approach to management. The issue of corporate social responsibility was not discussed after the argument between Berle and Dodd. It resurfaced in the 1960s and the 1970s against the backdrop of the civil rights movement in America. This is due to the fact that the top agendas of politicians, public interest groups, individual citizens and corporations have been largely influenced by concerns about the environment, product safety, workplace health and safety, racial and sex discrimination, urban congestion, political corruption and technological advances. Apart from this, the increasing influence and power that organisations possessed during this period (this period being the 60s and 70s?) has eventually led to a widespread societal belief that large businesses have a duty towards ensuring the betterment of society (Banner, 1979). The power and influence of corporations, actual or perceived, and the impact of their economic, social and political actions on society in general, has led to a broad societal expectation that corporations be held accountable for their actions. Simply put, there is growing public sentiment that organisations must be responsible enough to weigh the impact of their decisions on the different parties involved. As a result, they must be able to eliminate, minimize or compensate for the harmful damages that they may inflict on society. The above mentioned justification is basically derived from a moral position that corporations are expected, and should, behave like any citizen in society. This expectation is also justified on the basis that corresponding responsibilities always accompany power. As Dodd (1932) asserts, â€Å"power over the lives of others tends to create on the part of those most worthy to exercise it a sense of responsibility.† Moreover, the increasing power of organisations has resulted in a societal expectation that corporations act proactively and at the same time, carry out a leadership role in order to provide solutions to problems that the world faces (CSR Survey, 2003). This means that given that organisations frequently have more resources than governments, they should give something back to the society. In the same manner, they are also called to allocate and offer some of their resources to carry out good works and help the less fortunate sectors of society. Overall, this CSR goal is justified as follows: initially, a societal need is identified. For instance, areas such as education, healthcare, low-income housing or the arts may require funding that cannot be generated privately or that government is unable to provide to enable these institutions to continue making goods or services available or even to exist. Second, corporations are identified as capable of filling the gap by providing either funds or infrastructure to address the need. In other words, an appeal to organisations is made because they frequently have the capacity, in accordance with their size and reach, to act as agents of â€Å"social progress† (Kahn, 1997). As repeatedly mentioned earlier, corporate social responsibility has been required of companies that have both, actual or perceived power and influence. This is why multinational corporations that operate parts of the globe where people fear the effects and consequences of Globalisation are expected to perform such duties. This, according to Zinkin (2004) is usually brought about by the fact that these corporations are usually seen as enemies rather than friends. Thus, to regain the trust and confidence of the people, the company must be able to make their social responsibility known as this is said to give them legitimacy to operate in a given country (Zinkins, 2004). 2.2 Literature Review In order to gain a better understanding of the concepts and principles of CSR, the review of literature is divided into the following sections: 1. Corporate Social Responsibility: Definitions and History, 2. Corporate Social Responsibility and the UK Food Retail Industry, and 3. Summary 2.2.1 Corporate Social Responsibility: Definitions and History Globalisation, the increasing influence of companies including small and medium enterprises, a change in the position and opinion of governments, and a paradigm shift in working with and appreciating the importance of building solid relations with stakeholders- are all factors that have contributed to changing the dynamics of the relationship between businesses and society. Businesses have always been mindful of their responsibilities towards society. The concept of companies sharing their resources and influence with other groups has been repeatedly spoken about for centuries (Bowe, 1953). Nowadays, companies have become more aware and mindful of their responsibilities, roles and rights towards the society. They are seen to have implemented activities, practices and guidelines in order to fulfill their legal, ethical, social and environmental responsibilities to stakeholders, which include shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers and the environment and society in general. These actions have been given many terms, including: (1) Corporate Responsibility or CR, (2) Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility or CSER, (3) Corporate Citizenship, (4) Corporate Accountability, and lastly, (5) Socially Responsible Business (SRB) (Raynard Forstater, 2002). However, the most famous terminology would have to be Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR. CSR first began to be written about by academics in the 20th century. The term Corporate Social Responsibility and the modern view on CSR are largely attributed to Howard Bowen, who is considered by many scholars, especially Carroll, as the father of CSR. Bowen conceived CSR as an integral part of a larger vision of a better American society with a robust and socially responsible business sector. Before Bowen wrote his book in 1953, CSR was not a generally accepted practice among businesses in the United States. Carroll (1991) writes that in the early years, businesses believed that their only obligation was to their shareholders and their only function was the quest of financial improvement in order to provide the greatest financial return to their shareholders. The errors of this way of thinking soon became apparent. For one, businesses still had to work within laws set down by governments. In the 1960s, groups advocating social issues pushed for a more extensive concept of responsibilities for businesses. In the 1970s, various organisations in charge of the social issues pushed by the activist groups were created in the U.S. Some of these organisations were the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These governmental organisations allowed the establishment of national public policy that now acknowledged the legality of environmen tal issues. The new policies forced businesses to re-examine their own strategies and to learn how to develop a balance between making a profit and the legal and ethical responsibilities placed on them by a widening range of stakeholders. For Bowen (1953), businesses become prominent in society because society needs the products and services provided by these companies. This grants businesses vital decision-making power in the way they affect the lives of many people. Therefore, for a balanced business-society relationship to continue, Bowen (1953) asks what responsibilities society can reasonably expect businessmen to assume. The answer to this question, Bowen states, is corporate social responsibility. He defines CSR as a social obligation that necessitates businessmen to engage in policies, formulate decisions, and implement actions that are considered desirable when connected with the objectives and values of society. He took a broad view when defining what business responsibilities include—responsiveness, stewardship, social audit, corporate citizenship and rudimentary stakeholder theory. Bowens concept of a mutual relationship between business and society is echoed by Porter and Kramer (2006), who point out that the value of CSR lies in the values companies share with societies they exist in. Businesses operate in social contexts and societies need the products and services that businesses provide, thus there is a mutual need for each entity. CSR, therefore, makes it possible to promote a collaborative relationship between business and society. Many have tried to create a definition of corporate social responsibility that encompasses its functions and the range of responsibilities it entails. One of the most comprehensive is that of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2007), which defines CSR as the long-lasting commitment that businesses create which compels them to behave in an ethical manner and to add to the development of the economy while helping improve the quality of life of their employees and their families in addition to the lives of those in the local communities and society in general. This definition is specific enough to imply the holistic and philanthropic maxim of CSR. It is also broad enough to include activities or programs that companies engage in that do not directly yield income but bring visible and long-term benefits to both the companies and the recipients of the programs and activities such as youth and partner communities. With this definition programs such as scholarships and funds for research, advocacy programs for the environment, and livelihood programs can be considered as CSR. One of the earliest authors on CSR, Carroll (1979) was the first to propose the four categories of ordered layers of CSR—economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary—when he wrote that the social responsibility of businesses includes the economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary expectations that society puts upon enterprises. Aupperle, Carroll, and Hatfield (1985) further defined these categories into: * Economic responsibilities showcase the principle that businesses have the primary responsibility to generate products and profits and fulfill the desires of their customers; * Legal responsibilities highlight the issue that economic responsibilities must be performed within the restriction of rules and regulations as mandated by the laws of the land; * Ethical responsibilities takes into consideration the codes, norms, and values that are not written into laws but are still followed implicitly by society; these responsibilities rise above the complexities of written laws and encompass activities that are vigorously carried out without any clear and defined statements made about them; * Discretionary or philanthropic responsibilities reflect the voluntary nature of actions that are not easy to establish and assess, but are still expected by society. These categories are still widely cited and frequently reproduced in management and CSR journals by researchers and authors on CSR. The reason for its lasting acknowledgement may be the simplicity of the model. Carrolls (1979) categories are logical and easy to understand. The author himself writes that these categories are merely guidelines or reminders that the motives or actions of businesses can be generally classified into any of the categories he presented. The arrangement and relative influence of each category was intended to imply the basic role each had in the progression of significance. When it first came out, Carrolls model reflected a point of view that was simultaneously retrospective and developmental. It was based on the assertion that historically businesses first emphasised only the economic aspects of their trade. The legal aspect came next, and the ethical and discretionary were only emphasised in recent years. Juholin (2004) suggests that companies practice corporate social responsibility (CSR) because of long-term profits that CSR brings to companies. Other reasons may also include the commitment of top management to the moral and ethical standards promoted by CSR, competitiveness of the market today, and the visionary skills of many business leaders that allows them to anticipate the needs of the future. Porter and Kramer (2006) agree that CSR provides long-term profits. The authors note that companies should practice CSR and integrate it in their core strategic plans to ensure long-term prosperity. This is because socially responsible activities can return goodwill for companies. On the other hand, activities that harm the environment or result in any disadvantage to stakeholders can only result in bad karma in the form of bad financial operation, low brand positioning, and, worse, a rift in the relationship between companies and their consumers and suppliers and even expensive litigations. Porter and Kramer (2006) write that corporations are not obligated to solve the problems of the world. They do not have resources to do this. But, a company that is well managed can have a greater impact than any other organisation or charity group when they do something good for society. CSR does not merely imply profitability for companies. Its results go beyond the costs or constraint of altruistic actions. CSR can be a source of market opportunity, improvement, and an edge over the competition (Porter Kramer, 2006). It also does not mean engaging in activities for the sake of doing what is socially required and expected of these companies based on legal and social laws, especially those on environmental issues. CSR implies taking action to go beyond these laws to minimize any harm towards and maximize benefits for all stakeholders in order to fulfill what society desires (Raynard Forstater, 2002). Warhurst (2001) identifies three major elements of CSR—product use, business practice, and distribution of profits. Product use entails the positive involvement of products from businesses that assist in the promotion of welfare and better quality of life for members of society. Business practice entails business governance that observes the rules and regulations and presents a high level of thrust towards welfare of the natural environment and equity for all generations and species. Distribution of profits entails equal distribution of profits across a varied range of sectors of society, with emphasis on local communities. Bowen (1953) also notes that CSR should not be seen as a primary solution to the many problems of society. CSR can only do so much, and it should only be seen by companies and society as a set of guidelines for businesses in the way they perform and carry on their operations within the context of a larger society and the many issues that abound within the social milieu that they operate in. A key concept of CSR is the idea of stakeholders. Stakeholders are all groups or individuals who have an impact on or are affected by the attainment of any organisations goals (Freeman, 1984). It can be said that stakeholders are any entity who have a big â€Å"stake† in what businesses do. The concept of stakeholders therefore goes beyond the shareholders, employees, and clients or customers of a company. It includes communities, public interest groups, social activist groups, environmental groups, and the media which, according to Freeman, author of the Stakeholder Theory, businesses are accountable to. Other researchers (Marcus, 1996; Munilla Miles, 2005) list specific stakeholders as: owners; customers; employees; local, regional and national communities; competitors; suppliers; social activists; public at large; creditors; non-government organisations (NGOs); and even the natural environment, which, although unable to state its opinions, has become a major stakeholder today because of the many laws promulgated to care for the Earth in a sustainable way. Hopkins (2003) writes that CSR primarily deals with ensuring that businesses treat stakeholders in an ethical or responsible way which means treating them in a manner considered suitable by members of any civilized society. The social context of this definition includes economic responsibility. Stakeholders can be both within businesses and outside it. This signifies the natural environment as a stakeholder. In a broader sense, the objective of social responsibility is to establish better and higher standards of living while maintaining the capability of businesses to make a profit. These two components of the objective of social responsibility are both done for the stakeholders within and outside companies. According to Freeman (1984) for successful transactions with stakeholders, businesses must accept the authority and procedures of various stakeholders. Stakeholders will thus have the freedom to communicate their concerns. Furthermore, to manage and develop a strong relationship with stakeholders, businesses must understand their concerns and develop programs that will address these concerns. Stakeholders have various ways to ensure that businesses fulfill societys expectations. Some may opt to organize rallies, some may opt for more peaceful negotiations, some may engage in joint activities such as seminars or tree-planting sessions or other awareness raising activities, and some may use the media to further disseminate their issues. For example, the environmental group Greenpeace printed leaflets and wrote articles against genetically modified food, which led some food manufacturing corporations to either stop production of certain products or to develop new, healthier items. Freeman (1984) points out that the term â€Å"stakeholder† first appeared in management literature in a 1963 international memorandum published by the Stanford Research Institute. The term then was strictly yet broadly defined as the peoples or groups who give their support to companies and without whom businesses would stop to surviving. The main idea in this initial context already shows a measure of the importance of stakeholders. In a way, this definition states that without the support of stakeholders, businesses would not be able to survive. Of course, the limitation of this definition lies in the fact that stakeholders here may mean only the groups that are influential for companies such as the shareholders or government groups or investors. Each business activity has a different group of stakeholders. This is because each individual in society is interested in and promotes a varied and widely different range of concerns (Freeman, 1984). Some are more interested in environmental issues, while others advocate employment benefits, and still others fight for education. One way to determine which stakeholder is relevant to which particular aspect of business is through the generation of a generic stakeholder map, which is a diagram of the various groups relevant to the whole organisation broken down into levels and subdivisions in order to divide big groups into small groups based on specific interests. Some experts, however, think that this mapping procedure does not encapsulate the complex linkages between businesses and the various individuals and groups in society. An approach of corporate social responsibility that centers on stakeholders emphasizes the strategic and effective management of relationships and promotion of what Freeman and McVea (2001) call shared interests. The stakeholder model also puts some emphasis on persuading businesses to rebuild or restore relationships with groups or organisations that they have been at odds with. A good stakeholder management program also involves open communication, negotiation, management, and motivation. The end result of all of these actions leads to the establishment of an attitude of partnership, mutual association and interdependence between businesses and stakeholders. All of these activities are held together by the values and ethical standards that businesses stand for. Freeman and McVea (2001) further emphasise that good stakeholder management promotes a business own company values. CSR does not mean catering to the interests of stakeholders while abandoning all other aspects of business. Rather it entails in-depth deliberations taking into account all factors of social expectations. A well-developed stakeholder management program also allows businesses to create approaches that can serve stakeholders even in the long run. Although some individuals may not be happy with short-term decisions and feel that their causes need more attention, a good stakeholder management program takes all things into considerations so that all stakeholders, not just a chosen few, continue to be firm supporters of businesses. Besides understanding stakeholders concerns, businesses must also look at the other components of CSR to determine the entire range of responsibilities that stakeholders expect them to embrace. When discussing and identifying these components of CSR, scholars and authors have been turning to the CSR pyramid presented by Carroll (1991). The CSR pyramid is arranged to follow the levels of Carrolls (1979) earlier work of the four categories of CSR. The arrangement is in accordance with the degrees of social expectations that have been connected with each category. It has been used to assess businesses performance in terms of quantity, quality, effectiveness, and efficiency in their implementation of CSR initiatives. Table 2.2.1 The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility Be a Good Corporate Citizen Philanthropic Responsibility Contribute Resources to the community; Improve Quality of Life Be Ethical Ethical Responsibility Obligation to do what is right, just and fair; Avoid Harm Obey the Law Legal Responsibility Law is Societys codification of right and wrong; Play the Rules of the game Be Profitable Economic Responsibility The Foundation on which all the others rest (Source : Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility (Carroll, 1991, p. 39)) Obligations or responsibilities included in the pyramid have always existed in the business world. But the importance of philanthropic and ethical responsibilities has only received attention in recent years. Through this pyramid, Carroll (1991) hoped to show that a good CSR program can be broken down into well-defined components that make up a complete package. It can be seen as a framework for comprehending companies ever-evolving CSR activities. In addition, looking at each component can help leaders to distinguish and understand the various obligations of businesses that are in constant conflict with each other but which are mutually exclusive. Based on the expected activities for each level, economic responsibilities seem to be always in tension with the other responsibilities. Carroll (1991) also included the concept of stakeholders in this model, pointing out that taking their perspective into account would allow businesses to recognize the tension between all levels of the pyramid as realities of any organisation. This perspective can also allow businesses to see the pyramid as a united basis or framework of how firms will implement their decisions, actions, and programs. As can be seen, economic profit forms the foundation of the whole pyramid. Carroll (1991) acknowledges the basic fact that businesses were created historically as economic entities that are primarily concerned with making money and creating profit. Without this component, all other responsibilities become moot. Carroll states that the idea he was proposing was that CSR, to be acknowledged as a legitimate action for businesses, had to deal with the whole range of responsibilities these businesses had to answer for to society. Of course this would have to include the most basic responsibility—economic. The next level shows that businesses are obligated to follow the rules of law—various national and international laws—that socie Causes of Increased Corporate Social Responsibility Causes of Increased Corporate Social Responsibility Abstract Aim The main aim of this research was to establish the extent to which the increased priority of CSR is in actuality a reflection of companies acting to meet the interests of society or simply a means for generating profits in a marketing oriented way. In this regard, the research sought to explore CSR behaviour in depth and in turn tried to establish companies rationales for CSR behaviour in the UK food retail industry. Methods A mixed methodology with both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection and analysis were used in the research. Qualitative content analysis was used for analysing the contents of food retailers websites pertaining to CSR. Store Audits were conducted in order to identify the CSR practices and extent to which they are exercised by different food retailers. In depth formal interviews were conducted with key decision makers with the goal of obtaining information on CSR activities. Lastly, a questionnaire survey was used with the UK consumer population as the population of interest. Results The members of the UK Food Retail Industry showed that they have given paramount importance to CSR in order to somehow become a better neighbour to their customers, render them effective public services and at the same time contribute to the preservation and protection of the environment. The responses to the questions revealed a common rationale behind their CSR policies and ensured that the organisation established a good reputation amongst the members of the community, thereby enabling the latter to maintain a certain level of trust for the UK food retailers. Conclusion The study supported the fact highlighted by previous studies that companies have become more aware and mindful of their responsibilities, roles and rights towards the society. They were seen to have implemented activities, practices and guidelines in order to fulfill their legal, ethical, social and environmental roles and responsibilities towards stakeholders, employees, customers, and environment and society in general. However, it can also be realised that these policies contribute to the building of trust in the customers towards the organisations. Thus, as the trust is established, it is more likely that the customers will remain loyal to the organisation, thereby increasing their chances of generating profit. Chapter 1: Introduction For many years Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been associated with related terms like business ethics, corporate performance, corporate accountability, corporate responsibility and stake holder involvement. In recent years CSR has grown into a well-known collective expression. The growth of CSR has been a result of organisations realising their responsibility toward their stake holders in the context of business scandals (e.g. Enron) and a growing concern for environmental changes (e.g. global warming). The European Union defines CSR as a concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and in their interactions with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis (European Commission, 2002). According to Vernon and Mackenzie (2007), the question of whether companies should seek to do good by exercising CSR, rather than concentrate solely on wealth creation, is no longer interesting and in fact the focus today is on how well companies do good. Increasingly stake holders expect companies to take on public responsibility. Companies engage in CSR through diverse activities such as donating to charitable organisations (e.g. Ben and Jerrys), green activities (e.g. moves by major retailers to eliminate plastic bags and promote green bags) and by implementing environment friendly purchase and supply policies. A survey conducted by Research International, however, found that while CSR practices are commendable, they need to be viewed with caution as these activities are not sufficient in and of themselves (Social Funds, 2000). The scepticism about CSR activities is related to the growing trend for organisations to drift away from the hard issues and concentrate more on soft issues. The Research International survey revealed that despite ignoring crucial issues such as treatment of employees, and commitment to the local community, some companies portray themselves as socially responsible using charity and other CSR activities, which deal with soft issues (Social Funds, 2000). Sceptics also believe that CSR is often used purely as a marketing tool to improving business performance. In the context of CSR being rated as a priority by companies in the last few years (Cost Sector, 2009), this research aims to study the changing nature of CSR, with particular focus on an organisations motivation for engaging in socially responsible activities (whether it is a response to societys expectations or a strategic move by a company). By contributing to a deeper understanding of rationales, notions, risks and effects of CSR, the proposed research provides strategic insights on the subject. With findings based on both corporate and stake holder perspectives on the subject, this research aims to contribute to useful and interesting reading for both businesses and stake holders. The findings of this study are based on the UK food retail industry. Food retailers make a good context for study especially considering the several socially and environmentally responsible schemes that they are involved in and the significance of CSR asserted by industry standards. In this attempt Chapter Two provides the background and review of literature conducted in order to extensively analyse previous works published with regard to Corporate Social Responsibility and the manner by which it applies to the members of the UK food retail industry. Chapter Three discusses the different methods used in order to obtain data for the study to obtain relevant results. Chapter Four then presents the results obtained from the use of the different methodologies enumerated in the study. The results shall then be discussed in relation to the aim of the study in Chapter Five and conclusions would be provided by answering the research questions. Lastly in Chapter 6 we will give us an understanding of the scope and limitations of this study. Chapter 2: Background and Literature Review 2.1 Background of the study Societys preoccupation with the social responsibility of organisations has existed since at least the early 1930s and probably even before. Wells (2002) notes that it is perhaps the infamous Dodd-Berle correspondence contained within the Harvard Law Review Issue of 1931-32 that launched the debate on corporate social responsibility. The debate started when corporate law professor Adolf A. Berle Jr. published an article arguing for the imposition of legal control on management so that only their shareholders would benefit from their decisions (Berle, 1931). E.M. Dodd, another professor from Harvard, published an article that addressed the issue raised by Berle. He argues that besides focusing on the interests of the shareholders, managers must also take into consideration the concerns of the employees, consumers and the organisations stakeholders. Berle (1931) responded by saying that companies should â€Å"not abandon emphasis on the view that business corporations exist for the sol e purpose of making profits for their stockholders until such time as [one is] prepared to offer a clear and reasonably enforceable scheme of responsibilities to someone else† (Berle, 1932, p. 1365). Since the idea of corporate social responsibility has its roots in the legal community, several academic disciplines have followed the debate with little discussion occurring between and among them (Radin, 1999). More specifically, researchers in the field of business ethics have spent substantial effort in the past two decades to come up with a stakeholder theory that would eventually fall under corporate social responsibility, existing as a separate approach to management. The issue of corporate social responsibility was not discussed after the argument between Berle and Dodd. It resurfaced in the 1960s and the 1970s against the backdrop of the civil rights movement in America. This is due to the fact that the top agendas of politicians, public interest groups, individual citizens and corporations have been largely influenced by concerns about the environment, product safety, workplace health and safety, racial and sex discrimination, urban congestion, political corruption and technological advances. Apart from this, the increasing influence and power that organisations possessed during this period (this period being the 60s and 70s?) has eventually led to a widespread societal belief that large businesses have a duty towards ensuring the betterment of society (Banner, 1979). The power and influence of corporations, actual or perceived, and the impact of their economic, social and political actions on society in general, has led to a broad societal expectation that corporations be held accountable for their actions. Simply put, there is growing public sentiment that organisations must be responsible enough to weigh the impact of their decisions on the different parties involved. As a result, they must be able to eliminate, minimize or compensate for the harmful damages that they may inflict on society. The above mentioned justification is basically derived from a moral position that corporations are expected, and should, behave like any citizen in society. This expectation is also justified on the basis that corresponding responsibilities always accompany power. As Dodd (1932) asserts, â€Å"power over the lives of others tends to create on the part of those most worthy to exercise it a sense of responsibility.† Moreover, the increasing power of organisations has resulted in a societal expectation that corporations act proactively and at the same time, carry out a leadership role in order to provide solutions to problems that the world faces (CSR Survey, 2003). This means that given that organisations frequently have more resources than governments, they should give something back to the society. In the same manner, they are also called to allocate and offer some of their resources to carry out good works and help the less fortunate sectors of society. Overall, this CSR goal is justified as follows: initially, a societal need is identified. For instance, areas such as education, healthcare, low-income housing or the arts may require funding that cannot be generated privately or that government is unable to provide to enable these institutions to continue making goods or services available or even to exist. Second, corporations are identified as capable of filling the gap by providing either funds or infrastructure to address the need. In other words, an appeal to organisations is made because they frequently have the capacity, in accordance with their size and reach, to act as agents of â€Å"social progress† (Kahn, 1997). As repeatedly mentioned earlier, corporate social responsibility has been required of companies that have both, actual or perceived power and influence. This is why multinational corporations that operate parts of the globe where people fear the effects and consequences of Globalisation are expected to perform such duties. This, according to Zinkin (2004) is usually brought about by the fact that these corporations are usually seen as enemies rather than friends. Thus, to regain the trust and confidence of the people, the company must be able to make their social responsibility known as this is said to give them legitimacy to operate in a given country (Zinkins, 2004). 2.2 Literature Review In order to gain a better understanding of the concepts and principles of CSR, the review of literature is divided into the following sections: 1. Corporate Social Responsibility: Definitions and History, 2. Corporate Social Responsibility and the UK Food Retail Industry, and 3. Summary 2.2.1 Corporate Social Responsibility: Definitions and History Globalisation, the increasing influence of companies including small and medium enterprises, a change in the position and opinion of governments, and a paradigm shift in working with and appreciating the importance of building solid relations with stakeholders- are all factors that have contributed to changing the dynamics of the relationship between businesses and society. Businesses have always been mindful of their responsibilities towards society. The concept of companies sharing their resources and influence with other groups has been repeatedly spoken about for centuries (Bowe, 1953). Nowadays, companies have become more aware and mindful of their responsibilities, roles and rights towards the society. They are seen to have implemented activities, practices and guidelines in order to fulfill their legal, ethical, social and environmental responsibilities to stakeholders, which include shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers and the environment and society in general. These actions have been given many terms, including: (1) Corporate Responsibility or CR, (2) Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility or CSER, (3) Corporate Citizenship, (4) Corporate Accountability, and lastly, (5) Socially Responsible Business (SRB) (Raynard Forstater, 2002). However, the most famous terminology would have to be Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR. CSR first began to be written about by academics in the 20th century. The term Corporate Social Responsibility and the modern view on CSR are largely attributed to Howard Bowen, who is considered by many scholars, especially Carroll, as the father of CSR. Bowen conceived CSR as an integral part of a larger vision of a better American society with a robust and socially responsible business sector. Before Bowen wrote his book in 1953, CSR was not a generally accepted practice among businesses in the United States. Carroll (1991) writes that in the early years, businesses believed that their only obligation was to their shareholders and their only function was the quest of financial improvement in order to provide the greatest financial return to their shareholders. The errors of this way of thinking soon became apparent. For one, businesses still had to work within laws set down by governments. In the 1960s, groups advocating social issues pushed for a more extensive concept of responsibilities for businesses. In the 1970s, various organisations in charge of the social issues pushed by the activist groups were created in the U.S. Some of these organisations were the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These governmental organisations allowed the establishment of national public policy that now acknowledged the legality of environmen tal issues. The new policies forced businesses to re-examine their own strategies and to learn how to develop a balance between making a profit and the legal and ethical responsibilities placed on them by a widening range of stakeholders. For Bowen (1953), businesses become prominent in society because society needs the products and services provided by these companies. This grants businesses vital decision-making power in the way they affect the lives of many people. Therefore, for a balanced business-society relationship to continue, Bowen (1953) asks what responsibilities society can reasonably expect businessmen to assume. The answer to this question, Bowen states, is corporate social responsibility. He defines CSR as a social obligation that necessitates businessmen to engage in policies, formulate decisions, and implement actions that are considered desirable when connected with the objectives and values of society. He took a broad view when defining what business responsibilities include—responsiveness, stewardship, social audit, corporate citizenship and rudimentary stakeholder theory. Bowens concept of a mutual relationship between business and society is echoed by Porter and Kramer (2006), who point out that the value of CSR lies in the values companies share with societies they exist in. Businesses operate in social contexts and societies need the products and services that businesses provide, thus there is a mutual need for each entity. CSR, therefore, makes it possible to promote a collaborative relationship between business and society. Many have tried to create a definition of corporate social responsibility that encompasses its functions and the range of responsibilities it entails. One of the most comprehensive is that of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (2007), which defines CSR as the long-lasting commitment that businesses create which compels them to behave in an ethical manner and to add to the development of the economy while helping improve the quality of life of their employees and their families in addition to the lives of those in the local communities and society in general. This definition is specific enough to imply the holistic and philanthropic maxim of CSR. It is also broad enough to include activities or programs that companies engage in that do not directly yield income but bring visible and long-term benefits to both the companies and the recipients of the programs and activities such as youth and partner communities. With this definition programs such as scholarships and funds for research, advocacy programs for the environment, and livelihood programs can be considered as CSR. One of the earliest authors on CSR, Carroll (1979) was the first to propose the four categories of ordered layers of CSR—economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary—when he wrote that the social responsibility of businesses includes the economic, legal, ethical, and discretionary expectations that society puts upon enterprises. Aupperle, Carroll, and Hatfield (1985) further defined these categories into: * Economic responsibilities showcase the principle that businesses have the primary responsibility to generate products and profits and fulfill the desires of their customers; * Legal responsibilities highlight the issue that economic responsibilities must be performed within the restriction of rules and regulations as mandated by the laws of the land; * Ethical responsibilities takes into consideration the codes, norms, and values that are not written into laws but are still followed implicitly by society; these responsibilities rise above the complexities of written laws and encompass activities that are vigorously carried out without any clear and defined statements made about them; * Discretionary or philanthropic responsibilities reflect the voluntary nature of actions that are not easy to establish and assess, but are still expected by society. These categories are still widely cited and frequently reproduced in management and CSR journals by researchers and authors on CSR. The reason for its lasting acknowledgement may be the simplicity of the model. Carrolls (1979) categories are logical and easy to understand. The author himself writes that these categories are merely guidelines or reminders that the motives or actions of businesses can be generally classified into any of the categories he presented. The arrangement and relative influence of each category was intended to imply the basic role each had in the progression of significance. When it first came out, Carrolls model reflected a point of view that was simultaneously retrospective and developmental. It was based on the assertion that historically businesses first emphasised only the economic aspects of their trade. The legal aspect came next, and the ethical and discretionary were only emphasised in recent years. Juholin (2004) suggests that companies practice corporate social responsibility (CSR) because of long-term profits that CSR brings to companies. Other reasons may also include the commitment of top management to the moral and ethical standards promoted by CSR, competitiveness of the market today, and the visionary skills of many business leaders that allows them to anticipate the needs of the future. Porter and Kramer (2006) agree that CSR provides long-term profits. The authors note that companies should practice CSR and integrate it in their core strategic plans to ensure long-term prosperity. This is because socially responsible activities can return goodwill for companies. On the other hand, activities that harm the environment or result in any disadvantage to stakeholders can only result in bad karma in the form of bad financial operation, low brand positioning, and, worse, a rift in the relationship between companies and their consumers and suppliers and even expensive litigations. Porter and Kramer (2006) write that corporations are not obligated to solve the problems of the world. They do not have resources to do this. But, a company that is well managed can have a greater impact than any other organisation or charity group when they do something good for society. CSR does not merely imply profitability for companies. Its results go beyond the costs or constraint of altruistic actions. CSR can be a source of market opportunity, improvement, and an edge over the competition (Porter Kramer, 2006). It also does not mean engaging in activities for the sake of doing what is socially required and expected of these companies based on legal and social laws, especially those on environmental issues. CSR implies taking action to go beyond these laws to minimize any harm towards and maximize benefits for all stakeholders in order to fulfill what society desires (Raynard Forstater, 2002). Warhurst (2001) identifies three major elements of CSR—product use, business practice, and distribution of profits. Product use entails the positive involvement of products from businesses that assist in the promotion of welfare and better quality of life for members of society. Business practice entails business governance that observes the rules and regulations and presents a high level of thrust towards welfare of the natural environment and equity for all generations and species. Distribution of profits entails equal distribution of profits across a varied range of sectors of society, with emphasis on local communities. Bowen (1953) also notes that CSR should not be seen as a primary solution to the many problems of society. CSR can only do so much, and it should only be seen by companies and society as a set of guidelines for businesses in the way they perform and carry on their operations within the context of a larger society and the many issues that abound within the social milieu that they operate in. A key concept of CSR is the idea of stakeholders. Stakeholders are all groups or individuals who have an impact on or are affected by the attainment of any organisations goals (Freeman, 1984). It can be said that stakeholders are any entity who have a big â€Å"stake† in what businesses do. The concept of stakeholders therefore goes beyond the shareholders, employees, and clients or customers of a company. It includes communities, public interest groups, social activist groups, environmental groups, and the media which, according to Freeman, author of the Stakeholder Theory, businesses are accountable to. Other researchers (Marcus, 1996; Munilla Miles, 2005) list specific stakeholders as: owners; customers; employees; local, regional and national communities; competitors; suppliers; social activists; public at large; creditors; non-government organisations (NGOs); and even the natural environment, which, although unable to state its opinions, has become a major stakeholder today because of the many laws promulgated to care for the Earth in a sustainable way. Hopkins (2003) writes that CSR primarily deals with ensuring that businesses treat stakeholders in an ethical or responsible way which means treating them in a manner considered suitable by members of any civilized society. The social context of this definition includes economic responsibility. Stakeholders can be both within businesses and outside it. This signifies the natural environment as a stakeholder. In a broader sense, the objective of social responsibility is to establish better and higher standards of living while maintaining the capability of businesses to make a profit. These two components of the objective of social responsibility are both done for the stakeholders within and outside companies. According to Freeman (1984) for successful transactions with stakeholders, businesses must accept the authority and procedures of various stakeholders. Stakeholders will thus have the freedom to communicate their concerns. Furthermore, to manage and develop a strong relationship with stakeholders, businesses must understand their concerns and develop programs that will address these concerns. Stakeholders have various ways to ensure that businesses fulfill societys expectations. Some may opt to organize rallies, some may opt for more peaceful negotiations, some may engage in joint activities such as seminars or tree-planting sessions or other awareness raising activities, and some may use the media to further disseminate their issues. For example, the environmental group Greenpeace printed leaflets and wrote articles against genetically modified food, which led some food manufacturing corporations to either stop production of certain products or to develop new, healthier items. Freeman (1984) points out that the term â€Å"stakeholder† first appeared in management literature in a 1963 international memorandum published by the Stanford Research Institute. The term then was strictly yet broadly defined as the peoples or groups who give their support to companies and without whom businesses would stop to surviving. The main idea in this initial context already shows a measure of the importance of stakeholders. In a way, this definition states that without the support of stakeholders, businesses would not be able to survive. Of course, the limitation of this definition lies in the fact that stakeholders here may mean only the groups that are influential for companies such as the shareholders or government groups or investors. Each business activity has a different group of stakeholders. This is because each individual in society is interested in and promotes a varied and widely different range of concerns (Freeman, 1984). Some are more interested in environmental issues, while others advocate employment benefits, and still others fight for education. One way to determine which stakeholder is relevant to which particular aspect of business is through the generation of a generic stakeholder map, which is a diagram of the various groups relevant to the whole organisation broken down into levels and subdivisions in order to divide big groups into small groups based on specific interests. Some experts, however, think that this mapping procedure does not encapsulate the complex linkages between businesses and the various individuals and groups in society. An approach of corporate social responsibility that centers on stakeholders emphasizes the strategic and effective management of relationships and promotion of what Freeman and McVea (2001) call shared interests. The stakeholder model also puts some emphasis on persuading businesses to rebuild or restore relationships with groups or organisations that they have been at odds with. A good stakeholder management program also involves open communication, negotiation, management, and motivation. The end result of all of these actions leads to the establishment of an attitude of partnership, mutual association and interdependence between businesses and stakeholders. All of these activities are held together by the values and ethical standards that businesses stand for. Freeman and McVea (2001) further emphasise that good stakeholder management promotes a business own company values. CSR does not mean catering to the interests of stakeholders while abandoning all other aspects of business. Rather it entails in-depth deliberations taking into account all factors of social expectations. A well-developed stakeholder management program also allows businesses to create approaches that can serve stakeholders even in the long run. Although some individuals may not be happy with short-term decisions and feel that their causes need more attention, a good stakeholder management program takes all things into considerations so that all stakeholders, not just a chosen few, continue to be firm supporters of businesses. Besides understanding stakeholders concerns, businesses must also look at the other components of CSR to determine the entire range of responsibilities that stakeholders expect them to embrace. When discussing and identifying these components of CSR, scholars and authors have been turning to the CSR pyramid presented by Carroll (1991). The CSR pyramid is arranged to follow the levels of Carrolls (1979) earlier work of the four categories of CSR. The arrangement is in accordance with the degrees of social expectations that have been connected with each category. It has been used to assess businesses performance in terms of quantity, quality, effectiveness, and efficiency in their implementation of CSR initiatives. Table 2.2.1 The Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility Be a Good Corporate Citizen Philanthropic Responsibility Contribute Resources to the community; Improve Quality of Life Be Ethical Ethical Responsibility Obligation to do what is right, just and fair; Avoid Harm Obey the Law Legal Responsibility Law is Societys codification of right and wrong; Play the Rules of the game Be Profitable Economic Responsibility The Foundation on which all the others rest (Source : Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility (Carroll, 1991, p. 39)) Obligations or responsibilities included in the pyramid have always existed in the business world. But the importance of philanthropic and ethical responsibilities has only received attention in recent years. Through this pyramid, Carroll (1991) hoped to show that a good CSR program can be broken down into well-defined components that make up a complete package. It can be seen as a framework for comprehending companies ever-evolving CSR activities. In addition, looking at each component can help leaders to distinguish and understand the various obligations of businesses that are in constant conflict with each other but which are mutually exclusive. Based on the expected activities for each level, economic responsibilities seem to be always in tension with the other responsibilities. Carroll (1991) also included the concept of stakeholders in this model, pointing out that taking their perspective into account would allow businesses to recognize the tension between all levels of the pyramid as realities of any organisation. This perspective can also allow businesses to see the pyramid as a united basis or framework of how firms will implement their decisions, actions, and programs. As can be seen, economic profit forms the foundation of the whole pyramid. Carroll (1991) acknowledges the basic fact that businesses were created historically as economic entities that are primarily concerned with making money and creating profit. Without this component, all other responsibilities become moot. Carroll states that the idea he was proposing was that CSR, to be acknowledged as a legitimate action for businesses, had to deal with the whole range of responsibilities these businesses had to answer for to society. Of course this would have to include the most basic responsibility—economic. The next level shows that businesses are obligated to follow the rules of law—various national and international laws—that socie