Obesity Is a Problem free essay sample

Childhood obesity is not merely an issue in the United States- it is an epidemic. The number of overweight and obese children in America has increased at an alarming rate over the past years, and there is no chance of it slowing down unless action is taken. One out of three children is considered overweight or obese. A fast-food craze has swept over the country, consequentially leaving a trail of poor nutrition. Fast-food corporations seem to be encouraging children to consume regular amounts of unhealthy foods by giving away toys with the purchase of a child’s meal. Televisions, computers, and video games, which are considered to be technological necessities, have begun to cloud the importance of exercise. These influences can lead to childhood obesity, which comes with an abundance of negative effects. Obesity puts children at a high risk of developing many serious illnesses. Prevention can be achieved by following a balanced diet and by participating in a healthy amount of physical activity. We will write a custom essay sample on Obesity Is a Problem or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There are a great deal of causes and negative effects of obesity in children, but fortunately there are also ways to hinder or even discontinue the spread of this crisis. One factor that influences childhood obesity is the limited access to healthy foods. Children raised in low-income backgrounds have a greater risk of becoming obese (Mayo Foundation). Poverty may inhibit some parents from being able to provide their children with exercise and a proper nutritional diet due to a lack of time or money. In United States, the average child spends over three hours each day watching television (eMedicineHealth). Nowadays, many children like to watch TV. After finishing their homework, they run to turn on the TV and watch the latest episode of SpongeBob or Phineas and Ferb. During this time, there are many instant food commercials. It is companies’ goals to direct all their efforts in appealing to the youth and children. With fancy packaging and persuading commercials it would be hard for any child to resist the temptations of such an irresistible item like candy and fat packed sweets. Kids are so easy to persuade and unfortunately commercials and  advertisements target these young children and make a profit while doing so. In an article entitled TV Food Advertisements and Childhood Obesity by the Health Gal, there was a study that showed overweight and obese children eat more after watching T. V. food advertisements. It found that todays children are the first generation of Americans projected to have shorter lifespan than their parents. This article contains a lot of statistics that help to support its claim of T. V. advertisements influencing childhood obesity, but while T. V. Advertisements are influencing to young children it still can fall back to the parents and their lack of discipline while watching T. V. and eating dinner. Another cause of this problem is linked to the options of food that schools and day cares are giving to the children. Schools are in charge of most of a child’s education. Most school districts offer students several programs, such as music and art programs, which help children with their learning. It is ironic how schools are teaching students not to eat junk food and eat healthy ones, but at the same time, school cafeterias are serving junk foods. Nowadays, many American families are forced to enroll their children in a daycare at a young age. It can be a hard decision to make because they are putting their child in the hands of strangers. Parents are forced to trust in these facilities and hope their children are being well taken care of. One article in particular entitled Day Care Food May Contribute To Childhood Obesity from the Health Guide magazine, basically relates daycare food to childhood obesity. This article states that nearly 82% of American children under the age of 6 are in daycare. So nutrition, exercise or physical activity and other health issues are all being handled by persons other than the primary parents for a significant number of hours daily. This article is extremely eye-opening and very informative because many parents wouldnt even think about what their children are getting fed when they arent around and just assume that they are getting healthy and nutritious snacks and meals throughout the day. Another important factor that influences childhood obesity is lack of physical activity. Children nowadays are spending more time indoors than did a generation ago. This is due to advancement of technology. Children are now spending time watching TV or playing videogames. They would rather watch their favorite shows and beat the next level of the videogame than play outside. Because children are not burning the calories they are consuming the body fat increases and consequently their weight is affected. Lack of physical activity has contributed to the obesity epidemic. Childhood obesity is thought to not only result from emotional problems, poor nutrition, or lack of financial resources, but also from genetics. Genetics are a cause of obesity in children, because metabolic disorders can be inherited. If one of a child’s parents is obese, the child has a 50 percent chance of becoming obese as well. If both parents are obese, the child has an 80 percent chance of becoming obese (AACAP). When asked if heredity is a cause of childhood obesity, Mrs. Regenia Bell, a registered dietitian, stated, â€Å"Heredity as far as genetics can play a part. However, it’s more likely to be the lifestyle a child inherits. Children of obese or overweight parents are much more likely to be overweight or obese. They eat the same foods and mimic the parents’ level of activity. † Obesity cannot be inherited, but disorders that result in obesity can. Hormone imbalances, steroids, and psychological medications can cause childhood obesity, but these occurrences are very rare. Illnesses that prevent children from participating in physical activity can result in obesity on rare occasions. Two of these illnesses are Prader-Willi syndrome and Cushing’s syndrome. There are many causes of obesity in children, and with these causes come a great deal of negative effects. Obese children not only suffer from unhealthy weights, but must also contend with many other physical, mental, and emotional ailments. Asthma, type II diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, gallbladder disease, lower body bone and joint problems, osteoarthritis, growth abnormalities, breathing problems such as sleep apnea, certain kinds of cancer, gout, rashes or fungal infections of the skin, and acne are illnesses that obese children are at risk of developing (eMedicineHealth). These effects are very serious physical problems that would likely follow an obese child into adulthood. However, obesity can have a much more devastating effect- death. Around 300,000 people die each year from health problems brought on by obesity (Redbourn). This number is overwhelmingly high. The percentage of children and adolescents who are defined as overweight has more than doubled since the early 1970s. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about 15 percent of children and adolescents are now overweight. Ironically, obesity is among the easiest medical conditions to recognize but most difficult to treat. Overweight children are much more likely to become overweight adults unless they adopt and maintain healthier patterns of eating and exercise. In fact, 30% of adult obesity begins in childhood. Obesity accounts for more than 300,000 deaths a year and the annual cost to society for obesity is estimated at nearly $100 billion. Childhood obesity is a growing problem. When children are born, they have don’t have any knowledge. It is up to the parents to help their children grow and distinguish right from wrong. If the parents continuously eat unhealthy foods, then children might copy that. If parents eat healthy foods only, then most likely, the children will copy that. Parents should be good role models. The solutions to childhood obesity don’t require diet plans or any therapy. They are simple enough to be done at home: exercising and eating healthy. One of the main reasons why children are getting obese is because the amount of food they eat and amount of exercise they do don’t balance. Exercise is not only well to balance our calories intake but it also strengthen and increases our done density, and blood pressure is better controlled. Also children who are physical active are more likely to remain active into adolescence and adulthood preventing many of the health issues mentioned before. Exercise has many other positive affects in our childrens life such as improvement in classroom performance, and mental health. School-aged children should have 60 minutes of or physical activity daily, as Bell suggests this should be a developmental appropriate, enjoyable, and involves a variety of activities. Bell further explains how she developed a number of tips to help promote increased physical activity. She suggests making physical activity fun, Think about things that your child likes to do, whether it is dance, play basketball, or run around the park, incorporate them into your daily routines. She also suggests making physical activity simple so the family and the child dont get frustrated with complicated exercise plans. Also, reason why children don’t engage in active activities is because they spend more time watching TV and playing videogames. Parents should limit the number of hours spent doing these activities. Eating healthy is key to solving childhood obesity. Schools should not overuse the trust of the parents and feed children junk food because it costs more money. Family has an important role. One article entitled Household Routines Linked to Lower Childhood obesity suggests that there are simple household routines that need to be followed in order to prevent childhood obesity. Eat dinner as a family six or seven times a week, limit the time the child watches T. V. to less than two hours a day, and make sure he or she gets more than 10. 5 hours of sleep a night. The article states that those three simple household routines are associated with an almost 40% reduction in the risk of childhood obesity. Parents are no longer raising families the same as they used to 50 years ago. Both parents are usually having to work outside the home requiring the kids to be in daycare and further causing the family to spend less time together and the parents being tired and overrun with everyday life struggles and stress. The economy has taken a downfall and that has forced many Americans to change their lifestyles. Fast and easy has become part of our lives. Sometimes fast and easy can be a life saver. But in other cases, it is a life destroyer. Childhood obesity is threatening a generation. We need to put a limit on the fast and easy.

Tough Guise Essays

Tough Guise Essays Tough Guise Paper Tough Guise Paper In the film Tough Guise, featuring Jackson Katz it touched on the topic violent males or violent masculinity. Jackson Katz reviewed that about 86 percent of armed rob berries, 90 percent of murders, 99 percent of rapes and 98 percent of violence on women are all committed by men. When we talk about violence in America, whether its mass shootings in the r ell world or violence in our movies, media and video games, were almost always talking a bout violent auscultation. Says Jackson Katz from the Tough Guise video. Also (Katz,2014) in the video it says that the statistics tell the story, the overwhelming majority of violence ilk e; sexual assault, mass shootings, murder, and domestic violence resulting in physical injury, is committed by men and boys. ( Katz,2014) . Now (Katz,2014) this is not because all men are violent. Most men arent, or dont mean to be. Most of these crimes take place because these boo yes were taught that they needed to be violent to be mas culine. This is not the boys fault, it is the way our society is. They see males taking the lead role all over our society. I feel that boys and you Eng men learn early on that being a scalded man mean you have to take on a tough guy imam GE. Men are basically taught to only show the world a certain part of themselves, they are not allowed to show their emotions. (Katz, 2014) All for this dominant culture that has defined being manly as; being physically strong, powerful, physically intimidating, independent, in con troll, and that they an scare people. Also Katz says, If they are athletic or muscular they are see n as the top dog. All of these traits are seen as guidelines to be a real man that is respected. The e media nowadays is showing our culture that being violent is equivalent to being masculine. I would disagree with this topic. I understand fully that if you see something everyday you tend to feel that, that is the way of life and how you should also act. Howe ever also feel that you should know what is right and what is wrong. Therefore if you see a man rutting another male or female to get what he wants you shouldnt take that has, that man bee Eng masculine. You should instead take that as being wrong. Therefore I believe that violent masc. linty is not a taught behavior but a chosen behavior with that excuse.

Constitutional and Administrative Law - The rule of Law and Human Essay

Constitutional and Administrative Law - The rule of Law and Human rights - Essay Example Was it so hard for Socrates to conclude that he constituted ‘a majority of one2’ on that matter? No doubt Socrates, having believed in the Rule of Law when he was alive sought to die in the same manner. This discussion will seek to explore the notion of the supremacy of law and in light of any exposition obtained will consider whether Socrates could have chosen another way to enlighten us. The idea of the supremacy of law is ideally one of the fundamental principles in a society, translating into the law being above all and all being subject to the ordinary law of the land. As such there exist a variety of views about the rule of law, forming a spectrum in light of the culture or society in consideration. What is significant is the recognition of the existence of the rule of law in various societies and to mark how this creature has changed shape over the centuries. For instance, half a millennium ago the rule of law would be seen to be present where the monarch ruled by right of conquest and everyone else was subservient to the monarchy. The monarchs were later substituted for ruling senates or governments but the status of the conquered nations would remain the same. This is exemplified by the Greek, Roman and later the British colonial empires where the conquered peoples were subject to the law introduced by the conquerors. Today such a rule would be considered und emocratic and singularly abhorrent. In the West, freedom had already attained its due significance as long ago as the Battle of Thermopylae and although it has often been in danger since then it is now too deeply ingrained in the system to be rooted out. It is this freedom that has led to liberal democracies and the idea of the rule of law as understood here is different from the eastern-more conservative societies. The supremacy of law in the West is often taken to be a fundamental principle because it gives way to equality, thereby making all equal, with none being above the

Veterinary Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Veterinary Care - Essay Example This would change, however, as people realized that knowing how to care for animals could be a career for them. They began writing books, more of the guide sort, to sell to farmers. These writings eventually found its way outside of Europe. (Biere, 1955) The earliest mention of a practitioner in the United States is found in a 1625 case where a certain person by the name of William Carter was charged of not being able to cure a cow as he promised. The first ever veterinary surgeon of America was College of London graduate John Haslam. (Dunlop, 1996) In the 19th century, several books and journals regarding veterinary medicine came into publication. There were the books entitled The American Cattle Doctor (1850) and The Modern Horse Doctor (1854) by George Dadd. The American Veterinary Journal was founded in 1851 by the same person as well., also of the same person, founded and edited the American Veterinary Journal. It was followed by Alexandre Liautard's American Veterinary Review in 1875 which was by Alexandre Liautard. This became known as the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. (Schwabe, 1978; Smith, 1933) World War II had a big impact on animal medicine and food safety. New drugs developed for soldiers during the war such as penicillin and sulfa drugs were later used to treat livestock. The insecticide DDT was used during the war and later helped kill flies and other outdoor parasites that hurt farm animals. (Smith, 1976) During the war, the government thought Midwestern cattle operations might be targets for sabotage. They were worried that cattle might be contaminated by foreign infections, threatening the food supply. Government veterinarians were hired and local vets were told to be on the alert. After the war, veterinarians began to use new drugs to treat diseases such as foot rot and shipping fever in cattle, as well as infections that killed baby chickens and turkeys. As new drugs came out of the research institutions, they were used against brucellosis, infectious anemia, worms, cholera, Newcastle disease, foot-and-mouth disease, and rabies. (Lise, 2005) The Evolution of Veterinary Care Veterinary medicine evolved from skill and field based practice to a more structured education that began with the establishment of the school in Lyons, France. With the establishment of dedicate schools such as New York College of Veterinary Surgeons (1857-1899) and the American Veterinary College (New York, 1875-1898), the knowledge and the process became more scientific. (Smith, 1976; Smithcors, 1973) Developments in the field of medicine, science and technology paved the way for more complex tools of analysis and medication in the field of animal care. Many technologies now exists today especially for the prevention and cure of diseases afflicting agriculturally important animals. Animals nowadays often receive advanced medical, dental, and surgical care including insulin injections, root canals, hip replacements, cataract extractions, and pacemakers. The field has also grown from caring for agriculture related animals, such as cows, chickens and horses, to animals that serve as pets and even extended to other kinds of animals which are not usually included in these two categories. (Harrowsmith Country Life, 2007) Importance of Veterinary Care Of the many factors why veterinary care is essential, the most important lies in its capacity to eliminate, hamper and mitigate disease outbreaks

Externality and differences between the Pigovian and Cosian views Essay

Externality and differences between the Pigovian and Cosian views - Essay Example This paper discusses externalities and compares and contrasts Pigovian and Cosian Views. Externalities can cause inefficient allocation of resources, because when a negative externality is present, we produce and consume too much of the product and consequently, over-allocate resources to production. For example, when the fisherman is not aware of the effect of the fertilizers on his livelihood, he exerts more time and energy to catch fishes that has a dwindling population. His resources are inefficiently allocated. When a positive externality is present, we produce and consume too little of the product, which leads to under-allocation of resources to production. For instance, if there is a positive externality that involves one homeowner improving his property, other homeowners might not be motivated to improve their own properties. There is under-allocation of resources. Over-allocation and under-allocation of resources evidently result to inefficient allocation of resources. Furth ermore, the price system attains efficiency, if it rewards producers who can serve the customers well, mainly through providing the lowest possible prices (Baumol and Blinder 312). This system becomes faulty, when positive and negative externalities are not identified and integrated into the equation (Baumol and Blinder 312). There are diverse views on how to manage externalities. Some economists advocate for government intervention, while others want to rely on market mechanisms to correct externalities. When an externality causes the market to allocate resources inefficiently, the government can respond in one of two approaches: command-and-control policies or market-based policies (Mankiw 212). Command-and-control policies aim to regulate externalities directly by requiring or banning certain behaviors or actions (Mankiw 213). The government also uses subsidies to require positive behaviors that lead to positive externalities. Also, it is a crime to dump toxic wastes into the riv ers. The costs of pollution and adversities to health and livelihood greatly exceed the benefits to the polluter. Still, it is not always easy to control and monitor all negative externalities. For instance, every transportation vehicle produces some sort of externality or pollution by-products and it will not be feasible to eradicate or ban them all. As a result, the government creates government agencies that develop and implement policies that protect the environment, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the U.S. Other forms of government intervention that regulates externalities are market-based policies. They seek to align private incentives with social efficiency (Mankiw 213). For instance, the government can internalize externality by taxing activities that produce negative externalities, or it can subsidize activities that generate positive externalities (Mankiw 213). Taxes that internalize negative externalities are called corrective taxes (Mankiw 213). They are also called Pigovian taxes, after the economist, Arthur Pigou, who is one of the first advocates of such taxes. An ideal corrective tax would equal the external costs of activities that lead to negative externalities, while an ideal corrective subsidy would equal the external benefit of activities that produce positive externalities (Mankiw 213). This paper proceeds to explore the similarities between

The Criticisms On Agency Theory And Its Application Finance Essay

The Criticisms On Agency Theory And Its Application Finance Essay Introduction Issues on corporate governance, business ethics, decision making and risk-taking are the normal issues being faced by all types of corporations, both old and new. One of the main assumptions why such issues are often encountered by majority of companies and institutions can be attributed to the conflict of interests and the misalignment of corporate goals among those in the managerial position and the common shareholders. According to Moldoveanu, M Martin, R. (2001), in many cases, the application of right managerial decisions, which are considered the lifeblood of any organization, are not being practiced and applied therefore causing inefficiencies on the part of the company and its people. There is always a separation in terms of control and ownership in all corporations. However, this separation is what almost always causes conflict and is most often the root cause of all other problems and issues in the organization. Ideally, the design or framework of a corporation is well-defined in a way that control and ownership of the companys assets are clearly identified and distinguished among the people within the organization. In a usual company setting, control over a corporations assets is delegated to the people assigned in the managerial posts while the ownership of company assets is being handed over to the companys shareholders. Therefore, both the managers and shareholders within the organization are responsible and accountable for each of their deliverables and assigned functions (Moldoveanu, M Martin, R., 2001). Given that both the shareholders and managers perform very specific and highly-critical functions in an organization, it is but natural for the two to develop a specific kind of relationship. The development of this kind of relationship is indeed critical for the success of the corporation. Nevertheless, out of this manager-shareholder relationship also stems the many issues and problems which often result or cause negative impact on the corporations assets. This special kind of relationship that exists between the shareholders and the managers is called an agency relationship. In a typical corporate set-up, managers are given the right to control and manage the assets of the company which are owned by the shareholders. The function of the managers is therefore highly significant as their decisions and moves may potentially cause a positive or a negative impact on the company and its total assets (Economy Professor, 2004). However, failures on the part of the managers are quite common given the structure and framework of most corporations which interfere with the proper decision making and task-delegations of most people on the managerial posts. According to Moldoveanu, M Martin, R. (2001), two of the most common failures of professional managers nowadays are a.) failures due to honest miscalculations and errors which are beyond the managers control and b.) failures related to a managers integrity and selfish motives. These kinds of managerial control failures are what cause extreme damage on the companys valuable assets. Hence, in order to safeguard the company from these potential threats and damages often caused by managerial failures, the shareholders find a less-riskier way of protecting company assets which are usually facilitated by a shareholder via a reward punishment method. The purpose of the rewards punishment method is to provide incentives for every properly executed managerial output. Other methods are also employed and utilized by the shareholders which are intended to protect the company assets such as the monitoring, assessing and checking on the decisions of the manager. Aside from incentives, sanctions are also given to the managers in order to align their interests and decisions based on that of the shareholders (Moldoveanu, M Martin, R., 2001). As in the case of any corporation, this manager-shareholder relationship exists and is most commonly referred to as the agency relationship. This paper on The Criticisms on Agency Theory and its Application on Corporate Governance is aimed at providing a detailed discussion of the agency theory, its history and basic concept, how it is currently being applied and manifested in many modern corporations nowadays and how this theory concept has been abused and improperly utilized by many corporations nowadays. A specific focus will also be allotted on the various criticisms on this particular theory and why its focus on merely two stakeholders: the managers and shareholders, is highly criticized by many people, specifically, other stakeholders involved in the organization. Moreover, this paper will answer how this criticism was justified and how in a way, the agency theory negatively affects proper corporate governance. To be more specific, this paper on The Criticisms on Agency Theory and its Application on Corporate Governance aims to answer the following questions: What is the agency theory? How did the agency theory begin and evolve? What is the role of the agency theory in corporate governance? What are benefits and advantages of adopting the agency theory in a corporation? What are the threats and disadvantages of adopting the agency theory in a corporation? Why is the agency theory being criticized with its focus on merely two stakeholders: the managers (agents) and shareholders (principal)? How does the agency theorys focus on merely two stakeholders: the managers (agents) and shareholders (principal) negatively affect corporate governance? How does this criticism affect other stakeholders within an organization, apart from the managers and the shareholders? A. Agency Theory: The Concept and its Beginnings According to the Economy Professor (2004), the agency theory originated in the year 1970s. This theory basically refers to the relationships that exist between the so-called owners of corporate assets and the so-called controllers of corporate assets. In simple terms, the agency relationship refers to the corporate relationship that exists between the shareholders and the managers within an organization. The agency theory also pertains to the firms view on its network of people resources. This theory states that a special kind of corporate relationship is formed when one person or a group of persons (known as the shareholders) decide to hire an individual or a group of individuals (known as the managers) to provide some service or work for them. Moreover, the agency relationship also occurs when the shareholders assign or delegate some decision-making tasks to the managers (Economy Professor, 2004). But aside from the shareholder-manager relationship, other forms of agency relationship may also exist in a corporation like for instance, the stockholder-debtholder relationship. Generally however, agency relationships are mostly used to refer to the shareholder-manager relationship. In many textbooks and journals, the agency theory is also being referred to as the principal-agent theory simply because it is a type of relationship that involves a principal or a shareholder and an agent or a manager (Economy Professor,2004). Moldoveanu, M Martin, R. (2001) further defined clearly what occurs in an agency relationship. They stated that in an agency relationship, the shareholder or the principal is the one who hires and accepts the services of a manager or the agent based mainly on the latters capabilities, professional competencies, decision-making ability and knowledge. Normally, the principal hires the agent because the former believes in the capabilities of the latter to increase and safeguard the assets of the company. Since the principal or the shareholder is the owner of those company assets, he or she will not hire an agent or manager who is not capable of increasing or protecting the assets of the company. Once the principal hires the agent to be in-charge of the company assets, the principal must automatically transfer his or her decision rights to that asset over to the agent (Moldoveanu, M Martin, R., 2001). The transferring of decision rights from the principal to the agent is vital in order for the latter to take full accountability, control and management over that asset. If there was no transferring of decision rights over to the hired agents, issues and problems stem from it which cause a negative impact not only on the relationship between these two stakeholders but also on the agents capacity to deliver the expectations of the principal (Donaldson, L. Davis, J., 1991). According to Lupia, A. (2001), the delegation of decision rights and power from the principal to the agent is highly important for an agency relationship to work. In the concept of the agency theory, the principal is known to be the person who performs the delegation process. The principal is the one who passes over the authority over the assets, specifically the power and authority to decide, to another person. The agent on the other hand is the one who acts as the recipient of the authority and power being delegated by the principal. When the full transferring or delegation of rights and authority is already transferred to the agent, then the agent already has the full accountability over the company assets. The agent is then subjected to either a sanction or an incentive depending on his management over the assets. According to Donaldson, L. Davis, J. (1991), various types of schemes are usually devised by the principals in order to prevent huge corporate losses due to managerial failures or the agents failure to deliver the shareholders goals and interests. Some of these schemes include financial rewards through the form of benefits and compensations which would greatly motivate the agents to achieve their company goals and align themselves with the interests of the shareholders. This has been an effective corporate strategy which proved to motivate agents to perform their managerial roles better (Donaldson, L. Davis, J., 1991). B. The Role of the Agency Theory in Corporate Governance According to Donaldson, L. Davis, J. (1991), the role of the agency theory in the modern corporations of today is quite important. Essentially, the concept of agency theory is both stewardship and shared ownership. Donaldson, L. Davis, J. (1991), states that the concept of shared ownership in the agency theory is what pushes and drives the managerial executives (agents) to perform beyond the top managements expectations. The idea that the professional managers are co-owners of the companys most valued assets is what drives them to perform better their management functions. Aside from their liability and accountability over the company assets, the idea that these managerial executives are co-owners themselves of the company assets is what makes them more concerned and involved in the nitty-gritty of the corporate process and their own functions. This therefore maximizes the shareholder returns which benefit all stakeholders within the corporation. Moreover, the agency theory encompasses the concept of stewardship. The agents or the professional managers act as the stewards of the company and its assets. Their decisions and their ability to successfully deal with various corporate issues and concerns as well as their ability to increase the value of corporate assets is what makes the managers good stewards of the business or the company (Donaldson, L. Davis, J., 1991). The capacity therefore of the agency theory to maximize shareholder returns by simply motivating the managers or the agents to perform their management functions better is what makes this theory quite useful in corporate governance. Moreover, the role of the agency theory in corporate governance involves a number of important elements which facilitate the effective governance and management of a corporation. One of which is exercise and practice of the decision rights. According to Moldoveanu, M Martin, R. (2001), the agency theory is what strengthens and allows for the proper exercise of the decision rights of the principals over the company assets. Since technically, the principals are the owners of the assets and they are the ones assigned at delegating the power and decision-making authority over to the agents, their rights must still be protected. This decision right comes in three types: a.) the principals right to create, initiate and implement a specific decision and b.) the principals right to authorize or give consent and approval to a specific decision and c.) the principals right to punish or reward an agent based on the results or outcome of a specific decision the latter has made. On the other hand, the agency theory also puts emphasis on the managerial rights that should be utilized and exercised by the agents. These management-decision rights include: a.) the agents decision right to propose, initiate or suggest a specific course of action or decision and b.) the agents decision right to counter, resist or veto a specific course of action or decision (Moldoveanu, M Martin, R., 2001). The agency theory also acts as the initiator and motivator of the punishments and rewards system in an organization. The agency theory states that the concept of incentive (rewards) and sanctions (punishments) is possibly the best form of motivation among all stakeholders, not merely the managers or the agents. Moldoveanu, M Martin, R. (2001) states that managerial incentives usually come in two types: a.) incentives for observable and obvious efforts exerted by the agent or the manager which usually come in the form of monetary or financial rewards such as bonuses, stock grants or salary increases and b.) incentives for observable and obvious efforts exerted by the agent or the manager which usually come in the form of non-monetary rewards, acknowledgement and other privileges. Given all these functions, the agency theory indeed performs a significant role in any organization in terms of safeguarding and increasing the companys most valued assets as well as motivating its stakeholders, specifically its agents or managers to go perform beyond top managements expectations given that their roles, functions and rights are clearly identified by the agency theory. C. The Benefits and Advantages of Adopting the Agency Theory One clear benefit of adopting and utilizing the agency theory within an organization is its ability to maximize the potentials and use of a particular agent. While the agents are clearly motivated to perform or even go beyond their managerial roles, the ultimate benefit is still being experienced by the shareholders as it is their assets which are being maximized. Although oftentimes, when the shareholders return on investment is quite high, all stakeholders also benefit out of it in the form of great financial rewards such as salary increases and bonuses (Sanchez, A.V., n.d.). The increase in shareholder returns and the value of the companys assets is one clear benefit and aim that the agency theory brings in to any corporation that is why its utilization is still very much applicable in the set up of modern corporations. In simple terms, the agents and the principals as well as other stakeholders within the organization directly benefit out of this company financial gain (Sanchez, A.V., n.d.). Another benefit in the adoption of the agency theory in corporations is the maximum utilization of the agency cost or the cost incurred by the shareholder by hiring the agent or the manager. Given that typically, an agent performs quite a number of critical roles including the important function of decision-making, the cost incurred by the company in hiring the agent is therefore justified by the amount of work or services accomplished by the agent for the company. This clearly benefits the shareholders as their agency costs can also be considered an investment for the further growth of company assets (Sanchez, A.V., n.d.). On the part of the agents, the application of the agency theory is also beneficial as it offers the application of the concept of maximum utility. The concept of maximum utility denotes a maximization of their potentials and skills which they have provided the company. In a way the end benefit is still clearly leaning towards the company. Nevertheless, the maximization of the managers skills and potentials also directly benefits him or her as an agent (Sanchez, A.V., n.d.). D. The Threats and Disadvantages of Adopting the Agency Theory According to Mallin (2007), the agency theory can possibly result into a number of threats or disadvantages in an organization. One of these disadvantages is the opportunistic view of the managers or the agents in the corporation. For instance, there were many instances when the agents (managers) took advantage of their power and used it for their own selfish interests. Apparently, some agents do not act in accordance to the interests and goals of the shareholders. Most of the time, the agents are tempted to use their power and decision-making advantages to pursue their own selfish interests and not act in behalf of the principals or shareholders of the company. Moreover, the agents may have a totally different view of what their roles or functions are supposed to be which may be far from what was defined by the shareholders. For instance, some agents or managers may avoid risk-taking which the shareholders consider essential in order to effectively increase the value of a corporate asset. Also, agents or managers have the tendency to avoid making decisions, especially those decisions which are entirely needed to properly govern the corporation. When this happens, the clash between these two stakeholders begin which is another disadvantage brought about by the agency theory (Mallin, 2007). Information asymmetry is also a common problem in the application of the agency theory. This happens when the amount or load of information accessed and received by the agent varies from that of the shareholder. When this happens, it results into an unbalanced amount of corporate knowledge or information between the two which may put either of them at a disadvantage. Also, the gaps in corporate knowledge or information may cause confusion or misunderstanding between these two important stakeholders. As a result of this, conflicts arise between the managers and the shareholders which hinder both of them from performing their distinct functions in a corporation (Mallin, 2007). The Criticisms on the Agency Theory: Why this theory focuses on merely two stakeholders: the managers (agents) and shareholders (principal) The agency theory, coined and popularized in the 1970s, has long been an existing concept and theory that people in the past centuries have been thinking of adopting. It was however only in the 70s that this concept was already adopted by many companies around the world. The popularity of the application and use of the agency theory only commenced when corporate governance became a more difficult and complicated task to do. When the corporations began to expand, more and more clients and employees became part of both the external and internal stakeholders of the company. An implication of this was the tasks became more difficult to manage that the owners of the corporation needed additional people to offer special work or services for them. This then resulted to the birth of the demand on hiring agents (Mallin, 2007). These agents, according to Mallin (2007), were recruited and hired based on their professional competencies, skills, talents and the ability to make decisions. The owners or the shareholders (principals) are the ones directly hiring these agents to offer special services them that would further grow or benefit the corporation. Moreover, Mallin (2007) asserted that the complications brought about by the increase in demand of the services offered by a corporation and an upsurge in the number of its clients, brought about the need to separate control and ownership in a corporation. Most of the time, shareholders or owners of a company are too busy to perform and attend to the important details in a corporations daily operations. The amount of work and responsibility that these owners need to perform are way too much that they need to add more employees to handle them. This therefore resulted into a separation of control and ownership in the company, with the shareholders performing the ownership function while the managers performing the control function. According to Mallin (2007), when the shareholders or principals start performing the ownership function, thats when they begin to make the agents and other stakeholders in the company more accountable and responsible in their tasks and functions. The command and directives come straight from them which would then have to be managed by those under them. When this happens, the shareholders would have a direct control over the business or the corporation just as owners should have. Accountability increases over the shareholders capacity to function as owners of the corporation and its most valuable assets. On the other hand, direct control over the corporations daily operations is exercised by the professional managers assigned by the shareholders. Full control and accountability rests on these individuals which make their functions highly critical in a corporation. These professional managers are concerned with the nitty-gritty of the daily affairs of the corporation as well as the handling of the people under them. Also, they are in charge of increasing the value of a corporate asset which puts more pressure on the functions that they perform in the corporation (Mallin, 2007). Hence, the focus of the agency theory is basically to put emphasis on the importance of the functions that both the principals (shareholders) and the agents (managers) perform or play in the success of corporate governance. This explains the main reason why most corporations nowadays exercise or apply the agency theory in their business framework. Also, the corporations found it to be very significant to maintain the healthy relationship between the principals and the agents as it is only then can they manage the various issues that corporations normally face. Moreover the distinct advantages of applying the agency theory are tremendous, such as the maximum utilization of the companys agents and the increase of the companys most valued assets, that it led many corporations to apply the agency theorys principles in their businesses. Nevertheless, Mallin (2007) argues that one of the most popular criticism against the agency theory is its focus on merely two stakeholders: the agents and the principals. According to corporate analysts, it is not healthy for a corporation to focus on merely two stakeholders and neglect all the other stakeholders that also play key roles in the organization. In the long history of corporate governance, it has been proven to be true that the agency theorys focus on the principal-agent relationship has caused many threats and disadvantages as well to the organization. For one, these two stakeholders cannot properly operate or function without the presence of other key constituents or stakeholders within the organization. Other key stakeholders such as the managers subordinates, suppliers and the investors also perform highly significant functions in the corporation which cannot be ignored or neglected. The seemingly unfair and unbalanced focus of the agency theory on only two stakeholders have been for a long time resulting into negative impacts in the organization which was justified through the perception of other stakeholders on the unequal distribution of power in the organization. The unequal distribution of power and privileges within the organization, mostly focused on only the principals and the agents, is what makes other key stakeholders feel deprived and unimportant in the corporation (Eisenhardt, K., 1989) When this happens, these other stakeholders like for instance the investors and suppliers may be tempted to take away their loyalty on the corporation and move to its competitor. This then places the corporation into a threatening situation as its key stakeholders know much confidential information about the company. F. The Stakeholder Theory versus the Agency Theory The many issues confronted by many corporations through the utilization and application of the agency theory in their corporate governance resulted into many negative impacts on the part of other stakeholders involved in the corporation. For one, these stakeholders namely the employees, investors, suppliers, communities, subsidiaries, the media and the government and other internal and external constituents that the corporation usually deals with, are not given sufficient attention and privileges compared to the shareholders and the managers. This is because in the agency theory, the focus is merely on the shareholder-manager relationship or the principal-agent relationship and not so much on other stakeholders. In order to avoid these kinds of issues on the part of other stakeholders, another theory was created which was the stakeholder theory. In essence, the stakeholder theory states the importance of addressing the needs and emphasizing the functions and roles of other relevant key stakeholders in the organization in order to effectively govern the corporation (Donaldson, T. Preston, L., 1995). Moreover, the stakeholder theory presents the first step to divert the attention from merely two stakeholders: the shareholders and managers, to other stakeholders such as the investors, suppliers, communities, media, political associations and the general public at large whom the corporation directly affects or influences (Donaldson, T. Preston, L., 1995). The stakeholder theory also gave a strong emphasis on the importance of identifying the corporations internal and external stakeholders. This is because any corporation would not be able to stand in itself and operate by itself without the aid of other key stakeholders which the corporation serves or which help the corporation achieve its organizational goals. In other instances, even the competitors can also be considered part of the organizations stakeholders (Donaldson, T. Preston, L., 1995). The usefulness of the stakeholder theory compared to the agency theory is that the former has a clearer, wider view and concern with other people outside of the managers and the shareholders. The stakeholder theory puts more emphasis on their importance as a corporate entity and in a way helps the corporation properly position itself as well, especially in the community where it operates (Donaldson, T. Preston, L., 1995). The stakeholder theory states that by identifying the internal and external stakeholders of a corporation, the interests of the corporation would be balanced among the interests of the other key stakeholders. The corporation therefore would not appear selfish or apathetic to the community and the general public at large because its organizational goals and principles are hinged from the best interests and common good of all its stakeholders, not just the managers and the shareholders. The stakeholder theory also paints a good view of the corporation to other stakeholders as it appears concerned and ready to serve the general public at large. Also, the application of the stakeholder theory implies that the corporation acknowledges that its decisions have either a positive or negative impact on the stakeholders in general. This makes the stakeholders therefore feel important being part of the corporation as its concerned and needs are acknowledged by the corporation where they belong compared to the agency theory which only highlights the contributions and roles of merely two stakeholders: the managers and shareholders. (Donaldson, T. Preston, L., 1995). Conclusion The agency theory in corporations is a useful and widely-used theory that has in itself a lot of distinct advantages and disadvantages to the corporation. Its focus on the important functions of the principals (shareholders) and the agents (managers) is what led to its popular application in corporate governance. For many decades, the use of the agency theory has benefitted many corporations as it aimed to strengthen the relationship between the principals and the agents whose main functions are considered the lifeblood of the corporation. Also, the agency theorys emphasis on the maximum utilization of the agents resulted into tremendous increases in the value of the corporations assets and the corporations maximization of the agency costs they incurred out of hiring the services of these agents or professional managers. Nevertheless, while the agency theory application resulted into many benefits and advantages, it also brought it certain negative impact and disadvantages in the corporations. For one, it resulted into conflicting interests between the managers and the shareholders. The shareholders often seem to have a hard time influencing the managers with their own organizational goals, while the latter focuses on pursuing his or her own selfish interests in the organization. Second, the lack of focus of the corporation on other relevant stakeholders brought forth more disadvantages in the organization as the other stakeholders felt unimportant and neglected in the corporation. This issue has therefore given birth to another theory called the stakeholder theory which balances out the unbalanced treatment and view of the agency theory on the other relevant stakeholders in the company by stating the important roles and functions of other key stakeholders which the corporation directly influences and affects as well.

Loyalty and Trust in Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Es

Huckleberry Finn – Loyalty and Trust    Huckleberry Finn does not address questions of law as directly as the other novels that we have read. Ostensibly, Huck is torn between disobeying the slavery laws and honoring his conscious.   However, Huck shows a disregard for other laws throughout the story, so I think that his conflict stems not from a belief that one must obey the law because it is the law, or on a social contract theory.   Huck is never overly concerned with the truth or the norms of society, he adheres to the mores of society because of the consequences as opposed to any fundamental acceptance of them or authority.   Unlike Billy Budd, however, Huck does not seem to be influenced by the fear of corporal punishment, as much as he is concerned with the social consequences that would result if his disobedience was discovered.   The choice that Huck eventually makes is deeper than just choosing to accept the social consequences, he is willing to `go to hell' for Jim, rather than betray the loya lty and trust that has grown between them.      I think that Mark Twain choose an excellent vehicle for the presentation of a sharp, social satire. By letting Huck tell the story, Twain was free to present the ignorance underscoring the mores that were passed onto to children.   Huck interprets the world literally, which starkly contrasts with the romanticism of Tom Sawyer and spiritualism of the widows.   Huck's literalism also allows him more leeway than a third-person narrator can have.   Mark Twain could have presented his criticisms in an essay, or a more sensational, fictional novel; however, he has chosen the most powerful form because the realism of th... ...ppears, because it is possible that Tom's disregard was not based on unintentional, ignorance but rather was intentional and selfish. I will have to re-read Tom Sawyer to consider that question, I remember that was my view the very first time I read the book because I did not read Tom Sawyer first.   I think I changed my mind upon learning that Tom was such a well-known and beloved character, I did not think the audience would accept it.   However, today, I am not sure why I thought the audience's expected acceptance/rejection is indicative of the authors intent. Twain was very dark in his later years, and his use of the dialects, inclusion of the (arrogant, taunting?) notice/explanation (challenge?) and his biting satiric tone indicate that he would not feel constrained by the audiences expectations, and might seek to shock them.