Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Music Case Study Using Ardorno free essay sample
Sleepyhead, while never quiet making it to the Billboard top 1 00 still reached major mainstream success, making it a pop song by Adorns standards. The song was released in 2008 and peaked at 1 05 on the pop charts but the electric tune was plugged in commercials internationally. The song was used to advertise the Palm Pix cellophane and later a videotape, Little Big Planet. The song was then featured on a popular television series Skins. The song continues to be used and remixed today, and is a constant in stores and on Indies radio stations.The songs title, Sleepyhead, ultimate childish language. The use of the phrase is both visually appealing and pleasing to the ear, it acts to instantly calm the listener by giving off a friendly very non-combative feeling. This is because the phrase in itself sounds like something a child would say because it is something a child wood say. The song then begins with an over synthesized high-pitched voice that acts to further relax the listener. We will write a custom essay sample on Music Case Study Using Ardorno or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The voice has been so distorted that the words cannot fully be understood; yet the singing is oddly soothing.It acts as the stimulatory effect Adorn discussed. The high, pitched voice while gentle is paired with a melody that is constantly changing, almost challenging the listener to keep up. The music acts to stimulate while the lyrics begin to calm. This calming effect caused by the title and vocals can best be related to Adorns theory on baby talk. The two combined give off the l want to be happy feeling that children demand. The main vocals of the song begin about forty seconds into the song. The second singer has the sticky sweet voice of the original vocals but at a lower pitch.The change in vocals is accompanied by a repetitive beat making the Eng more natural. The vocals are kept around the same note throughout the remainder of the song and are always harmonize with the same music, and in this sense the framework is similar to that of countless other songs. However the breaks in vocals allow the music to change slightly, these are the details that are described in the essay. It is these details that are the more stimulatory part of the song. The music is the same throughout the song but during the breaks it is built upon with more synthesized sounds that add dynamism.The new sounds engage the listener and evince stronger reactions to the part. Peg. AY In the case of Sleepyhead, the music that accompanies the vocals is catchy, and electric. These sounds are the, over- sweet sound colors, functioning like musical cookies and candies (Peg. 30) Adorn described. The song is like endorphins released into the listeners brain, it creates euphoria and leaves them craving for more. The tune is simply upbeat and easy to digest. It acts as a release from the stresses and makes the listener want to dance. The lyrics themselves contain little to no substance.While at times the lyrics seem poetic the song they are merely about the artist having sex with his relined. The track consists of two versus with no chorus, relying solely on the repetition of the lyrics, And everything is going to the beat at the start of the song, and the phrase sleepyhead throughout it; together the two act as a makeshift chorus. This odd format is the only area in which the song maintains any semblance of uniqueness. The standard song consists of a thirty-two bar chorus, which this song lacks. The change in arrangement attempts to attract attention, much like the reddish neon lights Adorn described.However this deviation is nothing but a glamour meant to Overcome [the] humdrum reality, yet in this effort it becomes more humdrum than reality itself (Peg. 29). The song lacks the depth to create any strong emotional response. While the tempo, melody, and music emanate joy the lyrics proved to be superficial. The beats however are somewhat intricate allowing the listener to be slightly engaged and distracted without any real effort. The song is rhythmically obedient in the sense it was meant to be different and in its effort was the same. Sleepyhead was easy classified as Indies alternative.By definition Indies is something different, the artist are on seer-known labels, the music is created solely based on the artist discretion versus label constraints. Sleepyhead was a prime example of Indies because it utilized synthesizers, and multiple keyboards, dismissing the common drums and guitar for their electronic counterparts. Passion Pit used their distinctive sound to create an infectious beat. With that beat that acted as the heart beat of the song the artist had thousands tapping their toes along to it. Throughout the song this beat was built upon but never lost.
Friday, March 20, 2020
Computer Crime Essays - Hacker, Phreaking, Hacking, Free Essays
Computer Crime Essays - Hacker, Phreaking, Hacking, Free Essays Computer Crime Computer Crime It's the weekend, you have nothing to do so you decide to play around on your computer. You turn it on and then start up, you start calling people with your modem, connecting to another world, with people just like you at a button press away. This is all fine but what happens when you start getting into other peoples computer files. Then it becomes a crime, but what is a computer crime really, obviously it involves the use of a computer but what are these crimes. Well they are: Hacking, Phreaking, & Software Piracy. To begin I will start with Hacking, what is hacking. Hacking is basically using your computer to Hack your way into another. They use programs called scanners which randomly dials numbers any generating tones or carriers are recorded. These numbers are looked at by hackers and then used again, when the hacker calls up the number and gets on he's presented with a logon prompt, this is where the hacking really begins, the hacker tries to bypass this anyway he knows how to and tries to gain access to the system. Why do they do it, well lets go to a book and see Avid young computer hackers in their preteens and teens are frequently involved in computer crimes that take the form of trespassing, invasion of privacy, or vandalism. Quite often they are mearly out for a fun and games evening, and they get entangled in the illegal use of their machines without realizing the full import of what they are doing , I have a hard time believing that so lets see what a hacker has to say about what he does Just as they were enthraled with their pursuit of information, so are we. The thrill of the hack is not in breaking the law, it's in the pursuit and capture of knowledge. , as you can see the hacker doesn't go out to do destroy things although some do. It's in the pursuit of knowledge. Of course this is still against the law. But where did all of this start, MIT is where hacking started the people there would learn and explore computer systems all around the world. In the views of professional hacking is like drugs or any other addictive substance, it's an addiction for the mind and once started it's difficult to stop. This could be true, as hackers know what they are doing is wrong and they know odds are they will be caught. But as I mentioned some hackers are just above average criminals, using there skills to break in banks and other places where they can get money, or where they can destroy information. What a hacker does at a bank is take a few cents or even a few fractions of a cents from many different accounts this may seem like nothing but when all compiled can be alot. A stick up robber averages about $8,000 each job, and he has to put his life and personal freedom on the line to do it while the computer hacker in the comfort of his own living room averages $500,000 a job. As for people destroying information, this is for taking some one down, destruction of data could end a business which for some is very attractive. It can cost a company thousands of dollars to restore the damage done. Now that you have an understanding of what a hacker is, it time to move on to someone closely associates with a hacker. This is a Phreak, but what is that. For the answer we turn to the what is known as the Official Phreakers Manual Phreak [fr'eek] 1. The action of using mischievous and mostly illegal ways in order to not pay for some sort of telecommunications bill, order, transfer, or other service. It often involves usage of highly illegal boxes and machines in order to defeat the security that is set up to avoid this sort of happening. [fr'eaking] v. 2. A person who uses the above methods of destruction and chaos in order to make a better life for all. A true phreaker will not go against his fellows or narc on people who have ragged on him or do anything termed to be dishonourable
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
How to Make Instant Snow From Boiling Water
How to Make Instant Snow From Boiling Water You probably know that you can make snow using a pressure washer. But did you know that you can also make snow from boiling water?à Snow, after all, is literally precipitation that falls as frozen water, and boiling water is water that is on the verge of becoming water vapor. Its incredibly easy to make instant snow from boiling water. All you have to do is follow the steps below. Materials You only need two things to turn boiling water into snow: Freshly boiled waterReally cold outdoor temperatures, around -30 degrees Fahrenheit The Snow-Making Process Simply boil the water, go outside andà brave the frigid temperatures, and toss a cupful or pot of boiling water into the air. Its important that the water be as close to boiling and the outside air be as cold as possible. The effect is less spectacular or wont work if the water temperature drops below 200 degrees Fahrenheit or if the air temperature climbs above -25 degrees Fahrenheit. Be safe and protect your hands from splashes. Also, dont throw the water at people. If it is sufficiently cold, there shouldnt be a problem, but if your concept of the temperature is mistaken, you could end up causing a dangerous accident. Always be careful when handling boiling water. How It Works Boiling water is water that is at the point of changing from a liquid into water vapor. Boiling water has the same vapor pressure as the air around it, so it has plenty of surface area toà expose to a freezing temperature. The large surface area means its much easier to freeze the water than if it were a liquid ball. This is why it is easier to freeze a thin layer of water than a thickà sheet of water. Its also the reason youd freeze to death more slowly curled up into a ball than if you were to lie spread eagle in the snow. What to Expect If you want to see boiling water turn into snow before you attempt this experiment, you can view a demonstration on the Weather Channel. The video shows a person holding a pot of boiling water and then tossing the scalding liquid into the air. An instant later youll see a cloud of snow crystals falling to the ground. I could watch this all day, the announcer says as she introduces the video, which was shot atà Mount Washington, New Hampshire, the highest mountain in New England. The announcer notes before the video begins that the snow-making folks actually performed the experiment three times- once with a measuring cup, once with a mug, and once with a pot (which is the effort captured in the video). Ideal Conditions In the demonstration video, the temperature of the water was 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and the temperature outside was a frosty -34.8 degrees. The experimenters said that they had diminished success when the water temperature dropped below 200 degrees and when the outside temperature rose above -25 degrees. Of course, if you dont want to go through all of this, and you still want to make snow- or if the temperature outsideà is just too warm- you canà makeà fake snowà using a common polymer while staying warm and toasty indoors.
Monday, February 17, 2020
Tv show critque Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Tv show critque - Assignment Example First and foremost, it is evident that the intention of feministic television was good at the first instant, however, over the years they have been used by women to levy attacks on men. On the same point, feministic television shows have at time come in between people marriages. Apparently, since they support strong women values, they judgement towards men has been biased thus have affected men negatively. Furthermore, due to this bias in judgement men values and right have been undermined with the sole intention of championing the womanââ¬â¢s interest. In summation, feministic television shows are good if they promote fair judgement as opposed to gender discrimination. Therefore, it is mandatory to observe this crucial factor and the feminism will be promoted to the highest levels using television and other communication devices as their medium of sharing ideas. To this end, feminist television shows need to observe gender equality or face abolition since they should consider the male species as an equal as opposed to an
Monday, February 3, 2020
Jumeira's firm specific and home location advantages Essay
Jumeira's firm specific and home location advantages - Essay Example The Jumeira Hotel in Dubai is called the Burj al Rab. After its completion, it was the ninth largest in Dubai. The total space that the facility covers is enormous. Its location makes it more appealing than other hotels of the same standards. This is the case with many other hotels in this chain. This essay aims at determining the specific and home country location advantages that the jumeira group of hotel has over other hotels. The Jumeira Hotel is strategically placed that other hotels of the same standards cannot match the type of appeal that it brings to the customer. The Jumeira branches of hotels are mostly situated by the shore of water bodies this makes them a variety of options. The can provide water tourism services, something that not many other hotels have. They are strategically placed in the various countries that they are found in. To begin with, Dubai is among the cities with the largest inflow of tourists in the world. With the new major tourist attractions coming up in the place, the number of visiting tourists is increasing tremendously. This gives the hotel an advantage over hotels in other parts of the world. The large number of tourists in Dubai is a guarantee that the hotel will register huge numbers of tourists. This is also the case with the other branches of the hotel. For example, the Jumeira Carlton towers in London, it is a major tourist attraction in itself, leave alone the amo unt of tourists that London receives, the strategic design and placement by the water side makes it very appealing. The tourism statistics of the countries where the various hotels are found rank very well in terms of the numbers of tourists. Some of the various locations include; the Abu Dhabi branch, Frankfurt, Kuwait, Istanbul, Maldives, Rome, shanghai, Mallorca, and Baku. All these countries are major tourist attractions sites. Spain Italy and London are ranked among the top ten highest
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Differentiating between apperceptive agnosia and associative agnosia
Differentiating between apperceptive agnosia and associative agnosia Ans. According to Campbell, DeJong and Haerer, agnosia refers to the loss or impairment to know or recognize the meaning or import of a sensory stimulus, even though it has been perceived (Campbell et al., 2005, p.91). Numerous types of agnosia has been reported till now, like finger agnosia, visuospatial agnosia, optic agnosia , apperceptive and associative agnosia to name a few. The following essay discusses the last two forms. Apperceptive and associative agnosia was originally distinguished by Lissauer in Andrewes in 2001. Apperceptive agnosia is identified as failure in perception of vision despite intact visual sensation, put forward by Lissauer It is reported that these patients are unable to identify because their perception of objects in impaired in this form of agnosia (Andrewes, 2001). However, in associative agnosia perception remains unaltered but the patient is fails to recognize what the object is (Andrewes, 2001). Associative agnosia can be rightly defined as normal percept stripped of meaning (Teuber, 1968 as cited in Andrewes, 2001, p.50) The two terms, apperceptive and associative agnosia is used in two different ways (Farah, 1990 as cited in Andrewes, 2001) The first way is to do with rare neuropsychological syndromes and closely relating to Lissauers description of agnosia (Andrewes, 2001). The second way of using the terms is much broader and includes numerous neuropsychological signs (Andrewes, 2001). Hence, it can be said, a patient may be described as showing some signs of apperceptive agnosia without actually having all the features of the clinical syndrome (Farah 1990 as cited in Andrewes, 2001, p.50). This can be better understood from the following example. Signs of apperceptive agnosia may coexist with problems in recognizing pictures from atypical views or when it is surrounded by shadows (Warrington Taylor as cited in Andrewes, 2001) in a single patient. Some of the patients may also find it difficult to correctly recognize figures which is in midst of confusing and distracting shapes (Andrewes, 2001). When signs of apperceptive agnosia exist alone in an individual then he is able to recognize the object and corresponds it with its use. For instance, if a patient sees a bucket not only he will recognize it but when it is kept in its usual /normal orientation tell its use as well (Andrewes, 2001).It is often seen that patients showing signs of apperceptive agnosia have an unaffected conceptual knowledge but knowledge of common objects in unusual orientation deters (Andrewes, 2001). Hence, it can be said that top down information about the structural features of the objects are impoverished (Andrewes, 2001, p. 50). Such patients havin g signs of apperceptive agnosia are commonly referred to as apperceptive perceptive disorders. Apperceptive agnosics have better acuity, colour and brightness differentiation skills from the other visual capabilities although their shape perception is markedly impaired (Farah Feinberg, 1997). In fact, they have very good local perception of local visual properties, it is only when they are asked to extract a structure from an image they fail (Farah Feinberg, 1997). Associative agnosics have far better visual perception than apperceptive agnosics (Farah Feinberg, 1997). For example, they are able to recognize an object from its feel or spoken definition, thus implying that the general knowledge of the object is still at place (Farah Feinberg, 1997). It should be noted that associative agnosics fail to recognize an object (by sight) when kept alone (Farah Feinberg, 1997) thus indicating towards that this is not just a naming deficit but failure to recognize an object by nonverbal means (Farah Feinberg, 1997). Associative agnosia varies from person to person. For instance, some associative agnosics may suffer from face recognition, object recognition and printed word recognition problems, face recognition is being the most common and printed word recognition being rare (Farah Feinberg, 1997). The scans (MRI and CAT) of brains of apperceptive and associative agnosics have helped in understanding the localisation of lesion in this disorder (Kemp et al., 2004). Jankowiak Albert (1994) have put forward that in apperceptive agnosia lesions are found to be localized in the posterior cerebral hemisphere including occipital, parietal and posterior temporal regions bilaterally. Unilateral lesion is also found in this agnosia however, the possibility of it is very scarce (Kemp et al., 2004). Furthermore, poisoning by carbon monoxide is a very common cause of apperceptive agnosia (Adler, 1950; Benson Greenberg, 1969; Champion Latto, 1985; Mendez, 1988; Sparr et al., 1991 as cited in Kemp et al., 2004), it is reported that carbon monoxide poisoning results in spread of large number of small lesions known salt and pepper lesions resulting in scotomas all across the visual field (Champion Latto, 1985 as cited in Kemp et al., 2004). It is believed that since apperceptive agnosia res ults from bilateral lesions, its occurrence is much rare. However, it is opined by Jankowiak Albert (1994) that due to the paucity of accurate PET scans and imaging studies confirming the localisation of lesions no concrete conclusion can be drawn at this stage (Kemp et al., 2004). Associative agnosia is an outcome of bilateral posterior lesions (Jankowiak Albert, 1994 as cited in Kemp et al., 2004). The lesions occur in the region of posterior cerebral artery whose function is to supply of blood to visual cortex and temporal lobe (Jankowiak Albert, 1994 as cited in Kemp et al., 2004). It is suggested that lesion size is a decisive factor here, as large lesions will lead to perceptual deficits; additionally, considering the symptoms it is also said that the lesions in associative agnosia might cause damage to the perceptual pathway which links visual information with stored visual memory in posterior hemisphere of either side (Jankowiak Albert, 1994 as cited in Kemp et al., 2004 ). Moreover, occurrence of associative agnosia is more than apperceptive agnosia (Kemp et al., 2004). A very useful and a practical method through which we can distinguish apperceptive and associative agnosia can be testing them on the basis of their ability to copy drawings (Kemp et al, 2004). Rey figure copying test can come very handy here. Apperceptive agnosics are unable to copy a drawing due to their impaired perception of a picture, associative agnosics on the other hand can successfully copy a drawing although they are unable to recognize what the object is (Kemp et al., 2004). However, Lissauer gave his distinction between apperceptive and associative agnosia hundred years before but it is found to closely relate to the David Marrs distinction of the two forms of agnosia given in 1982 (Kemp et al., 2004). According to Marr, apperceptive agnosia is failure to form a three dimensional picture or a representation of a object whereas in associative agnosia an individual achieves a three dimensional picture but fails to connect it to the stored knowledge of the object perceived (Kemp et al.,2004).
Friday, January 17, 2020
An Analysis of Corporate Social Responsibility (Csr)
AN ANALYSIS OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) VIEWS FROM MALAYSIAN COMPANIES ABSTRACTS Purpose ââ¬â The aim of this paper is to explore the views of managers among Malaysian companies towards corporate social responsibility and how it influences business ethics. Design/methodology/approach ââ¬â This paper analyses the views of Malaysian managers regarding corporate social responsibility. Interviews were conducted to 12 organizations in Malaysia comprising of major corporations as well as Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs).Findings ââ¬â The findings reveal that out of 12 companies selected across the Klang Valley, Malaysia, seven companies execute corporate social responsibility for the sake of its brand image and good reputation. Majority of the managers interviewed agreed that corporate social responsibility should be implemented in order to contribute to the society. Originality ââ¬â The literature review is expected to provide the link between conventional CSR concept with Islamic values and principles.This paper recommends companies especially in Malaysia to adopt corporate social responsibility as an ethical motivation rather than instrumental means. Keywords ââ¬â Business, Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, Organization, Malaysia INTRODUCTION Over the last recent years, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been termed to be a significant issue within global business organisations. The core purpose of CSR is to fulfil a companyââ¬â¢s responsibility towards its stakeholders in terms of economic, social and environment (Siwar & Md Tareq, 2009).However, the fundamental basis act of selfless contribution for the public has been tarnished and downgraded by huge corporate businesses when CSR began to be treated as a means to gain profit maximization which is driven by self-interest by enlarge. There are several meanings to define the concept of corporate social responsibility. First, CSR are the obligations entrusted upon bu siness organisations to utilise its resources efficiently in order to bring benefits to the stakeholders by fulfilling its duties as a member of the society itself (Kok et al, 2001; Adam & Zutshi, 2004).The conventional definition of CSR is derived from the concept of vicegerency in Islam according to Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 31. Albeit the concept of CSR is defined in positive aspects, it does not disregard the possibility of being carried out and practiced in an unethical paradoxical manner. Business ethics is understood to be what is acceptable and not acceptable that can be conducted in the business based on stakeholders. The main objective of this article is to focus on the perspective of Malaysian managers towards the views of CSR and how it is implemented in the organization.LITERATURE REVIEW Based on the study of our articles, CSR manifests several business benefits, namely, good image and reputation, building a positive relationship with the customers, a better recruitment a nd retention of talented employees, positive motivation in better working environment, improving financial returns and reducing CSR related risks. These benefits are measured based on the preference of (a) consumers, (b) employees, and (c) upholding the organizationââ¬â¢s reputable name. Firstly, consumers are one of the most important stakeholders of an organization.Firms, which are socially responsible, transparent, and trustworthy, are at a better position of gaining consumer preferences (Willmott, 2001 & Mitchell, 2001; Knox & Maklan, 2004). The higher the awareness of social contribution, the more enhanced positive effects are on consumer purchase intention (Lee & Shin, 2009). The organization can also improve their consumption experience with customers by conducting CSR activities. Customers are commonly in favour to buy products from well-established companies that practice CSR activities, giving these organizations a good marketing strategy by word-of-mouth (Knox & Maklan , 2004).They believe that the company will be ethically responsible to the product and services that they produce. Thus, this increases brand loyalty from the customers. Secondly, stakeholders of an organization also consist of its employees. When a company is known for its responsible background, people will be more attracted to be given a position in that particular organization. The ethically defined practice assists the organization in attracting and retaining talented employees in order to improve organization performance Adams & Zutshi, 2004; Knox & Maklan, 2004). Besides that, Weber, (2008) agreed that CSR can also directly motivate its employees. This shows that the practise of CSR by the company enhances an ethical working environment, which will influences the motivation level of the companies employees. Moreover, CSR will diminish employee turnover. In exploring the relationship between CSR and employee turnover, Galbreath, (2010) relies on the employee justice perception s theory. The key mechanism for this theory measures an organizationââ¬â¢s level of fairness.The firms exhibit fairness in their actions, if the firms show concern for both internal and external stakeholders through social contribution. Thus, the employees evaluate the firm as one that is just and fair. Both directly and indirectly, employees are influenced to stay and continue to contribute to the company in reaching its main goal. Following (Reich, 2007; Devinney, 2009), an organization that practices CSR would have more satisfied customers, employees, and owners, which would contribute to long-term sustainable development.Lastly, maintaining an organizationââ¬â¢s respectable name is just as important as preserving the welfare of its stakeholders. Performing CSR in an organization helps in building a positive image and reputation (Weber, 2008; Galbreath, 2010). A good image and reputation will help the organization to gain and retain customers easily. Furthermore, CSR can al so be treated as a means to manage and minimize CSR risks of powerful consumer boycott by external parties (Weber, 2008) as well as loss of corporate reputation (Knox & Maklan, 2004).CSR can also increase corporate revenue through higher sales and market shares (Weber, 2008). These financial returns can be achieved directly by CSR-driven products or market development or even indirectly through an improved brand image and reputation. This is however, seen from a different point of view by Friedman, (1970). He argues that CSR should not be a part of an organizationââ¬â¢s social responsibility. This was preceded by an elaboration of focusing on profit maximization as the only importance of an organization. It is rational to oppose this theory as businesses should not lace profit maximization as its only main goal, but instead take time to satisfy the stakeholders and be socially responsible (Samy, Odemilin & Bampton, 2010). From a strategic point of view, the fact that CSR benefits the firm and stakeholders will only be true if the firms conduct it efficiently. There is a difference between doing the right thing and doing things right. Conducting CSR is doing the right thing and to conduct it efficiently means doing it right. Thus, firms must ensure that they conduct strategic CSR as it brings significant business related benefits to the firm.It supports core business activities, which contributes to the firmââ¬â¢s effectiveness towards achieving its mission (Burke & Logsdon, 1996). The obligations of organizations regarding the practice of CSR are not extended beyond their most valuable stakeholders. Organizations are less able to set priorities among the rest, as there is no constant approach to placing importance on their secondary stakeholders (Knox and Maklan, 2004). The downside of most organizations is that they will only take notice of current social situations when there is a possibility of gaining economic returns.Devinney (2009) has discovered f ive points of natural vices, which draw attention to the major philosophical problems with CSR. Firstly, the role of corporation is only for generating profit not to solve the problems of society. This is in line with Friedman (1970), which claimed that the only responsibility of a corporation is to maximize economic returns. Next, corporation alter the societal standards based on their own demands. Although corporations have a much better understanding of the benefits and cost of practising CSR, this gives them the advantage to make sure that the most valuable constituencies are in their favour.Besides, corporations are not representing the society as a whole. Major corporations are considered to be among the urban upper middle class, which inevitably does not cater for the poor and less fortunate ones of the society. Above and beyond of that, most of corporations are socially conservative as they resist making changes towards their organization practices unless the changes will pr oduce profit to them. Lastly, CSR allows government to forgo some of their responsibilities, thus making social services provided by private companies more distinct in the eyes of the society.CSR does not ensure the ethical behavior of the company (Mostovicz, Kakabadse & Kakabadse, 2009). Instead, the common major benefits recognized by corporate management are what distinguish between an ethical or non-ethical company as organizations are forced to be at a decision point of balancing the incurring costs of CSR activities and the impact of their ethical operations for the society. From the statement underlined, we have focused our findings on the purpose of these organizations conducting CSR and their opinions on the basis of CSR being implanted in all organizations nationwide.METHODOLOGY We chose to conduct an interview in order to collect data for our study. We posed three open ended questions with 12 companies around Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley area because our study is to explore the view of Malaysian managers towards corporate social responsibility and the influence of business ethics. We designed our interview questions based on the literature review in order to suit the Malaysian context. The questions we used for our personal interviews were; Question 1: Does your organization practice corporate social responsibility? Question 2:What motivates your organization to execute corporate social responsibility? Question 3: Do you agree that Corporate Social Responsibility should be implemented in all organizations in the country? State your reasons why? According to the 15 articles we used, we identified that the previous studies used various methods in examining significant issues on CSR. Majority of the previous studies adopted surveying method and used literature in conducting their studies. Above and beyond, there are a few authors used other distinguished methods. First of all four authors used survey as their method of studies.Galbreath (2009) exa mined three potential benefits of demonstrating CSR; reduced employee turnover, increased customer satisfaction, and improved reputation through a survey of chief executive officers in Australia. Likewise, Lee & Shin (2009) used questionnaire survey involving Korean customers to examine the positive of CSR on customer behaviour. Further, Ditlev-Simonsen & Midttun (2010) conducted a survey with three panels: a corporate leadersââ¬â¢ panel, a business studentsââ¬â¢ panel and an NGO panel to clarify and compare what motivates managers to pursue corporate responsibility from positive and normative perspectives.Lastly, Siwar & Md Tareq (2009) conducted a study on relationship between concepts of Islam with the Malaysian managersââ¬â¢ opinion regarding CSR. They used open and close-ended questionnaire to 50 listed organizations in Malaysia including multinational, government, and nongovernment and SME companies. Secondly, using literature is one of the methods that have been used by in following studies. Abul & Hjh Salma (2009) conducted a study on the current practices of CSR of the business organization as well as Islamic Financial Institutions (IFIs).Next, Mostovicz, Kakabadse & Kakabadse (2009) explained the reason why CSR policy has failed to render organization more ethical and to purpose the concept of using CSR for improving the ethics of organization. Besides that, Devinney (2009) argued that the notion of socially responsible corporation is potentially an oxymoron because of the naturally conflicted nature of the corporation. Further, Burke & Logsdon (1996) examined social responsibility programs which create strategic benefits for firms. Lastly, Adam & Zutshi (2004) identified drivers which are forcing organization to adopt CSR and produces corporate social reports.Finally, the other remaining authors exercised distinguished methods between each other. Drews (2010) used two step approaches to measure and evaluate the benefits of CSR. First, a mea surement model is developed based on theoretical analysis. It is then applied in an in-depth case study. Next, Samy, Odemilin & Bampton (2010) adopted a quantitative analysis and exploratory approach to prove that CSR will maximize profit while satisfying the demand from multiple stakeholders. They study on CSR practices of 20 selected United Kingdomââ¬â¢s companies.Besides, Knox & Maklan (2004) used empirical study of CSR policy and practices across a number of multinational companies to examine the reasons why CSR reporting has a low impact on business decision making. Moreover, Holme (2010) used a representative selection of recently published articles to study deeply on practitioner review on the concept of CSR. In addition, Weber (2008) adopted a study which focuses on the question on how to measure the business impact of CSR activities from company perspectives using theoretical approach and literature as references.Friedman (1970) argued on the only social responsibility o f business is to increase its profits using his own views or reasoning. FINDINGS We have successfully conducted the interviews through three medium of communications; Personal interview, telephone call and email. This interview was conducted in the period between 3rd June 2011 and 10th June 2011. We have interviewed 12 managers around Kuala Lumpur and Klang Valley. Based on the questions posed, we succeeded in 5 companies providing substantial answers personally, 3 companies responded based on phone calls, and 4 companies offered feedback through email.The table below provides the profiles of the 12 managers that we have interviewed that comprises of major corporations and SMEs. Table 1: Summary of the profiles of the 12 managers interviewed. Manager 1 (M. 1)| MPH Bookstore| Manager 2 (M. 2)| Signature Kitchen| Manager 3 (M. 3)| Toy R Us| Manager 4 (M. 4)| Kimberly-Clark Malaysia (Kotex)| Manager 5 (M. 5)| MediBiz| Manager 6 (M. 6)| Petronas Gas Berhad| Manager 7 (M. 7)| Skrine| Man ager 8 (M. 8)| SME Bank| Manager 9 (M. 9)| Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad| Manager 10 (M. 0)| Petronas Gas Berhad (KLCC)| Manager 11 (M. 11)| TM Berhad| Manager 12 (M. 12)| Rush Hati SdnBhd| For the first part of the interview, we examined which of the following managers practiced CSR in their respectable organizations. Based on their response, M. 1, M. 4, M. 6, M. 7, M. 8, M. 9, M10, and M. 11 proceeded with a positive feedback while M. 2, M. 3, M. 5, and M. 12 answered otherwise. Question 1: Does your organization practice corporate social responsibility? Table 2: The summary the respective answers from the 12 managers on question 1.Manager 1| Yes| Manager 7| Yes| Manager 2| No| Manager 8| Yes| Manager 3| No| Manager 9| Yes| Manager 4| Yes| Manager 10| Yes| Manager 5| No| Manager 11| Yes| Manager 6| Yes| Manager 12| No| The pattern of this question is that most of the Malaysian companies practice CSR in their organizations. The second question was posed for among the 12 managers who p erformed CSR in their organizations. The question asked was to investigate the motive of their companies in executing CSR, providing with them several choices of answers for this question.M. 1 claimed that the motive of his/her company conducting CSR is solely for the benefit of the society while M. 4 stated a different answer in which the company adopts CSR in order to create a long term value for stakeholders and to build a positive reputation and brand image. M. 5 also gave the same answer on building a positive reputation and branding image. In addition to that, M. 5 also stated other two motives of his/her company executing CSR which is to do the right thing and to contribute to long term sustainable development. Next, M. sincerely admitted that his/her company conducts CSR solely for profit maximization. Subsequently, M. 7 said that the reason of his/her company implementing CSR is to build a positive reputation and brand image while M. 8 claimed that his/her companyââ¬â¢s motive is to create long term value for stakeholder. Then, M. 9 chose two answers from the choices which includes building a positive reputation and brand image and to do the right thing. Next, M. 10 claimed that his/her company has five motives in carrying out CSR which are; profit maximization, creating long term value for stakeholders, building a ositive reputation and brand image, doing the right thing, and contributing to long term sustainable development. M. 11 then chose five motives of his/her company conducting CSR which are; profit maximization, creating long term value for stakeholder, building a positive reputation and brand image, doing the right thing and contributing to long term sustainable development. Lastly, M. 12 said that all the choices given by us are relevant motives of conducting CSR. Question 2: What motivates your organization to execute corporate social responsibility?Table 3: The summary the respective answers from the 12 managers on question 2. Manager 1| Solely for the benefit of the society| Manager 2| -| Manager 3| -| Manager 4| To create long term value for stakeholder To build positive reputation and brand image| Manager 5| To build positive reputation and brand image To do the right thingTo contribute to long term sustainable development| Manager 6| Profit maximization| Manager 7| To build positive reputation and brand image| Manager 8| To create long term value for stakeholder|Manager 9| To build positive reputation and brand image to do the right things| Manager 10| To create long term value for stakeholderTo build positive reputation and brand imageTo do the right thingTo contribute to long term sustainable development | Manager 11| Profit maximizationto create long term value for stakeholderTo build positive reputation and brand imageTo do the right thingsTo contribute to long term sustainable development | Manager 12| All Business organizations worldwide would have their own business strategies and their strategies must not get strayed or derailed from their business principles or motives that is financial leverage or pecuniary advantage so all the facts which are given as options are significant for business strategies. |To conclude, building a positive reputation and brand image is the main motive that motivates the companies to implement CSR while there are no companies that conducted CSR to resemble others. Our last question was to examine the managersââ¬â¢ personal views whether CSR should be implemented by all organizations in Malaysia and if yes, why it should be implemented. All the managers agreed that CSR should be implemented by all organizations in Malaysia. Above and beyond, some of the managers gave common views on the reason why CSR should be carried out. M. 1, M. 4, M. 5, M. 6, M. 8, and M. 10 have the same opinion that CSR should be executed for the sake of giving back to the society. Next, M. 2, M. 3, and M. 1 proposed that organizations should conduct CSR in order to gain goo d reputation and brand image. In addition, M. 7 suggested that CSR is a means for major corporations to work together towards a better future for society. Plus, M. 9 gave opinion that CSR should not only be practiced by the organizations that work in line with the Islamic principles but also conventional organizations. Moreover, M. 10 claimed that the concept of CSR is quite similar with the concept of zakat. Next, M. 11 also gave four other relevant reasons; to be a GLCââ¬â¢s CSR, to create long term value for the stakeholders, indirectly boost revenue and to be a par ahead of other corporations. Finally, M. 2 recommended that the act of CSR should be treated as a voluntary action and government plays a significant role in ensuring the prosperity of the public. Question 3: Do you agree that Corporate Social Responsibility should be implemented in all organizations in the country? State your reasons why? Table 4: The summary the respective answers from the 12 managers on question 3. Manager 1| Yes, definitely. Itââ¬â¢s every organizationââ¬â¢s responsibility to give back to the less fortunate. | Manager 2| Yes, for the good reputation| Manager 3| Yes, for the trust and the good reputation for the company. Customer will have the positive view towards the company. | Manager 4| Yes, because it is every organizationââ¬â¢s duty to give back to the society.It is much more than just taking part in a long term relationship with end users but to actually contribute back to its loyal customers. | Manager 5| Yes, because organizations should give back to the society especially for those profit making ones. It also builds a sense of belonging and responsibility towards the people and the environment where the organization is established. | Manager 6| Yes. All organizations should give back to the society especially in the area that they operate. They will then get the support and acceptance of the community around them. | Manager 7| Yes, because all major corp orations must work together towards a better future for the society. | Manager 8| Yes, because itââ¬â¢s good to give back to the society. | Manager 9| Yes.CSR does not only limit itself to organizations that work in line with the teachings of Islam, but to all corporations which include the conventional ones. | Manager 10| In general, yes. Where possible, organization should implement CSR. For all the positive values that it created, is it to the company, employee, and community or to the receiver. CSR is about giving back to the community and contribute to the development of others. Most of organization existences depend on the surrounding community and resources e. g. oil and gas company ââ¬â base on the local resources, consumers or stakeholders. A better surroundings/resources, either physically or emotionally will contribute in strengthening ones position.In line with the ââ¬Å"Energy Received, Energy Returnâ⬠value. Spiritually, CSR practices are quite similar to the zakat concept. The more you received, the more you should return. More profit you make, bigger CSR it should be. | Manager 11| Fully Agreed. Reasons as follow: a) To build positive reputation and brand image b) Being GLCââ¬â¢s CSR is part of our culture c) To create long term value for stakeholder d) Indirectly to boost revenue and gain customer support e) To be at par or ahead of other corporate entity| Manager 12| All Yes.Corporate social responsibility must be classified as voluntary any attempt to make it compulsory is inappropriate. The government is to be held the sole responsible for the prosperity of the public citizen of this country. | In short, all the managers agreed that CSR should be implemented into their organization and also into the other organizations worldwide. DISCUSSION Multiple organizations from various kinds of background industries differ from its perspective on the implementation of CSR as its ethical duty towards the community. From the data collec ted, we have studied rigorously the outcome of interviewing 12 managers and were able to identify companies practicing CSR as opposed to non-practicing ones.Based on empirical performance, eight managers stated that its organization successfully conducts CSR (Manager 1, Manager 4, Manager 6, Manager 7, Manager 8, Manager 9, Manager 10, and Manager 11) while the remaining four (Manager 2, Manager 3, Manager 5, and Manager 12) have not had the opportunity to perform beneficial impacts toward the society. Although the results were in favour of CSR practicing organizations, it should be highlighted that these corporations are consisted of major branded companies where as the latter comprised of Small Medium Enterprise (SMEs) corporations. Based on our research, we have discovered that non practicing CSR companies (SMEââ¬â¢s) justifies the study conducted by Siwar & Md Tareq (2009).They uphold the theory of SMEââ¬â¢s to be underdeveloped and still in the working progress to grasp t he meaning of CSR and of its importance to the society today. Most of the SMEââ¬â¢s among Malaysian organizations have no solid plan and structure of performing CSR as companiesââ¬â¢ managers are still lacking in consciousness regarding the concept of CSR. On top of that, SMEââ¬â¢s are in doubt of how big of an impact can its organization bring to the society as they are not likely to claim themselves as ââ¬Å"corporateâ⬠(Holme, 2010). The third and final question posed to all respective managers resulted in a unanimous response that CSR should indeed be restored and carried out in all organizations throughout the country.Among the reasons stated by all following managers, we can part the answers based on two ethical conflicting views; stressing on the importance of giving back to the community for common basic social needs versus CSR motivated organizationsââ¬â¢ with uplifting its brand image and reputation. Results illustrate that Manager 1, Manager 4, Manager 5 , Manager 6, Manager 8, and Manager 10 agree that CSR ought to be conducted for the benefit of the society where as Manager 2, Manager 3 and Manager 11 gave answers subjected to the positive aspects of gaining customerââ¬â¢s trust and loyalty when an organization withstands by a good reputation. According to the latter opinion, these managers believe that customerââ¬â¢s brand loyalty by enlarge relies on the ethical activities performed commercially by reputable named major companies.However, the concept of contributing back to the social, economic and environment by ethical responsible corporate management contrasts the view of Friedman (1970), who claims that the only social responsibility held by a certain organization is limited to using the resources efficiently and effectively for profit maximization. Many viewpoints exist in this study, including the conceptualization of the responsibilities of firms by Carroll (1979). Among the four social responsibilities brought forw ard by Carroll (1979), this conceptualization includes the economic responsibility of an organization to generate profits, provide jobs, and create products that consumers want (Galbreath, 2010).Indirectly, this substantiates Friedmanââ¬â¢s (1970) theory that an organizationââ¬â¢s interest of profit maximization does not necessarily disregard their responsibility as a firm in economic terms. In comparison to corporations which utilizes CSR as a means for gaining economic returns, organizations who are opinionated to provide beneficial impact to the society are at an ethical based level because its CSR activities are solely based on doing the right thing and enhancing the well-being of a society. Relating back to Carrollââ¬â¢s (1979) conceptualization of the responsibilities of firms, placing importance towards the social needs of the community is the ethical responsibility to meet other social expectations, such as respecting peopleââ¬â¢s moral rights and doing what is r ight and just (Galbreath, 2010).Through our findings, we were able to recognize the evident relationship between the main priorities of the organizations purpose in the performance of CSR and the sole personal views from the managers themselves regarding the influence of CSR in todayââ¬â¢s corporate management. We extracted that Manager 4, Manager 5, and Manager 10 shared views that did not entirely coincide with its own corporationââ¬â¢s perspective pertaining to the importance of CSR. They firmly deem CSR to be a social obligation for all organizations in order to contribute back to the society in spite of its own corporate motive which states gaining a positive image and reputation as its main concern.With much relevance to our research, there are ways for us to extend our studies based on an Islamic perspective. In Islam, our actions are judged by our sincere motives (niyyah). It is narrated on the authority of Amirul Mu'minin, Abu Hafs ââ¬ËUmar bin al-Khattab, radiyall ahu ââ¬Ëanhu, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, sallallahu ââ¬Ëalayhi wasallam, say: ââ¬Å"Actions are (judged) by motives (niyyah), so each man will have what he intended.. â⬠[Al-Bukhari & Muslim] Based on the hadith, it is compulsory to conduct our daily activities in this world for the sake of Allah S. W. T. which includes our responsibility as a vicegerent in economic terms. CSR is a manifestation of Tawhidic paradigm, serving Allah through our Fardhââ¬â¢ Kifayah obligations.The shahadah shows us the conditions for accepting a deed or performing an action; one, it should be for the sake of Allah because He is the only One we worship, and two, it should be in accordance with the Shariah. Employees with authority in decision making must be honest and sincere as well as ethical in their motives especially when it concerns the well being of others. According to Imam al-Harawi, there are seven types of self-desires, one of which includes seeking the wealth of others. To abstain ourselves from this selfish nafsââ¬â¢, it is in our power to do righteous deeds as the more good deeds we do and hence get closer to Allah, the more sincere we will be. The implementation of CSR in business organizations gives us the chance to ensure that our responsibility as a khalifah in this world is performed in an ethical manner. LimitationWe recognized three limitations throughout the process of conducting this project paper. The first limitation is the number of managers to be interviewed. We intended to interview 15 managers but unfortunately we just managed to interview 12 managers. This is due to the second limitation which is time constraint. The process of searching the contacts of the managers to be interviewed and the procedures of making appointments with major companiesââ¬â¢ managers required a lot of time. In addition, we took quite a lot of time to get the response from the managers which we interviewed through email. Lastly, we were limit ed by the poor response from the managers especially from the major companies. Some of them claimed they could not espond to our interview questions because the information is confidential to their company and most of the managers we interviewed through email failed to reply our email. Implications for Practice We propose that the practice of CSR by Malaysian companies should be in line with the CSR policy in which it is supposed to only focus on encouraging the positive impact towards the stakeholders and not for benefits to the company itself. Apart from that, Malaysia as a Muslim country, we recommend the Malaysian companies to revise the Tawhidic Paradigm concept which claims man as a vicegerent. Hence, the companies should treat act of CSR as part of their responsibility as vicegerent.Moreover, there is supposed to be government intervention in order to encourage the practice of CSR by SMEs. Implication for Theory Our study examines the practice of CSR in Malaysian companies. W e come into the theory that most of the Malaysian companies execute CSR because of their concern to contribute back to society and for the sake of their reputation and branding. Plus, this study adds on a new idea on the theory of CSR from the Islamic perspective. In short, CSR is already part of the basic Islamic concept; vicegerency. The foundations of the CSRââ¬â¢s notion from conventional theories came from the values and principles that have been central to Islam since the times of the Holy Prophet Muhammad S. W. T. Future ResearchWe advocate those who desire to do the similar studies to adopt the couple of methods below to conduct this study. * Interview on the managers from each company. * Survey on customers regarding their perspectives on CSR CONCLUSION Our study concerned on business ethics and corporate social responsibility. After pursuing through this study, we discovered mixed views on CSR concept. To conclude, there are generally two basic motives of CSR; ethical m otivation and instrumental motivation. Ethical motivation is to achieve the right thing to do. If the company treats CSR as a voluntary act rather than just a compliance based act and they conduct it for the sake of creating good society, it is considered as ethical motivation.In contrast, companies which consider CSR as an instrumental motivation tend to just to achieve an economic goal. They treat CSR as a means for profit maximization. According to our findings, most of the Malaysian companies take CSR as an instrumental motivation as their core motive in executing CSR to gain good reputation and branding image. Nevertheless, from the views of the managers of the companies, CSR should be done to give back to society. We desire this project paper to end as an article for IIUM journal. REFERENCES Adam, C. , & Zutshi, A. (2004). Corporates Social Responsibility:Why business should act responsible and be accountable.Australia Accounting Review, 14(3), 31-39. Burke, L. , & Logsdon, J. M. (1996). How corporate social responsibility pays off. Long Range Planning, 29(4), 495-502. Devinney, T. M. (2009). Is socially responsible corporation a myth? The good, the bad, and the ungly of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Perspectives, 44-56. Ditlev-Simonsen, C. D. , & Midttun, A. (2010). What motivates managers to pursue corporate responsibility? A survey among key stakeholders. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 25-38. Drews, M. (2010). Measuring the business and societal benefits of corporate responsibility.Corporate Governance, 10(4), 421-431. Friedman, M. (1970). The social responsibility of business is to increase its profits. The New York Times Magazine, 173-178. Galbreath, J. (2009). How does corporate social responsibility benefit firms? Evidence from Australia. European Business Review, 22(4), 411-431. Abul, H. , & Hjh Salma, A. L. (2009). Corporate social responsibility of Islamic financial institutions and busine sses optimizing charity value. Humanomics, 25(3), 177-188. Holme, C. (2010). Corporate social responsibility: A strategic issue or a wasteful distraction? Industrial and Commercial Training, 42(4), 179-185. Knox, S. , & Maklan, S. October, 2004). Corporate social responsibility: Moving beyond investment towards measuring outcomes. European Management Journal, 22(5), 508-516. Lee, K. -H. , & Shin, D. (2010). Consumersââ¬â¢ responses to CSR activities: The linkage between increased awareness and purchase intention. Public Relations Review 36, 193-195. Mostovicz, I. , Kakabadse, N. , & Kakabadse, A. (2009). CSR: the role of leadership in driving ethical outcomes. Corporate Governance, 9(4), 448-460. Samy, M. , Odemilin, G. , & Bampton, R. (2010). Corporate social responsibility: A strategy for sustainable business success. An analysis of 20 selected British companies.Corporate Governance, 10(2), 203-217. Siwar, C. , & Md Tareq, H. (2009). An analysis of Islamic CSR concept and the o pinions of Malaysian managers. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, 20(3), 290-298. Smith, K. H. , & Nystad, O. (2006). Is the motivation for CSR profit or ethics? Retrieved 11 June, 2011, from www. crrconference. org/downloads/2006hauglandsmithandnystad. pdf. The Hadiths. (n. d. ). Retrieved 11 June, 2011, from http://fortyhadith. iiu. edu. my/hadiths. htm. Weber, M. (2008). The business case for corporate social responsibility: A company-level measurement approach for CSR. European Management Journal, 247-261.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)