Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Anthra essays

Anthra essays The world today can be a very confusing place. This especially applies to living in the United States, where one is not really sure which group they belong to, if they belong to any one group at all. With a variety of things constantly tugging at the thin fabric holding the "melting pot" of America together it's amazing how devices designed to permanently shatter those thin bonds actually strengthen them. It is for this reason that the recent terrorist attacks have not destroyed American society. The threat of future attacks as well as the threat of biological warfare cannot defeat lady liberty. The primary function of the threat of biological warfare is not to kill large amounts of people, but rather to create fear and instill a sense of vulnerability in a society; in this case, with the hope of tearing down the loose sense of togetherness we share. Although we may not be completely prepared to deal with a full-scale biological weapon attack, we do have a set playback for just such an emergency. In the event of the unleashing of a biological weapon, government employees at both the local and state level such as firefighters and police officers will be needed as part of the first line of defense in order to contain further outbreaks. Also, reserve units, as well as the National Guard, would be useful for similar tasks. Unfortunately, the equipment and training necessary to handle a biological attack of this magnitude would be under the auspices of the CDC, or Center for Disease Control. In order to protect the United States from a variety of biological attacks; pharmaceutical companies must begin the mass manufacturing of different forms of treatment for several different biological weapons. Coordinating this kind of response system in the event of a biological attack is the responsibility of Tom Ridge, director of the new Offi ce of Homeland Security. Biological weapons are much better suited to causing panic and distrust for one'...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

How Much of My Novel Should I Post Online

How Much of My Novel Should I Post Online This is a hard question to answer because it isnt black and white. There are mixed messages on giving away your novel. Ive listened to agents speak about discovering good writers via serial releases of a novel. What they dont clarify when they say it can be done is this: Theyre only interested when the public gets lit up, afire with the material so that the blog explodes with interest and starts trend setting. If you only have twenty people reading your blog, waiting for the next chapter, you havent achieved what an agent seeks. Good means you are gathering several thousand followers because of how remarkably your work teases them to return for more. People dont just come to you because you posted your story somewhere. You have to work the system and coax people to come to you. That means lots of social media, maybe even a newsletter. You have to act as if the book has been published and you are seeking readers to buy. This is always such a long shot unless you have a platform already or youre pretty darn savvy and willing to work relentlessly to snare readers. What a Catch 22, right? You need to be published to sell well, so whats a writer to do if not post the book online to build afollowing? The problem here is that you take a chance. When you approach an agent about this book, and its been marketed online via your website or blog, or even self-published in eBook form, that agent will ask how many people read/bought your book. If you gathered 450 readers and a dozen reviews, you may be telling an agent you cant sell the book OR the book isnt marketable enough. You take a risk here. For every one person that does well using this tactic to make a name for himself, there are a thousand who crashed and burned. I tend to suggest to new novelists to seek a mid-size publisher that is willing to go the long-haul with you (the long tail business approach look it up). Mid-size and smaller presses want authors for a long time, for multiple books, and they work and cooperate with you as you build your platform through branding, social media, deals with Amazon, etc. That is the route Im taking. Youd think Id have a big platform, but my editors didnt have a clue what FundsforWriters was, and treated me like a newbie. So Ive been in the process for the past year of showing them how hard I can market. And remember this. If people already read the book for free, why would they buy it later when its published? Theyre waiting for book two. Id stick to the straight and narrow. Post other writing to build a following, but not the book youre trying to sell.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

ANALYSIS OF HEALTH NEEDS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ANALYSIS OF HEALTH NEEDS - Essay Example The Aging Network is an informal term used to describe the array of federal, state, and local government agencies established by the Older American’s Act (OAA) and the community based agencies that affiliate with them in serving older adults. The OAA contains titles of relevance to long term care. â€Å"Aging Network Services can provide direction and hope, even in the most difficult of circumstances† (Aging Network Services). â€Å"The Older Americans Act focuses on improving the lives of older people in areas of income, housing, health, employment, retirement and community services† (Older Americans Act). Due to the ever increasing number of elderly people, the focus has elaborated from community-based to long term treatment methodologies. Through the Older Americans Act, the Administration on Aging (AoA) was created. AoA is a sublet of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, which is governed by the Assistant Secretary for Aging. This can only be done if correct assessment of health care needs is there. The Administration on Aging (AoA) is connected with its nationwide network on aging composed of regional offices, to help coordinate and develop community-level systems of services that meet the unique needs of older persons and their caregivers. â€Å"[There is a] need for rethinking criteria for hospital discharge planning, more effective communication between service providers and patients, and community focus of attention on elders coming home from the hospital† (Jones, et al, 1989). Most supportive services fall under three broad categories: Access Services, which deals with transportation and outreach, In-home Services, that concerns homemaker services, and Community Services, which is connected to dealing with adult day care and legal assistance. â€Å"A disease-specific approach to geriatric preventive health care will not suffice; measures to enhance or maintain

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Public relations model Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public relations model - Research Paper Example They are utilized until today for they are successful in passing on a specific message from the sender to the receiver within the public. They are utilizing these models so as to accomplish their targets of setting their message in media. This essay offers an analysis into how Saudi Telecommunication Company is using social media platforms such as Twitter to converse and build relationships with their key publics. It will extend the existing knowledge of how social media, such as Twitter, is utilized in a dialogic public relations context. Furthermore, it will offer insight on how social media platforms can be used in partnership with the four public relations models. Saudi Telecommunication Company has utilized these models greatly to communicate to the public. One of the noticeable public relations model is the public information model. Most of the tweets by this company are aligned to this model because the medium interactivity is featured in the tweets. In addition, the tweets that are made by the enterprise target the general public while self-promotion is featured in the tweets. It is evidenced by various tweets made October covering the Hajj season. The tweets also covered various topics such as those of religion and holiness; hence, creating awareness to the public. Through the tweets, the company stresses on maintenance of its public image by circulating various relevant information to the public such as the Hajj season. Under this model, the company also seems to be creative in its tweets because it delivers them with respect to the period of the year hence putting the thoughts of the audience into these meaningful tweets that later inf luence them. Messages sent through this model flow from the sender to receiver, in this case, the company’s clients and so on. Hence, it is a one-way communication (Grunig, 2013). Elsewhere, the company has incorporated the press agentry model that is also a one-way model that allows flow of information from the

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Hezbollah Essay Example for Free

Hezbollah Essay Hezbollah, Arabic for â€Å"Party of God†, is also known as Islamic Jihad for the Liberation of Palestine, the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth and as the Revolutionary Justice Organization (Global Security, p. 1). Hezbollah (also Hizbullah and Hizballah) is a Lebanese social, political and paramilitary organization founded in 1982. Hezbollah’s historical and political background was the Israeli Defense Force’s presence in Lebanon (1982-2000), the Lebanese Civil War (1979-1990) and the plight of Arab Palestinians, many of whom had fled to Lebanon, where their presence â€Å"changed the historical balance between Muslims and Christians† (Bennett, 2005, p. 214). In the war, Lebanon’s various religious communities vied for power and Hezbollah was established as by Shi’a to strengthen their traditionally weak political position, with help from Iran and Syria. Committed to making Lebanon an Islamic state, to the liberation of Israeli occupied territory (which it claims means dismantling the Israeli state) Hezbollah was named a terrorist organization by the USA in 1994. One scholar describes the organization, which has seats in Parliament and in the Cabinet, runs a large social welfare program, as â€Å"a moderate, mainstream political party† (Harik, 2007, p. xiv). Harik says that Hezbollah â€Å"is considered a legitimate resistance force all over the Arab and Muslim worlds† (p. 7).   Azani discusses Hezbollah as a â€Å"social protest movement† (2009, p. 1). This raises the question whether the US is correct to label Hezbollah a â€Å"terror organization† and why it does so?   Harik says that no one has ever proved that Hezbollah has ever attacked a civilian (p. xiv) or that it was responsible for attacks on US personnel (p. 193). In responding to these questions, what follows examines the history of the organizations, its aims, programs and activities and why the US regards it as a terrorist organization. The Shi’a in Lebanon Modern Lebanon was created after World War I, when the Great Powers defeated the Ottoman Empire and divided the Middle East among themselves as League of Nations mandates. These newly created states were to be given independence when they were considered ready for self-determination. The Lebanon became a French mandate. Lebanon was religiously diverse, with Christians in a small majority, followed by Sunni Muslims, followed by the Shi’a. Under four centuries of Ottoman rule, the Shi’a were suspected being Iran’s fifth column. Consequently, the community was â€Å"impoverished and underdeveloped† (Norton, 2009, p. 12). Under the French, an attempt was made to share power between the main communities. The Marionite were given the Presidency, the Sunni the office of Prime Minister, which left the Shi’a with the Speakership, a â€Å"position with far weaker constitutional powers† (Norton, p. 12). This was based on the 1932 census, which, says Norton, was â€Å"the last official census ever conducted in Lebanon† (p. 12). This arrangement continued after independence in 1943. The Shi’a community in Beirut was very small; most lived in the south and in the Beqaa valley. Azani says that the â€Å"political awakening† of the Shi’a began in the 1960s and 1970s, led by Imam Musa al-Sadr, â€Å"a Shiite cleric with the characteristics of a religious and political leader.† Born in Iran to a Lebanse family he studied at the great centers of Shi’a learning (p. 48). From 1959, al-Sadr was Mufti of Tyre and â€Å"in less than two decades he succeeded, with strenuous activity, charisma and high rhetorical ability, in organizing the Shi’a community, characterized for hundreds of years by passivity and isolationalism, and in mobilizing it into collective activity for the realization of social and political goals† (pp. 48-49). The influx of Palestinian refugees into South Lebanon upset the traditional power of the Shi’a elite in the region. The increasing politicization of Shi’a leaders in Iran impacted their role in Lebanon. From the 1970s, the number and influence of clerics increased, with al-Sadr and the future founder of Hezbollah, Sheikh Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, leading a movement that wanted to bring about an Islamic revolution in Lebanon, following the Iranian revolution of 1979. The Lebanese Civil War and the founding of Hezbollah On the one hand, the Shi’a in Lebanon were finding their political voice, encouraged by co-religionists in Iran. On the other hand, the security situation in Lebanon was deteriorating. The tradition of good relations between communities was breaking down with Christians being depicted as pro-Israeli, while Muslims were aligned with the Palestinian cause. April 13, 1973 a Christian paramilitary group ambushed a Palestinian bus in retaliation for the killing of a Christian earlier that day (Bennett, 2005, pp. 213-5). Fighting began between different communities, Sunni, Christian, Druze and Shi’a. In 1976, unable to stop the fighting the President asked the Syrians and other Arab leaders to â€Å"end the war.† Bennett remarks that as a result of the civil war, the word â€Å"Shia† entered the Western vocabulary (p. 215). The revolution in Iran would reinforce the word’s presence in the media. It was in the context of the civil war that Hezbollah was founded. The Palestinian Liberation Army was raiding Israel from across the border. Al-Sdar mysteriously disappeared in August 1978 (Norton, 2009, p. 29). This led to Israel invading Lebanon in June 1982, and to Hezbollah’s formation. From the start, committed to liberating Palestine, Hezbollah also raided across the border. However, its immediate aim was to end Israel’s presence in Lebanon. Between spring 1983 and the summer of 1985, Hezbollah â€Å"launched an unprecedented wave of suicide bombings which included an attack on the US Embassy and US Marine branches in Beirut in October 1983 and the US Embassy annex in Beirut in September, 1984† followed by the taking of Western hostages, according to Global Security (p. 1). Hezbullah’s Aims and Structure The organization’s Consultative Council has 12 senior scholars at its head and a Directing Council under its Secretary-General.. The organization’s charter sets out three objectives: 1. to expel the Americans, the French and their allies definitely from Lebanon, putting an end to any colonial entity. 2. to submit the Phalanges [Christian militia] to a just power and bring them all to justice for the crimes they have committed against Muslims and Christians. 3. to permit all the sons of [Lebanese] people to determine their future and to choose in all liberty the form of government they desire. [Hezbollah] call[s] upon them all to pick the option of an Islamic government, which alone is capable of guaranteeing justice and liberty for all. Only an Islamic regime can stop any further attempts at imperialist infiltration (Richardson, 2006, pp. 83-4). Hezbollah and Israel From 1978, a UN force was deployed in Lebanon to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli forces under Security Council Resolution 425. However, it was not until 2000 that Israeli troops were completely withdrawn. Until then, Hezbollah carried out attacks on Israelis targets. After the withdrawal, Israeli continued to launch missile strikes and raids into Lebanon and Hezbullah â€Å"in retaliation, launched rocket attacks in Northern Israel on an almost regular basis† (Bajpai, 2006, p. 594). According to Global Security, Hezbollah â€Å"operates against Israel in four main way†: 1. brimging terrorists and collaborators through the border crossings usinf foreign documents. 2. setting up a terrorist organization inside Israel and Judea, Samaria and the Gaza strip. 3. cross-border operations – smuggling weapons and terrorists 4. financial support for Palestinian organixzations and groups. Others do not use the word â€Å"terrorist† but represent Hezbullah’s activities as legitimate resistance to Israel, which has defied UN Resolutions to withdraw from all occupied territory. Bajpai writes, â€Å"even after its formal withdrawal from Southern Lebanon in 2000, Israel engaged in frequent military incursions† (p. 594). In 2004, the UN called for the disbanding and disarming of all Lebanese militia (Resolution 1559). However, in the elections of 2005, Hizbollah won 14 seats (out of 128), and was awarded 2 cabinet posts. By 2008, Hizbollah had eleven out of thirty cabinet seats (Council on Foreign Relations, p. 1). In the 2009 election, it lost a seat but still received 10 seats in the 30 members Cabinet. Hartik says that Christians have supported Hezbollah, which makes it harder for â€Å"its enemies to float the fundamentalist stereotype of a raging gang of religious fanatics whose main aim was to put enemies of the faith to the sword† (p. 79). Other Christians are outspoken in criticizing Hezbollah as the stooge of Syria and Iran and as setting itself up as a state within the state (Azani, p. 231). As well as carrying out military or terrorist action, depending on the commentator’s perspective, it spends millions on welfare and education work, funded by Iran. In 2006, Hezbollah’s operatives crossed the Israeli border and captured two IDF soldiers. This came a month after Palestinian operatives had captured an Israeli soldier (Global Security, p. 1). In response, a 34-day war followed during which Israel launched air strikes, killing â€Å"56 citizens including 37 children† (Bajpai, 594). As a result of this war and Hezbollah’s resistance, its popularity within the Muslim world increased. The war ended with a UN brokered cease-fire and another Resolution calling for the disarming of all militia. Hezbullah did succeed in preventing a full-scale invasion. The Global Security report on Hezbollah states that in addition to funding from Iran and help from Syria, the organizatuon engaged in fund-raising around the world (p. 2). The report makes no mention of its extensive social program but the Council on Foreign Relations however describes it as a â€Å"major provider of social services† (Council on Foreign Relations, p 1.) Acts Attributed to Hezbullah In addition to the acts mentioned above, according to CFR, Hezbollah lists the 1985 hijacking of TWA flight 847 and the attacks in Argentine on the Israeli Embassy (1992) and on a Jewish community center (1994). Azani refers to links with other organizations across the globe. He lists an attempt to destroy US ships in Singapore in 1995 and arrests of members in 1997 for planning an attack in a US Embassy. The 9/11 Report said that Al-Qaeda operatives train at Hezbollah camps (p. 203). He refers to other arrests made in 1999 and in 2001 when plans to attack targets in South and North America were foiled.   He says that the global network is spread across forty countries and every continent, including Europe where activists have also been arrested. In Germany, two charities funding the organization were shut down (p. 205).   However, Hartik points out that while Western attention focuses on its â€Å"guerilla activities† in the Lebanon it is social welfare activities that attract support, making it in her view a â€Å"mainstream† organization. It has achieved more in this field, she says, than any other party (p. 81). On the other hand, it has refused to disarm. After 2001 and the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in NY, the US has repeatedly asked Lebanon to shut Hezbollah down and to close bank accounts. Lebanon has refused to do this, claiming that Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization, which Syria also denies. Syria is one of four countries considered â€Å"state sponsors of terror† by the US State Department. In April 2010, reports began circulating that Syria had given SCUD missiles to Hezbollah. Syria denies this.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Marketing Trend Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing BTEC Coursework

Marketing Trend Introduction Companies of today must respond to change to survive the future. Change is inevitable-growth is optional. Change forces all business owners to adapt, adjust and be energetic in building their businesses. After all, there are only three things a company can do with change: ignore it, adapt to it or embrace it. By focusing on new ways of doing things, a company can revitalize their business. In particular, marketing in new ways and with different strategies not only simulates new business, but also gives a company a new vision on productivity. Advertising Companies will need to use their resources wisely as technologies and quick markets will leave companies trying to find their way to the door. Spending millions of dollars to make a product unique is a thing of the past with technology and the ever changing buying patterns and competition companies will have to use those dollars to emphasize their company values not specifically their product. Additionally education will play an important role as markets and technology is rapidly changing. Companies should develop a culture that encourages and fosters new ways of looking at things. They constantly should strive to create, develop, test and refine ideas. Organizations and associations are resources and committed to offering ideas, information, data, conferences, publications and more. In addition, local college continuing education classes, public workshops and even the libr...

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Impact of the Public Sector Reform on Employee Relations Essay

In the 1950s to the 1960s, the Conservative government of Britain had a strong compulsion to adopt a neoliberal stance on economic policies. Certain industries which were nationalized by the Labour Party after the Second World War were privatized. State spending on health, education, and welfare were cut; this was so since too much spending would necessarily result in low economic performance of the whole country (although variation was possible). Military spending were doubled to contribute to the overall economic output of the country. This was continued during the leadership of Lady Margaret Thatcher (1979-1990) and her successors. Nevertheless, although allowing a significant reduction of government spending in the welfare sector, the Conservative government instituted some reforms to upgrade government programs on health and the bureaucracy itself. The Local Government Act of 1993, Health Care Complaints Act of 1993, the Parliamentary Commissioner Act of 1994, the Local Government Act of 1974, were some of the examples of the readiness of the Conservative government to put efficiency and cost effectiveness the emblem of a government in service (to the people). These acts passed by the Conservative government were meant to streamline the bureaucracy, increase the powers of the local governments (establishment of new boroughs and counties), extend the powers of the parliamentary Commissioner in investigating cases involving local authorities, improve the health care service by allowing the private sector to invest in government health programs, and put a mechanism to effectively negotiate grievances in the government and its related entities (like government owned corporations). These programs and policies were meant to create a bureaucracy with the intense participation of the private sector. They were programs economic in character. Programs were directed to the service of the public but with the capital from foreign and private individuals playing as the motor of development. The image of these programs seemed to be a positive one; intense partnership between the government and the private sector in the service of the public. With the coming of the Labour party in power, some changes were presented in the halls of the parliament. There was a step to extend the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner in matters allowed by parliament (the three Ombudsmen – the Parliamentary Ombudsman, Local Government Ombudsmen, and the Health Service Ombudsman). An act was established also established to increase public sector employment; a move almost totally ignored by the Conservative government in the 1960s. It is expected that due to the changes hitherto described above public sector employment would increase by 360, 000 in the next three years, and almost a million in the following decade. The number of teachers, doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and policemen increase by more than 100, 000. An increase would be expected in other professions (which is around 200, 000). Although a general cut was implemented by the Labour government in the civil service programs, they were compensated by an additional increase of public sector employees. In sum, the reduction was implemented to increase public sector employment since public sector employment is one of the most effective ways of boosting economic performance (due to its manageability). Needless to say, however, these changes proposed or implemented by both the Conservative and Labour governments of Britain have had certain effects or impacts on employee relations. The Health Service Act implemented by the Conservative government proposed a two-valorem system of negotiation between complaints presented by the two parties involved. This action proved to be not very effective as a conflict resolution mechanism for employees. The present Labour government established a so-called conciliator with the aim of: a) to bring the parties involved together for the general purpose of negotiation and settlement of complaint, b) to create activities deemed possible for the attainment of a settlement, and c) to assist the parties involved to reach for a fair agreement. This three-party system of negotiation (which were imitated by other countries) became an effective force in resolving conflicts in the public sector (the employees). The number of resolved cases or agreements had increased since the coming of the Labour Party in power, a huge debacle for the opposition. The creation of metropolitan boroughs and counties made by the Conservative government (acts enumerated above) had also some impact on employee. It fairly promoted intense economic activity in these new districts. Public sector employment had a slight increase. Herein, therefore, it became the duty of the government to institute a law which will protect the interests of the public sector employees. The creation of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act of 1967 and an amended bill in 1974 defined the limits of the Ombudsmen in reviewing cases or complaints presented to them by government employees (against local authorities or other employees). The effect was good for the public sector employees since the number of complaints and perceived problems in the government bureaucracy was reduced. This was not really a good measurement of performance since the number of public sector employees at that time was small; the civil service jobs share in the total number of jobs was about 62 %. Due to the increasing number of public sector employees, the Labour government refined the laws mentioned above. The Ombudsmen were granted right by the parliament to investigated cases independently, with more flexibility and rigour. A general program of action was also presented by the Home Secretary to reform the Parliamentary Commissioner, giving the latter some air of independence when reviewing not only cases involving possible crime committed by members of parliament) to the general public but also to the increasingly significant public sector employees. It was recognized that delays would be averted if this plan of action was implemented, and therefore a possible amiable relationship between employees result. Nevertheless, a revised attached code of ethics was also created to define the limits, behavior, and general attitude of government and public sector employees to lessen if not avoid conflict or mismanagement of delegated or defined duties. The Labour Party in the present can boast of its success both in streamlining the bureaucracy (same policy of the Conservative Party in the 1950s to the 1960s) and providing a ground base of cordial public sector employment system (employment and conflict resolution). One public sector employee noted that the propensity or possibility of having conflict with her peers appears to be zero. This is one indication of the success that the Labour Party can present to the general public. However, such conclusion is not totally accurate. The Conservative Party was able to create brilliant programs that were responsible for the increase in the public sector employment. The program of devolution gave the local governments the right to shape the economic policy of the districts involved. The air of supra liberalism during the Conservative years promoted intense migration from Third world countries. The public sector itself became a hotspot for foreign nationals, of which the British public can depend for their special services. It seemed from the start that conflicts will generally increase because of the heterogeneous character of the public sector employees, but the speculators proved wrong. The code of ethics prepared by the British MP’s became a great piece of political scourge to the Labour Party. Not only that conflicts decreased in the government and the public sector decreased, the ruling government experienced a high trust rating from the two sectors, and of course a high applause from the business sector. The consecutive electoral victories of the Conservative Party (during the leadership of Margaret Thatcher) proved the case. Nevertheless, certain variables have to be considered when reviewing electoral victories for it is itself a locus of different circumstances of advantages. There is one great difference, however, when we talk of the Conservative and Labour policies on public sector employees. It is generally accepted that impersonality should be the hallmark of a bureaucracy and of course the whole economic activity of the country. In the Conservative years, impersonality was always implemented in the government, with strict penalties for noncompliance. However, government officials were not aware that the policies they implemented (as enumerated above) had certain effect on the public sector employees. Employees became resonant of public policy. They became more politically involved in public discussions. And as such, became more impersonal in their dealings with the government and their clients. Economic activity, according to one economist, may well be possible under the environment of impersonality and laxity of economic requirements. This became a starting step for Britain to increase its migration rate. The increasing number of public sector employees heralded a change or revision in the policies of the Labour Party in terms of public sector employment. As mentioned above, the proposed and implemented policies on negotiation and extension of powers of the types of Ombudsmen were generally meant to increase the efficiency of the government to solve disputes arising between employee and employee, employee and employer, and between employee and government officials. Remember that the public sector had increased because of migration. The current composition of the public sector employees deserve a more efficient and complex system of work arrangements. This was generally only an adaptation made by the ruling government, since the composition of the public sector employees during the 1950s to the 1970s is generally different from today. Nonetheless, only two factors in the public sector employees that became the point of reference of a government in power: its size and composition. Although this may be a narrow generalization, the circumstances that followed afterwards prove such assertion.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Discuss the issue Ethical Business and How it relates to csr Essay

Discuss the issue Ethical Business and how it relates to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). With reference to sources, provide examples of companies or organisations which demonstrate ethical behaviour and evaluate their motivation. The ideas of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility are oftentimes discussed in a similar manner even though they both have distinctly different definitions. As the name suggests, the term ethical business or business ethics is associated with a mixture of both ‘ethics’ and ‘business’. According to Oxford English Dictionary (2010) a business is the buying and selling of products or services with an aim of profit making. Ethics, on the other hand is more complex in that it involves human judgment, between what is right and wrong, in regards to activities and their consequences towards the society (Velasquez, et al. , 2010). Chryssides and Kaler (1993) have drawn attention to the fact that in the same way that political ethics is related to honouring the right and wrong in governmental concerns, or medical ethics being identified with the morality in medical practice, business ethics can simply be defined as the issue of morality within the business industry whereby â€Å"morality is taken to mean moral judgments, standards and rules of conduct† (Ferrell and Fraedrich, 1997, p. 5). Therefore, ethical business can now be defined as the ethics or principles that act as one’s behavioral rules and regulations when dealing in the world of business (Ferrell, et al. , 2010). On the other hand, reference to The World Business Council for Sustainable Development explains CSR by putting across that a business has responsibilities and obligations that go beyond the workplace (WBCSD, 2001). This essentially signifies the voluntary duty that organisations participate in to fulfill the demands of a broader range of stakeholders (Jamali and Mirshak, 2006). Based on the definitions stated above, it would seem that CSR and business ethics share similar theories, considering the fact that both of their notions go further than profit-based decisions and into values along with concerns for the society as a whole (Mullerat, 2010). Having said that, it is certainly interesting to see that most people are inclined to link CSR with the positive operations of a firm yet when a business engages in a non-moral act, they set the stunt side by side with business ethics or rather, the lack of (Crane and Matten, 2010). The question of how business ethics relates to CSR can now be evaluated more closely. Some examples of issues in ethical business as well as CSR include harming the environment and sweatshop labour on top of fraud, health and safety and campaigning (IBE/Ipsos MORI 2009, cited in Irwin, 2010). This essay will comprehensively explore the motivations of firms that have demonstrated brilliant presentations of business ethics, such as Microsoft Inc. as well as examining the motives behind their ethical decisions. Additionally, it will also look at other corporations that have been linked with having high regards to ethics in business yet have been accused in making poor business choices in the recent years, for instance H&M’s disposal of unsold clothing items in New York in 2010 (Daily Mail Reporter, 2010). Until recent years, Hennes&Mauritz, more commonly known as H&M has been highly admired for launching the use of organic cotton into the high street clothing (Vijayaraghavan, 2010). Green Retail Decisions (2011) reports that it even succeeded in surpassing their organic cotton goal usage in 2010 by tripling their original aim, manufacturing 15,000 tonnes of organic cotton. Furthermore, the company was also proud in producing high street attires out of 16,000 tonnes of fabric that have been recycled (Green Retail Decisions, 2011). Be that as it may, when the firm threw away unsold clothes outside of one of its retail outlets, many were not only left appalled but also questioning their business ethics (Daily Mail Reporter, 2010). In the same year, H&M were involved in two more shocking headlines in the news, one of which includes the contamination of the organic cotton textile with GM, and the other being a suspicion of unsustainably made clothes (Vijayaraghavan, 2010). As previously stated, H&M is widely respected for working with organic materials on their products. However, when genetically modified cotton was found in random product test conducted in a research lab, they were left with nothing to be applauded for. Hence, it is clear that this particular case study provides contradicting information on H&M’s aims and motivations towards ethical decision-makings within their business. Even though they have been acceptable in their business ethics, for many of their stakeholders, the four issues specified above may heavily indicate otherwise. Another good example of a company with a similar situation is Coca Cola alongside its recent endeavours with ethical crises. Ferrel et al. (2011), in their book write that the company has been facing various allegations regarding their ethical misdemeanours since the 1990s, some of which include racial prejudice, pollution and consumption of natural resources. The claim against one of the world’s most acknowledged beverage companies, Coca Cola, otherwise known as Coke, for the practice of racial discrimination within their working environment was taken to court in April 1999 (Winter, 2000). In his article, Winter (2000) reports that Coke practiced a method of pay scale that is based upon a hierarchy whereby employees of African American background were situated at the bottom, earning $26,000 on average less than white workers in a year. Although the company denied all charges at the time, the public was clearly upset, resulting in a decline of their shares at the end of the 90’s (Fairfield, 2007). As a consequence of this, Coca Cola lost one of their main investors and biggest shareholder of 17 years, Warren Buffet in 2006 (Teather, 2006). Having their reputation jeopardised, Coca Cola announced the establishment of a new department to their company, the diversity group (The New York Times, 1999). Since the formation of this group, Coca Cola has been voted 46th on the DiversityInc’s top 50 list of businesses with the best practices along with coming 6th in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Blacks and Latinos (DiversityInc, 2012). In addition to this, Black Enterprise magazine has also awarded the organisation with numerous awards honouring their commitment to establish a working environment that is accepting of different cultures along with featuring the company in the Black Enterprise magazine’s yearly 40 Best Companies for Diversity list (Staff, 2012). DiversityInc (2012) also reports that Coca Cola donates forty percent of their humanitarian effort to culturally diverse non-profit organisations, such as their recent contribution to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation. With that in mind, their ethics in business can be considered as acceptable to the public eye and it is almost unthinkable to think that they were accused of race-related discrimination just over a decade ago. The cases of H&M and Coca Cola are referred to in this essay to express the similarity in their questionable motives. H&M’s claim of being environmentally conscious with their utilisation of organic cotton within their business proves irrelevant after being caught with immoral acts that were stated earlier. The genuineness of their principles in business ethics is flawed by this flagrant contradiction since one would argue that if their sense of responsibility for the environment were great, they would not be accountable for such unethical activities. On the other hand, Coca Cola only responded to possessing ethics in their business environment after being sued and attracting negative media attention, not including the obvious decline in their sales even though they still remained as the world’s leading carbonated cola in 2006 (Fairfield, 2007). Thus, similarly the sincerity behind Coca Cola’s motive to develop a diversity group and their emphasis in cultural acceptance is also suspicious because these were only developed and implemented after the public uproar. Although it may be surprising, Microsoft Inc. can also be compared to Coca Cola and H&M to an extent in terms of the motivations behind their CSR works as well as business ethics practices. The co-founder and chairman of Microsoft Inc. , Bill Gates is widely known and celebrated for his great donations to the public. In 2011, Microsoft Inc. won the award for being ‘Most Ethical, beating Google and Facebook after making donations of millions of dollars to non profit organisations and charities, establishing plans of actions for economic development as well as heightening their means of central reporting procedures (Smith, 2011). Having said all this, it is shocking to note that only just 15 years ago, a board experts at a panel in a well-known seminar held in California could not answer and decide whether Microsoft Inc. were an ethical corporation. (Spinello, 2003). Spinello (2003) continues to write that not only were the panel of experts unsure of the answer, the audience, who were consisted of scholarly representatives did not know how to respond either. This is because Microsoft Inc. has been involved in an antitrust inspection worldwide and some Americans have referred to this event as the â€Å"antitrust trial of the century† (Mota, 2005). The antitrust laws, otherwise known as competition laws were introduced by the American government to protect customers from being exploited by companies who practice unfair competition in the market (Investopedia, 2011). Gates is also the primary shareholder in America’s second biggest waste administration called the Republic Services (O’Hagan, 2013). In her article O’Hagan (2013) questions how the co-founder of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation can spread the word to publicise vaccinations for poliomyelitis, a disease that can cause a temporary or permanent paralysis while â€Å"Republic Services is locking out its workers as part of an industrial dispute†, a policy that may put a risk to the Americans’ sanitary. There is no doubt that Microsoft Inc. ’s involvement in charity work over the years have been generous and can be regarded as a model example of a company who takes their corporate social responsibilities seriously. However, it is also evident that while their voluntary organisations are remarkable, their business practice leaves with less to be awed for. Hence, similar to the H&M case brought up previously, there is a contradiction between Microsoft’s work with charity and some of their immoral activities in the workplace. It is also comparable to Coca Cola in that it only came to be involved in large ‘corporate citizenship’ after the aftermath from their antitrust cases (Smith, 2011). It is safe to say that most companies are fighting to prove their good works through all types of methods, charity works in the case of Microsoft Inc. as well as forming a new diversity department in the case of Coca Cola. With thousands of other corporations yearning to prove their sincerity in making ethical decisions and practicing moral behaviour in the workplace, it is becoming tougher to examine just how responsible and principled an organisation is (Kwan, 2012). Kwan (2012) writes that this issue can be solved with the help of a B Corp certification. B Corp stands for Benefit Corporations, which is one of the latest kinds of corporate structure, acting as a third party classification to calculate the effects of an organisation to the environment (Fritz, 2013). Balch (2012) argues that the term benefit not only considers social and environmental aspects of a business but also its financial side as well, where he insists that 21st century capitalism would be a hybrid of generating social value together with maximising financial returns. B Corps essentially â€Å"provides what is lacking elsewhere: proof† to support that the specific company is in actual fact practicing what is proclaimed by them, hence, useful for firms whose focus is to not only make profit but also putting social and environmental interest a primary concern while doing so (Rosenberg, 2011). Although certifying B Corps to sincere businesses with aims of increasing positive social and environmental impacts sound fair, smaller and newer companies may say otherwise (Akalp, 2011). In their academic journal, Helsey et al. (2013) report that a company must be prepared to invest on their time and money to obtain the status. Depending on the area that they are operating in, the business must able to relate themselves with certain criteria listed, such as â€Å"providing low-income or undeserved individuals or communities with beneficial products or services† (Helsey et al, 2013). Fritz (2013) also confirms that a company must be assessed in accordance to the B Ratings System in which they must score at least 80 points out of 200 on top of consenting to changes in their legal articles of incorporation. Furthermore, there is a fee involved, which varies depending on the revenue of the firm (Akalp, 2013). This implies that organisations with strong awareness and appreciation of responsibilities may choose not to be certified with B Corps and thus put across a sense of false portrayal to companies without the B Corp certificate (Akalp, 2013). Therefore, it can be argued that larger companies with a higher source of income can afford to pay more to be certified. In addition to this, there have also been criticisms on the marking boundaries of the certification process. As stated earlier, companies need to score a point of 80 out of the maximum 200. Horatio (2012) disputes that this only indicates a 40% passing score for a company to be certified, which he claims as â€Å"not much of a standard† and â€Å"essentially worthless†. With that in mind, a case could be made that there is now a limitation to the authenticity of the certificate since large companies can afford to pay their way through the process and most probably pass the low 40% passing requirement. The purpose of this essay has been to convey that most companies, regardless of their past, recent or current reputation are never completely ethical in their business activities and that in one way or another, they have been associated with its share of moral negligence. With the examples used in the essay, it is safe to say that most companies that operate in what is considered to be as ethical to the public are only doing so to receive public attractions, and consequently earn more profits and success to the company. It is important to draw attention to the fact that there is a fundamental difference between what a company does and what their beliefs are. Just because a company is praised for their CSR related activities and was voted amongst the best of companies with high business ethics performance, this does not indicate that they are doing so for the sake of the planet or the people. If anything, this essay has been stating otherwise, demonstrating that most ethically responsible organisations are only involved in ethical activities to draw consumers in, thus, increase their profit.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Designing A Thermodynamics Experiment essays

Designing A Thermodynamics Experiment essays The final design was very simple. It consisted of a stainless steel tank and a tank cover that we made out of a piece of carton. All of the equipments that were used (thermometer, pump, heater, inlet and outlet pipes) had it place on the cover The equipments we used had the following restrictions on its usage: 1. The maximum pressure for the pump is 40psi and the normal operation pressure is 18psi. 2. The pump provides a steady flow rate that ranges between .4 to 987 ml/min depending of the tubing that is being used. 3. The maximum section left that the pump provides with water is 29ft (8.8m). 4. The electric current needed to operate the pump is 2 amps. 5. The angular velocity of the pump is 58rpm. 1. This heater can only be used for heating water; it cannot be used to heat other liquids. 2. The round base should be always covered with water. 3. The heater should not be operated with out water; it will disconnect with in 2-3 minutes if that was done. 4. Allow 10 minutes per gallon of water to heat. 5. The electric current needed to operate the heater is 10amps. 6. If the water is heated to the desired temperature disconnect the heater. 7. The heater should be placed in water having a depth of from 1.5in to a height just below but not toughing the bottom of the black handle. 1. The instructions and limitations of using the equipments should be read and understood to avoid damaging the equipment. 2. Chose the appropriate tubing for the desired flow rate. 3. Assemble the tubing to the pump (refer to the pump instructions manual for extra help) 4. Using a measuring tape measure the height of the tank, the diameter of the thermometer used, and the diameter of the pipes going in and out of the tank and the diameter of the heater ¡s handle. 5. Using a pencil draw a circle for each diameter that has been recorded in step 4 on the piece of carton that is going to be used as a cover. 6. Cut these ci...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

9 Ways to Make Your Goals Happen By The End of 2015

9 Ways to Make Your Goals Happen By The End of 2015 I know what you’re thinking. The holidays are here. Before we know it, the ball will drop and the arrival of 2016 will kill off all our hopes of accomplishing our biggest goals for 2015. But there’s still time! Don’t roll over your resolutions for this year just because it’s almost next year. Take these simple steps to clear your desk- and your conscience- and make 2015 a real success.1. Make a ListWrite down all of your unmet milestones and goals for this year, then choose your top two or three. Focus on reasonable goals that depend almost or entirely on you, rather than outside factors or people. Then make a list of every actionable item you can do to meet those goals and get to work.2. Tell the WorldEnlist your pals and family and social media crew to keep you honest. Tell your mentor what you’re trying to accomplish. Tell your supportive family member, or your best friend, or your Twitter feed. Go public with your goals and the world will help h old you accountable for meeting them.3. Make a PlanLike Macaulay Culkin prepping his turf for the great burglar invasion of 1990, you need a battle strategy. There’s about one month left in the year, which is more than enough time, but it’s going to fly. Divide your actionable tasks among the weeks and make sure you don’t let any weeks slip by.4. Cut out the Excess NoiseThis one is like a pair of noise-cancelling headphones for your schedule! Find 3-5 places in your routine where you are wasting time: on Facebook, or loitering by the coffee machine, or playing Candy Crush on the commute home. For the next eight weeks, put that dawdle time into superdrive and chip away at your goal list instead. You’ll be amazed at how much more you can get done.5. Find Time to ExerciseThe best way to increase your energy, stamina, and focus is to exercise. The endorphins will juice you up, and so will the confidence boost of having hit the gym. You’ll make better p rogress on your goals and get fit in the process.6. Worst Things FirstSave the easiest, simplest tasks for last when you’re in your final sprint. Start every morning by tackling the hardest task first, while you’re freshest and your motivation is at a daily peak. Things will only get easier as you work.7. Clock itSet yourself a timer and don’t get up from what you’re doing until it goes off. You’ll need the breaks, so make sure to make the best of those as well. Check out the free Pomodoro app to help with this.8. Create a â€Å"ta-da list†You’ve heard of a to-do list, but how about a daily ta-da list? Look over everything you’ve done that day and revel in your productivity. It will help you clear the last few hurdles and stay motivated to get those goals met before the new year.9. Designate the Holiday as a RewardI know it feels like one big overstuffed calendar of distractions, parties, tempting buffets, and open bars. But us e all this festivity to your advantage! Build holiday treats and fun into your schedule as a reward for crossing tasks of your list.One month isn’t much, but it’s enough. Now, shouldn’t you be making that goal list instead of reading articles online?Yes, It’s Still Possible to Achieve Your Biggest Goals Before the End of the Year

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Business Ethics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Business Ethics - Article Example By using private companies which it purchased, slush funds, and sham contracts the company was able to reroute the brides through extra levels of corporate disguise. The obvious moral issue here is that bribery is wrong. 2. Johnson and Johnson executives had a string of emails and other written communication explaining that the paying of bribes was a usual procedure of doing business in the countries. One email revealed that practically 95% of business in Greece is done this way. Also it is apparent that the method was so open that Greece accountants could not understand why it needed be hidden in their written notes. Brides were used to pay for the expenses of doctors going on medical conference trips. Johnson is a behemoth of a company and certainly other companies follow their leadership role. Their leadership role is based on experience with proven business techniques developed for surviving in a competitive market. One of these techniques, which Johnson as a well financed compan y can do well is bribing. 3. One can use the utilitarian rule of ethics here, the greatest good for the greatest number. It would be the variety of action based utilitarianism in which one's action would produce such a good.

Friday, November 1, 2019

EGT2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

EGT2 - Essay Example We can also say that as the income of a consumer will increase, he will consume less of those goods The coefficient of Cross-price elasticity helps us determine whether the good is complementary or substitute to one another and if the elasticity has negative sign it means that the goods are complementary. Where as if the goods are strong substitutes to each other then there will be a positive sign(this can be easily understand from the example given in part A that there is a positive relationship between price of Pepsi and quantity demand of coke). Similarly, when the elasticity is POSITIVE it means it is a normal good (luxury good). As your income will increase you will demand more branded goods. Instead of a normal coffee you would like to enjoy coffee from Starbucks, designer dresses and Rolex watches. The coefficient of income elasticity for inferior good is always negative. (As income and quantity demand moves in opposite direction). And positive for normal goods (income and quantity demand moves in same direction) All above elasticity of demand plays a significant role in understanding the behavior of consumer or individual under each scenario. We can also predict a possible outcome with the changes in either of the determinant. If the substitute for a particular product is open to a consumer, then the demand would be elastic which means that the increase in price of product ‘A’ will decrease its quantity demanded and people will be willing to consume more of the substitute good as it is cheaper than product ‘A’ and also provides equal utility and vice versa. We know that there is always a positive relationship between price of one good and quantity demanded of the substitute good. Hence if price of a good ‘A’ increases then the quantity demand of its substitute will also increase. The larger is the share of consumer’s budget to a particular good,