Monday, September 30, 2019

Abortion Should Not Be Banned

Abortion is a widely debated topic that has been conflicting politicians and women around the world. Abaluck’s article, â€Å"Late-Term Abortion Should Not Be Banned† did not provide half as many sources or facts as Boland’s article, â€Å"Second Trimester Abortion Laws Globally. † Boland provided more statistics and alternant resources for the reader. It can look impressive if an author throws in an extensive reference list, but if he does not persuade you in an argument, all he has done is give you a history lesson. This is a perfect example of what Boland did in his essay. Of the two articles I researched, Abaluck’s article was more argumentative and forced me to question my own morals and view-points on abortion. Abaluck stated his opinion immediately by having his argument presented in his title. I loved this about his article because when I am reading something, it is hard for me to follow only numbers. I do not want a math lesson; I want my brain and beliefs to be challenged. I believe Abaluck’s article provides the necessary evidentiary support to persuade the audience to have mutual feelings about his stance on late-term abortion. There are two completely different vibes given off in each article. Abaluck’s article, â€Å"Late-Term Abortion Should Not Be Banned† was definitely my favorite because he gave an actual argument. With all of the facts he provided, he seems to know a significant amount of information about abortion and acts so passionate about it. However, Boland’s piece is the polar opposite of an argumentative article. This is one of the most informative pieces I have ever read and I feel much more aware of how other countries view abortion. I know this is the effect Boland was going for, and the article succeeded its purpose. Boland’s article was just straight facts and kind of boring. Although I was given more information in Boland’s article, I was not persuaded either way on the argument. The credibility of each author is high, but when it comes down to who I would want on my side in an argument, it would be Abaluck. Both authors work for Harvard in different areas. Jason Abaluck is the president of the Harvard Liberal Monthly Magazine and Reed Boland is a research associate at the Harvard School of Public Health. This spikes heir credibility through the roof and gives me no doubt that they know what they are talking about when it comes to research. Since Abaluck writes for a liberal magazine, I am sure his argument is a little biased considering his political views, but unlike Boland, he actually has an opinion. I am more apt to be pulled towards something with a little bit of passion and heart. Part of human nature is forming an opinion by listening to, reading, or watching someone else’s opinion and deciding if you agree or disagree depending on your moral beliefs. I believe late-term abortion should not be banned. A woman’s health should always be taken into consideration especially when there are expected complications. During a second trimester check up, you are likely to be able to see any abnormalities developing in your child. This is the time where it is not only crucial to be able to ensure your baby’s life is developing correctly, but also that the woman is remaining healthy. Most late-term abortions are not done just because a woman changes her mind about having a child. These abortions should not be banned because a lot of times, it is crucial to the woman’s life to have this done. Not only does this affect her physical well-being, it also affects her mentally. For the rest of any woman’s life, she will remember and think about the baby she â€Å"almost† had and she will likely require therapy. Yes, there is always the chance a woman is not having an abortion for all the right reasons, but the attachment that forms between a mother and child cannot be torn so easily. If late-term abortion were to be made illegal, a woman would have no choice but to have a child and risk her own life due to the known abnormalities of her child. The claim in Boland’s article is strictly informative. His article not only provides multiple, if not too many, statistics but also gives a table showing every country’s abortion laws. Maybe his intended audience was for people who were visiting the United States and wanted to see how their country lined up next to others. Most likely, he was writing this article just to inform whoever wanted to know about all the abortion laws worldwide. Regardless of who his audience is, he provides no information on what his personal view of abortion is. This fact made it hard for me to assess which article is better all around. I decided against Boland’s article because with all of the numbers and statistics, it was hard for me to follow along. If Boland had provided a little of his own opinion to spice things up, I would have gladly and openly considered his stance. The claim in Abaluck’s article was argumentative in that he gave his opinion and allowed no room for the other option. I liked that Abaluck’s article was argumentative rather than being strictly factual because he states his opinion, but was not pushy about it. Granted he does not acknowledge the other stand-point, he does not really make it seem like you should believe his argument. It is hard for an author to persuade their point without seemingly throwing it in your face, and I believe Abaluck demonstrated this perfectly. I was definitely persuaded by his article and took all of his ideas into consideration and even adjusted my view on the idea of late-term abortion. When beginning this assignment of researching my selected topic, I was completely against all types of abortion. Now, I realize there are a couple of reasons to reconsider this because you must always take the woman’s health into consideration. By including three personal stories in his article, I was forced to put myself in another person’s shoes and asked myself, â€Å"What would I do if this were me? † During the last few months of pregnancy, if the baby shows many signs of abnormalities or is going to threaten the life of the mother, late-term abortion should definitely be considered. If the unborn child stands little to no chance of survival, is it worth putting the woman’s life at risk? If Abaluck were to read Boland’s article, I believe it would only reinforce his viewpoint by giving him more reason to pull for not banning abortion. Since Boland does not provide an argument, it is easy to state that there is no disagreement shown when comparing the articles. If I were to sit down with both authors, I would first ask both of them to state their opinions and hopefully allow them to hash it out. It would not be difficult for me to assume that it would be an interesting debate knowing both writers know so much about the topic. Not knowing Boland’s stance makes it hard to assume that the two authors would argue, however I would love to assume there are at least a few differences in their beliefs. With Abaluck being a liberal, I am sure they would disagree on something. Or else, I hope they would because that would make sitting down with both of them way more entertaining. â€Å"When asked whether abortion should be legal, 80 percent of Americans say yes. When asked the same question about so-called ‘partial-birth’ abortion, 20 percent said yes. (Abaluck, 2007) Seeing this statistic, it is proven that terminology is crucial when presenting an argument. This proves that regardless of your argument, it would be easy to persuade an audience using harsh language like â€Å"partial-birth†. Even when I read an article against abortion, they used harsh terms like this and it made me resent people who would even consider having an abortion. However, once I learned the facts, I became aware that the language you use in an article is crucial to how you may persuade your audience. Abaluck brings this quote to your attention in the first paragraph of his article and clarifies the difference between real and harsh accusations against late-term abortion. By clarifying how to identify faulty terminology, Abaluck brings it to your attention that it is easy to sway people in your favor. I would undoubtedly say that Abaluck’s article was way better in not only getting a specific point across, but also persuading me and challenging my beliefs and morals. Being informed and having an opinion always go hand in hand and Abaluck’s article depicts this fact perfectly. On the other hand, Boland’s article was informative but very boring. To keep my attention, it is important to incorporate your opinion in order to challenge my beliefs. Although I was educated thoroughly on the topic of late-term abortion, I was not able to form an accurate argument after reading Boland’s article. He did not attempt to persuade me in either direction on the topic, so it was easy for me to determine the better of the articles.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Geo Sba Cxc

Candidate Name: Nathaniel J. Adiah Candidate Number: Subject: Geography School: Presentation College Chaguanas Year of Exam: Teacher’s Name: Aim: To identify, describe and account for the features of erosion and deposition along Las Cuevas Bay. Candidate Name: Candidate Number: Subject: Geography School: Year of Exam: Teacher’s Name: Aim: To identify, describe and account for the features of erosion and deposition along Las Cuevas Bay. Contents Aim:4 Methodology5Introduction:6 Description of the Bay7 Presentation of findings – Analysis and Discussion8 Caves9 Arches10 Stumps11 Cliffs12 Blowholes13 Geos14 Headlands15 Coves16 Notches17 The Beach18 Conclusion20 Limitations21 Bibliography22 Aim: To identify, describe and account for the features of erosion and deposition along Las Cuevas Bay. Methodology Where? : Las Cuevas Bay When? : Monday 11th June, 2012. From 9:00 am – 1:30 pm How? : The class was split into six groups and each group studied a specific sit e along the beach.Each group carried out a number of tests: wave height, using a metre stick; wave frequency, using a stopwatch; width of the beach, using a measuring tape. Introduction: Las Cuevas Bay is a 2. 2 kilometer raised beach named after the caves that lie on the southwestern end of the beach. Las Cuevas Bay is located approximately 7 kilometers east of Maracas Bay along the North Coast Road. This beach is extremely popular for both bathing and camping. The beach was chosen because of the fact that it has a lot of observable features. Description of the Bay Las Cuevas Bay is approximately 2. kilometers long and its width is 74 feet. It is a bay head beach with a horse shoe shape. At the time of the study rain was falling and there was a gentle breeze. It was during high tide. The beach gradient was gentle and uniform. The waves were constructive (8 waves per minute). Presentation of findings – Analysis and Discussion Bar graph 1: showing the number of each feature se en on the beach The bar graph above shows that the most prevalent feature on the beach was the cliffs. Most of the features observed were seen at the eastern end of the beach. CavesA cave is a natural underground hollow in the rock, usually large enough for a human being to enter. The solution of carbonate rocks such as limestone takes place mostly below the water table in the zone of saturation or the phreatic zone. The water table sinks as the rocks are dissolved and caves are formed. Arches Stumps Cliffs Sea cliffs are formed when waves strike vigorously against a steep coast. Blowholes Geos Headlands Coves Notches The Beach The beach is the only depositional feature. Line graph 1: wave frequency at different points along the beachErosional Features| Depositional Features| Caves| Beach| Cliffs| | Geos| | Headlands| | Coves| | Blowhole| | Notches| | Stumps| | Arches| | Conclusion A number of features were observed although the beach is now raised so present processes have no great effect on any features except the beach. Las Cuevas Beach is a stable beach system with several erosional features and only one depositional feature, which is the beach itself. Limitations Some limitations on this study are: 1) The weather 2) Timeframe 3) Tide Bibliography

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Mesopotamia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mesopotamia - Research Paper Example Sumerians used the rivers to irrigate their lands, ensuring that there was a constant supply of food for their citizens. The economies of these societies were despotic, with one central figure having a control on all manner of productions. Sumerians is one of the societies found in Mesopotamia. These people used barley, wheat, and silver as the various means of currency (Muntone, 2012). The economic system in Mesopotamia was very easy to control by the leaders of the Sumerians. For example, if a leader was able to control the production of wheat, then the economic control of Mesopotamia will follow. The Sumerians did not have an economic and social stratification system. On this basis, egalitarianism was the major social organization that was seen throughout Mesopotamia. The Sumerians symbolized deities into the various elements that they had authority over. On this basis, there was the god of the moon, of the sun, of fertility etc. Sumerians were aware of the different properties of the earth, and they modeled these properties in a manner that would make the world to be more personable (Muntone, 2012). Some of the religious beliefs of the Sumerians are similar to that of the Christians and Jewish religion. For instance, the Sumerians believed that mankind was removed from paradise as a punishment of eating a forbidden fruit. Sumerians also had some knowledge in writings, and much of the knowledge concerning ancient Mesopotamia is found in their clay tablet writings that have survived until now.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Helping the Youths Today Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Helping the Youths Today - Research Paper Example One of such programs is Kops n Kids program, which is designed for the facilitation of youth. This paper will discuss the youth crime prevention program named as Kops n Kids program by critically analyzing the program in depth. Kops n kids program is a program against violence and crime. Violence and crime are prevalent in all societies and young people get affected the most due to which, they must be given training for crime prevention. Mendel (2000) claims that â€Å"the road to violence begins in childhood†, which is exactly true as young people are prone to dangers more easily. This is the reason as to why crime prevention programs should be there for the youth. Young people should be given a chance to express their views on crime prevention strategies. The youth must be able to analyze adults such as law enforcement personnel as role models and should be having an active communication link with them. A society needs everyone to make it better whether the participants are young or adult. Involvement of police personnel is must to make the crime prevention programs successfully implementable (Elliott, 1998). Therefore, the Kops n Kids program involves law enforcement professionals to make the program successful. Kops and kids program can be described as a program that is for the purpose of providing mentors for the young people so that they can gain awareness about the crime and right strategies to control crime. According to the website VolunteerMatch.com (2011), Kops n kids program deals with the comprehensibility of drugs, alcohol and gang making and after gaining understanding, various strategies for prevention of these crimes are considered. The age group of involved young population ranges from nine to thirteen years. The police and other law enforcement officials are encouraged to be a volunteer for the youth. They can be mentors and can prove as a role model for the youth. The mentors work as instructors who educate the young participants of t he program about the hazards of becoming engaged in criminal activities such as drug and alcohol usage and becoming a part of gang for doing other criminal or illegal activities (VolunteerMatch.com, 2011). In Kops n Kids program, young participants are not only involved in discussions but they are also encouraged to take part in sport events. Efforts are done towards facilitating the youth towards personality building as the young participants are taught to work as a team and keep their own respect among many others (VolunteerMatch.com, 2011). These strategies are for the betterment of young population and encourage them to be a better citizen of the country. The youth gain the strength to reject any wrong steps moving towards them. They are supported to become strong individuals so that they can be able to handle any drug, alcohol or gang related issue. Young people can stay away from drug or alcohol dependence and can lead a life that is free from hostility and brutality. They can opt for the right and shun what is wrong and this is the motive of the program (VolunteerMatch.com, 2011). Kops n kids program is designed for character and personality building of young population. They are provided with mentors that are eligible to be a role model for the young people involved in the program. The mentors can work towards crime prevention and can take essential and supportive step towards enabling the young people to become such

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Individual Critica Essay - Strategic Analysis of an Organisation

Individual Critica - Strategic Analysis of an Organisation - Essay Example Here, the researcher will conduct PESTLE analysis in order to understand how external factors are shaping Network Rail’s strategic initiatives. Based upon pertinent internal and external pressures on Network Rail, the paper has selected corporate social responsibility (CSR) as key strategic issue to be discussed. In the main discussion, the paper will review strategic initiatives being taken by Network Rail in order to address corporate social responsibility issue. In context to corporate social responsibility, the paper will analyze issues regarding nature of the emerging stakeholder, tensions and challenges within Network Rail and pertinent industry. Strategies of Network Rail to address corporate social responsibility issue will be addressed from leadership or change perspective will be analyzed to understand effectiveness of strategy of Network Rail. Before going into main discussion, the essay will shed light on business matrix of Network Rail in order to create backgroun d for further discussion. Network Rail Ltd uses the trade name of Network Rail and the company has multiple subsidiary companies. The company is headquartered at London, United Kingdom and was established in the year 2002 (Network Rail, 2014). Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd works as subsidiary of Network Rail and the subsidiary operates and owns rail infrastructure across different cities in UK. However, Network Rail does not operate underground railway track or railway infrastructure in Northern Ireland (Network Rail, 2014). From structural perspective, Network Rail Ltd works as a statutory corporation, which can be classified as "not for dividend" private company (Network Rail, 2014). As a result, Network Rail Ltd neither has shareholders nor is it controlled by any particular owner. The company is vulnerable to government ownership as well as intervention, due to absence of legal owners. During 2012, Network Rail announced

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Chipotle in China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Chipotle in China - Essay Example Emerging markets like China with more than one billion consumers give the western restaurant chains a great opportunity to expand their foot prints. In this paper, we are going to address the possible negotiation and ethical challenges that the food chain Chipotle is going to face as they start business in China. Chipotle Business Model Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. runs restaurants in the United States. The company also has international presence through restaurants in Toronto and London. Currently as of the end of 2011, the number of stores stands at 1,230. It also owns one ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen. The company tries to find the best class of ingredients for making great tasting foods. Chipotle has shown very quick growth over the last half decades. The company plans to introduce around 155 to 165 new restaurants in 2012 (Annual Report 2011, 3). Chipotle restaurants’ list of options has only a few items like, ‘burritos, burrito bowls, tacos and salads’. But customers have the liberty to decide from ‘four different meats, two types of beans and a variety of extras such as salsas, guacamole, cheese and lettuce’. So, there are in fact adequate varieties. Chipotle restaurants draw a lot of consumers. So the outlets frequently have lines. But it has been capable to serve more than 300 buyers an hour at some places (Annual Report 2011, 3-4). Chipotle’s cooking techniques are traditional in nature. They marinate and grill meats, hand-cut produce and herbs, make fresh salsa and guacamole, and cook rice in small lots all over the day. The kitchen’s planning more closely is similar to the design of high-end restaurants. Every Chipotle restaurant has a â€Å"restaurant manager, an apprentice manager, one or two hourly service managers, one or two hourly kitchen managers and an average of 20 full and part-time crew members† (Annual Report 2011, 4-5). Certain key ingredients (‘beef, pork, chicken, beans, rice, sour cream, and tortillas’) are purchased from a small number of suppliers. Chipotle does not buy raw materials straight from cultivators or other suppliers. It has selected and endorsed all of the suppliers from whom ingredients are purchased. Chipotle owns and operates 22 regional distribution centers. The necessary commodities are sent to the restaurants from these distribution centers (Annual Report 2011, 6). Chipotle’s profitability varies from quarter to quarter due to seasonal factors. The average restaurant sales and profits touch the bottom in the first and fourth quarters. The biggest challenges for Chipotle are staffing new restaurants and finding sites for new restaurant (Annual Report 2011, 6-8). Recently the news has emerged that Chipotle may include some Asian cuisine into their menu. It intends to do so through ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen. The cuisine will include not just Chinese or Japanese, but also Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese (Steinmetz). Chain Restaurants Industry in China and Chipotle The Chinese consumer food services market has grown from US$133.6 billion in 2004 to US$ 294.4 billion in 2009. As a result the market has grown at a CAGR of 12.5% over the five year period. The market is expected to grow to $449.3 billion in 2014. The factors effecting this growth are strong economic growth of China with rapid urbanization and increasing disposable income that changed lifestyle and consumption patterns. There is a general tendency among the urban population that they tend to spend time at work and in social activities. So they save time by avoiding the meal preparation task (My Decker Capital, 3). The fast food market is a very important segment of the consumer food market. This segment has grown to a US$69.4 billion market in 2009 and is expected to grow to US$113.1 billion in 2014. The growth of the fast food industry is mainly driven by the increasing working population. The key characteristic of the fast food service restaurants are their low cost. This factor also serves as a key competitive advantage (My Decker Capita

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Letter to the grand duchess christina by galileo Essay

Letter to the grand duchess christina by galileo - Essay Example In explaining the concept of ‘two truths’, Galileo holds to the view that both the scriptures and science are true and the two truths do not contradict one another. Galileo supported his concept of two truths by giving examples that explaining how both science and scriptures reveal the truths about the universe and the nature of God. How Galileo supported his concept of the ‘two truths’ In order to support his statement that the scriptures and science are true and they do not contradict one another, Galileo states that the two truths proceed from the divine word. However, he makes it clear that discussions of physical problems has to start from necessary demonstration and sense experiences and not from scriptural experiences. in regard to science verses th scriptures, Galileo states that we should not believe anything any howly least we hold some prejudice against something that is later to be proofed not to be contrary to the scriptures. Galileo explains th at God is revealed first through nature and then again by doctrine. The revelation by nature comes through his works and revelation by doctrine comes through his revealed word (Drake 182).The scriptures explain that God is the creator of all. He made the heaven, the universe, earth and all in it. Galileo’s agreement with this is seen where he complains of having been accused as by other philosophers as if he has placed things in the sky to overturn sciences and upset nature. In essence, he meant that scientific discoveries are in no way a contradiction of the scriptural revelation of God as the creator but a proof of it. It helps to bring out the things he has created. Through the scriptures, we get to learn that God created man and this automatically qualifies human intellect, senses and reason as things given by God. The same God who granted the senses and reasons cannot deny the people the entrusted the intellect, senses and reasons not to use them. Galileo also argues tha t he does not believe the same God who gave us intellect, reason and senses has intended to forego their use and decided to give human beings knowledge through another means yet it is knowledge that they could have obtained through the use of the reason, senses and intellect (Drake 183). At the same time, God has revealed about the universe and nature through the scriptures. For example, he mentions oceans, clouds, deserts, animals, heavenly bodies like sun, moon and stars among others. It also reveals the functions or functioning of some for example the sun giving light. However, these revelations and explanation are not in totality. For example they do not explain how the heavenly bodies are positioned and move about relative to one another. This means there was a chance for men to use the reasons and senses entrusted to them to discover the details of these creations and therefore discoveries are never a contradiction of the scriptures. As seen above, science helps to explain to those who believe in the scriptures some of the truths that the scriptures does not bring out plainly. As Galileo reveals, some of these questions are those asked by believers of the scriptures for example the motion of heaven. One question that emerges from the brethren is, if heaven is fixed, then how do stars that are fixed to it move from east to west? (Taylor 93). It is obvious they mean how the stars move round the earth because the scriptures reveal that heaven is where God dwells and it is a spiritual place. This means that it is not visible with the mortal eyes and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Hypothesis and Research Design Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Hypothesis and Design - Research Paper Example According to findings, it is found that, ethical and moral decisions reached upon by software developers during software development, has an influence on how things and businesses in particular, are done and how people`s lifestyles adapt to this technological development (Salehnia, 2006). Studies concerning the ethical standards in view of the use of computers and its software, centers on critical issues such as; hacking, privacy, copyright protection, and piracy among other issues related to compute use and software. However, studies indicate that, there is little that research indicating if software developers experience ethical and moral decisions opportunities. Because of this, researchers have developed theories that may help in predicting and explaining ethical and moral behaviors. The theories put forward by researchers, as virtue ethics help social scientist and researchers in categorizing the human behavior basing on ethical and moral judgments. In some instances, an ethical theory like, ethics position theory, is used to categorize human behavior in a number of groups, which includes exceptionism, situationism, subjectivism and absolutism. Through this examination of software developers by applying the ethical position theory, was facilitated. This related to the decisions that software developers make during the process of software development, and a few hypothesis relating to it emerged, which guided further research in the area to unveil various issues. Concerning the above introductory discussion it essential to understand issues about ethics and morality in software development, with a user’s perspective. To tackle the issues well, it is critical to understand some factors involved, which is ethics, morality and software development, so that a good basis is formed to unveil the discussion critically. To begin with, software development is the process through which, individuals, a team or accompany invents and then implements the grant plan that helps to create a new software program (Quigley, 2008). The same process is applied in creating a new variety software. In the software development, many steps get involved to achieve the target plan. First, an understanding has to be made about what is needed, in terms of the purpose for developing the software. Secondly, the plan is then developed to create the software required to meet the purpose perceived, this done by writing the code and the bug test prior launching. The process of software development may involve one or many programmers, depending on the complexity of the software require achieving perceived results. At the initial stages, a research is mandatory to gain an understanding of the type of software that the market requires. The research is used to establish the real purpose of the software in meeting the market needs, in line with the overall goals set. On the other hand, ethics is perceived as the study of concept value in terms of right, good, wrong, or bad, as applied to actions concerning a group’s norms and regulations or rules. Basing on ethics and computer systems it is found that, computer software systems lie squarely in the heart of decision-making. This includes issues like data storage and manipulation, and data availability. Concerning the ubiquity of software systems in every area of private

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Cross-Cultural Interactions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cross-Cultural Interactions - Essay Example Cross-cultural interactions between 500 and 1500 CE The period between 500 CE and 1500 CE saw the emergence of various cross-cultural events that are crucial in understanding world history. These cross-cultural interactions had significant socio-economic and political ramifications for all the societies that were involved. Previous centuries had seen a long period of instability in major societies such as China, Southwest Asia, Mediterranean and India. During 500 CE, the aforementioned societies were faced with a need to restore social and political order. This stability was to be provided by empires that were well established which were Tang, Abbasid and Byzantine from China, Southwest Asia and eastern Mediterranean respectively. These empires commanded order over vast territories and had economies that were very powerful. Core to cross-cultural interactions was the spread of major religions. In particular, Islam spread across India, North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Another religion that played a vital role in bringing about cross-cultural interactions was Buddhism, which alongside with Confucianism spread from China via Korea to Vietnam. This period was also characterized with the spread of Christianity in the northern and the western part of Europe (Bently pg753). The beginning of 1000 CE and subsequent years saw a quick change in cultures throughout the world. Kingdoms and states became more centralized and cross-cultural interactions increased tremendously.... Kingdoms and states became more centralized and cross-cultural interactions increased tremendously. In America, this is the period that led to the emergence of Andean, Mayan and Mississippian cultures. European renaissance, which is a major event in world history, occurred during this period. In addition, great empires and centralized states such as the Mongol empire in Asia emerged during this period. However, during the 14th century, cross-cultural interactions decreased tremendously following the demise of many participants in long-distance trade through bubonic plague. The Europeans and the Chinese were major culprits as they lost millions of people to the epidemic. The cross-cultural interactions did not die completely. The 15th century was a period when the western Europeans became prominent due to the wealth they had amassed from cross-cultural encounters with various societies. This prominence set standards for their part in influencing major undertakings in various parts of the world even in the modern world (Bently pg766). Significance of the Cross-Cultural Interactions The conquests and trading activities that were carried out by Muslim states led to a remarkable distribution of food and crops throughout Asia, which resulted to growth of population and increased food production in Europe, China and North Africa. Long distance trade was an aspect of culture that developed during this period. This trade brought major implications in culture and religion. Merchants carrying out this trade traversed various societies and cultural regions whereby they integrated with new communities. These merchants played a major role in the establishment of religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism in Asia, Christianity in Asia and Islam in some parts

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Customer Service Plan Essay Example for Free

Customer Service Plan Essay Customer service and commitment to our customers has been the driving force behind our brand. Widget strive to get it right first time, everytime.Incases where things don’t come out right we believe our professional workers will strive to correct the problem and our customers have the right to know what level of service they can expect from us all the time even in these times when we fall short of the very high standards we have set ourselves. Through our Vision and mission statement we make a commitment to our customers both internal and external. Mission Statement Passionate about exceeding the delivery of our customers’ service expectations by providing the very best in professional, value engineered widgets through our ever growing nationwide team of professional, caring staff. Vision Statement To be Australia’s number one national provider of quality widgets by empowering our staff to deliver our customers with the very best in quality, value and service. Our Product standards Our product is manufactured in strict accordance with the Australian quality standards and also taking into account the use of which our customers will subject our product. Our internal policies and quality standards support the high quality standards set in our vision and mission statement.Our product specifications are clearly presented in all our packaging materials and tested during the production process to ensure all tolerance limits are adhered to. Our main product is 12 mm black hole plugs which are made of plastic to cover ,conseal and decorate 12 mm diameter holes in cabinets,furniture,window frames,vinyl fences and elsewhere.Fits any 12mm diameter holes. These hole cover widgets practically work anywhere indoors and out .These are made from our factory with high –impact injection molded  plastic. These can come from different sizes as requested by our customers. All our products have a small tolelance limit of +1% or -1%. Specifications. Our product range will have the following features. Color:it will come in the range of black ,white or grey Fits hole size :12mm or as requested by customer Diameter:12 mm Length: 6mm Top diameter:15 mm Material:Polypropylene. Tolelance limit:plus or minus 1% Widgets outlines its description of its product in the policy and communicated to the customer to allow the customer to make any queries or complaints incase the product received its off specification. Pricing Widget ensures that its products are properly priced so that customers are able to afford the goods as well as profitability is maintained to allow the company invest in the quality and standards initiatives of the products. Widgets pricing is well thought as we do in other sectors of the business like marketing and branding, the price the customer sees on display is the price customers pay. There are no hidden costs. Our standard product 12 mm fits hole size will cost 12AUD /dozen and customers are requested to enquire from the customer service team for prices of any changes requested to the standard product. Delivery of goods Widgets aim to deliver all orders made either online or face to face within three days of the order being made.We aim to have a delivery process which ensures a reliable, secure and efficient service. If delays occur during deliveries and extra time may be required, customers will be contacted urgently to alert them of the next delivery times or else they can call our Despatch department directly on 1300 880 370. One day prior to your delivery we will SMS all of the important delivery information about your order to your mobile. If all the information is correct you will only need to text back OK. If there are any details that are not correct or you wish to change your delivery date please ring us on 1300 880 370. In order to offer our customers a better delivery service these terms and conditions replace any delivery and pickup conditions stated on your order form. TERMS CONDITIONS: 1. It is important that someone is at the receaving end to receive delivery of your purchase on the designated day. No specific time of delivery can be provided. A four hour time frame will be advised but cannot be guaranteed. 2. A minimum delivery fee of $75 (outside the Metropolitan area) is payable separately to the Carrier in cash or bank cheque. Delivery is free inside the Metropolitan area 3. Cash or bank cheque must be used to pay any balance of monies owing at time of delivery. Personal/Company cheques will NOT be accepted. For your convenience we can accept credit cards in store 48 hours prior to delivery, surcharges may apply. 4. Once arrangement for a delivery day is confirmed, there will be a minimum re-delivery charge of $75 if no person is at the delivery address on the day of delivery or the delivery is cancelled by the customer on day of delivery. 5. When receiving goods, please inspect thoroughly before signing Received in good order as any claims for scratches, marks, dents or other damages will not be accepted once signed. 6. Failure to collect or take delivery of the goods beyond 21 days from the date of contact by our despatch department will result in the sales order being cancelled and all monies paid will be forfeited. 7. All original packing wrapping will be left at the premises (delivery address). CUSTOMER PICK UPS Customer collection of goods purchased from Widgets stores can also be  collected by the customer in any of our distribution centres.. The customer must contact the Delivery department prior to pick up on 1300 880 370 to make an appointment. Same day pickup is not available. Pickup times at Distribution Centers Customers: Monday to Thursday 10:00am 12:30pm 1:30pm 3:00pm Carriers: Friday ONLY Other Policies and Procedures Customer needs Widget believes that it is important that customers needs are regularly reviewd to ensure that its products are inline with the changing times. Therefore time and again Widget carries out research to identify these needs and implement changes identified. Widget uses the RATER model to identify its customers needs since customers when assessing what they want will consider the reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness as they are being assisted. Using the RATER guide Widget will use the following techniques to gather customer needs Informal face to face discussions for its key customers Telephone interviews Email surveys Suggestion boxes Internet surveys. All information gathered for customers is protected by the Privacy act 1988 including how the information is collected,used and disclosed,its accuracy and how securely it is kept and general rights to access that information. Widget has a dedicated Customer service research officer who is responsible for ensuring that all customer data collected is securely kept and used for  its intended purpose only. Complaints and feedback If you have a complaint or if there is anything we can help you with, please let us know.Widget values feedback and appreciate the opportunity to follow up. Widget deals with all people from diversi background and does not discriminate anyone on the basis of age ,race,disability or sex. Our policy take into account the Age discrimination act 2004,Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986,Disability Discrimination ACT 1992,Racial discrimination Act 1975 and Sex Discrimination Act 1984. There are a number of ways you can contact us to lodge your complain and includes our Email at Widget123.gmail.com or phone at 08100300 or mail at Widget Australia,3/77 Manning street ,Bentley ,6102. Or you can also connect with us via Twitter or facebook Complain resolution process and timeframes Once we receive your complaints, we may ask you to provide supporting or documentation to aid us in investigations. This may include proof of identity, statutory declaration, receipts and so on. We aim to resolve complaints within 5 working days, however please note that some complaints may take longer to investigate especially matters to do with international orders. Managing records and data. Widgets collects alot of data of customers including physical addresses, names,date of birth and many more information. The Customer service research officer is responsible for keeping the data securely and is sorted by our secure information technology section. The Privacy Act 1988(the Act)  governs the obligations and responsibilities of companies in relation to the management of official records. Under this Act, each company has an obligation to maintain official records in its custody in good order and condition. This obligation applies not only to the capture, storage, maintenance and disposal of physical records, but also to records in electronic format. Widget policy is governed by this act and all measures necessary are taken to ensure that compliance is maintained.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Tourism Authority Of Thailand License Tourism Essay

The Tourism Authority Of Thailand License Tourism Essay Background World Travel Services Limited, established in 1947, is Thailands oldest and largest travel agency. We have more than 500 employees and a fleet of more than 100 modern road vehicles. 80 qualified bilingual and multilingual guides speak fluent English, French, Spanish, German and Chinese. Company provides many daily coach tours and 2-6 days tours throughout the country such as River Kwai tours, Phuket, Krabi, Samui, Pattaya, Trang, Hua Hin/Cha-Am, and Chiang Mai and also including many special package tours to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma) and Vietnam. The company has its own tour desks in leading hotels at all of Thailands main resorts: 23 hotels in Bangkok, 3 in Chiang Mai, 1 in Chiang Rai, 8 in Pattaya, 4 in Hua Hin/Cha-Am, 3 on Koh Samui and 4 in Phuket. In additional, the company also arranges booking for steamship companies, airlines and rail travel. Through its affiliate Air Transport Service Ltd, it acts as General Sales Agent for United Airlines. It is also a BSP/IATA agent. Vision To be the top of Travel Agent in Thailand Mission Improve the quality of transportations Having more connection with travel agent around the world. Expanding our tour desk to all leading hotel in Bangkok and some other in tourist destinations. Organization Chart SWOT Analysis Strengths Challenging of managing tourism business successfully Rapert and Wren, (1998) discussed about the challenges of managing tourism businesses successful, the company must provide satisfying experiences for tourists and guests while profiting their owners. During the past 60 years, World Travel Service is exists in tourism business which has proved itself about the successful in making business strategy and policy. One of those strategy is serving the guests with most standard service tour throughout the country, our tours are standard because the guests will have the program mentioned by our staff from the tour desks about what are they going to see on that particular tour and how many stop that the tour are going to make and they will know about the time that the tours will finish and what time they should be back at the hotels. The tour guides are not allowed to sell any other programs that doesnt mentioned on the tours. All above about standard service is related to Laws (2004) which mention as Standard Service Quality in tourism is ve ry important, The level of service which management team sets might be higher (or lowers) than the clients anticipation of service standards and the Quality Systems might not control services standards in ways which matter to clients . Quality of Staff GÓmez-Mejà ­a et al (2004) discuss on choosing the right person for a job can make a tremendous positive difference in productivity and customer satisfaction. Sharpley (2005) described selection is very important recruitment and selection procedures that identify potential employees who will not only have a natural disposition towards service provisions, but who will also fit in with and respond to the organizations service culture. So, these above 2 ideas are related to the way how World Travel Service selects and recruits their employees. Currently, most of tour guides graduated from Fine Art Department, Silapakorn University, who know information about Thailand very well. Some other graduated from abroad can speak English fluently which make our tour guides become one of the most standard tourist guides of the country. Focus on premium and luxury tour Eleri Jones and Claire Haven Tang (2005) explained that trend of the luxury market have been raising and it will become the most important part of tourism industry. Now, World Travel Service does their marketing strategy on high-end market which focused on premium and luxury tour by providing extravaganza trips around Thailand. And it is more valuable than mass tourism which having only quantity but no quality of customers. Weaknesses Centralized Management Pieniazek (2007) explained that power being consolidated at the top of the organization, risk is high if the top of the organization becomes incapable of leading the organization (death, illness, or massive organizational size causing a weak span of control) Employees also will feel less motivated to perform for the organization as they will not have an avenue for sharing their ideas on how to improve the organization. World Travel Service use Centralized Management style since their first operated in 1947 which continuously making decision by only one Thai owner of the company, Mr.Kusa Phunyarachun, 92 years old. In some urgent situation, owner cannot response immediately that why sometimes it can cause of failure and dissatisfaction. Old Building and Old Facility In hospitality industry such as hotel, travel agent, the geographical appearance is important. ICRA rating, (2009) discussed that the quality of companys property is directly effect to the image of business. Its not only to attract the customers, but also create the brand loyalty. The head office of World Travel Service has never been renovated since its first operation in 1947. Customer first impression can be impacted by the companys surrounding such as reception area, furniture style, decoration, parking area, Vehicle. Technology (E-Tourism) Galloway, Mochrie Deakins, (2004) discussed that online technologies within the tourism industry have significantly impacted on communications, transactions and relationships between the various industry operators and with the customers, as well as between regulators and operations. World Travel Service also doing the e-tourism such as web based technology, online reservation, etc. All of this are play the important role for e-business if the company can keep doing well, it will bring a lot of benefit to company. In the other hands, the company cannot handle to have the excellent operation system and updated website, the company will lost more gain. Opportunity Affordable Winter Travel Ideas to escape the Cold Christakos (2009) explained that many of tourists cant afford the luxury Hawaii or Bahamas vacation but if they want to relax and enjoy themselves while escaping the blustery winds of the north, there are plenty of things they can do. Thailand stays warm all year round, and it is most comfortable during the winter months. Its an increasingly popular destination for Australian and East Asian travelers who want both beautiful beaches and exciting modern cities like Bangkok, but there are often some very good deals for flights from the U.S. They dont come around every day, though, so you have to snatch them up when you find them. World Travel Service can gain profits from tourists who want to relax in Thailand. Thailand Rank Best VALUE FOR MONEY Thailand has again emerged as the worlds best brand in terms of value for money, according to the 2008 Country Brand Index (CBI), the third consecutive year it has won this accolade. Thailands ranking as the Best Country Brand for Value for Money was announced on 11 November, 2008, at the World Travel Market, the premier annual exhibition of the global travel trade. The same Brand Index also ranked Thailand third in the category of Friendly Locals and Authenticity. (International Public Relation Division Tourism Authority of Thailand, 2008). Thailand is the one of tourist attraction which is valuable for the money. This thing will make us become the favorite choice for the tourist who has limit money for their holiday. So that is show about how much Thailand tourism industry could lure on the customer come to visit and some of them might use the service from World Travel Service. Threat Global Warming is threatening Thailands climate The average of the worlds temperature increases and the serious natural disaster happens causing negatively effects on peoples health. The tourists are cancelled tours of World Travel Service because Thailand faces problems about natural disasters and disease problems such as depression, flood, H1N1 influenza and etc. Climate also influences environmental conditions that can deter tourists, including infectious diseases, wildfires, algal blooms, insect or waterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ borne pests (e.g. jellyfish), and extreme events such as hurricanes, floods or heat waves. It is also a crucial determinant of tourist decisionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ making. Seasonal climate fluctuations at tourism destinations and at major outbound markets are key drivers of tourism demand at global and regional scales. Weather is an intrinsic component of the travel experience and also influences tourist spending and holiday satisfaction (UNWTO, UNEP and WMO 2008). Thailands political crisis Ten Kate (2010) emphasized the economic costs from a long-running crisis have so far been largely confined to the tourism industry, consumer sentiment is declining and businesses are hurting. The crisis was hitting confidence, tourism, private consumption and investment. The United States, Britain, Australia, Japan and other countries have warned citizens to reconsider travel plans to Bangkok. World Travel Service is mostly focusing on the foreigner tourist so the company also hitting by this situation. The customers booking for this year is very different to last year. Many tourists cancelled flights, hotels, car rental bookings and other tourism activities. This resulted in another two quarters of a quiet period for Thai tourism. Ryu, S. JR. (2005) explained that political instability can increase the perception of risk at a destination and generates negative publicity, which results in an inevitable decrease in tourist arrivals. Risk perception can influence tourist decision-makin g and destinations can be severely affected. High Fuel Prices Affect Tourism The fuel price is increasing, so its effect to all industries. World Travel Service is directly affected by fuel price because all activities of company use the vehicle for transportation. The raising of fuel price increases the cost of the company but they could only slightly put on the price of their product. So they have to prepare themselves for handle this thing. Hupp (2008) explained that hotels, cruises, airlines, travel agent and others in the travel industry are affected negatively by high oil prices because transportation costs are higher, and consumers are spending less because of stress on their budgets. Recommendations Update company website. The web site of WTS is far more out of date, The Company have been operate as the largest and oldest travel agency of Thailand but somehow about the company profiles is only four paragraph long which some time make to company not gain more trusts from the customer. Therere many things that we can put on the website such as pictures from the past until present, which transportations they were used from the past to now and also the number of tourist who using the company service. As now E-tourism is very popular, people would like to search from the internet about the company and price and the tour programs before they make a decision to buying it. So its very necessary to develop the company website immediately. Mason (2008) explained that information about tourism product is vital to assist the consumer in making choice. Electronic forms of messages about tourism products have certain advantages over printed source. Electronic forms can be more up-to-date and hence topical, they can be more visual and in relation to computerized systems. Increasingly, consumers are using internet sites for planning, searching, reserving and purchasing tourism products. Improve more facilities in Guest Lobby Area. The facilities around the reception area are very poor, for example the chairs are not nice and uncomfortable and there is only one sofa for guests to sit. Those who come early grab a good seat and for those who came late sometime have to sit outside or seat on a small chairs which is not suitable for our guests who actually have a large body. Also for our guests who spend over 2,000 baht for a full day tour and around 1,000 baht for a half day tour, this is expensive and I think the guests are looking forward to have a best of their time in Thailand by taking the tours with us started from a first minute when they arrived until the end of the tour. ICRA rating, (2009) discussed that the quality of companys property is directly effect to the image of business. Its not only to attract the customers, but also create the brand loyalty. The improvement of transportation The company should improve their fleets to catch up with trend in order to stay as a leading travel agency of Thailand from example the number of the company fleets is about 100, and half of that includes the previous series of Toyota Camry and Mercedes Benz bus are very old. Especially for the bus that have been using for over 20years old, many times it has break down while using on the tours. This is a big problem for us to solve this problems such as finding a local taxi in order to bring the guests to the closest destination to wait for other transportation that come from Bangkok to pick the guests. This process takes long time for everyone and of cause causing dissatisfy to the guests that they have to be waiting for so long which after all affect our company brand. Lamp and Davidson (1996) emphasized that the purchaser of tourism product must experience the trip to access the product, the quality of the transportation experience becomes an important aspect of the tourist experi ence and, therefore a key criterion that enters into destination choice.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The US Constitution Essays -- American History, Democracy, Equal Right

The US Constitution states â€Å"We The People of the United states in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for more common defense, promote the General Welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.† The main purpose of the U.S Constitution is to establish the basic rights of all American Citizens. This follows that every United States Citizens have equal rights. Belonging to a minority group because of culture, religion or race does not assert that one is unconstitutional. In times of war, evacuation of minority groups only in NOT constitutional; however, evacuation of ALL United States citizens for prescribes military areas is warranted. In the months immediately following the Pearl Harbor attack the minority group of Japanese Americans, who, held the same race as the enemy empire, were given an order to evacuate, â€Å"Civilian Exclusion Order No. 34†, their homes in the West Coast. In the case of â€Å"Korematsu V. United States† Korematsu fought for his constitutional right as a United Stated citizen; Korematsu was arrested under the Act of Congress exclusion order no. 34, he appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court and lost. The Supreme Court held the decision of the Circuit Court of Appeals, justly highlighting key points with regard to war times which cannot be overlooked; however, the dissenting justices provides compelling support for Korematsu’s constitutional rights, the government’s disguised purpose to segregate and intern every-one of Japanese American descent, the political mishandling of the Japanese American’s and racial discrimination. The Supreme Co... ...d for health reasons. An American citizen regardless of race, culture, or religion falls under the same constitutional right as another American. Being of Japanese Ancestry during the war with Japan does not depict that that individual is an enemy. The facts are certain, on born to US soil is by birth a US citizen. Citizenship is not determined by race, culture, religion or even the origin of the individual’s birth parents. The disloyalty on an individual does not warrant disloyalty of the group. The government actions must have been well intentioned, being concerned about the nation’s safety; but, with their decision to exclude only Japanese Americans, the government portrayed impoverishment of constitutional right, political injustice, and racial discrimination to a minority group, none of which has any place in the US democracy, Constitution and way of life.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Scarface - The Greatest Movie of All Time Essay -- essays research pap

The Greatest Movie Ever Made   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps the best movie to ever bless the eyes of any American is the 1983 Brian DePalma gangster movie classic, Scarface. Scarface is the tale of Tony Montana and his journey through his new life in America in the early 80’s Cuban immigrant movement. The movie depicts the American dream, to be successful, perfectly. Scarface and its main star, Al Pacino, also shows movie watchers in detail, the process of going from â€Å"rags-to-riches† since that is what he did in the feature. Lastly, Scarface is perhaps the best movie to ever be made because it basically contains all the characteristics that are that of a great movie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all, Scarface is one of the greatest feature films ever because it illustrates the American dream perfectly, which is to be successful. This story goes in to detail on what some people are willing to do in chase of the American dream. Tony Montana or Scarface was a man who knew what he wanted, but did not have the patience to get it honorably. This description fits many of today's Americans. The fact that so many people can relate to this obsession with obtaining the American dream, is the reason this movie is considered a classic. Though the way he achieved this dream was not honorable and honest, Montana, through illegal means, became very successful at what he did. This movie, perhaps better than Wallstreet (1987), New Jack City (19...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Capital Punishmennt Essay

Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2011) defines capital punishment as punishment by death for a crime. There are many factors that go into the process of capital punishment and it must start with a crime followed by an arrest, trial, conviction, appeals process and ultimately the execution of the individual. Through the many stages of the process there numerous individuals who are affected, including the criminal and their family, the victim and their family, jury, judge, witnesses and administrators or physicians who perform the execution. In this paper I will look at the ethical issues of capital punishment using the following ethical theories: utilitarianism, Kantian ethics, and the rights and justice theory. In each of these theories I will examine how advocates and opponents to capital punishment can use the theories to validate their position on capital punishment. I will conclude my paper with my position on capital punishment using one of the theories I listed above. According to Boatright (2012) the principle of utilitarianism is the basic premise of pleasure over pain. Utilitarianism considers the impact an event and outcome will have on everyone and they use the fifty-percent theory as the tipping point in decision making. If the pleasure of an event has more benefit than the pain then a decision can be made. Utilitarianism only considers the benefits and consequences when taking into account whether the death penalty is ethical and disregards the natural rights or self-worth of a person when deciding if the death penalty is ethical (Bedau, 1980). The pleasure over pain principle in capital punishment must consider the impact it will have on everyone involved and according to Boatright (2012), â€Å"Utilitarianism requires that we calculate utility not only for ourselves but for all person affected by an action.† When deciding whether or not capital punishment is just an individual must look at the benefits and consequences of everyone involved and determine if capital punishment is ethical. I do not think that one person can make this decision as it would require them to think on behalf of individuals or groups who they may have a conflicting interest with. An example of this would be a sibling of a murder victim deciding if the offender should receive the death penalty. Their feelings on the issue would differ from the offender’s family and create a conflict of interest when using the fifty-one percent theory. I will now examine the utilitarian principle of consequentialism and how it relates to the ethical issue of capital punishment. A consequentialist argument uses deterrence as a benefit of how the death penalty can promote their stance (Douglas and Wilkinson, 2008) and executing a murderer would serve as a possible consequence for the killing of another human being. This may serve as a deterrent to future killings but that is not always the case. Out of 238 paroled offenders who committed murder, less than 1% went back to prison for committing another murder (White paper on, 2012). This statistic shows that the death penalty does not serve as a deterrent to future killings and thus the theory of capital punishment serving as a deterrent holds no merit. Examining the ethical issue of capital punishment must also look at a cost-benefit analysis that uses a monetary value rather than the classic utilitarianism principle of pleasure over pain (Boatright, 2012). According to Boatright (2012) an application of a cost-benefit analysis needs to place a value on human life. The issue with using a cost-benefit analysis of capital punishment is that not everyone may value human life the same. A person who commits a murder may not value human life the same as someone who does not kill. The family of a victim may find that the life of the killer has no value to them and in contrast the family of a murderer may value the life of the offender as more valuable to them. The cost of capital punishment also needs to be examined when using a cost-benefit analysis. The total cost per execution was $216 million more than life imprisonment (White paper on, 2012). In addition to the cost to execute an individual in a capital offense case there is the cost of trials, the process of appeals and attorney fees that need to be examined. In California the cost of a death penalty prosecution is up to twenty times more expensive than the cost of a life in prison without parole case (Williams, 2011). Also according to Williams (2012), â€Å"the least expensive death penalty case cost $1.1 million more than the most expensive life without parole case.† The cost of the death penalty is more expensive than a life in prison without parole sentence and twenty offenders could be given a life in prison sentence for the amount that it takes to execute one offender (Williams, 2011). I have come to the conclusion that the utilitarianism principle does not justify capital punishment. The pleasure over pain principle requires us to consider the impact on everyone and it does not require us to ignore our interest but we must place our interest no higher and no lower than anyone else (Boatright 2012). When I looked at the cost-benefit analysis I could not justify the use of capital punishment due to the massive costs that a capital punishment case incurs as opposed to the cost of a life imprisonment case. I will now look at the ethical issues of capital punishment using Kantian Ethics. According to Boatright (2012) the first principle of Kant is universalizability which is to, â€Å"act only on rules that you would be willing to have everyone follow.† The second principle of Kant is respect for persons which indicates one should respect other people and ourselves as human beings (Boatright, 2012). Kant was in favor of capital punishment for the crime of murder and based his view of the death penalty on the theory of retributivism (Potter, 2002). When an individual commits the crime of killing another individual they violate Kant’s first principle and do not follow the rules that everyone is following; namely the right to life which I will cover later in this paper. The killing of an individual also violates the second principle of respect for persons. According to Kania (1999), â€Å"each of us agree not to kill others in exchange for the security that others will not kill us or those dear to us.† Kant subscribes to the term â€Å"isu taloinis† which means the wrong doing is punished by a similar punishment and also believes that the death penalty is the only right way to punish a murderer because the punishment should be the end goal (White paper on, 2012). Kantian Ethics also involves autonomy which means self and law (Boatright, 2012). Autonomy relates to Kant’s principle of respect for persons and a society living autonomously involves creating their own rules and acting freely. This principle is seen in the laws that society has developed to prevent the killing of an innocent person. In the United States it is illegal to commit the act of murder which is different from the killing of a person. The killing of a person may occur during self-defense when an individual fears that their life is in danger. According to Potter (2002) Kant says in a general statement that all murderers should be executed and death is the punishment that must be carried out on the wrongdoer. Violating the principle of universalizability, respect for persons and autonomy all justify the use of capital punishment in Kant’s view. The third ethical theory I will look at is Rights and Justice. I will first examine the rights theory and how it relates to the ethical issue of capital punishment. Rights are part of many of the ethical issues in society and the term rights can be used in many different ways (Boatright, 2012). According to Bedau (2012), a human being has the right to life simply by being born and it is a violation of rights to murder another person. The violation of the right to life does not mean that we are authorized to violate another’s right to life. The judges and juries take another person’s life in their hands during a capital punishment case and by sentencing an offender to execution violates their right to life. Bedau (2012) states, â€Å"Even if a person has committed murder and has therewith intentionally violated another’s right to life, the criminal still has his or her own right to life.† The legal rights are in force to protect us from having our right of life taken away, and if our right is violated we do not have the rights to take someone else’s right to life. In contrast to the paragraph above John Locke argued that a person’s right to life can be forfeited if a person violates the right of life of another person. Locke goes onto say that the execution of a murderer does not violate their right to life (Bedau, 2012). Based on this argument Locke would be an advocate of the death penalty. Since the offender forfeited their right to life they no longer have their own right of life. Locke further states that a person forfeits their right to life when they commit a criminal act that deserves death (Bedau, 2012). The ethical issue of capital punishment and the justice theory coincide using the retributive justice theory. Justice involves the righting of wrongs and retributive justice involves the punishment of wrongdoers (Boatright, 2012). The justice retribution theory indicates that a criminal must and deserve to be punished and that the punishment must fit the crime (Bedau, 2012). The punishment of the crime may be different in each state or country as not all states and countries have the right to sentence an offender to the death penalty. The issue with the theory that the punishment must fit the crime is that each person may have a different viewpoint on how to punish the same crime. For the act of murder one could argue for the death penalty while another person may argue that death penalty is unethical based on their ethics. This leads to some confusion in the retribution theory as each person may have their own idea of proper punishment and retribution. According to Roberts-Cady (2010), â€Å"A retributivist would argue for the death penalty based on the claim that death is what a murderer deserves.† The retribution theory also values that a punishment should be exactly the same as the crime committed which is known as the eye for an eye principle (Roberts-Cady, 2010). Using the eye for an eye principle, a murderer would be subject to the same act they committed and subject to death themselves. It does not involve a judge or jury sentencing them to the death penalty and I interpret it as an automatic sentence for the murderer. The eye for an eye principle supports that murderers ought to be put to death (Bedau, 2012). An advocate of the death penalty using the retribution theory would find that capital punishment is just in cases involving murder. The issue with the above reasoning is that it is sometimes not possible to apply the eye for an eye principle in every situation. It would not be possible to punish an individual or group of individuals who commit mass murder that has more victims than offenders. An example of this would be the execution of the hijackers who flew planes into the World Trade Center killing thousands of individuals. The number of victims of this act far outweighs the number of hijackers that were aboard the planes. According to Bedau (2012) the execution of a mass murderer is morally inadequate as retribution cannot be served upon the offender given their inhumane and heinous acts. Another counter-argument for the eye for an eye principle is the equivalent to the crime is not always morally acceptable (Roberts-Cady, 2010). For example if a person were to be sexually assaulted, the retribution to the offender would entail being sexually assaulted in return. This would force the victim to decide if their offender should be subject to the same offense they endured and the victim may not be willing to make that decision and prefer to leave the punishment up to the justice system. The legal system in the United States takes this decision off of the victim and places it on a judge and jury. Although the victim will have to testify and recount the crime they would not deciding the fate of the offender. According to Robert-Cady (2010), â€Å"For certain heinous crimes, either the punishment would be roughly equivalent and immoral, or it would not be roughly equivalent.† The justice and rights theory seeks justice for those whose rights are violated but it is not applicable in all situations. If we are looking at capital punishment strictly from a rights perspective the right to life is violated when a person is murdered but what right do we have to take someone else’s right to life? Retribution and justice involve the righting of a wrong and uses the eye for an eye principle which is not always applicable to the crime committed. Using the rights and justice theory I came to the position that capital punishment is not ethical as I do not believe that I have the ethical grounds to take someone else’s right to life. The retribution theory is not clear enough for as I believe life in prison without parole would be just as effective as the death penalty. In this paper I have examined how utilitarian, Kantian ethics, and the rights and justice theory apply to the issue of capital punishment. I presented both an advocate and opponent view to the death penalty and whether capital punishment is ethically just according to each theory. Prior to researching this topic I considered myself as an advocate of capital punishment as I felt it was the most effective way to serve as a deterrent to murder and also a just punishment. I also consider myself a subscriber to the utilitarianism theory and choose to look at the big picture of an issue and how it affects everyone. I also look at situations using the cost-benefit analysis which allows me to make an informed decision. After researching the ethical issue of capital punishment and applying the information to my beliefs I realized that my stance on the death penalty conflicted with my utilitarianism view. In the utilitarianism section of the paper I came to the conclusion that capital punishment was not ethical. I also presented the cost-benefit analysis of capital punishment and the cost of an individual is much more expensive than sentencing a person to life in prison without parole. I have come to the conclusion that based on my utilitarianism view that capital punishment is not ethical. References (2012). White paper on ethical issues concerning capital punishment. Ferney-Voltaire, France: World Medical Journal. Bedau, H. A. (1980). Capital punishment. Matters of life and death, 1033-66. Boatright, J. R. (2012). Ethics and the conduct of business. (7 ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. Capital Punishment. 2011. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved May 8, 2011, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capitalpunishment House, R. (2009). The death penalty and the Principle of Goodness. International Journal Of Human Rights, 13(5), 680-688. Kania, R. E. (1999). The Ethics of the Death Penalty. Justice Professional, 12(2), 145. Potter, N. T. (2002). Kant and capital punishment today. The Journal of Value Inquiry, 36(2), 267-282. Roberts†Cady, S. (2010). Against Retributive Justifications of the Death Penalty. Journal of Social Philosophy, 41(2), 185-193. Wilkinson, D. J., & Douglas, T. (2008). Consequentialism and the death penalty. The American Journal of Bioethics, 8(10), 56-58. Williams, C. J. (2011, June 20). Death Penalty Cost California $184 Million a Year, Study Says. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com

Monday, September 16, 2019

Origin of African American Vernacular English Essay

African American Vernacular English is a form of American English which is used by mostly African American. It was originally known as the Black English. In non academic circles it is referred as Ebonics. This form of English shares a common pronunciation with the South American English which is mostly spoken by the African Americans and other non African American living in United States of America. African American vernacular English is a variation of English which has some unique characteristics which are not shared by any other variant of English. The language has several similar vocabularies with other forms of English that are spoken in America including the Standard English. ( Allyene, M 56 1980) It is almost hard to estimate the number of people who use this dialect. Scholars have put forward that there are people who may be using the AAVE pronunciation and vocabulary but they do not use the grammatical characteristics of the dialect. There are others who may only be using only a typical aspect of the variant. For along time linguists have been using the term African American vernacular English to refer to all those variants which portray particular grammatical characteristics such as copula removal, omitting of letter- s in third person or generally double negation. These features do happen in a variable manner, this means that the Standard English has been altered in one way or another. This point makes it hard to specifically state the number of people who speak this language. The variation experienced in this dialect has been argued to portray the intricate collective attitudes that revolve around the AAVE. This may be one of the reasons why it had attracted the type of interest from various sociolinguists and also the focus it has generated from the general public. (Allyene, M 87 1980) There have been arguments that the African American English may have contributed some words that are used in Standard English. There are regional variations as far as this form of language is concerned; this variation is described as little by linguists. Proponents of Creole hypothesis argue that this form of American English has some of similarity with the languages that are spoken in West Africa. (Winford, D 234 2000) There have been suggestions that African American vernacular English (AAVE) is an African language. The origin of the AAVE remains a controversial issue where scholars have never agreed on the various aspects concerning this dialect. Debate over the origin and development of the language has been alive and the scholars argue that the history of the speakers of this form of English make it a unique and special case. There have been two main hypotheses which have dominated the discussion about the basis of the African American vernacular English. These hypotheses are the Creole and Anglicist. Anglicist theory is also referred to as the dialectal hypotheses. The Anglicist hypothesis was set by its proponents during the twentieth century. They argued that the AAVE origin is traceable in the same way that the European English dialects were developed. The proponents of Anglicist hypothesis are of the assumption that the Africans who were taken to America as slaves learned a new language out of need to communicate. The proponents of this hypothesis belief that the Africans slaves learned English that was being spoken by the native English but in the course of learning it they made several mistakes which have been passed through generations. To Anglicist AAVE is bad English, a belief that has been greatly challenged by many linguists. The Africans who had different languages simply learned English and as time went on their languages gradually disappeared, only a few traces of the ancestral languages that were spoken by the African slaves remained. This hypothesis is based on the observation that when a given group of people who speak the same language are separated or diverged they tend to have variation in their speech. Language has been said to be a static and dynamic system a language spoken by a certain community will change since the groups have to continue communicating even when they are drawn apart due to various reasons. One notable example which has been used to explain this hypothesis is the variation which exists between American and the British English, the dialectical variation between these two forms of English has been said to have resulted due to the geographical distance that exist between the users of the two dialects. Isolation of the African Americans in the United States of America during the slavery period is of great importance as far as this hypothesis is concerned. Dialectal or the Anglicist clearly gives the facts on the origin of non Standard English through their unique explanations. Double and multiple negations are some of the examples through which the proponents of the theory state that were taken directly from the traditional forms of speech as the language developed. AAVE is known to have inherited some forms from the ancient traditions while at the same time making some modifications through innovations. To angilict this is what happens when two dialects move apart. Old characteristics feature are kept while at the same time the new ones are brought to the picture. A good example is a point where the AAVE lost the third person singular. Several dialectologists of the twentieth century claimed that AAVE roots can be traced back to the earliest form of the American English dialects. (Bailey, G. 46 1993) Supporters of this hypothesis made an assumption that the Africans Americans slaves learned the different forms of English which were spoken by their masters who were mostly European whites. The Anglicist theory was later challenged by the creolist who noted that the early language circumstances for the descendants from Africa who were subjected to the slavery as totally different from the one experienced by the European immigrants. The creolist focus on the origins of AAVE through assuming that it came from a creole language for example Gullah. They base their argument on the fact that it has the same features as the creoles that are spoken in the Caribbean. To the Creolist the segregation and subordination experienced by the African slaves only Yielded to development of a language which came to be referred to as Creole. This refers to a language that is formed by the groups which do not share a common language. Formation of a Creole is for purely communication purposes. African slaves having come from different language groups needed to communicate among themselves and also had to communicate with their masters. The Creole hypothesis states that AAVE is an outcome of a Creole which is derived from languages spoken in western part of Africa combined with English. African Slaves who mainly spoke different Western African languages were usually put together when they were being taken to their destination. For these people to communicate in some way they came up with a pidgin which was as a result of using English and West African words. This pidgin later passed on to through generations, and as soon as the pidgin became the main language it came to be described as a Creole. Over the years it has come to undergo a process which is known decreolization making it sound like the Standard English. Later it became the primary language of it’s speakers making it to be classified as a Creole. Over the years AAVE has gone through the process of decreolization and is beginning to sound more like Standard English (Bailey, G. 67 1993) Arguments over the early development of AAVE are just as contentious as the debate over its origin. This is partly due to the unavailability of data concerning the language. The one which has been there has been insufficient and unreliable at the same time though there may have been some written information which dates back in the colonial era its reliability is usually doubted therefore linguists being unable to gather much about the development of this dialect. The actual speech of the spoken African American language is not available since recordings were not there until the early years of the twentieth century. Peharps the lack of evidence coupled with the emergence of different schools of thought and hypothesis has made the dialect to be such unique making to attract too much public attention. (Rickford, J. Mufwene, S and Bailey, G, 254 1998) The creolist have continued to argue that the speech of the African Americans has continued to change significantly over the years but the characteristics of the creole language still exist in many other related dialects. African American vernacular English has developed up to the point where it is influencing other dialects. Its growth can be linked to many factors such as the unique position in which the language came about. It has become extremely hard to say exactly which side holds water as far as the origin a development of African American vernacular English is concerned. It has been influenced by the regional context as well as the heritage situation of the language. The debate on the African American Vernacular English will always be an ongoing phenomenon. It will keep on experiencing changes as far as the grammar is concerned. The current findings indicate that as the time goes by the distinctive characteristics of the language will continue to be stronger (Rickford, J. Mufwene, S and Bailey, G, 234 1998) African American vernacular English continue to be popular though at first was regarded as inferior English dialectal due to the historical background it is associated with. The dialect will continue to draw more debates in the years to come as it develops more closely to the Standard English. Perhaps in some years to come it will be the dialect that most of the Americans will be using. The dialect may not get the necessary support to be used in school but the very nature that it touches on a very sensitive issue of race will make many linguists to continue doing more research on it so that they can be able to solve so many questions that have been left unanswered for such a long period. The two theories may have attempted to answer some pertinent issues that have arose but still gaps remain as far as the development of the language is concerned.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

HR data collection Essay

HR data collection makes company able to measure against it supporting workforce planning, monitoring progress and development, developing initiatives for generic cases. It identifies and analyses information to aid the organization in making ultimate decisions both beneficial to the organization and its employees. Two reasons considered closely. Through HR data collection an organisation can: 1) comply with legislative and regulatory requirements regarding equal opportunities, equal pay audits, recruitment, assessing skills balance, absence recording. 2) monitor training and performance for employees, assessing each individual employee for productivity and identifying training needs. That means assessing the productivity within the business. Being well informed about the workforce is the key to aim the ultimate goal of the organization. Data collection enables management team to make informed decisions about future activity. Two types of data collected and their support: 1) Attendances is useful to monitor and gauge daily working hours and monitor absences. That enables HR to manage regular absentees successful and deal with any issues the employee might have. 2) Organisational records which includes: staff turnover, absenteeism, recruitment documentation, learning and development. HR department can monitor staff level making decision about a further recruitment process. It is also essential collecting and updating employee records such as home addresses and people to contact in time of emergency. These information are helpful where the employee not to come to work without notice. Records can be stored: 1) Electronically through computerised system. In this way organization can keep information up to date easily and any information can be sent and received rapidly. It also reduce company costs and the amount of data can be stored with no taking up much office space and they can be sorted, found, moved and protected easily. 2) Manually in paper format. In this case the risk of corrupted data is less and information are accessible in any time considering occurrences of power cuts or electronic system crashes. Moreover problems with duplicates of the same record are usually avoided. Two items of UK legislation relating to recording and storing HR data: 1) Data Protection Act, 1998. It concerns all personal records whether held in paper or electronic format. The act contains eight protection principles specifying personal data must be: – Processed fairly and lawfully. – Obtained for specified and lawful purposes. – Adequate, relevant and not excessive. – Accurate and up to date. – Not kept any longer than necessary. – Processed in accordance with the â€Å"data subject’s† (the individual’s) rights. – Securely kept. – Not transferred to any other country outside the EU without adequate protection in situ. 2) Freedom of Information Act, 2000. It allows people to ask any public body for information on both any subject an organization has and themselves too. So that the act encourages organization to be transparent and, unless a valid reason, the organization must provide requested information within 20 working days. Through this act people can access to informations needed and ensure they are not exploited or used inappropriately.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Boeing Case Study

Q1: How would you describe Boeing’s unethical culture. So called rotten to the core (5)? The unethical culture inside Boeing was widespread, and affected multiple geographic areas and there were cases across all divisions of such unethical behaviour. The promotion of the well-being of stakeholders was no longer being practised. Managers were no longer taking the claims of all stakeholders into consideration in their decision-making, and as such all stakeholder groups were at threat from this unethical behaviour, including the stockholders, employees, suppliers and distributors and the customers.The problem is that the relentless pursuit of self-interest was evident, and this seemingly led to a collective disaster inside the company, as one or more people started to profit from being unethical in the company, which likely encouraged other managers and employees to act in the same way. As a result, the efficiency and effectiveness of the company and its performance was compromis ed (e. g. failing to capitalise on cost savings initiatives).All in all, this resulted in reputation loss (e. g. humiliating ouster of Harry Stonecipher). As unethical behaviour was evident from the former CEO (affair with colleague) to his executive and other lower level managers (imprisoned employees), it is understandable and appropriate to refer to the culture and being ‘rotten to the core’. The culture that existed was simply unacceptable. Q2: What kind of factors resulted in Boeing’s unethical culture (10)?There are a number of factors that led to and resulted in culture at Boeing being unethical in nature. Some of these helped to create the environment for poor ethical decisions (e. g. poor ethics), and some of the factors were direct breaches of ethical conduct that served to stimulate further acts of ethical breach in the organisation. a)Environmental The four rules for ethical decision-making had been violated inside Boeing. Utilitarian rule – th e greatest good for the greatest number of people was not being pursued †¢Moral rights rule – decisions were not protecting the fundamental rights and privileges of people †¢Justice rule – distribution of benefits were not fair, equitable, and impartial †¢Practical rule – people in society didn’t not find these decisions and behaviours acceptable The breach of the environmental factors is supported by the complacency amongst the management that existed. Management was used to hiding behind bureaucracy, and there was a lack of effective and centralised leadership.Thus McDonnel-Douglas and Boeing was cultures were still evident in the same organisation. Management also had a culture of excess – they went away on posh getaways for their executive breakouts, â€Å"played golf, and closed down the bar†. The culture in the organisation was a closed culture and a â€Å"culture of silence†. There was no whistle-blowing on ethic s breaches. There was a general lack of attention to factors that create an enabling environment for productive and efficient work execution within ethical norms.Appropriate incentives were lacking and not in place, when the company grew as a result of the merger, there was no strong central control or corporate governance – which resulted in ethical breaches throughout the organisation. Also as a result of the merger, there remained internal conflicts and rivalries by the management teams which were not addressed, resulting in two cultures that didn’t integrate and work together. This led to a number of challenges such as good ideas not being shared, and internal cost cutting measures being hindered. b)Breach of ethical conductThere were also breaches of ethical conduct which only served to perpetuate and entrench the rogue ethical culture: †¢The former CEO’s relationship with his female Vice-President †¢The abuse of attorney-client privilege in cover ing up internal studies †¢Unethical pay discrepancy where females earned less than men at Boeing †¢The theft of 250000 pages of proprietary documents Because self-interest can lead to a collective disaster when others are encouraged to follow suit, it is likely that these acts further the company as a collective in terms of its adopted culture and reputation. The lack of legislation banning some behaviours (e. g. iaisons and affairs with colleagues) may have contributed to such conduct. However, neither law or ethics are fixed principles, and the managers should have used the combination of individual, organisational, occupational, and societal ethics to guide their the behaviour and conduct. All in all, the standards by which the Boeing managers ought to have governed themselves in terms of their individual, organisational, occupational and societal ethics were violated, resulting â€Å"in a tragedy of the commons†, where the company’s performance was compro mised, and the company suffered a reputation loss (the publicised Palm Springs affair).Q3: What steps is the new CEO taking to change Boeing’s culture and make ethical behaviour the centre of attention (10)? McNerney embarked on a process to re-establish business ethics at Boeing, putting individual, organisational, occupational, and societal ethics back at the centre of decision-making. He confronted the unethical culture directly and head-on by giving a â€Å"wake-up call† to his executive management team at the company’s annual executive retreat. This included the reading out of prison numbers at the retreat.He was honest and direct when telling the managers that they had â€Å"gotten carried away with themselves†. An important step was to encourage managers to talk about ethical lapses, and undo the culture of silence that permeated the company. He encouraged people to â€Å"speak up and take the risk†. McNerney paid attention to detail, includ ing remembering employee’s names, to ensure that they feel important and valued, and thereby defusing the need to take ethical short-cuts in their work conduct and behaviour.Some of the direct tools he used to achieve his culture change was centralising leadership to exert more influence and control over the 3 divisions in Boeing. Also, he aligned pay to ethical values and behaviours, rewarding collaborations amongst teams and divisions, and rewarding those who were living Boeing’s values. These values included the promoting of integrity and the avoiding of abusive behaviour. McNerney realised that he had a direct influence on the culture he wanted to create and chose to lead by example.He adopted an understanding and caring type leadership style, asking less technical questions in meetings with staff, and focusing on the human element. This form of leadership quickly established trust. People were able to have faith and confidence in him, and as a result he â€Å"win s praise from co-workers†. He was able to salvage and restore Boeing’s reputation as a result of the combination of steps taken above. However, there was still room for improvement in that of adopting a change and transformation programme.Such a programme would have set very change objectives, been communicated throughout the organisation, and measures established to track progress towards the desired culture and ethical changes. â€Å"Giving speeches about management virtue† and then following through with concrete actions – has a place on the change and transformation programme towards an ethical culture. McNerney could have also drawn-up a code a conduct for his team. This approach would have been more directive, and would have sent a clear and strong message in terms of the importance of ethical conduct and behaviour. Boeing Case Study Q1: How would you describe Boeing’s unethical culture. So called rotten to the core (5)? The unethical culture inside Boeing was widespread, and affected multiple geographic areas and there were cases across all divisions of such unethical behaviour. The promotion of the well-being of stakeholders was no longer being practised. Managers were no longer taking the claims of all stakeholders into consideration in their decision-making, and as such all stakeholder groups were at threat from this unethical behaviour, including the stockholders, employees, suppliers and distributors and the customers.The problem is that the relentless pursuit of self-interest was evident, and this seemingly led to a collective disaster inside the company, as one or more people started to profit from being unethical in the company, which likely encouraged other managers and employees to act in the same way. As a result, the efficiency and effectiveness of the company and its performance was compromis ed (e. g. failing to capitalise on cost savings initiatives).All in all, this resulted in reputation loss (e. g. humiliating ouster of Harry Stonecipher). As unethical behaviour was evident from the former CEO (affair with colleague) to his executive and other lower level managers (imprisoned employees), it is understandable and appropriate to refer to the culture and being ‘rotten to the core’. The culture that existed was simply unacceptable. Q2: What kind of factors resulted in Boeing’s unethical culture (10)?There are a number of factors that led to and resulted in culture at Boeing being unethical in nature. Some of these helped to create the environment for poor ethical decisions (e. g. poor ethics), and some of the factors were direct breaches of ethical conduct that served to stimulate further acts of ethical breach in the organisation. a)Environmental The four rules for ethical decision-making had been violated inside Boeing. Utilitarian rule – th e greatest good for the greatest number of people was not being pursued †¢Moral rights rule – decisions were not protecting the fundamental rights and privileges of people †¢Justice rule – distribution of benefits were not fair, equitable, and impartial †¢Practical rule – people in society didn’t not find these decisions and behaviours acceptable The breach of the environmental factors is supported by the complacency amongst the management that existed. Management was used to hiding behind bureaucracy, and there was a lack of effective and centralised leadership.Thus McDonnel-Douglas and Boeing was cultures were still evident in the same organisation. Management also had a culture of excess – they went away on posh getaways for their executive breakouts, â€Å"played golf, and closed down the bar†. The culture in the organisation was a closed culture and a â€Å"culture of silence†. There was no whistle-blowing on ethic s breaches. There was a general lack of attention to factors that create an enabling environment for productive and efficient work execution within ethical norms.Appropriate incentives were lacking and not in place, when the company grew as a result of the merger, there was no strong central control or corporate governance – which resulted in ethical breaches throughout the organisation. Also as a result of the merger, there remained internal conflicts and rivalries by the management teams which were not addressed, resulting in two cultures that didn’t integrate and work together. This led to a number of challenges such as good ideas not being shared, and internal cost cutting measures being hindered. b)Breach of ethical conductThere were also breaches of ethical conduct which only served to perpetuate and entrench the rogue ethical culture: †¢The former CEO’s relationship with his female Vice-President †¢The abuse of attorney-client privilege in cover ing up internal studies †¢Unethical pay discrepancy where females earned less than men at Boeing †¢The theft of 250000 pages of proprietary documents Because self-interest can lead to a collective disaster when others are encouraged to follow suit, it is likely that these acts further the company as a collective in terms of its adopted culture and reputation. The lack of legislation banning some behaviours (e. g. iaisons and affairs with colleagues) may have contributed to such conduct. However, neither law or ethics are fixed principles, and the managers should have used the combination of individual, organisational, occupational, and societal ethics to guide their the behaviour and conduct. All in all, the standards by which the Boeing managers ought to have governed themselves in terms of their individual, organisational, occupational and societal ethics were violated, resulting â€Å"in a tragedy of the commons†, where the company’s performance was compro mised, and the company suffered a reputation loss (the publicised Palm Springs affair).Q3: What steps is the new CEO taking to change Boeing’s culture and make ethical behaviour the centre of attention (10)? McNerney embarked on a process to re-establish business ethics at Boeing, putting individual, organisational, occupational, and societal ethics back at the centre of decision-making. He confronted the unethical culture directly and head-on by giving a â€Å"wake-up call† to his executive management team at the company’s annual executive retreat. This included the reading out of prison numbers at the retreat.He was honest and direct when telling the managers that they had â€Å"gotten carried away with themselves†. An important step was to encourage managers to talk about ethical lapses, and undo the culture of silence that permeated the company. He encouraged people to â€Å"speak up and take the risk†. McNerney paid attention to detail, includ ing remembering employee’s names, to ensure that they feel important and valued, and thereby defusing the need to take ethical short-cuts in their work conduct and behaviour.Some of the direct tools he used to achieve his culture change was centralising leadership to exert more influence and control over the 3 divisions in Boeing. Also, he aligned pay to ethical values and behaviours, rewarding collaborations amongst teams and divisions, and rewarding those who were living Boeing’s values. These values included the promoting of integrity and the avoiding of abusive behaviour. McNerney realised that he had a direct influence on the culture he wanted to create and chose to lead by example.He adopted an understanding and caring type leadership style, asking less technical questions in meetings with staff, and focusing on the human element. This form of leadership quickly established trust. People were able to have faith and confidence in him, and as a result he â€Å"win s praise from co-workers†. He was able to salvage and restore Boeing’s reputation as a result of the combination of steps taken above. However, there was still room for improvement in that of adopting a change and transformation programme.Such a programme would have set very change objectives, been communicated throughout the organisation, and measures established to track progress towards the desired culture and ethical changes. â€Å"Giving speeches about management virtue† and then following through with concrete actions – has a place on the change and transformation programme towards an ethical culture. McNerney could have also drawn-up a code a conduct for his team. This approach would have been more directive, and would have sent a clear and strong message in terms of the importance of ethical conduct and behaviour.