10 Roommate Gift Ideas That Wont Blow Your Budget

10 Roommate Gift Ideas That Wont Blow Your Budget Even though you sometimes know more about your roommate than anyone else on campus, finding the perfect gift can still be challenging. Fortunately, with a little creative thinking, you can get your male or female roommate the perfect holiday, birthday, or farewell gift without blowing your budget. Something OnlyYou Know They Need You may see your roommate struggling with something that has been well-loved for a little too long. It could be a new hair dryer, a new towel set, a new shower caddy, or generally anything they use frequently. Something of Yours That They're Always Borrowing Your rain boots, favorite shirt, jeans, cute black pumps, or basketball may technically be yours, but seem to have been adopted by your roommate lately. Give them a new, similar product of their own so they can enjoy it without worrying- and without having to check with you first. A Gift Certificate to Their Favorite Restaurant On or Off Campus Does your roommate always walk around with a Starbucks coffee, Jamba Juice smoothie, or burger from the place across the street? Consider getting a small gift certificate to a place you know they already love. A Gift From the Campus Bookstore Because honestly, who minds having another t-shirt, sweatshirt, or pair of comfy pants with your school logo on them? A Small Gift Every Day of Their BirthdayWeek This is a great option if youre a little short on cash. You can surprise your roommate with something fun every day of their birthday week: their favorite candy bar placed on their computer keyboard one day, a box of their favorite cereal the next. A New Laptop Bag/Backpack/Gym Bag/Purse/etc College students are notoriously rough on their bags. And, given that you share living quarters, youve probably seen the worst of the worst when it comes to how your roommate treats their backpack, gym bag, etc. Consider getting them a replacement or even just an extra one for when things get really ugly. Some of Their Favorite Personal Products Does your roommate have a favorite perfume? Cologne? Brand of flip-flops theyre always wearing? Grab an extra one, throw it in a gift bag, and ... voila! Instant personal roommate gift. A Book by Their Favorite Author or on Their Favorite Topic Chances are, your roommate has some passions and interests that they dont get the chance to read about just for pleasure. Surprise them with something theyll enjoy without having to worry about writing a paper on later. A Simple Electronic Device to Make Life Easier You can never have too many thumb drives, phone chargers, or earphones. These inexpensive electronics make for great, inexpensive gifts. A Gift Certificate to Their Favorite Website Does your roommate love iTunes? An online game? Consider getting them a gift certificate that they can use electronically. Added bonus: These make great last-minute gifts since theyre often delivered instantly.

Clinical Governance and Risk Management Essays

Clinical Governance and Risk Management Essays Clinical Governance and Risk Management Essay Clinical Governance and Risk Management Essay Clinical Governance and Risk Management have become increasingly important over the last decade in the various fields of nursing. The development of the concept of clinical governance will be discussed and how it can be facilitated into practice with relation to learning disabilities nursing. Clinical Governance was first introduced in the White Paper ‘The New NHS: Modern, dependable’ (DoH, 1997). Donaldson (1998) viewed clinical governance as the vehicle to achieve, locally, continuous improvements in clinical quality, which will aid the government’s agenda for modernisation of the NHS. This modernisation includes improving services such as clinical audit, clinical effectiveness programmes and risk management. Donaldson was among many authors in 1998 that contribute to literature, which supported the need for clinical governance at a time when the standards and quality of healthcare provision were in decline. Risk management and assessment will be discussed in relation to learning disabilities to include disabled children in the child protection system. High quality risk assessments and risk management strategies are essential for children and adolescents with disabilities. It will be shown that barriers faced in the assessment process often lead to disabled children being discriminated against in the child protection system. To understand the development of clinical governance, we must firstly gain knowledge of its origins. During the early 1990’s, government documents and a series of high profile medical disasters such as the National Health Service (NHS) failures in bone tumour diagnosis and in paediatric surgery in Bristol helped to bring quality improvement to the top of the White Paper agenda (Nicholls, S et al 2000). The Patient’s Charter (1992) and The Citizen’s Charter (1993) are documents that drew the publics attention towards the quality and standards of care been delivered by the NHS. Both these charters gave rise to informing and empowering patients to the standard of care they found acceptable. Upon the deliver of these charters, healthcare professionals and the public became better informed and educated, thus demanded a higher quality of healthcare. The decline in the quality and standard of care by the NHS was now made public. The government had to act upon this. As mentioned, the term clinical governance became prominent following the publication of the first White Paper report, in which the government set out its agenda for the modernisation of the NHS. Succeeding this a year later was a new White Paper report, A First Class Service – Quality in the new NHS (DoH, 1998) which defines clinical governance as ‘A framework through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care by creating an environment in which excellence in clinical care will flourish’. The evolution of clinical governance, promoted the various sectors of the NHS to embrace and define this new system to their specific field. Dewar (2000) suggests that the official definition has deliberately been left incomplete so that health professionals can define their own systems of clinical governance in their own way. An explosion of clinical governance definitions were circulated through the health sector in relation to specific fields such as, doctors, GPs, nurses, physiotherapists, pharmacists etc. The Royal Collage of Nursing (1998) defines clinical governance as ‘a framework, which helps all clinicians including nurses to continuously improve quality and safeguard standards of care’. McSherry and Pearce (2007) argue that even though the majority of healthcare professionals welcomed the initial definition, individuals have interpreted, internalised and transferred the meaning of clinical governance to their specific profession. The definitions supplied by the individual sectors, are in agreement that this is a framework, which pulls all the ranges of organisational departments together, and were individuals and organisations are accountable for clinical quality, service and patient safety. The Health Act (1999) gave chief executives of NHS trusts a statutory responsibility for clinical governance; they are accountable for the successful implementation. However, to achieve the daily high standards of care all staff must acknowledge and understand the components that support clinical governance into their practice. Boden and Kelly (1999) view these components as Clinical audit, Clinical effectiveness, Clinical Risk management, Quality assurance and Organisational and staff development. Some of the components may or may not be new but they are now placed in an overall framework for quality and assurance. Each element mentioned, must be scrutinised to ensure it is serving both the patient and the organisation. McSherry and Pearce (2007a pg. 59) state that ‘to ensure that an organisation and staff deliver a high quality service, they need to have sound knowledge and well developed skills and competencies to perform their roles efficiently and effectively’. To attain this, it is essential that each component is lead by a clinician who has respect and confidence in healthcare staff and has the ability to influence, guide and lead through change. Walshe (2000) recognise the growing number of research articles on clinical governance that identify the many challenges that organisations face in its implementation. The barriers affecting the implementing process originate from internal and external sources, which can affect the organisation, teams and individuals (McSherry and Pearce 2007b). Key themes linked to the barriers affecting the implementation are culture, management, leadership, communication, education and training, knowledge and support (McSherry and Pearce 2007c pg 121). A study by Currie and Loftus-Hills (2002) found that clinicians were aware of the importance of creating a culture in which clinical governance could thrive but felt that they still exist in a blame culture, which seeks to address mistakes and apportion blame to individuals. Creating a culture that inhibits staff to voice their concerns or report when mistakes are made. This culture that seeks to apportion blame only leads to secrecy, mistrust and a failure to report mistakes, which hinders staff development and learning. For clinical governance to be accepted and practiced with in healthcare, a shift in attitudes and culture is needed. T o achieve this Cullen et al (2000) states that we need to unlearn some old habits and develop some new ones in order to develop a new healthcare culture that works under the guidance of clinical governance. This new cultural will guide staff in reporting mistakes, without prejudice, to the appropriate staff member and reducing clinical risk through learning by mistakes. Improving the patients experience in healthcare is seen as the central purpose of clinical governance. Roberts (2002) report that each year nearly 28,000 written complaints are made about aspects of clinical treatment in hospitals and the NHS pays out around ? 400 million in settlements of clinical negligence claims. As part of the government’s efforts to improve quality assurance and patient’s safety, the Department of Health (2000) published ‘An organisation with a memory’ which identified areas of healthcare practice that requires change. Clinical governance and risk management are included in the contents, as they are part of the government’s current strategy for modernisation in the NHS. Risk management is a statutory duty to be carried out by every NHS and other health organisations. It has been defined as ‘ a means of reducing the risk of adverse events occurring in an organisation by systematically assessing, reviewing and then seeking ways to prevent their occurrence. Clinical Risk management takes place in a clinical setting’ (NHS Executive, 2001). All healthcare professionals must ensure that risk management is a process for identifying the risks that have adverse effects on the quality, safety and effectiveness of service delivery. A risk management strategy provides the framework for assessing and evaluating those risks and takes positive action to eliminate or reduce them. Within a clinical healthcare setting the elimination of risk is paramount, however it will now be argued that the complete elimination of risk for people with a learning disability is not always preferable. Many definitions of risk are negative and this often leads to the assumption that risks should be completely eliminated. Giddens (1998) argues that risk taking â€Å"is a core element in the creation of a dynamic economy and innovative society† (cited in Denney 2005 p. 11). From a more individualist perspective risk can be seen as an opportunity to learn about the implications of our decisions (Sellars 2002). This is particularly true for people with disabilities. Often people with disabilities are over-protected and consequently do not have opportunities for experimentation and learning (Sellars 2002a). When a person with disabilities is empowered to take risks it can give them a sense of achievement and independence. Taking risks is part of leading a normal life and people with disabilities should be empowered to take risks. Risk in this context is positive. The complete elimination of risk would deny people the opportunity of personal development and learning from mistakes (Sellars 2002b). Therefore it is argued that the complete elimination of risk is undesirable. The Disability Discrimination Act was a key development for people with disabilities. The Act was a major step forward in determining how statutory services should respond to the aspirations of disabled people (Russell 1996). The Local Authority as a service provider has responsibility for the discriminatory attitudes or omissions of its employees. Another key policy document was The Same as You, a review of services for people with learning disabilities. The publication of this document is to be applauded since it strengthened the view that people with disabilities should be empowered to lead a normal life. There is much emphasis on empowering people to take risks as it is recognised as part of leading a normal life. Although there has been many improvements in the way in which society views disabled people there is still evidence that they discriminated against. This is clearly evident in the child protection system. There has been an overwhelming body of research conducted in the United States which highlights that children with disabilities are more vulnerable to abuse. A study by Sulivan and Knutson (2000) found disabled children were more likely to be abused and neglected than non-disabled children (cited in Miller 2003). They discovered that â€Å"disabled children are 3. times more likely to be neglected, 3. 8 times more likely to be physically abused, 3. 1 times more likely to be sexually abused and 3. 9 times more likely to be emotionally abused. Overall they found that 31% of disabled children had been abused compared to 9% among the non-disabled population† (Miller 2003a pg. 19). Therefore it has been well established in research from the United States that children with disabil ities experience an increased risk of abuse. Research in the UK which explores the safeguarding and abuse of children with disabilities is limited (Millar 2003b). The very fact that there has been little research in the UK seems very telling of the attitudes and cultural norms of British society. This seems to point out that disabled children are less worthy of being protected from abuse. Research literature can be divided into three main categories which indicate increased vulnerability factors for the disabled child. Miller (2003c pg. 20) describes these as: â€Å"attitudes and assumptions held by others, inadequacies in service provision and factors associated with the impairment†. Middleton (1996) argues that there is a widespread belief that children with disabilities are not subjected to abuse. This can lead to a failure to report abuse. Poorly developed services can also increase a disabled child’s vulnerability to abuse (Miller 2003d). For example, disabled children are often taught to be compliant and when their behaviour is seen as non-compliant they are often subject to techniques which ensure compliance. Also, disabled children may not have access to support with communication (Miller 2003e). Lack of support services can leave children with disabilities and their families feeling isolated and Miller (2003f pg. 22) argues â€Å"isolation is widely recognised to be a factor for abuse†. When a child does have access to services they may be more vulnerable to abuse simply because of the multitude of people in their lives (Middleton 1996a). Another concerning problems highlighted by Miller (2003g) is organisational and skills gaps between professionals who work with disabled children and those who work in the child protection system which creates barriers to effective child protection. Also when a disabled child is behaving in a way which may indicate unhappiness more often than not it is associated with the impairment rather than being taken as a sign of abuse (Middleton 1996b). These factors create barriers in the assessment of risk for children with disabilities. Calder (2002) argues the DOH framework for assessment has changed the focus of assessment. It is based on an ecological approach and expects that assessments are grounded in evidence based practice. The practice guidance for this framework suggests that it has been designed to be inclusive of all children in need and states that it is the duty of social services to ensure that â€Å"every child is assessed in a way that recognises the child’s individuality and particular needs† (Department of Health 2000 pg. 73). The assessment process will involve the systematic collection of information which results in the identification of risks, what they are, and the likelihood of their future occurrence, if there is a need for intervention and if so what that will be (Calder 2002a). Calder (2002b) argues that whilst this framework which was research driven is better than a framework which involves professional consensus he argues that it struggles to ‘embrace the diversity of practice situations’. Calder (2002c) argues that professionals must acknowledge that this framework is merely a tool and it can only aid professional judgement. This appears to be particularly true when it is applied to the assessment of children with disabilities who face abuse. Some criticism can be applied to the use of this model of assessment in work with children with disabilities. One of the expectations of the assessment process is that it is grounded in evidence based practice (Calder 2002d). As previously mentioned research in relation to the abuse and safeguarding of children with disabilities is limited. This makes the expectation that assessments are grounded in evidence based research almost impossible to achieve. Middleton (1996c) argues that there is a lack of confidence among disability specialists in the child protection system. Lack of familiarity with the child’s disability can often get in the way of social workers using their child protection expertise (Richardson Edwards 2003). An adequate assessment will often require the social worker to work in collaboration with many different professionals and other significant people in the child’s life. It may also be important to gather information from a specialist on the child’s impairment (Richardson Edwards 2003a). Sufficient time will be required to complete a holistic assessment (Richardson Edwards 2003b). However, Richardson and Edwards (2003c) argue the current child protection system does not allow for the additional time that may be required to complete a good assessment. Paul and Cawson (2002 pg. 270) argue â€Å"it is society’s response to disability that may lead to the increased abuse of disabled people†. This is evidenced in the belief that parents with disabled children are under more pressure than most parents and therefore abuse is seen as more excusable (Middleton 1996d). Attitudes such as this could lead to reticence in challenging parents which will be detrimental to the risk assessment process. Another major problem in the assessment process is that disabled children are often in contact with many people and it may be difficult to identify the perpetrator (Richardson Edwards 2003d). Richardson and Edwards (2003e pg. 39) argue â€Å"this should not inhibit action to safeguard a child although in our experience it often does†. Sobsey and Doe (1991) argue that disabled children have as much right as any body to experience a safe environment. They argue that while any environment cannot be totally risk free steps can be taken to reduce risk and any failure on the part of the agency to implement risk management techniques is negligence. Considering the increased risk that children with disabilities face it is essential that risk assessment strategies are identified and implemented. Sobsey and Doe (1991a) identify a number of risk management strategies which could be implemented. For example, â€Å"people with disabilities should be taught to discriminate appropriate occasions for compliance and for assertiveness† (Sobsey Doe 1991b pg. 41). Appropriate sex education is also essential. The belief of keeping sex a secret from people with disabilities is discriminatory. Sobsey and Doe (1991c) found that sexual offences against people with disabilities appear to be similar to other sex crimes. For example the offenders are predominantly male and victims are predominantly female. Sobsey and Doe (1991d) found that there w as a similarity in relationships between offenders to victims. There was evidence of an underlying abuse of power (Sobsey Doe 1991e). They found that differences such as the increase of incidence were found to ‘exist as extremes on a continuum rather than fundamental differences’ (Sobsey Doe 1991f pg. 251). Given that offences against disabled children appear to be similar to those against non-disabled children it would seem that developing risk management strategies would be similar. Risk management strategies for non-disabled children appear to have been well established. It follows then that these can be used with disabled children. Services need to be developed in order to be inclusive of children with disabilities. Support for families and children with disabilities are essential. It will be helpful if â€Å"family assessment centres and other support services provide a service for families with disabled children as indeed they are required to do under the Disability Discrimination Act† (Richardson Edwards 2003f pg. 42) Victims who cannot speak for themselves should be provided with assistance so that the risk of abuse may be decreased (Sobsey Doe 1991g). Most importantly our cultural beliefs that often devalue people with disabilities should be challenged and disregarded. It should be brought to the public attention that people with disabilities do add value to our society. Also where people have been subjected to abuse treatment programmes should be provided (Sobsey Doe 1991h). This will be no easy task and there will be many challenges. In order to protect children increased collaboration between disability specialists and child protection specialists is also of the utmost importance. Increased awareness of the abuse of disabled children and research will also be essential. The development of risk management strategies is recognition that abuse does occur and is a step forward in countering cultural attitudes towards children with disabilities. It is clear from research that disabled children are more vulnerable to abuse. Currently the child protection system appears to deny the abuse of disabled children. There are many barriers in assessing and managing risk but this does not mean that disabled children should not be provided with the same protection as non-disabled children. Cultural attitudes need to be challenged and there needs to be recognition that disabled children are victims of abuse. Research about the abuse and safeguarding of disabled children should be conducted in the UK and risk management strategies should be developed. What will it take to get the abuse of disabled children onto the policy agenda, another public inquiry perhaps? Until it is recognised that disabled children are discriminated against in the child protection system there can be no hope of reducing their vulnerability. Word count 3, 186

Bingo 2009 Nba Playoffs and Eye Essay

Bingo 2009 Nba Playoffs and Eye Essay Bingo: 2009 Nba Playoffs and Eye Essay HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – The Kia Countdown to Tip Off clock says we have 35 days until the start of the NBA regular season. But for those of us that cannot wait until then, the start of training camp provides the ultimate fix. And we’re just days away from the first official day of camp for some teams. You’ll get what you need by the weekend in places like Houston, Chicago, Dallas, Indianapolis, Denver and Los Angeles. With several teams set for international play, not everyone will wait until October to kick things off. Still, many of the lingering questions about the 2013-14 season will begin to be answered as the camps open around the league. Our man David Aldridge detailed many of those storylines in his Morning Tip yesterday (if you missed it), but this passage rings most true: We’re going to find out if LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat are fully prepared for the challenge that is trying to three-peat. We’ll see if Dwight Howard and the young group of stars in Houston are the perfect fit the big fella (and the Rockets’ brass) believed them to be in free agency. We’ll see exactly where stars like Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo and others are in their respective rehabilitation processes from injuries that wiped out some, and in Rose’s case the entire, 2012-13 season. We’ll find out just how good the fit is for new coaches - Doc Rivers gets his fresh start in Los Angeles with the Clippers, Brian Shaw in Denver with the Nuggets, Brad Stevens in Boston with the Celtics and Jason Kidd takes the reigns in Brooklyn with the Nets, just to name a few - around the league. The answers to all of those questions and plenty more is all just days away †¦ And, in case you forgot, here are some handy-dandy reference materials as you prep for training camps: Free Agent Tracker | Player movement | Offseason Report Cards EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTA HAWKS Oct. 1 - University of Georgia (Athens) and Philips Arena (Atlanta) Keep an eye on: The Hawks completely overhauled the roster, leaving Al Horford as the center of attention on and off the court. . BOSTON CELTICS Oct. 1 - Salve Regina University (Newport, R.I.) and Celtics Practice Facility (Waltham, Mass.) Keep an eye on: Danny Ainge‘s rebuilding project will have to take shape quickly with Rondo as the unquestioned leader of this bunch and Brad Stevens as the new bench maestro. BROOKLYN NETS Oct. 1 - Duke University (Durham, N.C.) Keep an eye on: Having camp on a college campus is fitting for the experiment that will be Jason Kidd coaching veteran stars Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Jason Terry and Deron Williams. . CHARLOTTE BOBCATS Oct. 1 - Kimmel Arena (Ashville, N.C.) Keep an eye on: For the sake of youngsters Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Cody Zeller, the Steve Clifford era has to be better than the brief Mike Dunlap experience. CHICAGO BULLS Sept. 28 - the Berto Center (Deerfield, Ill.) Keep an eye on: All eyes will be on Rose, as they should be. The Bulls’ fate this season rests on his triumphant return from the knee injury that cost him the entire 2012-13 season. . CLEVELAND CAVALIERS Oct. 1 - the Cleveland Clinic Courts (Independence, Ohio) Keep an eye on: No one has seen free-agent big man Andrew Bynum or No. 1 overall pick Anthony Bennett in live action all summer, so camp will give us our first glimpse of the Cavaliers’ two biggest offseason additions. You better believe All-Star Kyrie Irving will be watching them both closely. . DETROIT PISTONS Oct. 1 - the Pistons Practice Facility (Auburn Hills, Mich.) Keep an eye on: Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings give the Pistons an edge they’ve lacked in recent seasons, an edge that veteran Chauncey Billups will help smooth out over the course of the season. . INDIANA PACERS Sept. 28 - Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis) Keep an eye on: Paul George‘s contract extension should be finalized by the start of camp,

Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley

Mary Wollstonecraft and Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft was a pioneer in feminist thinking and writing. The author gave birth to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley in 1797. Wollstonecraft died soon after childbirth due to a fever. How could this have influenced Shelley’s writings? Although her mother did not live long enough to influence Shelley directly, it is clear that the Wollstonecraft and the ideas of the Romantic era greatly shaped Shelley’s beliefs. The Life of Mary Wollstonecraft Wollstonecraft was strongly influenced by Thomas Paine and argued that women deserved equal rights. She saw how her own father treated her mother as property and refused to allow the same future for herself. When she became old enough, she earned a living as a governess but was bored with this work. She wanted to challenge her high intellect. When she was 28, she wrote a semi-autobiographical novel titled Maria. She soon moved to London and became an admired professional writer and editor who wrote about the rights of women and children. In 1790, Wollstonecraft wrote her essay A Vindication of the Rights of Men based on her reaction to the French Revolution. This essay influenced her famous feminist social study A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, which she wrote two years later. The work continues to be read in literature and Womens studies classes today. Wollstonecraft experienced two romantic affairs and gave birth to Fanny before falling in love with William Godwin. By November  1796, she became pregnant with their only child, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Godwin and she were married in March of the following year. During the summer, she began writing The Wrongs of Women: or Maria. Shelley was born on August 30 and Wollstonecraft died less than two weeks later. Godwin raised both Fanny and Mary surrounded by philosophers and poets, such as Coleridge and Lamb. He also taught Mary to read and spell her name by having her trace her mothers inscription on the stone. Mary Shelley and Frankenstein With much of the independent spirit that drove her mother, Mary left home when she was 16 to live with her lover, Percy Shelley, who was unhappily married at the time. Society and even her father treated her as an outcast. This rejection influenced her writings greatly. Along with the suicides of Percys estranged wife and then Marys half-sister Fanny, her alienated status inspired her to write her greatest work, Frankenstein. Frankenstein is often referenced as the start of Science Fiction. Legend  claims that Shelley wrote the whole book in one night as part of a competition between herself, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and John Polidori. The aim was to see who could write the best horror story. While Shelleys tale isnt usually classified as a horror it did spawn a new genre mixing moral questions with science.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 4

Philosophy - Essay Example This personal philosophy emanates from the changes over the years which have moved away from publicity to â€Å"school public relations† and finally to the current concept of â€Å"school-community relations† (Bagin and Galleger 2005, p. 12). This is because, school as an intricate part of the community cannot adjust to transformations within the â€Å"social order† or make corresponding improvements in the delivery of its services without citizen participation (Bagin and Galleger 2005, p. 13). Leadership in school and community relations therefore aims to encourage participation by operating a transparent organization so that citizens and the community at large are fully informed. They in turn can share concerns and opinions among themselves and with the school administrators. As Bagin and Galleger (2005) inform, by taking this approach, citizens will grow to know the school directly and they are in a better position to participate in the administration of the s chool (p. 13). Citizen participation will naturally involve asking questions, sharing ideas, considering proposes projects and taking a stance relative to important matters.

Performance Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Performance - Lab Report Example The other factors which help in motivating the employees of the facility are abstract to say the least but a sense of duty and the positive feelings associated with doing something that matters seem to play a big part there. However, this does not meant that the people working there do not need rewards or recognition since that is an important part of working and remaining motivated to work. To handle this aspect of motivation, the presentation moves towards discussing a leadership program at the facility which is presently non-existent. The presentation highlights why this is important for motivating and getting more productivity out of the employees working at the facility by extolling the values of training and knowledge management. The issue of knowledge management comes from the idea that there are four generations of individuals who are present in the facility and they have very different knowledge bases which come with different approaches to the management of the organization. These differences in approaches are then discussed in detail with regard to the leadership program that could be created at the facility. DDI Leadership is one organization which could help in the development of a good system for the leadership program which is based on a performance appraisal system created by the company. Performance appraisal would have its own criteria for various departments and various aspects of the work which is performed at the facility but the overall objective of the performance appraisal system would be to spot and earmark those individuals who can come up as the future leaders of the organization. Individuals can also respond to the performance appraisals given to them and appraise their managers based on their own opinions of their leadership abilities and performance. Finally, the presentation gives some key

Collaboration Technologies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Collaboration Technologies - Essay Example Groupware minimises interference by technology while maximising interaction among several persons. Laudon and Laudon (2007, p. 287) indicates that groupware provides the required capabilities for collaborative work and communication across an enterprise of between persons and groups. It is used to write and comment on group projects, share important ideas and documents, conducting meetings electronically, tracking projects, scheduling activities and sending e-mails. WordiQ,com (2010) indicates that there are three levels of collaboration and by so doing makes collaboration technologies synonymous with groupware. The three levels of groupware which are dependent on the level of collaboration are communication tools, conferencing tools and collaborative management tools. Electronic communication tools transmit messages, files, data and documents between persons in order to facilitate information sharing. These tools include: email, web publishing and voice mail. Electronic conferencing tools facilitate interaction between persons in the transmission of information. These tools include video conferencing systems, voice conferencing, video conferencing, discussion forums, chat rooms and electronic meeting systems. Collaborative management tools both facilitate as well as manage group activities. They include project management systems workflow systems, electronic calendars and knowledge management systems.

Critical appraisal-EBP Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical appraisal-EBP - Essay Example However, the article provides a description of the research method, which is a mixed method approach (Qualitative and quantitative methods), indicating a limited sense of its appropriateness in relation to validity of data. Taking into consideration the validity of the information provided in the article, the author describes a variety of data collection methods that were applied, incorporating both qualitative and quantitative methods i.e. structured interviews and the assessment of disease information from recorded materials. Additionally, the article provides a comprehensive data regarding how the data was analyzed leading to the results discussed. This provides a proof to the readers regarding the validity of the results and the data collected. The data analysis included descriptive approaches, which is a qualitative method and a combination of regression modeling to facilitate testing and estimation. A total of 94 participants were involved in the analysis: This analysis is sufficient taking into consideration that it combined both qualitative and quantitative approaches; in addition, a large sample of the respondents was used in the analysis, information limitations that might have occurred due to selection a smaller sample for analysis were avoided. The purpose of this research is to assess psychosocial HQOL after treatment, using reported outcomes from patients. It is important to acknowledge that the information gained from the research may be used to undertake measures geared towards improving adolescents’ psychosocial HQOL service provision i.e. the research found out that approximately 18% of the recovered adolescents may be exposed to risks of impaired HQOL and provided a recommendation how the studies that should be conducted to reduce this risk. The overall results of the study indicated that patients rated their psychosocial HQOL as good; however this is generalized information, it does not provide specifics in relation to the

3 global economics online reasarch questions Assignment

3 global economics online reasarch questions - Assignment Example It offers technical and knowledge assistance through policy analysis and research. There are some barriers to achieve this goal. Violence against women, child marriages, and early pregnancy are major barriers. Then poverty is also a major reason behind unequal education mainly at the secondary school level. Also, women are demoted to go for more conciliatory forms of employment like spending hours fetching water. Another barrier is lack of sanitation facilities in many schools which resist the girls to attend the schools. 3. The hearing signifies the important role Fed has played in facilitating maximum employment, stable inflation, and a well-grounded financial system. Specifically, the deepest recession of the past six years led by the financial crisis was intelligibly handled by Fed and the result is a stronger American economy in the today’s era with the boost in production, sales, and employment, and the price stability. Though, unemployment is still yet to drop down to its initial level and inflation is yet to rise up to the targeted level of 2 percent. Fed’s monetary policy has been effective to help it move towards these goals. The transparency of Fed to transmit its goal of 2-percent inflation has helped anchor the publics expectations of stable inflation in future. Fed has also overcome the weaknesses of our financial system of which resulted the worst ever crisis. Now the regulatory gaps are closed, capital requirements have been improved, and banks hold more capital and liqu id assets to reduce any potential threat of another financial crisis. However, there is still a long way to go and Fed is considering the goal of financial stability more earnestly as an important part of its monetary

Instruct Clone Essay Example for Free

Instruct Clone Essay Scholars as well as religious and political leaders are bitterly divided on the issue of human cloning. Considering the potential benefits one would gain out of being cloned, I wonder why so many spoilsports are opposed to this miraculous feat of science. If I had my way, I would order several clones of myself and tutor them to act and speak as I do. I would instruct Clone A to report in my place at the office whenever I do something stupid; the boss would never know he’d be scolding another person. Clone B would take my place in the house whenever I expect to be late attending to some after-office activities; my wife would never suspect I’d been up to no good. Clone C would do nothing but stay fit and healthy, ready to be a spare parts supplier just in case one or several of my organs become useless or diseased. When I am bored, I would order my clones to wreak havoc on the neighbourhood and then go into hiding. Naturally I would be the prime suspect. But since I would have a rock-solid alibi, having been seen at the time of the crime several hundred miles away by a hundred people at a speaking engagement, I would have a field day laughing at the discomfiture of the police. A manhunt would then be launched against several John Does while I plot the next felony, possibly against the taxman or the debt collector. If I were a celebrity, I would instruct my clones to make those tiresome public appearances while I get paid for them. If I were a businessman, I would order my clones to do all the crazy things required to corner a deal. i.e. , lose a round or two of golf against prospective clients, say amen to this and that, be hypocrites, in short. While they are at it, I would have all the time enjoying life. I may even run for President, being able to campaign through my clones who shall do nothing but shake hands, kiss babies and make occasional idiotic remarks. There is only one downside to this scenario: human clones may not entirely submit themselves to manipulation by their creators, as Ewan MacGregor did in The Island. In that film, thousands of humans are cloned upon order of paying clients; predictably, the people who did the cloning for profit are the bad guys, and in the end MacGregor single-handedly destroys the entire facility. This is not a film review, but a project of such magnitude would have been impossible to keep a secret, and besides, if cloning technology would be that advanced, there would be little trouble growing human organs from stem cells which medical science is now trying to accomplish even with limited federal funding. I believe such implausible stories like The Island are only meant to scare off people from supporting the cloning of humans. The cloning critics refuse to see it, but the cloning of humans is far more economical than the orthodox way of raising them. To be a resident of planet earth, one has to be conceived and born, which means that some couple have to marry with all the attendant fuss and aches. They would have to work their butts off worrying about bills for milk, vaccinations, day care, baby-sitter, toys, and diapers. What an utter waste of time! Why not have a fully developed, mature, perfectly cloned human being in one fell swoop? Instead of day care centers, we would build cloning factories, churning out brand new copies of extant human beings by the thousands. Think about the employment it would generate, the savings in time and resources that would otherwise be spent in raising humans, not to mention the potential of such industries like bio-engineering and the manufacture of name tags (so people would not be confused). Clones, Unlimited would probably overtake Microsoft and General Motors. On top of it all, I would have a real stab at immortality. I would be immortalized not in books or monuments nor in the memories of men but through being kept perpetually alive in my physical body. There is a great possibility science would find a way to simplify organ transplants. Instead of doing piecemeal transplants, why not just transplant the head into a new body? That would be more simple and cost-efficient. Thus, when my body becomes diseased or paralyzed, surgeons would perform a head transplant, my head replacing the head of my clone. As a result, I would have a spanking new body with healthy organs. As to what happens to my clone who donates his body, I am sure science would find a way to dispose of him. Medical schools need cadavers. I may sound sarcastic, but I believe science always finds a way. I would then have the sheer pleasure of visiting acquaintances and enemies who thought I had succumbed to cancer or kidney failure. I would pump their hands while they gawk at me and tell them, â€Å"You thought I’d died, didn’t you? †

Changes On Employees Retention And Performance In Kfc

Changes On Employees Retention And Performance In Kfc Employees are considered as the best resources particularly in the service business sector. Also employees are the key stakeholders who are affected mostly due to organisational management or ownership change. Downsizing and rightsizing are some of the key issues resulting from the mergers and acquisitions globally and this affects the international policies and strategies of the multinationals. Also employees policies are mostly at stake. This issue is, therefore, being analysed to study the impacts of frequent ownership changes in KFC particularly from 1971 to 1986 on the employees retention and growth. As KFC is a global giant in fast-food / service business sector and faced frequent ownership changes in a short span of time so this case can add value to the reader of this report and other businesses to understand the relation of employees retention, performance and productivity with the leadership / ownership issues and how such situation can be dealt. Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) An Introduction In 1930 KFC was launched and the mission was to provide quality, service and cleanliness (QSC) to the customers and consumers. Competition level was very low in the industry particularly in the domestic market. KFC growth was good in its initial decades but with the increasing competition in the domestic market the cake size started squeezing. Popeyes, the major competitor for KFC, was born in 1972 which comes second with a share (12.7%) and KFC (55.2%) (http://lidan.y3k.org/blog/en/2004/04/kfcs-localization-strategies-in-china/). In early 1950s KFC went in the foreign market (http://www.kfc.com/about/history.asp ). 3.0 Research Question Did the past frequent ownership changes in KFC have an impact on the employees retention and performance? 4.0 Objectives The key objectives of this study are to; Assess whether frequent ownership changes affect managerial policies Study whether the frequent ownership changes have an impact on employees retention rate Evaluate the impacts of organisational ownership change son employees performance Literature Review Fast-food is considered as convenience food that can be cooked and served very quickly. On the average, 1/5th of the population of the USA (which is approximately 45 million people) eats every day in a fast-food restaurant. The term fast-food denotes speed in both food preparation and customer service, as well as speed in customer eating habits. The designation, quick service (http://www.answers.com/topic/fast-food?cat=entertainment ) has been traditionally preferred by the restaurant industry. There are certain forces which makes an industry attractive globally. As fast-food industry grew in the USA competition also became tough in the domestic market. Industry faced maturity stage (http://www.kfc.com/about/history.asp). At this stage of industry life cycle companies started entering in the foreign markets in order to survive. The doors for industrial growth and reforms had opened due to the economic revolution after World War II. Governments needed the foreign businesses to come and participate in the economic development of the country. For example China relaxed its policies regarding the western service businesses particularly agricultural modernisation plans of China needed poultry industry to grow (http://www.franchisetochina.com/h3.htm). Fast-food is considered as economical and easy to cook food. Chicken is relatively cheaper ingredient as compared to mutton and beef. Also chicken growth is economical because it grows faster and consumes fewer inputs. In many Asian and Latin Americans countries chicken is traditional food. These all factors lead to economies of scale for fast food industry particularly related with chicken meals. Consumer market has changed tremendously. Drivers like global economic reforms and higher divorce rate in the USA have led to more female workers (http://lidan.y3k.org/blog/en/2004/04/kfcs-localization-strategies-in-china/) and they need ready meal to save time. The average mother of a child under 15 spends more on fast food every year than on books, music, movies and video games combined, according to a new report (Mindlin, 2008). Health conscious consumers taste has also changed. People like to have some light meal during work hours (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/sub jects/f/fast_food_industry/index.html). These forces made the industry attractive and increased the potential and demand of fast-food in the world. Fast-food industry apparently has a localisation approach. McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC, etc have adapted their organisational culture and menu according to host country culture and values. Particularly KFC deployed localisation strategies in China and McDonalds removed pork from its menu in India. Figure 2 below explains that a balance is necessary to achieve a successful strategic move in the foreign market. Respond locally through learning the cultural values of host country and integrate them with the companys global core values. Global Integration Local Responsiveness Cross Boundary Learning Fast-food industry flourished in the USA during the last centaury. The chicken segment was the 5th in terms of sales in the fast-food industry and there were few competitors as compared to other segments. For instance the sandwich chain segment which included McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy had 12 competitors while KFC had only 5. KFC was the overall 6th biggest (http://lidan.net/blog/2004/04/kfcs_localization_strategies_in_china.html). In 1999 fast-food industry sales rose by 5.4% with around 0.8 million restaurants in the USA and during the same period full service restaurants grew by 7%. Gradually the due to saturation in the sector companies started exiting the industry (like Boston was acquired by McDonalds) or decided to enter in the foreign markets. Domestically the chicken market seemed saturated and the growth rate in the USA was only 1% (http://lidan.y3k.org/blog/en/2004/04/kfcs-localization-strategies-in-china/). According to available literature, the estimated annual worth of the UK fast-food market is  £7.82 billion (Keynote 2003), equal to an average spend of  £20/month/adult (Schrà ¶der and McEachern, 2005). Due to busier consumer lifestyles and dual-working families with children emphasis is increasingly being placed on quick meal solutions (Atkins and Bowler 2001). Therefore there is a market growth of 19% in fast-food since 1998 (Keynote 2003). For service business sector, particularly, manpower or employees are key resources to gain profitability (Heskett and Sasser, 1994). Take figure 3 below. Customer loyalty stimulates profit and growth in the business and customers loyalty is a direct result of the customer satisfaction. Satisfaction is largely influenced by the services value provided to the customers and consumers and this value is created by the loyal, satisfied and productive employees. However employees satisfaction is resulted primarily from the high-quality support services and policies that enable the employees to deliver results to the customers (http://hbr.org/1994/03/putting-the-service-profit-chain-to-work/ar/1). Service Value Chain This model reveals that employees are key resources particularly for the service business organisations. Streamlined organisational processes and consistency in the organisational policies help facilitate the employees in service industry (particularly) to deliver quality services to the customers and add value with efficient performance to achieve sustainable growth and profitability. However consistent policies and long term strategic planning also need stability in the organisations management (http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Or-Pr/Planning.html) and author also understands that the organisational ownership change should not influence and change the organisational policies especially employees policies in the service business sector at a stroke or right from day one rather lead time should be given to the employees and other stakeholders so that everybody can adjust with the changing environment. Employees are considered as a companys live hood. If employees in an organisation are highly motivated and proactive, every effort will be done by the employees to achieve the organisational goals as well as keep track of industry performance to address any potential challenges. This two-prong approach builds an organisations stability. On the other hand with low motivation level of employees an organisation is completely vulnerable to both internal and external challenges because the employees are not going the extra mile to maintain the organisations stability and thus unstable organisation ultimately underperforms (http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5407144_employee-motivation-impact-organizational-performance_.html). In todays work environment want a relaxed and hygienic work environment and have fun with a balance between the life, work and family (http://humanresources.about.com/od/motivationrewardretention/Employee_Motivation_Recognition_Rewards_Retention.htm). Literature also reveals that key employee retention is critical to the long term health and success of any business or organistaion. Managers agree that managers ole is key to retain best employees to ensure business success (http://humanresources.about.com/od/retention/a/more_retention.htm). Important organising principles include organisational values in designing HRM polices. Compensation and developing an individual are deeply related with the satisfaction and commitment of the employees which mean particularly in the service business sector employee retention and growth with performance also depends on managements policies at strategic board level (Rosete, 2006). Employees retention in the quick service industry is key to success of the business. Quick service companies retain the most desirable employees by recognizing employees contribution to the organisation because recognition is an effective leadership tool that motivates the employees and acknowledges the efforts and creativity or willingness of employees to exert extra effort. The biggest problem for the quick service industry and which creates major drains of profit and human resources is employee turnover. According to a report the annualised turnover rate of employees was 16% in 2000. The same turnover numbers as related to the quick service industry are employees 150% and management 20%. The cost of turnover shares an average cost of replacing an employee is equal to the annual salary plus benefits. In the aftermath of industry downsizing, employee loyalty is also on decline. There is 11% decline in the workers commitment. However leadership (which means a consistent organisationa l policies with least possible changes) is key to retain and develop employees because the quick service industry has a direct correlation of sales, profits as compared to employee turnover (Forrer and Guerrieri, 2002). Organisational culture is developed by the management policies and leadership style. once established, the organisational culture is highly resistant to change. Employees tend to stick to a set way of working. However frequent management or ownership changes also change the working pattern and organisational goals. This may make the employees more resistant with decreased performance (Tom and Michael, 2000). In 1930 KFC was launched with a mission to provide quality, service and cleanliness (QSC) to the customers. KFC grew well in domestic market but later competition became hard in the local market. McDonalds, Wendy, Boston etc had entered in the market leading to shrunken market size. The major competitor for KFC, Popeyes, was born in 1972 which comes second with a share (12.7%) and KFC (55.2%) (http://lidan.y3k.org/blog/en/2004/04/kfcs-localization-strategies-in-china/). In 1950s KFC went in the foreign market (http://www.kfc.com/about/history.asp). Thus KFC earned first mover advantage and brand recognition. In 1964 it entered the UK, in 1970s Japan and Asia Pacific, in 1987 China and in 1990s South Asia (http://www.kfc.com/about/history.asp). KFC has a multi domestic strategy (http://mason.gmu.edu/~tgoddar1/m411wk7.htm) to enter the foreign markets because of cultural, economical, social, legal and political factors in the host countries and this strategy also resulted in certain benefits which include; helped KFC to react to high pressures for local responsiveness, to tailor products to meet customer needs in each country of operation, to create wholly owned foreign divisions and to help core competencies transfer from home country. In addition to this; access to resources and skills in the host country, differentiation advantage through combined core competences, becoming the dominant competitor, increased profits and reduced bureaucratic costs were some of the factors to adopt multi domestic strategy. Market Entry Strategies Few Examples KFCs international composition provides a mix of foreign market entry strategies (please refer to figure 4). KFC enters the foreign / international market either through joint venture or company-owned foreign subsidiary. However mostly KFC expands its global franchise network. This is also important to know that organisational culture of KFC is mostly decentralised at operational level because franchisees are business partner or allies of KFC and the KFCs employees policies are implemented through franchising channel. It is also important here to note that organisational culture must be matched or aligned with the national culture or domestic culture. KFC is a global organisation working in many countries around the globe. KFC core organisational culture must be adapted in the host culture so that employees in the host country and customers in the host country can adopt and adapt KFCs themes and menu easily and there should be no communication gaps. This also helps facilitate the emp loyees to adjust with the organisational culture and deliver quality services to the customers. A high demand for services has been created due to the socioeconomic development in 1980s and 1990s (Davis, 2000). This reflects the potential for service businesses growth like the fast-food businesses. In recognition of the distinct nature of transitional markets (Arnold and Quelch 1998), many foreign companies have sought other ways to compete with the domestic or local offerings by clothing their brands in local costumes (Belk, 2000). According to Zhou and Hui (2003) localisation of language, product characteristics, advertising content and even product meanings is a common way accepted by the multinationals in most transitional economies. Hofstede (1980) states that culture is a complex and multifaceted construct. One of the basic dimensions of the culture is individualism collectivism. Individualistic culture stresses on independence, freedom, high levels of competition, achievement and pleasure. However the collectivistic culture has a tendency to embrace the interdependency, family security, social hierarchies, low level of the competition and cooperation (Triandis, 1993). Also advertising is a type of shared or social communication. It is reflective and indicates or specifies cultural values and norms (http://lidan.y3k.org/blog/en/2004/04/kfcs-localization-strategies-in-china/). As cultural differences are reflected by the advertising and advertising appeals which are specific approaches or ways advertisers use to communicate the customers needs and wants (Bovee and Arens, 1989), should manifest such differences across the countries. Collectivism involves the subordination of personal interests to the goals of the group and stresses on sharing, cooperation and coordination and a group welfare concern (Zhang and Neelankavil, 1997). Sometimes minor differences in the culture put major impacts on the strategies of the companies which may affect positively or negatively the employees and the customers. Some cultures are very open to franchising especially for western businesses. An example is the UK and Europe. There are big franchising association or bodies in such countries for example British Franchise Association promoting and accrediting excellence in franchising and European Franchise Federation whose aims and objectives include promotion of franchising in European countries, protecting the franchise industry with Code of Ethics, encouraging and developing franchising in European countries, requesting the interest of franchising to international organisations, promoting European franchising worldwide, serving the members along with the exchange of documentation and information between the national association or federations in Europe and in the world (http://www.thebfa.org/index.asp). Such big platforms secure the franchisors even during the recession or economic downturn or situations like credit crunch periods and provide security to foreign businesses in the host countries to come and invest in a relatively risk free environment. Also franchising is cost effective, time saving, secure and easy to learn way to enter a new country. This reflects that a right foreign market entry strategy may help reduce the impacts of recession or economic downturns (if any) but also the cultural implications need to be integrated in the organisational employees strategies so that talent retention and development can be facilitated. But it is also important to note from the following paragraphs that organisational cultures are dependent on the leadership (owners) policies and practices and a consistent policy should be there to gain long lasting profitability and employees performance with minimum organisational changes. Literature reveals that KFC has faced a lot of managerial and organisational changes since KFCs inception. The changes occurred mostly due to the changes in the ownership (or better to say in the leadership). Colonel Sanders first sold KFC in 1964 to a small group of investors that eventually took KFC public. Heublein, Inc, purchased KFC in early seventies (in 1971) and was highly involved in day to day operations. R. J. Reynolds then acquired Heublein in 1982. R. J. Reynolds had a more laid back approach and allowed business as usual at KFC. Finally in 1986, KFC was acquired by PepsiCo, which was trying to grow the quick service restaurant segment. PepsiCo, which presently runs Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, has a management style and corporate culture significantly different from that of KFC. PepsiCo has a consumer product orientation. In 1992, KFC did another reorganisation in the middle management ranks. KFC eliminated 250 out of the 1500 management positions at corporate and gave the responsibilities restaurant franchises and marketing managers (http://kelley_keith.tripod.com/mgmnt5313.html). KFC history reveals that Heublein favoured a franchising strategy but had a low RD budgets, Reynolds strategy was to leave the managers with freedom to run units with managerial expertise and PepsiCo though provided heavy financial backing to KFC but PepsiCos hard employees policies resulted in dissatisfaction, high turnover and decreased loyalty of the employees. A service business cannot afford employees dissatisfaction (Irfan, 2008 and http://lidan.y3k.org/blog/en/2004/04/kfcs-localization-strategies-in-china/ http://www.reocities.com/TimesSquare/1848/kfc.html). Literature review reveals that the weaknesses of KFC have been determined as confusing corporate direction due to selling and reselling of KFC. KFC was sold three times between 1971 and 1986. However the organisational culture of KFC and PepsiCo are conflicting with each other. KFC was based on a laid back approach while PepsiCo culture has a fast track attitude. Since the acquisition KFC employees lacked the job security that KFC employees enjoyed before. Also top management turnovers like top managers of the KFC were replaced by the PepsiCos own management have changed the organisational culture and leadership style which is creating job insecurity in the organisation (http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/09/kentucky-fried-chicken-and-the-global-fast-food-industry.html). In conclusion from the information above it can be revealed that mergers and acquisitions are good for business growth but when ownership changes the resulting changes in the polices and culture of the organisation not only threaten the employees but also develop a resistant to change. This sometimes leads to employees turnover or decreased performance. It does not mean that organisational change is not healthy for the organisational growth but there should be a reasonable frequency and in the organisational change pattern and particularly in the service business sector where employees are key resources to deliver value to the customers because losing skilled staff due to frequent change in the organisational policies (and sometimes change in organisational culture to which the skilled staff has stuck) may result in losing the right employees and business profitability and performance may decline. To conclude this further following methodology has been suggested in the literature to analyse such cases; A case study has been suggested as a useful approach when the area of research is relatively unknown (Marschan-Piekkari and Welch, 2004). It is a more flexible approach suited to different types of research questions and is most frequently used approach in business studies particularly international business. It has been suggested that case studies involve data collection through multiple primary and/or secondary sources such as verbal reports, personal interviews, observation and written reports (Marschan-Piekkari and Welch, 2004). Accordingly, the secondary research in this case study will involve written reports, journal articles, online information etc. 6.0 Methodology To conclude this further following methodology has been suggested in the literature to analyse such cases; A case study has been suggested as a useful approach when the area of research is relatively unknown (Marschan-Piekkari and Welch, 2004). It is a more flexible approach suited to different types of research questions and is most frequently used approach in business studies particularly international business. It has been suggested that case studies involve data collection through multiple primary and/or secondary sources such as verbal reports, personal interviews, observation and written reports (Marschan-Piekkari and Welch, 2004). Accordingly, the secondary research in this case study will involve written reports, journal articles, online information etc. The study will be an analytical case study involving secondary research. A number of business models and frameworks like service value chain, Bartlett and Ghoshal and Total Global Strategy George S. Yip will be used to analyse the situation at macro and micro levels. To meet the criteria for analytical approach (Dubey, 2009) the facts of information already available will be used and analysis of these facts will be done to make a critical evaluation of the material. It is important that there must be sufficient information to characterise, analyse and explain the unique features of the case, as well as to point out the characteristics and properties that are common to several cases or case studies. Finally, this approach relies on the integrative powers of research: the ability to study an object with many dimensions and then to draw the various elements together in a cohesive interpretation (Marschan-Piekkari and Welch, 2004). So where the area of research is relatively not known a more flexible approach which can suit the different types of research questions will be a case study approach. Also through secondary research the already available information and data is used and analysed to answer the research question but important issue is to understand that the data and information should be sufficient enough to analyse the unique features of the issue or case. 7.0 Limitations There are following limitations in this case study; Being a case study it will be focused on one company only and can give no additional analyses for the competitors business situations. Primary research is not part of the methodology in this case study. Primary research can add value by validating the past or historical information (gathered by the secondary research) under current business circumstances.

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man :: Portrait Artist Young Man

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man    The mind wanders, on occasion, through many processions of thought. When at the beginning of this text, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, I found it difficult to follow young Stephen's meandering thoughts with any semblance of comprehension until I finished reading the novel. I then began to research the novel and Joyce and realized the significance of these seemingly random thoughts. These are the thoughts of a budding artist in infancy.    As Stephen matured, so did his thoughts. His struggle with self is central to understanding the novel. Without any indication of any other person's thoughts, Stephen's thoughts provoke our own to fill in where Joyce left the narrative blank. His struggle with self deals with religion, sin, sexuality, and prudence. Courage may be added to this list, but to a lesser extent. Stephen feels it is sufficient to hide and keep silent more than to stand on a soapbox and say what he thinks to a crowd.    Many of his mannerisms are learned responses from earlier dealings with schoolmates and family. In Chapter 1, line 30, Stephen hides when he is in trouble for something unknown to the reader. He hides his emotions on lines 81 and 82 of chapter 1 when his mother is crying as she leaves him at school. He attempts to hide his shame, on lines 259-265 in the same chapter, at not knowing the correct answer between kissing his mother or not doing so.    These learned responses of defense are somewhat, but not completely ignored when his thoughts begin to mature and he forms his own philosophy of what is beautiful through the study of others (Chapter 5, Lines 1161-1469). He speaks openly, to Lynch at least, about what beauty is and what art is. Later, also in Chapter 5, he speaks openly to Cranly about religion and his lack of belief therein. He believes that Cranly is friend enough not to tell others that Stephen is, what might have been considered, a heretic.

Tillie Olsen’s I Stand Here Ironing Essay -- Olsen Stand Here Ironing

Tillie Olsen’s I Stand Here Ironing Tillie Olsen was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1913, the child of political refugees from Russia. Olsen dropped out of school at the age of sixteen to help support her family during the depression. She became politically active in the Young Communist League and was involved in the Warehouse Union’s labor disputes in Kansas City. Her first novel, Yonnondio, about a poor, working-class family, was begun when she was nineteen. While writing the novel over the next four years, she gave birth to her first child and was left to raise the baby alone after her husband abandoned her. She married Jack Olsen in 1936 and had three more children. She remained politically active and held down various jobs while raising her family throughout the 1940s and early 1950s. In 1953 she was finally able to return to writing after her youngest child started to school. Olsen enrolled in a fiction writing course at San Francisco State College in 1953. She won a creative writing fellowship for 1955 and 1956 from Stanford University. Her first book of short stories, Tell Me a Riddle, was published in 1961, which established her reputation as a feminist writer. The 1970s brought Olsen more notoriety with several grants and creative writing fellowships. In 1974 she published the still-unfinished Yonnondio. A collection of essays about various circumstances which silence literary creation, Silences was published in 1978. Though Olsen’s body of published work is considered small, her short stories from Tell Me a Riddle, which include "I Stand Here Ironing," have been included in over fifty anthologies and have been translated into many different languages. "I Stand Here Ironing" is an autobiographical story of the r... ... (1134). Olsen works in numerous details to illustrate the sacrifices she made in her life. But instead of guilt, anger, or martyrdom, the author exudes a sense of powerlessness as she sees her daughter drift out of her mother’s emotional reach. As the title suggests, Olsen is literally ironing clothes in the story, but she includes the iron as a metaphor for the helplessness she feels as a woman struggling to support her family in a male dominated society. In a sense, Olsen is the clothing lying helpless before the iron of society and she lives for the day that her daughter will overcome the life-draining domesticity of generations of women who precede her. Work Cited Charters, Ann, ed. The Story and It’s Writer. Boston: Bedford, 1999. Olsen, Tillie. "I Stand Here Ironing." The Story and It’s Writer. Ed. Ann Charters. Boston: Bedford, 1999. 1129-1134.

Egoism and Altruism

1. Metaethics The term â€Å"meta† means after or beyond, and, consequently, the notion of metaethics involves a removed, or bird’s eye view of the entire project of ethics. We may define metaethics as the study of the origin and meaning of ethical concepts. When compared to normative ethics and applied ethics, the field of metaethics is the least precisely defined area of moral philosophy. It covers issues from moral semantics to moral epistemology[->0].Two issues, though, are prominent: (1) metaphysical issues concerning whether morality exists independently of humans, and (2) psychological issues concerning the underlying mental basis of our moral judgments and conduct. a. Metaphysical Issues: Objectivism and Relativism Metaphysics is the study of the kinds of things that exist in the universe. Some things in the universe are made of physical stuff, such as rocks; and perhaps other things are nonphysical in nature, such as thoughts, spirits, and gods.The metaphysical component of metaethics involves discovering specifically whether moral values are eternal truths that exist in a spirit-like realm, or simply human conventions. There are two general directions that discussions of this topic take, one other-worldly and one this-worldly. Proponents of the other-worldly view typically hold that moral values are objective[->1] in the sense that they exist in a spirit-like realm beyond subjective human conventions.They also hold that they are absolute, or eternal, in that they never change, and also that they are universal insofar as they apply to all rational creatures around the world and throughout time[->2]. The most dramatic example of this view is Plato[->3], who was inspired by the field of mathematics. When we look at numbers and mathematical relations, such as 1+1=2, they seem to be timeless concepts that never change, and apply everywhere in the universe. Humans do not invent numbers, and humans cannot alter them.Plato explained the eternal character of mathematics by stating that they are abstract entities that exist in a spirit-like realm. He noted that moral values also are absolute truths and thus are also abstract, spirit-like entities. In this sense, for Plato, moral values are spiritual objects. Medieval philosophers commonly grouped all moral principles together under the heading of â€Å"eternal law† which were also frequently seen as spirit-like objects. 17th century British philosopher Samuel Clarke described them as spirit-like relationships rather than spirit-like objects.In either case, though, they exist in a sprit-like realm. A different other-worldly approach to the metaphysical status of morality is divine commands issuing from God’s will. Sometimes called voluntarism (or divine command theory[->4]), this view was inspired by the notion of an all-powerful God[->5] who is in control of everything. God simply wills things, and they become reality. He wills the physical world into existence , he wills human life into existence and, similarly, he wills all moral values into existence.Proponents of this view, such as medieval philosopher William of Ockham[->6], believe that God wills moral principles, such as â€Å"murder is wrong,† and these exist in God’s mind as commands. God informs humans of these commands by implanting us with moral intuitions or revealing these commands in scripture. The second and more this-worldly approach to the metaphysical status of morality follows in the skeptical philosophical tradition, such as that articulated by Greek philosopher Sextus Empiricus, and denies the objective status of moral values.Technically, skeptics did not reject moral values themselves, but only denied that values exist as spirit-like objects, or as divine commands in the mind of God. Moral values, they argued, are strictly human inventions, a position that has since been called moral relativism[->7]. There are two distinct forms of moral relativism. The first is individual relativism, which holds that individual people create their own moral standards. Friedrich Nietzsche, for example, argued that the superhuman creates his or her morality distinct from and in reaction to the slave-like value system of the masses.The second is cultural relativism which maintains that morality is grounded in the approval of one’s society – and not simply in the preferences of individual people. This view was advocated by Sextus, and in more recent centuries by Michel Montaigne and William Graham Sumner. In addition to espousing skepticism and relativism, this-worldly approaches to the metaphysical status of morality deny the absolute and universal nature of morality and hold instead that moral values in fact change from society to society throughout time and throughout the world.They frequently attempt to defend their position by citing examples of values that differ dramatically from one culture to another, such as attitudes about po lygamy, homosexuality and human sacrifice. b. Psychological Issues in Metaethics A second area of metaethics involves the psychological basis of our moral judgments and conduct, particularly understanding what motivates us to be moral. We might explore this subject by asking the simple question, â€Å"Why be moral? † Even if I am aware of basic moral standards, such as don’t kill and don’t steal, this does not necessarily mean that I will be psychologically compelled to act on them.Some answers to the question â€Å"Why be moral? † are to avoid punishment, to gain praise[->8], to attain happiness, to be dignified, or to fit in with society. i. Egoism and Altruism One important area of moral psychology concerns the inherent selfishness of humans. 17th century British philosopher Thomas Hobbes[->9] held that many, if not all, of our actions are prompted by selfish desires. Even if an action seems selfless, such as donating to charity, there are still selfis h causes for this, such as experiencing power over other people.This view is called psychological egoism[->10] and maintains that self-oriented interests ultimately motivate all human actions. Closely related to psychological egoism is a view called psychological hedonism which is the view that pleasure is the specific driving force behind all of our actions. 18th century British philosopher Joseph Butler[->11] agreed that instinctive selfishness and pleasure prompt much of our conduct. However, Butler argued that we also have an inherent psychological capacity to show benevolence to others.This view is called psychological altruism and maintains that at least some of our actions are motivated by instinctive benevolence. ii. Emotion and Reason A second area of moral psychology involves a dispute concerning the role of reason in motivating moral actions. If, for example, I make the statement â€Å"abortion is morally wrong,† am I making a rational assessment or only expressing my feelings? On the one side of the dispute, 18th century British philosopher David Hume[->12] argued that moral assessments involve our emotions, and not our reason.We can amass all the reasons we want, but that alone will not constitute a moral assessment. We need a distinctly emotional reaction in order to make a moral pronouncement. Reason might be of service in giving us the relevant data, but, in Hume’s words, â€Å"reason is, and ought to be, the slave of the passions. † Inspired by Hume’s anti-rationalist views, some 20th century philosophers, most notably A. J. Ayer, similarly denied that moral assessments are factual descriptions. For example, although the statement â€Å"it is good to donate to charity† may on the surface look as though it is a factual description about charity, it is not.Instead, a moral utterance like this involves two things. First, I (the speaker) I am expressing my personal feelings of approval about charitable donations and I am in essence saying â€Å"Hooray for charity! † This is called the emotive element insofar as I am expressing my emotions about some specific behavior. Second, I (the speaker) am trying to get you to donate to charity and am essentially giving the command, â€Å"Donate to charity! † This is called the prescriptive element in the sense that I am prescribing some specific behavior.From Hume’s day forward, more rationally-minded philosophers have opposed these emotive theories of ethics (see non-cognitivism in ethics[->13]) and instead argued that moral assessments are indeed acts of reason. 18th century German philosopher Immanuel Kant[->14] is a case in point. Although emotional factors often do influence our conduct, he argued, we should nevertheless resist that kind of sway. Instead, true moral action is motivated only by reason when it is free from emotions and desires.A recent rationalist approach, offered by Kurt Baier (1958), was proposed in direct o pposition to the emotivist and prescriptivist theories of Ayer and others. Baier focuses more broadly on the reasoning and argumentation process that takes place when making moral choices. All of our moral choices are, or at least can be, backed by some reason or justification. If I claim that it is wrong to steal someone’s car, then I should be able to justify my claim with some kind of argument. For example, I could argue that stealing Smith’s car is wrong since this would upset her, violate her ownership rights, or put the thief at risk of getting caught.According to Baier, then, proper moral decision making involves giving the best reasons in support of one course of action versus another. iii. Male and Female Morality A third area of moral psychology focuses on whether there is a distinctly female approach to ethics that is grounded in the psychological differences between men and women. Discussions of this issue focus on two claims: (1) traditional morality is ma le-centered, and (2) there is a unique female perspective of the world which can be shaped into a value theory.According to many feminist philosophers, traditional morality is male-centered since it is modeled after practices that have been traditionally male-dominated, such as acquiring property, engaging in business contracts, and governing societies. The rigid systems of rules required for trade and government were then taken as models for the creation of equally rigid systems of moral rules, such as lists of rights and duties. Women, by contrast, have traditionally had a nurturing role by raising children and overseeing domestic life. These tasks require less rule following, and more spontaneous and creative action.Using the woman’s experience as a model for moral theory, then, the basis of morality would be spontaneously caring for others as would be appropriate in each unique circumstance. On this model, the agent becomes part of the situation and acts caringly within t hat context. This stands in contrast with male-modeled morality where the agent is a mechanical actor who performs his required duty, but can remain distanced from and unaffected by the situation. A care-based approach to morality, as it is sometimes called, is offered by feminist ethicists as either a replacement for or a supplement to traditional male-modeled moral systems. . Normative Ethics Normative ethics involves arriving at moral standards that regulate right and wrong conduct. In a sense, it is a search for an ideal litmus test of proper behavior. The Golden Rule is a classic example of a normative principle: We should do to others what we would want others to do to us. Since I do not want my neighbor to steal my car, then it is wrong for me to steal her car. Since I would want people to feed me if I was starving, then I should help feed starving people. Using this same reasoning, I can theoretically determine whether any possible action is right or wrong.So, based on the G olden Rule, it would also be wrong for me to lie to, harass, victimize, assault, or kill others. The Golden Rule is an example of a normative theory that establishes a single principle against which we judge all actions. Other normative theories focus on a set of foundational principles, or a set of good character traits. The key assumption in normative ethics is that there is only one ultimate criterion of moral conduct, whether it is a single rule or a set of principles. Three strategies will be noted here: (1) virtue theories, (2) duty theories, and (3) consequentialist theories. . Virtue Theories Many philosophers believe that morality consists of following precisely defined rules of conduct, such as â€Å"don’t kill,† or â€Å"don’t steal. † Presumably, I must learn these rules, and then make sure each of my actions live up to the rules. Virtue ethics[->15], however, places less emphasis on learning rules, and instead stresses the importance of devel oping good habits of character, such as benevolence (see moral character[->16]). Once I’ve acquired benevolence, for example, I will then habitually act in a benevolent manner.Historically, virtue theory is one of the oldest normative traditions in Western philosophy, having its roots in ancient Greek civilization. Plato emphasized four virtues in particular, which were later called cardinal virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance and justice. Other important virtues are fortitude, generosity, self-respect, good temper, and sincerity. In addition to advocating good habits of character, virtue theorists hold that we should avoid acquiring bad character traits, or vices, such as cowardice, insensibility, injustice, and vanity.Virtue theory emphasizes moral education since virtuous character traits are developed in one’s youth. Adults, therefore, are responsible for instilling virtues in the young. Aristotle[->17] argued that virtues are good habits that we acquire, which re gulate our emotions. For example, in response to my natural feelings of fear, I should develop the virtue of courage which allows me to be firm when facing danger. Analyzing 11 specific virtues, Aristotle argued that most virtues fall at a mean between more extreme character traits.With courage, for example, if I do not have enough courage, I develop the disposition of cowardice, which is a vice. If I have too much courage I develop the disposition of rashness which is also a vice. According to Aristotle, it is not an easy task to find the perfect mean between extreme character traits. In fact, we need assistance from our reason to do this. After Aristotle, medieval theologians supplemented Greek lists of virtues with three Christian ones, or theological virtues: faith, hope, and charity.Interest in virtue theory continued through the middle ages and declined in the 19th century with the rise of alternative moral theories below. In the mid 20th century virtue theory received special attention from philosophers who believed that more recent approaches ethical theories were misguided for focusing too heavily on rules and actions, rather than on virtuous character traits. Alasdaire MacIntyre (1984) defended the central role of virtues in moral theory and argued that virtues are grounded in and emerge from within social traditions. . Duty Theories Many of us feel that there are clear obligations we have as human beings, such as to care for our children, and to not commit murder. Duty theories base morality on specific, foundational principles of obligation. These theories are sometimes called deontological, from the Greek word deon, or duty, in view of the foundational nature of our duty or obligation. They are also sometimes called nonconsequentialist since these principles are obligatory, irrespective of the consequences that might follow from our actions.For example, it is wrong to not care for our children even if it results in some great benefit, such as fina ncial savings. There are four central duty theories. The first is that championed by 17th century German philosopher Samuel Pufendorf, who classified dozens of duties under three headings: duties to God, duties to oneself, and duties to others. Concerning our duties towards God, he argued that there are two kinds: a theoretical duty to know the existence and nature of God, and a practical duty to both inwardly and outwardly worship God.Concerning our duties towards oneself, these are also of two sorts: duties of the soul, which involve developing one’s skills and talents, and duties of the body, which involve not harming our bodies, as we might through gluttony or drunkenness, and not killing oneself. Concerning our duties towards others, Pufendorf divides these between absolute duties, which are universally binding on people, and conditional duties, which are the result of contracts between people. Absolute duties are of three sorts: avoid wronging others, treat people as eq uals, and romote the good of others. Conditional duties involve various types of agreements, the principal one of which is the duty is to keep one’s promises. A second duty-based approach to ethics is rights theory. Most generally, a â€Å"right† is a justified claim against another person’s behavior – such as my right to not be harmed by you (see also human rights[->18]). Rights and duties are related in such a way that the rights of one person implies the duties of another person. For example, if I have a right to payment of $10 by Smith, then Smith has a duty to pay me $10.This is called the correlativity of rights and duties. The most influential early account of rights theory is that of 17th century British philosopher John Locke[->19], who argued that the laws of nature mandate that we should not harm anyone’s life, health, liberty or possessions. For Locke, these are our natural rights, given to us by God. Following Locke, the United States Declaration of Independence authored by Thomas Jefferson recognizes three foundational rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.Jefferson and others rights theorists maintained that we deduce other more specific rights from these, including the rights of property, movement, speech, and religious expression. There are four features traditionally associated with moral rights. First, rights are natural insofar as they are not invented or created by governments. Second, they are universal insofar as they do not change from country to country. Third, they are equal in the sense that rights are the same for all people, irrespective of gender, race, or handicap.Fourth, they are inalienable which means that I ca not hand over my rights to another person, such as by selling myself into slavery. A third duty-based theory is that by Kant, which emphasizes a single principle of duty. Influenced by Pufendorf, Kant agreed that we have moral duties to oneself and others, such as develop ing one’s talents, and keeping our promises to others. However, Kant argued that there is a more foundational principle of duty that encompasses our particular duties. It is a single, self-evident principle of reason that he calls the â€Å"categorical imperative. A categorical imperative, he argued, is fundamentally different from hypothetical imperatives that hinge on some personal desire that we have, for example, â€Å"If you want to get a good job, then you ought to go to college. † By contrast, a categorical imperative simply mandates an action, irrespective of one’s personal desires, such as â€Å"You ought to do X. † Kant gives at least four versions of the categorical imperative, but one is especially direct: Treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end. That is, we should always treat people with dignity, nd never use them as mere instruments. For Kant, we treat people as an end whenever our actions toward someone reflect the inherent value of that person. Donating to charity, for example, is morally correct since this acknowledges the inherent value of the recipient. By contrast, we treat someone as a means to an end whenever we treat that person as a tool to achieve something else. It is wrong, for example, to steal my neighbor’s car since I would be treating her as a means to my own happiness. The categorical imperative also regulates the morality of actions that affect us individually.Suicide, for example, would be wrong since I would be treating my life as a means to the alleviation of my misery. Kant believes that the morality of all actions can be determined by appealing to this single principle of duty. A fourth and more recent duty-based theory is that by British philosopher W. D. Ross, which emphasizes prima facie duties. Like his 17th and 18th century counterparts, Ross argues that our duties are â€Å"part of the fundamental nature of the universe. † However, Ross’s list of dutie s is much shorter, which he believes reflects our actual moral convictions:  ·Fidelity: the duty to keep promises Reparation: the duty to compensate others when we harm them  ·Gratitude: the duty to thank those who help us  ·Justice: the duty to recognize merit  ·Beneficence: the duty to improve the conditions of others  ·Self-improvement: the duty to improve our virtue and intelligence  ·Nonmaleficence: the duty to not injure others Ross recognizes that situations will arise when we must choose between two conflicting duties. In a classic example, suppose I borrow my neighbor’s gun and promise to return it when he asks for it. One day, in a fit of rage, my neighbor pounds on my door and asks for the gun so that he can take vengeance on someone.On the one hand, the duty of fidelity obligates me to return the gun; on the other hand, the duty of nonmaleficence obligates me to avoid injuring others and thus not return the gun. According to Ross, I will intuitively kn ow which of these duties is my actual duty, and which is my apparent or prima facie duty. In this case, my duty of nonmaleficence emerges as my actual duty and I should not return the gun. c. Consequentialist Theories It is common for us to determine our moral responsibility by weighing the consequences of our actions.According to consequentialism[->20], correct moral conduct is determined solely by a cost-benefit analysis of an action’s consequences: Consequentialism: An action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable. Consequentialist normative principles require that we first tally both the good and bad consequences of an action. Second, we then determine whether the total good consequences outweigh the total bad consequences. If the good consequences are greater, then the action is morally proper. If the bad consequences are greater, then the action is morally improper.Consequentialist theories are sometimes called teleologic al theories, from the Greek word telos, or end, since the end result of the action is the sole determining factor of its morality. Consequentialist theories became popular in the 18th century by philosophers who wanted a quick way to morally assess an action by appealing to experience, rather than by appealing to gut intuitions or long lists of questionable duties. In fact, the most attractive feature of consequentialism is that it appeals to publicly observable consequences of actions.Most versions of consequentialism are more precisely formulated than the general principle above. In particular, competing consequentialist theories specify which consequences for affected groups of people are relevant. Three subdivisions of consequentialism emerge:  ·Ethical Egoism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable only to the agent performing the action.  ·Ethical Altruism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that act ion are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone except the agent. Utilitarianism: an action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. All three of these theories focus on the consequences of actions for different groups of people. But, like all normative theories, the above three theories are rivals of each other. They also yield different conclusions. Consider the following example. A woman was traveling through a developing country when she witnessed a car in front of her run off the road and roll over several times.She asked the hired driver to pull over to assist, but, to her surprise, the driver accelerated nervously past the scene. A few miles down the road the driver explained that in his country if someone assists an accident victim, then the police often hold the assisting person responsible for the accident itself. If the victim dies, then the assisting person could be held responsible for the death. The driver continued explaining that road accident victims are therefore usually left unattended and often die from exposure to the country’s harsh desert conditions.On the principle of ethical egoism[->21], the woman in this illustration would only be concerned with the consequences of her attempted assistance as she would be affected. Clearly, the decision to drive on would be the morally proper choice. On the principle of ethical altruism, she would be concerned only with the consequences of her action as others are affected, particularly the accident victim. Tallying only those consequences reveals that assisting the victim would be the morally correct choice, irrespective of the negative consequences that result for her.On the principle of utilitarianism, she must consider the consequences for both herself and the victim. The outcome here is less clear, and the woman would need to precisely calculate the overall benefit versus disbenefit of her action. i. Types of Utilitarianism J eremy Bentham[->22] presented one of the earliest fully developed systems of utilitarianism. Two features of his theory are noteworty. First, Bentham proposed that we tally the consequences of each action we perform and thereby determine on a case by case basis whether an action is morally right or wrong. This aspect of Bentham’s theory is known as act-utilitiarianism.Second, Bentham also proposed that we tally the pleasure and pain which results from our actions. For Bentham, pleasure and pain are the only consequences that matter in determining whether our conduct is moral. This aspect of Bentham’s theory is known as hedonistic utilitarianism. Critics point out limitations in both of these aspects. First, according to act-utilitarianism, it would be morally wrong to waste time on leisure activities such as watching television, since our time could be spent in ways that produced a greater social benefit, such as charity work. But prohibiting leisure activities doesnâ €™t seem reasonable.More significantly, according to act-utilitarianism, specific acts of torture or slavery would be morally permissible if the social benefit of these actions outweighed the disbenefit. A revised version of utilitarianism called rule-utilitarianism addresses these problems. According to rule-utilitarianism, a behavioral code or rule is morally right if the consequences of adopting that rule are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. Unlike act utilitarianism, which weighs the consequences of each particular action, rule-utilitarianism offers a litmus test only for the morality of moral rules, such as â€Å"stealing is wrong. Adopting a rule against theft clearly has more favorable consequences than unfavorable consequences for everyone. The same is true for moral rules against lying or murdering. Rule-utilitarianism, then, offers a three-tiered method for judging conduct. A particular action, such as stealing my neighbor’s car, is judged wrong sin ce it violates a moral rule against theft. In turn, the rule against theft is morally binding because adopting this rule produces favorable consequences for everyone. John Stuart Mill’s version of utilitarianism is rule-oriented.Second, according to hedonistic utilitarianism, pleasurable consequences are the only factors that matter, morally speaking. This, though, seems too restrictive since it ignores other morally significant consequences that are not necessarily pleasing or painful. For example, acts which foster loyalty and friendship are valued, yet they are not always pleasing. In response to this problem, G. E. Moore [->23]proposed ideal utilitarianism, which involves tallying any consequence that we intuitively recognize as good or bad (and not simply as pleasurable or painful). Also, R. M.Hare proposed preference utilitarianism, which involves tallying any consequence that fulfills our preferences. ii. Ethical Egoism and Social Contract Theory We have seen (in Secti on 1. b. i) that Hobbes was an advocate of the methaethical theory of psychological egoism—the view that all of our actions are selfishly motivated. Upon that foundation, Hobbes developed a normative theory known as social contract theory[->24], which is a type of rule-ethical-egoism. According to Hobbes, for purely selfish reasons, the agent is better off living in a world with moral rules than one without moral rules.For without moral rules, we are subject to the whims of other people’s selfish interests. Our property, our families, and even our lives are at continual risk. Selfishness alone will therefore motivate each agent to adopt a basic set of rules which will allow for a civilized community. Not surprisingly, these rules would include prohibitions against lying, stealing and killing. However, these rules will ensure safety for each agent only if the rules are enforced. As selfish creatures, each of us would plunder our neighbors’ property once their gua rds were down.Each agent would then be at risk from his neighbor. Therefore, for selfish reasons alone, we devise a means of enforcing these rules: we create a policing agency which punishes us if we violate these rules. 3. Applied Ethics Applied ethics is the branch of ethics which consists of the analysis of specific, controversial moral issues such as abortion, animal rights, or euthanasia. In recent years applied ethical issues have been subdivided into convenient groups such as medical ethics, business ethics, environmental ethics[->25], and sexual ethics[->26].Generally speaking, two features are necessary for an issue to be considered an â€Å"applied ethical issue. † First, the issue needs to be controversial in the sense that there are significant groups of people both for and against the issue at hand. The issue of drive-by shooting, for example, is not an applied ethical issue, since everyone agrees that this practice is grossly immoral. By contrast, the issue of g un control would be an applied ethical issue since there are significant groups of people both for and against gun control.The second requirement for an issue to be an applied ethical issue is that it must be a distinctly moral issue. On any given day, the media presents us with an array of sensitive issues such as affirmative action policies, gays in the military, involuntary commitment of the mentally impaired, capitalistic versus socialistic business practices, public versus private health care systems, or energy conservation. Although all of these issues are controversial and have an important impact on society, they are not all moral issues. Some are only issues of social policy.The aim of social policy is to help make a given society run efficiently by devising conventions, such as traffic laws, tax laws, and zoning codes. Moral issues, by contrast, concern more universally obligatory practices, such as our duty to avoid lying, and are not confined to individual societies. Fre quently, issues of social policy and morality overlap, as with murder which is both socially prohibited and immoral. However, the two groups of issues are often distinct. For example, many people would argue that sexual promiscuity is mmoral, but may not feel that there should be social policies regulating sexual conduct, or laws punishing us for promiscuity. Similarly, some social policies forbid residents in certain neighborhoods from having yard sales. But, so long as the neighbors are not offended, there is nothing immoral in itself about a resident having a yard sale in one of these neighborhoods. Thus, to qualify as an applied ethical issue, the issue must be more than one of mere social policy: it must be morally relevant as well. In theory, resolving particular applied ethical issues should be easy.With the issue of abortion, for example, we would simply determine its morality by consulting our normative principle of choice, such as act-utilitarianism. If a given abortion pr oduces greater benefit than disbenefit, then, according to act-utilitarianism, it would be morally acceptable to have the abortion. Unfortunately, there are perhaps hundreds of rival normative principles from which to choose, many of which yield opposite conclusions. Thus, the stalemate in normative ethics between conflicting theories prevents us from using a single decisive procedure for determining the morality of a specific issue.The usual solution today to this stalemate is to consult several representative normative principles on a given issue and see where the weight of the evidence lies. a. Normative Principles in Applied Ethics Arriving at a short list of representative normative principles is itself a challenging task. The principles selected must not be too narrowly focused, such as a version of act-egoism that might focus only on an action’s short-term benefit. The principles must also be seen as having merit by people on both sides of an applied ethical issue.For this reason, principles that appeal to duty to God are not usually cited since this would have no impact on a nonbeliever engaged in the debate. The following principles are the ones most commonly appealed to in applied ethical discussions:  ·Personal benefit: acknowledge the extent to which an action produces beneficial consequences for the individual in question.  ·Social benefit: acknowledge the extent to which an action produces beneficial consequences for society.  ·Principle of benevolence: help those in need. Principle of paternalism: assist others in pursuing their best interests when they cannot do so themselves.  ·Principle of harm: do not harm others.  ·Principle of honesty: do not deceive others.  ·Principle of lawfulness: do not violate the law.  ·Principle of autonomy: acknowledge a person’s freedom over his/her actions or physical body.  ·Principle of justice: acknowledge a person’s right to due process, fair compensation for harm done, a nd fair distribution of benefits.  ·Rights: acknowledge a person’s rights to life, information, privacy, free expression, and safety.The above principles represent a spectrum of traditional normative principles and are derived from both consequentialist and duty-based approaches. The first two principles, personal benefit and social benefit, are consequentialist since they appeal to the consequences of an action as it affects the individual or society. The remaining principles are duty-based. The principles of benevolence, paternalism, harm, honesty, and lawfulness are based on duties we have toward others. The principles of autonomy, justice, and the various rights are based on moral rights.An example will help illustrate the function of these principles in an applied ethical discussion. In 1982, a couple from Bloomington, Indiana gave birth to a baby with severe mental and physical disabilities. Among other complications, the infant, known as Baby Doe, had its stomach dis connected from its throat and was thus unable to receive nourishment. Although this stomach deformity was correctable through surgery, the couple did not want to raise a severely disabled child and therefore chose to deny surgery, food, and water for the infant.Local courts supported the parents’ decision, and six days later Baby Doe died. Should corrective surgery have been performed for Baby Doe? Arguments in favor of corrective surgery derive from the infant’s right to life and the principle of paternalism which stipulates that we should pursue the best interests of others when they are incapable of doing so themselves. Arguments against corrective surgery derive from the personal and social disbenefit which would result from such surgery. If Baby Doe survived, its quality of life would have been poor and in any case it probably would have died at an early age.Also, from the parent’s perspective, Baby Doe’s survival would have been a significant emotio nal and financial burden. When examining both sides of the issue, the parents and the courts concluded that the arguments against surgery were stronger than the arguments for surgery. First, foregoing surgery appeared to be in the best interests of the infant, given the poor quality of life it would endure. Second, the status of Baby Doe’s right to life was not clear given the severity of the infant’s mental impairment. For, to possess moral rights, it takes more than merely having a human body: certain cognitive functions must also be present.The issue here involves what is often referred to as moral personhood, and is central to many applied ethical discussions. b. Issues in Applied Ethics As noted, there are many controversial issues discussed by ethicists today, some of which will be briefly mentioned here. Biomedical ethics focuses on a range of issues which arise in clinical settings. Health care workers are in an unusual position of continually dealing with life and death situations. It is not surprising, then, that medical ethics issues are more extreme and diverse than other areas of applied ethics.Prenatal issues arise about the morality of surrogate mothering, genetic manipulation of fetuses, the status of unused frozen embryos, and abortion. Other issues arise about patient rights and physician’s responsibilities, such as the confidentiality of the patient’s records and the physician’s responsibility to tell the truth to dying patients. The AIDS crisis has raised the specific issues of the mandatory screening of all patients for AIDS, and whether physicians can refuse to treat AIDS patients. Additional issues concern medical experimentation on humans, the morality of involuntary commitment, and the rights of the mentally disabled.Finally, end of life issues arise about the morality of suicide, the justifiability of suicide intervention, physician assisted suicide, and euthanasia. The field of business ethics exami nes moral controversies relating to the social responsibilities of capitalist business practices, the moral status of corporate entities, deceptive advertising, insider trading, basic employee rights, job discrimination, affirmative action, drug testing, and whistle blowing. Issues in environmental ethics often overlaps with business and medical issues.These include the rights of animals, the morality of animal experimentation, preserving endangered species, pollution control, management of environmental resources, whether eco-systems are entitled to direct moral consideration, and our obligation to future generations. Controversial issues of sexual morality include monogamy versus polygamy, sexual relations without love, homosexual relations, and extramarital affairs. Finally, there are issues of social morality which examine capital punishment, nuclear war, gun control, the recreational use of drugs, welfare rights, and racism. 4. References and Further Reading Anscombe,Elizabeth â€Å"Modern Moral Philosophy,† Philosophy, 1958, Vol. 33, reprinted in her Ethics, Religion and Politics (Oxford: Blackwell, 1981).  ·Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, in Barnes, Jonathan, ed. , The Complete Works of Aristotle (Princeton, N. J. : Princeton University Press, 1984).  ·Ayer, A. J. , Language, Truth and Logic (New York: Dover Publications, 1946).  ·Baier, Kurt, The Moral Point of View: A Rational Basis of Ethics (Cornell University Press, 1958).  ·Bentham, Jeremy, Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1789), in The Works of Jeremy Bentham, edited by John Bowring (London: 1838-1843). Hare, R. M. , Moral Thinking, (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1981).  ·Hare, R. M. , The Language of Morals (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1952).  ·Hobbes, Thomas, Leviathan, ed. , E. Curley, (Chicago, IL: Hackett Publishing Company, 1994).  ·Hume, David, A Treatise of Human Nature (1739-1740), eds. David Fate Norton, Mary J. Norton (Oxford; New York: Oxf ord University Press, 2000).  ·Kant, Immanuel, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals, tr, James W. Ellington (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1985).  ·Locke, John, Two Treatises, ed. Peter Laslett (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1963).  ·MacIntyre, Alasdair, After Virtue, second edition, (Notre Dame: Notre Dame University Press, 1984).  ·Mackie, John L. , Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong, (New York: Penguin Books, 1977).  ·Mill, John Stuart, â€Å"Utilitarianism,† in Collected Works of John Stuart Mill, ed. , J. M. Robson (London: Routledge and Toronto, Ont. : University of Toronto Press, 1991).  ·Moore, G. E. , Principia Ethica, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1903).  ·Noddings, Nel, â€Å"Ethics from the Stand Point Of Women,† in Deborah L.Rhode, ed. , Theoretical Perspectives on Sexual Difference (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1990).  ·Ockham, William of, Fourth Book of the Sentences, tr. Lucan Freppert, The Basis of Morality According to William Ockham (Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1988).  ·Plato, Republic, 6:510-511, in Cooper, John M. , ed. , Plato: Complete Works (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1997).  ·Samuel Pufendorf, De Jure Naturae et Gentium (1762), tr. Of the Law of Nature and Nations  ·Samuel Pufendorf, De officio hominis et civis juxta legem naturalem (1673), tr. The Whole Duty of Man according to the Law of Nature (London, 1691).  ·Sextus Empiricus, Outlines of Pyrrhonism, trs. J. Annas and J. Barnes, Outlines of Scepticism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994).  ·Stevenson, Charles L. , The Ethics of Language, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1944).  ·Sumner, William Graham, Folkways (Boston: Guinn, 1906). 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