Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Why I Think Malaysia Will Be The Best Place To Live In The Next Essay

(First prize winner in the STAR 25th anniversary essay competition (Category C - adults) Should a fairy godmother suddenly appear before me with a crystal ball, a magic wand and a world atlas, and give me the liberty to select the country I’d like to live in 25 years from now, without a second’s hesitation, I would point to that small nondescript, elongated peninsula straddling the equator called Malaysia. The reason is very simple. I firmly feel that 25 years hence, Malaysia would be one of the nicest - if not THE nicest - places to call â€Å"home†. Let us take a little journey down the corridors of time and cast a glance at the destiny of some of the nations of the world over the past five decades. There is war and famine in some, greed and suffering in others. Quite clearly, Malaysia has reason to stand proud among the countries of the world. There is plentiful sunshine and rainfall, while the soil is rich and the harvests plentiful. Even Mother Nature has seen fit to bless Malaysia by exempting her from its tantrums - there are no tsunamis and earthquakes, no floods and droughts, no hurricanes and typhoons. Consequently, there is no need to live in fear of nature’s sudden and unabated fury; no need to be constantly on the lookout for unexpected destruction and devastation Freed from the encumbrances of having to battle with the forces of nature, Malaysians are empowered to pursue lifestyles of their own liking. The economy is booming, jobs are for the taking... this is the senario today and there seems little reason to expect this scenario to change adversely within the next 25 years. In fact, with proper management and leadership, the outlook for Malaysia in the next 25 years may even improve. Just for starters, imagine coming home after a day's work to a spotlessly spick and span house filled with the tantalising aroma of rich coffee and roast chicken, all waiting to welcome one home... Which Malaysian housewife-cum-career lady has not dreamed of this before? And yet, this dream may well become a reality just 25 years from now - all because of the winds of technological change, which are sweeping through the country right now. Pping! Just press that little button on your wristwatch 30 minutes before you head home and it'd activate the gamut of... ...e government’s attempts to develop a caring society are most commendable. Twenty-five years hence, these efforts would have begun to bear fruit. Palliative and geriatric care has already made itself felt while halfway houses for abandoned babies and abused children are increasing by the day. The groundwork for inculcating the caring attitude among Malaysians has already been laid with the move towards developing caring schools. Traditional values like thrift, hard work, respect for the aged and filial piety are being upheld as exemplary values which can hold the fibre of Malaysian society together. The voices of people like Marina Mahathir calling for tolerance and understanding for those most in need of moral support are like beacons in the dark, lighting the way towards the creation of the highest of all societies - that with a conscience. Ultimately, the country, which would be best to live in, would be that which enjoys technological growth from without and strong moral and spiritual development from within. And it is exactly this factor which makes me firmly believe that Malaysia will be the best place to live in 25 years from now.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

The Process of Writing: Composing through Critical Thinking, by Roberta

Sally caught the ball. The long-haired, athletic Sally gathered up all her strength and stretched, like Stretch Arm Strong, to grab that ball right out of the sky above. Which one sounds better? Which one would you rather have in your paragraph? With some simple things to keep in mind, you too can write better. The book entitled, The Process of Writing: Composing through Critical Thinking, by Roberta Allen and Marcia Mascolini, taught you everything from thinking before you write to putting things together, all the way to how to prepare specific forms of essays. It's definitely something you should read before even thinking about another paper. First of all, before you can write and actual paper, you must first go through certain steps in order to prepare the essay, and then when the time comes you can write your essay with ease and add detail. When you have a clear head you can write so much easier, although it is hard to obtain that mind set. Getting your thought down on paper without worrying about the perfection and detail helps the whole writing process and analysis. The first thing to do before even starting to brainstorm is to figure out whom your audience is, who are you aiming the paper to? You need to make your message meaningful to your audience, and make sure you think about what the audience needs, expectations, knowledge, and attitudes towards your subject are. Anticipate their questions and how they will respond to your answers. Some key ideas to think about when assessing your audience are to think of the primary and secondary readers are. Then what do they already know about your subject, and what c haracteristics about your audience will affect how the paper will look? Then think about what i... ... memos, shows you how to write proposals and progress reports, and how to document secondary sources. In conclusion, this book was amazingly informative and very helpful. It is definitely something that every student should read before writing another paper. It lays out the dos and don'ts of the writing process; it is great way to improve your technique. This book went all the way from showing you exactly how to write certain types of papers, such as long messages and memos all the way to compare and contrast papers, to showing you how to write in detail with all papers. This book is definitely something that I would recommend to future students. Especially in business classes, or any writing classes for that matter. Writing is a huge part of communication, and this book helped with the fundamentals that many people lack but are essential in the long run.

Ex-convicts Re-entry into the Society Essay

The society treats the ex convicts with unfairness and injustice that they do not deserve. As much as they are responsible for all the deeds they do, the American society is not sorry for this treatment. It is envisaged that the purpose of any prison facility in the world is to correct the deviant behavior in a person in order to prepare the successful re-entry to the society a reformed person. However, this is does not seem to be the case for American ex-convicts in the 21st century. The ex-convict today is the neighborhood next door who we see daily and sometimes we have a relationship. The realization that one is a convict proves an insurmountable task to the individual to prove that he or she is a reformed person but the laws and policies do not recognize this. The biggest question that begs for an answer is why it is so such a serious matter? What is to be blamed or who is to be held culprit? Do we need a reformation of the current policies concerning life after prison? This research will concern on the reasons why ex-prisoners are not fully integrated back into the society even after prison and the factors lying behind such treatment from the society. The American prison today The concern lies on whether the prison today is doing the right work to bring the traits and qualities desired in the modern society in convicted persons. In America today, for one to achieve in life, education forms the most counting factor. It therefore means that securing a good job requires higher education while low education only warrants low and often stressful jobs. Prison statistics shows that about 75% of inmates did not complete high school and hence they lack the high school degree. In addition, there is an increase in the number of inmates who do not have high school diploma which means that an increase in crime is related to low education. This information means that for such convicts to be suited well in the society, one of the requirements in the prison is to offer education as the rehabilitative program. This ensures that recidivism is reduced by providing the required solution. Nevertheless, the prisons strategies of correcting the convict are different and emphasize on harsh and negative treatment. This deviates from the main purpose of prison. The Prison Commission on â€Å"Confronting Confinement† by Gibbons and Katzenbach (2006) report shows that, most of the prisons in America use excessive force in treating the inmates. The big picture is that the prison guards are just brutal enough to cause break of the heart even the hardiest of them. Bearing in mind that most of the inmates are convicted of rape, crime, robbery with violence, murder and drug abuse, the question of brutal and tough treatment does not make sense. This kind of correcting is opposite the logic of the actual reason of imprisonment. It only leads to a hardened ex-convict who feels that the society is against him or her. In fact, the situation in the prisons worsens the state of affairs. The â€Å"Prison nightmare† by Deparle (2007) clearly shows that the prison is a hell of a place that requires intervention from the state and the public. The life in prison is deplorable; conditions are inhumane, unhealthy, unproductive and violent. This really affects the staff and the inmates themselves due to the unending trauma and stress. The unfair treatment of inmates discriminating between race and class and the type of offence, makes the prison to be the devil rather than the savior to the community. The community must be protected from rogue persons who are not capable of maintaining the dogmas of the society. It is in this light that the prison must be seen as a failed system in our society. The rehabilitation programs like educational programs, drug rehabilitation and counseling programs were terminated in the twentieth century despite the increase in the population of prisons. Therefore, the fact is that most of the ex-convicts come back into the society to seek revenge armed wit nothing but hardness, pain, stress, trauma, mental disability and thus do not fit back in the society. The ex-convict life and its challenges It is clear now that the prison facilities are not living to their dreams as set to do by the constitution. The number of ex-convict is high today in comparison to the earlier centuries. The alarming news behind this large number is that they passed through the prison that we have already seen needs to do reforms, from the staff to the policies governing the correction and treatment of convicts. The persons with prison experience, due to lack of effective corrective measures, pose a threat to the community since they deviate more than the initial stage. In addition, most of the ex-convicts convicted of crime and drug are suffering from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and other communicable diseases which is an alarm to security due the attitudes of most of these ex- convicts. On the other hand, after prison, life is no better for most of them due to low education, drugs and restrictive laws and policies. The society does not really accept them back and thus re-entry and acceptance makes life hard. This leads to the rise of recidivism and increased rate of crime from the same ex-prisoners. The first of these injustices is restriction from voting known as felon disenfranchisement. This law date back to the founding years of America claiming the ‘spotlessness of the poll box’ in 1884 (Manza & Uggen, 2006). The argument was that, felons could use their votes unlawfully to corrupt the ballot box and that since already they have first violated the social contract, then they can also corrupt the franchise responsibility. The view of this time was the ‘excellent government’ meaning that all issues that seemed or were perceived to avert such causes, all measures would be placed to avoid that (Manza & Uggen, 2006). For the past years, this issue has not been much debated upon or given enough light until the twentieth century when it caused a major stir in 1998. Human rights watch revealed that 4 million people were locked out of voting and they were concerned that this could affect any election. Close monitoring by Uggen and Manza (2006) reveals a note of origination in discriminating against the blacks. The notion that blacks were the most felony convicted race due to poverty hence the likelihood was that they committed most crimes. This is strongly supported by the discrimination of the black man up to the twentieth century. The lack of access to employment is another major challenge that ex-convicts face in their journey towards re-entry and full rehabilitation into the society. Hull and Conyers Jr. in their book say that, two thirds of ex-convicts end up behind bars again within three years of release. The employers are keen on background checks meant to lock out the job seekers with felony conviction. There is no law that expressly prohibits ex-convicts from getting employment but the many bans across the board violate the civil rights act of 1964 as indicated by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This reveals that, to solve this problem, one has to seek redress from the state law. Major tribunals have allowed employers to disqualify job seekers with felony conviction if it is related to the job being sought. Where corruption seems plausible, the background check proves crucial, and therefore any record of conviction disqualifies the person. Restrictions on occupational licensing is a major setback to the ex convicts life after prison. The fact that even setting up an own work is prohibited means that the government wastes money for the upkeep of prisoners in jail. It negates the logic why a person from a correction and rehabilitation center does not fit into the society. The lack of employment and the despair from job turning down by prospective employer causes recidivism (Hull & Conyers, 2006). This opposes the principles of fairness and justice if people cannot be treated fairly in matters of public or private. The democracy of a people involves giving equal chances to all without any prejudice. This is not the case for the ex-convict when it comes to search of funds for higher education when compared to other students. The Higher Education Act of 1965 is meant to aid needy and poor students with funds to acquire college education. However, the amendment by Congress in 1998 denies ex-convict of drug abuse the right to seek these funds for college education. In addition, under federal law, drug convict means that one cannot qualify for ‘Hope Credit’ leading to high number of students denied access to financial aid (Hull et al. , 2006). Helping the ex-convicts find back their lives and enjoy the full benefits of a citizen needs changing the status quo especially in the laws. The social welfare challenge is also another part that requires check up to give the ex-convicts a sense of belonging and their importance to the society. According to Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1956, ex-convicts who had been charged with drug possession are entitled to no temporary assistance for needy families, social safekeeping, Medicare, food aid and other health benefits. This infringes on the ex-convicts efforts to be best fit in the society. Ex-convicts feel that the social welfare part of their lives is curtailed which is equivalent to punishment which goes to great pains since it takes long to be paroled. The question whether ex-convicts can hold public office lies greatly to state and constitutional law. The constitutional law doe not bar ex-convict from holding a public office because of the malice that can arise if a president does not need a challenge from and opposing team. Despite this, the state law on the other hand bars a felony convict from holding or running for a public office. The fact is that the restriction of the ex-convict from holding public offices is much humiliating especially for people who are convicted while serving in public offices. Furthermore, most of the information about conviction is readily available to the public today especially on the internet. This is very restrictive and poses as a challenge to most of the ex convicts who are charged with minor felony. This also applies to ex-convicts who have not despaired and are determined to reclaim their lives back in the society after imprisonment. It is therefore stressful for them to find that their efforts are interrupted by the laws of the country and thus they question the principle of democracy. In this light, the function of the prison as a corrective and rehabilitative facility is questioned and the government spending on prison is ridiculed. Aside from ex-offenders being barred from holding public office, parenthood forms an insurmountable challenge to them. Besides family reunion being eventful and complicated, the 1997 Adoption and Safe Families Act require that parents abdicate parenthood if they do not spend 15 months with them. The imprisonment term average is 18 months implicating that family break up is real for those ex-convicts who are jailed for years. These are the challenges that can result to more crimes leading to a cycle of the same which means that recidivism is no near to ending. With this kind of a prison system, it means more problems will be created. On the other hand, the society’s reception and treatment of the ex-convict warrants a checkup and change to avoid punishing the ex convict (Thompson, 2008). Research shows that foster care after family break up leads to high cases of juvenile delinquency which dovetails to crime. This can only be interpreted that the protection of the community by these laws and policies provides an avenue for the next future generation of offenders. The issue of parenting is complicated and hurting when it is disconnected either to the father or mother, it is the most unique experience. Therefore, this law punishes the parents all their lives not to add that most are poor. It is an excusable path to mental anguish, stress and trauma to such ex-convicts citizens in this country. The issue of acquiring secure housing is just another restrictive issue concerning the affairs of ex-convict’s re-entry to the society. The local, federal and the state laws have three categories on barriers upon ex-convicts, the absolute statutory exclusions, denying and termination of housing for substance abuse and one strike you are out. The first concerns those instances that an ex-convict manufactures substance or has been convicted of sex offence. It means that the ex-convict is banned out for life on public houses. Secondly, if the ex convict is still using substances illegally and the third involves a case where an individual is denied admission due to activity of crime or substance abuse which might lead to disruption of other house occupants just slightly before occupying the house. These laws under PHA are directed by the Housing Opportunity Act destabilize the lives of ex-convicts who have so much to correct for their successful re-entry into the society. The changing wind When ex convicts experience a difficult and often barring life influenced by the laws and policies, they feel frustrated and rejected. The fact that one is expected to display good conduct to pay for health services, cater for the family despite having no job is overwhelming. These situations places the ex-convicts between a hard place and a rock and thus chances of getting back to crime or illegal substance abuse are imminent. The questions of giving the ex-convicts a second chance have arisen due the increased amount of people with felony records. The political, social and economic consequences related to the re-entry of ex-convicts into the society reveal high costs and disadvantages. The society is exposed to disrupted morals due to drug abuse culture. The lack of family role models and parents to guide the life of young people is an indication of a falling society. A community where most of the people are ex-convicts and majority fall under the category of those counted poor means that drug abuse, crime, increase in communicable diseases and unemployment can be the order of the day leading to recidivism. Today, this is the question that concerns the country’s change of policies at the twenty-first century. Despite other issues concerning war, terror and relations with other countries, America is faced by internal issues like these. Other countries like European countries have strategies to make sure that their prisons and justice department balance the whole picture for the benefit of all and maintain the best secure free society (Petersilia, 2000). Today, the stigmatization and citizen resistance to support ex-offenders is waning due to the introduction of productive restorative community justice approach that is meant to bring all people to work together for the benefit of the whole. The re-entry of ex-offenders to the society is a complicated issue that requires serious planning and change of policies. Looking for possible solutions to reintegration needs a change of the public attitude towards ex-convicts (Levinson, 2002). The message is that, the situation is not hopeless; America has not lost the battle what we need is changing the past and embracing the present for the well being of our future. Religious leaders, some politicians, organizations, radio talk shows and the general public have taken an active role in talking about the issue of prisons and ex convict’s lives. The fact that they are citizens just like any other has seen the rise of talks all over for their clearance in the eyes of the public. Although some of the politicians do not want to hear this, the campaign is rife and is gaining momentum. The century is turning tides to those who still hold bad attitudes towards ex-convicts. To support an ex-convict was a liability before but for today as Delgado puts it, it’s a launching pad for people with political ambitions. The conditions of deterioration of policies of prison and aggravation of issues pertaining ex-convicts have touched on the politics of the Republican Party hence a win to the Democrats. The meting out of harsh policies and stiff laws does not offer any solutions; instead it creates more problems to the society. The ex-convicts form a convict bloc that has connections to the high echelons of power and class and they form a formidable force which is capable of swaying the outcome of any election. In addition, the speaking out against corrupt policies held in prisons and courtrooms has brought justice to others who are convicted for fair hearings (Delgado, 2007).

Monday, September 30, 2019

Midterm Exam

What went wrong with Saturn? Answer Saturn sold cars below the prices of Honda or Toyota, earning a low 3% rate of return. Saturn sold cars below the prices of Honda or Toyota, earning a low 3% rate of Question 3 Economic profit is defined as the difference between revenue and . Answer total economic cost Question 4 The primary objective of a for-profit firm is to maximize shareholder value Which of the following will increase (VOW), the shareholder wealth minimization model of the firm: VOW(shares outstanding) = Met=l (n t)/ (l+eke)t + Real Option Value.Answer Decrease the required rate of return (eke). Question 6 O out of 4 points The moral hazard in team production arises from lack of proper assignment of individual tasks a conflict between tactically best interest and one's duty Question 7 will be projects with Answer high risk Question 8 The approximate probability of a value occurring that is greater than one standard deviation from the mean is approximately (assuming a normal distribution) Answer 15. 7% Question 9 coefficient of variation; standard deviation; expected value Correct Answer: efficient of variation; standard deviation; expected value Question 10 The level of an economic activity should be increased to the point where the zero.Answer net marginal benefit Question 1 1 is A change in the level of an economic activity is desirable and should be undertaken as long as the marginal benefits exceed the marginal costs Question 12 The standard deviation is appropriate to compare the risk between two investments only if Answer the expected returns from the investments are approximately equal Correct Answer: the expected returns from the investments are approximately equalQuestion 13 Songwriters and composers press music companies to lower the price for music downloads because Answer songwriter royalties are a percentage of sales revenue Question 14 The factor(s) which cause(s) a movement along the demand curve include(s): Answer decrease in price of t he good demanded Question 15 Those goods having a calculated income elasticity that is negative are called: Answer inferior goods An increase in each of the following factors would normally provide a subsequent increase in quantity demanded, except: Answer level of competitor advertisingQuestion 17 Which of the following would tend to make demand INELASTIC? No one really wants the product at all the proportion of the budget spent on the item is very small When demand is a percentage change in is exactly offset by the same percentage change in demanded, the net result being a constant total consumer expenditure.Answer unit elastic; price; quantity Question 19 Auto dealers slash prices at the end of the model year in response to deficient demand/excess inventory but restaurants facing the same problem slash production because Answer rice elasticity of supply in autos is smaller than the absolute value of price elasticity of demand but the reverse is true for restaurants Correct Answer : of demand but the reverse is true for restaurants In regression analysis, the existence of a significant pattern in successive values of the error term constitutes: Answer autocorrelation Question 21 In regression analysis, the existence of a high degree of intercalation among some or all of the explanatory variables in the regression equation constitutes. Midterm Exam What went wrong with Saturn? Answer Saturn sold cars below the prices of Honda or Toyota, earning a low 3% rate of return. Saturn sold cars below the prices of Honda or Toyota, earning a low 3% rate of Question 3 Economic profit is defined as the difference between revenue and . Answer total economic cost Question 4 The primary objective of a for-profit firm is to maximize shareholder value Which of the following will increase (VOW), the shareholder wealth minimization model of the firm: VOW(shares outstanding) = Met=l (n t)/ (l+eke)t + Real Option Value.Answer Decrease the required rate of return (eke). Question 6 O out of 4 points The moral hazard in team production arises from lack of proper assignment of individual tasks a conflict between tactically best interest and one's duty Question 7 will be projects with Answer high risk Question 8 The approximate probability of a value occurring that is greater than one standard deviation from the mean is approximately (assuming a normal distribution) Answer 15. 7% Question 9 coefficient of variation; standard deviation; expected value Correct Answer: efficient of variation; standard deviation; expected value Question 10 The level of an economic activity should be increased to the point where the zero.Answer net marginal benefit Question 1 1 is A change in the level of an economic activity is desirable and should be undertaken as long as the marginal benefits exceed the marginal costs Question 12 The standard deviation is appropriate to compare the risk between two investments only if Answer the expected returns from the investments are approximately equal Correct Answer: the expected returns from the investments are approximately equalQuestion 13 Songwriters and composers press music companies to lower the price for music downloads because Answer songwriter royalties are a percentage of sales revenue Question 14 The factor(s) which cause(s) a movement along the demand curve include(s): Answer decrease in price of t he good demanded Question 15 Those goods having a calculated income elasticity that is negative are called: Answer inferior goods An increase in each of the following factors would normally provide a subsequent increase in quantity demanded, except: Answer level of competitor advertisingQuestion 17 Which of the following would tend to make demand INELASTIC? No one really wants the product at all the proportion of the budget spent on the item is very small When demand is a percentage change in is exactly offset by the same percentage change in demanded, the net result being a constant total consumer expenditure.Answer unit elastic; price; quantity Question 19 Auto dealers slash prices at the end of the model year in response to deficient demand/excess inventory but restaurants facing the same problem slash production because Answer rice elasticity of supply in autos is smaller than the absolute value of price elasticity of demand but the reverse is true for restaurants Correct Answer : of demand but the reverse is true for restaurants In regression analysis, the existence of a significant pattern in successive values of the error term constitutes: Answer autocorrelation Question 21 In regression analysis, the existence of a high degree of intercalation among some or all of the explanatory variables in the regression equation constitutes. Midterm Exam For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of well-being, which in turn depends on the maintenance of the natural world and natural resources. As the earth's human population has increased, natural ecosystems have declined and changes in the balance of trial cycles have had a negative impact on both humans and other living systems.Paul Hawked provides 1 2 steps towards a sustainable society. First, Hawked argues that state and national governments should reclaim their power to regulate corporations by rewriting and renewing current corporate charters. Second, Hawked agrees that companies and consumers should be forced to include all the environmental and social costs in making, producing, using, and disposing of products in the cost of goods. Third, we should tax the amount of non-renewable resources, the amount of fossil eels, the amount of waste, and the amount of environment destroyed or abused.Fourth, Hawked says that governments should lease companies the right to use and control certain resources such as fisheries, forests. By making these companies' profits dependent on how productive these resources are, they will have a real incentive to protect and even restore these environments to health. Fifth, companies would compete to create industrial design processes in which they greatly reduce their waste. Instead of depending on polluting the environment with their wastes, companies should figure out owe to reduce wastes and actually make them a source of profits.Sixth, consumers would lease the right to use products such as us or cars from companies and the companies are responsible for recycling and disposing of those products when the consumer is done using them. Seventh, here Hawked encourages consumers and citizens to put pressure on their politicians and governments to create and enforce strict environmental, health, and social standards. Eighth, Hawked argues that local, state, and national governments must once again be active overseer s and regulators of corporations and businesses.Currently corporations argue that governments should not interfere in business and disrupt the magic of free enterprise and the market. Ninth, people need to be taught to understand and consider the larger environmental and social impacts of their actions. Fifth public better understand the environmental risks and benefits of their actions, they would have real incentives to take actions that would protect the environment, their health, and the well-being of their society. Tenth, Hawked tells that we need to do local, state, national, and global surveys of the environment and the impact Of our activities on nature.Eleventh, Hawked thinks that environmentalists will only successfully win the support of the poor and Third World peoples if they convince them that such environmental and economic reforms will improve their health and standards of living. Twelfth, Hawked concludes that these economic and environmental reforms cannot be solel y based on economic incentives and profits. These reforms must also be focused on the individual, social, cultural, environmental, and religious benefits of protecting and restoring the environment.Ways of living more sustainable can take many forms. Green building, sustainable agriculture, or sustainable architecture, or using science to develop new technologies, green technologies, renewable energy, to adjustments in individual lifestyles that conserve natural resources. 2. Explain Andrew Dobbin's notion of â€Å"Ecological Citizenship. † Start out with a relevant quote from Dobbin's essay and proceed to explain the terms involved and the overall significance of this notion. Citizenship is being a part of the society.Ecological citizenship is the state, character or behavior of a person viewed as a member of the ecosystem with attendant rights and responsibilities, especially the responsibility to maintain ecological integrity and the right to exist in a healthy environment . From the reading, † Ecological citizenship deals in the currency of non-contractual responsibility, it inhabits the private as well as the public sphere, it refers to the source rather than the nature of responsibility to determine what count as citizenship virtues, it works with the language of virtue, and it is explicitly non-territorial. (89) However, ecological citizenship, like ecologist, moves in radically new directions. As a means to address global unsuitability, citizenship must exist in an entirely different non-territorial political space, and the space in which a redefined citizenship can be located is our individual ecological footprint. In other words, ecological citizenship is an essential prerequisite of a sustainable society. â€Å"The PRI uncial ecological citizenship obligation is ensure that ecological footprint makes a sustainable, rather than an unsustainable, impact. (1 1 8) Ecological citizenship is presented as an example and inflection of post-cosm opolitan citizenship. It is contrasted with environmental citizenship. The idea of ecological footprint is a composite measure, which informs sustainable development, ecological economics and urban studies. It is quickly becoming a very practical tool for measuring human impact on the Earth's resource base. The ecological footprint is presented as the ecological citizenship, it is used to cause and effect that call forth post-cosmopolitan obligations. . Michael Mandates criticizes the practice of â€Å"individualizing responsibility. † Explain what does that mean. Michael Mandates mentioned in his article, † My claim in this chapter is that an accelerating individualizing of responsibility in the United States is narrowing, in dangerous ways, our â€Å"environmental imagination† and undermining our capacity to react effectively to environmental threats to human wellbeing. Those troubled by overcompensation, consumerism, and communication should not and cannot ign ore this narrowing.Confronting the individualizing of responsibility patently undermines. â€Å"(374) The result is to narrow our collective ability to imagine and pursue a variety of productive responses to the environmental problems before us. When responsibility for environmental problems is individualized, there is little room to ponder institutions, the nature and exercise of political power, or ways of collectively changing the district option of power and influence in society. Many people think that environmental problems are for other people or the government to do something about.But, the environmental issues impact on the quality of life of each and individuals of us, as well as all future generations. Many people also question, â€Å"What difference can I make? † The answer to this is critical: it is the combined impact of everyone's activities which will make a preference, just as democracy only works if enough people take the time and effort to cast their indivi dual votes, which lead to what the majority desire. If everyone takes care of their immediate surroundings and minimizes their own individual resource use, then together these actions will make a difference. . What are the principles Of thought practiced by CEO-Feminism according to Ecological feminism is based on the premise that there Karen J. Warren? Exists a connection between the domination of women the neglect and exploitation of the natural world. According to Karen J. Warren, she gives us a new way of looking and understanding things. She claims that an oppressive conceptual framework is the set of values and attitudes that shape the way in which we look at the world. There exists a characteristic in our oppressive conceptual framework, which is called the logic of domination.Warren's issue isn't so much that this sort of system is used in the framework, but the way in which it is used that ultimately make women inferior. Her point is that this very same framework, which lea ds to the logic of domination, is also used to oppress the natural world. It is a feminism that critiques male bias wherever it occurs in ethics (including environmental ethics) and alms at providing an ethic (including an environmental ethic), which is not male biased-and it does so in a way that satisfies the preliminary boundary conditions of a feminist ethic. (11) Based on her idea, this framework identifies women with nature. Since nature is deemed inferior to man, then women alike are deemed inferior since they are parallel to nature. In conclusion, in order to abolish both the oppression of women and nature this conceptual framework must e abolished. At the end of the chapter she said, â€Å"A re-conceiving and re- visioning of both feminism and environmental ethics, is, I think, the power and promise of coefficients. â€Å"(1 5) Coefficients combines the philosophy of feminism with the principles of ecology and environmental ethics.Coefficients generally claims that the pa triarchal structures of our society are what cause environmental degradation. 6. What is, according to Hans Jonas, the categorical imperative, I. E. The absolute commandment, of our age? Is this an anthropocentric view? Discuss and explain. The main idea of this reading is shown at the beginning, † Care for the future of mankind is the overruling duty of collective human action in the age of a technical civilization that has become ‘almighty,' if not in its productive then at least in its destructive potential. (77) There's a major impact on the environment in the distant future. We are on the verge of population explosion. While the population has reached a record high, the resources to meet the increasing population have not increased in the same ratio. On the contrary, we are destroying the limited resources at a rapid peed, and very soon we would have used up all the non-renewable resources totally.Unless we take concrete preventive steps in this direction, the incid ences and the impact of these disasters would only multiply and would seriously affect the lifestyle and standard of living of future generations. It's time for actions. ‘ ‘The further observation that in whatever time is left the corrections will become more and more difficult and the freedom to make them more and more restricted. This heightens the duty to that vigilance Over the beginnings which grants priority to well-?grounded ears over against hopes, even if no less well grounded. (91) We are in the present generation are forewarned about the imminent damage we have been inflicting on our environment and our own health. Future generations will have to bear the dire consequences by the environmental devastation. Such damage poses long-lasting threats that affect the health and wellbeing of future generations. It is about time that we gave thoughtful consideration to protect future generations. It is about time that we rise and speak for the interests of future gener ations, so that they are able to live on a healthy planet. Midterm Exam For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of well-being, which in turn depends on the maintenance of the natural world and natural resources. As the earth's human population has increased, natural ecosystems have declined and changes in the balance of trial cycles have had a negative impact on both humans and other living systems.Paul Hawked provides 1 2 steps towards a sustainable society. First, Hawked argues that state and national governments should reclaim their power to regulate corporations by rewriting and renewing current corporate charters. Second, Hawked agrees that companies and consumers should be forced to include all the environmental and social costs in making, producing, using, and disposing of products in the cost of goods. Third, we should tax the amount of non-renewable resources, the amount of fossil eels, the amount of waste, and the amount of environment destroyed or abused.Fourth, Hawked says that governments should lease companies the right to use and control certain resources such as fisheries, forests. By making these companies' profits dependent on how productive these resources are, they will have a real incentive to protect and even restore these environments to health. Fifth, companies would compete to create industrial design processes in which they greatly reduce their waste. Instead of depending on polluting the environment with their wastes, companies should figure out owe to reduce wastes and actually make them a source of profits.Sixth, consumers would lease the right to use products such as us or cars from companies and the companies are responsible for recycling and disposing of those products when the consumer is done using them. Seventh, here Hawked encourages consumers and citizens to put pressure on their politicians and governments to create and enforce strict environmental, health, and social standards. Eighth, Hawked argues that local, state, and national governments must once again be active overseer s and regulators of corporations and businesses.Currently corporations argue that governments should not interfere in business and disrupt the magic of free enterprise and the market. Ninth, people need to be taught to understand and consider the larger environmental and social impacts of their actions. Fifth public better understand the environmental risks and benefits of their actions, they would have real incentives to take actions that would protect the environment, their health, and the well-being of their society. Tenth, Hawked tells that we need to do local, state, national, and global surveys of the environment and the impact Of our activities on nature.Eleventh, Hawked thinks that environmentalists will only successfully win the support of the poor and Third World peoples if they convince them that such environmental and economic reforms will improve their health and standards of living. Twelfth, Hawked concludes that these economic and environmental reforms cannot be solel y based on economic incentives and profits. These reforms must also be focused on the individual, social, cultural, environmental, and religious benefits of protecting and restoring the environment.Ways of living more sustainable can take many forms. Green building, sustainable agriculture, or sustainable architecture, or using science to develop new technologies, green technologies, renewable energy, to adjustments in individual lifestyles that conserve natural resources. 2. Explain Andrew Dobbin's notion of â€Å"Ecological Citizenship. † Start out with a relevant quote from Dobbin's essay and proceed to explain the terms involved and the overall significance of this notion. Citizenship is being a part of the society.Ecological citizenship is the state, character or behavior of a person viewed as a member of the ecosystem with attendant rights and responsibilities, especially the responsibility to maintain ecological integrity and the right to exist in a healthy environment . From the reading, † Ecological citizenship deals in the currency of non-contractual responsibility, it inhabits the private as well as the public sphere, it refers to the source rather than the nature of responsibility to determine what count as citizenship virtues, it works with the language of virtue, and it is explicitly non-territorial. (89) However, ecological citizenship, like ecologist, moves in radically new directions. As a means to address global unsuitability, citizenship must exist in an entirely different non-territorial political space, and the space in which a redefined citizenship can be located is our individual ecological footprint. In other words, ecological citizenship is an essential prerequisite of a sustainable society. â€Å"The PRI uncial ecological citizenship obligation is ensure that ecological footprint makes a sustainable, rather than an unsustainable, impact. (1 1 8) Ecological citizenship is presented as an example and inflection of post-cosm opolitan citizenship. It is contrasted with environmental citizenship. The idea of ecological footprint is a composite measure, which informs sustainable development, ecological economics and urban studies. It is quickly becoming a very practical tool for measuring human impact on the Earth's resource base. The ecological footprint is presented as the ecological citizenship, it is used to cause and effect that call forth post-cosmopolitan obligations. . Michael Mandates criticizes the practice of â€Å"individualizing responsibility. † Explain what does that mean. Michael Mandates mentioned in his article, † My claim in this chapter is that an accelerating individualizing of responsibility in the United States is narrowing, in dangerous ways, our â€Å"environmental imagination† and undermining our capacity to react effectively to environmental threats to human wellbeing. Those troubled by overcompensation, consumerism, and communication should not and cannot ign ore this narrowing.Confronting the individualizing of responsibility patently undermines. â€Å"(374) The result is to narrow our collective ability to imagine and pursue a variety of productive responses to the environmental problems before us. When responsibility for environmental problems is individualized, there is little room to ponder institutions, the nature and exercise of political power, or ways of collectively changing the district option of power and influence in society. Many people think that environmental problems are for other people or the government to do something about.But, the environmental issues impact on the quality of life of each and individuals of us, as well as all future generations. Many people also question, â€Å"What difference can I make? † The answer to this is critical: it is the combined impact of everyone's activities which will make a preference, just as democracy only works if enough people take the time and effort to cast their indivi dual votes, which lead to what the majority desire. If everyone takes care of their immediate surroundings and minimizes their own individual resource use, then together these actions will make a difference. . What are the principles Of thought practiced by CEO-Feminism according to Ecological feminism is based on the premise that there Karen J. Warren? Exists a connection between the domination of women the neglect and exploitation of the natural world. According to Karen J. Warren, she gives us a new way of looking and understanding things. She claims that an oppressive conceptual framework is the set of values and attitudes that shape the way in which we look at the world. There exists a characteristic in our oppressive conceptual framework, which is called the logic of domination.Warren's issue isn't so much that this sort of system is used in the framework, but the way in which it is used that ultimately make women inferior. Her point is that this very same framework, which lea ds to the logic of domination, is also used to oppress the natural world. It is a feminism that critiques male bias wherever it occurs in ethics (including environmental ethics) and alms at providing an ethic (including an environmental ethic), which is not male biased-and it does so in a way that satisfies the preliminary boundary conditions of a feminist ethic. (11) Based on her idea, this framework identifies women with nature. Since nature is deemed inferior to man, then women alike are deemed inferior since they are parallel to nature. In conclusion, in order to abolish both the oppression of women and nature this conceptual framework must e abolished. At the end of the chapter she said, â€Å"A re-conceiving and re- visioning of both feminism and environmental ethics, is, I think, the power and promise of coefficients. â€Å"(1 5) Coefficients combines the philosophy of feminism with the principles of ecology and environmental ethics.Coefficients generally claims that the pa triarchal structures of our society are what cause environmental degradation. 6. What is, according to Hans Jonas, the categorical imperative, I. E. The absolute commandment, of our age? Is this an anthropocentric view? Discuss and explain. The main idea of this reading is shown at the beginning, † Care for the future of mankind is the overruling duty of collective human action in the age of a technical civilization that has become ‘almighty,' if not in its productive then at least in its destructive potential. (77) There's a major impact on the environment in the distant future. We are on the verge of population explosion. While the population has reached a record high, the resources to meet the increasing population have not increased in the same ratio. On the contrary, we are destroying the limited resources at a rapid peed, and very soon we would have used up all the non-renewable resources totally.Unless we take concrete preventive steps in this direction, the incid ences and the impact of these disasters would only multiply and would seriously affect the lifestyle and standard of living of future generations. It's time for actions. ‘ ‘The further observation that in whatever time is left the corrections will become more and more difficult and the freedom to make them more and more restricted. This heightens the duty to that vigilance Over the beginnings which grants priority to well-?grounded ears over against hopes, even if no less well grounded. (91) We are in the present generation are forewarned about the imminent damage we have been inflicting on our environment and our own health. Future generations will have to bear the dire consequences by the environmental devastation. Such damage poses long-lasting threats that affect the health and wellbeing of future generations. It is about time that we gave thoughtful consideration to protect future generations. It is about time that we rise and speak for the interests of future gener ations, so that they are able to live on a healthy planet. Midterm Exam What went wrong with Saturn? Answer Saturn sold cars below the prices of Honda or Toyota, earning a low 3% rate of return. Saturn sold cars below the prices of Honda or Toyota, earning a low 3% rate of Question 3 Economic profit is defined as the difference between revenue and . Answer total economic cost Question 4 The primary objective of a for-profit firm is to maximize shareholder value Which of the following will increase (VOW), the shareholder wealth minimization model of the firm: VOW(shares outstanding) = Met=l (n t)/ (l+eke)t + Real Option Value.Answer Decrease the required rate of return (eke). Question 6 O out of 4 points The moral hazard in team production arises from lack of proper assignment of individual tasks a conflict between tactically best interest and one's duty Question 7 will be projects with Answer high risk Question 8 The approximate probability of a value occurring that is greater than one standard deviation from the mean is approximately (assuming a normal distribution) Answer 15. 7% Question 9 coefficient of variation; standard deviation; expected value Correct Answer: efficient of variation; standard deviation; expected value Question 10 The level of an economic activity should be increased to the point where the zero.Answer net marginal benefit Question 1 1 is A change in the level of an economic activity is desirable and should be undertaken as long as the marginal benefits exceed the marginal costs Question 12 The standard deviation is appropriate to compare the risk between two investments only if Answer the expected returns from the investments are approximately equal Correct Answer: the expected returns from the investments are approximately equalQuestion 13 Songwriters and composers press music companies to lower the price for music downloads because Answer songwriter royalties are a percentage of sales revenue Question 14 The factor(s) which cause(s) a movement along the demand curve include(s): Answer decrease in price of t he good demanded Question 15 Those goods having a calculated income elasticity that is negative are called: Answer inferior goods An increase in each of the following factors would normally provide a subsequent increase in quantity demanded, except: Answer level of competitor advertisingQuestion 17 Which of the following would tend to make demand INELASTIC? No one really wants the product at all the proportion of the budget spent on the item is very small When demand is a percentage change in is exactly offset by the same percentage change in demanded, the net result being a constant total consumer expenditure.Answer unit elastic; price; quantity Question 19 Auto dealers slash prices at the end of the model year in response to deficient demand/excess inventory but restaurants facing the same problem slash production because Answer rice elasticity of supply in autos is smaller than the absolute value of price elasticity of demand but the reverse is true for restaurants Correct Answer : of demand but the reverse is true for restaurants In regression analysis, the existence of a significant pattern in successive values of the error term constitutes: Answer autocorrelation Question 21 In regression analysis, the existence of a high degree of intercalation among some or all of the explanatory variables in the regression equation constitutes. Midterm Exam For humans it is the potential for long-term maintenance of well-being, which in turn depends on the maintenance of the natural world and natural resources. As the earth's human population has increased, natural ecosystems have declined and changes in the balance of trial cycles have had a negative impact on both humans and other living systems.Paul Hawked provides 1 2 steps towards a sustainable society. First, Hawked argues that state and national governments should reclaim their power to regulate corporations by rewriting and renewing current corporate charters. Second, Hawked agrees that companies and consumers should be forced to include all the environmental and social costs in making, producing, using, and disposing of products in the cost of goods. Third, we should tax the amount of non-renewable resources, the amount of fossil eels, the amount of waste, and the amount of environment destroyed or abused.Fourth, Hawked says that governments should lease companies the right to use and control certain resources such as fisheries, forests. By making these companies' profits dependent on how productive these resources are, they will have a real incentive to protect and even restore these environments to health. Fifth, companies would compete to create industrial design processes in which they greatly reduce their waste. Instead of depending on polluting the environment with their wastes, companies should figure out owe to reduce wastes and actually make them a source of profits.Sixth, consumers would lease the right to use products such as us or cars from companies and the companies are responsible for recycling and disposing of those products when the consumer is done using them. Seventh, here Hawked encourages consumers and citizens to put pressure on their politicians and governments to create and enforce strict environmental, health, and social standards. Eighth, Hawked argues that local, state, and national governments must once again be active overseer s and regulators of corporations and businesses.Currently corporations argue that governments should not interfere in business and disrupt the magic of free enterprise and the market. Ninth, people need to be taught to understand and consider the larger environmental and social impacts of their actions. Fifth public better understand the environmental risks and benefits of their actions, they would have real incentives to take actions that would protect the environment, their health, and the well-being of their society. Tenth, Hawked tells that we need to do local, state, national, and global surveys of the environment and the impact Of our activities on nature.Eleventh, Hawked thinks that environmentalists will only successfully win the support of the poor and Third World peoples if they convince them that such environmental and economic reforms will improve their health and standards of living. Twelfth, Hawked concludes that these economic and environmental reforms cannot be solel y based on economic incentives and profits. These reforms must also be focused on the individual, social, cultural, environmental, and religious benefits of protecting and restoring the environment.Ways of living more sustainable can take many forms. Green building, sustainable agriculture, or sustainable architecture, or using science to develop new technologies, green technologies, renewable energy, to adjustments in individual lifestyles that conserve natural resources. 2. Explain Andrew Dobbin's notion of â€Å"Ecological Citizenship. † Start out with a relevant quote from Dobbin's essay and proceed to explain the terms involved and the overall significance of this notion. Citizenship is being a part of the society.Ecological citizenship is the state, character or behavior of a person viewed as a member of the ecosystem with attendant rights and responsibilities, especially the responsibility to maintain ecological integrity and the right to exist in a healthy environment . From the reading, † Ecological citizenship deals in the currency of non-contractual responsibility, it inhabits the private as well as the public sphere, it refers to the source rather than the nature of responsibility to determine what count as citizenship virtues, it works with the language of virtue, and it is explicitly non-territorial. (89) However, ecological citizenship, like ecologist, moves in radically new directions. As a means to address global unsuitability, citizenship must exist in an entirely different non-territorial political space, and the space in which a redefined citizenship can be located is our individual ecological footprint. In other words, ecological citizenship is an essential prerequisite of a sustainable society. â€Å"The PRI uncial ecological citizenship obligation is ensure that ecological footprint makes a sustainable, rather than an unsustainable, impact. (1 1 8) Ecological citizenship is presented as an example and inflection of post-cosm opolitan citizenship. It is contrasted with environmental citizenship. The idea of ecological footprint is a composite measure, which informs sustainable development, ecological economics and urban studies. It is quickly becoming a very practical tool for measuring human impact on the Earth's resource base. The ecological footprint is presented as the ecological citizenship, it is used to cause and effect that call forth post-cosmopolitan obligations. . Michael Mandates criticizes the practice of â€Å"individualizing responsibility. † Explain what does that mean. Michael Mandates mentioned in his article, † My claim in this chapter is that an accelerating individualizing of responsibility in the United States is narrowing, in dangerous ways, our â€Å"environmental imagination† and undermining our capacity to react effectively to environmental threats to human wellbeing. Those troubled by overcompensation, consumerism, and communication should not and cannot ign ore this narrowing.Confronting the individualizing of responsibility patently undermines. â€Å"(374) The result is to narrow our collective ability to imagine and pursue a variety of productive responses to the environmental problems before us. When responsibility for environmental problems is individualized, there is little room to ponder institutions, the nature and exercise of political power, or ways of collectively changing the district option of power and influence in society. Many people think that environmental problems are for other people or the government to do something about.But, the environmental issues impact on the quality of life of each and individuals of us, as well as all future generations. Many people also question, â€Å"What difference can I make? † The answer to this is critical: it is the combined impact of everyone's activities which will make a preference, just as democracy only works if enough people take the time and effort to cast their indivi dual votes, which lead to what the majority desire. If everyone takes care of their immediate surroundings and minimizes their own individual resource use, then together these actions will make a difference. . What are the principles Of thought practiced by CEO-Feminism according to Ecological feminism is based on the premise that there Karen J. Warren? Exists a connection between the domination of women the neglect and exploitation of the natural world. According to Karen J. Warren, she gives us a new way of looking and understanding things. She claims that an oppressive conceptual framework is the set of values and attitudes that shape the way in which we look at the world. There exists a characteristic in our oppressive conceptual framework, which is called the logic of domination.Warren's issue isn't so much that this sort of system is used in the framework, but the way in which it is used that ultimately make women inferior. Her point is that this very same framework, which lea ds to the logic of domination, is also used to oppress the natural world. It is a feminism that critiques male bias wherever it occurs in ethics (including environmental ethics) and alms at providing an ethic (including an environmental ethic), which is not male biased-and it does so in a way that satisfies the preliminary boundary conditions of a feminist ethic. (11) Based on her idea, this framework identifies women with nature. Since nature is deemed inferior to man, then women alike are deemed inferior since they are parallel to nature. In conclusion, in order to abolish both the oppression of women and nature this conceptual framework must e abolished. At the end of the chapter she said, â€Å"A re-conceiving and re- visioning of both feminism and environmental ethics, is, I think, the power and promise of coefficients. â€Å"(1 5) Coefficients combines the philosophy of feminism with the principles of ecology and environmental ethics.Coefficients generally claims that the pa triarchal structures of our society are what cause environmental degradation. 6. What is, according to Hans Jonas, the categorical imperative, I. E. The absolute commandment, of our age? Is this an anthropocentric view? Discuss and explain. The main idea of this reading is shown at the beginning, † Care for the future of mankind is the overruling duty of collective human action in the age of a technical civilization that has become ‘almighty,' if not in its productive then at least in its destructive potential. (77) There's a major impact on the environment in the distant future. We are on the verge of population explosion. While the population has reached a record high, the resources to meet the increasing population have not increased in the same ratio. On the contrary, we are destroying the limited resources at a rapid peed, and very soon we would have used up all the non-renewable resources totally.Unless we take concrete preventive steps in this direction, the incid ences and the impact of these disasters would only multiply and would seriously affect the lifestyle and standard of living of future generations. It's time for actions. ‘ ‘The further observation that in whatever time is left the corrections will become more and more difficult and the freedom to make them more and more restricted. This heightens the duty to that vigilance Over the beginnings which grants priority to well-?grounded ears over against hopes, even if no less well grounded. (91) We are in the present generation are forewarned about the imminent damage we have been inflicting on our environment and our own health. Future generations will have to bear the dire consequences by the environmental devastation. Such damage poses long-lasting threats that affect the health and wellbeing of future generations. It is about time that we gave thoughtful consideration to protect future generations. It is about time that we rise and speak for the interests of future gener ations, so that they are able to live on a healthy planet.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

A Critique on the Article: Avoiding Ethical Danger Zones Essay

According to the Business Roundtable Institute for Corporate Ethics (â€Å"BRICE†) business leaders of the 21st century face a number of difficult and complex challenges that greatly affect their businesses as well as the various stakeholders (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). This is nothing new considering the fallout of the recent global financial crisis as well as the events preceding which can be summarized by unethical business practices perpetuated by giant corporations like Enron, WorldCom, Tyco and many more (Kiviat, 2008). However, these three companies only represent the tip of the iceberg when it comes to unethical business practices. There are many firms with secrets that are kept hidden but not for long. In this regard BRICE suggested that the problems related to business ethics can be remedied by going to the root of the matter which is the process of making decisions. BRICE asserted that there are â€Å"ethical danger zones† that a leader must learn to avoid when making crucial decisions. Furthermore, BRICE added that this can be achieved by focusing on three areas: quality, breadth, and honesty. This paper will analyze how these principles can be applied in the real world. Quality   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to BRICE the quality of the decision making process is determined by the collection and consideration of all meaningful facts regarding a decision’s consequences (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). This is a good idea but the question is how will the leader know that nothing was left out? According to the said resource this can be done by identifying danger zones such as ethnocentrism, stereotypes, inability to perceive the correct cause of a problem, sin of omission, and the inability to focus on people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors were doing just fine up until they added the concept of sin of omission and the inability to focus on people. It is easy to understand why they pinpointed ethnocentrism, stereotypes and wrong perception of causes as pitfalls in achieving quality in decision making. This is due to the fact that ethnocentrism automatically creates a biased worldview. The leader automatically has this false sense of security, that his or her system of beliefs and values are the best and he or she need not adapt to a rapidly changing world. The same thing can be said about using stereotypes especially in a global economy where the headquarters of a particular firm can be found in the United States but its factories are located in China.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The ability to know for certain the root cause of a problem is also a useful skill in decision making but when the authors added the need to focus on people and to watch out for the sin of omission the discussion suddenly went off course. There should have been more discussion in clarifying the three aforementioned principles to help explain in detail how to improve the quality of the decision making process because the authors stated clearly in the very beginning that quality can only be achieved by considering and collecting pertinent information. But the added sub-topic immediately went to the details of how to solve a particular problem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors should have clarified the reason why leaders make assumptions. In other words they should have added more explanation and illustrations why leaders are unable to collect and consider necessary information to help them in making accurate judgments and creating solutions to their problems. It was too early to go into specifics, and more importantly, the authors were only able to scratch the surface when they attempted to go in-depth when it comes to the discussion of perception of causes. If they are not willing to develop the discussion even further they should have stayed with generalizations and not start off with a quest that they could not complete. Breadth   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to the authors, another way to improve the decision making process is to consider the potential effects of a particular decision on all stakeholders (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). They even contended that leaders must utilize their imagination to determine possible moral implications of their decisions that could impact other stakeholders; these are stakeholders that may lie outside their sphere of responsibility. This is a good point. Clearly the leaders of Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco did not consider the impact of their unethical behavior (Thomas, 2006). However, the authors did not clarify the boundaries for this principle to work effectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If there are no limitations then corporate leaders will be hard presses to please everyone. In a global economy it is impossible to know the exact implication of a corporate decision. This should make CEOs extra cautious when it comes to making crucial decisions but an objective assessment of the market will lead to the conclusion that it is impossible to consider the opinion of everyone. More importantly nothing has been said when it comes to priorities. It is nice to hear that a company is doing its best to be produce environmentally friendly products so that it can lessen its impact on the environment and therefore create positive impact for future generations, however, their number one priority should be the investors and the stockholders of the company.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   No one is foolish enough to make an investment without making a reasonable profit in return. Although the authors clarified that a leader must have a realistic worldview, nothing was said regarding the firm’s bottom line. These statements are even harder to accept if it turns out that the authors never had any experience when it comes to making decisions in the corporate level or at least as an entrepreneur. They may have no idea what it feels like to put everything on the line only to find out that the business venture is losing money.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is important to have leaders that think beyond dollars and cents and perform in such a way that they are not only thinking about the wishes and commands of investors and shareholders. On the other hand it must be made clear that a firm has to have revenues and increase its value or else it will cease to exist. Examining every decision made in light of moral and ethical principles is the best way to do business; nevertheless the primary commitment of the company is not with outsiders but the shareholders and the employees. The CEO must keep in mind that the moment the company is no longer making profit then employees will no longer have jobs and those who come to depend upon their products and services will be greatly inconvenienced.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors were correct in saying that it is unwise to assume that the public may never find out. But there is really no need to devote much space regarding this topic. It is an important topic by the way; nevertheless, it does not seem to fit the target audience of BRICE. The message makes sense but it is not what top corporate leaders are interested in reading. In the foreword the authors stated that BRICE has come into partnership with Business Roundtable – an association of chief executive officers of leading corporations with a combined workforce of more than ten million people and $4 trillion in revenues (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). These are the type of leaders that will read this document and they will never assume that the general public will never find out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors may have been trying to say that even if the fall of greedy corporate executives such as the former CEOs of Enron and Tyco are well known there are still leaders who are not afraid to walk the same path and so they assumed that these leaders are not conscious of the fact that their actions will never be made public. There could be a better way to discuss this issue and it is to find out why CEOs are sometimes forced to ignore the low-probability events and other waning signs. It is because they are under tremendous pressure to perform, to make money for the firm. Corporate leaders managing multinational companies with a global presence will never assume that the general public will never find out. The authors should have explained why some CEOs are willing to walk near the edge when they know that they are courting disaster. The authors should have delved deeper into the psychology behind bending the rules for the sake of profit. There is an explanation why CEOs find it hard to resist the temptation to use a scheme that will guarantee a sudden increase in profit even if they knew that somehow they had to break a few rules. If the authors focused on this angle instead of giving generalizations then the article could have been an interesting read for CEOs leading multi-million dollar companies. The authors should have focused more on the tension that exists when leaders are pulled into different directions – the company’s bottom line is pulling the company that way while business ethics is pulling the other way. The authors should have elaborated more on what Mulcahy the CEO of Xerox said regarding the proper way to manage this tension and it can be truncated into this one statement: The company will pay for performance but the company will hire, promote, and fire based on values; employees will have to deliver the top line and the bottom line and do it in the most ethical manner (Messick, Bazerman, & Stewart, 2006). The authors should have expounded more on this. Honesty   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The last portion of the article dealt with the concept of honesty, integrity, and overconfidence. It is easy to see that the last word does not belong to the previous statement. Honesty, integrity and moral compass are like complimentary objects and deserve to be grouped together. The question remains why overconfidence was a sub-topic that was used to elucidate the meaning of honesty. The authors linked honesty and overconfidence by stating that a leader must be honest about his or her overconfidence. With great effort this premise will work but there is a less strenuous way to get the point across. There is a much better way to communicate without forcing the reader to perform some extreme mental calisthenics. Quite frankly there is really nothing wrong with the said statement but it just does not sound right and it is confusing for those whose who may not have time to go through the document more than one time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Those who are expected to read this document are CEOs, and although they appreciate statistics and factual reporting they also like simplicity in the presentation of ideas. By using tough to digest words like ethical danger zones and not provide a clear explanation of what it is all about can frustrate many of them and they will never finish reading the whole article. The article can be seen as an assemblage of disjointed parts. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The authors started out strong by stating that there are ethical danger zones that corporate leaders should avoid especially during these difficult and challenging times. However, they were unable to give new information that would be of great help to leaders of multinational corporations. Instead they settled with generalizations and used oft-repeated statements that are already well-known in the international business community. It can be argued that members of the Business Roundtable came into partnership with BRICE to learn more about business ethics. They surely did not expect an article or a manifesto telling them something that they know already. These leaders are aware of the dangers that exist when an organization ignores business ethics. What they need to understand is how to balance the need for profit and the need to perform at the highest levels without compromising the organization’s core values. References Kiviat, B. (2008). â€Å"Reassessing Risk.† Retrieved 03 August 2010 from   http://www.time.com/ time/magazine/article/0,9171,1856998,00.html Messick, D., M. Bazerman, & L. Stewart. (2006). Avoiding Ethical Danger Zones. Business Rountable Institute for Corporate Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.corporate-ethics.org/pdf/danger_zones.pdf Thomas, C. (2006). â€Å"The Enron Effect.† Accessed 03 August 2010 from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1198917,00.html

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Healthcare Policy Unit 2 DB HA415 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Healthcare Policy Unit 2 DB HA415 - Essay Example rces and efficient application of such resources identifies the importance of economics to health care policy makers because a good policy is one that can successfully be implemented. World Health Organization identifies the need to prioritize opportunities, or policies, and the need to solve the scarcity problem of resources through identification of sources, and efficient application of resources as some of the reasons why economics is important to policy makers in the health care sector. This is because every situation has alternative applicable policies and resources for implementing such policies are always scarce, and needed for application in other scopes. Consequently, there is a need for economic competence in order to identify a policy, with the highest level of utility, for implementation. Economics’ knowledge is further important to a health care policy maker because it facilitates identification of resources and efficient application of such resources in implement ation of an identified policy (World Health Organization, 2006). An understanding of economics is therefore important to a health care policy maker because it facilitates identification of policies with the highest utility level and ensures effective resource planning for policy

Friday, September 27, 2019

Why the Founders failed to address the question of slavery Essay

Why the Founders failed to address the question of slavery - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that according to the constitution of the America that was originally drafted, a slave was equivalent to three-fifths of a person; the relation was applied for ensuring proportional representation in the House of Representatives. The South States were slave-heavy states and wanted that each of the slaves to be counted as an equivalent for one full person, whereas the North States ‘ultimately abolitionist states’ also named ‘slave light states’ did not want to apply equivalent relationship between the slaves and independents. The slaves desired active representation and authority of House of Representatives, and in this manner, they were able to achieve their interests in a more aggressive and enthusiastic manner. The Three-Fifth compromise between both the divisions actually reduced the influence of slave states in the national government. According to the compromise accorded, slaves will receive three-fifths of en umeration i.e. tax distribution, and representation at government houses. The major impact of the three-fifth draft was to change and shift the basis for estimating the wealth of each state, and the tax reforms were applied and introduced accordingly.   The North desired that such amendments in the Articles of Confederation to be introduced, such that slaves were counted one, so that South was subject to more tax deduction, however later in the constitutional convention on the reason of representation, South desired more participation.Â